UFC 111: Preliminaries
The Prudential Center
Newark, New Jersey
March 27, 2010
Spike TV
UFC 111 features Georges St. Pierre defending the Welterweight Championship against Dan Hardy and Frank Mir battling Shane Carwin for the Interim Heavyweight Championship on PPV. But first live on Spike TV will be Ricardo Almeida fighting TUF alum Matt Brown and TUF Winner Nate Diaz fighting Rory Markham.
Welterweight Fight- Ricardo Almeida (11-3) vs. Matt Brown (13-7)
This is the Welterweight debut for Almeida.
R1- Almeida got a take down at the end of the first minute of the fight but Brown got back to his feet without any damage. Lots of clinching in this round, Almeida started to throw some strikes at the end of the round. Almeida 10-9.
R2- Almeida got a take down in the first couple of seconds of the round but Brown moved back to the cage and got back to his feet very quickly. Almedia tripped Brown and took side control and landed some strikes before Brown could get back to his feet. Brown threw a kick and Almeida countered with a strike and a take down. Almeida opened up a cut on Brown. Almeida took Brown's back and clamped in the Rear Naked and finished the fight.
Winner: Ricardo Almeida by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 3:30
Joe Rogan interviews Georges St. Pierre about his title fight tonight against Dan Hardy.
A sneak preview of the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter featuring Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz is shown.
Middleweight Fight- Nate Diaz (11-5) vs. Rory Markham (16-5)
Diaz is moving up to Welterweight for this fight but Markham failed to make weight but Diaz agreed to take the fight anyway and it was moved up to a Middleweight fight. Markham is coming off of around a year long layoff due to injury and Mike Goldberg points that out as a reason he didn't make weight. Diaz has a 5" reach advantage.
R1- Markham looks like he's fighting in a completely different weight class than Diaz. he is just so thick compared to Diaz. Diaz is landing some jabs early. Diaz landed some good shots and Markham went to his knees. Diaz took Markham's back and landed some strikes to the head and body. Diaz started landing good strikes to the head and the ref stopped the fight. Great showing by Diaz.
Winner: Nate Diaz by TKO (Strikes) R1 2:47
Joe Rogan interviews Dan Hardy about his title fight tonight against GSP. Hardy has some freaky red contacts in.
Joe Rogan and Dana White hype the fights for the PPV.
Middleweight Fight- Rousimar Palhares vs. Tomasz Drwal
R1- Drwal went for a kick and slipped and Palhares jumped on him and immediately went for his leg and tapped him out with a leg lock. Wow, Palhares the pit bull. This is the same guy that took Dan Henderson to the distance in Atlanta. He could be a tough out in the Middleweight division.
Winner: Rousimar Palhares by Submission (Leg Lock) R1 0:45
Saturday, March 27, 2010
UFC Unleashed 3/24/2010 Re-Cap
UFC Unleashed 3/24/2010
On this episode of UFC Unleashed we have 2 preliminary fights from the UFC on Versus show (Clay Guida and TUF alum Brendan Schaub) last Sunday and 2 other fights that have never been aired on TV.
Lightweight Fight- Justin Buchholz (9-3) vs. Jeremy Stephens (16-5)- UFC Fight Night 19- 9/16/2009
R1- Stephens is very aggressive early. Stephens landed some good knees two minutes into the fight but couldn't finish Buchholz. Stephens cut Buchholz with some strikes and the ref stopped the fight to check out his cut. The doctor stopped the fight.
Winner: Jeremy Stephens by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) R1 3:32
Lightweight Fight- Paul Kelly vs. Dennis Siver- 11/14/2009- UFC 105
R1- Both guys stood up and threw for the majority of the first round. Siver did a really good job counter punching. Kelly got a take down right at the end of the round.
R2- Siver hit a good spinning back kick about half way through the round and Kelly got rocked and stayed down for a while but Siver let him get up. When Kelly got up you could tell he was in no condition to fight. Siver hit some more strikes and then the ref stopped the fight. Awesome kick, as he hit him with the back of his heel right in the side.
Winner: Dennis Siver by TKO (Strikes) R2 2:53
Lightweight Fight- Clay Guida vs. Shannon Gugerty- 3/21/2010- UFC on Versus
R1- Guida spent the majority of the time in this round on top of Gugerty. Guida ended the round with a couple of strikes.
R2- Guida got a quick take down in the opening minute of the round. Guida mounted and grabbed an arm triangle and finished the fight.
Winner: Clay Guida by Submission (Arm Triangle) R2 3:40
Heavyweight Fight- Brendan Schaub vs. Chase Gormley- 3/21/2010- UFC on Versus
R1- Gormley came in quick and Schaub landed something that brought Gormley to his knees. Schaub continued to get strikes in on Gormley. Schaub landed a big uppercut and followed with more strikes and Schaub finished the fight. Great showing by Schaub. He looked very good in this fight.
Winner: Brendan Schaub by TKO (Strikes) R1 0:47
On this episode of UFC Unleashed we have 2 preliminary fights from the UFC on Versus show (Clay Guida and TUF alum Brendan Schaub) last Sunday and 2 other fights that have never been aired on TV.
Lightweight Fight- Justin Buchholz (9-3) vs. Jeremy Stephens (16-5)- UFC Fight Night 19- 9/16/2009
R1- Stephens is very aggressive early. Stephens landed some good knees two minutes into the fight but couldn't finish Buchholz. Stephens cut Buchholz with some strikes and the ref stopped the fight to check out his cut. The doctor stopped the fight.
Winner: Jeremy Stephens by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) R1 3:32
Lightweight Fight- Paul Kelly vs. Dennis Siver- 11/14/2009- UFC 105
R1- Both guys stood up and threw for the majority of the first round. Siver did a really good job counter punching. Kelly got a take down right at the end of the round.
R2- Siver hit a good spinning back kick about half way through the round and Kelly got rocked and stayed down for a while but Siver let him get up. When Kelly got up you could tell he was in no condition to fight. Siver hit some more strikes and then the ref stopped the fight. Awesome kick, as he hit him with the back of his heel right in the side.
Winner: Dennis Siver by TKO (Strikes) R2 2:53
Lightweight Fight- Clay Guida vs. Shannon Gugerty- 3/21/2010- UFC on Versus
R1- Guida spent the majority of the time in this round on top of Gugerty. Guida ended the round with a couple of strikes.
R2- Guida got a quick take down in the opening minute of the round. Guida mounted and grabbed an arm triangle and finished the fight.
Winner: Clay Guida by Submission (Arm Triangle) R2 3:40
Heavyweight Fight- Brendan Schaub vs. Chase Gormley- 3/21/2010- UFC on Versus
R1- Gormley came in quick and Schaub landed something that brought Gormley to his knees. Schaub continued to get strikes in on Gormley. Schaub landed a big uppercut and followed with more strikes and Schaub finished the fight. Great showing by Schaub. He looked very good in this fight.
Winner: Brendan Schaub by TKO (Strikes) R1 0:47
DREAM 13 3/22/10 Re-Cap
DREAM 13
Yokohama Arena
Japan
March 22, 2010
What a busy two weeks for MMA. XFC on HDNet last Friday, UFC on Versus on Sunday night, DREAM on HDNet Monday morning, next Friday HDNet has another King of the Cage show and Showtime counters with a Strikeforce Challengers show and UFC has another PPV next weekend. Wow. That's a huge line-up. This DREAM line-up has Joachim Hansen dropping in weight to challenge Bibiano Fernandes for the Featherweight title in what should be a great fight. We also have the return of KJ Noons and the controversial Josh Barnett on this show. Michael Schiavello and Frank Trigg are the announcers. This is the first DREAM show of 2010.
Open Weight Fight- Minowaman vs. Jimmy Ambriz
Schiavello's man love for Minowaman knows no bounds. I love how enthusiastic Schiavello is when he calls MMA. I had never heard him call anything until last year but he's quickly become my favorite play by play guy. Ambriz comes in at 275 pounds and Minowa is only 196 pounds.
R1- Ambriz controls the first part of the match by smothering Minowa. Ambriz grabs an arm triangle but can't keep it. Ambriz is just controlling Minowa so far. Ambriz gassed and Minowa employed the stick and move for the rest of the round. Not a very compelling fight so far.
R2- Ambriz starts off this round like the last one as he attempts to smother Minowa. Ambriz mounted but Minowa reversed him and then tapped him with a heel hook.
Winner: Minowman by Submission (Heel Hook) R2
We are one hour into the telecast and we are now on Fight #2.
