I got to be honest with you. I thought Almeida was going to crunch Lindland. Instead, Lindland used the UFC'S new rule about kicking on the ground to fight perfectly in the rules and pretty much nullify whatever Almeida had to offer. The fight ended with Almeida (laying on his back) fouling out as he kicked Lindland (who was kneeling above him) in the head for the third and final time. If Sakuraba Vs. Silva was a lesson in why kicks on the ground should be out then this fight is a lesson in why they should be in. No reason why a downed opponent cannot kick a standing or kneeling oponent. That's just stupid.

WINNER: Lindland by disqualification.

Matt Serra Vs. Shoney Carter

This was probably the fight of the night. Serra came out dominating, trying submission after submission. Then in the end of the 1st Carter landed a backhand that damn near KO'd Serra who'd been dominating. Carter slowly took control of the fight and ended up doing the same backhand but this time it Knocket a winded Serra out. Both fighters looked great and this matchup was amazing.

WINNER: Carter By KO in the 3rd.

Pete Williams Vs. Semmy Schilt

This was supposed to be the big, 6 foot 9 inch guy being taken out, Rocky 4 style. But instead Schilt survived the ground and pound attempt of Pete Williams in the first round and landed a brutal kick to the stomach that lead to a barrage of punches to stop the fight. Time for Ken Shamrock to mourn the loss and train hard and beat Schilt in Holland, on Christmas. Or not.

WINNER: Schilt By Ref stoppage in the 2nd.

Kevin Randleman Vs. Chuck Lidell

Randleman just came off a loss in UFC 29 and was slimming down to light heavy to fight at his "natural weight" were he was supposed to be unstoppable. Not quite. About a minute into this one Liddell landed a good punch and sent "the monster" out. I was looking forward to seeing Randleman put on a good show here and I guess he did. The most surprising fight of the night mainly because Liddell didn't even break a damn sweet. Maybe in his celebration. Word has it Liddell will be taking on Mezger in Pride 14 in late may. That should be really good.

WINNER: Liddell by KO in the first

Pat Miletich Vs. Carlos Newton

Miletich is boring as snow to watch fight. Newton is pretty exciting. This fight was pretty good. Miletich was kicking butt on the feet but made a mistake when they hit the ground in the third round. Newton mixed things up and caught the champ in a choke. Now the UFC has a new Welterweight Champ.

WINNER: Newton by choke in the 3rd.

Pedro Rizzo Vs. Randy Couture

This fight was pretty good as well. The first round was the Randy Couture show. The second round was Rizzo's show. Randy got the third, then Rizzo, then...who knows. As far as I saw it Rizzo dominated late in the fight and deserved the win. The judges saw it otherwise. Couture wins a pretty tight decision that I just don't agree with. Now what for Rizzo? I don't know. He's been to the championship twice and lost twice. Oddly enough those are the only two losses in his carreer. I'm pretty sure the rematch will happen. If Rizzo learns to get more aggressive we'll see him winning the next one. If not...possibly an instant replay.

WINNER: Couture by unanimous decision.

Back to the UFC page

Back Home