| Thumbs up Best fight: Hominick/Aldo Worst fight: none
I thought overall this was a pretty good show. I think I got to see all the prelims and they were all pretty good. The Diaz/MacDonald was really entertaining in the 3rd round when Rory went all Kurt angle with the suplexes. A lot of the other fights were short quick submissions or TKO wins. The Makdessi/Watson fight had a brutal ending when Makdessi caught him with a spinning back fist from hell.
Mark Bocek vs. Ben Henderson- This was a good opener. I think Henderson was really prepared and ready for this fight and did a pretty good job. I think he was slightly in danger in the 2nd round but when he got out of the choke he lit up bocek. He won via unanimous decision 30-27 which I agree was right. Good fight. Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Jason Brilz-Wow was I wrong. I thought brilz would win this one but he got knocked out in 20 seconds. Pretty surprising and he was shock. Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida- Well I didn’t think Randy would win. I don’t think he ever really got the chance to try to take lyoto down or anything. The finishing karate kid kick that knocked him out was crazy because Anderson Silva had just done and they both credited Steven sagal. I thought that was pretty awesome but I felt bad for randy and he lost a tooth on top of it. Jose Aldo Jr. vs. Mark Hominick for the featherweight title- I thought this was a hell of a fight. Hominick is tough as hell and by the 4th round he was seriously messed up. I thought when aldo was getting tired it might really benefit him but aldo was still getting some vicious leg kicks and some hard punches as well. I was really surprised they didn’t stop not only because of the swelling on his head but he could barely see out of his eye. But when that 5th round started and he took him down and started punching him and the crowd was going nuts for mark I thought this could be the biggest comeback ever. But he wasn’t able to finish him. Fight was really good. One of the scores confused me I think it was 50-43 or something. How is that even possible you would have had to give aldo the last round which I just don’t see how you could. Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields for the welterweight title- This fight was a bit disappointing. I know in the 3rd or 2nd round gsp had his eye hurt so I think it made him more cautious. One thing that annoyed me was they made such a big deal how shields could take him down and he was so dangerous and shields never even really tried he just stood up and really got beat up on the feet. Though to his credit he did do some damage to gsp and his stand up wasn’t all that bad. At one point he kind of taunted gsp because I think he knew he couldn’t take gsp down and was annoyed that gsp wouldn’t go to the ground so he was like hey maybe I can piss him off and he’ll be stupid but it just made him look stupid. This was another one with some weird scores that had scores where the fight was about even 48-47. Where did shields ever really win a round. But gsp won and it will be interesting to see where he goes next. Al Dinkelspiel New Jersey Thumbs down due to main event. We learned Jake Shields can't beat an one-eyed GSP. Maybe if GSP tied one arm behind his back... Gary Collins Overall show: Thumbs up Best Fight: Jose aldo vs Mark Hominick Worst Fight: St. Pierre vs Jake Shields First off, a great show. Amazing atmosphere (even watching on PPV). It seemed that the crowd wasn't miked very well because the crowd noise seems much softer than a typical UFC show. There's not much to say since most of the fights were quick but Aldo and Hominick was a war and even though, he lost 4 rounds to 1, I would love to see a rematch of the fight at some point in the future. Lyoto had an awesome finish that he badly needed for the future marketability of the shows he's on. They can show that kick and people will buy! I like GSP as much as the next guy, but I grow tired of 25 minute decisions. GSP, can you please, please, please finish a fight? I know it's not a requirement to win, but a finish would be great. Adam Moreau Monson, MA This week's Bellator was just the re-cap show, so I figured it wasn't relevant as it all it did was go over the results of each tournaments. Also, I'm sure you've been told but the crowd was mic'd TERRIBLY. I mean really bad. Best Fight - Jose Aldo vs Mark Hominick Worst Fight - George St. Pierre vs Jake Shields Thumbs Up Daniel Galvan Thumbs way up Best Match: Jose Aldo Jr. vs. Mark