Lightweight Fight- Kuniyoshi Hironaka (16-6) vs. Katsunori Kikuno (12-2-2)
Kikuno comes out to "We Are the World". Only in Japan. Hironaka is a former UFC fighter who went 1-3 while in the UFC. Kikuno holds a win over Nick Diaz. Both fighters are 4-1 in their last 5 fights. This is being promoted as who is the 3rd strongest Japanese lightweight fighter behind Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri.
R1- Kikuno lands some good strikes at the beginning of the round. Kikuno landed a liver kick and then a big time right hand and Hironaka just folded to the mat and this one is all over. Really impressive victory for Katsunori Kikuno. He hit a kick, missed with a strike, hit a good solid left and a big right. Really good combination. This one lasted only a minute and a half.
Winner: Katsunori Kikuno by TKO (Strikes) R1
Featherweight Fight- Cole Escovedo (15-4) vs. Yoshiro Maeda (26-7-2)
Escovedo is a former WEC Featherweight Champion. He has lost fights to Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver in the past. He had to take 3 and a half years off after a really bad staph infection. He is known for his triangle choke. He comes out to some Metallica. 14 of Maeda's wins have come by TKO/KO. Escovedo is 4-1 in his last 5 fights, Maeda is 3-2 in his last 5.
R1- Maeda is the agressor early and is throwing a lot of strikes. Out of nowhere Escovedo landed a left head kick and this one is over. Two great finishes back to back. Maeda was looking really good until he ate that head kick. Big time KO by Escovedo.
Winner: Cole Escovedo by KO (Head Kick) R1
Welterweight Fight- Andrews Nakahara (2-1) vs. Ryo Chonan (16-10)
Nakahara comes out to Eminem. This is his one shot to seize everything. His palms are sweaty..... Chonan is a former Pride and UFC fighter and this is his debut in DREAM. He is only 1-3 in the UFC. Schiavello tells us that Chonan is the betting underdog in this fight.
R1- They exchanged two minutes into the round and Nakahara went down but I don't think he got hit solidly with anything. Chonan took top position but Nakahara did a good job of locking him up from the bottom. Chonan spends the majority of the round in top position. The referee hands out a yellow card to Nakahara for not working enough from the bottom and stands the fight back up. Chonan is definitely the aggressor on their feet after the stand up. Nakahara hit Chonan with a big kick to the balls which puts a stop to Chonan's control of the round. Chonan is well in control of this fight going into the final five minutes.
R2- Nakahara lands some good shots half way through the round and then both guys throw with Nakahara getting the better of the exchange. Chonan was able to stop Nakahara's onslaught with a take down. Chonan ends the fight on top of Nakahara as they go the distance. I think Chonan is going to win this one. Nakahara had a good onslaught in the 2nd round but it wasn't enough as Chonan controlled the majority of the fight.
Winner: Ryo Chonan by Decision (Unanimous)
Lightweight Fight- KJ Noons (7-2) vs. Andre Dida (6-3-1)
Andre Dida comes out wearing a Tiger Mask mask. Schiavello tells us that if Noons wins this fight that they will look to set him up against Tatsuya Kawajiri. Schiavello also tells us that Strikeforce big wig Scott Coker is in the house tonight. This is KJ's return to MMA after spending a lot of time boxing (he was 4-1 in his last 5 fights and won his last 3 fights). KJ has a 100% KO ratio in MMA. Dida is 2-3 in his last 5 fights. Noons is the favorite in this one.
R1- Dida starts this one out with a low blow. Noons is landing some decent body shots. Both guys landed quality punches at around the four minute mark but both guys absorbed them well. Methodical first round with Noons walking down Dida for the majority of the round and landing more jabs. Noons drew some blood from Dida's nose at the end of the round.
R2- Noons is starting to be more aggressive in this round and going for bigger shots. Dida's nose is really starting to bleed now and Noons looks like he may have a cut on his face as well. Noons is a little frustrated at Dida's continually backing away. Noons is going to take this by decision. Not a great fight by Noons but he was clearly the winner here tonight.
Winner: KJ Noons by Decision (Unanimous)
Heavyweight Fight- Josh Barnett (24-5) vs. Mighty Mo (3-1)
Barnett is a very controversial figure in the world of MMA. It's no shock that Josh is fighting in Japan after everything that happened to him prior to his Affliction fight with Fedor that never came to be. I would be shocked if Barnett fights in the US again for a major MMA company. Barnett should have an easy time in this fight. Mo took this fight on short notice about 10 days ago. Apparently DREAM had a tough time finding an opponent for Barnett for this fight.
R1- Mo hit a good strike and floored Barnett but he quickly got back to his feet before Mo could capitalize. Barnett landed a kick flush to Mo's "junk" and we are going to be taking a break for a while in this one. This one might be all over as they are taking a look at his package to see if he can continue. Mo is down and in agony and Schiavello and Twinkle Toes are thinking this one might be over. They have spent more than 5 minutes giving Mo time to rest as they really don't want to call this fight. They are giving Mo 3 more minutes. Josh told Mo he can hit him in the balls to even it out if they want. Mo is ready to continue and the ref gives Barnett a yellow card. Barnett got a take down about half way through the round and immediately got a kimura and this one is over.
Winner: Josh Barnett by Submission (Kimura) R1
Featherweight Title Fight- Bibiano Fernandes (c) (7-2) vs. Joachim Hansen (19-8-1)
Hansen was the first DREAM Lightweight Champion as he was a replacement for Eddie Alvarez and defeated Shinya Aoki in the tournament final. Hansen then lost the title to Aoki by submission. Hansen is a former Pride fighter and is the first fighter to defeat Takanori Gomi. Fernandes has only 2 losses in his career and they were to Urijah Faber (2006 by cut) and Kid Yamamoto (2007). This is the first defense of his title by Fernandes. Hansen has gone 3-2 in his last 5 and Fernandes is 5-0 in his last 5. Hansen is the favorite based on what the odds-makers say. Hansen normally fights at Lightweight and this is the first time I've seen him fight at this weight limit. If Hansen had a good cut I definitely can see him taking the title tonight. Even though this is a title fight it's still just a two round fight (the first round 10 minutes and the second round 5 minutes).
R1- Fernandes got a double leg take down 45 seconds into the fight but lets Hansen up. Fernandes hit a good counter right that briefly staggered Hansen but he absorbed it. Hansen really hasn't done much offensively so far after 3 and a half minutes. Fernandes got another take down with four minutes gone from the round but Hansen scrambled back to his feet without taking any damage. Fernandes landed another take down with two and a half minutes left in the first round but Hansen again got up with minimal damage inflicted. After the first round Fernandes is definitely winning the fight but he hasn't inflicted a lot of damage so Hansen could easily come back and win this in the second and final round.
R2- Fernandes got a quick double leg take down right at the beginning of the round and tried to get a leg lock but couldn't. Hansen is starting to find a home for his jab in this round but Fernandes caught a kick and took Hansen down again. Hansen landed some kicks while Fernandes stood above him. Fernandes got a take down in the last minute of the fight but Hansen got back to his feet with half a minute left. Close fight but Fernandes keeps the belt in my book. Two judges gave the fight to Fernandes and one gave it to Hansen so Fernandes keeps the belt. I think Hansen is better served in the Lightweight division as his speed seemed a bit off tonight and it took him a while to find his rhythm.
Winner: Bibiano Fernandes by Decision (Split)
Yokohama Arena
Japan
March 22, 2010
What a busy two weeks for MMA. XFC on HDNet last Friday, UFC on Versus on Sunday night, DREAM on HDNet Monday morning, next Friday HDNet has another King of the Cage show and Showtime counters with a Strikeforce Challengers show and UFC has another PPV next weekend. Wow. That's a huge line-up. This DREAM line-up has Joachim Hansen dropping in weight to challenge Bibiano Fernandes for the Featherweight title in what should be a great fight. We also have the return of KJ Noons and the controversial Josh Barnett on this show. Michael Schiavello and Frank Trigg are the announcers. This is the first DREAM show of 2010.
Open Weight Fight- Minowaman vs. Jimmy Ambriz
Schiavello's man love for Minowaman knows no bounds. I love how enthusiastic Schiavello is when he calls MMA. I had never heard him call anything until last year but he's quickly become my favorite play by play guy. Ambriz comes in at 275 pounds and Minowa is only 196 pounds.
R1- Ambriz controls the first part of the match by smothering Minowa. Ambriz grabs an arm triangle but can't keep it. Ambriz is just controlling Minowa so far. Ambriz gassed and Minowa employed the stick and move for the rest of the round. Not a very compelling fight so far.
R2- Ambriz starts off this round like the last one as he attempts to smother Minowa. Ambriz mounted but Minowa reversed him and then tapped him with a heel hook.
