I decided to do this first since Ortiz and Forrest Griffin are on this card and they will be returning to the Octagon to headline UFC 108 this weekend.
If you didn't read the other thread. Big Lots is selling the old UFC PPVs on DVD for $3. Someone even found the Liddell-Couture trilogy set at that price and it includes all three ENTIRE shows from those cards and a bonus disc. Eventually that package will find me.
Meanwhile I believe the Big Lots is the greatest junk store on earth and I've yet to enter that store and leave without buying stuff I don't need at 40 cents on the dollar.
I am popping my UFC ranting cherry so here we go.
The Princess Retro Rant for UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz 2
Original broadcast was Dec. 30, 2006 from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Side Note: I remember seeing part of the Main Event as I was at The Press Box in Tampa with some girlfriends coming in from out of town and we were waiting for the fight to be over and the place to clear out. So I saw the main event but not really as we were spending most of that time cracking on the goofball at the table next to us, all wearing beanie hats and long-sleeve shirts two siZes too small despite it being about 75 degrees.
Fight card is as follows:
Christian Wellisch vs. Anthony Perosh
Yushin Okami vs. Rory Singer
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Carmelo Marrero
Thiago Alves vs. Tony DeSouza
Michael Bisping vs. Eric Schafer
Andrei Arlovski vs. Marcio Cruz
Jason MacDonald vs. Chris Leben
Forrest Griffin vs. Keith Jardine
Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz
Not bad on star power with Okami, Gonzage and Alves getting preliminary assignments tonight.
Christian Wellisch vs. Anthony Perosh
The heavyweights kick start this party. The tale of the tape is basically even. They are both 6'3, Perosh is 236 to Wellisch's 235 but Wellisch has his Australian opponent on reach by a half inch. Herb Dean is the referee.
Perosh opens the contact with a leg kick and Wellisch answers. Perosh shoots for the leg but can't fully execute the single leg takedown. Perosh rolls over and tries the guillotine but can't execute and they stand. Wellisch starts throwing and lands a nasty 1-2 that gets Perosh reeling. He tries to stop the onslaught a sloppy takedown attempt. Wellisch stays on top but Perosh gets back to his feet. Perosh is cut at the bridge of the nose and eats three more right hands. Wellisch is killing him with 1-2s but Perosh finally gets a takedown and hits a nasty knee to the chin. They stand again and Wellisch owns him in a striking contrest. Wellisch goes for the take down and gets a side mount. Back to their feet and Wellisch hits a massive knee to the face and adds more chopping blows. Perosh is a bloody mess but somehow survives the first round. Might be a 10-8 round for Wellisch.
In the second round Perosh nails Wellisch with a big right and starts unloading with strikes. Wellisch goes to his knees and Perosh stays on him. Perosh is on Wellisch's back but he can't get the hooks in. Wellisch is also bleeding badly. Perosh goes for a suplex and takes Wellisch down again. Wellisch rolls out of a hook and gets to the fence. Perosh is trying to land punches but he's starting to tire and is probably using his dominant position to get a break. Wellisch reverse the positioning and gets a side mount, nailing Perosh with elbows in the process. Wellisch wants to stand but Perosh is staying in a ground guard until Dean stands them up with 40 seconds left. Two big right hands by Wellisch rattles Perosh as Rogan suggests that Wellisch hurt his foot based on his limited mobility. I would give that round to Perosh as a 10-9.
Both guys are in pretty bad shape going into round three. Perosh is bleeding badly and tired while Wellisch is bleeding around the eye and has an injured foot. Perosh continues to push the action and lands a couple of shots but I think Wellisch has the chin to take them. They grapple along the fence and I think Wellisch is absolutely spent as his punches are landing cleanly but are having no real effect on Perosh. Wellisch lands more shots but Perosh is walking through them now. His face, however, says a different story. With 90 seconds left both guys are trying to get the energy for one last surge but neither guy has much in the tank. Wellisch closes with several combinations that connect. Perosh is a crimson mask but trades punch for punch with Wellisch until the end.
