They were feeling each other out, but Baroni saw his opening and pounced. He unloaded a Belfort-eque flurry of strait punches for the stoppage after stunning Menne with a right hook 10 seconds into the fight. Some people love this kind of fight, but too me it was a real disappointment because this sounded like a good matchup of two more than capable fighters. In those cases, I prefer seeing how things play out, at least for a little while. Certainly a spectacular match since the whole match was the flurry.

1R 0:18

Pedro Rizzo vs. Gan McGee

It's time for a super heavyweight division. The only thing you need to know about weight is the differential. If it's over 15 pounds, it's an issue regardless of whether the guys are 150 or 250. The new "heavyweights" in UFC like Cabbage, Sylvia, & McGee are unskilled 260 pounders that on weight alone would be hard for a guy like 215 pound former champion Maurice Smith to beat, especially with the three 5-minute round format eliminating much of the possibility to gas your opponent. Hell, Smith had trouble with 230 pound Couture (though he should not have lost his title simply on being pinned down), and now these guys are getting too big for Randy as well. If he can develop any sort of game, which I highly doubt, none of them would beat 375 pound Bob Sapp, who on size alone gave the best heavyweight in the world, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, a run for his money for the sole reason that Minotauro was giving up 145 pounds. What's scary is some of these guys will eventually become skilled.

Rizzo is a big guy, but he was giving up 18 pounds to 6'10" McGee. He took many blasts from 240 pound Andrei Arlovski at UFC 36, but with all the extra mass a trained 264 pounder will arguably hit harder even if he's not as skilled in getting precise shots in. I don't want to make it sound like Rizzo only lost because of weight though. It's true that McGee isn't much of a striker, but Rizzo has two big flaws. First, he is only capable of counter punching. McGee kept moving in on him, but he wasn't striking or shooting, so Rizzo just circled back and tried to sneak a strike in. McGee is lumbering, but since he didn't actually initiate Pedro didn't tear his legs up like the did to Severn. Second, he doesn't keep his hands up. McGee hit a left hook and a big straight right that bloodied Pedro's nose, neither of which would likely have been there for him if Rizzo bothered to protect himself properly. The latter ended the fight because Pedro is a notorious bleeder - which makes it all the more essential that he protect his face - and the corner threw the towel in between rounds because he was so badly busted up from the one punch.

By all means Rizzo should have won this fight because his excellent sprawl kept McGee from taking him down, forcing a standup fight that Pedro is the master of. McGee also seemed to be tiring after a few minutes of slowly chasing Pedro. Rizzo is one of the last of the one-dimensional fighters and he might just be getting too predictable. He's been successful because he fought guys that were (inferior) strikers or no strike ground guys that couldn't take him down. McGee isn't better; he's just a big guy that studied some tape and knew Rizzo would be susceptible to a punch when he threw a kick.

1R

This was the best fight on a show that was consistently good, but never really better. These are two well-rounded fighters, but it was a bit of a surprise to see Thomas opt for submissions and Uno opt for strikes. Thomas showed he could take Uno down. He had the advantage from the get go, but Uno is so calm and patient. He lost round 1, but he avoided the adversity of an arm bar and especially a triangle.

Round 2 & 3 were nothing like the 1st. Uno took over, getting his mat game going and using it to do some damage with strikes from the top. The key to round 2 though was a foul where Thomas, who had the guard, gave Uno a heel to the top of the head. With referee Larry Landless deducting a point, Uno got a 10-8 round.

Thomas elected to go down into the guard in round 3, which was a curious move because both are good strikers and I don't think you are going to submit Uno. I guess he figured though that he couldn't go to the score cards, so it wasn't worth the time and energy to try to take Uno down and work into a position where he could go for a submission. In any case, this strategy backfired because Uno threw good strikes from the top then started coasting. Since Uno was on top and already ahead, there was no reason for him to take any chances. Simply being carefully effective gave Thomas no openings for submissions. What could have saved Thomas is that Landless called for a standup midway, but he couldn't quite turn Uno over for the belly-to-belly, so Uno was back on top throwing elbows and other efficient and subtly punishing short strikes.

