UFC 74: Results and Fallout

It's official, Randy Couture is the greatest champion in UFC history. Not that we didn't know that all ready, but at 44, Randy Couture finished his first opponent since coming out of retirement.

In his first title defense since winning back the title from Tim Sylvia, Couture stopped Gonzaga at 1:37 of the third round. He broke Gonzaga's nose in the first, and continued to dominate the massive Brazilian for the rest of the fight. I may not be one of his greatest believers, but the man knows how to put together a gameplan and execute.

Georges St. Pierre also won, defeating Josh Koscheck by Unanimous Decision. I expected St. Pierre to win in more overwhelming fashion, but Koscheck proved that he is in the 170 pound elite (though I still don't think he's as tough as Jon Fitch) and worth considering as a top fighter.

Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta and Clay Guida won at 155 pounds. Stevenson by Unanimous Decision. Guida by Split Decision. Huerta by 3rd round TKO.

Renato "Babalu" Sobral returned to form to submit David Heath with a Guillotine Choke at 3:30 in the second. After his recent KO losses to Chuck Liddell and Jason Lambert, I wasn't sure who was going to show up tonight, but Babalu is back.

Thales Leites put away Ryan Jensen with a first round submission and definitely earned some attention from the UFC brass.

However, the star of tonights show (and my big underdog pick on the card) was Patrick "The Predator" Cote. I've always considered Cote an underrated fighter and I was upset that Grove was given the Season Three title of "The Ultimate Fighter" after winning a close decision over Ed Herman.

Both veterans of The Ultimate Fighter series (Cote was runner up at 185 pounds on Season 4) were expected to bring the pain tonight. Grove stands 6'6, and so some people had trouble believing that Cote could land a substantial shot on him, but Cote demolished Grove and forced the ref to stop the fight at 4:45 in the first round when Grove could no longer defend himself against Cote's strikes.

Here is the impact of these fights on the divisional ladders:

Heavyweight: The was really no major impact tonight, except that things remained as they are. Couture stayed the champion and will defend against the next opponent. The only real change is that I think alot of people will be concerned about Couture, regardless of who his opponent is. Frank Mir reestablishing his presence and getting a win under his belt after his motorcycle accident is something big, too, and I hope we see him fighting tough competition again soon.

Lightheavyweight: Sobral put himself back in the mix, and I don't think that Heath will have his contract renewed after two consecutive losses considering that neither of them were to titleholders or top contenders. He'll have a fight or two in a smaller show and if he wins, he'll be back soon.

Middleweight: There was alot going on in the bulk of the division tonight. Cote and Leites were not considered top contenders, and I still don't really think they are. It was definitely a big win for Cote, because he believes that he should be fighting towards the top of that division, and I agree with that. I also think that Leites will be getting some bigger fights soon. I don't expect Grove to disappear, and I think that Jensen will have one more loss before the UFC lets him go. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing them fight each other.

Welterweight: Since the only 170 pound bout on the card was St. Pierre v Koscheck, I can't say that the division changed enormously. I think that St. Pierre has established himself as the clear #2 contender, but I also think that, because he won a decision, the UFC will want him to have another warm-up fight before giving him the winner of Matt Serra (current champion) and Matt Hughes (former champion and #1 contender). I think that could be Jon Fitch, if the UFC wants the fight to be really challenging, or it could be Diego Sanchez, Karo Parysian or Joe Riggs, who GSP could beat decisively. Personally, I'd like to see Karo, because that would be a high profile fight and I think he deserves it, but I also think that Jon Fitch deserves a chance to fight a real top contender, so there's alot Dana White and Joe Silva (the UFC's matchmaker) have to think about.

Lightweight: Alot of changes as far as stock tonight. I think that alot of people considered Joe Stevenson a top contender for a fight with champion Sean Sherk, but I also think that Joe needed to finish Pellegrino tonight to establish that. (I didn't pick him to) It was a big night for Clay Guida, who got a lucky decision after losing an unlucky decision to Tyson Griffin. But the biggest night was for Roger Huerta, who is considered a major rising star in the UFC (he was the first MMA fighter to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated, while I personally consider him somewhat undeserving of that honor). He finished Alberto Crane and I think that his name has been in the mix as a top contender for a while, but he could be more of an immediate contender since "Joe Daddy" wasn't able to finish his opponent. The third round TKO may have put Huerta in a position for a shot at the champ.

All in all, an exciting night. As always, some wars and some bores. Still, a worthwhile and well put together card. Now it's time to get ready for UFC 75.