The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 Episode 11 Re-Cap
"A Will To Win"
Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz
Last week Josh Bryant took out Jamie Yager by second round TKO and Tito Ortiz was booted by Dana White and Rich Franklin was brought in as his replacement. Brad Tavares, Court McGee, Josh Bryant and Kris McCray are the 4 fighters left and they will fight on this episode.
To start the show they have Dana and Rich touring the upgrade UFC facilities and Rich signing the contract to fight Chuck Liddell. Rich has one week to get Kris McCray ready for his semi-final fight. Because of Tito leaving Dana said that he is overcompensating with the assistant coaches. He brings in Forrest Griffin, Gray Maynard and Tyson Griffin to be Rich Franklin's assistant coaches.
Middleweight Semi-Final Fight- Court McGee (5-1) vs. Brad Tavares (4-0)
Dana says it will be a close fight but he picks Court to win. Both of these guys are from Team Liddell. Tavares has a 2" height and McGee has a 2" reach advantage.
R1- Court got a take down after two minutes of even fighting but Brad was able to get to his feet without taking any damage. Court got another take down near the end of the round but Brad popped back up. Court hit a good strike up against the fence. Close round, Court 10-9.
R2- Court hit a good right that briefly backed up Tavares at the 90 second mark of the round. Tavares is starting to connect with some shots and he's opened a very small cut on Court's nose. Really close round, I give it to Tavares.
R3- Court hit a good leg kick that buckled Tavares and he was able to land a good strike afterwards with about one minute left in the round. Court hit a low blow and right when they restarted Court landed a good left right to Brad's chin that sent him sprawling backwards. Court followed up with two right hands to the side of the head and then Court picked him up and slammed him. Court jumped on him and submitted him with a Rear Naked Choke. Great finish by Court. Good showing by both guys. Good fight.
Winner: Court McGee by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3
"This was a dog fight right from the beginning...incredible fight"- Dana White
Dana brings in some of the Marines to train with the guys. They wanted to show the guys some of the things they do for their conditioning. They also showed how to defend themselves if someone comes at them with a gun or knife. The fighters showed the Marines some of their ground fighting. After the training the Marines came over to the house for a cookout with the fighters and coaches.
Hammortree and Yager got into it over flour and trash. Looks like we could be setting up for an Ultimate Finale showdown. Yager says something to Kacey on the way out of the room. Kyacey gets pissed and challenges him to a throw down in the back yard. Yager didn't go outside to meet Kyacey.
"You're mine"- Kyacey Uscola to Jamie Yager
"Please, Please give me Jamie Yager in the finale"- Kyacey Uscola
Middleweight Semi-Final Fight: Josh Bryant (10-0) vs. Kris McCray (5-0)
These guys fought earlier in the season and Bryant won by decision in 2 rounds. McCray says that he did overlook Bryant going into the fight. This will be McCray's 5th fight in 6 weeks. McCray has a 2" height advantage but Bryant has the 2" reach advantage.
R1- McCray got caught early with a left and was briefly floored. McCray got a take down at the one minute mark. Bryant got up and McCray took him back down again. McCray landed a good right around the one minute mark and then they clinched. McCray landed some knees in the clinch. Bryant hit a good right towards the end of the round. Good action in the first round. I've got McCray 10-9.
R2- McCray landed some good shots to open up this round. McCray looks like he's tiring a lot as the fight goes on. I've got McCray taking this round so he's up 20-18 on my score card.
R3- McCray got a take down with 3 minutes left but Bryant clearly grabbed the cage to stop it. Both guys are tired. Looks like Bryant's mouthpiece is out as he spits blood onto the mat. McCray hit a couple of good shots that Bryant took and stayed standing. Good fight. I've got McCray 30-27.
Judges score cards: 30-27, 29-28, 30-27 McCray
Winner: Kris McCray by Decision (Unanimous)
"Never had an undefeated coach in the history of TUF. Until now."- Rich Franklin as he points to himself
Court McGee vs Kris McCray is the final.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin
UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin
GM Place
Vancouver, British Columbia
June 12, 2010
The Main Event tonight is Chuck Liddell fighting Rich Franklin. As you know, it was originally supposed to be Chuck versus Tito Ortiz but Tito withdrew and had surgery and Rich stepped in to take Tito's spot as TUF coach and his spot in this fight. There are some other intriguing fights on this card. Cro Crop versus Pat Barry, Martin Kampann against Paulo Thiago, Ben Rothwell fights Gilbert Yvel and Carlos Condit is in action against Rory MacDonald. As usual, Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan handle the announcing and Bruce Buffer is the ringer announcer.