I don't know that Uno will win the tournament, but he looked like the best fighter on the show. He wasn't doing any of his staples, but after the 1st round he seemed just as competent and effective. Still, he won because he made adjustments to control the fight and totally negate Thomas offense, which was nothing but submissions, holding him to one decent attempt in the final 2 rounds. This was an extremely clear cut 29-27 decision, but Mike Goldberg was making like Thomas had a chance to win the decision. This was Tony Schiavone level stupidity because there was nothing close to a 10-8 round for Thomas, so with the deduction the only way he could have won is if he was given all 3 rounds.

3R

By far the closest fight of the night. Round 1 & 2 were clear-cut, but 3 being a let down prevented this from being the night's top fight. What this fight comes down to is whether it's better to try and fail or to lay back and defend well. Serra was the aggressor throughout, but Penn's great balance prevented him from the takedown. And Penn's balance was amazing. At one point, Serra had one of his legs in the air going for a single leg and even with two overhand rights he couldn't bring Penn down.

Serra was stuck pinning Penn against the fence most of the match. While this obviously wasn't what he wanted, it was good because Penn wasn't free to strike. Where Penn did his damage was getting one punch in while Serra was pulling out. Penn also hit Serra when Serra was trying to muscle him down. Thus, Penn won the 1st round because doing damage is more important than controlling position.

Serra won the 2nd round, largely because Penn slipped early on throwing a high kick. Penn actually came out aggressive, the only time we saw any aggression from him in the entire fight. Though it didn't prove costly because Penn was able to get off his back in 30 seconds, he just laid back the rest of the night looking like a tentative fighter trying to conserve a huge lead. Serra was cut under the eye in round 2, but it was his confidence and effectiveness in striking that grew throughout the round. He was able to get some good right hands in, especially when he had Penn pinned against the fence.

The first two rounds were the same in that Serra would try for the takedown but wind up pinning Penn, but the results were very different each round. I though the third round might be special with the urgency of a tie fight and the chance to fight in November for the right to earn a title shot. The thing is, Serra gives you all he has every round. This guy just does not like decisions; he wants to beat you now and leave nothing to chance. Penn, on the other hand, seems to have forgotten what it is to initiate. This guy was once an electrifying performer that could beat anyone at any time. I like the idea of him fighting more maturely in theory, but it looks more like he's sleepwalking. I've yet to see a single sign of this "maturity" making him a better or more effective fighter.

I can't give Penn this fight because he just didn't do anything. He is, or was, a great fighter, but he didn't utilize much of his ability. It was only when his back was to the wall that instinct took over and we saw a few small beams of his talent. Serra isn't as good yet as Penn is, or at least was, but he made better adjustments and was able to score (at least theoretically) in rounds 2 & 3 with lesser weapons. To me, this more than makes up for not being able to unleash his submissions considering Penn didn't or wasn't able to unleash anything. I don't think you should hold it against the guy that he isn't able to do what he wants if he is still able to control the fight, which was the case throughout, and gets some offense in. And if you want to judge that way, you have to penalize Penn for not kicking Serra's ass when he should have a huge advantage on his feet against the Jui-Jitsu man. Instead, while Serra had the marks, he might have landed more good strikes in standup. This was a really close fight because Serra wasn't very successful in R3 even though he was the aggressor, but when there's no ground and 2 of other 3 scoring categories are octagon control and aggression I think you have to give Serra the round unless Penn does some notable damage. Instead, all the judges had it 29-28 Penn.

3R

Tim Sylvia vs. Wesley "Cabbage" Coreirra

I don't want to sound like the pointless fashion police, but this Cabbage guy looks like a real fool. He's like some kind of Bam Bam Bigelow wannabe with all kinds of crappy tattoos, a blue beard, and a red and blue striped head. At least he wasn't a walking advertisement like Ricco Suave.

