Maximum Fighting Championships 23: Unstoppable
12/14/09
River Cree Casino
Enoch, Alberta
Kenny Rice and Guy Mezger are the announcers for this show.
Welterweight Fight: Joe Christopher (9-2) vs. Jesse Juarez (14-4-1)
Christopher is a BJJ fighter. The only time I’ve seen Juarez fight was on a Strikeforce show where he got stopped at the end of the first round via Submission by Luke Stewart. That fight was pretty even until Stewart got the fight to the ground. Christopher comes out to AC/DC. Juarez comes out to a rap song with a lot of expletives.
R1- Christopher rushed in early but got taken down by Juarez. Juarez is landing some strikes and Christopher has attempted a couple of submissions. Christopher did not throw a strike in the first round. Juarez 10-9.
R2- Christopher went for a quick take down but Juarez was able to stuff it and take top position. Juarez got a couple more take downs. Christopher was able to get a guillotine choke but Juarez picked him up in almost a fireman’s carry and slammed him down and took Christopher’s guard. Juarez 20-18.
R3- Overall this was a lackluster fight. I’ve got Juarez winning by decision.
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all cards.
Winner: Jesse Juarez by Decision (Unanimous)
Light Heavyweight Fight: Dwayne Lewis (9-4) vs. Marvin Eastman (17-11)
At MFC 22 Eastman lost a split decision to Ryan Jimmo in a very close fight that could have gone either way. Lewis has won his last 5 fights and has won them all by TKO/KO. He has a win over Marcus Hicks and a loss to Ryan Jimmo. Eastman is just 1-4 in his last 5 fights. Lewis has a 4” height advantage and a slight 2” reach advantage.
R1- Eastman got a quick slam/take down to start the fight and then stayed on top for the first three and a half minutes before getting stood up. Lewis got a quick KO almost right at the end of the round in surprising fashion. Eastman had him in a clinch and Lewis nailed him with a big right hand uppercut.
Winner: Dwayne Lewis by KO R1 4:58
Middleweight Fight- Art Santore (18-6) vs. Bryan Baker (11-1)
Santore is a Team Quest fighter and has won 4 straight fights. Baker has also won his last 4 fights and his only loss was to UFC Fighter Chael Sonnen. Thomas Denny is in Baker’s corner.
R1- Santore hit a good left early and then hit another good combo around the one minute mark. Brown hit a good left that knocked Santore down. Santoro grabbed a knee bar at the one minute mark but Baker broke free by pelting Santore with heels. A good bit of blood on the mat. Baker then went for an arm triangle and then an arm bar but could not finish with either. Baker finishes the round with some Ground and Pound. Baker 10-9. Good first round.
R2- Some good back and forth stand up in the first half of this round. Santore is wearing a crimson mask. Ref stops the fight with 30 seconds left in the round to check Santore’s cuts. This round was really even and could have gone either way. Baker landed 52 strikes to Santore’s 38 in that round and has done more physical damage in the fight so I’ve got Baker 20-18 right now.
R3- Even striking in the first part of the round. Baker slipped going for a kick and Santore jumped on top. Baker went for a triangle choke and started landing some good elbows to Santore’s head. Really good fight. I’ve got Baker 30-27 but rounds two and three were really close.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 30-27, 29-28
Winner: Bryan Baker by Decision (Unanimous)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Ryan Jimmo (11-1) vs. Emanuel Newton (18-5-1)
Jimmo has won 11 straight fights including a split decision victory over Marvin Eastman at MFC 22. He was a contestant on Season 8 of TUF but was eliminated in the entry round by Atwain Britt by Decision. Newton is a former MFC Light Heavyweight Champion but is 0-2 in 2009.
R1- Not a very exciting round. Kenny Rice tells me Jimmo landed 17 of 19 strikes. Newton got 2 take downs and landed 26 of 57 strikes. Guy says he give the round to Newton. I have to admit that I was too bored to have an opinion.
R2- Man this is tough to watch. Both fighters landed about the same amount of rounds. Guy says that Jimmo landed cleaner shots and thinks that he took that round making it 19-19. The first guy to make this remotely exciting should be declared the winner.
R3- Jimmo landed 72 of 90 strikes in the fight with Newton landing 67 of 152. Very close fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28
Winner: Ryan Jimmo by Decision (Unanimous)
Middleweight Fight- Jason MacDonald (21-13) vs. Soloman Hutcherson (11-5)
Hutcherson has won 4 of his last 5 fights. He was on The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 and lost to Rory Singer on Episode 5 by KO in the second round. MacDonald has a 4” height and a huge “11” reach advantage.
R1- Hutcherson came in swinging wildly and MacDonald got an easy take down. MacDonald mounted and then went for a triangle and Hutcherson picked him up and dropped him on his head to get out of the hold. MacDonald got another take down about a minute and a half into the round. MacDonald went for a Rear Naked Choke but Hutcherson was able to hold him off. MacDonald transitioned from a Rear Naked attempt to an arm bar attempt but the bell sounded. MacDonald clearly looks like the better fighter so far and took the round easily.
R2- Hutcherson got a take down and then laid on top of MacDonald for a couple of minutes. MacDonald was able to reverse position and take Hutcherson’s back. MacDonald tried to an arm triangle but Hutcherson was able to power out of it. MacDonald is up 20-18 as he did far more to try and finish the fight in this round then Hutcherson did.
R3- The stood up for the first thirty seconds of the round and Hutcherson followed MacDonald to the ground. Not sure if Hutcherson hit him or MacDonald baited him down. MacDonald quickly switched positions and took Hutcherson’s back and then moved to the mount position. MacDonald takes this fight 30-27. Not a great fight but MacDonald was easily in a class above Hutcherson.
Judges score cards say: 28-28, 29-28 Hutcherson and 29-28 MacDonald
All Three of these judges should be immediately fired and banned from ever judging Mixed Martial Arts again. Seriously, who the fuck is judging this stuff? Embarrassing.
Decision: Draw
After the first round of the Lister/Leites fight they go backstage and say that they have a change to the scoring of the MacDonald/Hutcherson fight. MacDonald actually got a split decision victory over Hutcherson. Amazing, they have judges that can’t even count to 30.
Winner: Jason MacDonald by Decision (Split)
Middleweight Fight: Dean Lister (11-6) vs. Thales Leites (14-3)
Lister has lost all of his 6 fights by decision and has lost to the likes of Yushin Okami, Nate Marquardt, and Ricardo Arona. Leites is 7-3 in his last 10 fights and has also lost all of his fights by decision. Both guys need this win.
R1- Lister went for an early take down but got stuffed and Leites took top position. They got back to their feet about half way through the round and Leites is the aggressor on their feet. Leites wins round one 10-9.
R2- Leites hit a good leg kick to start the round and then got a take down. Leites stood back up and then got another take down. Lister looks pretty gassed. Not a real exciting fight but Leites is clearly winning this fight so far. Leites 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Lister went for a quick take down but Leites stuffed him again. The last three fights on this show have been really lackluster. Leites is going to take this fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 30-27 and 30-27.
Winner: Thales Leites by Decision (Unanimous)
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
WEC 45: "Cerrone vs. Ratcliff" 12/19/09 Re-Cap
WEC 45 “Cerrone vs. Ratcliff”
The Pearl at the Palms
Las Vegas, Nevada
December 19, 2009
Todd Harris and Frank Mir are the announcers for the show. Joe Martinez is the ring announcer. The Main Event is Donald Cerrone against Ed Ratcliff in a match-up of Lightweight Contenders.
Bantamweight Fight- Takeya Mizugaki (12-3-2) vs. Scott Jorgensen (7-3)
At WEC 43 Jorgensen stopped Noah Thomas by TKO three minutes into the first round. Mizugaki last fought at WEC 42 and beat Jeff Curran by a Split Decision. Mizugaki has a 3.5” reach advantage.
R1- Jorgensen caught Mizugaki with a punch right out of the gate and then grabbed a guillotine but could not hold the submission. Jorgensen landed some big punches about three minutes into the round and Mizugaki went down but Mizugaki again survived. Jorgensen 10-9.
R2- Jorgensen got a take down in the first 30 seconds of the round. Jorgensen landed some good strikes with about two minutes left in the round. Mizugaki is showing a lot of heart and putting up a fight but so far it’s been mostly Jorgensen in control. Jorgensen 20-18.
