Of Missed Opportunities And Equestrian Idiocy

UFC 73 – Stacked
July 8, 2007 Arco Arena

THIS one didn’t have the MMA world-shaking upsets of the previous three UFC tournaments or the blank space in my mind of UFC 72 (which I didn’t see) but it sure lived up to its “Stacked” title. Although the main event welterweight championship between Anderson “The Spider” Silva and Nate “The Great” Marquardt was ironically the least exciting of the card.

The Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira-Heath “The Texas Crazy Horse” Herring barnburner is the figurative perfect match to start a martial arts tournament. The legendary heavyweights, picking up from where they left off in Japan’s Pride, exchange punches. Herring falls while Nogueira gets side cradle control and goes for back control but Herring suddenly stands up to escape. On their feet, the Minotaur hits the Horse with a strong left straight that slightly buckles the latter. Later, with about 30 seconds left in the round, Nogueira misses a left straight and Herring counters with a left roundhouse head kick that hurts Nogueira a lot more than he hurt Herring earlier. Nogueira falls to the canvas and Herring follows him to the ground to deliver a pounding.

Inexplicably, Herring disengages, gets back on his feet and motions for Nogueira to do the same. Nogueira does not look a gift horse in the mouth (heh…) and Herring again fells him. With Herring in Nogueira’s guard and punching out Nogueira, the Texas Crazy Horse, true to his moniker, acts crazy and again stands up while motioning with his hands for Nogueira to get back up. Nogueira survives Round 1 with his wits and poise intact. In our scorecard, we give it, of course, to Herring, 10-9.

In Round 2, Nogueira, fully aware that he has to rally, tries several submission holds on Herring, which the strong and patient Herring all escape from. On those failed submission attempts alone, Nogueira wins the round, 10-9.

Herring, in the last round, again does one of his great escapes from Nogueira’s chokes and Kimuras, the most dangerous looking is a rear-naked choke that locks on the lefts side of Herring’s face, Herring bides his time and pulls out of the hold and even manages to reverse into a dominant position while landing on Nogueira’s guard. Herring fights on but is obviously fading, while Nogueira having gone back to boxing Herring, increasingly gets more confident and does enough to win Round 3 to add to his points from Round 2 – no mean feat, considering the dire straits he was on in Round 1. Nogueira, 10-9.

The UFC judges had it officially at 29-28 for Nogueira just like Free-For-All’s. To beat a dead horse (sorry, the pun is irresistible), we have to question Herring’s chivalry, sportsmanship, stupidity, or a combination of all. Although, it’s no big mystery. Even though Herring was on the verge of taking out Nogueira with his striking while the Brazilian was dazed and very vulnerable on the ground, the two previous defeats (a decision and submission by Anaconda choke) he suffered to Nogueira had planted the seeds of fear and respect in his mind. Nogueira can submit anybody anytime when all his resources are locked on predatory mode. Perhaps also flushed with his power, Herring wanted to show the world that he could end the fight on his feet instead of on the ground.

Everyone is welcome to post their opinion on the matter. I used to write a sports column just as long as this one in a local English news daily where I was getting paid a pittance (everything is relative), so you can’t blame this Free-For-Aller for reserving the rest of the card for (no, not three or four days later, as my schedule had it then) next time when I feel like it. Take that, editors of all stripes and egos! No deadlines this time…and no column pay either. Well…c’est la vie.