Hominick Worst Match: N/A Just a great card from the prelims on Spike to the main event of St. Pierre. The matches, crowd, look and feel of this event were top class all the way tonight. Congrats to Dana White and everyone involved with UFC in reaching this epic point in their business. It was amazing watching this event and seeing how UFC gives its audience exactly what they want while the WWE gives its audience exactly what Vince wants. The difference between the 2 companies in terms of what type of product they offer to their fans could not be any greater and I believe that will show up when the final #'s come in for this weekend's PPVs going head to head. I don't believe Dana will be taking the "Fighting" out of UFC's name anytime soon. Best of luck to HHH and Stephanie in trying to resurrect the Titanic that Vince is sinking. Quick Thoughts: * Canada's crowds are always great whether it be UFC or WWE, they also seem to have great heat and emotion. * Ellenberger looked really really good for a guy on 16 days notice. * I loved being able to mark out and get excited watching Rory MacDonald shut Nate Diaz the hell up. I would have paid the $54.95 just to see that and many got to watch it for free. That fight alone had to spike buys. * Jason Brilz got knocked out, it was the right call. He was in La La land when Miragliotta called the stoppage. * Jose Aldo Jr.is bad ass but Mark Hominick is one tough hombre. The dude had another head growing above his eye and not only did he keep fighting but he pounded on Aldo for the entire 5th round. Great stuff * People love Georges St. Pierre and are willing to pay to watch him fight. He doesn't disappoint, his fights are always entertaining. I hope he doesn't run out of legit opponents, hopefully someone can step up to make a real challenge to his throne. I'm not sure moving up against Anderson Silva would be the best move, Anderson's reach alone would be a tough disadvantage to overcome never mind the rest of his arsenal. UFC does not need one of it's legit superstars moving up in weight class to lose and tarnish their name. St Pierre is still drawing big crowds and PPV numbers, no need to fix what isn't broken. * Pay no attention to UFC's television rating as the over saturation point has hit when it come to TV. Look at their crowds, events and PPV numbers and know that this company is still very over to the fans and public. Keep up the great work, Jeremy Nunes Providence, Rhode Island Thumbs up Best match: Too many to mention Worst match: GSP-Shields I NEVER want to see Jake Shields fight on TV again. And at this rate, I'm afraid I'm not terribly keen on watching GSP fight again, either. I know he was injured and couldn't see out of one eye, but his "safe" fighting style is getting harder and harder to defend as a fan. Maybe this fight will shake him up and get him out there finishing people. Otherwise, this was a GREAT show with some fantastic finishes and submissions. One of the best top (OK, second from top) to bottom shows I've ever seen. Mark Hominick made himself a star in losing with that gutsy fifth round. Mike Jenkinson Edmonton, Alberta Hi Dave, Thumbs up for UFC 129; attended the show and confirm that Dana White's claims of a great stadium configuration were correct even from the 500 Level ($50 seats). Best Match: Aldo vs. Hominick; the final round ROCKED the building; very gutsy performance by Hominick after the ugly hematoma. Worst Match: GSP vs. Shields; first true boos of the night and sent the crowd home listless. A shame because prior to the main event it was a spectacular night of fights. Pop of the Night: Rory MacDonald's 3 suplex's of Nate Diaz. Dragan Djurickovic - Toronto Best: Aldo vs. Hominick Worst: GSP vs. Shields Best KO: Machida's "Karate Kid" KO of Couture Best Sub: Pablo Garza's flying triangle I was live at UFC 129 at Rogers Center. I was there from the 1st fight to the end. A full 6+ hours. I sat in the elevated stands on the floor. Overall the card left me feeling good, although the main event was a letdown. More on that later. The crowd was obviously pro any Canadian fighter and loved Randy Couture. The stadium was half full during the Facebook prelims. The place didn't really get full until the Spike/Rogers Sportsnet prelims at 8 pm EST. Funny thing was the expensive floor seats were 1/2 ful until then. You'd think if you paid big bucks you'd show up early. The Facebook prelims went by quick. The Garza flying triangle to start the card was awesome! I told my two buddies this would be hard to