UFC 102 Officially Announced for August 29 in Portland; Couture vs. Nogueira to Headline
On Monday, the UFC officially announced its long-rumored UFC 102 event, which will take place on August 29 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon and will be headlined a matchup between former heavyweight champions Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
A co-main event featuring light heavyweights Keith Jardine and Thiago Silva was also confirmed for the pay-per-view card.
Tickets for UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira go on sale to the public at 10am PT on Saturday June 20 and are priced from $50 to $600. UFC Fight Club members can purchase tickets beginning at 10am PT on June 18, while UFC Newsletter subscribers can purchase tickets at 10am PT on June 19.
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Tags: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Keith Jardine, Randy Couture, Thiago Silva
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Please Randy….stay retired.
6-6 in the last 12 fights?
This could get ugly.
Ya for Nog. The only thing he can do is try and pull off a submission when Randy has him down blasting him. I think that couture micht even stay on the feet with Nogueira the whole fight cause as of right now hes looked REALY bad standing.
well its not like couture was fighting push overs
look at the list of guys he has fought though, he has lost to brock[a true beast], chuck beat him twice when chuck was the 205 king, lost to vitor belfort [vitor has some really great strikes], lost to ricco rodriguez, [ricco was the hw champ and is not a chump], lost to josh barnett [barnett is the #2 hw in the world and has enormous amounts of talent].
now the list of guys he has beaten; chuck, randleman, pedro “the rock” rizzo twice, chuck, tito, vitor, mike van arsdale, timmy, gonzaga. its not like randy is fighting chumps and losing, he lost to world class guys and beat world class guys who were all in the top 10 of their weightclass when randy fought them.
ya but hes pushing 40… he should retire before he ends up like ali all shaky and shizz…
i love randy and what he has done, but enough is enough…
besides this is gonna be not a very exciting event anyways…
two dinosaurs fighting each other…. pfft
haha dude he’s not pushing forty, he’s like, 45.
that being said i still love seeing him fight and as long as he’s staying relatively safe then i’m okay with him sticking around.
Two dinosaurs? Since when does being 33 make you a dinosaur? Remember, Nog is only 33. He may look older from all the beatings he’s taken, but he’s only 33.
exactly. Theres probably guys on this site that are that age and take offence to that. Randy looks fresher at 45 to me than hughes does at 35. And if he wasnt so close with Forrest he could go down to 205 and handle alot of those guys. Show some respect for two of the greatest fighters ever.
Jardine in a co-main event? Since when is getting your block knocked off rewarded with a co=main event? Poor
Jardine’s last fight was a decision loss to Rampage, a close decision loss at that, in a main event. I would say that doesn’t necessarily knock him out of contention for co-main.
His fight before the Rampage bout he was KTFO by Silva.
Right, the fight before Rampage, so his reward for getting his block knocked off was main event at UFC 96. His reward for taking Rampage to a decision is co-main.
yup dinosaurs…. i said it and i stand by it…
sure nog is only 33 but he looks older than randy… and his last fight was WORSE than randys last fight…. did he even land a single strike on mir?
i love them both but they should both take a step back and help people train…
there comes a time when passing the torch needs to be done… and if they wont pass it then it should be taken from them…
having these guys continue to fight discredits the ufc as a premier orgainization… whoopity doo if they draw a crowd… so does hong man choi against fedor… makes for a great side show
Nog has said he wants to make one more run at the title, then retire in about a year or so.
He may look like a dinosaur, but I think it is unfair to call him one when he is several years younger than other guys who are at the top of their game, and the same age as guys who are consider “up and comers”.
Dinosaur in an athletic sense. That’s the age where a massive fall-off can occur with little to no warning.
I can see calling Couture an athletic dinosaur, but not Nog.
aso factor in 37 fights, many of which were wars featuring him eating as many punches as Sylvia did cheeseburgers to get to 310 then submitting the guy. Around fifteen of the fights going to decisions… A body only has so many fights and only so many good fights. I wonder how much of a beating his body took in Pride. And it’s not like he’s a little guy who would age gracefully. He’s younger than I thought, but I don’t know how old his body is.
I don’t disagree that his body is aged beyond it’s years, it certainly is. And that certainly is a direct result of the wars he’s been in, I just don’t want to call him a dinosaur because that is an age based epithet, not experience.
Is jalopy better?
haha… perhaps.
I know Nog has taken a beating in his career, but he’s still got some stuff left in him. He’s only about 33 or 34 which are still “prime years” so i’m now going to be surprised if he takes out Couture.