Winner: Minowman by Submission (Heel Hook) R2
We are one hour into the telecast and we are now on Fight #2.
Lightweight Fight- Kuniyoshi Hironaka (16-6) vs. Katsunori Kikuno (12-2-2)
Kikuno comes out to "We Are the World". Only in Japan. Hironaka is a former UFC fighter who went 1-3 while in the UFC. Kikuno holds a win over Nick Diaz. Both fighters are 4-1 in their last 5 fights. This is being promoted as who is the 3rd strongest Japanese lightweight fighter behind Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri.
R1- Kikuno lands some good strikes at the beginning of the round. Kikuno landed a liver kick and then a big time right hand and Hironaka just folded to the mat and this one is all over. Really impressive victory for Katsunori Kikuno. He hit a kick, missed with a strike, hit a good solid left and a big right. Really good combination. This one lasted only a minute and a half.
Winner: Katsunori Kikuno by TKO (Strikes) R1
Featherweight Fight- Cole Escovedo (15-4) vs. Yoshiro Maeda (26-7-2)
Escovedo is a former WEC Featherweight Champion. He has lost fights to Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver in the past. He had to take 3 and a half years off after a really bad staph infection. He is known for his triangle choke. He comes out to some Metallica. 14 of Maeda's wins have come by TKO/KO. Escovedo is 4-1 in his last 5 fights, Maeda is 3-2 in his last 5.
R1- Maeda is the agressor early and is throwing a lot of strikes. Out of nowhere Escovedo landed a left head kick and this one is over. Two great finishes back to back. Maeda was looking really good until he ate that head kick. Big time KO by Escovedo.
Winner: Cole Escovedo by KO (Head Kick) R1
Welterweight Fight- Andrews Nakahara (2-1) vs. Ryo Chonan (16-10)
Nakahara comes out to Eminem. This is his one shot to seize everything. His palms are sweaty..... Chonan is a former Pride and UFC fighter and this is his debut in DREAM. He is only 1-3 in the UFC. Schiavello tells us that Chonan is the betting underdog in this fight.
R1- They exchanged two minutes into the round and Nakahara went down but I don't think he got hit solidly with anything. Chonan took top position but Nakahara did a good job of locking him up from the bottom. Chonan spends the majority of the round in top position. The referee hands out a yellow card to Nakahara for not working enough from the bottom and stands the fight back up. Chonan is definitely the aggressor on their feet after the stand up. Nakahara hit Chonan with a big kick to the balls which puts a stop to Chonan's control of the round. Chonan is well in control of this fight going into the final five minutes.
R2- Nakahara lands some good shots half way through the round and then both guys throw with Nakahara getting the better of the exchange. Chonan was able to stop Nakahara's onslaught with a take down. Chonan ends the fight on top of Nakahara as they go the distance. I think Chonan is going to win this one. Nakahara had a good onslaught in the 2nd round but it wasn't enough as Chonan controlled the majority of the fight.
Winner: Ryo Chonan by Decision (Unanimous)
Lightweight Fight- KJ Noons (7-2) vs. Andre Dida (6-3-1)
Andre Dida comes out wearing a Tiger Mask mask. Schiavello tells us that if Noons wins this fight that they will look to set him up against Tatsuya Kawajiri. Schiavello also tells us that Strikeforce big wig Scott Coker is in the house tonight. This is KJ's return to MMA after spending a lot of time boxing (he was 4-1 in his last 5 fights and won his last 3 fights). KJ has a 100% KO ratio in MMA. Dida is 2-3 in his last 5 fights. Noons is the favorite in this one.
R1- Dida starts this one out with a low blow. Noons is landing some decent body shots. Both guys landed quality punches at around the four minute mark but both guys absorbed them well. Methodical first round with Noons walking down Dida for the majority of the round and landing more jabs. Noons drew some blood from Dida's nose at the end of the round.
R2- Noons is starting to be more aggressive in this round and going for bigger shots. Dida's nose is really starting to bleed now and Noons looks like he may have a cut on his face as well. Noons is a little frustrated at Dida's continually backing away. Noons is going to take this by decision. Not a great fight by Noons but he was clearly the winner here tonight.
Winner: KJ Noons by Decision (Unanimous)
Heavyweight Fight- Josh Barnett (24-5) vs. Mighty Mo (3-1)
Barnett is a very controversial figure in the world of MMA. It's no shock that Josh is fighting in Japan after everything that happened to him prior to his Affliction fight with Fedor that never came to be. I would be shocked if Barnett fights in the US again for a major MMA company. Barnett should have an easy time in this fight. Mo took this fight on short notice about 10 days ago. Apparently DREAM had a tough time finding an opponent for Barnett for this fight.
R1- Mo hit a good strike and floored Barnett but he quickly got back to his feet before Mo could capitalize. Barnett landed a kick flush to Mo's "junk" and we are going to be taking a break for a while in this one. This one might be all over as they are taking a look at his package to see if he can continue. Mo is down and in agony and Schiavello and Twinkle Toes are thinking this one might be over. They have spent more than 5 minutes giving Mo time to rest as they really don't want to call this fight. They are giving Mo 3 more minutes. Josh told Mo he can hit him in the balls to even it out if they want. Mo is ready to continue and the ref gives Barnett a yellow card. Barnett got a take down about half way through the round and immediately got a kimura and this one is over.
Winner: Josh Barnett by Submission (Kimura) R1
Featherweight Title Fight- Bibiano Fernandes (c) (7-2) vs. Joachim Hansen (19-8-1)
Hansen was the first DREAM Lightweight Champion as he was a replacement for Eddie Alvarez and defeated Shinya Aoki in the tournament final. Hansen then lost the title to Aoki by submission. Hansen is a former Pride fighter and is the first fighter to defeat Takanori Gomi. Fernandes has only 2 losses in his career and they were to Urijah Faber (2006 by cut) and Kid Yamamoto (2007). This is the first defense of his title by Fernandes. Hansen has gone 3-2 in his last 5 and Fernandes is 5-0 in his last 5. Hansen is the favorite based on what the odds-makers say. Hansen normally fights at Lightweight and this is the first time I've seen him fight at this weight limit. If Hansen had a good cut I definitely can see him taking the title tonight. Even though this is a title fight it's still just a two round fight (the first round 10 minutes and the second round 5 minutes).
R1- Fernandes got a double leg take down 45 seconds into the fight but lets Hansen up. Fernandes hit a good counter right that briefly staggered Hansen but he absorbed it. Hansen really hasn't done much offensively so far after 3 and a half minutes. Fernandes got another take down with four minutes gone from the round but Hansen scrambled back to his feet without taking any damage. Fernandes landed another take down with two and a half minutes left in the first round but Hansen again got up with minimal damage inflicted. After the first round Fernandes is definitely winning the fight but he hasn't inflicted a lot of damage so Hansen could easily come back and win this in the second and final round.
R2- Fernandes got a quick double leg take down right at the beginning of the round and tried to get a leg lock but couldn't. Hansen is starting to find a home for his jab in this round but Fernandes caught a kick and took Hansen down again. Hansen landed some kicks while Fernandes stood above him. Fernandes got a take down in the last minute of the fight but Hansen got back to his feet with half a minute left. Close fight but Fernandes keeps the belt in my book. Two judges gave the fight to Fernandes and one gave it to Hansen so Fernandes keeps the belt. I think Hansen is better served in the Lightweight division as his speed seemed a bit off tonight and it took him a while to find his rhythm.
Winner: Bibiano Fernandes by Decision (Split)
Monday, March 22, 2010
UFC Live on Versus: Vera vs. Jones
UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones
1ST Bank Arena
Broomfield, Colorado
March 21, 2010
Versus
Thank You Dana White and the UFC for getting Versus back on DirecTV just in time for this show. I know it was no coincidence. This is the UFC's debut show on Versus and it's a solid "free" TV card headlined by Jon "Bones" Jones versus Brandon Vera. Top 10 Heavyweight Junior dos Santos will also take on Gabriel Gonzaga in the Co-Main Event. Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan are the announcers for the show and Bruce Buffer is the ring announcer.
Middleweight Fight- James Irvin (14-5) vs. Alessio Sakara (18-7)
This is the Middleweight debut for James Irvin. Sakara has won 3 of his last 4 fights. Sakara is a former pro boxer and Irvin loves to stand up so we could see an explosive fight between these two guys. Irvin has a 3" reach and 2" height advantage. If I was a betting man I wouldn't bet on this fight but I'd go with Sakara if I had to make a choice. It's always interesting to watch a guys first performance when moving down in weight and seeing how their body adjusts to the move during the fight. Sakara is now training full time at American Top Team and is 3-1 since moving to that camp.
