MMA and UFC legend Randy Couture returned to his old stomping ground, Portland, Oregon to face another future Hall of Famer, Antonio Nogueira in the main event. Plus two scary dudes in the shape of Keith Jardine and Thiago Silva were unleashed on each other and a Middleweight Title contender was to be decided between Demian Maia and Nate Marquardt.

Brandon Vera Vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
“The Truth” was after back-to-back wins, while “The Polish Experiment” was chasing his fourth straight victory inside the octagon. Vera who looked a little too lean was the early aggressor and landed some solid leg kicks throughout the first round and also landed the better strikes. Soszynski meanwhile looked to be a bit sluggish and slow. Brendan was picking of his opponent with ease as Soszynski tried to fight fire with fire instead of taking the fight to the ground.

He continued to fight standing in the second and although he tried a couple of time to drop down from in the clinch it was Vera who had control of the fight. Vera went about dismantling Soszynski and pulled away to lead two round to zip, thanks n\mainly to some sharp leg kicks and knees and a tight clinch game. “The Polish Experiment” eventually got a takedown or two but they weren’t overly convincing and it was a case of, too little, too late. Brendan Vera taking the points via a unanimous decision.

Nate Marquardt Vs. Demian Maia
Although there had been no “official” announcement that the winner of this fight, would get a shot at Anderson Silva for the belt. Both fighters certainly saw it that way. Twenty one seconds into the first round it was Nate “The Great” Marquardt who stamped his signature on the fight with a big right hand that took out Maia (who was throwing a leg kick at the time) and then mercifully checked the follow up punishment as he realized the job was done and raised his hands in victory. A stunning performance from Marquardt who stretches his impressive win streak to three in a row, two by TKO and this one via KO.

Does another chance at championship glory await the revitalized and re invented Marquardt or will he have to face off against Dan Henderson first? Watch this space…

Chris Leben Vs. Jake Rosholt
“The Crippler” has had more than his fair share of ups and downs, both inside the octagon and in his personal life. He was back again to work his way back up the mountain in the middleweight division against credentialed wrestler Rosholt who was keen to wipe out his last start loss to Dan Miller back in February.

Jake starts positively while Chris is tentative and doesn’t consider exchanging for the first thirty or so seconds. Rosholt is controlling the tempo and throwing out leg kicks and jabs which are finding their mark and scoring points. The highlight of the opening round is a jumping knee and a guillotine attempt from Rosholt. Leben did end up in Jakes guard at one stage but didn’t do any real damage. Round two saw “The Crippler” open up a bit more and he was much more positive and pushing the pace. He clinched with Rosholt and let go with a few of his patented foot stomps. Jake gets away from the fence and ducks under a couple of slow punches fro Chris and takes the fight to the ground. The final round sees Leben pressing, as he knows he’s behind on the scorecards. The fight goes down and Jake ends up taking Chris’s back and works into an arm triangle that puts Leben to sleep at the 1min 30sec mark of round three.

Keith Jardine Vs. Thiago Silva
This fight could have easily been the main event any other night. Both fighters coming off last time defeats and they were equally hungry for victory.

Keith fires a hard leg kick and Silva retaliates with a stiff straight punch. A couple more leg kicks each and they are on the ground with Thiago on top, “The Dean of Mean” scrambles back to his feet and they are at it again. Jardine lurches in awkwardly with a combination and gets hurt with a left hook. Silva swarms over the top and delivers the knock out blow standing in the guard. Silva back on track in vicious style, just over a minute and a half into round one.

Randy Couture Vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
This fight had been long awaited by fans across the globe – “Captain America” and “Minotauro” finally facing off inside the octagon and it did not disappoint.

The bell sounds and there is no feeling out stage as the two warriors engage immediately. Nogueira drops to the mat and tries to pull guard, Randy is not having any of it and stands back and waits for Antonio to get back to his feet. Then they clinch and trade a flurry of punches with neither fighter gaining ascendancy. The pace of the fight is furious with plenty of shots traded. “Minotauro” drops Randy with a shot and dives in for a choke. He locks on an alligator choke and tries to roll for a tighter lock. Randy stays calm and works his way out of it to the roar of the crowd. More punches another clinch and Couture drives to the fence. The bell sounds and a whirl wind first round closes with Nogueira marginally ahead thanks to the knock down and good sub attempt.

“The Natural” is landing plenty of nice strikes on the money but they don’t seem to faze “Big Nog” as he eats them up and fires back with his own damaging punches. Antonio looks for a submission via a guillotine choke, slips off and lands on his back. This time Randy moves in and starts to go to work from inside the guard. He works a few elbows but nothing to brutal as Nogueira subdues him pretty well and suddenly sweeps the veteran with ease and is now in the mount. Couture eventually escapes again but has taken some damage and the two trade strikes to the end of the round.

Round three sees Randy happy to keep the fight on the feet, he might be landing plenty of punches but they’re not hurting “Minotauro” too much and he is counter striking with vigor and a bit more venom. Antonio drops Randy again and dives in with an avalanche of hammer fists. Couture survives the onslaught (narrowly) and recovers enough to find his way towards the fence and tries to scramble to his feet. They trade again briefly in the clinch and head down to the mat. Randy comes up on top and lets fly with some ground and pound before he is swept again at the death, by Nogueira.

A great fight by two greatly skilled competitors and two gentlemen legends of the sport. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defeats Randy Couture via a unanimous decision victory.

The local favorite didn’t get the win but the fans got a great nights entertainment none the less.

Click here to see the full fight results