From TUF to Top: Griffin Upsets Rampage
Posted by Chad Edward on July 5th, 2008From TUF to top!
New UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin (16-4) demoralized and upset former Champ “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (29-6) by unanimous decision Saturday night in Las Vegas.
“This is the greatest night of my life,” Griffin said after toppling the odds.
Though Jackson won the first round by staggering Griffin with a left, then dropping the challenger with a right uppercut, Griffin laid the groundwork for his decision victory by whittling away at Jackson’s lead leg with low kicks.
“He jacked my leg up,” Jackson admitted.
In the second round, Griffin buckled the champ with a leg kick and passed to mount on the mat, grinding elbows into Rampage’s head, but doing little damage.
Rampage limped into round three searching for a knockout, but managed only a combination that Griffin weathered, though he admitted, “Every punch that motherfucker threw hurt.”
Jackson scored a fourth-round takedown; but, Griffin wrapped a leg triangle, then transitioned to an omoplata when Jackson freed himself from the triangle.
Jackson stood out of the submission and cracked Griffin with a right hand, opening a cut on the challenger’s right eyelid, then followed with a left as the bell ended the round.
It was back-and-forth and both fighters felt they needed the final round to win; but, Jackson seemed disappointed by the situation, while Griffin was inspired.
Griffin got back to game plan in the fifth round, stinging Rampage’s lead leg, as Jackson threw desperate haymakers without landing.
The judges scored the fight 48-46 twice and 49-46 once for Griffin. Fighters.com scored it 48-46 for Griffin, our new champion.
“He whupped my ass,” Jackson admitted after the battle; but, Griffin said, “It was close and I think we’re gonna have to do it again.”
Cote Wins Title Shot
“Predator” Patrick Cote (14-4) won a spot in line to the UFC Middleweight Championship owned by Fighters.com’s Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (21-4) by winning a split decision over “Cachorrao” Ricardo Almeida (9-3) Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Cote explained the split decision, “I got three knockouts in a row. I can’t do that all the time, especially against this kind of guy.”
Judges scores were 29-28 twice for Cote and 29-28 once for Almeida. Fighters.com scored the fight 29-28 for Cote.
But, it didn’t feel like Cote’s night in the first round.
Almeida pulled guard into a guillotine to open the fight; but, Cote defended; and, the fighters regained their feet.
Almeida shot and passed into Cote’s half-guard where “Cachorrao” stuffed lefts down Cote’s throat, winning the round with G’n'P.
Between the first and second round, there was a curious delay as Almeida’s glove seemed to have busted at the seams and needed to be repaired.
Cote may have changed the tide at the end of a slow second round when a right hand found Almeida’s head as the horn ended the round.
“My game plan was to sprawl’n'brawl and that’s exactly what I did the last two rounds,” Cote said after the fight.
Almeida was winded by round three; and, it was a Cote kickboxing academy in the third as “The Predator” lined-up straights with both fists and lit-up Almeida’s legs with kicks.
“My conditioning was there. I was running against him in the third round and my conditioning was still there,” said Cote.
Cote pleaded in the locker room after the victory, “I want some credit, man. I want some credit that I’m well-rounded. I’m not just a slugger. I proved tonight that I’m able to wrestle, I’m able to do on the ground, I can kick, I can elbow, I can do jiu-jitsu.”
Daddy Guillotines Tibau
After a first round spent bothered, but not troubled in a Gleison Tibau (15-6) omoplata attempt, “Daddy” Joe Stevenson (34-8) caught the Brazilian in a guillotine when Tibau shot for a double-leg takedown at 2:57 of the second round.
Fought mostly on the mat, and lingering for several minutes in a Tibau omoplata attempt, Stevenson and Tibau decided to compare BJJ belts.
Tibau came up short, though defended two guillotines before Stevenson locked in the winner as Tibau shot.
Stevenson explained after the fight, “Honestly, you know, he just put his head there and I took it. It was nothing fancy.”
Koschek’s Elbows Open Up Lytle
Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked welterweight “Kos” Josh Koscheck (13-2) chiseled crevices above both eyebrows of “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (25-16-5) during a UD for “Kos” Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Koscheck planted Lytle on the mat in all three rounds and worked elbows and leather like pistons to Lytle’s forehead, opening gashes in the second round.
“I thought they were going to stop it,” Koscheck said after the fight, “because he had some pretty bad cuts.”
Lytle wasn’t “Lights Out” though, catching Kos in two guillotines at the shots and a heel hook in round one; but, Koscheck was ice cube-cool defending the subs and returning to work on Lytle’s head.
“The only [guillotine] that got really tight was the last round there,” Koscheck explained, “But, I’m pretty good at getting out of them. I just roll…like an alligator.”
With his blood puddled on the mat, Lytle mustered one final flurry after referee Yves Lavigne stood the fighters in round three.