R1- Irvin clipped Sakara and he went down early but bounced right back up. Sakara is landing some good hard strikes and is doing a good job of changing levels. Sakara nailed Irvin with a punch to the eye but the ref stopped the fight when Irvin complained of an eye poke. Weird stoppage as it looked like Sakara was about to finish Irvin and the ref is going to award the win to Sakara by TKO. Weird finish and a quick stoppage but the right guy won the fight.
Winner: Alessio Sakara by TKO (Punches) R1 3:01
Urijah Faber is in the house and Mike Goldberg hypes the upcoming Faber/Jose Aldo WEC PPV.I think Urijah goes to every MMA event.
Shane Carwin fights Frank Mir on Saturday at UFC 111 for the UFC Interim Heavyweight Title with the winner facing Brock Lesnar. They show a pre-taped interview with Carwin and Joe Rogan. Carwin is 11-0 with 11 knockouts.
Heavyweight Fight- Cheick Kongo (24-6-1) vs. Paul Buentello (25-11)
This is another fight between two guys who like to stand and bang. Buentello is coming off of a loss to Stefan Struve in his return to the UFC. Kongo has a 2" height and 5" reach advantage. I'm taking Kongo in this one. Buentello has been training with Shane Carwin for tonight's fight.
R1- Kongo got a take down at the one minute mark. Buentello tried his best to illegally use the cage to save his fall but failed. Buentello got back up and Kongo took him back down with a slam. Buentello got to his feet and then it looked like he dislocated his finger and Herb Dean stopped the fight for a minute. Kongo got another take down with a minute left in the round. Kongo 10-9.
R2- Kongo threw some good strikes against the cage and then took Buentello down again in the first minute of the round. Kongo landed some good knees to the body but then hit Buentello in the head with a knee while Buentello still had one knee on the ground and was in the process of getting up so Herb Dean steps in and gives Buentello a minute to recover. Herb Dean takes one point away from Kongo for the illegal knee to a downed opponent. Kongo got another take down shortly after the fight was re-started. Kongo landing some knees to the body. Kongo landed some knees to Buentello's head. Kongo landed some good strikes and got another take down. This is a borderline 10-8 round in favor of Kongo. Depending on how this round was scored Kongo is up 29-28 or 29-27 after his one point deduction.
"He's getting molested"- Joe Rogan
R3- Kongo got a quick take down at the start of the final round. Kongo hit some elbows to Buentello's side and Buentello tapped out. Really strong showing for Kongo.
Winner: Cheick Kongo by Submission (Strikes) R3 1:16
GSP is interviewed by Joe Rogan via satellite to discuss his title defense on Saturday against Dan Hardy.
Heavyweight Fight- Junior Dos Santos (10-1) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (11-4)
If Dos Santos can keep winning he is one or two fights away from fighting for the title. Santos trains with Big Nog, Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva. Gonzaga is a former jiu-jitsu world champion. Dos Santos is a jiu-jitsu purple wins. Neither fighter has ever been to a decision. Gonzaga out weighs Dos Santos by 17 pounds but Dos Santos says he will make that up with his speed. Dos Santos is my pick in this one.
R1- Gonzaga got a take down but Dos Santos did a good job on getting right back to his feet. Dos Santos is doing a good job in changing levels and is starting to land some strikes. Dos Santos landed a big left and Gonzaga went down. Dos Santos was able to get through with some Ground and Pound shots and this one is all over. Really impressive win for Dos Santos. The Heavyweight Division is just stacked right now with young guys like Dos Santos, Velasquez, Brock, Shane Carwin and Todd Duffee. And that's not even mentioning guys like Mir and Big Nog.
Winner: Junior Dos Santos by KO (Strikes) R1 3:53
Welterweight Fight- John Howard vs. Daniel Roberts
This is from the pre-show so this one is going to be a quick one. This is Roberts UFC debut.
R1- Roberts got a take down but Howard got back to his feet. Roberts grabbed a kimura and used it to sweep Howard back to the ground. Roberts landed some Ground and Pound. Howard picked up Roberts and slammed him and took top position. Roberts went for an omaplata but Howard got out of the submission and then delivered a huge left hand that knocked Roberts out while Roberts was still on the mat. Fantastic punch by Howard. Roberts looked pretty good early in the fight but he just got tagged. Howard is now 4-0 in the UFC and has won 7 straight fights.
Winner: John Howard by KO (Punch) R1 2:01
Light Heavyweight Fight- Jon Jones (9-1) vs. Brandon Vera (11-4)
Jones is coming off of a demolition of Matt Hamill where he got DQ'd due to downward elbows but he just blew out Hamill and destroyed him. The Hamill DQ loss is the only loss on Jones's record. This is the 2nd fight for Jones since he's joined Greg Jackson's camp. Jones has a background as a JUCO wrestling champion and comes at his opponent with a lot of different angles and does moves that aren't commonly used in MMA. He's a very unique talent. Brandon Vera is a Muay Thai fighter who also has a brown belt in bjj. Vera is a very good fighter but has honestly looked lackluster in the last year or two. Jones has a 6.5" reach advantage in this fight. I see this as a very even fight. I'm going to take Jones via decision as most of Vera's recent fights seem to have gone to decision if my memory is correct.
R1- Jones immediately got a take down on a judo type throw. Vera did a good job of kicking Jones off. Jones landed a knee and then got another take down. Vera hit an illegal up kick on Jones (it was illegal because Jones had a knee on the mat). Herb Dean takes a point away from Brandon Vera which could be huge with Vera's recent history of decisions. Dean restarts the fight with Jones in full guard. Vera tries another up kick but this time it brushed off Jones's shoulder. Rogan is commenting that Vera is looking for an arm bar. Jones hits some good Ground and Pound and Vera covers up and turns his back and Dean stops the fight. Jones landed some good shots and Vera looked like he got hurt bad. Good stoppage by Dean as Vera is still down on his knees with his hands on his face. In the replay Jones hit a crushing elbow strike to the side of Vera's face. Rogan says he may have done something to Vera's orbital socket. Great win for Jon Jones. Jon Jones is the real deal.
Winner: Jon Jones by TKO (Strikes) R1 3:19
1ST Bank Arena
Broomfield, Colorado
March 21, 2010
Versus
Thank You Dana White and the UFC for getting Versus back on DirecTV just in time for this show. I know it was no coincidence. This is the UFC's debut show on Versus and it's a solid "free" TV card headlined by Jon "Bones" Jones versus Brandon Vera. Top 10 Heavyweight Junior dos Santos will also take on Gabriel Gonzaga in the Co-Main Event. Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan are the announcers for the show and Bruce Buffer is the ring announcer.
Middleweight Fight- James Irvin (14-5) vs. Alessio Sakara (18-7)
This is the Middleweight debut for James Irvin. Sakara has won 3 of his last 4 fights. Sakara is a former pro boxer and Irvin loves to stand up so we could see an explosive fight between these two guys. Irvin has a 3" reach and 2" height advantage. If I was a betting man I wouldn't bet on this fight but I'd go with Sakara if I had to make a choice. It's always interesting to watch a guys first performance when moving down in weight and seeing how their body adjusts to the move during the fight. Sakara is now training full time at American Top Team and is 3-1 since moving to that camp.
R1- Irvin clipped Sakara and he went down early but bounced right back up. Sakara is landing some good hard strikes and is doing a good job of changing levels. Sakara nailed Irvin with a punch to the eye but the ref stopped the fight when Irvin complained of an eye poke. Weird stoppage as it looked like Sakara was about to finish Irvin and the ref is going to award the win to Sakara by TKO. Weird finish and a quick stoppage but the right guy won the fight.
Winner: Alessio Sakara by TKO (Punches) R1 3:01
Urijah Faber is in the house and Mike Goldberg hypes the upcoming Faber/Jose Aldo WEC PPV.I think Urijah goes to every MMA event.
Shane Carwin fights Frank Mir on Saturday at UFC 111 for the UFC Interim Heavyweight Title with the winner facing Brock Lesnar. They show a pre-taped interview with Carwin and Joe Rogan. Carwin is 11-0 with 11 knockouts.
Heavyweight Fight- Cheick Kongo (24-6-1) vs. Paul Buentello (25-11)
This is another fight between two guys who like to stand and bang. Buentello is coming off of a loss to Stefan Struve in his return to the UFC. Kongo has a 2" height and 5" reach advantage. I'm taking Kongo in this one. Buentello has been training with Shane Carwin for tonight's fight.
R1- Kongo got a take down at the one minute mark. Buentello tried his best to illegally use the cage to save his fall but failed. Buentello got back up and Kongo took him back down with a slam. Buentello got to his feet and then it looked like he dislocated his finger and Herb Dean stopped the fight for a minute. Kongo got another take down with a minute left in the round. Kongo 10-9.
