Couture Edges Vera at UFC 105

MANCHESTER, England -- Randy Couture used his considerable wrestling skill to nullify Brandon Vera’s striking advantage Saturday and win a close unanimous decision in the UFC 105 main event at the Manchester Evening News Arena.

The razor-thin margin went Couture’s way on the strength of the first and third rounds. “The Natural” took the first without landing a single significant strike and spent the majority of the frame clinched with Vera. For his part, Vera landed some strikes and defended all of Couture’s takedown attempts, but it was not enough to notch him the round on any of the judges’ cards.

Vera looked close to finishing the fight after collapsing Couture to the mat in the second frame with a hard kick to the body. He attacked his fallen opponent and launched into a salvo of punches before Couture could wrap him up.

“It hurt,” Couture said of the kick. “He stung me a good one with that body kick, and he did it again in the third round. It didn’t get me quite as bad, but it was still bad.”

Referee Marc Goddard, who was liberal in letting the fighters work from the clinch, quickly stood the fight back up and Couture briefly rallied at the end of the round.

The final round saw Couture finally begin to throw his hands. He barreled in to start the third, but Vera just smiled as he used head movement to avoid the bulk of the shots. Couture leaned in on Vera, as he did most of the bout, and held him against the cage. Goddard allowed them to remain locked up until finally breaking them late in the stanza.

Couture waded back inside on the restart, but Vera scored a knee-tap takedown to topple him to the mat. Vera then took the mount position, but Couture tied him up and negated his advantageous position. The fight ended, and Vera’s camp entered to celebrate the apparent win with their charge.

It was not to be, though. The official scores were 29-28 on all three cards, all in favor of Couture. The English crowd was squarely behind the iconic five-time champion but reacted with disbelief when he was announced as the victor. Vera reacted in concert with the audience and stormed out of the cage in anger. He would return for the post-fight interview.

“I thought I won,” Vera said. “I left it all out there.”

Following his first appearance at light heavyweight in more than three years, Couture indicated he plans to stay at 205 pounds.

“I feel much better dealing with guys Brandon’s size, my size,” he said. “I don’t have to worry so much about some of those situations I get in, like giving a guy the mount or giving a guy my back.”

Hardy Cinches Title Shot, Decisions Swick

Dan Hardy has been known more for his mouth than his performance in his short UFC campaign, but that may have changed when he picked apart perennial contender Mike Swick en route to a dominating unanimous decision. Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28, all in Hardy’s favor.

Hardy will now face welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre sometime in early 2010. The two men shook hands in the cage after the decision was announced.

“Dan Hardy, he proved that he deserved the title [shot],” St. Pierre said. “I look forward to the challenge.”

“I’m excited, people,” Hardy said, “and I hope you are, too.”

Hardy shut down all of Swick’s takedown attempts in the opening round before getting his striking game untracked. It was a lead left hook that sent Swick stumbling backwards early in the second round and swung the momentum in the Englishman’s favor. He chased after a wobbly Swick with a broad, knowing smile on his face. Although Swick got his wits back, he never really asserted himself in the fight. In his best encounter, Swick traded with Hardy along the cage and landed a pair of solid punches, as the second round came to a close, but he could not muster much more.

Hardy took control again in the third, utilizing the lead left hook repeatedly, as he stung Swick and threw him off balance. Hardy hurt the American Kickboxing Academy standout again with a grazing left hand, but Swick, looking for the finish, jumped into a guillotine choke in response to a Hardy shot. Hardy easily defended before getting back on the offensive with elbows from top position inside Swick’s guard.

Sensing the inevitability of their countryman’s victory, the crowd roared in appreciation as the final seconds ticked down and erupted at the final horn. Hardy raised his hands with a grin, as Swick retreated to his corner hanging his head.

“I did what I could England,” Hardy said. “I did what I could. I’m sorry I didn’t get the finish, but we got there in the end.”

Resilient Bisping Stops Kang

Michael Bisping overcame a tough start and came back to defeat Denis Kang by TKO in the second round of their middleweight affair.

Kang had his way with Bisping in the first frame, as he knocked him down with a straight right hand and spent the entire round in top position. Bisping recovered from the knockdown quickly and showed deft grappling skills, as he limited Kang’s ability to pass and re-established position when Kang did advance.

Knowing he was behind going to the second may have lit a fire under the popular British mixed martial artist. Bisping looked like a completely different fighter in the second period. The fact that Kang looked like his gas tank was on empty after Bisping’s first takedown of the round may have contributed to the change in momentum, as well.

Bisping took the fight to the mat and wrested control away from his fading opponent, battering Kang with punches while standing in his guard after the initial takedown. Kang rose from the mat, and, with blood streaming from his nose and a cut above his right eye, he staggered away from Bisping’s advance.

The Manchester native kept up his pursuit and planted Kang again. Another volley of punches left Kang flailing on the mat, but the Canadian somehow made it back to his feet once again. Bisping closed in again and slammed him to the mat for the last time. The final flurry brought referee Dan Miragliotta to Kang’s rescue at 4:24 of the second round and sent the crowd into a frenzy. Kang lay prone on the mat, seemingly more exhausted than hurt.

Brown Finishes Wilks

Matt Brown continued his impressive run with a hard-fought technical win over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 9 welterweight winner James Wilks.

Brown found himself defending takedowns for the majority of the first five minutes, but he managed to blacken Wilks left eye with one of the few strikes he landed in the opening frame.

Wilks continued to work for the takedown in the second round, but Brown, timing his shot, launched into a flying knee that sent the Englishman careening backward to the canvas.


“I just knew he was going to shoot,” Brown said. “I timed it.”

Brown pounced with punches, but a lucid Wilks grabbed his left leg and diligently fought for the submission. Brown defended well and escaped back to his feet. Brown then set up a four-punch combination with a body shot and put Wilkes back on the floor. Wilks futilely grabbed at Brown’s leg but was rewarded with hammerfists to the side of his head. In a remarkable turn, Wilks scrambled to top position but could not do anything with the advantage in the round’s final 20 seconds.

Wilks kept coming in the third round with a painful-looking kimura attempt that had Brown doing a contortionist impression. Brown wriggled free by jumping over Wilks and getting to his feet.

“I was lucky to get out,” Brown said. “He had that. I don’t know how I got out.”

A spent Wilkes gave up the mount without much of a whimper and Brown capitalized. He slugged his way to the stoppage at 2:27, when referee Leon Roberts stepped in to end the bout.

Pearson Stops Riley on Cut

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 9 lightweight winner Ross Pearson made his official Octagon debut a successful one, as he finished veteran lightweight Aaron Riley by doctor’s stoppage at 4:38 of the second round. Pearson controlled the contest from the outset and bullied Riley from the clinch repeatedly, scoring with punches, knees and kicks.

“I did nothing but think about Aaron and train for Aaron, and everything come together tonight,” Pearson said. “It came out perfect.”

Pearson set the tone early in the opening frame when he bloodied Riley’s nose during an exchange along the cage. The Brit threw combinations at every opportunity, while Riley seemed to only get off single shots when he went on the offensive.

Riley opened the second frame much more aggressively but could not capture the momentum from Pearson, the crowd favorite. After taking a few shots, Pearson escaped Riley’s grasp along the cage early in the round and never looked back.

Late in the period, Pearson leaped in with a knee that splattered Riley’s nose and painted his face red with blood. Riley fought his way off the cage, and, as the fighters circled, referee Marc Goddard caught site of the carnage. He immediately motioned for the ringside physician, who recommended the fight be stopped.

UFC 105 Prelim Results and Play-by-Play