Scorecards are 29-28, 29-27, 29-28 for Wellisch. Good decision and a good brawl.
Rory Singer vs. Yushin Okami
In this 185-pound battle Singer has the only notable advantage with a 4" reach diferrence. Steve Mazzagatti is the ref.
They dance for the first minute when Okami barely misses a head kick but connects 90 seconds later. In between that nothing happened. Neither guy is landing but Okami is a little busier. Okami is doing just enough to win this round and Singer is doing considerably less except chasing Okami around. Crowd boos loudly. Rogan says it's Rory's round, I say Okami. Technically everyone loses.
Rogan: That was a very boring round.
Okami is a little more active at the start of the second with a couple of blows and a shoot takedown. Okami tries to get side control but slips into Singer's guard. Singer actually gets the better of the exchanges while on his back in a high guard. Okami decides to stand and hits a solid body kick. Singer goes for a weak takedown and backs Okami up to the fence. Okami gets another takedown and Singer goes right into a butterfly guard. Singer goes for the leg while fighting off a guillotine. Okami gets side control and almost gets a full mount. Singer hits a series of kicks from the ground hitting catching Okami with an upkick. The kicks are so strong that Okami can't capitalize on Singer's ground position. Definitely Singer's round but the crowd isn't as impressed as I was.
Both guys try to pick up the action in the third round but they aren't connecting with anything. Okami gets the takedown and goes to side control and they fight over that for a couple of minutes. Boy neither one of these guys did much to warm up the crowd. Okami gets the full mount but doesn't take full advantage of it until Singer's lull in hip movement allows Okami gets a strong mount and goes to town until Singer taps with 57 seconds left. Nothing good but a Okami finished it when he had the opportunity.
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Carmelo Merraro
Gonzaga has a two-inch height advantage and 24-pound weight advantage but Merraro has a longer reach. Hmmm. Herb Dean is your ref.
20 seconds in Gonzaga crushes Merraro with a left hook and takes him down quickly and gets a full mount. Gonzaga snaps on the triangle but Merraro is fighting in and eventually Gonzaga lets go and takes the strong mount again. Gonzaga goes for the arm but can't get it so it's back to side control and then a strong mount. Gonzaga gets an americana and transitions it into a beautiful armbar. That was smooth. Merraro has no choice but to tap immediately at 3:22. Gonzaga gave the young man a clinic in BJJ and his best moment as a pro came a few months later when he knocked out Mirko Cro Cop with a kick to the head. That win gave him a shot at Randy Couture and he loss by TKO. Looking at his current situation I wouldn't be surprised if he's an option for an interim Heavyweight title match after his UFC 108 match assuming he wins and Brock Lesnar is off the grid for at least another 12 months.
Thiago Alves vs. Tony DeSouza
Alves is four inches shorter but has a seven-inch reach advantage? Yikes. Big John McCarthy is our ref.
DeSouza goes straight for the shoot but Alves brushes him off. They dance for a minute before DeSouza tries it again and Alves sprawls away easily. Third try sees DeSouza grab a leg but Alves escapes. Crowd is restless. Alves buckles DeSouza with a right and hits him with a 1-2 on the ground but DeSouza gets him in a full guard on the ground. Alves pushes off and we're standing again. Alves barely misses a high kick. Another shoot by DeSouza but Alves is escaping each time a little more easier than the time before. WICKED takedown by DeSouza drops Alves on his head but Alves ends up on top and DeSouza in a full guard. Fully pissed, Alves escapes the guard and goes APESHIT on DeSouza with a ground and pound in the final minute but Big John mercifully lets Tony survive the round albeit with a bloody nose. Alves wins the round.
DeSouza gets for another shoot and gets brushed off and then tossed across the octagon like a child. Seriously. DeSouza runs in again and gets obliterated by a high knee and a couple of punches is all Big John needs to see at 1:10 of the second round. Very impressive performance here.
