Let's Get It On!_ The Making of MMA and Its Ultimate Referee - Big John Mccarthy [124]
Ortiz and Belfort finally met in the main event, a bout that had originally been scheduled to happen back at the ill-fated UFC 33. A treat to see up close, Belfort broke Ortiz’s nose in the first round and almost finished him in the second, but heart and guts kept Ortiz going. Ortiz got a split decision nod.
Back home in the United States, Zuffa was winning some minor battles in its war to legitimize MMA. Around UFC 46 and 47, fan interest seemed to pick up a little with the introduction of the Couture-Liddell rivalry in the light heavyweight division.
The second true rivalry of the Zuffa era had been born out of chance. Couture, coming off two losses in the heavyweight division, had agreed to drop down a weight division and fight Liddell for the interim light heavyweight title after champion Tito Ortiz had turned down the matchup due to an injury. In reality, Ortiz hadn’t wanted to fight Liddell because he’d had a lot of problems sparring with him in the past. So while Ortiz had stayed out of the Octagon tending to injuries, movie roles, and other commitments, Couture had slid into the role as headliner against Liddell at UFC 43.
Most people hadn’t given the nearly forty-year-old Couture a chance against Liddell. I’d known Liddell would have to avoid the clinch, where Couture would surely try to trap him, and I’d thought he would tag Couture before he could get ahold of him. I was wrong. Couture outstruck Liddell and got a third-round stoppage in one of the most surprising fights ever in the UFC.
Their rematch at UFC 52 on April 16, 2005, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, was something different. In reaction to their first bout, most people now thought Liddell couldn’t beat Couture, though at this point Liddell had been on one hell of a run and had even taken out Ortiz at UFC 47 along the way. There was a real swing in public opinion for this fight, and the buildup from both appearing as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter made it even more interesting.
Outside our home in Agua Dulce with our English bulldog Tapout
Backstage, Liddell was his usual low-key self, but he was ready to go.
Couture is always easy in the locker room, smiling and joking. He never really shows a chink in the armor if he’s carrying in any problems. This night wasn’t any different.
I left both locker rooms unable to predict anything but that it would be a great fight.
It was. The rematch attracted over 12,000 paying fans for a $2.5 million gate, a record for Zuffa at the time. Liddell had his revenge, tagging Couture when he overcommitted to a punch and lost his balance along the fence. Couture was knocked out for the first time in his career, and I was right there to put a stop to any further beating from Liddell.
No matter who won, it was a great ending to the show. It was now clear that the UFC and the sport were heading into a brighter future.
“Skyscrape,” me, Ron, and the one and only Charles “Mask” Lewis
The actual first row seating at a show in Kuwait with manager extraordinaire Monte Cox
THE ART OF THE CRLL
They say that seeing is believing, but if you believe it, you will see it!
—Charles “Mask” Lewis Jr.
The most difficult thing about being a mixed martial arts referee is striving for that perfect bout where the fighters do everything right and you do everything right in response. It’s no different than sinking a long putt in golf: you’ll hit it now and then but not every time.
This job is all about stopping the fight at just the right second. I always think of a fight as a triangle with its point at the top. I can’t stop the fight on the right side, where the bout hasn’t completely played out and fans might feel it’s early, or the left side, where I’m letting a fighter take more damage than he should.
I aim for just the right point in