UFC 68- Must See

Vince135792003

9pm Bravo tonight or wherever the hell you can get it on the net if only for the main event.

I'll spoiler tag some peoples comments on the main event. They don't give anything away but just in case:

Of all people my mum watched the main event build up and then the entire fight and at the end she said "it's like a movie" and I said "yes it is"

I have never seen a fight like Sylvia/Couture. I watched it in a bar/restaurant and everyone was going bat**** insane after that big punch in the first round and never let up.

"As great as Pride's show was last week, and it was, this match had more emotion and meaning than last week's entire card times two." Meltzer on the observer site

What an epic fight between Couture vs Sylvia. Sure, it wasn't the best fight of the year, but there was so emotion and the crowd heat was so great. Joe Rogan was also awesome on commentary.

Everybody needs to watch this, MMA fan or not. Bryan Alvarez

Mossy Monk

nice. will watch it tonight

fatal

didnt watch it but I will be...by the sounds of it randy got the job done?!?!?!
Il know for sure by tonight...........................;)

bennyx_o

Only starting to get into this, never knew it was as good as what it is. Have it set to record on Sky+

Vince135792003

bennyx_o wrote:

Only starting to get into this, never knew it was as good as what it is. Have it set to record on Sky+

If your just new into it, they have the preview of the event at 8pm on Bravo.

Its apparently very good and it gives you the history and backround to the main fights.

nacho libre

Has the late Sunday night showing of the UFC pay per views on Bravo been switched to an earlier time?

Vince135792003

nacho libre wrote:

Has the late Sunday night showing of the UFC pay per views on Bravo been switched to an earlier time?

Nope. Its still on a day delay.

Fozzy

I'm planning to watch it anyway, nice to hear that it's worth watching this time!

Vince135792003

I can't remember a UFC that wasn't worth watching in a while for me.

The last one I can think of was Tito v Ken in July that lasted 21 seconds or whatever. That was not a good day.

There is no Takanori Gomi Nick Diaz type fight tonight. Tonight is about a story.

Fozzy

I didn't think that the last one was great. Rampage and Crocop's opposition didn't really test them, and the main event didn't really have anything going for it after Lutter didn't make weight. I wasn't mad about 66 either, apart from Liddell/Ortiz obviously. This card has a bit more talent on it I think

Keep an eye out for Batista, apparently he was at the ppv. He should really be in training, he's got a big match coming up in a few weeks, he can't afford off days!

Vince135792003

Fozzy wrote:

I didn't think that the last one was great. Rampage and Crocop's opposition didn't really test them, and the main event didn't really have anything going for it after Lutter didn't make weight. I wasn't mad about 66 either, apart from Liddell/Ortiz obviously. This card has a bit more talent on it I think

I loved 66 and it was a loaded show (Griffen, Arlovski, Ortiz, Lidell). The atmosphere was so electric. Plus I thought all the matches were good with alot of surprises in regards Forrest and Leben.

One thing that does bother me is the number of breaks on Bravo. It tends to break up the flow of an event.

I take your point on 67. With St. Pierre pulling out and Lutter not making weight it did lose some of its momentum.

Still I thought alot of the fights were good. The Cro Cop and Jackson fights were never designed to be comptetitive. They were meant to get them over big and introduce them to the casual audience and they did that particuliarly Cro Cop Cop. He came accross like a monster. The big fights come later.

The initial buy rate for UFC 68 is 450,000 buys give or take. Big number for an event with problems.

Its pretty safe to say they did even big numbers last night although they did get less hype specials on Spike. So it should be interesting to see what it drew. Yep Batista was at it (although never mentioned) between Arlovski and Silva.

fatal

just watched it and yea it was a good ppv.All the fights that I could predict turned out exactly how I thought they would.I couldnt pick a winner for the main event before the event but the guy that won it deserved it.The main event was DEFINITLEY more than a fight.....there was alot more emotion to it than just being a fight

shoutman

Can someone pm me the address of their american cousins that i could possibly get in touch with in order to get a good version of this?

cheers

Vince135792003

fatal wrote:

it.The main event was DEFINITLEY more than a fight.....there was alot more emotion to it than just being a fight

Without any exageration, it was one of the greatest things I've ever seen. It was beyond special.