Michael Bisping vs. Eric Schafer
Fairly even tale of the tape, Schafer is an inch taller and has two inches on the reach. Mario Yamasaki is your referee.
Bisping catches Schafer is a right to start but Schafer gets a takedown on a counter of a lazy kick. Bisping does a good sprawl and gets back to his feet and we stand. Another big right by Bisping but he gets taken down again. Schafer goes for the side mount but Bisping gets a half guard. Schafer actually gets an arm triangle but Bisping escapes. Schafer is really aggressively going after Bisping with his ju jitsu, but he's escaping danger well enough to get back his feet. We stand and Bisping lands a huge kick to the head that opens Schafer's nose up good. Big 1-2 by Bisping and Schafer gets another takedown. Bisping counter and wails on Schafer while he's on the ground. Schafer almost gets an arm but Bisping escapes and lands several more kill shots to cause the stoppage at 4:24. Really fun fight with Schafer being very aggressive and Bisping battling and eventually imposing his will.
Andrei Arlovski vs. Marcio Cruz
The tale of the tape is a wash so your ref is Herb Dean.
This is Arlovski's first fight since the loss to Slyvia. Cruz shoots right away, Arlovski sprawls but has to go to the ground anyway for a bit. Arlovski fights for the stand but Cruz isn't giving up his battle nor the death grip on Arlovski's leg despite taking several punches. Cruz goes for a heel hock and Arlovski actually tries for the ankle lock. He can't execute so Cruz grabs him leg. Arlovski get admonish for a kick to the face and the minute Herb stops speaking Arlovski CRUSHES an unassuming Cruz with a right hand and a few extra shots to end the fight at 3:15. Not super fun but that was a nasty right hand.
Chris Leben vs. Jason MacDonald
Tale of the tape sees MacDonald with a 4-inch height advantage and a 4.5-inch reach advantage. Leben is a pound over the 185 weight. Steve Mazzagatti is the referee.
Leben catches a leg kick and punches MacDonald but that's cool because MacDonald wants the fight on the ground so Leben stands again and connects with a wild left hand. MacDonald pushes Leben up against the fence and tries to connect on some foot stomps before Leben escapes. More wild punches by Leben but nothing is connecting. Back to the fence as Leben is working hard for a takedown. Mazzagatti separates them. Leben hits two uppercuts but they were glancing blow. Two big knees by Leben and MacDonald answers with a counterstrike and takes the fight back to the fence. Two more lefts from Leben as time ends. Hard to say who got that round but Eddie Bravo likes Leben.
Leben catches another kick, hits MacDonald with a punch and does the takedown. Leben eats an upkick but gains side control. MacDonald rolls over and gets back to his feet where he can take the fight back to the fence. Mazzagatti separates them. Leben with a big left and a nice knee but MacDonald finally gets the takedown. Leben assumes a half guard, but MacDonald appears to have control of the positioning. Leben tightens the half guard but MacDonald gets a guillotine, rolls it over and puts Leben to sleep at 4:03. Nice little fight.
Forrest Griffin vs. Keith Jardine
For the most part the UFC DVDs go from match to match but with the top undercard fight and the main event they keep the short little preview in the disc. Neither Griffin nor Jardine say much as they are pretty respectful with each other.
They also add in the introductions but are forced to dub over much of the original entrance music with stuff from crappy metal bands they can get the license to.
Naturally both guys are going to stand and the crowd is solidly behind Forrest. Griffin gets the first significant punch, a left hook but Jardine answers with a short forearm. Griffin is controlling the stand up action as his hands are considerably faster. Jardine hits a bullish combination and a nice leg kick. Forrest answers with a straight jab and a another hook. Big counter shot from Jardine and Griffin comes back with a right and as straight left. Nice body kick from Jardine. Beautiful 1-2 combo by Griffin but Jardine is certainly adept with the counter punches. And as I type that a counter left from Jardine staggers Griffin. Jardine knocks Forrest to the ground where Griffin tries to get a full guard but Jardine OVERPOWERS him with multiple crushing right hands until Big John stops it at 4:41. Terrific effort from Jardine to finish quickly and decisively. The replay actually makes me wonder why McCarthy waited so long to stop it.
