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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
A New Champ....Controversy!, April 28, 2001
Randy Couture's decision not to defend his UFC heavyweight title led to 18 months of no heavyweight champion. The main event of this card would finally introduce the new champ; but not without controversy.UFC 20 (aka Battle for Gold) was a good card from start to finish. The night kicked off with an intriguing matchup between Laverne Clark and Fabiano Iha. Clark was back to add a victory over a world-class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu warrior in Iha. The fight was quick with a bloody conclusion. Next up we would see the return of Thai fighter Vanderlei Silva. With his UFC debut being a bust(ko'd by V.Belfort), Silva was out for redemption. Tony Paterra would be the aggressor against Silva, but the end was no suprise. A new Brazilian fighter, Marcelo Mello would debut against a very tall and skinny fighter, David Roberts. Billed as a wrestler, Roberts looked more like a sophmore baskeball player. Textbook BJJ was needed to dispose of the "stilt" Lions Den fighter Pete Williams was back against the "MMA Iron Man" Travis Fulton. Williams at this point of his career seemed all but destined for some gold. Fulton while not being the most skilled(or toned) fighter certainly had experience in his corner. A good fight with some good reversals and submission attempts and finish. Because being friends with Bas Rutten, Pedro Rizzo all but passed at his chance of UFC gold. But this young Brazilian was back with business in mind. At the other corner, Tre Telligman stood ready to stop Rizzo. The fight was suprisingly fast-paced up until a good KO for the winner. The Main Event was a classic grappler vs. striker matchup. Kevin Randleman's unstoppable takedowns and punishing strikes vs. legendary kickboxer Bas Rutten. The fight as expected was a true war, with a broken nose involved in the mix. After regulation and overtime, the new champion was announced.....the controversy began. While about 75% of the I know did not agree with the decision, after watching the fight carefully, it was a closer fight than the first time. A good fight otherwise.
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