Randy Couture is an absolute inspiration.

Vince135792003

Micheal Coughlin of the wrestling observer and figure four site wrote a great column. It pretty much sums up how I felt watching it and I highlighted my favourite bits because well, I'm total geek! Here it is:

“Randy Couture: Champion”

Men are always trying to figure out when it’s permissible for us to cry in public. When our mom dies, it’s OK; when our dog dies, it’s OK; when we watch “Brian’s Song” or “Old Yeller,” it’s OK. I’m adding one more to the list: when Randy Couture comes back one last time and wins the UFC Heavyweight Championship, it’s OK. I don’t mind telling everyone, I cried when I watched Couture’s victory this past Saturday night. I didn’t realize it was happening at first. When I heard the announcement, I wasn’t jumping around because sheer happiness, I was sitting in my chair. And then I realized that tears were falling off my chin.

Columbus, Ohio, Saturday night, wasn’t about one man beating up another. I’m not smiling like children do on Christmas because I witnessed an epic, back-and-forth battle for the ages. Saturday night wasn’t even about witnessing the crowning of a new champion. I’ve recently watched as Georges St. Pierre ascended to the thrown of the welterweight division, and Anderson Silva to the top to the middleweights – it didn’t make me feel like this. Saturday night was one man showing the world how to live. Not with boastful words, or cheap platitudes, but simply by his actions. He, at 43 years of age, has proven that any man can accomplish any task so long as he puts his mind to it. Randy Couture showed us all that you should never give up just because someone else tells you to.

In the final minute of the fifth round, when it became clear that Couture really was going to win the heavyweight title for a third time, I realized that I didn’t need to feel bad for not believing he could do it. See, as a fan of MMA, I had to bet against him. All of us did. The story isn’t as great if everyone believed he could do it, and then he succeeds. I am not a strong believer in fate, but I look back and know that we had no choice but to one last time stack the odds against Couture. The world needed to doubt him (while at the same time secretly hoping we were wrong) so that he could defy us all. Even those I’ve spoken with who thought he would win have conceded that, deep down, they weren’t really expecting it. It was a good-will gesture to say, “Randy Couture is going to do it because he always wins when we don’t expect it.” We’d all said it before, but this time was different. This time we REALLY meant that he couldn’t overcome the challenge. And that’s why the universe had us go against him, because he only wins when we don’t expect it. The universe wanted this victory to be the greatest of all. It was.

Still, I’m sorry, Randy. I’m sorry I ever doubted that you could defeat Tim Sylvia.

Couture’s victory is among the greatest accomplishments in sports history: Babe Ruth calling a homerun; the USA beating the Russians in hockey; Jack Nicklaus (coincidentally born in Columbus) winning the masters at 46; Willie Mays making “The Catch;” George Forman winning the boxing heavyweight title at 45. No one who watched Couture-Sylvia will ever forget what he saw.

The most amazing thing of all was that it wasn’t a fluke. Couture fully and completely dominated the fight. Early in the first round, He caught Sylvia with a picture perfect overhand right that sent the champion crashing to the canvas. Couture rushed in with punches, dragged Sylvia down, took his back, and began working for a rear-naked choke. If the fight had ended there, some questions may have lingered. It was a lucky punch, critics might claim, if they fought again Couture wouldn’t be so fortunate. The fight didn’t end there. Instead, Sylvia defended well the choke and the bout went into the second round with an arena, nation, and world full of people who could barely believe what they were seeing.

