Saulo Riberio/Yuki Kondo fight

[Jaguar Wong]

Mickey, I think Kondo was just trying to whip a kick to the head, whether Saulo would be ready for it or not. I do that a lot to either put a nice "welcome mark" on their arm, or perhaps for the clean shot. The end result is usually what happened in that match too. Someone gets under the leg, and both guys go down. I don't think Kondo was anticipating anything, he was trying to get the reaction with his kick.

I do agree with everyone's thoughts about the Tito/Kondo bout, and like you, I'll have my money on Tito, but my pride (Japanese Pride) will have me rootin' for Kondo. I just like what I saw in Kondo's UFC 27 performance against Cafe.

Kondo looks like an excellent (and very fast) striker, but I think he does tend to leave too many holes in his D, and takes a couple of shots before he can reverse the position and capitalize. I think Tito's got some heavy hands and can easily capitalize on that with his G&P skills. Plus I think Tito can take some shots to deliver his own, or bust a good takedown. I'm sure it'll be a great fight, though.

[Darren]

Saulo was hurt. Plain and simple. He wasn't KO'd or hurt severely by the knee contact, but he simply could not react quickly after the shot to the side of the head/temple with a knee while shooting into the kick. He was hurt and unable to react with normal speed. It is not that hard to believe. I think the argument that says he was merely confused, or whatever is being said, as though he just got in the ring and forgot what to do, or how to move on the ground once the shoot failed is weak. Not compelling at all. Saulo is a great grappler and is slick from all positions, including dealing with a failed shoot. If not for the kick that hurt him and thus prevented him from moving as a direct result, he would not have been wide open to get pummeled. Much credit must go to Kondo for being a hell of a finisher, and doing the job with serious authority. Not many are able to finish as impressively as he did...but it was all set up by the knee that hurt Saulo and temporarily incapacited him for just long enough.

[Jaguar Wong]

Ok, maybe it was a hasty statement on my part. I don't know much about Saulo, and I'm sure he's a good fighter. I just based my opinion soley on what I saw of the footage (that wasn't the best quality either). It just didn't look like the knee connected. Then again, I've seen guys get hit with stuff that looked like it totally missed. I myself have been speared on the base of my skull by some guys big toe, and it really dazed me, but when I saw the footage later, It looke like the kick totally missed.

Your suggestions do make a lot of sense, Darren, but I wasn't saying he hit the ground and lost all sense of direction. (That's not what I meant, anyways ) What I was saying was that he got tangled under the leg, and they hit the mat. He could have also been popped in the back of the head with the knee when they hit as well. Who knows. I guess we all agree with the original statement that he didn't get KO'ed by a head kick. Kondo sure did take charge when he saw the opening, though.

[Anaconda]

yup. we need multi-angle video.

[E1am]

I've seen the fight on TV and video a few times and talked to my instructor, who was there with the Brazilian fighters, about the fight. On the video you can see (and my instructor also said) that the knee hurt Saulo. When you watch the video you see blood spurting from a cut high up on the side of his head. It was a really nasty gash and he was bleeding before Kondo started pounding him.

[Jaguar Wong]

OK.....well....

I did see the blood after they stopped the fight, but I thought that was from the punches (since they were kind of high for the clinching knees), but I guess it could very well have been from the kick attempt.

Thanks for sharing, E1am.

[StrongerThanDeath]

whatever you wanna call it....he still got pummeled

but I'd like to see him back in NHB.....(all those BJJ credentials gotta mean something?? )