top for sub of the night and really none did. The Makdessi spinning backfist KO got a huge pop after a lackluster fight up to that point. I like Jason Macdonald, but his triangle wasn't as sweet as Garza's. Menjivar vs. Valencia was also another crowd pleasing quick and brutal finish with the spinning elbow that broke Valencia's nose. The worst fight from the prelims was the Patrick vs. Roberts 3 round affair. I pegged this as worst of the night until the main event. Spike / Rogers prelims: I really like Jake Ellenberger so I had no problems cheering for the Juggernaut over the hometown fighter Sean Pierson. He did not disappoint as his huge power came to fore when he KO'd Pierson. Ellenberger and Rick Story are two guys you don't want to bet against in the 170 lb division. Rory Macdonald made himself a star with his rag dolling of Nate Diaz. His suplexes of Diaz got huge pops! People went wild and stomped the stands. This kid has a future! Bendo vs. Bocek: I agree with the final score. He made me a fan with his tough WEC scraps with Cerrone and Varner. I had no problem cheering for him while everyone around me ered for the local guy. Brilz vs. Janitor: Suprised by the quick ending. I was expecting a long drawn out grapplefest. Hey it's MMA. You nvever know what's going to happen. Machida vs. Couture: Randy got the biggest pop outside of GSP. I'm a huge Machida fan, so we werein the minority. After the 1st round it was clear Randy was too slow to mount any type of offense on the Dragon. I was shocked by the Karate Kid finish! There was a huge pop for this. I loved the respect Machida and the fans gave Randy when he announced this was it. Hominick vs. Aldo: Hominick held his own standing for the first 3 rounds. I was surprised to see Aldo shoot in for takedowns to solidify rounds. Maybe he wasn't superior to Hominick standing. It seemed he was concerned with Hominick's stand-up. I was shocked when they let the fight go on in the 4th round after Hominick sustained the huge goose egg on his forehead! This led to the most dramatic 5th round since Anderson Silva subbed Sonnen in Oakland. Hominick just pounded on Aldo and the crowd went crazy with each punch. Everyone around me was on their feet hoping that Rocky would beat Apollo Creed. Unfortunately time ran out, but Mark Hominick earned everyone's respect and Jose Aldo suddenly looked mortal. I predict Chad Mendes will be the new 145 lb champion if he gets the next title shot. Aldo showed nothing off his back and Mendes will definitley put him there. GSP vs. Shields: 5 rounds of GSP playing it safe or fighting not to lose. That's what my friends and I interpreted. After 2 rounds, GSP was so much superior to Jake Shields standing that we figured he could finish him any time. But no, he didn't. We were actually shocked when Shields marked up GSP and I actually gave Shields round 5. What was telling were the boos that could be heard in round 5 from a formerly pro-GSP crowd. Is GSP's lack of finishing hurting his brand? We were even more shocked when two judges scored it 48-47 meaning Shields won two rounds. This fight got worst of the night because GSP should have done better as the main event guy who was so much better than his opponent but he simply did not perform that way. Anthony Wong Toronto, ON Thumbs in the Middle Best Fight: Aldo vs. Hominick Worst Fight: GSP vs. Shields
Overall the show wasn’t what I’d call great, but wasn’t bad. We certainly got our money’s worth as it seemed like they put almost every fight on TV. Production-wise they seemed a little overwhelmed by shooting their first stadium show. On TV I could barely hear the crowd other than a general buzz or muted roar, which was very disappointing. Visually while there were a couple of shots that made it look like a stadium, it generally looked like an overgrown UFC arena. Both Wrestlemanias from Skydome seemed like there were a lot more people there, almost every Pride show from the 35,000 seat Saitama came across as bigger, and even Muhammad Ali’s Superdome show came across bigger and louder.
Dana, Rogan and Goldberg also seemed overwhelmed by the enormity of their venue pinching themselves whenever they announced the 55,000. Instead of brimming with major league confidence like Ric Flair, saying “I’m the World Champion”, they came off more like Eric Young, saying, “Wow, I can’t believe I’m World Champion”. Despite this being such a big show it generally didn’t come across as a major league show on TV. Maybe Drake being the only referenced celebrity didn’t help.