This is the kind of match I don't prefer, but normally enjoy. It was a slugfest with great action. It will probably be a clear pick for most people as the best match of the show. The problem for me is these guys not only are one-dimensional, but they aren't good at that one dimension. This doesn't come off like a spectacular K-1 match as some of Rizzo's have, but rather the opening match of some boxing show before 20 people on a boat that PRIME airs because they think someone still wants to see Tyrell Biggs.

They showed a bombs away attitude and not much technique. Sylvia won because Cabbage has no concept of defense, generally holding his hands at breast level and rarely trying to avoid a punch. Jeff Osbourne was in typical glorify the guy that can take the punch mode. The truth is Sylvia was rather deliberate and mechanical, but against this "tough" opponent it didn't matter. At least he was in some kind of shape.

The fans gave them a standing ovation after round 1 and before round 2, but Cabbage seemed to have nothing left for the 2nd round. He actually lost because the ref didn't see him get fingered in the eye. He wouldn't have won anyway, but when he was forced to forego the illusion that he was trying to defend himself Sylvia flurried and the ref stopped it because Cabbage wasn't defending himself. These guys looked like the kind of guys UFC would roll out in '95, with the loser fighting the "hero" Abbott so they could try to make us think he had a shred of ability.

2R 1:43

This was Rodriguez's first test, and he treated it as such. He trained hard every day in the mountains, coming in at just 243 pounds. It was Couture, always in the best of condition, that controlled the first 2 rounds though.

This was quite a contrast of styles with Rodriguez being the flashy big man trying small man moves and submissions, while Couture is as workmanlike as they come. Rodriguez was able to take the wrestler down, but he couldn't get him on his back. Rodriguez had some nifty reversals to keep keep Couture from getting his ground and pound going. Couture won the round with takedowns, the first of which was a beauty, and control of standup.

Couture took Rodriguez down easily to start round 2. Later Rodriguez was hurt on a takedown because all of Couture's weight came down on his bent knee. Couture tried to finish, but there was only 45 seconds left and Rodriguez was able to get into a defensive position quick enough even though he was still in a lot of pain. Ricco's nose and right eye were bloodied though.

The tide turned in the 3rd round. Couture just isn't comfortable on his back. He's so used to wrestling that he always keeps one shoulder up, which puts him in a worse position to defend. Couture did a good job of hanging onto his half guard, but Rodriguez's ground and pound was good enough. One key aspect of this fight was that Rodriguez had never gone any length. The advantage should have shifted to Couture around this point because, despite his age and Ricco taking things much more seriously, he's one of the most superbly conditioned big men in the game.

Rodriguez took Couture down at the start of round 4, and his ground striking was much more effective here. Rodriguez would put his hand of Couture's face and drop the elbow. Where Rodriguez was shaky was in his normal strength, submissions. Couture made the mistake of getting his left arm trapped in Rodriguez's legs twice, but Rodriguez was so dead set on throwing elbows I'm not certain he noticed. When Rodriguez got the full mount, he tried for an arm bar on the arm that was against the fence so there was less than no room for his body and the extension. In spite of not being able to finish when he should have at least come close, Rodriguez was very successful in this round, dishing out a lot of punishment and bloodying Couture in a couple of spots.

Couture did a good combination at the start of round 5, but it resulted in him being taken down again. It seems like Couture spends so much time working on his other skills that he's no longer an elite wrestler, at least in the MMA setting. Rodriguez has 16 pounds on him, and that made him seem stronger, but as far as takedowns go that should not override the huge difference in wrestling skill. Anyway, the takedown was a huge blow to Couture because he'd lose the even fight if he spent another round on the ground, and he's not exactly known for getting off his back. Rodriguez did what was successful for Josh Barnett, pinning Couture against the fence and going to the strikes. Rodriguez threw a lot of good elbows, leading to a surprising verbal tap by Couture. Rodriguez's elbow attack was a consistent one, so it was probably more of a case where Couture knew he'd lost so he didn't see any sense in taking 2 more minutes of elbows to prove it. I've never been a supporter of Rodriguez, but the guy answered the doubts about him here. Solid fight.

3R 3:04