Randy Couture, after this fight, especially if he loses should really once and for all reitre and stay retired. The truth is, even if he gets past Noguera he still should not get a title shot. I know he’ “Randy Couture”, but come on. I don’t think he will get passed Noguera though because Noguera can take lots of punishement and still come back. Nog has problably the best bjj in the division and he’s only 33 years old, Couture is about 45 or 46, now that’s old for a fighter. Couture is obviously going to use his usual tecnique which is get the guy agaisnt the cage, get some dirty boxing in and eventually try to slam Nog and control him. That’s not going to be so easy because even if Nog gets put on his back he can still spply a sub, something that Couture better be ready for. Since it’s a 3 round fight, Couture will still have the advantage in cardio because he’s always in good form,but i’m 100% sure that his age has already caught up with him and no matter how good of condition he’s in come fight night, he’s still going to gas out and that’s when Nog should pressure Couture and try to end the fight. Simple…win or lose, Couture should give it up alread.
Keith Jardine has had one too many shots to prove himself. Although Thiago Silva still has to show he’s a legit contender at 205,his only loss is to Machida and there is no shame in losing to that guy. If Thiago is smart he’ll take the fight to the ground where he’s shown that he’s extremely dominant and dangerous, but if he tries to stand like he did against Machida he’ll put himself in danger of getting ko’d again. Now Jardine is not the best striker in the world, but he is faster and has way better stand up than Silva. If Jardine loses this fight i hope people stop calling him the “Gate Keeper” because the only thing that he’s done is wait at the gate for guys to come and says “here’s a free knockout, help yourself”. Should be and interesting fight though and should show us a lot about where Jardine and Silva will rank after this fight.
Randy will retire when he feels like he cant keep up any more. Nothing Ive seen from him lately proves to me that “age” is catching up with him. Im also realy wondering where your getting the idea from, that couture is going to gas. Hell Brock was breathing heavier than he was going into the second round. Nog has looked slower and more sluggish in every fight hes had lately. He didnt look that sharp against Herring even though he got the win, he also was looking horrible against a real “monster” in tim sylvia lol(who couldnt even land a punch on couture by the way), until he got the guillotine. And we all know what happened against Mir. Can Nog win this fight. Absolutly but not because Randy is going to gas, the guy trains to hard for that, he will win by a submission and thats it. Randy by stoppage in the second.
Brock was breathing hard in his fight with Couture, but Couture was also breathing hard in that fight. Nog is not in the best shape ever, but he’s still about 10 years younger than Couture and i know that Couture can finish Noguera,but if Noguera lands one clean punch on Couture you can bet that Couture is going down,not because Noguera has power or is a great striker, but because Couture is simply too old to be taking punches and cannot take a good shot to the chin anymore. If the fight goes to the third, despite how good in shape Couture is in, his age will show for sure and he will get finished.
Well I guess we’il agree to dissagree Marvel. Look at the guys who have hit and knocked out Randy lately. Chuck who at the time had dynamite in his hands, and Lesnar(ask herring if he hits hard) besides Lesnar didnt hit him on the chin, he got him right behind the ear, when he did land one on Randys chin randy stepped back and was wobbled but kept fighting until the end of the round.(watch the fight) And Nog doest have the power of lesnar. Or hand speed and head movement to hang with Randy. Oh and with Him breathing heavy……hmm maybe cause he was wrestling with a 280 pound gorilla for five minutes. That wont be the case with Nog who will likely get outclassed by “The Natural”
carls, your right about Randy though. Brock did hit him behind the ear and problably the temple, and when he did get hit in the chin he was able to get back into the fight AND when Gonzaga kicked him in the face he wss able to take it. I honestly don’t know how this fight will play out, i’m just not going to count out Noguera.
Ya neither am i man. It just sure seemed like people were counting out Couture. Heres to a good fight.
i think the jardine silva fight will end via a brutal knockout by thiago silva. he only has one loss and is brutal with his GnP. he is no doubt a top ten guy at 205, if he destroys jardine he moves up at least one spot and gets a fight against one of the top 5 guys whether it be forrest [like it was originally stated at 102], rampage-rashad loser, or shogun if shogun loses to machida. maybe franklin will want to take on thiago if thiago destroys jardine.
even though nog is 33 his jiu jitsu is top 3 in the ufc/mma. so what if he looks older he has fought numerous legends and beaten most of them. [mir is not a legend please do not start the argument that he is anyone] nog’s style is to take damage from his opponent and make them tired from hitting him and then he will sub them or start taking control of the fight. its highly unusual but it is effective. when he took the fight against mir he had the flu/pnemoniua and broken ribs or some sort of injury and still fought. he looked out of shape against mir but at least he took the fight. [not making excuses for him just stating what contributed to his lackluster showing]
so if this main event/co-main event is uninteresting and boring what would make it better? having a title fight every ppv, having gsp, A.silva, rampage, etc, fight every ppv. this isnt the wwf/wwe where the top names fight every week. this is real mixed martial arts where the fights are real. if some people have a problem with the ppv, dont pay for it, find out the results on the internet or go pay a 5-10 dollar cover charge and watch it at a sports bar. dont come on this site and bash guys who go out and give their all every fight they get. I can guarantee the people that complain about a lackluster card would not last 1 round in the octagon against any mma guy. rant over!