R3- Pretty even round. Jorgensen got a take down about half way through the round but then Mizugaki returned the favor. Mizugaki got another take down with about a minute left in the round. Mizugaki takes this round but Jorgensen will win the fight 29-28.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 on all three score cards
Winner: Scott Jorgensen by Decision (Unanimous)
Bantamweight Fight- Joseph Benavidez (10-1) vs. Rani Yahya (15-4)
Benavidez dropped a decision to Dominick Cruz in his last fight at WEC 42. Miguel Angel Torres joins the announce crew during this fight.
R1- They throw some leather early and Benavidez dropped to his knees briefly but I couldn’t tell if it was due to a slip or a punch. Benavidez hit a big time right hand and then jumped on top with some Ground and Pound and the ref stepped in and stopped the fight.
Winner: Joseph Benavidez by TKO (Strikes) R1 1:35
Featherweight Fight- Brandon Visher vs. Courtney Buck
This fight is brought to us thanks to Joseph Benavidez quick finish in the last fight. This is a fight from the pre-show. Buck has a 4” height and 4” reach advantage.
R1- Both guys swinging wildly to open up the fight and both guys landed good shots. Visher got a take down about 30 seconds into the round. Back to their feet and both guys throwing some more leather. Mir comments that this is the type of fight that the guys in the back don’t like to see because these guys might take their “Fight of the Night” bonus if they keep up this performance. Visher hit a good looping right hand that hit Buck near the back of his ear. They scrambled and Visher ended up on top. Mir is basically saying that Buck is horrible on the ground and is doing a lot of things wrong. Visher has taken the mount on Buck. Buck gave up his back and Visher landed some more strikes and then Buck rolled over and Visher landed some vicious hammer fists and won the fight.
Winner: Brandon Visher by KO R1 4:45
Lightweight Fight- Anthony Njokuani (12-2) vs. Chris Horodecki (13-1)
At WEC 40 Anthony beat Bart Palaszweski by TKO in the second round. Anthony has a 6” reach and 6” height advantage. This is Horodecki’s WEC debut.
R1- Anthony really came on about three minutes into the round. He nailed a judo throw and then Horodecki got up and started to retreat and Anthony meet him with a kick to the face. Anthony jumps on top and lands some Ground and Pound and Mazzagatti jumped in and stopped the fight.
Winner: Anthony Njokuani by TKO (Strikes) R1 3:33
Bantamweight Fight- Brad Pickett vs. Kyle Dietz
We get another pre-show fight. Dietz has a 2” reach and 2” height advantage. This is Pickett’s WEC debut.
R1- Pretty good first round but honestly I’m having a tough time telling these guys apart. Mir sides toward Pickett taking the first round.
R2- Both guys come out swinging and Pickett is able to get Dietz on the ground. Pickett was able to finish the fight off toward the end of the round with a choke.
Winner: Brad Pickett by Submission (Peruvian Neck Tie) R2
Lightweight Fight- Donald Cerrone (10-2) vs. Ed Ratcliff (7-1)
Cerrone lost his last fight in a close decision to Ben Henderson in an Interim title fight (I actually had Cerrone winning the fight 48-47). Ratcliff’s lone loss was to Marcus Hicks via guillotine choke. Cerrone has a 3” height and 1.5” reach advantage.
R1- Right off the bat they clinched and Cerrone tried to pull guard but Ratcliff stood up. Ratcliff hit a good punch that buckled Cerrone’s knees. Ratcliff landed a leg kick that tripped up Cerrone. Both guys landed some strikes against the cage and then Cerrone got a clinch and landed some strikes. Cerrone started to pick up some steam towards the end of the round but he hit two low blows on Ratcliff. Herb Dean took a point away from Cerrone. Cerrone got a take down at the end of the round and clamped in a guillotine but couldn’t finish before the bell rang. Ratcliff started off quickly but Cerrone really controlled the second half of the round and I think he did enough to steal the round. With the one point deduction that makes the score 9-9 after one round.
R2- Cerrone landed a good jab/knee combo and is in control of his round but he landed another low blow. Cerrone lost another point and he came out gang busters after the fight started back up. Ratcliff caught a kick and was able to briefly get Cerrone to the mat. Ratcliff grabbed Cerrone’s back but Cerrone got out by grabbing a kimura and then grabbed a guillotine but could not finish with it before the bell sounded. I’ve got Cerrone winning this round but due to the point deduction I’ve got the fight 18-18.
R3- Cerrone went for the glove tap and Ratcliff went for the flying knee right at the bell. Cerrone lands some good strikes in the first minute and he eggs on the crowd. Cerrone lands a mount but Herb Dean stands them up because he says Cerrone grabbed the fence and he makes him give up the advantageous position. Cerrone got Ratcliff’s back and took him down. Cerrone grabs a reverse triangle and then grabs Ratcliff’s leg and put it behind his arm but Ratcliff escaped the move. Cerrone again to the back and clamped in a Rear Naked Choke and Ratcliff fought hard but eventually had to tap out. Good fight.
Winner: Donald Cerrone by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3 3:47
The next WEC show looks really good with Varner/Henderson and Urijah Faber and Mike Brown also on the card:
January 10- Sacramento, Ca
Lightweight World Title Fight- Jamie Varner © vs. Ben Henderson
Featherweight Fight- Urijah Faber vs. Raphael Assuncao
Lightweight Fight- Dave Jansen vs. Kamal Shalorus
Featherweight Fight- Mike Brown vs. Anthony Morrison
Featherweight Fight- Mackens Semerzier vs. Deividas Taurosevicius
The Pearl at the Palms
Las Vegas, Nevada
December 19, 2009
Todd Harris and Frank Mir are the announcers for the show. Joe Martinez is the ring announcer. The Main Event is Donald Cerrone against Ed Ratcliff in a match-up of Lightweight Contenders.
Bantamweight Fight- Takeya Mizugaki (12-3-2) vs. Scott Jorgensen (7-3)
At WEC 43 Jorgensen stopped Noah Thomas by TKO three minutes into the first round. Mizugaki last fought at WEC 42 and beat Jeff Curran by a Split Decision. Mizugaki has a 3.5” reach advantage.
R1- Jorgensen caught Mizugaki with a punch right out of the gate and then grabbed a guillotine but could not hold the submission. Jorgensen landed some big punches about three minutes into the round and Mizugaki went down but Mizugaki again survived. Jorgensen 10-9.
R2- Jorgensen got a take down in the first 30 seconds of the round. Jorgensen landed some good strikes with about two minutes left in the round. Mizugaki is showing a lot of heart and putting up a fight but so far it’s been mostly Jorgensen in control. Jorgensen 20-18.
R3- Pretty even round. Jorgensen got a take down about half way through the round but then Mizugaki returned the favor. Mizugaki got another take down with about a minute left in the round. Mizugaki takes this round but Jorgensen will win the fight 29-28.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 on all three score cards
Winner: Scott Jorgensen by Decision (Unanimous)
Bantamweight Fight- Joseph Benavidez (10-1) vs. Rani Yahya (15-4)
Benavidez dropped a decision to Dominick Cruz in his last fight at WEC 42. Miguel Angel Torres joins the announce crew during this fight.
R1- They throw some leather early and Benavidez dropped to his knees briefly but I couldn’t tell if it was due to a slip or a punch. Benavidez hit a big time right hand and then jumped on top with some Ground and Pound and the ref stepped in and stopped the fight.
Winner: Joseph Benavidez by TKO (Strikes) R1 1:35
Featherweight Fight- Brandon Visher vs. Courtney Buck
This fight is brought to us thanks to Joseph Benavidez quick finish in the last fight. This is a fight from the pre-show. Buck has a 4” height and 4” reach advantage.
R1- Both guys swinging wildly to open up the fight and both guys landed good shots. Visher got a take down about 30 seconds into the round. Back to their feet and both guys throwing some more leather. Mir comments that this is the type of fight that the guys in the back don’t like to see because these guys might take their “Fight of the Night” bonus if they keep up this performance. Visher hit a good looping right hand that hit Buck near the back of his ear. They scrambled and Visher ended up on top. Mir is basically saying that Buck is horrible on the ground and is doing a lot of things wrong. Visher has taken the mount on Buck. Buck gave up his back and Visher landed some more strikes and then Buck rolled over and Visher landed some vicious hammer fists and won the fight.
Winner: Brandon Visher by KO R1 4:45
Lightweight Fight- Anthony Njokuani (12-2) vs. Chris Horodecki (13-1)
At WEC 40 Anthony beat Bart Palaszweski by TKO in the second round. Anthony has a 6” reach and 6” height advantage. This is Horodecki’s WEC debut.