As for the fights, it really is time for GSP to fight Anderson Silva, because GSP will continue to effectively shut down every welterweight for five rounds without ever coming close to finishing them, and Anderson Silva will continue to get beat up and always finish his. Something has to give. Tonight reminded us of how the opposite of “rough and tough” GSP is, with his constant whining about his eye between rounds with Greg Jackson talking to him like a child to get over it. And I don’t understand the strategy of team Shields trying to beat GSP by repeated jabs in the 4th and 5th rounds. It was mathematically too late to win on points and he certainly wasn’t going to knock him out with a jab. I guess with the eye injury they were going for the Kimo-Royce Gracie moral victory. They also seemed to abandon the takedown pretty early, then again Greg Jackson’s boy did seem too greasy---I mean slippery for that.
Unfortunately Randy Couture didn’t get his storybook ending, but the finish was pretty significant. When UFC began, karate seemed to be squashed rather quickly as the Kung-Fu movies we all thought defined toughness, were castrated by jiu-jitsu. That seemed to evolve to a strong wrestler being the dominant force in the sport. And here we are, almost twenty years after Royce Gracie’s debut and we see a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, and now an American wrestling legend, both get KTFO by karate kicks in 2011. And both “taught” by Steven Seagal, the day before Ralph Macchio will star on a show that draws 20 million viewers. Somebody get Cung Le in the Octagon already because karate is king again!
Favorite moments were cringing at the thought of Aldo giving one more elbow to Mark Hominick’s forehead and watching his hemotoma splat like a tomato, Lyoto Machida’s brother or whatever in the locker room with his finger half way up his nose for 30 seconds with the camera right in his face, and a Dave Meltzer sighting, over Jake Shields shoulder just as the fight was to begin.
Steve Te Tai ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) UFC 129 Feedback Thumbs Way Up Best match: Mark Hominick vs Jose Aldo Jr Worst match: Georges St. Pierre vs Jake Shields This was such a great show and a fantastic fan experience as a live show. I'm really glad I went, this was my first UFC live but won't be my last. All of the prelims were a lot of fun. i especially enjoyed the Makdessi-Watson fight and MacDonald-Jensen, seeing as both are from my home of Nova Scotia and both were super heroes tonight. I am not sure if Makdessi will get knockout of the night over Machida but I hope he does and I'm pretty sure MacDonald will get submission of the night. The third round of Rory MacDonald vs Nate Diaz was awesome. Rory throwing Nate around was such a great visual in this venue, Nate is one of my favorite fighters but I still loved it. Machida is another fighter high on my favorites list, and while I was glad to see him get the win, the ovation for Couture afterwards was just as great a moment as the fight itself. Words cannot described Hominck vs Aldo. I fully believe the fight should have been stopped near the end of the fourth round by John McCarthy, by the commission doctor or even by Hominick's corner between rounds. Hominick's forehead looked like a package of Jiffy Pop and I was sure that bump was going to turn into a gremiln. From a fight standpoint, Aldo had every right to tee off on the injury until it was stopped and I think he may have held off before McCarthy stopped him for the doctor to look at it. And sure Hominick could see when examined by the doctor but a straight-on blow to the swelling could have been dangerous. All that being said, man was the fifth round exciting. I can't even imagine if Hominick had managed to finish him. Honestly, I don't think it could have been any more unglued than it was. While I think the fight should have been stopped earlier for Hominick's safety, it was an unbelievably exciting spectacle and I actually think a rematch would do great, perhaps in Montreal if UFC goes there in the fall. The GSP-Shields fight was disappointing, but this is understandable given that one fighter had an eye injury for 2/3 of the fight and the other fighter is Jake Shields. Not a horrible a fight, but below expectations. But yes, a fantastic show and this was pretty much a perfect line-up. Dave Musgrave Markham, Ontario
