UFC 101: A Night of Shock and Awe (RESULTS)

Posted on | August 9, 2009 | 1 Comment

By: Holli Yargo

Of all guts and glory action offered up at UFC 101, only three fights plucked at the heart strings of fight fans everywhere. While two bouts ended as most would have predicted, another caught spectators completely off guard and one of the predicted finishes ended in the most unpredictable way.

Hendricks vs. Sadollah

Amir Sadollah won the hearts of MMA fans while competing on season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter. After defeating everyone the show threw at him, he faced CB Dollaway at the finale to win the title of The Ultimate Fighter. Cellulitis and a broken clavicle kept him out of competition for over a year. Unfortunately, his return to the octagon was a disappointment to Sadollah and the crowd .

Sadollah and Johny Hendricks both looked strong at the start of the fight. Sadollah stalked the UFC freshman, possibly a bit too early in the fight. Hendricks caught the TUF winner with an uppercut, dropping him to his knees. Capitalizing, Hendricks hammered at Sadollah until the fight was called to a halt by referee Dan Mirgliotti.

In my personal opinion, it appeared that Sadollah, though in trouble, was trying to get back to his feet. He did not look finished. This had all the makings of a premature stoppage where Sadollah should have been given the opportunity to work his way out of the danger. That being said, I hope to see a rematch in the future.

Silva vs. Griffin

In a much anticipated match up, Middleweight champion Anderson Silva faced former Light Heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin in a 205 pound contest. Griffin, though losing his only title defense, was still the more popular coming into the octagon. In comparison, Silva, who has been criticized for phoning in his last two lack-luster wins, received a much cooler reception.

Clipped early in the first, Forrest Griffin found himself in trouble early. Frustrating his larger opponent with showboating and strange angles, Silva bated Griffin to stalk him. Falling into his habitual brawler style, Griffin did just that, throwing all of his momentum into the chase. Missing with a string of wild straight punches, Silva stepped out of the way, tapping the LHW on the chin, dropping the LHW with the jab.

Penn vs. Florian

Hungry and stronger than ever, Kenny Florian entered the cage with bad intentions to steal away the lightweight belt of “The Prodigy,” BJ Penn. Penn, fueled by his inability to defeat Georges St-Pierre in any weight class, had no plans of allowing that to happen.

Florian fired first with a headkick but was rocked by BJ’s right hand. Florian ate a vicious knee but, unlike Sean Sherk, survived. KenFlo’s chin was tested again in the second but returned with a pair of unchecked leg kicks.

In the 4th round, Florian, taking a page from GSP’s book, pressed Penn against the cage in an effort to wind the champion. Not having GSP’s physicality, Florian wasn’t able to hold the pressure. Penn put Florian on his back with a double leg takedown. After passing Florian’s guard, Penn pounded the challenger, forcing him to give up his back. Taking advantage, Penn quickly sunk a deep rear naked choke to remain lightweight champion.

It was good to see the two champions represented in this event were back in the mental game. Both could easily be accused of becoming complacent but this night proved they found their competitive spirits. While the knock-out suffered by Forrest Griffin was nothing if not bizaare, the TKO handed to Amir Sadollah was just plain saddening. While Griffin and Sodallah will live to fight in the UFC again, it’s uncertain if the same can be said for Kendall Grove.

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