Elsewhere in the UFC, two fighters have arisen amongst the mayhem in the 185lb division. From Chael Sonnen's domination of Anderson Silva, only to lose in the dying seconds, and later be revealed to have taken steroids, to the wars put on by Chris Leben, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Michael Bisping respectively(all three have fought one another), this division is in desperate need of potential championship contenders. Enter Nate Marquardt and Yushin "Thunder" Okami.
Fighting for the chance to take on either Anderson Silva or Vitor Belfort in 2011 for the Middleweight Championship, there was a lot at stake for both fighters. Marquardt had already fought Silva once, losing in the first round. Okami on the other hand holds the last win over Anderson Silva, though it came via disqualification due to an illegal upkick thrown by Silva. This occurred in 2006. With a win here, either fight could earn a rematch against the perennial kingpin of the middleweight division. Here we go.
LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION (155lbs)
Duane "Bang" Ludwig vs Nick Osipczak
What Happened: Both fighters came out and exchanged, throwing punches, kicks, elbows, and utilizing a little dirty boxing. Osipczak was able to collect crucial takedowns at the end of the first and second rounds, but was noticeably worn out by the third round, prompting Ludwig to turn it on. Ludwig went on to win via split decision.
What Next: This was a much needed victory for Ludwig. He was always an exciting fighter in Japan in his Pride days, but since coming to the UFC has been pretty disappointing. "Bang" would serve as a great first fight for some of the new incoming fighters from WEC, especially Cerrone or Varner. With three losses in a row, Osipsczak may be on his way out.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (205lbs)
Krzysztof Soszynski vs Goran Reljic
What Happened: In possibly the night's most boring fight, Soszynski won a lopsided unanimous decision in which he spent most of the time being pushed up against the fence by Reljic, or trying to be pulled down to the ground. When Reljic was successful in getting the Polish fighter down, it was Krzystof who was the more active fighter, attempting submissions and working hard ground and pound.
What Next: Reljic put on a pathetic performance. Soszynski is rarely in a boring fight, so I think Reljic is the one to fault for this crap fest. With three losses in a row as well, expect to see Reljic on his way out. Soszynski on the other hand needs one more good win before he can start taking on the big name fighters of the division. A potential rubber match with Bonnar, or a match up against Matt Hamill could be exciting.
WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION (170lbs)
Amir Sadollah vs Peter Sobotta
What Happened: Sadollah was aggressive the whole fight, working knees from the clinch and firing kicks at Sobotta every round. Amir showed good take down defense early, as well as the ability to get back to his feet later on in the fight. Although Sobotta was able to score a few takedowns, he was unable to inflict any serious damage, as Sadollah walked away with a unanimous decision victory.
What Next: Once again, a fighter with three losses in a row. Sobotta will surely be on his way out of the UFC following this loss, especially considering he's in the deepest division in the organization. While Sadollah looked impressive, he needs to fight a legitimate opponent before he starts turning any heads. I would like to see him take on the winner of Rory MacDonald vs Matt Brown, which takes place this coming weekend at UFC 123.
LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION
Dennis Siver vs Andre Winner
What Happened: Both fighters came out exchanging back and forth on the feet. With Siver using a more power-friendly style, and Winner working a more technical boxer's approach, each fighter was landing. Winner held the upper hand early on due to the number of leg kicks he was able to land. With just about 90 seconds left in the round, Winner put together a three punch combo, only to eat a Siver left hook counter. Winner dropped to his knees, where Siver followed with punches, before taking the Brit's back and sinking in a rear naked choke for the victory.
What Next: Winner has now lost his last two, making that three out of five since entering the UFC. Don't be surprised to see Winner get the boot as Ross Pearson is clearly the better of the British Ultimate Fighter Alumni. Siver, once considered merely a gatekeeper in the division, has now won five of his last six bouts in the UFC. Like Duane, Siver would make a great welcoming mat for some incoming WEC fighters.
MAIN EVENT
MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION (185lbS)
Nate "The Great" Marquardt vs Yushin "Thunder" Okami
What Happened: Both fighters came in with similar backgrounds in wrestling, and respectable stand up. The fight was even through the first two rounds, and the momentum swung between fighters. Whether it was Okami's jab, or Marquardt's countering and timing, each fighter was able to take control. Into the third, it became evident that Okami was controlling the center of the cage, and really using his jab to pepper Nate and also keep him at bay. Both fighters seemed to nullify one another in the clinch and ground departments. After three rounds, Okami took a unanimous decision, earning him the first crack at the winner of Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort.
What Next: Once considered to be the one to rule over the MW division once Anderson Silva moves up to LHW, Marquardt is slowly sinking into a gatekeeper role. It has always been said about Nate that he is good at everything, but great at nothing. Against fighters like Okami, Sonnen, and Silva, Marquardt has come up short due to the fact that he was outmatched, and he doesn't have a bread and butter style to fall back on. While many fighters can fall back on their Jiu Jitsu or boxing, Marquardt isn't dominant in any style. You think he would be a better all around wrestler considering he trains with Jackson (St. Pierre, Sanchez, Carwin, Rashad). His next fight will most likely be against one of the Leben/Bisping/Akiyama trio. As for Yushin, his time has finally come. And by god, it has been a long time coming. Since coming to the UFC in 2006, Okami is now 10-2 inside to Octagon. Being the last person to "defeat" Anderson Silva, there has always been speculation of Okami fighting the Spider, but due to his "unexciting" style, the UFC/Joe Silva have not only failed to give Okami a title shot, but hardly ever even put him on the main card. The only problem for Okami is that Anderson Silva is basically his kryptonite. Sure, Okami has pretty solid boxing, but Silva's striking is out of this world. Yea, Okami has good wrestling and decent ground and pound, but nothing close to the smothering style of Chael Sonnen, and that wasn't enough to stop Silva. Okami just doesn't have that smash mouth ground and pound style that's necessary to beat Anderson, and he certainly doesn't have the cardio to push the pace for five rounds like Chael did. Okami has to be praying that Belfort wins, because that would be a much better matchup stylistically for Yushin, as he would be able to work the clinch and ground game more effectively against Vitor. One problem does arise though. In the event that Anderson does lose, it would make a whole lot more sense for there to be a rematch rather than a Belfort-Okami matchup. So any way you look at it, Okami is kinda shit out of luck. Sorry Thunder.
So that about wraps it up. Nothing too exciting, nothing too meaningful. A free card, a decent night of fights, can't complain. Luckily we have UFC 123 to look forward to next weekend, on Saturday, November 23rd. Headlined by former LHW champions Lyoto Machida and Quinton Jackson, the bout also features a rubber match between Matt Hughes and BJ Penn @ 170lbs, as well as the main card debuts of both Phil Davis and Gerald Harris, two promising up and coming UFC prospects. Throw in a guaranteed ground war between George Sotiropoulos and Joe Lauzon, and you have got yourself one hell of a card. I will be posting later in the week with a more in depth preview and predictions for UFC 123: Machida vs Rampage.
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