Welterweight Fight- Carlos Condit (24-5) vs. Rory MacDonald (10-0)
MacDonald is only 20 years old and is the youngest fighter in the UFC. MacDonald is 1-0 inside the Octagon. Condit is a former WEC Champion. Condit is 1-1 in the UFC with two wars against Martin Kampmann and Jake Ellenberger. Condit trains with Greg Jackson. Will it be youth or experience tonight? MacDonald is Canadian so he gets a huge ovation when announced.
R1- MacDonald quickly caught a Condit kick and took him down but let him back up. MacDonald tried to measure Condit with some shots but came up empty. Fans chant "Rory". MacDonald got a take down inside of the first minute. Condit lands some good strikes to the face from the bottom. Condit got back to his feet without taking any damage and actually controlling the situation from his back. MacDonald swung for the fences and Condit landed a good right counter that wobbled MacDonald. MacDonald landed a couple of strikes that took Condit to the fence and then MacDonald got another take down. Condit again got to his feet without taking any damage. Condit is landing some good kicks. MacDonald got a take down to end the round. MacDonald got 3 take downs but didn't do anything with them. I give the round to Condit because he delivered more damage on the ground and landed the best shot on their feet. It was close but I've got Condit 10-9. Rogan says he gave the round to MacDonald based on take downs.
R2- Condit tried for a take down but MacDonald ended up on top. Condit again gets to his feet without any damage. Condit missed a superman punch and MacDonald tried for a take down but Condit reversed it and ended up on top. MacDonald was able to kick out and ended up on top. Condit again defended and landed more strikes from the bottom and got back to his feet without taking any damage. Fans chant "Let's Go Rory." MacDonald landed a good combination in a near clinch situation. MacDonald landed a good counter front kick right at the end of the round. Both guys went for front kicks, Condit actually connected with Rory's face but Rory caught Condit's arm which knocked him off balance and knocked him down. MacDonald takes this round so I've got it at 19-19 on the score card. Good fight so far, Condit needs to be more aggressive. I've said this before in his UFC fights, but it almost feels like he's fighting a 5-Round fight.
R3- MacDonald hit a head kick that didn't fully connected in the early part of the round. MacDonald is throwing bombs but Condit is blocking them. Condit hit MacDonald with a 2-punch combination that hurt and MacDonald immediately went for the take down. Condit went for a kimura and ended up on top. Condit lands a couple of good elbows. MacDonald is cut open. Condit gets mount but then MacDonald gets him back in half guard. Condit lands more elbows. MacDonald gets back to his feet. MacDonald went for a take down and Condit easily reversed. MacDonald looks really tired or he's hurt. Rogan says it looks like something is wrong with MacDonald's eye, says it's possibly an orbital break. Condit continues to pressure MacDonald and land strikes. The ref steps in and stops the fight with about 10 seconds left in the fight. Great fight. Rogan says there is definitely something wrong with MacDonald's eye. MacDonald showed a lot of heart and at 20 years old he has a lot of life left in the UFC. Good win by Condit, he showed the killer instinct in the 3rd round that he needs to show earlier.
Winner: Carlos Condit by TKO (Strikes) R3 4:53
Heavyweight Fight- Gilbert Yvel (36-14-1) vs. Ben Rothwell (30-7)
30 of Yvel's 36 wins have come by way of knock out. Yvel fought at UFC 108 but he was stopped in that fight by Junior dos Santos. Rothwell has a 2" height, 3" reach and 21 pound advantage in this fight. Rothwell is coming off of a loss to Cain Velsaquez so both guys are coming off losses to top tier UFC Heavyweights. Yves Lavigne is the ref and gets some boos after his poor stoppage earlier on Spike TV.
