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A retirement, a few cuts and a grotesque hematoma later, and UFC 129 is in the books. In front of a record 55,000 fans in Toronto, Canada, the latest Zuffa extravaganza certainly lived up to the hype with an entertaining main card.
The pay-per-view telecast began with former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson scoring a unanimous decision over UFC regular Mark Bocek. The scores were 30-27 across the board.
Former IFL light-heavyweight champ and UFC vet Vladimir Matsyushenko proved that his old clock is still ticking, as the 40 year old knocked out the much younger Jason Brilz in a mere 20 seconds. The burly Belarusian hit Brilz with a brutal right uppercut-left hook combination, before following up with a few hammer-fists on the floor.
In what was claimed to be his swansong fight, Randy Couture left the sport just 65 seconds into the second round. After a tentative first round where neither man was dominant, Machida let loose with his best Ralph Macchio impersonation, scoring a jumping front kick to Couture’s jaw.
Referee Yves Lavigne saved Couture from any further punishment. Not surprisingly, credit for the kick was given to none other than Steven Seagal, the same man responsible for teammate Anderson Silva’s knockout boot at UFC 126. Machida was awarded with ‘Knockout of the Night’.
The co-main event featured UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo defend his title in an all-out tilt against Mark Hominick. The bout left an exhausted Aldo barely able to stand, while Hominick went home with a tennis ball-sized hematoma on his forehead for his troubles.
In the end, the champion prevailed with his superior Muay Thai skills and takedowns, cinching the bout by unanimous decision.
Nevertheless, the challenger had his moments, particularly when he reigned down some ground and pound at fight’s end. This thrilling war of attrition won ‘Fight of the Night’.
The much-hyped main event saw UFC welterweight champ and local hero Georges St. Pierre defending against former Strikeforce titleholder Jake Shields.
Similar to his previous bout against Josh Koscheck, St. Pierre primarily utilised a jolting jab, backed up with spinning side-kicks and a potent overhand right.
Shields was never able to utilise his superior ground game as the majority of the fight remained standing. This bout marks St. Pierre’s most challenging outing in recent memory. Though he dominated en route to a unanimous decision, the champion was left with a bloody nose and some vision impairment in his left eye.
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