Kos avoided any damage and walked out of the Octagon with crimson-tinged hair and a decision by 30-26, 29-27, and 30-28, but declaring respect for the man he had just mangled.
Dominant Tyson Griffin UD
Lightweight Tyson Griffin (12-1), known as a wrestler, performed a breakout kickboxing display in a UD over “Maximus” Marcus Aurelio (16-6) Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Over all three rounds, Griffin tenderized Aurelius’s ribs and nearly spun his BJJ blackbelt opponent around with leg kicks.
The body barrage left “Maximus” worn by round two. He made only weak attempts to take Griffin to the mat, but stayed away from most of Griffin’s upstairs bombs.
Griffin admitted after the fight, “I hit him with some good shots; and, he didn’t fall down, so…hey!”
Unable to put Aurelius away on his feet, Griffin scored a single-leg takedown in round three.
“I don’t want to be a guy that dominates two-and-a-half rounds and gets caught,” Griffin explained, “so, you know, I decided to take him down, control the rest of the fight, and, you know, get that ‘W’.”
Aurelius sucked up Griffin’s left arm, then his right; but, Griffin defended and bloodied the right side of Aurelius’s face until time ended the fight.
Griffin scored 30-27 three times for the “W”.
Gonzaga Mauls McCully
Tenth-ranked heavyweight “Napao” Gabriel Gonzaga (9-3) wasted no time getting back to winning by tapping Justin McCully (8-4-2) in a Kimura 1:57 of round one.
Gonzaga dropped McCully with a leg kick, pounced, passed to mount, and applied the shoulder lock surgically to force the tap.
“I come from real Brazilian jiu-jitsu school and I’m proud of my Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills,” said Gonzaga after the fight.
Miller Taps Gurgel With 12 Seconds Left
American Top Team lightweight “Magrino” Cole Miller (14-3) tapped Jorge Gurgel (12-4) in a triangle with 12 seconds remaining in their fight.
It was a hot one!
The first round was a back-and-forth brawl that saw both fighters score in combinations, with Gurgel getting the best of Miller.
Miller decided to take Gurgel to the mat in round two and scored from top position with G’n'P while passing to half-mount.
“I was just getting out-pointed, so I thought on the ground would be the best bet,” explained Miller after his victory.
Gurgel scrambled free, but found himself in a guillotine, which he defended.
After three Gurgel takedowns led to nothing for the Cincinnatian, Miller took advantage of the final trip from Gurgel. During a scramble, Miller locked in the triangle choke and forced Gurgel to tap at 4:48 of round three.
“The biggest mistake I think he made was just not being in as good of shape as me,” Miller reflected. “He left his hand in there. He was a little more tired than me.”
Guillard Big Punchin’
“Young Assassin” Melvin Guillard (22-7-2) registered a hit on German lightweight Dennis Siver (11-6) in a 36-second TKO.
Guillard fired a big right at the opening bell, dropping Siver.
Siver wasn’t out though. The German defended Guillard’s follow-up G’n'P with an armbar attempt.
But, Guillard yanked free and finished the job with strikes.
After the TKO, Guillard said, “If I get [Roger] Huerta after [Kenny] Florian done with him, that’s good. If I don’t, oh well. But, that’s a rematch I want. I want to avenge that to myself. That’s something personal.”
Buchholz Taps Hill
Lightweight Justin Buchholz (8-2) tapped stringbean-physiqued Corey Hill (2-1) in a rear naked choke at 3:57 of round two.
The young fighters burned a furious pace into the second round. Buchholz pulled guard for the second time in the fight and tried to contort a gogo’ that Hill defended.
In defense, Hill gave his back; and, Buchholz scrambled behind Hill and locked in the choke.
Buchholz described the finish after the fight, “Got the rear naked and choke just started praying, ‘Please God tapout. Please God tapout!’”
allteeth said:
Forest used brains and won. Leg kicks were genius, but his hand accuracy seemed lacking. What wasn’t lacking is his chin and heart.
Great win Forrest.
I didn’t see Cote win any part of that fight and don’t agree with his win. Though he’s a great fighter, he was controlled by Almeida in almost every fashion. Almeida was shutting down his range and pulling guard, even from standing at one point. Total control of pace, range, and method. Bad call.
Stevenson got his ass handed to him before he fell into his bread and butter and won. Impressive that he is strong enough to finish with that even with Gleisons arm in too. Overall, not the type of win he wanted though. He remains in, not on the pile of competitors.
Koscheck….. well what can you say? When you win and everyone still boos you must be a real douche. He won, and no one cares.
T. Griffin had a good win. His kickboxing looked great. Lots of snap and speed in every strike. Powerhouse guy.
Gonzaga won… yawn.
Gurgel lost to Miller. Awesome guy, great knowledge and skill, but…. I just don’t think the cage is his place.
mistacee1 said:
Jackson will be back real soon!!!