Nog had just gotten over a staph infection going into that fight, and was dealing with other issues as well.
making excuses are ya?
dude i agree with you, Noguera did look bad against Mir,but he wasn’t all there that fight. I’m sure that he’s going to come in lookibg way better against Couture AND i too feel that Mir is NOT a legend.
i hope couture wins!
The card looks pretty damnn good imo….
Randy v Big Nog (Handy i want to fight you com’on Handy come back)
Jardine v Silva (interesting fight actually styles and well neither can really aford a loss)
Maia v Nate (a fight I’ve wanted to see for some time now)
Hamill v Vera (that is going to be a helll of a fight imo)
Leben v Jake (a test for both that is forsure, Leben better win or bye bye)
The undercard looks pretty darn good as well, two HW fights, Irvin’s return v Gouveia… Munoz’s return since getting Cro Crop’d, and Veach is fighting and he is just tough as nails… If GG loses does he get Das BooT?
If Jake loses it’s bye bye for him, too. I think GG could get the boot (I don’t know what a boat has to do with anything, though
). I definitely agree, great card.
My heart tells me that this is exactly the sort of fight that Randy Couture always wins, but my head tells me that its highly unlikely that “Captain America” at 46 will be able to beat the 33 year old Nog.
I know Nog looked shady against Frank Mir, but I’m not sure if Randy’s tried and true “dirty boxing-into-a-takedown” technique is going to be all that effective against a younger but equally [if not more] experienced BJJ guy.
I’m think I’m wrong but hope I’m right, but I pick Couture over Nog, probably not going to a decision. In his last fight Nog just looked awful to me, while Couture did about as well as a man his size could do against the Vanilla Gorilla, Brock Lesnar.
The rest of this card is so stacked with quality match-ups that I’m seriously considering taking some days from work and heading out to Portland for this thing, if I can get a deal on airfare and a quality hotel room and decent tickets.
Hell, for this card I’d sleep at the airport and sit in the rafters…
now that is dedication kid good on ya……
This Card is stacked too. I actually cant wait for this one.
I love Big Nog but i’m sorry Randy got this one. I see Randy boxing and staying away from the ground, Same as Mir did, until Ref has had enough of Big Nog Getting knocked to the ground.
Keith Sardine vs Thiago Overrated Silva I gotta go with Jardine. (okay MK4 & Jazzok let me have it)
Hamil vs Vera This is a gooood one.. Hamil will get back to wrestle’n and Vera will get back to BJJ’n. and Look for the knee’s. Slight edge to the newer improve’rrr Brandon meanerrr Vera’rrr..r
This is Irving first run at 185 no? Which I still dont get that one. He was a huge 205er (except the 8 sec ko by a 185 champ) looked to be a force to reckon with in 205. But I’ll give him this one vs Goveia.
dude what up OnlyTrue1,
I think that jardine can take out Silva,but ONLY if Silva comes in thinking he’s a ko artist like he did against Machida. Even though I GREATRLY dislike Jardine, he for sure will have the standup advantage,but Thiago will eventually take him down and pound him out and prove that Jardine waits at the “Gate” and hands out free ko’s and tko’s.
I think gouveia will beat irvin. its irvin’s first drop to 185 and its been said and proven that the first drop and fight at a lighter class is the hardest. vera-hamill is interesting, hamill is like forrest just well rounded and has heart, but vera is a bad mofo so its a toss up.
See the Hamill-Vera fight to me is just ..meh. They are both Huge underachievers from what ive seen(Minus the whole deaf thing…Just MMA talent wise) Hamill can throw dudes all around the ring and beat the hell out of them on the ground so what does he do? Swing for the fences. I really hope hamill does not turn into another Jorge gurgel(sp?) And vera..man…dude just needs to hit the Cardio button and get his ass in shape. He looks great when hes fresh but as soon as the 2nd round hits hes got nothing.My biggest problem with this is I really like both of these fighters
Ya Hamil never realy utilizes his wrestling, although he did get quite the KO over Munoz. I see Vera taking this fight cause its not like Hamill is going to try and take him down, so while wading forward cave man style, I think he’s gonna get blasted by a motivated Vera. I guess we’il see though
Finally a card stays and Portland and I don’t have the funds to go! Will definetly go downtown that Friday night and see if they have anything going on outside the Rose Garden. Hopefully it sells out so they come back again.
It would be much appreciated if ANYONE could explain to me why a grappler with Hamill’s talent insists on turning everything into a stand-up match. Is it bad management, bad coaches, or does Hamill just blow off his camp’s advice and go Neanderthal once the cage door closes??
I thought if he’d wrestled more and boxed less with Michael Bisping he would have earned a clear-cut win instead of a disputed decision loss, and subsequent ranking advancement. From what I’ve seen Bisping doesn’t seem to have tremendous takedown defense or anything. With Hamill’s strength and skill-set his fights should look less like an old-school black & white boxing match and more like a ADCC or NAGA submission grappling match…