R2- Kongo threw some good strikes against the cage and then took Buentello down again in the first minute of the round. Kongo landed some good knees to the body but then hit Buentello in the head with a knee while Buentello still had one knee on the ground and was in the process of getting up so Herb Dean steps in and gives Buentello a minute to recover. Herb Dean takes one point away from Kongo for the illegal knee to a downed opponent. Kongo got another take down shortly after the fight was re-started. Kongo landing some knees to the body. Kongo landed some knees to Buentello's head. Kongo landed some good strikes and got another take down. This is a borderline 10-8 round in favor of Kongo. Depending on how this round was scored Kongo is up 29-28 or 29-27 after his one point deduction.
"He's getting molested"- Joe Rogan
R3- Kongo got a quick take down at the start of the final round. Kongo hit some elbows to Buentello's side and Buentello tapped out. Really strong showing for Kongo.
Winner: Cheick Kongo by Submission (Strikes) R3 1:16
GSP is interviewed by Joe Rogan via satellite to discuss his title defense on Saturday against Dan Hardy.
Heavyweight Fight- Junior Dos Santos (10-1) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (11-4)
If Dos Santos can keep winning he is one or two fights away from fighting for the title. Santos trains with Big Nog, Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva. Gonzaga is a former jiu-jitsu world champion. Dos Santos is a jiu-jitsu purple wins. Neither fighter has ever been to a decision. Gonzaga out weighs Dos Santos by 17 pounds but Dos Santos says he will make that up with his speed. Dos Santos is my pick in this one.
R1- Gonzaga got a take down but Dos Santos did a good job on getting right back to his feet. Dos Santos is doing a good job in changing levels and is starting to land some strikes. Dos Santos landed a big left and Gonzaga went down. Dos Santos was able to get through with some Ground and Pound shots and this one is all over. Really impressive win for Dos Santos. The Heavyweight Division is just stacked right now with young guys like Dos Santos, Velasquez, Brock, Shane Carwin and Todd Duffee. And that's not even mentioning guys like Mir and Big Nog.
Winner: Junior Dos Santos by KO (Strikes) R1 3:53
Welterweight Fight- John Howard vs. Daniel Roberts
This is from the pre-show so this one is going to be a quick one. This is Roberts UFC debut.
R1- Roberts got a take down but Howard got back to his feet. Roberts grabbed a kimura and used it to sweep Howard back to the ground. Roberts landed some Ground and Pound. Howard picked up Roberts and slammed him and took top position. Roberts went for an omaplata but Howard got out of the submission and then delivered a huge left hand that knocked Roberts out while Roberts was still on the mat. Fantastic punch by Howard. Roberts looked pretty good early in the fight but he just got tagged. Howard is now 4-0 in the UFC and has won 7 straight fights.
Winner: John Howard by KO (Punch) R1 2:01
Light Heavyweight Fight- Jon Jones (9-1) vs. Brandon Vera (11-4)
Jones is coming off of a demolition of Matt Hamill where he got DQ'd due to downward elbows but he just blew out Hamill and destroyed him. The Hamill DQ loss is the only loss on Jones's record. This is the 2nd fight for Jones since he's joined Greg Jackson's camp. Jones has a background as a JUCO wrestling champion and comes at his opponent with a lot of different angles and does moves that aren't commonly used in MMA. He's a very unique talent. Brandon Vera is a Muay Thai fighter who also has a brown belt in bjj. Vera is a very good fighter but has honestly looked lackluster in the last year or two. Jones has a 6.5" reach advantage in this fight. I see this as a very even fight. I'm going to take Jones via decision as most of Vera's recent fights seem to have gone to decision if my memory is correct.
R1- Jones immediately got a take down on a judo type throw. Vera did a good job of kicking Jones off. Jones landed a knee and then got another take down. Vera hit an illegal up kick on Jones (it was illegal because Jones had a knee on the mat). Herb Dean takes a point away from Brandon Vera which could be huge with Vera's recent history of decisions. Dean restarts the fight with Jones in full guard. Vera tries another up kick but this time it brushed off Jones's shoulder. Rogan is commenting that Vera is looking for an arm bar. Jones hits some good Ground and Pound and Vera covers up and turns his back and Dean stops the fight. Jones landed some good shots and Vera looked like he got hurt bad. Good stoppage by Dean as Vera is still down on his knees with his hands on his face. In the replay Jones hit a crushing elbow strike to the side of Vera's face. Rogan says he may have done something to Vera's orbital socket. Great win for Jon Jones. Jon Jones is the real deal.
Winner: Jon Jones by TKO (Strikes) R1 3:19
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Sengoku Raiden Championship 12 3/7/10 Re-Cap
Sengoku Raiden Championship 12
Rygoku Kokugikan
Tokyo, Japan
March 7, 2010
HDNet
Last year Mamed Khalidov beat Sengoku Middleweight Champion Jorge Santiago in a non-title fight. Khalidov will get his re-match at this show. Michael Schiavello is joined by Frank Trigg for commentary at this event. Marlon Sandro and former UFC fighter Akihiro Gono are also on the card tonight.
Shigeki Osawa (4-1) vs. Kyung Ho Kang (4-2)
Kang is a Korean fighter who has won 2 of his last 3 fights. He is making his Sengoku debut tonight. Osawa has won 4 of his 5 fights but his last fight was a loss to Ronnie Mann by decision. Both fighters are very young (22 & 23). Osawa has a background as an amateur wrestler. Osawa is the favorite in this fight.
R1- Osawa got a quick take down and then took Kang's back and hit a back suplex on him. Kang went for a triangle and Osawa picked him up and dropped him on his head with a nasty power bomb type slam. Osawa stayed on top of Kang for the majority of the round and took the round 10-9.
R2- Osawa quickly got the fight to the ground again in this round. Kang was able to take Osawa's back at the half way point of the round but couldn't do anything with the position. Not much damage done so far in this fight as it's been mostly a battle of positioning. This round could have gone either way but I'll give it to Osawa.
R3- Osawa landed a couple of punches and wobbled Kang early in the round. Osawa hit back to back to back suplexes mid-way through the round. Osawa will take this fight 30-27.
Winner: Shigeki Osawa by Decision (Unanimous)
Lightweight Fight- Leonardo Santos (6-3) vs. Kiuma Kunioku (34-22-9)
Santos lost his last fight but has won 4 of his last 5 with 3 of those wins coming by way of submission. Kunioku is on a 3 fight win streak. Santos has a 5" height advantage.
R1- Santos scored a take down two minutes into the round and moved to the mount position. Santos transitioned to a Rear Naked Choke and finished the fight. Not flashy, but very effective.
Winner: Leonardo Santos by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1
Featherweight Fight- Nick Denis (9-1) vs. Yuji Hoshino (16-7-7)
Denis is on a 2-fight win streak and has won 4 of his last 5. He has finished 8 of his 9 fights by TKO/KO. His only loss came at the hands of top contender Marlon Sandro. Hoshino is a former Pancrase fighter who has also lost to Marlon Sandro (in his last fight) but has won 4 of his last 5.
R1- Hoshino got a quick take down but Denis was able to get to his feet without taking any damage. Denis landed some good strikes to the body and some knees to the legs. Hoshino got another take down with about two minutes left in the round but Denis tried a triangle choke and Hoshino countered with an ankle lock and then ended up on top in Denis's guard. Denis grabbed an omaplata attempt but Hoshino slipped out and then took Denis's guard again. Good round, I gave it to Denis 10-9 due to his striking and his submission attempts.
R2- Hoshino pulled guard on a guillotine choke early in the round and Denis tapped.
Winner: Yuji Hoshino by Submission (Guillotine) R2
Heavyweight Fight- Henry "Sentoryu" Miller (6-9) vs. Yoshihiro Nakao (8-2)
Miller is a former Sumo wrestler who has won 2 of his last 5 fights (one was ruled a no contest). Nakao has won 3 of his last 5 fights. Miller has Nakao out weighed by 23 pounds.
R1- Nakao hit a high left head kick but Miller fought it off and Miller threw some wild punches and ended up on his back. Nakao trapped him in a crucifix position and hit him with repeated punches to the head. Nakao went for an arm bar and then turned it into a kimura attempt but he couldn't quite lock it in and Miller escaped. Nakao with a borderline 10-8 round.
R2- Nakao got a take down one minute into the round. Nakao put Miller in the crucifix position again and pelted him with strikes to the head. The ref finally stepped in and stopped the fight.
