UFC 103 - Franklin vs. Belfort

[DixieDestroyer]

Here's the fight card for UFC 103 in the Big D, TX. Fyi, 2 of the prelim fights will be "free" on Spike at 9 PM ET.

Main card
Catchweight (195 lb) bout: Rich Franklin vs. Vitor Belfort
Heavyweight bout: Mirko FilipoviÄc vs. Junior dos Santos
Welterweight bout: Martin Kampmann vs. Paul Daley
Welterweight bout: Josh Koscheck vs. Frank Trigg
Catchweight (159 lb) bout: Tyson Griffin vs. Hermes Franca

Preliminary card
Lightweight bout: Efrain Escudero vs. Cole Miller
Middleweight bout: Drew McFedries vs. Tomasz Drwal
Lightweight bout: Jim Miller vs. Steve Lopez
Lightweight bout: Rafaello Oliveira vs. Nik Lentz
Welterweight bout: Rick Story vs. Brian Foster
Light Heavyweight bout: Eliot Marshall vs. Jason Brilz
Light Heavyweight bout: Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Igor Pokrajac
Lightweight bout: Rob Emerson vs. Rafael dos Anjos

I'll be pulling for "Ace", CroCop, Kampmann (caste matchup vs. Daley), Miller, Drwal (in caste matchup vs. McFedries), Miller, Lentz, & Brilz (vs. mulatto "tribesman" Marshall).

 

[celticdb15]

I thought Kampamann's next fight was against Mike Swick?

 

[White Shogun]

This probably has to be one of the worst UFC's in recent memory.

Koscheck has Trigg hurt and down, but not out - the ref stops the fight. Trigg looks up like wtf?

Kampmann is hurt but on his feet with his hands up - the ref stops the fight. Kampmann backs off, drops his hands and shakes his head.

Vitor knocks Rich down with a glancing shot to the temple. Rich is on his knees and Vitor hits him in the jaw, Rich drops lower and Vitor hits him three times in the back of the head at the base of the skull. Three blatant fouls - and the ref stops the fight: TKO Vitor Belfot.

I can't believe this sh*t. Almost enough to make me want to stop watching anymore.

In the post fight interview, they immediately ask Vitor about a fight with Anderson Silva. This is what they wanted all along. Rich never had a chance. Tomorrow's UFC spin: Vitor finished Rich faster than Anderson Silva, he gets the next shot at the MW title.

They asked Rich what happened while they watched the replay. You can see it on his face watching the blows to the back of the head, and he just says we're gonna have to go back and look at the tapes, my brains' scrambled right now.

Blatant blatant blows to the back of the head. And nobody said sh*t. Joe Rogan and Goldberg just yakked it up about Vitor's fast hands. Unbelievable. I hope Rich files a protest for no-contest.

 

[DixieDestroyer]

Disappointing night (overall)...glad I missed it. WS, fyi...Trigg's a mulatto (as is Koscheck)...so that was a wash. BTW, Dan Henderson & Nate Marquardt whoop Belfort's @$$ IMO.Hendo's too strong on the mat & Marquardt's bigger/stronger & more athletic.

Preliminary card

* Lightweight bout : Rob Emerson vs. Rafael dos Anjos

dos Anjos defeated Emerson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

* Light Heavyweight bout: Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Igor Pokrajac

Matyushenko defeated Pokrajac via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

* Light Heavyweight bout: Eliot Marshall vs. Jason Brilz

Marshall defeated Brilz via split decision (28-30, 30-27, 30-27).

* Welterweight bout: Rick Story vs. Brian Foster

Story defeated Foster via submission (arm triangle choke) at 1:09 of round 2.

* Lightweight bout: Rafaello Oliveira vs. Nik Lentz

Lentz defeated Oliveira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).

* Lightweight bout: Jim Miller vs. Steve Lopez

Miller defeated Lopez via TKO (injury) at 0:48 of round 2.

* Middleweight bout: Drew McFedries vs. Tomasz Drwal

Drwal defeated Drew McFedries via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:03 of round 2.

* Lightweight bout: Efrain Escudero vs. Cole Miller

Escudero defeated Miller via TKO (punches) at 3:36 of round 1.

Main card

* Catchweight (159 lb) bout: Tyson Griffin vs. Hermes Franca

Griffin defeated Franca via TKO (punches) at 3:26 of round 2.

* Welterweight bout: Josh Koscheck vs. Frank Trigg

Kosheck defeated Trigg via TKO (punches) at 1:25 of round 1.

* Welterweight bout: Kampmann vs. Paul Daley

Daley defeated Kampmann via TKO (punches) at 2:31 of round 1.

* Heavyweight bout: Mirko FilipoviÄc vs. Junior dos Santos

dos Santos defeated Filipovic via submission (punches) at 2:00 of round 3.

* Catchweight (195 lb) bout:Rich Franklin vs. Vitor Belfort

Belfort defeated Franklin via KO (punches) at 3:02 of round 1.

Bonus awards

Fighters were awarded $65,000 bonuses.

* Fight of the Night: Rick Story vs. Brian Foster
* Knockout of the Night: Vitor Belfort
* Submission of the Night: Rick Story





Edited by: DixieDestroyer

 

[White Shogun]

I was just commenting on the overall quality of the fights and the refs, not the results really, DD. I hate seeing early stoppages and blatant fouling going unchecked.

 

[Strasser]

UFC 103 was a letdown. CroCop's fire is gone. The body is there, but the mind is not. I suspect this was his last fight.

Franklin was a bummer, but I'm not surprised. I figured if he was going down, it was in the first round. If he could have escaped the first round, he might have stood a good chance of working out a decision.

 

[White Shogun]

I read an interview of Cro Cop right after the fight. He says the desire is gone, says he is in the cage thinking about fishing on some river in Croatia.

If you're thinking about fishing while you're getting your ass kicked - it is definitely time to retire. There is no shame in it, he'll go down in the books as one of the greatest ever.

 

[DixieDestroyer]

WS, good call. Mirko is a very intelligent, accomplished man who doesn't "need" MMA. He should return to law enforcement &/or politics & leave his legacy as one of MMA's most devastating strikers ever.

 

[Liverlips]

Yeah, Cro Cop would be just a gatekeeper now anyway. He is a very small heavyweight for such a dymanic stiker. He might even be able to make 205.