UFC 87 - Seek and Destroy

Minneapolis, Minnisota - 09/08/2008

UFC 87, the first ever in Minnesota was a great success. George St Pierre again showed why he is the most dominant fighter in his weight class and one of the top pound for pound fighters in the world with a dominant display against the man who many felt would be one of St Pierre’s hardest ever fights John Fitch. GSP from the bell had John Fitch on his back within seconds.

Fitch who has great Ju-Jitzu skills kept St Pierre at bay, however when the fight returned to the feet St Pierre showed why he is one of the best all round fighters when he caught Fitch with a straight right hand. When Fitch went down St Pierre rained down elbows and shots and it looked like it was going to be a quick nights work for St Pierre, however Fitch managed to survive till the end of the round.

This dominance continued throughout the fight with Fitch only causing St Pierre problems in the second round, but the one thing that was evident in Fitch’s performance is that he has a huge heart and St Pierre as hard as he tried couldn’t finish the fight. The fight went to a decision with 2 judges scoring all of the rounds 10-9 and one judge scoring 4 rounds 10-9 and one round 10-8 to St Pierre. At the end of the fight it looked like the UFC were trying to drop a hint as to who St Pierre’s next opponent is going to be as BJ Penn who had been a spectator for the event came into the ring to issue St Pierre a challenge for his welterweight crown. If this turns out to be how we at mmabay reported last week and they do fight in November then we are in for an incredible fight.

UFC 87 was billed as Seek and Destroy, Brock Lesnar took the event name literally in his home state as he went after Heath Herring with an intensity and purpose that will have made the whole heavyweight division stand up and take notice. Brock Lesnar is a gifted athlete he is able to combine huge power with the speed of a middleweight. From the first bell Lesnar flew in with a knee and although he didn’t connect moments later his straight right hand did and down went Herring.

The moment Herring hit the floor Lesnar charged across the octagon and dived on top of Herring. Lesnar continuously stayed on top of Herring through out the 3 rounds and at times how Heath Herring survived is a credit to his excellent survival skills as Lesnar rained down punches and knees to the face and body. The decision brought a clear win for Lesnar with all 3 judges giving him every round. As Brock Lesnar continues to improve, (in particular his post fight interviews), the heavyweight division may have just gained a new star.

In what was billed as a potential fight of the year between Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta, we saw Kenny Florian come with a game plan that meant it was never going to be that fight, however Kenny Florian was understandably more interested in picking up the win that could now propel him into the number one contenders spot in the 155lb division. From the bell Roger Huerta came straight after Florian and tried to exchange with him immediately however Kenny Florian used the counter punching strategy throughout the fight very well and gained the decision with the judges. Although it didn’t reach the heights of fight of the year it was still a very entertaining bout.

In the surprise of the night Rob Emerson knocked out Manny Gamburyan within 12 seconds of the first round, Gamburyan came out in his typically aggressive style only to be caught with a right hand by Emerson, he followed in with another right and the referee brought an early end to the fight.

The middleweight division may have unearthed a new star in the form of Demian Maia who beat Jason McDonald with a rear naked choke in the 3rd Round and looked very impressive throughout the fight.

UFC 87 Results
Main Card

UFC Welterweight Champion Georges defeats Jon Fitch by Unanimous Decision
Brock Lesnar defeats Heath Herring by Unanimous Decision
Kenny Florian defeats Roger Huerta by Unanimous Decision
Rob Emerson defeats Manny Gamburyan by TKO (Strikes) Round 1
Demian Maia defeats Jason Macdonald by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Round 3

Preliminary Fights

Tamdan McCrory defeats Luke Cummo by Unanimous Decision
Cheick Kongo defeats Dan Evensen by TKO (Strikes) Round 1
Jon Jones defeats Andre Gusmao by Unanimous Decision
Chris Wilson defeats Steve Bruno by Unanimous Decision
Ben Saunders defeats Ryan Thomas by Submission (Armbar) Round 1