Jason McNeil Two thumbs up Best fight: Hominck vs. Aldo Worst Fight: None on the main card I enjoyed this PPV from top to bottom. I fully expected GSP to block Shields at every point and take him out statistically, and that's what he did. Hell, the man won the fight fighting three rounds with one eye! If you were expecting a knockout, you were reaching a bit too much. I loved the fight, but I'm worried for GSP's future. Hopefully his eye isn't damaged beyond repair. Hominick was a great babyface-in-peril, but unlike Shawn Michaels he couldn't win in the end. I'm really looking forward to a rematch down the road. Ben Henderson has a very bright future ahead of him, that fight was magic. Pretty sure Couture is done, but he did go down in a great finish with the KARATE KID CRANE KICK, to quote one Bryan Alvarez, minus the expletive. Pretty great show considering there were no main card submissions. Here's to the next show I'll be purchasing, Lesnar vs. Dos Santos! Zach Hagenbucher from Rothschild, WI Hi Dave, I thought that this show would be a bit better than it was, as it ended up feeling like another UFC card, rather than something really special. However, with one very good fight (Bocek vs. Henderson), one great fight (Aldo vs. Hominick), and a couple of flashy knockouts on the main card, I'd still give it a thumbs up. It sure beats most WWE and TNA PPV cards, especially since you can still have the experience (like I had) of going to a packed bar to watch the fights with an enthusiastic crowd surrounding you... that certainly can't be matched by today's wrestling product, unless you actually go to an ROH or DGUSA live show. Thumbs up Best fight: Aldo vs. Hominick Worst fight: GSP vs. Shields Best, Dan Della Posta Best Fight: Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick Worst Fight: Georges St-Pierre vs. Jake Shields Thumbs Up Hey Dave, UFC 129 was a fantastic show with a weak main event. Hominick/Aldo was a fantastic spectacle, with Hominick valiantly fighting back despite growing a small person on his forehead. GSP/Shields was a huge let-down, particularly given the hope that GSP could deliver something exciting rather than his typical game-plan. Injury aside, I think everyone expected more. Rory McDonald's undercard bout with Nate Diaz was quite great, surprisingly, as was the super-quick Vladimir Matyushenko KO of Jason Brilz. Overall: very good show, although it could've been all-time great with a better main event performance. Onward to UFC 130. Ryan Pike Real simple. Thumbs up. I liked it. Even the GSP fight. Too bad Couture couldn't have gone out on a higher note. Mike DeGeorge Thumbs Up Show Worst Fight: Georges St. Pierre vs Jake Shields Thought the show was pretty damn good overall. Don't really see how you could score the main event anything other than 50-45 for St. Pierre but with shoddy judging being as it is I guess I can be thankful they didn't give it to Shields.The prelim fights were great, lots of action and/or awesome finishes. Show was well worth the money, and being able to see so many fights for free on Facebook/Spike makes me happy. Next time I'll be better prepared to play the UFC drinking game. Jarrod Villareal Thumbs up but if the main hadn't stunk out the joint so bad it could have the best card of all time. Worst fight: GSP vs. Shields Best fight: everything else KO: Machida (and on a night of highlight reel KOs) Sub: Garza Garza-Jabouin was great, more drama and shifting tides in one round than in most long fights. Garza seemed to have Yves confused with his reach, then Yves started taking him apart with leg kicks and Garza rallied with the flying tri sub. Outstanding. Makdessi would have had KO of the night any other night. Jason MacD pulled off a great sub vs. Jensen. Then Menjivar pulls off anothet highlight reel KO vs. Valencia (why is he still in UFC?) Patrick and Roberts kinda stunk out the joint too. Roberts is apparently in deep shit if he doesn't sub the other guy in 30 seconds. Needs to go do some triathalions with Nicky. Then here comes Ellenberger with ANOTHER highlight reel KO. Then here comes the OTHER MacD guy, Rory, proving his good show vs. Condit was no fluke by totally whipping Nate Diaz' loudmouth ass. Pleasure to watch. Dominated every aspect of the fight. The kid is very very good. Three German Suplexes in the 3rd. The main card keeps up the level as Bendo takes a deserved UD over