R1- Anthony really came on about three minutes into the round. He nailed a judo throw and then Horodecki got up and started to retreat and Anthony meet him with a kick to the face. Anthony jumps on top and lands some Ground and Pound and Mazzagatti jumped in and stopped the fight.
Winner: Anthony Njokuani by TKO (Strikes) R1 3:33
Bantamweight Fight- Brad Pickett vs. Kyle Dietz
We get another pre-show fight. Dietz has a 2” reach and 2” height advantage. This is Pickett’s WEC debut.
R1- Pretty good first round but honestly I’m having a tough time telling these guys apart. Mir sides toward Pickett taking the first round.
R2- Both guys come out swinging and Pickett is able to get Dietz on the ground. Pickett was able to finish the fight off toward the end of the round with a choke.
Winner: Brad Pickett by Submission (Peruvian Neck Tie) R2
Lightweight Fight- Donald Cerrone (10-2) vs. Ed Ratcliff (7-1)
Cerrone lost his last fight in a close decision to Ben Henderson in an Interim title fight (I actually had Cerrone winning the fight 48-47). Ratcliff’s lone loss was to Marcus Hicks via guillotine choke. Cerrone has a 3” height and 1.5” reach advantage.
R1- Right off the bat they clinched and Cerrone tried to pull guard but Ratcliff stood up. Ratcliff hit a good punch that buckled Cerrone’s knees. Ratcliff landed a leg kick that tripped up Cerrone. Both guys landed some strikes against the cage and then Cerrone got a clinch and landed some strikes. Cerrone started to pick up some steam towards the end of the round but he hit two low blows on Ratcliff. Herb Dean took a point away from Cerrone. Cerrone got a take down at the end of the round and clamped in a guillotine but couldn’t finish before the bell rang. Ratcliff started off quickly but Cerrone really controlled the second half of the round and I think he did enough to steal the round. With the one point deduction that makes the score 9-9 after one round.
R2- Cerrone landed a good jab/knee combo and is in control of his round but he landed another low blow. Cerrone lost another point and he came out gang busters after the fight started back up. Ratcliff caught a kick and was able to briefly get Cerrone to the mat. Ratcliff grabbed Cerrone’s back but Cerrone got out by grabbing a kimura and then grabbed a guillotine but could not finish with it before the bell sounded. I’ve got Cerrone winning this round but due to the point deduction I’ve got the fight 18-18.
R3- Cerrone went for the glove tap and Ratcliff went for the flying knee right at the bell. Cerrone lands some good strikes in the first minute and he eggs on the crowd. Cerrone lands a mount but Herb Dean stands them up because he says Cerrone grabbed the fence and he makes him give up the advantageous position. Cerrone got Ratcliff’s back and took him down. Cerrone grabs a reverse triangle and then grabs Ratcliff’s leg and put it behind his arm but Ratcliff escaped the move. Cerrone again to the back and clamped in a Rear Naked Choke and Ratcliff fought hard but eventually had to tap out. Good fight.
Winner: Donald Cerrone by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3 3:47
The next WEC show looks really good with Varner/Henderson and Urijah Faber and Mike Brown also on the card:
January 10- Sacramento, Ca
Lightweight World Title Fight- Jamie Varner © vs. Ben Henderson
Featherweight Fight- Urijah Faber vs. Raphael Assuncao
Lightweight Fight- Dave Jansen vs. Kamal Shalorus
Featherweight Fight- Mike Brown vs. Anthony Morrison
Featherweight Fight- Mackens Semerzier vs. Deividas Taurosevicius
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Strikeforce: Evolution 12/20/09 Re-Cap
Strikeforce: Evolution
HP Pavilion
San Jose, California
12/20/09
The feature attraction tonight is the return of undefeated former Middleweight Champion Cung Le to take on slugger Scott Smith. Mauro Ranallo is the lead announcer and he’s joined on the show by Frank Shamrock and Stephan Quadros. Jimmy Lennon, Jr is the ring announcer. We will also Matt Lindland, Ronaldo Jacare Souza and Mo Lawal on tonight’s show. Also tonight is the Lightweight title re-match between champion Josh Thomson and the man he beat for the title Gilbert Melendez.
Jake Shields, Robbie Lawler, Cris Cyborg, KJ Noons, Herschel Walker, Bobby Lashley, and Dan Henderson are all in attendance ringside for the show tonight.
Heavyweight Fight- Mo Lawal (5-0) vs. Mike Whitehead (24-7)
Lawal is a Light Heavyweight so it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to the weight differential in this fight. Whitehead weighs in at 261 pounds versus only 218 for Lawal. Lawal has a 4” reach advantage. Whitehead has won 15 of his last 16 fights including a real snoozer against Kevin Randleman by in June.
R1- King Mo landed some decent shots early as Whitehead looked to clinch. Mo continues to land some good jabs and Whitehead is bleeding from near his eye. Mo hit a big time 1-2 combo flooring Whitehead and then jumping on top and finishing him off. Very impressive showing by King Mo.
Winner: Mo Lawal by KO R1 3:08
Middleweight Fight- Matt Lindland (21-6) vs. Jacare Souza (10-2)
Souza is a jiu jitsu fighter and Lindland is a wrestler. 9 of Jacare’s 10 wins have come from submission. Lindland is an Olympic Silver Medalist wrestler and Jacare is a two-time BJJ World Champion.
R1- Jacare lands some strikes early and avoids a take down. Jacare landed a good shot to the body but then got taken down by Lindland. Jacare got in position for an arm bar. Lindland was able to escape but Jacare took an advantageous position. Jacare was able to take side control and clamp in an arm triangle and he tapped Lindland.
Winner: Jacare Souza By Submission (Arm Triangle) R1 4:18
Two great debuts by King Mo and Jacare in the first two fights for Strikeforce.
Strikeforce Lightweight Title Fight- Josh Thomson © (16-2) vs. Gilbert Melendez (16-2)
This is a re-match from the 6/27/08 Strikeforce show where Thomson beat Melendez for the title via decision (50-45 on all score cards). Since that time Thomson has been battling injuries and Melendez defeated Rodrigo Damm for the Interim title. This is Thomson’s first title defense since winning the title. Thomson has won 8 straight fights.
R1- They exchanged some shots in the first minute. Thomson grabbed a Melendez kick and took him off his feet but they quickly got back to their feet and exchanged some leather with Thomson getting the better of the shots. Melendez went for a take down but could not get it but he did land a couple of strikes. Melendez landed some good shots in an exchange late in the round. Really good first round that was virtually even. I’ve got Thomson up 10-9 by just a hair.
R2- Melendez landed a good right hand to start off the round that floored Thomson. Thomson quickly got back to his feet and they exchanged leather before Melendez hit Thomson with a low blow. Melendez caught a Thomson kick but couldn’t take him off his feet. Very even round with the exception of the opening knock down. Thomson landed a couple of shots that looked like they stunned Melendez a bit. Both guys stood toe to toe and threw wild punches and Thomson went down but he grabbed onto Melendez to give himself time to recover and the round ends with Melendez on top. This round went to Melendez so we’ve got a 19-19 fight after two rounds.
R3- Melendez is the aggressor in the first half of the round. Thomson went for a take down but could not get Melendez off his feet. Melendez took this round and I’ve got him up 29-28 on my score card.
R4- Thomson got an early take down but could not keep Melendez on the ground. Melendez caught a Thomson kick and briefly got him on the ground but he couldn’t hold him down. Both guys landed some decent shots in the last minute of the round. Melendez landed an eye poke with 12 seconds left in the round. This was the closest round of any and could have gone either way.
R5- Thomson landed some good shots and then both guys went toe to toe. Thomson is really coming out swinging for the fences thinking that he probably needs to finish this fight to keep his championship. Thomson looked like he punched himself out and then Melendez landed a good punch that floored him and Melendez jumped into Thomson’s guard. Thomson got back to his feet with two minutes left in the fight. Melendez rushed in and Thomson took him down to the mat with one minute left in the fight but Melendez fought back to his feet. Both guys stood toe to toe and slugged it out to end the fight. Really strong fight, possible Fight of the Year Candidate. I’ve got Melendez taking this fight via decision.
Judges score cards show: 49-47, 49-46, 49-46 in favor of Melendez
Winner and new champion: Gilbert Melendez by Decision (Unanimous)
Dan Henderson and Bobby Lashley are interviewed cage side. Henderson says that he’s going to be fighting at Middleweight to start.