MAIN EVENT TIME!
This preview is terrific as both Tito and Liddell bring the respect initially but they are in total shit talking mode otherwise.
Only difference in the tale of the tape is a six-year age difference and Liddell's 2.5-inch reach advantage. Mario Yamasaki is the referee.
The gameplan is simple. Liddell wants to stand and stalk while Tito wants to take this to the ground. Liddell lands a left hook and Ortiz shoots but Liddell moves and misses a countershot. Ortiz looks fairly comfortable countering but you can tell he knows he can't hurt Liddell with fists. Ortiz catches Liddell over the top with a right and Liddell goes to the leg kicks. Neither guy is connecting much but it's not from lack of trying. Liddell lands a right and opens a gash above Ortiz's eye. Liddell misses an uppercut and goes over the top with a right. Nice combination by Liddell and he ROCKS Ortiz with a left hook to the templethat sends the bad boy to the ground. Liddell goes to town and hit Ortiz repeatedly but Yamasaki lets it continue. Ortiz bleeding really badly now but he's amazingly he's going to survive the onslaught and the round. Easy 10-9 round for Liddell, maybe 10-8.
Tito is trying to take Liddell off guard with faking a shoot and taking a strike. They spend about two minutes moving around the octagon and taking wild punches. Ortiz has actually has Liddell really wary of the shoot. Liddell lands a wild body shot and the back end of a 1-2. Ortiz lands a right and a body kick at the two-minute mark and goes for the shoot but Liddell defends it well. They have stood for the first 3:30 of the ring but neither guy is landing much. Short left from Ortiz and a solid right hand might have stunned Liddell a little. Ortiz executes a nice wrap around shoot and takes Liddell down. The Iceman fights back to his feet but takes an elbow in the process as the round ends. Good job by Ortiz to recover and take that round.
Third round and it's obvious that Ortiz is starting to regain his confidence. The crowd is even rallying behind Tito. A lazy shoot attempt by Ortiz gets his caught with a few rights but Tito counters with a right and a NASTY leg kick that really slows Liddell down. Later he revealed he injured his MCL, I believe. Another good leg kick by Ortiz but Liddell answers with three great body shots and goes over the the top. Tito goes for a leg but Liddell sprawls and lands shots on the grounded Ortiz before forcing him to get up. Straight jab and a big right from the Iceman. Another clubbing jab and an uppercut but Ortiz counters with a right. Another big right from Liddell staggers Ortiz and puts him to the canvas. Liddell smothers Ortiz with rights that don't seem to fully connect but apparently did enough damage for Yamasaki to call for the stoppage at 1:03. I don't remember this fight being that good but it was HELL of a battle with Ortiz making a great account for himself but Liddell just proving to be too much in the final exchange.
Dana "Ice Ice Baby" White calls Liddell a "fucking asshole" a couple of times during the official announcement. No clue what Liddell said to him, surely it was something about money. Post-fight interview teases the Rampage Jackson fight, which I will rant about tomorrow.
The Bottom Line: It was three bucks. Get it if you can find it. Most of the matches were pretty solid.
Related Posts:
- UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson
- Make Me Watch A Fight!
- My Date with UFC…
- UFC C (or 100 for you folks not into Roman Numerals)
- UFC 117 Reactions
Tags: 24, DVD, Randy Couture, RAW, Retro Rant, UFC
TPrincess: I’m a Tampa man….Pressbox is a fantastic place to watch a fight…Here’s hoping Ortiz holds his own this weekend:)
I love the Press Box. We moved from South Tampa to Northern Pinellas county a few years ago so I don’t get out there much, but my husband tries to get there a few times a year for football season.