Yet, a feeling still remained that maybe all Couture had done was given us one last glimpse at what he was capable of doing. The combination of Father Time and 6’8 Tim Sylvia was too much for any man to best, right? 1:29 seconds into round two, Couture got a takedown off a single leg. He worked his ground and pound until 30 seconds remained, when referee John McCarthy stood them up due to inactivity. The thousands of attendance roared with thunderous disapproval; they wanted to see the impossible. Just as the bell sounded, as if to put an exclamation point on the round, Couture managed another takedown. Randy had won the second round.

The doubt had begun to recede a bit, but it was still there. We told ourselves, Randy simply got to play his game for two rounds, if Sylvia has any appreciable time on his feet he’s going to knock Couture’s head off. For the first minute of round three, the fight stayed standing and Couture won. He landed leg kicks, leaping left hooks, overhand rights, and when Sylvia punched, Couture’s head would magically move from side to side, avoiding the strikes every time. Sylvia will catch him eventually. That was how this was supposed to go. Then, the same thing happened in the second, third, fourth, and fifth minutes of the round. Couture was winning the standup portion of the fight. He was playing with fire and not getting burned. I think, therefore I am; I see therefore I believe. But did anyone believe what they were seeing? Was it possible that an entire audience could be deluding themselves into thinking Couture was easily winning the striking battle, or was this really happening? It was. It did. Randy Couture won the third round.

Between rounds three and four, as he sat on his chair, Tim Sylvia’s corner barked instructions at him. Throw your jab, they said, and then time where his head will be and punch there. Sound advice. His response was to loudly belch – twice. The fighting gods could not let this man retain the title, could they?

In the first fifteen seconds of round four, Couture shot in for a takedown, but Sylvia stuffed it. OK, now the fight was going according to script. Five seconds later the crowd unanimously applauded as Couture successfully tripped Sylvia to the mat. Oh, Randy, you tease.

“This is amazing,” Joe Rogan said as Couture continued his ground and pound assault.

With 2:55 remaining, McCarthy again ordered a standup. This time, the crowd didn’t boo as loudly, as they - all of us - knew what Randy would do. Almost to show that he could, Couture stood with Tim, landing one punch after another. Exactly one minute after McCarthy brought them to their feet, Couture took Sylvia down. Again. With 60 seconds remaining, he mounted Sylvia. Tim gave up his back and escaped, but to no end. He could do nothing and looked helpless in there with “Captain America.” This wasn’t fair. If he was in there against anyone else, you’d almost have felt sorry for Sylvia. He was being completely outclassed: an amateur challenging a pro. However, the fifth round was about to begin, he was fighting Randy Couture and we all wanted the story to be a happy one. This is how grown men experience fairy tales.

Five minutes remaining.

The tide had turned and we all finally allowed ourselves to know that this was real. A part of us hoped that Randy would circle away and not engage. No one would have blamed him for doing so. Don’t give Sylvia a chance, we thought, just hold on and walk away with the belt. We knew that wouldn’t happen. Randy Couture doesn’t take off rounds. He gets another takedown.

Four minutes remaining.

Sylvia tries a leglock, but Couture spins out, secures side-mount, and works elbows.

Three minutes remaining.

Randy throws hard knees to the body, always keeping side-mount. He stays active enough that there was no way McCarthy could stand them up.

Two minutes remaining.

Mount. More punches. Sylvia escapes, but Couture recovers and gets another takedown. This is real.

One minute remaining.

Sylvia’s eye begins to swell as Couture drops one elbow after another.

Then it happened. The bell sounds, the crowd yells louder than any crowd has ever yelled before, Couture triumphantly raises his hands, and Joe Rogan screams, “Unbelievable!” The judges told us what we all knew: 50-45 on all the scorecards, a clean sweep. Randy Couture had won the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

“Not bad for an old man,” Couture said after the fight.

No, Randy, not bad at all.

***

I woke up the next morning and I felt like I rarely have in my life. I couldn’t believe what I had seen the night before, and thought that it might have been a dream. It wasn’t. I called my friends who hadn’t watched the show and told them to order it. It didn’t matter if you knew the outcome; it was a scene that everyone must experience. Couture knew that we were against him and he didn’t hold that against us. He could have been bitter that no one gave him a shot, but he wasn’t. He celebrated with class and he allowed us to celebrate with us. He didn’t win; we won. Everyone watching was a part of something magical and they knew it. He was the embodiment of everything that is right with sports. When fathers tell their sons to be gracious in victory, it’s Randy Couture they have in mind.

