UFC 128

Just watched the replay, and I should say the main event was just as impressive as when I watched the PPV for the first time. Anyway, let's go with the other fights first (which I really don't give a fuck about).

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic VS Brendan "The Hybrid" Schaub
Cro Cop is just a legend waiting to be turned into a trophy by those young up-and-comers. That's why you don't see the fear in Schaub's eyes, the same fear that Cro Cop's opponents had back in Pride half a decade ago.

Believe it or not, Cro Cop was an Alpha Male back in the day.

The 1st round showed just that when Schaub just took it to Cro Cop. Good jabs and circling away from Cro Cop's left kick (Cro Cop's "money ball") also was a good strategy.

If you ate one of Cro Cop's money balls, you'd be dead!

Some GNP went on in the second round, but Cro Cop escaped 'em all.

He took lessons from the master.

He even clipped Schaub with an elbow, which made Schaub's nose leak like a faucet.

Not pictured: Vampire below with mouth open

In the end, Cro Cop got caught with a straight right and went down like a sack of potatoes.

"Timber!"

Big win for Schaub! Nice trophy on his fight resume.

Can you guess which head is Cro Cop's?

Nate "The Great" Marquardt VS Dan Miller
Yoshihiro "Sexyama" Akiyama was supposed to be Nate's opponent, but pulled out the last minute because of the recent Japan earthquake. Dan Miller ends up bein' the last minute replacement.

Miller will even fight Godzilla last minute if needed.

Nate's sloppiness in the 1st round almost got him caught in a guillotine. Though his brute strength allows him to slip free and he proceeds to dish out some elbows and GNP which Dan obligingly eats.

In the 2nd round, we see Nate opening it up with a flying knee, but gets taken down again. Nate's shenanigans almost ended in him gettin' guillotined again.

Maybe he really wants the real thing.

Miller gets GNP'd again in the final frame. A cut appears above Miller's left eye. Nate ends up gettin' the nod from the judges. Honestly, this fight was a li'l boring for me.


Kamal "Prince Of Persia" Shalorus VS Jim Miller
Once the opening bell rang, these two fighters came stormin' out the gates and started punching each other out like crazy. Of course, since Shalorus ain't American, I was assuming another U-S-A chant would ensue. And it did.

Shalorus ain't no Gyllen-ho either.

Shalorus displays an iron chin by eating a Jim Miller left kick that would have felled any mortal.

I didn't know that these were allowed in the octagon.

In the beginning of the second round, Shalorus showed us his wrestling mettle by taking down Jim. The amazin' thing was that Jim Miller attempted to do a flyin' triangle while fallin' down! Amazin'!

Closest thing I've seen to that was Chonan's flying heel hook on The Spider.

After a quick scramble, Jim ended up with a body triangle on Shalorus and proceeded to submit him via RNC (rear naked choke). Wily move I should say. But every time Shalorus almost gets choked, he always manages to snake out, showin' us his wiliness as well.

Cut from the same stone

They open the final stanza exchangin' blows, with Miller gettin' the better of the exchanges due to bein' more fluid than Shalorus' robotic movements. After a solid uppercut by Miller, he then bull-rushes in with a knee that brings Shalorus down, ending in some vicious GNP, and a TKO.

I'm thinkin' Miller might be a win or two away from a lightweight title shot.


Urijah "The California Kid" Faber VS Eddie Wineland
Two WEC outcasts─err, by-products─end up fighting for the first time in the octagon for this PPV. On paper, Faber has the better wrestling. But he got taken down in the first round by Wineland quite surprisingly.

In the second round, Faber reminded us why he was the former WEC featherweight champ. He displayed and used his explosiveness to get multiple takedowns. He even picks Wineland up from inside his guard and slams him down, Rampage-style. A nasty Faber habit, I should say. Wineland just has no answers for Faber's onslaught.

The third round was just a wash-rinse-repeat of the second. UD (unanimous decision) win by Faber. Boo! I was expecting a finish, nothin' less!


Mauricio "Shogun" Rua VS Jon "Bones" Jones
This was the only fight that mattered to me for this PPV. I've been ridin' on the Bones hype train for as far as I can remember. And it's really satisfyin' for me to see him get to the top. I don't know but I could just spot talent from a million light years away.

That's why I easily spotted this guy.

The opening of the first round just showed flyin' knees and spinning heel kicks galore!

Exactly what a black Bruce Lee in an octagon would do.

As I've expected, it was only a matter of time before Shogun was put to the mat by Bones. Hellbows were delivered with a Swiss watchmaker's precision. Shogun actually got to stand up again, but not without gettin' sucker punched and receivin' a knee to the ribcage, which got Shogun all wobbly.

Bones' arsenal was in full display in the second. Spinning back elbows and Superman punches were the norm.

Even Clark Kent can't do that shit!

Bones was also doin' side and front kicks.

The only other guy on the planet who does such things.

When he got bored with the stand-up, he used his superior wrestling to deliver some vicious GNP. I don't remember Rua bleedin', but he was this time. Before the horn sounded to end the round, Bones was crushing Rua on the ground, then transitioned into a leg-lock position, then did a spinning back fist while sittin' on top of Rua, just for good measure (the motherfucker never ceases to amaze me).

The third was the end of Rua's LHW reign. After blasting Rua with a couple of shots, a devastating knee sends him crumpling to the canvas. Another TKO on Bones' resume. Bones is just A-MAZE-IN'!


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