Friday January 22nd will be the next Strikeforce Challengers event
Saturday January 30th will be the next Strikeforce event featuring Nick Diaz, Cris Cyborg, Robbie Lawler, Bobby Lashley and Herschel Walker.
In April 2010 Strikeforce/M-1 Global Saturday Night Fights will return featuring Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson
Middleweight Fight- Cung Le (6-0) vs. Scott Smith (16-6)
R1- Cung Le hit a wicked spinning back kick one minute into the fight that dropped Scott Smith. Cung then jumped on top and landed some shots until Smith got back to his feet at the half way point of the round. Le landed another spinning back kick as Smith was leaning back and it knocked him down but didn’t have near the impact of the last one and Smith quickly got back to his feet. Let hit a good round house kick to the face. Le hit another back kick that knocked Smith to the cage but not off his feet. Borderline 10-8 round in favor of Le. Let out struck Smith 45 to 4 in the first round so I’d say that 10-8 is a good score for round one.
R2- Le knocked Smith down with another spinning back kick. Le jumped on top but Smith wrapped him up until the ref stood them back up half way through the round. Lots of clinching in the second half of the round. Le is up 20-17 after two rounds but Le looks like his cardio is fading.
R3- Le landed good back to back spinning back kicks but Smith did not leave his feet. Le landed some good punches and then a spinning back fist. Le slammed Smith to the ground but could not hold him down. Smith landed some shots and clipped Le with a left hand that knocked Le to the mat. Le got back up and Smith landed a big right that folded Le’s legs. Smith jumped on top and the ref stopped the fight. Le dominated this fight until mid-way through the last round and Smith landed about 10 punches and won this fight. Amazing.
Winner: Scott Smith by TKO (Strikes) R3 3:25
HP Pavilion
San Jose, California
12/20/09
The feature attraction tonight is the return of undefeated former Middleweight Champion Cung Le to take on slugger Scott Smith. Mauro Ranallo is the lead announcer and he’s joined on the show by Frank Shamrock and Stephan Quadros. Jimmy Lennon, Jr is the ring announcer. We will also Matt Lindland, Ronaldo Jacare Souza and Mo Lawal on tonight’s show. Also tonight is the Lightweight title re-match between champion Josh Thomson and the man he beat for the title Gilbert Melendez.
Jake Shields, Robbie Lawler, Cris Cyborg, KJ Noons, Herschel Walker, Bobby Lashley, and Dan Henderson are all in attendance ringside for the show tonight.
Heavyweight Fight- Mo Lawal (5-0) vs. Mike Whitehead (24-7)
Lawal is a Light Heavyweight so it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to the weight differential in this fight. Whitehead weighs in at 261 pounds versus only 218 for Lawal. Lawal has a 4” reach advantage. Whitehead has won 15 of his last 16 fights including a real snoozer against Kevin Randleman by in June.
R1- King Mo landed some decent shots early as Whitehead looked to clinch. Mo continues to land some good jabs and Whitehead is bleeding from near his eye. Mo hit a big time 1-2 combo flooring Whitehead and then jumping on top and finishing him off. Very impressive showing by King Mo.
Winner: Mo Lawal by KO R1 3:08
Middleweight Fight- Matt Lindland (21-6) vs. Jacare Souza (10-2)
Souza is a jiu jitsu fighter and Lindland is a wrestler. 9 of Jacare’s 10 wins have come from submission. Lindland is an Olympic Silver Medalist wrestler and Jacare is a two-time BJJ World Champion.
R1- Jacare lands some strikes early and avoids a take down. Jacare landed a good shot to the body but then got taken down by Lindland. Jacare got in position for an arm bar. Lindland was able to escape but Jacare took an advantageous position. Jacare was able to take side control and clamp in an arm triangle and he tapped Lindland.
Winner: Jacare Souza By Submission (Arm Triangle) R1 4:18
Two great debuts by King Mo and Jacare in the first two fights for Strikeforce.
Strikeforce Lightweight Title Fight- Josh Thomson © (16-2) vs. Gilbert Melendez (16-2)
This is a re-match from the 6/27/08 Strikeforce show where Thomson beat Melendez for the title via decision (50-45 on all score cards). Since that time Thomson has been battling injuries and Melendez defeated Rodrigo Damm for the Interim title. This is Thomson’s first title defense since winning the title. Thomson has won 8 straight fights.
R1- They exchanged some shots in the first minute. Thomson grabbed a Melendez kick and took him off his feet but they quickly got back to their feet and exchanged some leather with Thomson getting the better of the shots. Melendez went for a take down but could not get it but he did land a couple of strikes. Melendez landed some good shots in an exchange late in the round. Really good first round that was virtually even. I’ve got Thomson up 10-9 by just a hair.
R2- Melendez landed a good right hand to start off the round that floored Thomson. Thomson quickly got back to his feet and they exchanged leather before Melendez hit Thomson with a low blow. Melendez caught a Thomson kick but couldn’t take him off his feet. Very even round with the exception of the opening knock down. Thomson landed a couple of shots that looked like they stunned Melendez a bit. Both guys stood toe to toe and threw wild punches and Thomson went down but he grabbed onto Melendez to give himself time to recover and the round ends with Melendez on top. This round went to Melendez so we’ve got a 19-19 fight after two rounds.
R3- Melendez is the aggressor in the first half of the round. Thomson went for a take down but could not get Melendez off his feet. Melendez took this round and I’ve got him up 29-28 on my score card.
R4- Thomson got an early take down but could not keep Melendez on the ground. Melendez caught a Thomson kick and briefly got him on the ground but he couldn’t hold him down. Both guys landed some decent shots in the last minute of the round. Melendez landed an eye poke with 12 seconds left in the round. This was the closest round of any and could have gone either way.
R5- Thomson landed some good shots and then both guys went toe to toe. Thomson is really coming out swinging for the fences thinking that he probably needs to finish this fight to keep his championship. Thomson looked like he punched himself out and then Melendez landed a good punch that floored him and Melendez jumped into Thomson’s guard. Thomson got back to his feet with two minutes left in the fight. Melendez rushed in and Thomson took him down to the mat with one minute left in the fight but Melendez fought back to his feet. Both guys stood toe to toe and slugged it out to end the fight. Really strong fight, possible Fight of the Year Candidate. I’ve got Melendez taking this fight via decision.
Judges score cards show: 49-47, 49-46, 49-46 in favor of Melendez
Winner and new champion: Gilbert Melendez by Decision (Unanimous)
Dan Henderson and Bobby Lashley are interviewed cage side. Henderson says that he’s going to be fighting at Middleweight to start.
Friday January 22nd will be the next Strikeforce Challengers event
Saturday January 30th will be the next Strikeforce event featuring Nick Diaz, Cris Cyborg, Robbie Lawler, Bobby Lashley and Herschel Walker.
In April 2010 Strikeforce/M-1 Global Saturday Night Fights will return featuring Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson
Middleweight Fight- Cung Le (6-0) vs. Scott Smith (16-6)
R1- Cung Le hit a wicked spinning back kick one minute into the fight that dropped Scott Smith. Cung then jumped on top and landed some shots until Smith got back to his feet at the half way point of the round. Le landed another spinning back kick as Smith was leaning back and it knocked him down but didn’t have near the impact of the last one and Smith quickly got back to his feet. Let hit a good round house kick to the face. Le hit another back kick that knocked Smith to the cage but not off his feet. Borderline 10-8 round in favor of Le. Let out struck Smith 45 to 4 in the first round so I’d say that 10-8 is a good score for round one.
R2- Le knocked Smith down with another spinning back kick. Le jumped on top but Smith wrapped him up until the ref stood them back up half way through the round. Lots of clinching in the second half of the round. Le is up 20-17 after two rounds but Le looks like his cardio is fading.
R3- Le landed good back to back spinning back kicks but Smith did not leave his feet. Le landed some good punches and then a spinning back fist. Le slammed Smith to the ground but could not hold him down. Smith landed some shots and clipped Le with a left hand that knocked Le to the mat. Le got back up and Smith landed a big right that folded Le’s legs. Smith jumped on top and the ref stopped the fight. Le dominated this fight until mid-way through the last round and Smith landed about 10 punches and won this fight. Amazing.