R1- Rothwell charges right at Yvel and back him down throwing strikes. Yvel separates and grabs a guillotine and pulls guard but Rothwell easily gets out of it and takes side control. Yvel flips him over, Rothwell got back to his feet and slammed Yvel back down. Rothwell gets full mount and throws some elbows. Yvel goes for a leg lock but Rothwell spun out of it. Rothwell got Yvel in a crucifix but Yvel flipped him over and got to his feet. Yvels landed some good strikes. Good round. Yvel finished strong but I've got Rothwell taking the round 10-9.
R2- Rothwell immediately got a take down to start the round. Rothwell lands some good elbows. Yvel got back to his feet at the mid-way point of the round. Rothwell got another take down at the two minute mark. Yvel flipped him over and threw some good strikes from the top. Yvel is connecting and Rothwell tries to clinch him but Yvel breaks free and continues to land some good shots. Rothwell got back to his feet with a minute left in the round and took Yvel down again. Rothwell finished the round on top. Give Yvel this round due to damage inflicted and I've got it 19-19 going into the third.
R3- Yvel went for a take down but got taken down. Rothwell spends the majority of the round on top of Yvel. Rothwell is going to take this round and the fight 29-28.
Judges score cards: 30-27. 29-28, 29-28
Winner: Ben Rothwell by Decision (Unanimous)
Welterweight Fight- Paulo Thiago (13-1) vs. Martin Kampmann (16-3)
Kampmann is coming off of a win at UFC 108 on the preliminaries against Jacob Volkmann by submission. Kampmann has won 3 of his last 4 including a decision win over Carlos Condit. Thiago fought at UFC 109 and choked out Mike Swick in the 2nd round. Thiago also holds a victory over title contender Josh Koscheck. The winner of this fight probably sets themselves up for a title contenders fight since GSP and Koscheck are doing TUF and they won't be fighting for a while. Thiago has a 2.5" reach advantage.
R1- Kampmann lands some strikes early. Kampmann is landing some good jabs. Kampmann landed a good right hand and knocked down Thiago with 90 seconds left in the round. Thiago retaliated by getting a trip and take down. Kampmann grabbed a guillotine and used it to get to his feet. Kmapmann went for another choke against the cage but Thiago used his legs to kick off the cage and get out of the choke. Kampmann 10-9.
R2- Thiago is just throwing haymakers but is not connecting. Kampmann got a take down at the mid-way point of the round. Thiago used a kimura to sweept Kampmann over but there is only 30 seconds left in the round. Kampmann got back to his feet and landed a couple of knees. Kampmann 20-18.
R3- Kampmann landed a counter jab and then got a take down in the first minute of the final round. Kampmann went for an arm triangle and Thiago gave up his back and was able to avoid the submission. Kampmann stayed on top of Thiago. Thiago finally got back to his feet with about 80 seconds left. Thiago threw a bomb but Kampmann took him down again. Kampmann goes for another arm triangle. Kampmann almost finished the fight but not quite. Kampmann wins this fight 30-27.
Judges score cards: 30-27 on all 3 score cards
Winner: Martin Kampmann by Decision (Unanimous)
Heavyweight Fight- Mirko Cro Cop (26-7-2) vs. Pat Barry (5-1)
Cro Cop fought Junior dos Santos in late 2009 and verbally submitted. Barry fought at UFC 104 and beat Antoni Hardonk by TKO in the 2nd round. Cro Cop is one of Barry's idol's. Cro Cop needs some new theme music, Duran Duran just doesn't cut it.
R1- Barry is very aggressive from the outset and landed a good shot that knocked Cro Cop down 30 seconds into the fight. Barry is landing some good leg kicks. Cro Cop returns the favor with some kicks of his own. Barry hit a good right that floored Cro Cop again. Rogan says he thinks Cro Cop broke his jaw. Cro Cop got a brief take down but Barry got back to his feet. Barry 10-9.
R2- Barry partially connected with a head kick but it was just a glancing blow and Cro Cop was able to take him down. Cro Cop got the mount and Barry gave up his back. Cro Cop takes this round and we are at 19-19 going into the final stanza.
R3- Not a lot of action in this round. Cro Cop clinched against the cage for a while and then the ref re-started them and Cro Cop backed Barry down and landed some strikes. Cro Cop knocked Barry down and jumped on top and delivered some Ground and Pound. Cro Cop clamped in a Rear Naked Choke and won the fight in the last minute. Barry just tired out and Cro Cop outlasted him. Good win by Cro Cop.