I watched the fight again. I watched as Randy Couture showed us all how to live. I watched as he showed us all how to handle adversity. I watched as he became champion. I watched as he taught me how to be a man.

And once again, I cried.

The Sparrow

Captain America is right.... Couture is a superhero!

One thing though, please don`t title threads like this as "UFC 68 - Must See"!! The minute I saw that this afternoon I knew Couture had won. I don`t mean to be pedantic but it is annoying! Everyone knows that it is on a tape delay here on Bravo and I don`t want any spoilers before I watch it... I didn't even enter this forum but the minute I clicked on the main boards page it jumped right out at me... Like I said sorry to be complaining but perhaps in future it is something to be considered.:(

Vince135792003

woooo232 wrote:

Captain America is right.... Couture is a superhero!

One thing though, please don`t title threads like this as "UFC 68 - Must See"!! T(

Sorry. I can see where your coming from and I'm really sorry that I spoiled it on you.

I just wanted to make sure as many people that were even remotely interested in it did not miss it. I should have said nothing though. Sorry again. It won't happen again.

The Sparrow

Ah no man don`t worry about it... like I said I didn`t wanna make a big deal about it! To be honest it would be hard to spoil Randy beating Sylvia for me... Just finished watching it and am on a high! cheers though.

fatal

Vince135792003 wrote:

Randy Couture is an absolute inspiration.

O god yea he is.....
It was pretty much the entire MMA world against him beating tim sylvia for the title....
The guy beat him on the ground aswell as standing,something randy isnt supposed to be able to do against strikers......

nacho libre

As impressive as it was, i just can't see him beating Crocop. I fear he'll be destroyed by him.

Dragan

nacho libre wrote:

As impressive as it was, i just can't see him beating Crocop. I fear he'll be destroyed by him.

I like the way that Randy can prove everyone wrong over the courses of 5 five minute rounds, and the next day they begin talking about the next guy who'll beat him.

Couture will have a plan for CroCop.

Vince135792003

Dragan wrote:

I like the way that Randy can prove everyone wrong over the courses of 5 five minute rounds, and the next day they begin talking about the next guy who'll beat him.
.

Thats a fair point. Cro Cop will come soon enough but for now you just have to say well done Randy.

nacho libre

Dragan wrote:

I like the way that Randy can prove everyone wrong over the courses of 5 five minute rounds, and the next day they begin talking about the next guy who'll beat him.

Couture will have a plan for CroCop.

I held out some hope for him beating Sylvia. Crocop is a different matter. In case you have not noticed top Pride fighters are better than any in the UFC. Couture can have all the plans he wants the outcome will be the same Dragan. The truth hurts;)

Vince135792003

nacho libre wrote:

Couture can have all the plans he wants the outcome will be the same Dragan. The truth hurts;)

He hasn't had the belt 48 hours and your already writing his obituary! I mean geez, the last guy you should be doing that with is Couture.

First off Cro Cop has to beat Gonzaga and while he's a strong strong favourite I think the last UFC and Pride ppvs have shown the unpredictability of the whole sport.

If I had to pick a winner between the 2, I would pick Cro Cop. But Couture has a chance and he has things going for him particulialry Cro Cop's inexperience in a cage which is important.

Either way, if it happens I really can't wait to see it. It will be a huge deal and I'd say right now 800,000 buys for the UFC. Maybe more.

nacho libre

Yeah, Fair enough. I don't wish to belittle what he achieved by beating Sylvia.