Winner: Scott Smith by TKO (Strikes) R3 3:25
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez 12/13/09 Re-Cap
UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez
12/13/09
Fedex Forum
Memphis, Tn
Heavyweight Fight- Paul Buentello (25-10) vs. Stefan Struve (22-3)
Buentello has won 5 of his last 6 fights and this is his return to the UFC. Struve is a 6’11” fighter with an 83” reach. Struve won his last fight via submission against Chase Gormley at UFC 104 and beat Denis Stojnic by submission at UFC 99 in a blood bath.
R1- Struve tried to pull guard early but abandoned that and nailed a big uppercut that Buentello ate and then Struve took him down and got a body triangle on Buentello. Struve tried to get in a Rear Naked Choke but couldn’t get it clamped in. With thirty seconds left in the round Buentello was able to turn over and take top position. Buentello really did nothing this round, it could have been a 10-8 round if Struve could have done some significant damage. Struve 10-9.
R2- Buentello hit a good shot as Struve was coming in and Buentello knocked him to the ground but did not attack and let him stand back up. Struve came in again about half way through the round and got destroyed by a right hand that looked like it might have knocked him out. Near the one minute mark Struve hit a good elbow , then Buentello retaliated then they went toe to toe throwing leather. Just seconds later both guys threw toe to toe again. Struve actually came back and made a round of this but I’ve got it going to Buentello. Really fun round and I’ve got the fight scored 19-19.
R3- The beginning of this round had to be delayed because they had to remove a piece of tooth from Struve’s mouth guard. Ouch. Struve landing more strikes in the first part of the round. Buentello was able to catch Struve leaning and landed a strike that knocked him to the ground in the last minute of the fight. Really close fight. I see a split decision. Struve landed more strikes in the third round but Buentello did get the knock down.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 29-28, 28-28
Winner: Stefan Struve by Decision (Majority)
Lightweight Fight- Kenny Florian (13-4) vs. Clay Guida (25-7)
Guida is coming off of a FOTY Candidate loss to Diego Sanchez and Florian is coming off of a loss to BJ Penn. On paper this looks like it has the ability to steal the show and both guys need a win. Florian has a 3” height and 6” reach advantage. Guida is definitely the fan favorite in this fight.
R1- Kenny partially landed a head kick but it ended with Guida taking top position but Florian was able to get back to his feet quickly. Florian almost got a take down but did land a knee as Guida rose back up. Guida went for a take down but Florian controlled him and opened up a big cut on Guida and then got a slam and landed some strikes against the cage. Florian landed some elbows and the ref stopped the fight so the doctor could look at the cut. Florian won this round in the last minute and is up 10-9 going into round two.
R2- Guida went for a take down early but was stuffed. Florian really started to look comfortable with the stand up this round and he just leveled Guida with a big time right hand that hurt Guida. Florian jumped on top and landed some strikes and then clamped in a Rear Naked Choke and Guida tapped out. Fantastic showing by Florian.
Winner: Kenny Florian by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 2:19
Welterweight Fight- Jon Fitch (23-3) vs. Mike Pierce (9-2)
Fitch has a 4” height and 3” reach advantage in this fight.
R1- Fitch caught a kick early and muscled Pierce to the ground and took his back. At the two minute mark Pierce slipped out and got a take down but Fitch got to his feet pretty quickly. Fitch landed some decent strikes at the end of the round. Fitch 10-9.
R2- Fitch caught a leg kick and took Pierce down but Pierce got to his feet without taking any damage. Fitch got another brief take down. This was a typical Fitch round and he’s up 20-18 going into the final round.
R3- Jon Fitch makes me sleepy. Pierce got in some good shots towards the end of the round and almost stole this right but I’ve got Fitch 29-28 on the score cards.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 on all cards
Winner: Jon Fitch by Decision (Unanimous)
Heavyweight Fight- Frank Mir (12-4) vs. Cheick Kongo (24-5-1)
Mir has been talking all kinds of crap about this fight and about Brock Lesnar. It will be interesting to see if Mir overlooks Kongo in this fight. Goldberg tells us Kongo is the 4th most accurate striker in the UFC. Mir has earned more wins by submission than any other Heavyweight fighter in UFC history. Mir has 25 pounds on Kongo.
R1- No touching of the gloves to start the fight. Mir hit a huge left hand 30 seconds into the fight and Kongo went down hard. Mir jumped on top with a guillotine and Kongo tried to hold on but he went limp and the ref stopped the fight. Amazing performance by Mir.
Winner: Frank Mir by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 1:12
Catchweight Fight- Alan Belcher vs. Wilson Gouveia
This is a pre-show fight. There was a lot of talk before the fight that Belcher was upset that he was not on the main card.
R1- We join the fight about one minute into round one. Belcher is wearing some sweet pink tights and has corn rows. Lots of free swinging by both guys. Belcher hurt Gouveia with an uppercut and then finished him on the ground as the ref stepped in and stopped the fight.
Winner: Alan Belcher by TKO (Strikes) R1
Lightweight Title Fight- BJ Penn © (14-5-1) vs. Diego Sanchez (23-2)
The UFC tells me that BJ lands 61% of his total strikes, lands 57% of his lead jabs (tied for 1st in UFC History with Anderson Silva) and he has never been knocked down. Diego has also never been knocked down, he has 56% ground striking accuracy and in his last four fights he has a 79% take down defense rate.
R1- BJ rocked Diego and knocked him down at the thirty second round of the fight. Diego got back up and ate a knee and BJ jumped all over him with punches. Diego fought and survived the onslaught. BJ hit a couple more strikes at the end of the round and looks to be in total control so far. BJ 10-9.
R2- Diego went for an early take down but could not get BJ off his feet. Diego keeps going for the take down but cannot get it. Diego missed a high kick and ate a couple of shots. BJ 20-18.
R3- Sanchez trying hard for the take down but BJ is not letting him. BJ is winning the striking game. BJ 30-27.
R4- BJ hit a good combo at the one and a half minute mark of the round. Diego continues to go for take downs and BJ continues to avoid them. BJ 40-36.
R5- Diego tried hard for a take down but BJ sprawled and ended up on top and then took the fight back to their feet. BJ hit a good kick and then followed it with some good punches before Diego could latch onto BJ’s leg. BJ sprawled out and then landed some punches and opened a huge cut above Diego’s eye and the fight was stopped due to the cut. The high kick is what opened up the big cut on Diego. Great performance by BJ.
Winner: BJ Penn by TKO (Cut) R5 2:37
Welterweight Fight- Damarques Johnson vs. Edgar Garcia
R!- Both guys throwing strikes early. Garcia gets a take down about a minute and a half into the round. Garcia goes for a choke and Damarques survived and Edgar gave up the hold. Garcia hit some good shots against the cage and Damarques seemed to feed off of it. Edgar landed another right that took Damarques off his feet. Edgar landed some Ground and Pound and Damarques trapped him in a triangle and won the fight. Great submission by Damarques and it earned submission of the night.
Winner: Damarques Johnson by Submission (Triangle Choke) R1 4:03
12/13/09
Fedex Forum
Memphis, Tn
Heavyweight Fight- Paul Buentello (25-10) vs. Stefan Struve (22-3)
Buentello has won 5 of his last 6 fights and this is his return to the UFC. Struve is a 6’11” fighter with an 83” reach. Struve won his last fight via submission against Chase Gormley at UFC 104 and beat Denis Stojnic by submission at UFC 99 in a blood bath.
R1- Struve tried to pull guard early but abandoned that and nailed a big uppercut that Buentello ate and then Struve took him down and got a body triangle on Buentello. Struve tried to get in a Rear Naked Choke but couldn’t get it clamped in. With thirty seconds left in the round Buentello was able to turn over and take top position. Buentello really did nothing this round, it could have been a 10-8 round if Struve could have done some significant damage. Struve 10-9.
R2- Buentello hit a good shot as Struve was coming in and Buentello knocked him to the ground but did not attack and let him stand back up. Struve came in again about half way through the round and got destroyed by a right hand that looked like it might have knocked him out. Near the one minute mark Struve hit a good elbow , then Buentello retaliated then they went toe to toe throwing leather. Just seconds later both guys threw toe to toe again. Struve actually came back and made a round of this but I’ve got it going to Buentello. Really fun round and I’ve got the fight scored 19-19.
R3- The beginning of this round had to be delayed because they had to remove a piece of tooth from Struve’s mouth guard. Ouch. Struve landing more strikes in the first part of the round. Buentello was able to catch Struve leaning and landed a strike that knocked him to the ground in the last minute of the fight. Really close fight. I see a split decision. Struve landed more strikes in the third round but Buentello did get the knock down.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 29-28, 28-28
Winner: Stefan Struve by Decision (Majority)
Lightweight Fight- Kenny Florian (13-4) vs. Clay Guida (25-7)
Guida is coming off of a FOTY Candidate loss to Diego Sanchez and Florian is coming off of a loss to BJ Penn. On paper this looks like it has the ability to steal the show and both guys need a win. Florian has a 3” height and 6” reach advantage. Guida is definitely the fan favorite in this fight.
