Marquardt Decisions Salaverry in “Ultimate Fight Night” Debut
UFN under card
Josh Gross Aug 7, 2005
Though he was winless in two UFC appearances, Canadian middleweight
Patrick Cote (pictures) was matched with Chris Leben (pictures), fodder for much of the turmoil
seen in the TUF house during the show’s first season.
After tonight’s fight, he’ll be fodder for a debate as to who actually deserved to have his hand raised in victory. Three rounds of power punches mixed in with clinching and takedowns, forced the judges’ hands and Leben was award a split decision victory with scores of 29-28 (Schorle) and 30-27 (Shirley) to 29-27 (Silver). Sherdog.com had it 29-28 for Cote.
Each fighter felt the other’s power in the first round, but much of
the opening five minutes was spent clinching. Period two was
slower, with an exchange of takedowns leaving a very tight round
until the last 20 seconds, when Cote landed a punch, missed another
but pounced on Leben, who slipped to the canvas. Mixed in where
Leben foot stomps, which neither distracted nor hurt Cote.
The final period belonged to Leben, who controlled a majority of the round in Cote’s guard in large part due an awkward takedown attempt that resulted in the Canadian working from his back the remainder of the round.
Bonnar controlled the pace of the fight for much of round one until Hoger, from the bottom, caught the Chicago-based fighter in what looked like a clean, tight side-choke. With his face reddening, Bonnar struggled to free himself of the submission, which he eventually did, but the move by Hoger changed the dynamics of the fight.
Suddenly, he went from being overwhelmed to being able to threaten. And that’s how the remaining two rounds played out.
The two exchanged positions and submissions in round two. After Bonnar earned the mount, Hoger swept the Carlson Gracie student. Each Bonnar attack was met and countered by Hoger, who throughout the 15-minute bout answered questions about his durability and willingness to scrap.
But the better moments belonged to Bonnar.
In round two, he came very close to landing a kimura from the guard, so close in fact that Hoger was forced to roll away from the pressure, giving up position in favor of survival.
By the start of the final period, Bonnar, up two rounds to none, sported a big mouse underneath his left eye. Again, Bonnar mounted only to have Hoger reverse. But much of the round saw Bonnar punching and elbowing the Miletich-trained light heavyweight. Though he never gave an inch, Hoger didn’t have enough to take a decision.
Heading into Saturday night, Nate Quarry’s fight versus Pete Sell (pictures) was one of the most debated bouts on the eight-fight card. There’s a very good chance it will be the most heavily discussed bout after tonight as well.
Seconds after the opening bell, referee Cecil Peoples lay on top of Quarry and Sell, ending a bout that, by the reaction of Sell and the crowd inside the Cox Pavilion, came too soon.
Sell picked away at Quarry before the Team Quest middleweight followed a right straight with a jab that put the New Yorker to the canvas; he fell to the floor appearing to still have hold of his faculties.
As fast as Quarry pounced, so did the veteran referee. The three stayed frozen on the ground, longer, it felt, than the fight itself. When each peeled off the pile, Sell showed no ill-effects of the knockdown — that’s when the boos began to cascade around the
Afterwards, Peoples said the stoppage, though conservative, was correct. Sell took a shot that put him down and another when he hit the floor.
Taking a page out of Matt Hughes (pictures)’ “Frank Trigg (pictures) game plan,” collegiate wrestling star turned mixed martial artist Josh Koscheck (pictures) took Pete Spratt (pictures)’s back as the kickboxer scrambled to his feet, sunk in his hooks and finished with a rear-naked choke.
Talk coming into the bout focused on whether or not Koscheck would risk standing and trading with Spratt, a reputed striker who took apart Robbie Lawler (pictures) in his biggest UFC victory. But the wrestler answered those questions early, shooting a single-leg and trapping Spratt on the canvas.
The Texan worked to get off the bottom, but in doing so he offered Koscheck a crack at his back. Fighting out of San Jose, Calif. by way of Buffalo, New York, Koscheck showed his immense athleticism, controlling and, eventually, finishing a man who’s fought all over the world.