Winner: Yoshihiro Nakao by TKO (Strikes) R2
Featherweight Fight- Marlon Sandro (15-1) vs. Tomonari Kanomata (15-4-5)
Kanomata is undefeated in his last 5 fights but two of them were draws. All of his last 5 fights have gone the distance. Sandro has won 4 of his last fights including wins over Nick Denis and Yuji Hoshino. His only loss was a controversial split decision loss to Michihiro Omigawa.
R1- Kanomata tried to push the pace early but he ate a left hook that stunned him and then Sandro threw a right uppercut that knocked Kanomata out. Dominant performance from Sandro. This one might have lasted 10 seconds. They took Kanomata out on a stretcher after this fight.
Winner: Marlon Sandro by KO (Punch) R1 0:09
Featherweight Fight- Maximo Blanco (4-2-1) vs. Armbar Kim (15-5)
They didn't say Kim's real name but said he was known as "ArmBar Kim" because he finished 8 of his 10 submission victories with Arm Bars. Kim is 5-0 in his last 5 fights. Blanco is 3-1-1 in his last 5 with the loss being a DQ due to an illegal soccer kick.
R1- Blanco caught Kim in the corner and knocked him out with a kick to the face and then landed a couple of punches on Kim's way down to the mat. Two straight big time knockouts.
Winner: Maximo Blanco by KO (Kick) R1
Welterweight Fight- Akihiro Gono (31-15-7) vs. Diego Gonzalez (13-3)
Gonzalez is on an 8 fight winning streak and went 3-0 in 2009. Gono is 2-3 in his last fights but those fights were against high level competition (1 win against Hayato Sakurai and 2 of the losses in the UFC to Jon Fitch and Dan Hardy). Gonzalez also has a loss to Dan Hardy on his record.
R1- The first round was all stand up. Gono landed more strikes but Gonzalez landed the better combos. This was a really close round.
R2- All stand up this round as well but this one has turned into a bit of a snoozer. Trigg has Gono 19-18 of far.
R3- Gono opened up a cut near Gonzalez's eye. Not a real exciting fight but Gono distanced himself as the fight continued and he will take this one via decision.
Winner: Akihiro Gono by Decision (Unanimous)
Sengoku Middleweight Title Fight- Jorge Santiago (c) (21-8) vs. Mamed Khalidov (20-3-1)
Khalidov is 4-0-1 in his last 5 fights including a TKO win over Jorge Santiago in his last fight on 11/7/2009. Santiago trains at American Top Team and is 4-1 in his last five fights with the only loss being to Khalidov. JZ Calvancante is in Santiago's corner for the fight. Khalidov's last loss was in 2005 and has only won decision victory in his 20 wins.
R1- Santiago clamped on an early guillotine but Mamed got out of the submission. Santiago ended the first round on top of Mamed and he took the first round 10-9. Frank Trigg agreed with me on the scoring.
R2- Santiago attempt a take down two minutes into the round but Mamed ended up in top position. Mamed landed a couple of shots from the top but nothing substantial. Santiago was able to get Mamed in a funky submission and then Mamed rolled out and both guys went back to their feet. Close round, probably went to Mamed due to the take down and his domination of ring position. I've got 19-19 after two rounds. Twinkle Toes has it scored 20-18 Santiago after two.
R3- Mamed got a take down about a minute and a half into the round. Not much action until the one minute mark when Mamed started to throw some Ground and Pound strikes. I've got Mamed 29-28, Twinkle Toes has it Santiago 29-28.
R4- Santiago got a take down in the first minute of the round but Mamed reversed a submission into top position for himself but Santiago got back to his feet without taking any damage. Santiago landed a good combination and then landed some knees. Mamed got a take down with two minutes left in the round. Mamed landed some Ground and Pound near the end of the round. Really close round. I've got Mamed 39-37, Twinkle Toes has it 38-38.
R5- Santiago landed a good strike and then avoided a take down. Mamed looks really tired and Santiago is bringing it to him. Mamed goes to the mat looking for some rest and Santiago takes top position. Mamed was able to take top position but then ate an up kick. Mamed got cut open and the ref stopped the fight to look at the cut and they continued the fight. Santiago landed a good right towards the end of the fight and I've got him taking this round. Trigg says he could argue this fight for either fighter. I've got Mamed taking this fight 48-47 but I honestly don't think he did enough to win the title so I'd be satisfied with Santiago winning this one by decision. Not a great fight. All three judges gave the fight to Santiago 48-47.
Winner: Jorge Santiago by Decision (Unanimous)
Rygoku Kokugikan
Tokyo, Japan
March 7, 2010
HDNet
Last year Mamed Khalidov beat Sengoku Middleweight Champion Jorge Santiago in a non-title fight. Khalidov will get his re-match at this show. Michael Schiavello is joined by Frank Trigg for commentary at this event. Marlon Sandro and former UFC fighter Akihiro Gono are also on the card tonight.
Shigeki Osawa (4-1) vs. Kyung Ho Kang (4-2)
Kang is a Korean fighter who has won 2 of his last 3 fights. He is making his Sengoku debut tonight. Osawa has won 4 of his 5 fights but his last fight was a loss to Ronnie Mann by decision. Both fighters are very young (22 & 23). Osawa has a background as an amateur wrestler. Osawa is the favorite in this fight.
R1- Osawa got a quick take down and then took Kang's back and hit a back suplex on him. Kang went for a triangle and Osawa picked him up and dropped him on his head with a nasty power bomb type slam. Osawa stayed on top of Kang for the majority of the round and took the round 10-9.
R2- Osawa quickly got the fight to the ground again in this round. Kang was able to take Osawa's back at the half way point of the round but couldn't do anything with the position. Not much damage done so far in this fight as it's been mostly a battle of positioning. This round could have gone either way but I'll give it to Osawa.
R3- Osawa landed a couple of punches and wobbled Kang early in the round. Osawa hit back to back to back suplexes mid-way through the round. Osawa will take this fight 30-27.
Winner: Shigeki Osawa by Decision (Unanimous)
Lightweight Fight- Leonardo Santos (6-3) vs. Kiuma Kunioku (34-22-9)
Santos lost his last fight but has won 4 of his last 5 with 3 of those wins coming by way of submission. Kunioku is on a 3 fight win streak. Santos has a 5" height advantage.
R1- Santos scored a take down two minutes into the round and moved to the mount position. Santos transitioned to a Rear Naked Choke and finished the fight. Not flashy, but very effective.
Winner: Leonardo Santos by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1
Featherweight Fight- Nick Denis (9-1) vs. Yuji Hoshino (16-7-7)
Denis is on a 2-fight win streak and has won 4 of his last 5. He has finished 8 of his 9 fights by TKO/KO. His only loss came at the hands of top contender Marlon Sandro. Hoshino is a former Pancrase fighter who has also lost to Marlon Sandro (in his last fight) but has won 4 of his last 5.
R1- Hoshino got a quick take down but Denis was able to get to his feet without taking any damage. Denis landed some good strikes to the body and some knees to the legs. Hoshino got another take down with about two minutes left in the round but Denis tried a triangle choke and Hoshino countered with an ankle lock and then ended up on top in Denis's guard. Denis grabbed an omaplata attempt but Hoshino slipped out and then took Denis's guard again. Good round, I gave it to Denis 10-9 due to his striking and his submission attempts.
R2- Hoshino pulled guard on a guillotine choke early in the round and Denis tapped.
Winner: Yuji Hoshino by Submission (Guillotine) R2
Heavyweight Fight- Henry "Sentoryu" Miller (6-9) vs. Yoshihiro Nakao (8-2)
Miller is a former Sumo wrestler who has won 2 of his last 5 fights (one was ruled a no contest). Nakao has won 3 of his last 5 fights. Miller has Nakao out weighed by 23 pounds.
R1- Nakao hit a high left head kick but Miller fought it off and Miller threw some wild punches and ended up on his back. Nakao trapped him in a crucifix position and hit him with repeated punches to the head. Nakao went for an arm bar and then turned it into a kimura attempt but he couldn't quite lock it in and Miller escaped. Nakao with a borderline 10-8 round.
R2- Nakao got a take down one minute into the round. Nakao put Miller in the crucifix position again and pelted him with strikes to the head. The ref finally stepped in and stopped the fight.
Winner: Yoshihiro Nakao by TKO (Strikes) R2
Featherweight Fight- Marlon Sandro (15-1) vs. Tomonari Kanomata (15-4-5)
Kanomata is undefeated in his last 5 fights but two of them were draws. All of his last 5 fights have gone the distance. Sandro has won 4 of his last fights including wins over Nick Denis and Yuji Hoshino. His only loss was a controversial split decision loss to Michihiro Omigawa.