R1- Kenny partially landed a head kick but it ended with Guida taking top position but Florian was able to get back to his feet quickly. Florian almost got a take down but did land a knee as Guida rose back up. Guida went for a take down but Florian controlled him and opened up a big cut on Guida and then got a slam and landed some strikes against the cage. Florian landed some elbows and the ref stopped the fight so the doctor could look at the cut. Florian won this round in the last minute and is up 10-9 going into round two.
R2- Guida went for a take down early but was stuffed. Florian really started to look comfortable with the stand up this round and he just leveled Guida with a big time right hand that hurt Guida. Florian jumped on top and landed some strikes and then clamped in a Rear Naked Choke and Guida tapped out. Fantastic showing by Florian.
Winner: Kenny Florian by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 2:19
Welterweight Fight- Jon Fitch (23-3) vs. Mike Pierce (9-2)
Fitch has a 4” height and 3” reach advantage in this fight.
R1- Fitch caught a kick early and muscled Pierce to the ground and took his back. At the two minute mark Pierce slipped out and got a take down but Fitch got to his feet pretty quickly. Fitch landed some decent strikes at the end of the round. Fitch 10-9.
R2- Fitch caught a leg kick and took Pierce down but Pierce got to his feet without taking any damage. Fitch got another brief take down. This was a typical Fitch round and he’s up 20-18 going into the final round.
R3- Jon Fitch makes me sleepy. Pierce got in some good shots towards the end of the round and almost stole this right but I’ve got Fitch 29-28 on the score cards.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 on all cards
Winner: Jon Fitch by Decision (Unanimous)
Heavyweight Fight- Frank Mir (12-4) vs. Cheick Kongo (24-5-1)
Mir has been talking all kinds of crap about this fight and about Brock Lesnar. It will be interesting to see if Mir overlooks Kongo in this fight. Goldberg tells us Kongo is the 4th most accurate striker in the UFC. Mir has earned more wins by submission than any other Heavyweight fighter in UFC history. Mir has 25 pounds on Kongo.
R1- No touching of the gloves to start the fight. Mir hit a huge left hand 30 seconds into the fight and Kongo went down hard. Mir jumped on top with a guillotine and Kongo tried to hold on but he went limp and the ref stopped the fight. Amazing performance by Mir.
Winner: Frank Mir by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 1:12
Catchweight Fight- Alan Belcher vs. Wilson Gouveia
This is a pre-show fight. There was a lot of talk before the fight that Belcher was upset that he was not on the main card.
R1- We join the fight about one minute into round one. Belcher is wearing some sweet pink tights and has corn rows. Lots of free swinging by both guys. Belcher hurt Gouveia with an uppercut and then finished him on the ground as the ref stepped in and stopped the fight.
Winner: Alan Belcher by TKO (Strikes) R1
Lightweight Title Fight- BJ Penn © (14-5-1) vs. Diego Sanchez (23-2)
The UFC tells me that BJ lands 61% of his total strikes, lands 57% of his lead jabs (tied for 1st in UFC History with Anderson Silva) and he has never been knocked down. Diego has also never been knocked down, he has 56% ground striking accuracy and in his last four fights he has a 79% take down defense rate.
R1- BJ rocked Diego and knocked him down at the thirty second round of the fight. Diego got back up and ate a knee and BJ jumped all over him with punches. Diego fought and survived the onslaught. BJ hit a couple more strikes at the end of the round and looks to be in total control so far. BJ 10-9.
R2- Diego went for an early take down but could not get BJ off his feet. Diego keeps going for the take down but cannot get it. Diego missed a high kick and ate a couple of shots. BJ 20-18.
R3- Sanchez trying hard for the take down but BJ is not letting him. BJ is winning the striking game. BJ 30-27.
R4- BJ hit a good combo at the one and a half minute mark of the round. Diego continues to go for take downs and BJ continues to avoid them. BJ 40-36.
R5- Diego tried hard for a take down but BJ sprawled and ended up on top and then took the fight back to their feet. BJ hit a good kick and then followed it with some good punches before Diego could latch onto BJ’s leg. BJ sprawled out and then landed some punches and opened a huge cut above Diego’s eye and the fight was stopped due to the cut. The high kick is what opened up the big cut on Diego. Great performance by BJ.
Winner: BJ Penn by TKO (Cut) R5 2:37
Welterweight Fight- Damarques Johnson vs. Edgar Garcia
R!- Both guys throwing strikes early. Garcia gets a take down about a minute and a half into the round. Garcia goes for a choke and Damarques survived and Edgar gave up the hold. Garcia hit some good shots against the cage and Damarques seemed to feed off of it. Edgar landed another right that took Damarques off his feet. Edgar landed some Ground and Pound and Damarques trapped him in a triangle and won the fight. Great submission by Damarques and it earned submission of the night.
Winner: Damarques Johnson by Submission (Triangle Choke) R1 4:03
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Ultimate Finale 12/5/09 Re-Cap (Spike TV)
Ultimate Finale
The Pearl at the Palms
Las Vegas, Nevada
12/5/09
Heavyweight Fight- Marcus Jones (4-2) vs. Matt Mitrione (0-0)
R1- Jones got a quick take down in the first 15 seconds but Mitrione got to his feet at the one minute mark. Mitrione landed some knees in the clinch. Jones was able to grab a guillotine and pull guard but he couldn’t get the submission. Jones got another take down with one minute left in the fight but Mitrione got to his feet quickly. Both guys swung wildly but Jones got another take down. Jones 10-9.
R2- Mitrione caught Jones coming in and knocked him out for the win.
Winner: Matt Mitrione by KO R2 0:10
Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Dixie Carter are at the show. Wow, now that’s a trio that I have no interest in seeing as partners in pro wrestling.
Lightweight Fight- Frankie Edgar (10-1) vs. Matt Veach (11-0)
Edgar is coming off of a big win at UFC 98 over Sean Sherk.
R1- Veach got a couple early take downs stuffed and then Edgar partially hit a head kick but Veach grabbed him and took him down. Edgar popped back up and Veach slammed him back to the canvas. Edgar gave up his back and got back to his feet and Veach again slammed him back to the mat. Veach seemed to tire a little at the end of the round and Edgar was able to get the better of the stand up. I’ve got Veach 10-9 on the strength of his slams.
R2- Edgar hit a big time right hand and knocked Veach down. Edgar jumped on top and landed some good shots on Veach. Veach gave up his back and Edgar clamped on the Rear Naked Choke and Veach tapped out. Really good performance by Edgar in weathering the early take downs in round one and then winning the stand up game later in the fight.
Winner: Frankie Edgar by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 2:22
Joe Rogan interviews Hulk Hogan ringside.
Lightweight Fight- Mark Bocek (7-2) vs. Joe Brammer (8-0)
Bocek has a 5” reach advantage in this fight. This is Brammer’s UFC debut.
R1- Bocek got the first take down and on the second take down he took Brammer’s back and got him in a body triangle. Bocek ended up getting a standing Rear Naked Choke and Brammer tapped out. Good showing by Bocek.
Winner: Mark Bocek by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 3:36
215 lb Catchweight Fight- Kimbo Slice (3-1) vs. Houston Alexander (9-4)
Kimbo has a 2” height, 5” reach and 4lb weight advantage.
R1- Kimbo takes the center of the cage and Houston circles him for the first minute with no punches thrown. Very little action in the first half of round one as Houston has landed a few leg kicks and Kimbo has thrown one strike. Finally they engaged and both guys threw some strikes but nothing significant landed. Really tough first round to score as neither guy was aggressive and neither guy landed anything worth taking note of.
R2- More of the same at the beginning of this round as Houston circles Kimbo and hits an occasional leg kick. Kimbo landed a good jab at the two minute mark of the round. Kimbo got a take down and took full mount but Houston got out of it. Houston slipped on a leg kick and Kimbo was able to land a couple of shots. Kimbo landed a good body shot. Kimbo hit an awesome side suplex on Houston and landed some strikes. Kimbo tried a guillotine but Kimbo easily slipped out and then again took top position. Houston gave up his back and Kimbo tried weakly for a Rear Naked. Kimbo then flipped him over and landed a good short elbow. I don’t know who won the first round but Kimbo easily took the second round.
