UFC 101 was a chance for two fighters on the esteemed pound for pound list to make a statement - and they did just that.
Penn Defeats Florian Via Submission
Kenny Florian tried his hardest but in the end was no match for the extremely skilled BJ Penn. The first round was very even, with Penn probably nicking it as he was doing better on the inside. Florian kept putting Penn up against the cage in an effort to wear him down, and it seemed that it was working as BJ's mouth was worryingly hanging open even at this juncture.
Florian did well in the next round too. He utilised some decent leg kicks, and kept trying to wear Penn down by pinning him up against the cage. However, this round was probably even as BJ hurt 'Ken-Flo' near the end of the round with a good left hook.
Florian outworked Penn in round three and narrowly took this session. After this round, Penn looked pretty gassed, but he came out and put a huge effort into the fourth.
Florian tried to pin Penn up against the cage but Penn took 'Ken-Flo' down. Penn's BJJ is outstanding, and on the ground (particularly on his back) no one expected Florian to prevail. Unfortunately for Florian as well, there was four minutes left on the clock, and Penn took his time before sinking in a very tight rear naked choke.
Penn proved by doing this that he is an animal at 155lbs, and that it will be hard for anyone to dethrone him of his UFC lightweight crown. As for Florian, it will be back to the drawing board, but whether he is ever going to be title holding standard is doubtful.
Silva Dominates Griffin
Going into this fight, so many people fancied Griffin as the underdog that he almost turned into the favourite. It seemed like people forgot about Silva's silky skills, and anyone that thought Griffin had a chance was proved wrong.
Griffin couldn't connect with Silva, and whenever Silva hit Griffin, he hurt him. Griffin was put down three times, and in the meantime Silva was walking round with his hands down, inviting Forrest to punch. The punch which ended the fight was basically a jab when Silva was walking backwards, but Griffin walked straight onto it and ate it straight down the middle. Silva didn't even need to ground and pound - Forrest was already out.
This proved that Silva at the minute really is unstoppable. In general, it was thought Griffin would pose a threat to Silva, but as it turned out, the Brazilian was just too skilled. Expect Anderson to move back down to middleweight to defend his belt.
Where Griffin goes from here is unknown. This was such an embarrasing defeat that he literally ran back to the locker room as soon as the fight was over. It's possible that this fight will mentally scar Griffin, but hopefully he will be back in contention in a few months.
UFC 101 - The Undercard
In the opening bout on the pay-per view, Kurt Pellegrino comfortably dealt with Josh Neer, winning a unanimous decision with all judges scoring the bout 30-27. As soon as the fight went to the ground, Pellegrino had an advantage, and Neer, while not getting disheartened was taking plenty of punishment on his back. Neer rallied at the end of round three, but this wasn't enough, and Pellegrino comfortably walked away with a good victory.
Ricardo Almeida defeated Kendall Grove comfortably. While he was tired at the end, he had managed to take Grove down several times, and apart from one moment where it looked like Almeida could be arm barred, Almeida had it all his own way. All the judges scored this bout 30-27.
Johny Hendricks impressed in his UFC debut by defeating TUF winner Amir Sadollah. However, this was marred by controversy as the referee stopped the contest when it appeared that Sadollah was OK, and this was a very early stoppage. Hendricks had rocked Sadollah and put him down with an uppercut, but when the fight was stopped, Sadollah was getting back up. A rematch is likely.
Aaron Riley also won, imposing his will on the smaller Shane Nelson. Nelson couldn't shrug the big, strong Riley off, and Nelson had to work hard just to make it to the final bell. All judges scored the bout 30-27 to Riley.
Silva and Penn Impressive
BJ Penn and Anderson Silva both proved why they are top talents with very good wins against decent challengers. Expect big fights once again for these two in the very near future.