R1- Kanomata tried to push the pace early but he ate a left hook that stunned him and then Sandro threw a right uppercut that knocked Kanomata out. Dominant performance from Sandro. This one might have lasted 10 seconds. They took Kanomata out on a stretcher after this fight.
Winner: Marlon Sandro by KO (Punch) R1 0:09
Featherweight Fight- Maximo Blanco (4-2-1) vs. Armbar Kim (15-5)
They didn't say Kim's real name but said he was known as "ArmBar Kim" because he finished 8 of his 10 submission victories with Arm Bars. Kim is 5-0 in his last 5 fights. Blanco is 3-1-1 in his last 5 with the loss being a DQ due to an illegal soccer kick.
R1- Blanco caught Kim in the corner and knocked him out with a kick to the face and then landed a couple of punches on Kim's way down to the mat. Two straight big time knockouts.
Winner: Maximo Blanco by KO (Kick) R1
Welterweight Fight- Akihiro Gono (31-15-7) vs. Diego Gonzalez (13-3)
Gonzalez is on an 8 fight winning streak and went 3-0 in 2009. Gono is 2-3 in his last fights but those fights were against high level competition (1 win against Hayato Sakurai and 2 of the losses in the UFC to Jon Fitch and Dan Hardy). Gonzalez also has a loss to Dan Hardy on his record.
R1- The first round was all stand up. Gono landed more strikes but Gonzalez landed the better combos. This was a really close round.
R2- All stand up this round as well but this one has turned into a bit of a snoozer. Trigg has Gono 19-18 of far.
R3- Gono opened up a cut near Gonzalez's eye. Not a real exciting fight but Gono distanced himself as the fight continued and he will take this one via decision.
Winner: Akihiro Gono by Decision (Unanimous)
Sengoku Middleweight Title Fight- Jorge Santiago (c) (21-8) vs. Mamed Khalidov (20-3-1)
Khalidov is 4-0-1 in his last 5 fights including a TKO win over Jorge Santiago in his last fight on 11/7/2009. Santiago trains at American Top Team and is 4-1 in his last five fights with the only loss being to Khalidov. JZ Calvancante is in Santiago's corner for the fight. Khalidov's last loss was in 2005 and has only won decision victory in his 20 wins.
R1- Santiago clamped on an early guillotine but Mamed got out of the submission. Santiago ended the first round on top of Mamed and he took the first round 10-9. Frank Trigg agreed with me on the scoring.
R2- Santiago attempt a take down two minutes into the round but Mamed ended up in top position. Mamed landed a couple of shots from the top but nothing substantial. Santiago was able to get Mamed in a funky submission and then Mamed rolled out and both guys went back to their feet. Close round, probably went to Mamed due to the take down and his domination of ring position. I've got 19-19 after two rounds. Twinkle Toes has it scored 20-18 Santiago after two.
R3- Mamed got a take down about a minute and a half into the round. Not much action until the one minute mark when Mamed started to throw some Ground and Pound strikes. I've got Mamed 29-28, Twinkle Toes has it Santiago 29-28.
R4- Santiago got a take down in the first minute of the round but Mamed reversed a submission into top position for himself but Santiago got back to his feet without taking any damage. Santiago landed a good combination and then landed some knees. Mamed got a take down with two minutes left in the round. Mamed landed some Ground and Pound near the end of the round. Really close round. I've got Mamed 39-37, Twinkle Toes has it 38-38.
R5- Santiago landed a good strike and then avoided a take down. Mamed looks really tired and Santiago is bringing it to him. Mamed goes to the mat looking for some rest and Santiago takes top position. Mamed was able to take top position but then ate an up kick. Mamed got cut open and the ref stopped the fight to look at the cut and they continued the fight. Santiago landed a good right towards the end of the fight and I've got him taking this round. Trigg says he could argue this fight for either fighter. I've got Mamed taking this fight 48-47 but I honestly don't think he did enough to win the title so I'd be satisfied with Santiago winning this one by decision. Not a great fight. All three judges gave the fight to Santiago 48-47.
Winner: Jorge Santiago by Decision (Unanimous)
Monday, March 08, 2010
WEC 47 Re-Cap
WEC 47
Nationwide Arena
Columbus, Ohio
March 6, 2009
Frank Mir is deep in training so Stephen Bonnar joins Todd Harris tonight to call the action. Bantamweight Champion Brian Bowles defends his title for the first time tonight and former champion Miguel Torres is also back in action. Stephan is wearing a wicked button down purple shirt that doesn't agree with my HD. Joe Martinez is the ring announcer.
Lightweight Fight- Karen Darabedyan (9-1) vs. Bart Palaszewski (32-13)
Karen is coming off of a good decision win over Rob McCullough in his WEC debut. Bart has a 2" height and 2" reach advantage. Bart is only 26 years old and has 45 fights on his record.
R1- Karen lands some really good punches against the cage and then got a take down and landed some Ground and Pound. Bart went for a submission and Karen landed a couple of really good shots. Bart caught Karen in an arm bar in the last 30 seconds of the round and got the submission victory. Tough loss for Darabedyan as he dominated this fight until he got caught.
Winner: Bart Palaszewski by Submission (Arm Bar) R1 4:40
Sunday March 21st the UFC debuts on Versus with Jon Jones versus Brandon Vera and Gabriel Gonzaga versus Junior dos Santos.
Featherweight Fight- LC Davis (15-2) vs. Deividas Taurosevicius (12-3)
R1-Lots of clinching in the first round with LC landing the better strikes. LC 10-9.
R2- Deividas got a take down one and a half minutes into the round but couldn't take advantage of the take down. Deividas looked like he landed a low blow or two that was not acknowledged by the ref. Really close round. I've got it 19-19 right now.
R3- Davis got a take down with two minutes left in the fight. The ref stood the fighters up with 45 seconds left and the fight is in the balance. LC stuffed a take down and the ended in a clinch. Very close fight. I've got LC Davis taking the fight 29-28 but it could go either way.
Judges score cards say: 29-29, 29-28, 29-28 in favor of Davis
Winner: LC Davis by Decision (Majority)
Todd Harris interviews Donald Cerrone and Urijah Faber. On the first WEC PPV on April 24th Donald Cerrone will challenge Ben Henderson for the Lightweight Title and Urijah Faber will challenge Jose Aldo for the Featherweight Title. Also on the card will be Mike Brown versus Manvel Gamburyan, Anthony Njokuani vs. Shane Roller and Damacio Page vs. Antonio Banuelos.
Some stars at ringside for this show are Randy Couture, Boxer Miguel Cotto, the TapouT crew, Mike Brown and Forrest Griffin.
Featherweight Fight- Jens Pulver (22-12-1) vs. Javier Vasquez (13-4)
R1- Vasquez got a take down but Pulver grabbed a guillotine choke. Vasquez got another take down but Pulver again reversed, this time into Vasquez's guard until he let him up. Vasquez quickly got his third take down of the round with only two minutes gone from the round. Vasquez trapped Pulver in a crucifix position and landed some strikes. Vasquez grabbed an arm bar and Pulver tapped out. Really fun but short fight.
Winner: Javier Vasquez by Submission (Arm Bar) R1 3:41
Post fight Jens Pulver does another "retirement type speech" but doesn't say he's retiring.
Bantamweight Fight- Scott Jorgensen (8-3) vs. Chad George
This fight is from the pre-show. Should be fun as Jorgensen is a high-octane guy. Jorgensen is 4-2 in WEC.
R1- Chad George shoots in and Jorgensen grabs him in a guillotine and George taps out. Jorgensen with a very impressive win.
Winner: Scott Jorgensen by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 0:31
Bantamweight Fight- Miguel Angel Torres (36-2) vs. Joseph Benavidez (11-1)
This is a huge fight for both guys. Both guys lost to the one of the fighters in the Main Event tonight (Torres to Bowles and Benavidez to Cruz) but a win tonight can go a long way to erasing those losses. The winner of this fight jumps right to the top of the Bantamweight Title Contenders list. Benavidez trains with Urijah Faber and Faber is in his corner tonight. Torres has a huge 5" height and 11" reach advantage so that could be key but it also means that Benavidez should have the strength advantage if he can close the distance in this fight.
R1- Benavidez caught a Torres kick and briefly floored the former champ. Banavidez got a take down against the cage with two minutes left in the round. Torres went for an arm bar and Benavidez passed his guard to side control. Benavidez really didn't do anything while on top of Torres but took the round 10-9.
R2- Torres started to find the rang with his jab but Benavidez got a take down half way through the round. Benavidez cut Torres with an elbow and then clamped on a guillotine and a bloody Torres tapped out. Big upset. Really good fight from Benavidez and a tough loss for Torres as he has gone from one of the Top P4P ranked fighters to losing two fights in a row.