R3- Both guys came out swinging to start the third round. Houston looks tired. Kimbo landed a good right hand. Houston hit a leg kick and Kimbo fell down and it looked like his leg might have given out on him. Houston followed in with some shots but Kimbo grabbed a leg and got a take down. Good recovery by Kimbo. Kimbo is landing some shots but Houston did a good job on defense and the ref stood the fight up with one minute remaining. Houston landed a couple of strikes in the last ten seconds but this one goes to a draw. Not the fight anyone thought we would see and other than the second round this was a pretty ugly fight. This is gonna be a really tough fight to score. As an overall fight Kimbo definitely won but breaking it down into round-by-round scoring it will be interesting to see what the judges decide.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 29-28, 30-27
Winner: Kimbo Slice by Decision (Unanimous)
Tito Ortiz is in attendance at the show. And UFC is going to announce the coaches for the next TUF. Hmmmmm……
Joe Rogan interviews BJ Penn and Diego Sanchez at the same time via satellite.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Matt Hamill (8-2) vs. Jon Jones (9-0)
Jones has a 3” height and 8.5” reach advantage.
R1- They stood up for the first two minutes and then Jones escaped a Hamill take down. Jones is hitting some strikes but nothing damaging so far although Hamill’s ribs are a little red. Jones landed a really nice trip and ended up on top of Hamill and then starting hitting some big Ground and Pound. Jones is throwing some big time elbows as Hamill is trying to cover up. Jones gets a point taken from him for a down ward elbow and then the fight is stopped. Not sure if this will be a DQ or a victory for Jones but Rogan/Goldberg seem like they are assuming victory for Jones and not talking about DQ. Jones was dominating Hamill once he got him down on the mat.
Winner: Matt Hamill by DQ (Intentional Elbows) R1
Heavyweight Fight- James McSweeney vs. Darrill Schoonover
R1- The video is messed up so we are pretty much just getting PBP from Rogan/Goldberg. After a minute we get video and McSweeney pulls guard on a guillotine but Schoonover pops his head out and takes McSweeney’s guard. McSweeney flips Schoonover over and moves to mount. They stand back up and Schoonover lands a good knee but couldn’t follow up before the round ended.
R2- McSweeney got Schoonover down with a looping right hand and didn’t fully hit. McSweeney followed him down to the mat and took his guard. McSweeney definitely took this round.
R3- McSweeney got a good slam and again took top position. McSweeney landed a couple of good strikes about half way through the round and this one is over. McSweeney looked a lot better in this fight than he did in any of his TUF fights.
Winner: James McSweeney by TKO (Strikes) R3 3:20
Dana White announces the coaches for Season 11 of TUF. They are Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. Dana says that TUF 11 will be Middleweight Fighters.
TUF 10 Heavyweight Final- Roy Nelson (14-4) vs. Brendan Schaub (5-0)
Roy Nelson comes out to Weird Al Yankovic’s song “I’m Fat”. Schaub has a 4” height and 5” reach advantage. Nelson has a 23 lb weight advantage.
R1- Schaub is using his jab effectively early and avoids a take down but then got clinched and taken down by Nelson. Schaub got held down for a while but did a good job of getting to his feet without taking any damage. Schaub is landing some decent strikes. Nelson hit a big right hand behind Schaub’s ear and this one is over.
Winner: Roy Nelson by KO R1 3:45
The Pearl at the Palms
Las Vegas, Nevada
12/5/09
Heavyweight Fight- Marcus Jones (4-2) vs. Matt Mitrione (0-0)
R1- Jones got a quick take down in the first 15 seconds but Mitrione got to his feet at the one minute mark. Mitrione landed some knees in the clinch. Jones was able to grab a guillotine and pull guard but he couldn’t get the submission. Jones got another take down with one minute left in the fight but Mitrione got to his feet quickly. Both guys swung wildly but Jones got another take down. Jones 10-9.
R2- Mitrione caught Jones coming in and knocked him out for the win.
Winner: Matt Mitrione by KO R2 0:10
Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Dixie Carter are at the show. Wow, now that’s a trio that I have no interest in seeing as partners in pro wrestling.
Lightweight Fight- Frankie Edgar (10-1) vs. Matt Veach (11-0)
Edgar is coming off of a big win at UFC 98 over Sean Sherk.
R1- Veach got a couple early take downs stuffed and then Edgar partially hit a head kick but Veach grabbed him and took him down. Edgar popped back up and Veach slammed him back to the canvas. Edgar gave up his back and got back to his feet and Veach again slammed him back to the mat. Veach seemed to tire a little at the end of the round and Edgar was able to get the better of the stand up. I’ve got Veach 10-9 on the strength of his slams.
R2- Edgar hit a big time right hand and knocked Veach down. Edgar jumped on top and landed some good shots on Veach. Veach gave up his back and Edgar clamped on the Rear Naked Choke and Veach tapped out. Really good performance by Edgar in weathering the early take downs in round one and then winning the stand up game later in the fight.
Winner: Frankie Edgar by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 2:22
Joe Rogan interviews Hulk Hogan ringside.
Lightweight Fight- Mark Bocek (7-2) vs. Joe Brammer (8-0)
Bocek has a 5” reach advantage in this fight. This is Brammer’s UFC debut.
R1- Bocek got the first take down and on the second take down he took Brammer’s back and got him in a body triangle. Bocek ended up getting a standing Rear Naked Choke and Brammer tapped out. Good showing by Bocek.
Winner: Mark Bocek by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 3:36
215 lb Catchweight Fight- Kimbo Slice (3-1) vs. Houston Alexander (9-4)
Kimbo has a 2” height, 5” reach and 4lb weight advantage.
R1- Kimbo takes the center of the cage and Houston circles him for the first minute with no punches thrown. Very little action in the first half of round one as Houston has landed a few leg kicks and Kimbo has thrown one strike. Finally they engaged and both guys threw some strikes but nothing significant landed. Really tough first round to score as neither guy was aggressive and neither guy landed anything worth taking note of.
R2- More of the same at the beginning of this round as Houston circles Kimbo and hits an occasional leg kick. Kimbo landed a good jab at the two minute mark of the round. Kimbo got a take down and took full mount but Houston got out of it. Houston slipped on a leg kick and Kimbo was able to land a couple of shots. Kimbo landed a good body shot. Kimbo hit an awesome side suplex on Houston and landed some strikes. Kimbo tried a guillotine but Kimbo easily slipped out and then again took top position. Houston gave up his back and Kimbo tried weakly for a Rear Naked. Kimbo then flipped him over and landed a good short elbow. I don’t know who won the first round but Kimbo easily took the second round.
R3- Both guys came out swinging to start the third round. Houston looks tired. Kimbo landed a good right hand. Houston hit a leg kick and Kimbo fell down and it looked like his leg might have given out on him. Houston followed in with some shots but Kimbo grabbed a leg and got a take down. Good recovery by Kimbo. Kimbo is landing some shots but Houston did a good job on defense and the ref stood the fight up with one minute remaining. Houston landed a couple of strikes in the last ten seconds but this one goes to a draw. Not the fight anyone thought we would see and other than the second round this was a pretty ugly fight. This is gonna be a really tough fight to score. As an overall fight Kimbo definitely won but breaking it down into round-by-round scoring it will be interesting to see what the judges decide.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 29-28, 30-27
Winner: Kimbo Slice by Decision (Unanimous)
Tito Ortiz is in attendance at the show. And UFC is going to announce the coaches for the next TUF. Hmmmmm……
Joe Rogan interviews BJ Penn and Diego Sanchez at the same time via satellite.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Matt Hamill (8-2) vs. Jon Jones (9-0)
Jones has a 3” height and 8.5” reach advantage.
R1- They stood up for the first two minutes and then Jones escaped a Hamill take down. Jones is hitting some strikes but nothing damaging so far although Hamill’s ribs are a little red. Jones landed a really nice trip and ended up on top of Hamill and then starting hitting some big Ground and Pound. Jones is throwing some big time elbows as Hamill is trying to cover up. Jones gets a point taken from him for a down ward elbow and then the fight is stopped. Not sure if this will be a DQ or a victory for Jones but Rogan/Goldberg seem like they are assuming victory for Jones and not talking about DQ. Jones was dominating Hamill once he got him down on the mat.