I would actually love for him to Beat Crocop. He is a great fighter and seems like a genuine person. If it transpires, i will be looking forward to it- even more so than i was the Liddell V Ortiz.
By the way, do you think there is any chance of Fedor joining the UFC?

fatal

does anyone else thing that the UFC will have an arlovski vs crocrop fight where the winner will fight randy couture?
I personally think that is what they will do because an arlovski and crocrop fight is guaranteed to make big bucks rather than giving both of them separate title shots

fatal

nacho libre wrote:

Yeah, Fair enough. I don't wish to belittle what he achieved by beating Sylvia.

I would actually love for him to Beat Crocop. He is a great fighter and seems like a genuine person. If it transpires, i will be looking forward to it- even more so than i was the Liddell V Ortiz.
By the way, do you think there is any chance of Fedor joining the UFC?

at this moment in time,no....
Pride are giving him ALOT of money for each of his fights at the moment and the last I heard I think that he still has a few more fights on his current contract but who knows what will happen when it expires...

PeakOutput

any link to the main event on the net???

fatal

PeakOutput wrote:

any link to the main event on the net???

i dont have links to the individual fights but I have the whole event in Xvid format.if anyone wants it pm me...

Vince135792003

fatal wrote:

I personally think that is what they will do because an arlovski and crocrop fight is guaranteed to make big bucks rather than giving both of them separate title shots

I don't think so but stranger things have happened. The direction they are going from the interviews I've seen with Dana White is Cro Cop (assuming he wins his next fight) v Couture in the summer time.

Heres the interview: http://www.sherdogvideos.com/events/ufc68/ufc68_post_dana.wmv

Basically, UFC want Couture v Cro Cop. Its the big big money fight at that division. Theres no doubt about that. For the hardcore fan its a dream fight. For the casual fan its "Captain America" against that "Really scary Croatian dude". It promotes itself.

Arlovski has no where near the aura that Cro Cop has right now after losing twice to Silvia. It just wouldn't have the same buzz particuliarly the way UFC are putting Cro Cop over.

And the more matches you put before it (Cro Cop Couture), the less chance it'll happen or that you'll diminish it in terms of drawing power if one of them looses.

I think they can do the winner of Cro Cop (assuming he beats Kongo) v Coture against Arlovski (assuming he wins his next two to give him momentum) which would make 500-600 thousand buys easy.

And whoever comes out on top of all of that can face Lidell (assuming he's healthy) in December which would also be huge, huge draw as Lidell said he'd be willing to move up a weight to face Cro Cop.

fatal

Vince135792003 wrote:

I don't think so but stranger things have happened. The direction they are going from the interviews I've seen with Dana White is Cro Cop (assuming he wins his next fight) v Couture in the summer time.

Heres the interview: http://www.sherdogvideos.com/events/ufc68/ufc68_post_dana.wmv

Basically, UFC want Couture v Cro Cop. Its the big big money fight at that division. Theres no doubt about that. For the hardcore fan its a dream fight. For the casual fan its "Captain America" against that "Really scary Croatian dude". It promotes itself.

Arlovski has no where near the aura that Cro Cop has right now after losing twice to Silvia. It just wouldn't have the same buzz particuliarly the way UFC are putting Cro Cop over.

And the more matches you put before it (Cro Cop Couture), the less chance it'll happen or that you'll diminish it in terms of drawing power if one of them looses.

I think they can do the winner of Cro Cop (assuming he beats Kongo) v Coture against Arlovski (assuming he wins his next two to give him momentum) which would make 500-600 thousand buys easy.

And whoever comes out on top of all of that can face Lidell (assuming he's healthy) in December which would also be huge, huge draw as Lidell said he'd be willing to move up a weight to face Cro Cop.

that would be something......................
Looks like its gonna be quite a year for the UFC thanks to the heavyweight division.
O and im sure that tim sylvia's title rematch is somewhere in there aswell