Winner: Mirko Cro Cop by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3 4:30
Light Heavyweight Fight- Chuck Liddell (21-7) vs. Rich Franklin (27-5)
Chuck Liddell has changed his lifestyle going into this fight. He's training more and in different areas of his game, he's given up alcohol and he's been resting. It will be interesting to see how he matches up with Rich.
R1-Chuck is landing some leg kicks early. Just lands a body kick and just missed a head kick as it as partially blocked. Rich hit a good right but Chuck landed a good shot during a clinch. Chuck got a take down two minutes into the round. Rich got back to his feet and Chuck has been cut open (not sure how it happened). Chuck caught Rich with a punch that almost knocked him down. Chuck lands a couple more strikes. Chuck landed a partial head kick and moved in quickly. He slipped and Rich hit a couple of small shots. They clinched with 10 seconds left in the round. Chuck pushed off and threw a couple of punches. Chuck threw a big right and missed. Rich countered with a right hand that hit Chuck right on the button and ended his night with 7 seconds left in the round. Chuck looked pretty good until those last 10 seconds. Big time punch by Rich Franklin.
"You've gotta expect this is the last time we see Chuck Liddell in the Octagon"- Joe Rogan
"I was just thinking the same thing"- Mike Goldberg
Winner: Rich Franklin by KO R1 4:55
Franklin says that Chuck broke Rich's left hand in the first round when he threw and landed a body kick.
Welterweight Fight- Mike Pyle vs. Jesse Lennox
R1- Pyle landed some good shots at the end of the round and floored Lennox. Pyle jumped on top and tried for a choke but couldn't finish before the bell rung. Pyle 10-9.
R2- Pyle went for a take down and didn't get it but he was able to spin around and take top position from Lennox. Pyle stayed on top for the round and took it. Pyle 20-18.
R3- Lennox came on strong at the end of the round and landed some shots around the one minute mark. Pyle clinched him but Lennox got a take down. Lennox is cut open bad. Pyle got a triangle choke and finished the fight. Good finish from the bottom by Pyle.
Winner: Mike Pyle by Triangle Choke R3 4:44
GM Place
Vancouver, British Columbia
June 12, 2010
The Main Event tonight is Chuck Liddell fighting Rich Franklin. As you know, it was originally supposed to be Chuck versus Tito Ortiz but Tito withdrew and had surgery and Rich stepped in to take Tito's spot as TUF coach and his spot in this fight. There are some other intriguing fights on this card. Cro Crop versus Pat Barry, Martin Kampann against Paulo Thiago, Ben Rothwell fights Gilbert Yvel and Carlos Condit is in action against Rory MacDonald. As usual, Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan handle the announcing and Bruce Buffer is the ringer announcer.
Welterweight Fight- Carlos Condit (24-5) vs. Rory MacDonald (10-0)
MacDonald is only 20 years old and is the youngest fighter in the UFC. MacDonald is 1-0 inside the Octagon. Condit is a former WEC Champion. Condit is 1-1 in the UFC with two wars against Martin Kampmann and Jake Ellenberger. Condit trains with Greg Jackson. Will it be youth or experience tonight? MacDonald is Canadian so he gets a huge ovation when announced.
R1- MacDonald quickly caught a Condit kick and took him down but let him back up. MacDonald tried to measure Condit with some shots but came up empty. Fans chant "Rory". MacDonald got a take down inside of the first minute. Condit lands some good strikes to the face from the bottom. Condit got back to his feet without taking any damage and actually controlling the situation from his back. MacDonald swung for the fences and Condit landed a good right counter that wobbled MacDonald. MacDonald landed a couple of strikes that took Condit to the fence and then MacDonald got another take down. Condit again got to his feet without taking any damage. Condit is landing some good kicks. MacDonald got a take down to end the round. MacDonald got 3 take downs but didn't do anything with them. I give the round to Condit because he delivered more damage on the ground and landed the best shot on their feet. It was close but I've got Condit 10-9. Rogan says he gave the round to MacDonald based on take downs.