Winner: Matt Hamill by DQ (Intentional Elbows) R1
Heavyweight Fight- James McSweeney vs. Darrill Schoonover
R1- The video is messed up so we are pretty much just getting PBP from Rogan/Goldberg. After a minute we get video and McSweeney pulls guard on a guillotine but Schoonover pops his head out and takes McSweeney’s guard. McSweeney flips Schoonover over and moves to mount. They stand back up and Schoonover lands a good knee but couldn’t follow up before the round ended.
R2- McSweeney got Schoonover down with a looping right hand and didn’t fully hit. McSweeney followed him down to the mat and took his guard. McSweeney definitely took this round.
R3- McSweeney got a good slam and again took top position. McSweeney landed a couple of good strikes about half way through the round and this one is over. McSweeney looked a lot better in this fight than he did in any of his TUF fights.
Winner: James McSweeney by TKO (Strikes) R3 3:20
Dana White announces the coaches for Season 11 of TUF. They are Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. Dana says that TUF 11 will be Middleweight Fighters.
TUF 10 Heavyweight Final- Roy Nelson (14-4) vs. Brendan Schaub (5-0)
Roy Nelson comes out to Weird Al Yankovic’s song “I’m Fat”. Schaub has a 4” height and 5” reach advantage. Nelson has a 23 lb weight advantage.
R1- Schaub is using his jab effectively early and avoids a take down but then got clinched and taken down by Nelson. Schaub got held down for a while but did a good job of getting to his feet without taking any damage. Schaub is landing some decent strikes. Nelson hit a big right hand behind Schaub’s ear and this one is over.
Winner: Roy Nelson by KO R1 3:45
TUF 10: Heavyweights "Road to the Finale" Re-Cap
TUF 10: Heavyweights “Road to the Finale” Episode Eleven
Dana is looking for guys to take Mitrione’s place and nobody is stepping forward. Kimbo turns it down because he doesn’t feel he’s 100%. Mitrione decides that he feels good and he’s going to fight.
Marcus Jones lost it and starting yelling at Matt Mitrione when he found out that Scott Junk got a detached retina in his fight with Mitrione and might not fight anymore. Junk got the surgery but the doctor said that he could resume training in about two months. Jones says he’s glad he didn’t go overboard.
McSweeney pushes Mitrione after an intense staredown at the weigh-ins.
Heavyweight Quarterfinal Fight- James McSweeney (3-3) vs. Matt Mitrione (2-0)
Mitrione has a 6” reach advantage in this fight.
R1- McSweeney caught Mitrione in a guillotine choke about mid-way through the round and Mitrione tapped out. Neither guy looked really good in this one.
Winner: James McSweeney by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1
Heavyweight Quarterfinal Fight- Marcus Jones (4-2) vs. Darrill Schoonover (10-0)
Jones has a 4” reach and height advantage.
R1- Jones quickly got a take down in the first ten seconds of the fight. Jones just really controlled Schoonover in this fight and eventually took his guard and got in some good shots and knocked him out.
Winner: Marcus Jones by KO
Final Four: James McSweeney, Brendan Schaub, Roy Nelson, Marcus Jones.
Semi-Finals Fights:
Roy Nelson vs. James McSweeney
Brendan Schaub vs. Marcus Jones
McSweeney locks Zak Jensen in the bathroom and Jensen comes out swinging but McSweeney grabs him in a guillotine and subdues him.
Heavyweight Semi-Final Fight: Roy Nelson (13-4) vs. James McSweeney (3-3)
R1- Roy took the fight to the ground about half way through the round and then got the crucifix position like he had Kimbo in and landed some good undefended offense and the ref stopped the fight.
Winner: Roy Nelson by TKO (Strikes) R1
Heavyweight Semi-Final Fight- Marcus Jones (4-2) vs. Brendan Schuab (4-0)
R1- Jones got an immediate take down. Marcus mounted at about the one minute mark but Schaub was able to get to his feet without taking much damage. Jones landed a knee to the head. Schuab hit a big punch that stunned and floored Marcus. Scahub jumped on top and landed some Ground and Pound and the ref stepped in and stopped the fight. Really good come back and showing by Schaub.
Winner: Brendan Schaub by TKO (Strikes) R1
The TUF Heavyweight Finals are: Roy Nelson versus Brendan Schaub
Eliminated:
Abe Wagner defeated by Jon Madsen- Episode One
Wes Shivers defeated by James McSweeney- Episode Two
Kimbo Slice defeated by Roy Nelson- Episode Three
Demico Rogers defeated by Brendan Schaub- Episode Four
Wes Sims defeated by Justin Wren- Episode Five
Zak Jensen defeated by Darrill Schoonover- Episode Six
Scott Junk defeated by Matt Mitrione: Episode Seven
Mike Wessel defeated by Marcus Jones: Episode Eight
Justin Wren defeated by Roy Nelson: Episode Nine
Jon Madsen defeated by Brendan Schaub: Episode Ten
Matt Mitrione defeated by James McSweeney- Episode Eleven
Darrill Schoonover defeated by Marcus Jones- Episode Eleven
James McSweeney defeated by Roy Nelson- Episode Eleven
Marcus Jones defeated by Brendan Schaub- Episode Eleven
Dana is looking for guys to take Mitrione’s place and nobody is stepping forward. Kimbo turns it down because he doesn’t feel he’s 100%. Mitrione decides that he feels good and he’s going to fight.
Marcus Jones lost it and starting yelling at Matt Mitrione when he found out that Scott Junk got a detached retina in his fight with Mitrione and might not fight anymore. Junk got the surgery but the doctor said that he could resume training in about two months. Jones says he’s glad he didn’t go overboard.
McSweeney pushes Mitrione after an intense staredown at the weigh-ins.
Heavyweight Quarterfinal Fight- James McSweeney (3-3) vs. Matt Mitrione (2-0)
Mitrione has a 6” reach advantage in this fight.
R1- McSweeney caught Mitrione in a guillotine choke about mid-way through the round and Mitrione tapped out. Neither guy looked really good in this one.
Winner: James McSweeney by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1
Heavyweight Quarterfinal Fight- Marcus Jones (4-2) vs. Darrill Schoonover (10-0)
Jones has a 4” reach and height advantage.
R1- Jones quickly got a take down in the first ten seconds of the fight. Jones just really controlled Schoonover in this fight and eventually took his guard and got in some good shots and knocked him out.
Winner: Marcus Jones by KO
Final Four: James McSweeney, Brendan Schaub, Roy Nelson, Marcus Jones.
Semi-Finals Fights:
Roy Nelson vs. James McSweeney
Brendan Schaub vs. Marcus Jones
McSweeney locks Zak Jensen in the bathroom and Jensen comes out swinging but McSweeney grabs him in a guillotine and subdues him.
Heavyweight Semi-Final Fight: Roy Nelson (13-4) vs. James McSweeney (3-3)
R1- Roy took the fight to the ground about half way through the round and then got the crucifix position like he had Kimbo in and landed some good undefended offense and the ref stopped the fight.
Winner: Roy Nelson by TKO (Strikes) R1
Heavyweight Semi-Final Fight- Marcus Jones (4-2) vs. Brendan Schuab (4-0)
R1- Jones got an immediate take down. Marcus mounted at about the one minute mark but Schaub was able to get to his feet without taking much damage. Jones landed a knee to the head. Schuab hit a big punch that stunned and floored Marcus. Scahub jumped on top and landed some Ground and Pound and the ref stepped in and stopped the fight. Really good come back and showing by Schaub.
Winner: Brendan Schaub by TKO (Strikes) R1
The TUF Heavyweight Finals are: Roy Nelson versus Brendan Schaub
Eliminated:
Abe Wagner defeated by Jon Madsen- Episode One
Wes Shivers defeated by James McSweeney- Episode Two
Kimbo Slice defeated by Roy Nelson- Episode Three
Demico Rogers defeated by Brendan Schaub- Episode Four
Wes Sims defeated by Justin Wren- Episode Five
Zak Jensen defeated by Darrill Schoonover- Episode Six
Scott Junk defeated by Matt Mitrione: Episode Seven
Mike Wessel defeated by Marcus Jones: Episode Eight
Justin Wren defeated by Roy Nelson: Episode Nine
Jon Madsen defeated by Brendan Schaub: Episode Ten
Matt Mitrione defeated by James McSweeney- Episode Eleven
Darrill Schoonover defeated by Marcus Jones- Episode Eleven
James McSweeney defeated by Roy Nelson- Episode Eleven
Marcus Jones defeated by Brendan Schaub- Episode Eleven
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