I hate Michael Bisping. With a passion.
I concur. It was pretty sweet the way Hendo worked him.
sweet to see Hendo put him out and win; not sweet to see the gross display of classlessness that was that final diving punch. bush
I’ll never agree with that being Bush. He followed up on a punch. It’s the referee’s job to stop the action it’s the fighter’s job to fight. He was doing what he’s paid to do.
Do I think the referee was asleep at the wheel? Absolutely, but I don’t know if it was unintentional, much like Mazzagatti’s lackadaisical response to Lesnar tapping out to Mir wasn’t unintentional.
Both were situations, I believe, to allow certain guys to be humbled. Like any sport where rookies take their lumps from the veterans.
But do I blame Henderson, absolutely not. He’s doing his job. If they don’t like follow-up punches, change the rules.
“Liddell wants to stand and stalk while Tito wants to take this to the ground.”
See, I never understood this logic when fighting Liddell. Everybody and their brother kept thinking “Oh, just take him to the ground, he won’t know what to do there!”, despite Liddell having a documented background in wrestling and being near impossible to actually take down. One of his KO victories, I want to say it was against Vernon White, but White (or whoever it was) goes for a takedown and Liddell basically grabs him and throws him over in a “The hell do you think you’re doing?” manner. The key to beating Liddell was to just be good enough to stand and throw bombs with him and hope you connect with something big before he does.
I don’t think it was an issue of “he won’t know what to do down there”, it was more an attempt to neutralise Chuck’s offense and then work from there. With no submission skills to speak of, it would’ve make sense (especially before the second Rampage fight) to try to mount Chuck and go from there. Before Rampage grounded and DESTROYED Liddell in Pride and then KTFO’d him with one punch in the UFC, nobody knew how to beat Chuck other than Jeremy Horn, who did it by getting Chuck to the ground and putting him to sleep with an arm triangle. Until the Rampage/Evans/Rua KO’s the thought process was that Liddell’s chin was as good as his takedown defense; so you were better off trying to take him down and “submit” him (which had been done) than standing and trading.
That’s true, although in general Liddell has been a pain to try to ground. If I’m not mistaken, Liddell has only lost a couple times by submission. It really takes an expert BJJ-kinda fighter to properly employ that strategy.
Basically what I’m getting at is you had guys who weren’t quite so skilled in that area assuming they could just ground and pound or takedown and submit Liddell, when they really had no business even bothering. It’s been done, like you said with Horn and Rampage, but I don’t think Chuck ever got enough credit for his wrestling and takedown defense.
On a personal note, I hate Tito and was happy that Chuck rocked him in both fights.
“The key to beating Liddell was to just be good enough to stand and throw bombs with him and hope you connect with something big before he does.”
No, I’m pretty sure that was exactly the wrong approach, and that was how Chuck racked up all those KO’s. They weren’t wrong about how to beat Chuck… they just couldn’t do it. Randy did it, but nobody else had the wrestling chops to control Chuck. Because if they did, they would have.
“They weren’t wrong about how to beat Chuck… they just couldn’t do it.”
True, which pretty much defeats the purpose of trying it in the first place… And Couture did get some good takedowns in that one win over Chuck, but Chuck fought up everytime and Couture eventually won from trading blows and connecting on him and then mounting immediately after to finish him off.
I’m just saying a lot of these guys were ultimately better off trying to trade with him than wasting time and energy on failed takedown attempts. Chuck always leaves his chin wide open, so saving yourself to try to hit it, rather than tire yourself with shoot attempts, seems a lot more logical to me.
Either way, Liddell was a terror to try to fight, that we can all agree on.
It’s already UFC 108? I swear we just had 105. Oh and for some reason I have lost complete interest in UFC.
“Dana “Ice Ice Baby” White calls Liddell a “fucking asshole” a couple of times during the official announcement.”
It was because Liddell told him he took the fight with the injured MCL! Chuck injured it during training and decided to fight anyway.