R2- Condit tried for a take down but MacDonald ended up on top. Condit again gets to his feet without any damage. Condit missed a superman punch and MacDonald tried for a take down but Condit reversed it and ended up on top. MacDonald was able to kick out and ended up on top. Condit again defended and landed more strikes from the bottom and got back to his feet without taking any damage. Fans chant "Let's Go Rory." MacDonald landed a good combination in a near clinch situation. MacDonald landed a good counter front kick right at the end of the round. Both guys went for front kicks, Condit actually connected with Rory's face but Rory caught Condit's arm which knocked him off balance and knocked him down. MacDonald takes this round so I've got it at 19-19 on the score card. Good fight so far, Condit needs to be more aggressive. I've said this before in his UFC fights, but it almost feels like he's fighting a 5-Round fight.
R3- MacDonald hit a head kick that didn't fully connected in the early part of the round. MacDonald is throwing bombs but Condit is blocking them. Condit hit MacDonald with a 2-punch combination that hurt and MacDonald immediately went for the take down. Condit went for a kimura and ended up on top. Condit lands a couple of good elbows. MacDonald is cut open. Condit gets mount but then MacDonald gets him back in half guard. Condit lands more elbows. MacDonald gets back to his feet. MacDonald went for a take down and Condit easily reversed. MacDonald looks really tired or he's hurt. Rogan says it looks like something is wrong with MacDonald's eye, says it's possibly an orbital break. Condit continues to pressure MacDonald and land strikes. The ref steps in and stops the fight with about 10 seconds left in the fight. Great fight. Rogan says there is definitely something wrong with MacDonald's eye. MacDonald showed a lot of heart and at 20 years old he has a lot of life left in the UFC. Good win by Condit, he showed the killer instinct in the 3rd round that he needs to show earlier.
Winner: Carlos Condit by TKO (Strikes) R3 4:53
Heavyweight Fight- Gilbert Yvel (36-14-1) vs. Ben Rothwell (30-7)
30 of Yvel's 36 wins have come by way of knock out. Yvel fought at UFC 108 but he was stopped in that fight by Junior dos Santos. Rothwell has a 2" height, 3" reach and 21 pound advantage in this fight. Rothwell is coming off of a loss to Cain Velsaquez so both guys are coming off losses to top tier UFC Heavyweights. Yves Lavigne is the ref and gets some boos after his poor stoppage earlier on Spike TV.
R1- Rothwell charges right at Yvel and back him down throwing strikes. Yvel separates and grabs a guillotine and pulls guard but Rothwell easily gets out of it and takes side control. Yvel flips him over, Rothwell got back to his feet and slammed Yvel back down. Rothwell gets full mount and throws some elbows. Yvel goes for a leg lock but Rothwell spun out of it. Rothwell got Yvel in a crucifix but Yvel flipped him over and got to his feet. Yvels landed some good strikes. Good round. Yvel finished strong but I've got Rothwell taking the round 10-9.
R2- Rothwell immediately got a take down to start the round. Rothwell lands some good elbows. Yvel got back to his feet at the mid-way point of the round. Rothwell got another take down at the two minute mark. Yvel flipped him over and threw some good strikes from the top. Yvel is connecting and Rothwell tries to clinch him but Yvel breaks free and continues to land some good shots. Rothwell got back to his feet with a minute left in the round and took Yvel down again. Rothwell finished the round on top. Give Yvel this round due to damage inflicted and I've got it 19-19 going into the third.
R3- Yvel went for a take down but got taken down. Rothwell spends the majority of the round on top of Yvel. Rothwell is going to take this round and the fight 29-28.
Judges score cards: 30-27. 29-28, 29-28
Winner: Ben Rothwell by Decision (Unanimous)
Welterweight Fight- Paulo Thiago (13-1) vs. Martin Kampmann (16-3)
Kampmann is coming off of a win at UFC 108 on the preliminaries against Jacob Volkmann by submission. Kampmann has won 3 of his last 4 including a decision win over Carlos Condit. Thiago fought at UFC 109 and choked out Mike Swick in the 2nd round. Thiago also holds a victory over title contender Josh Koscheck. The winner of this fight probably sets themselves up for a title contenders fight since GSP and Koscheck are doing TUF and they won't be fighting for a while. Thiago has a 2.5" reach advantage.
