Eight fights of the UFC Rio card pitted Brazilians against fighters of another nationality. Only one Brazilian lost out of those eight fights. The crowd played their part in the Brazilians success by actively cheering their national fighters and booing their opponents. Here is a recap of the three main fights, all the fights went according to my predictions except for one:
Brendan Schaub vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Recap
I picked Brendan Schaub to come away as the victor in this fight but he ended up getting KO’d 3:09 into the first round. Big Nog came out stalking Schaub and controlled the pace of the fight the whole match. Brendan had Nog up against the fence twice but was only able to land a short uppercut, a couple of knees and a few ineffective punches in that position. To his credit he was able to stuff two takedowns and get some good punches in that looked to shake Nog up.
That shake up most of woke Nog up because he came at Schaub with even more resolve and aggressiveness. Nog landed some classic heavy hit that buckled Schaub then he continued the barrage for a few more seconds, the result was a KO’d Schuab who slumped over unconscious. I underestimated Nogueira’s resolve and the very apparent home court advantage. Nog’s determination never faltered, not one during this fight, he is a true MMA veteran that deserves the utmost respect for what he has, and continues to bring to MMA.
Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami Recap
This fight went almost exactly as I predicted, the only thing I didn’t count on was Okami lasting past the first round. Okami showed that he deserved to be in the same cage as a legend like Silva. He pressured his opponent and came prepared to defend against the Muay Thai clinch. Okami was able to tag Silva more than a few times but never put him in any real danger. Silva was just too fast in both attacking and evading. Okami punches were not launched with full Thunder, Yushin hesitated too much and allowed his mental game to trip him up.
As always, after the fight the big burning question remains: Who can defeat Anderson Silva? The only person who recently came close to beating him is Chael Sonnen, who ranks #2 in the Middleweight rankings at Sherdog. Sonnen is set to take on Brian Stann the “All American” ex-marine at UFC 136. If Chael can get past his next two opponents I see him getting pitted against Silva again.
Forrest Griffin vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua II Recap
Shogun did exactly as I predicted, end the fight quickly. Forrest has great cardio, heart, endurance and determination, so it’s safe to say that the longer the fight goes on the better his chances get. Rua had to end the fight quickly as Griffin fights harder over time. Forrest had won their first encounter with 15 seconds left of the last round and now Rua has gotten his revenge.
The interesting thing about this fight is that Griffin threw over 5 kicks while Rua, who is known for his lethal leg kicks, threw none. Shogun timed his punches well and didn’t hold back, when Griffin got rocked Rua swarmed over him like angry bees and stung until the ref stopped the fight 1:53 into the first round.