The victory most likely will lead to a pay-per-view slot for the young welterweight, and considering his wrestling pedigree, he won’t be an easy fight for anyone.
After tonight’s fight, he’ll be fodder for a debate as to who actually deserved to have his hand raised in victory. Three rounds of power punches mixed in with clinching and takedowns, forced the judges’ hands and Leben was award a split decision victory with scores of 29-28 (Schorle) and 30-27 (Shirley) to 29-27 (Silver). Sherdog.com had it 29-28 for Cote.
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The final period belonged to Leben, who controlled a majority of the round in Cote’s guard in large part due an awkward takedown attempt that resulted in the Canadian working from his back the remainder of the round.
There is something about Cox Pavilion and light heavyweight
Stephan Bonnar
(pictures) that seem to mesh. When UFC
fans last saw Bonnar in this building he’d just executed a
fight-of-the-year effort with Forrest Griffin (pictures). Tonight, he followed up nicely,
winning a unanimous decision (30-27 on each card) in a scrap of a
fight against fellow TUF cast member Sam Hoger (pictures), a man given little shot of being
competitive.
Bonnar controlled the pace of the fight for much of round one until Hoger, from the bottom, caught the Chicago-based fighter in what looked like a clean, tight side-choke. With his face reddening, Bonnar struggled to free himself of the submission, which he eventually did, but the move by Hoger changed the dynamics of the fight.
Suddenly, he went from being overwhelmed to being able to threaten. And that’s how the remaining two rounds played out.
The two exchanged positions and submissions in round two. After Bonnar earned the mount, Hoger swept the Carlson Gracie student. Each Bonnar attack was met and countered by Hoger, who throughout the 15-minute bout answered questions about his durability and willingness to scrap.
But the better moments belonged to Bonnar.
In round two, he came very close to landing a kimura from the guard, so close in fact that Hoger was forced to roll away from the pressure, giving up position in favor of survival.
By the start of the final period, Bonnar, up two rounds to none, sported a big mouse underneath his left eye. Again, Bonnar mounted only to have Hoger reverse. But much of the round saw Bonnar punching and elbowing the Miletich-trained light heavyweight. Though he never gave an inch, Hoger didn’t have enough to take a decision.
Heading into Saturday night, Nate Quarry’s fight versus Pete Sell (pictures) was one of the most debated bouts on the eight-fight card. There’s a very good chance it will be the most heavily discussed bout after tonight as well.
Seconds after the opening bell, referee Cecil Peoples lay on top of Quarry and Sell, ending a bout that, by the reaction of Sell and the crowd inside the Cox Pavilion, came too soon.
Sell picked away at Quarry before the Team Quest middleweight followed a right straight with a jab that put the New Yorker to the canvas; he fell to the floor appearing to still have hold of his faculties.
As fast as Quarry pounced, so did the veteran referee. The three stayed frozen on the ground, longer, it felt, than the fight itself. When each peeled off the pile, Sell showed no ill-effects of the knockdown — that’s when the boos began to cascade around the
Afterwards, Peoples said the stoppage, though conservative, was correct. Sell took a shot that put him down and another when he hit the floor.
Taking a page out of Matt Hughes (pictures)’ “Frank Trigg (pictures) game plan,” collegiate wrestling star turned mixed martial artist Josh Koscheck (pictures) took Pete Spratt (pictures)’s back as the kickboxer scrambled to his feet, sunk in his hooks and finished with a rear-naked choke.
Talk coming into the bout focused on whether or not Koscheck would risk standing and trading with Spratt, a reputed striker who took apart Robbie Lawler (pictures) in his biggest UFC victory. But the wrestler answered those questions early, shooting a single-leg and trapping Spratt on the canvas.
The Texan worked to get off the bottom, but in doing so he offered Koscheck a crack at his back. Fighting out of San Jose, Calif. by way of Buffalo, New York, Koscheck showed his immense athleticism, controlling and, eventually, finishing a man who’s fought all over the world.
The victory most likely will lead to a pay-per-view slot for the young welterweight, and considering his wrestling pedigree, he won’t be an easy fight for anyone.