Fozzy

One of the most solid undercards in the UFC recently, and the main event..wow! I'm actually surprised at how many people doubted Randy. I wasn't too certain back when Randy first talked about maybe coming out of retirement, but for the last week I was siding with Randy winning it. I learned not to doubt him after he dominated Ortiz for 5 rounds. They made a big deal out of Couture's two KO losses in the build-up, but they were at the hands of Liddell. His last one came after he slipped, the one before had the thumb incident, and he was very unlucky to be cut by Belfort's glove when he lost to him after the Ortiz fight. Who knows what would have happened if those three incidents hadn't occured? My point is just that Randy probably had a bit more of a chance against Silvia than most people seemed to give him. Although, that's obvious enough now! He had more of a chance than I gave him

It's inevitable that his next match will be talked about. People want to get another Couture fix! Better than having him commentate anyway! I'll leave any future predictions til a bit later. But wouldn't it be nice if Randy won his next 3 matches and retired for good on top?

fatal

Fozzy wrote:

But wouldn't it be nice if Randy won his next 3 matches and retired for good on top?

A fairytail ending that I would too love to see...time will tell though.....
One things for sure,i'll never doubt randy again....EVEN if he comes up against crocrop

Vince135792003

Fozzy wrote:

! Better than having him commentate anyway! ?

I like Randys commentary. Maybe not as much as his fighting though!

Dragan

nacho libre wrote:

In case you have not noticed top Pride fighters are better than any in the UFC.

Fighters are better than other fighters. It has nothing to do with promotions. In case you have never noticed many fighters went from losing in the UFC to kick ass or holding belts in Pride.

Mark Coleman, Phil Baroni being to of the more famous ones. Chuck Lidell walked into Pride and beat everyone till he came to Rampage. Robbie Lawlors first fight in Pride saw him KO his opponent with a vicious knee inside of 40 seconds. Nick Diaz had his first fight in Pride and beat the **** out of there Lightweight Champion.

And for each and everyone of those fights i can pick another fight in UFC or another Promotion where a "Pride" Fighter beat a "UFC" fighter.

Promotions don't fight each other, fighters do. It's not ****ing difficult to grasp. Minor changes in rulesets etc can all have major effects on a fighters success.

nacho libre

Dragan wrote:

Fighters are better than other fighters. It has nothing to do with promotions. In case you have never noticed many fighters went from losing in the UFC to kick ass or holding belts in Pride.

Mark Coleman, Phil Baroni being to of the more famous ones. Chuck Lidell walked into Pride and beat everyone till he came to Rampage. Robbie Lawlors first fight in Pride saw him KO his opponent with a vicious knee inside of 40 seconds. Nick Diaz had his first fight in Pride and beat the **** out of there Lightweight Champion.

And for each and everyone of those fights i can pick another fight in UFC or another Promotion where a "Pride" Fighter beat a "UFC" fighter.

Promotions don't fight each other, fighters do. It's not ****ing difficult to grasp. Minor changes in rulesets etc can all have major effects on a fighters success.

yes, but it just so happens anytime fighters representing UFC have taken on Pride fighters. Whose fighters have come out on top?
Face it Pride currently has the better fighters overall.

Charlie

Randy Couture is my hero!

Dragan

nacho libre wrote:

yes, but it just so happens anytime fighters representing UFC have taken on Pride fighters. Whose fighters have come out on top?
Face it Pride currently has the better fighters overall.

Why do i need to face anything? I prefer to watch Pride to the UFC, but i just think the argument that you are making holds no weight, at all.

Fighters end up fighting each other, internet warriors end up knocking on promotions. It makes no sense to me. It's like people who argued Blur Vs Oasis when i was a kid. I would just laugh and listen to songs i like from both.

I find the whole childishness of "Well we have Fedor and Shogun so Pride are better" and "UFC sells WAY more PPV's than Pride" to be absolutely hilarious myself.

They way i see it is within a week i got to see Dan Henderson knock out Wandy, and i got to see Randy domiante Sylvia..... i'm just out here to see good fights, not argue with people over the interet about which promo is better when i enjoy watching both. :rolleyes:

Vince135792003

Regardless of which promotion you prefer, the last 2 weeks have been great if your into the sport with 2 different but great ppv's by both Pride and the UFC.