Bocek in a competitive, high tech fight. Lyoto retires Randy with ANOTHER Bicuda Na Fuca front kick to the face KO. Randy was never in the fight but Machida closed the show with emphasis. This may be the KO of all time to date. It didn't come out of the blue off the rear leg like Anderson's but was set up with a triple feint with the rear leg into a jump front kick off the lead leg. Movie stuff. Not to be outdone, Vladdy comes up with his own highlight reel KO of Brilz. Aldo and Hominick make the card a contender for all time status with an exciting war, with Hominick fighting through tremendous damage to win the last round big, but not enough to threten Aldo's deserved win. The scoring had to be a mistake though with the one 50-43 for Aldo. I suspect the judge scored the 5th correctly 10-8 for Hominick and wrote the numbers in the wrong boxes or something. Great fight. First sign of flaws in Aldo. Then GSP and Shields pattycake their way through 5 rounds of low level Safety In The Workplace kickboxing. Shields actually gets two rounds on two cards, don't ask me how. GSP's stinker streak is challenging his win streak. His killer instinct seems to be on permanent vacation. Even the Canadians were booing him by the end. I think interest in a fight with Anderson just went into the toilet. I don't even want to see it any more and I've been yelling for it for years. Crimson Mask Thumbs Up Best Match - Mark Homenik vs. Jose Aldo Jr. Worst Match - Jake Shields vs. Georges St. Pierre You gotta love the Crane Kick!! Somewhere - Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio are smiling. UFC's TV production was very much improved..but not up to WWE Wrestlemania standard. Mark Homenik's hematoma was scary and I did not enjoy the fifth round as much as I should have because of it. I am not a doctor but I cannot believe the match was allowed to continue. What if Aldo kicked it? It would have been like James Thompson's ear times 80. I think UFC dodged a bullet in a new town that would have had some real negative consequences given all the troubles with even having a show in Ontario. I wasn't shocked about how the main event went but kept hoping something unexpected would happen. Shame on me. I am not sure what to think of Jake Shields. GSP admitted he couldn't see out of one eye in 3.5 rounds and Shields didn't take advantage of it. I almost felt ripped off that no one seemed to want to finish the fight - particularly Shields who was content going the distance. Does anyone want to see a rematch? I sure don't. Finally, like Michael Cole and "vintage," Mike Goldberg needs to cut out using the word, "class." Jason Singh Vallejo, CA Definite thumbs up!
This was the best UFC show I’ve seen live on PPV. I didn’t think there was a bad fight all night, and both title matches delivered.
Best fight: Aldo/Hominick
Worst fight: None that I saw
I hope that Couture doesn’t try to fight again, as Machida caught him bad with that kick. It was a scary knockout and I hope that Randy is alright.
Thanks for all the great content on the site, and I’m glad to be a subscriber.
Patrick Zollner Thumbs WAY UP! ZidaneValor on the board. |
Send us a news tip: newstips@wrestlingobserver.com
Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news from this site or from our newsletters, please include a link to www.wrestlingobserver.com
For the most in-depth and detailed news and analysis on pro-wrestling and MMA, always turn to Wrestlingobserver.com/Figure Four Weekly Online, the #1 website of its kind on the Internet. Members receive online access to both the Wrestling Observer and Figure Four Weekly newsletters and growing archives, Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer three times per week, the popular Bryan and Vinny Show twice per week, additional radio shows including Figure Four Daily with Alvarez, Mike Coughlin's Five Star Radio, the Dr. Keith Lipinski Show, The Adam and Mike Big Audio Nightmare, Tough Talk and the Karl Stern Wrestling History Show, the infamous BOARD, and more! Members also have full access to the thousands of hours of audio in our radio show archives which date back to 2005. For your convenience, we offer secure online payments using your VISA, Mastercard, American Express, Discover card or PayPal account. Don't miss out on the fun, sign up now! Don\'t miss out on the fun, sign up now!
Want full access? QUICK AND EASY $10.99 SIGNUP!