Winner: Joseph Benavidez by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R2 2:57
Lightweight Fight- Anthony Pettis (7-1) vs. Danny Castillo
This fight is from the pre-show.
R1- Castillo got a take down in the first minute of the fight but couldn't do anything with the take down. Pettis destroyed Pettis with a huge head kick and then nailed him with a barrage of punches before the ref could stop the fight. Big time highlight reel win for Pettis.
Winner: Anthony Pettis by KO (Head Kick) R1
Bantamweight Title Fight- Brian Bowles (c) (8-0) vs. Dominick Cruz (14-1)
Cruz has not lost a fight since losing a title fight to Urijah Faber three years ago. Since dropping to the Bantamweight division in 2008 he is undefeated. Cruz has recently been training up in Big Bear with Brandon Vera. This is Bowles first defense of the Bantamweight Title that he won from Miguel Angel Torres. Bowles is 5-0 in WEC fights. Bowles has Rory Singer in his corner. Bowles has a 2" reach advantage in this fight.
R1- Cruz is using his quickness to dance around Bowles and move in quickly to try for strikes. Bowles landed a really good strike around the two minute mark of the round but Cruz absorbed it and stayed on his feet. Cruz retaliated with a good strike of his own that hurt Bowles. Bowles tried to pull guard with a guillotine but Cruz ended up on top in the dominant position. Cruz took the first round 10-9.
R2- Bowles hit a good right to the face at the one minute mark. Cruz landed a good combo at the two minute mark and swept Bowles leg with a low kick. Bowles nose has been busted open and he seems to be slowing down as the round continues. Cruz got a take down with fifteen seconds left in the round. I've got Cruz up 20-18. He's really frustrating Bowles with his quickness.
During the break in action the doctor came in a examined Bowles and Bowles was not able to continue due to injury. Bowles broke his right hand during the fight. Bowles said he broke his hand on the first punch that he threw and that threw off his game plan.
Winner and new Bantamweight Champion: Dominic Cruz by TKO (Injury) R2 5:00
Nationwide Arena
Columbus, Ohio
March 6, 2009
Frank Mir is deep in training so Stephen Bonnar joins Todd Harris tonight to call the action. Bantamweight Champion Brian Bowles defends his title for the first time tonight and former champion Miguel Torres is also back in action. Stephan is wearing a wicked button down purple shirt that doesn't agree with my HD. Joe Martinez is the ring announcer.
Lightweight Fight- Karen Darabedyan (9-1) vs. Bart Palaszewski (32-13)
Karen is coming off of a good decision win over Rob McCullough in his WEC debut. Bart has a 2" height and 2" reach advantage. Bart is only 26 years old and has 45 fights on his record.
R1- Karen lands some really good punches against the cage and then got a take down and landed some Ground and Pound. Bart went for a submission and Karen landed a couple of really good shots. Bart caught Karen in an arm bar in the last 30 seconds of the round and got the submission victory. Tough loss for Darabedyan as he dominated this fight until he got caught.
Winner: Bart Palaszewski by Submission (Arm Bar) R1 4:40
Sunday March 21st the UFC debuts on Versus with Jon Jones versus Brandon Vera and Gabriel Gonzaga versus Junior dos Santos.
Featherweight Fight- LC Davis (15-2) vs. Deividas Taurosevicius (12-3)
R1-Lots of clinching in the first round with LC landing the better strikes. LC 10-9.
R2- Deividas got a take down one and a half minutes into the round but couldn't take advantage of the take down. Deividas looked like he landed a low blow or two that was not acknowledged by the ref. Really close round. I've got it 19-19 right now.
R3- Davis got a take down with two minutes left in the fight. The ref stood the fighters up with 45 seconds left and the fight is in the balance. LC stuffed a take down and the ended in a clinch. Very close fight. I've got LC Davis taking the fight 29-28 but it could go either way.
Judges score cards say: 29-29, 29-28, 29-28 in favor of Davis
Winner: LC Davis by Decision (Majority)
Todd Harris interviews Donald Cerrone and Urijah Faber. On the first WEC PPV on April 24th Donald Cerrone will challenge Ben Henderson for the Lightweight Title and Urijah Faber will challenge Jose Aldo for the Featherweight Title. Also on the card will be Mike Brown versus Manvel Gamburyan, Anthony Njokuani vs. Shane Roller and Damacio Page vs. Antonio Banuelos.
Some stars at ringside for this show are Randy Couture, Boxer Miguel Cotto, the TapouT crew, Mike Brown and Forrest Griffin.
Featherweight Fight- Jens Pulver (22-12-1) vs. Javier Vasquez (13-4)
R1- Vasquez got a take down but Pulver grabbed a guillotine choke. Vasquez got another take down but Pulver again reversed, this time into Vasquez's guard until he let him up. Vasquez quickly got his third take down of the round with only two minutes gone from the round. Vasquez trapped Pulver in a crucifix position and landed some strikes. Vasquez grabbed an arm bar and Pulver tapped out. Really fun but short fight.
Winner: Javier Vasquez by Submission (Arm Bar) R1 3:41
Post fight Jens Pulver does another "retirement type speech" but doesn't say he's retiring.
Bantamweight Fight- Scott Jorgensen (8-3) vs. Chad George
This fight is from the pre-show. Should be fun as Jorgensen is a high-octane guy. Jorgensen is 4-2 in WEC.
R1- Chad George shoots in and Jorgensen grabs him in a guillotine and George taps out. Jorgensen with a very impressive win.
Winner: Scott Jorgensen by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 0:31
Bantamweight Fight- Miguel Angel Torres (36-2) vs. Joseph Benavidez (11-1)
This is a huge fight for both guys. Both guys lost to the one of the fighters in the Main Event tonight (Torres to Bowles and Benavidez to Cruz) but a win tonight can go a long way to erasing those losses. The winner of this fight jumps right to the top of the Bantamweight Title Contenders list. Benavidez trains with Urijah Faber and Faber is in his corner tonight. Torres has a huge 5" height and 11" reach advantage so that could be key but it also means that Benavidez should have the strength advantage if he can close the distance in this fight.
R1- Benavidez caught a Torres kick and briefly floored the former champ. Banavidez got a take down against the cage with two minutes left in the round. Torres went for an arm bar and Benavidez passed his guard to side control. Benavidez really didn't do anything while on top of Torres but took the round 10-9.
R2- Torres started to find the rang with his jab but Benavidez got a take down half way through the round. Benavidez cut Torres with an elbow and then clamped on a guillotine and a bloody Torres tapped out. Big upset. Really good fight from Benavidez and a tough loss for Torres as he has gone from one of the Top P4P ranked fighters to losing two fights in a row.
Winner: Joseph Benavidez by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R2 2:57
Lightweight Fight- Anthony Pettis (7-1) vs. Danny Castillo
This fight is from the pre-show.
R1- Castillo got a take down in the first minute of the fight but couldn't do anything with the take down. Pettis destroyed Pettis with a huge head kick and then nailed him with a barrage of punches before the ref could stop the fight. Big time highlight reel win for Pettis.
Winner: Anthony Pettis by KO (Head Kick) R1
Bantamweight Title Fight- Brian Bowles (c) (8-0) vs. Dominick Cruz (14-1)
Cruz has not lost a fight since losing a title fight to Urijah Faber three years ago. Since dropping to the Bantamweight division in 2008 he is undefeated. Cruz has recently been training up in Big Bear with Brandon Vera. This is Bowles first defense of the Bantamweight Title that he won from Miguel Angel Torres. Bowles is 5-0 in WEC fights. Bowles has Rory Singer in his corner. Bowles has a 2" reach advantage in this fight.
R1- Cruz is using his quickness to dance around Bowles and move in quickly to try for strikes. Bowles landed a really good strike around the two minute mark of the round but Cruz absorbed it and stayed on his feet. Cruz retaliated with a good strike of his own that hurt Bowles. Bowles tried to pull guard with a guillotine but Cruz ended up on top in the dominant position. Cruz took the first round 10-9.
R2- Bowles hit a good right to the face at the one minute mark. Cruz landed a good combo at the two minute mark and swept Bowles leg with a low kick. Bowles nose has been busted open and he seems to be slowing down as the round continues. Cruz got a take down with fifteen seconds left in the round. I've got Cruz up 20-18. He's really frustrating Bowles with his quickness.
During the break in action the doctor came in a examined Bowles and Bowles was not able to continue due to injury. Bowles broke his right hand during the fight. Bowles said he broke his hand on the first punch that he threw and that threw off his game plan.
Winner and new Bantamweight Champion: Dominic Cruz by TKO (Injury) R2 5:00
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