UFC 129: St-Pierre Defeats Shields
UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields filled Toronto’s Rogers Centre on April 30, 2011, with a twelve-fight event built around two championship bouts. Georges St-Pierre retained the welterweight title against Jake Shields, and José Aldo defended the featherweight belt against Mark Hominick. Lyoto Machida’s knockout of Randy Couture supplied a spectacular farewell moment, while a seven-fight preliminary card introduced its own memorable finishes and rising contenders.
Video: the UFC 129 extended preview, introducing St-Pierre and Shields before their title fight.
St-Pierre retains his title against Shields
Shields brought an established grappling reputation and a long winning streak, but St-Pierre largely kept the championship fight in the exchanges he wanted. His striking and takedown defense limited the challenger’s opportunities to turn it into an extended ground contest. A left-eye injury complicated the champion’s night, and Shields remained competitive enough to end St-Pierre’s run of consecutive rounds won.
The unanimous decision read 50–45 and two scores of 48–47. Those differing margins are important: St-Pierre retained the title, but two judges saw a much narrower fight than the third. The bout did not end in a knockout or submission, and Shields was not completely shut out on every card.
St-Pierre had previously dominated Josh Koscheck at UFC 124. This defense required a more complicated assessment because of his injury and Shields’s persistence. The result continued his championship run while showing that a clear winner can still face resistance and finish dissatisfied with the performance.
Aldo wins; Hominick finishes with determination
José Aldo’s first fight inside the UFC Octagon was already a title defense: the WEC featherweight champion had become the UFC champion through the merger. Against Mark Hominick, Aldo established an early advantage through hard striking, takedowns and top control. He hurt the challenger repeatedly, and a pronounced swelling on Hominick’s forehead led to medical examinations before the fight was allowed to continue.
Hominick responded with an excellent final round, taking Aldo down and delivering sustained offense from the top. That surge energized the crowd, but it could not erase the champion’s earlier work. Aldo won unanimously by scores of 48–45, 48–46 and 49–46. The bout earned Fight of the Night honors, with both the champion’s skill and the challenger’s resilience contributing to its lasting reputation.
Machida’s front kick closes Couture’s career
Lyoto Machida returned to the winning column against Randy Couture after losses to Shogun Rua and Quinton Jackson. His control of distance made it difficult for Couture to establish the clinch work that had carried him through so many major fights. In round two, Machida landed a jumping front kick that knocked Couture out at 1:05, receiving Knockout of the Night honors.
Couture retired after the fight, ending an extraordinary UFC career that included titles at heavyweight and light heavyweight. For Machida, the finish provided a strong response to his split-decision loss at UFC 123. The move also gave UFC 129 a signature highlight alongside its two five-round championship contests.
Vladimir Matyushenko needed only 20 seconds to knock out Jason Brilz. Benson Henderson took a different route in his UFC debut, beating Mark Bocek by unanimous decision with three 30–27 scorecards. The former WEC lightweight champion began his UFC campaign with a convincing win against an experienced Canadian grappler.
MacDonald, Makdessi and Garza headline the preliminary story
Rory MacDonald beat Nate Diaz by unanimous decision, using physical control and emphatic takedowns to secure wide scorecards. The victory followed his difficult loss to Carlos Condit at UFC 115. Jake Ellenberger added a first-round knockout of Sean Pierson, continuing his welterweight momentum after UFC 126.
John Makdessi stopped Kyle Watson with a spinning backfist, and Pablo Garza submitted Yves Jabouin with a flying triangle. Garza earned Submission of the Night. Claude Patrick won a decision over Daniel Roberts, Ivan Menjivar finished Charlie Valencia with an elbow and punches, and Jason MacDonald submitted Ryan Jensen.
Complete UFC 129 results
Main card
- Georges St-Pierre def. Jake Shields — unanimous decision; round 5, 5:00. St-Pierre retained the welterweight title.
- José Aldo def. Mark Hominick — unanimous decision; round 5, 5:00. Aldo retained the featherweight title.
- Lyoto Machida def. Randy Couture — KO (front kick); round 2, 1:05.
- Vladimir Matyushenko def. Jason Brilz — KO (punches); round 1, 0:20.
- Benson Henderson def. Mark Bocek — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
Preliminary card
- Rory MacDonald def. Nate Diaz — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Jake Ellenberger def. Sean Pierson — KO (punch); round 1, 2:42.
- Claude Patrick def. Daniel Roberts — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Ivan Menjivar def. Charlie Valencia — TKO (elbow and punches); round 1, 1:30.
- Jason MacDonald def. Ryan Jensen — submission (triangle choke); round 1, 1:37.
- John Makdessi def. Kyle Watson — KO (spinning backfist); round 3, 1:27.
- Pablo Garza def. Yves Jabouin — submission (flying triangle choke); round 1, 4:31.
Sources
Article Tags
UFC 129, UFC Results, Mixed Martial Arts
