UFC 73: Stacked
UFC 73: StackedBy Edward Pollard |
SACRAMENTO, CA—The ARCO Arena was ground zero on July 7, 2007 for one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s most anticipated cards in recent memory, UFC 73: Stacked, with two titles on the line and a marquee meeting between a fan favorite looking to regain his top-shelf footing and a champion from The Ultimate Fighter cable-TV series intent on establishing his name among the greats in the field. Spectators were treated to an amazing undercard that set up high expectations for the broadcast matches to follow. Frank Edgar defeated Mark Bocek by TKO after four minutes 55 seconds in an almost all-stand-up battle. Bocek had few answers to Edgar’s attack and spent most of the round looking to avoid a certain knockout. Perpetual up-and-comer Chris Lytle established his momentum early on, softening Jason Gilliam up with a high kick attempt, then a takedown. After two minutes 15 seconds, Lytle had wrapped his opponent up like a bale of hay, his legs controlling Gilliam’s head and shoulders while he isolated the left arm to force a submission—an impressive display of control and finishing technique.
Jorge Gurgel came out swinging hard and looking for a flash knockout; Diego Saraiva’s counterattacks were measured and precise, improving as the fight deepened. Gurgel’s takedown in round three, and his general domination and activity convinced judges he was the better man, though his face looked the worse for wear. In an undercard match that may have signaled a last gasp for Carlos Gracie-trained fighter Stephan Bonnar, the Ultimate Fighter Season 1 grad made short work of tattooed TUF alumnus Mike Nickels, succeeding with a rear-naked choke after two minutes 14 seconds where something resembling an excruciating kimura did not. It was a convincing win and a new lease on life for Bonnar who was beginning to look like he couldn’t finish a fight on his own terms. In the first broadcast fight of the event, former PRIDE heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira met fellow PRIDE refugee Heath Herring, their third meeting in close to six years. Predictably, Nogueira began to control the proceedings, taking Herring down and achieving side control position with little resistance, but then Herring got back to his feet and sized him up. Before the end of the round, Herring caught Nogueira hard in the face with his left shin, felling the notoriously tough man and following him down for the finish. Somehow, the Brazilian managed to scare the Texan out of a ground fight and Herring backed away, motioning for him to stand. Nogueira got up and, visibly fazed, continued. It was the only chance Herring had for an upset and he let it slip away as Nogueira regained his strength and soldiered through for the unanimous-decision win. Spectators were treated to an amazing undercard that set up high expectations for the broadcast matches to follow. Frank Edgar defeated Mark Bocek by TKO after four minutes 55 seconds in an almost all-stand-up battle. Bocek had few answers to Edgar’s attack and spent most of the round looking to avoid a certain knockout. Perpetual up-and-comer Chris Lytle established his momentum early on, softening Jason Gilliam up with a high kick attempt, then a takedown. After two minutes 15 seconds, Lytle had wrapped his opponent up like a bale of hay, his legs controlling Gilliam’s head and shoulders while he isolated the left arm to force a submission—an impressive display of control and finishing technique.
In his first title defense, lightweight dynamo Sean Sherk took on the unorthodox Hermes Franca in a meeting of styles that produced five stellar rounds of mixed martial arts. Each round, Franca unloaded a thrusting knee strike that would have brained a lesser man, but Sherk powered through, taking the game to the ground and keeping it there. Since Franca’s ground skills are also top shelf, it was all Sherk could do to contain his slippery opponent. Five rounds of tense, explosive action with no room for mistakes found both fighters worn out as the judges called it unanimously for Sherk, who earned his title defense in dominant fashion. An interesting test for each fighter, The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 heavyweight winner Rashad Evans met former light-heavyweight champion and TUF Season 3 coach Tito Ortiz. Evans needed to prove he had stepped up to the level of a true professional and Ortiz had to prove that he has not outgrown champion status and morphed into an entertaining gatekeeper. After three rounds of a pitched battle between the two forces, it was a close toss-up between Ortiz’s more consistent attacks and Evans’ strident replies that built to a third-round crescendo. Had Ortiz not hung on to the fence with his fingers after a warning from referee John McCarthy, he’d have won, but the missing point rendered the meeting a draw.
In the second title bout on the card, Nathan Marquardt took his best shot at removing middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s belt, but he found out what it means to fight a man nicknamed “Spider” when Silva exploded on him with a flying knee on the feet, then a vicious hammerfist on the ground. The lanky Brazilian has frighteningly hard punches and an unpredictable game that catches even intelligent fighters like Rich Franklin off-guard, and Marquardt was no exception, losing by TKO. As anyone watching closely can tell, alumni of the UFC/Spike TV cable hit The Ultimate Fighter fit into a couple of categories, and one of them is “natural talent waiting to hit it big.” Kenny Florian is one of them. After losing in the show's finale to Diego Sanchez, he's racked up an impressive string of wins in the lightweight class and is aiming for bigger things. As the first bell rang, his opponent Alvin Robinson went on the offensive and tossed him to the mat. Florian got back to his feet and executed a judo throw. Another exchange on the feet and then Florian sweeps Robinson, mounts him and strikes with hard fists until he taps after four minutes 30 seconds. A strong performance and another step in the direction of a title shot.
The post-fight press conference was fairly congenial as usual with appearances by Saraiva, Franca, Nogueira, Silva, Sherk, Herring, Evans and Lytle. Former PRIDE welterweight, Hayato Sakurai (whose only UFC appearance was a TKO loss in March 2002 at the UFC 36 against Matt Hughes) was presented as the latest signing. And just when Dana White was wrapping up the interviews, Tito Ortiz showed up and took the microphone. It wasn’t long before a debate about the draw was boiling over between Ortiz and Evans. Apparently, a matchmaker’s job is never done. Those who want a clear result need not worry. Dana White had declared the rematch a must even before the war of words broke out. About the author: Edward Pollard is the managing editor for Black Belt.  
|