R1- Kampmann lands some strikes early. Kampmann is landing some good jabs. Kampmann landed a good right hand and knocked down Thiago with 90 seconds left in the round. Thiago retaliated by getting a trip and take down. Kampmann grabbed a guillotine and used it to get to his feet. Kmapmann went for another choke against the cage but Thiago used his legs to kick off the cage and get out of the choke. Kampmann 10-9.
R2- Thiago is just throwing haymakers but is not connecting. Kampmann got a take down at the mid-way point of the round. Thiago used a kimura to sweept Kampmann over but there is only 30 seconds left in the round. Kampmann got back to his feet and landed a couple of knees. Kampmann 20-18.
R3- Kampmann landed a counter jab and then got a take down in the first minute of the final round. Kampmann went for an arm triangle and Thiago gave up his back and was able to avoid the submission. Kampmann stayed on top of Thiago. Thiago finally got back to his feet with about 80 seconds left. Thiago threw a bomb but Kampmann took him down again. Kampmann goes for another arm triangle. Kampmann almost finished the fight but not quite. Kampmann wins this fight 30-27.
Judges score cards: 30-27 on all 3 score cards
Winner: Martin Kampmann by Decision (Unanimous)
Heavyweight Fight- Mirko Cro Cop (26-7-2) vs. Pat Barry (5-1)
Cro Cop fought Junior dos Santos in late 2009 and verbally submitted. Barry fought at UFC 104 and beat Antoni Hardonk by TKO in the 2nd round. Cro Cop is one of Barry's idol's. Cro Cop needs some new theme music, Duran Duran just doesn't cut it.
R1- Barry is very aggressive from the outset and landed a good shot that knocked Cro Cop down 30 seconds into the fight. Barry is landing some good leg kicks. Cro Cop returns the favor with some kicks of his own. Barry hit a good right that floored Cro Cop again. Rogan says he thinks Cro Cop broke his jaw. Cro Cop got a brief take down but Barry got back to his feet. Barry 10-9.
R2- Barry partially connected with a head kick but it was just a glancing blow and Cro Cop was able to take him down. Cro Cop got the mount and Barry gave up his back. Cro Cop takes this round and we are at 19-19 going into the final stanza.
R3- Not a lot of action in this round. Cro Cop clinched against the cage for a while and then the ref re-started them and Cro Cop backed Barry down and landed some strikes. Cro Cop knocked Barry down and jumped on top and delivered some Ground and Pound. Cro Cop clamped in a Rear Naked Choke and won the fight in the last minute. Barry just tired out and Cro Cop outlasted him. Good win by Cro Cop.
Winner: Mirko Cro Cop by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3 4:30
Light Heavyweight Fight- Chuck Liddell (21-7) vs. Rich Franklin (27-5)
Chuck Liddell has changed his lifestyle going into this fight. He's training more and in different areas of his game, he's given up alcohol and he's been resting. It will be interesting to see how he matches up with Rich.
R1-Chuck is landing some leg kicks early. Just lands a body kick and just missed a head kick as it as partially blocked. Rich hit a good right but Chuck landed a good shot during a clinch. Chuck got a take down two minutes into the round. Rich got back to his feet and Chuck has been cut open (not sure how it happened). Chuck caught Rich with a punch that almost knocked him down. Chuck lands a couple more strikes. Chuck landed a partial head kick and moved in quickly. He slipped and Rich hit a couple of small shots. They clinched with 10 seconds left in the round. Chuck pushed off and threw a couple of punches. Chuck threw a big right and missed. Rich countered with a right hand that hit Chuck right on the button and ended his night with 7 seconds left in the round. Chuck looked pretty good until those last 10 seconds. Big time punch by Rich Franklin.
"You've gotta expect this is the last time we see Chuck Liddell in the Octagon"- Joe Rogan
"I was just thinking the same thing"- Mike Goldberg
Winner: Rich Franklin by KO R1 4:55
Franklin says that Chuck broke Rich's left hand in the first round when he threw and landed a body kick.
Welterweight Fight- Mike Pyle vs. Jesse Lennox
R1- Pyle landed some good shots at the end of the round and floored Lennox. Pyle jumped on top and tried for a choke but couldn't finish before the bell rung. Pyle 10-9.
R2- Pyle went for a take down and didn't get it but he was able to spin around and take top position from Lennox. Pyle stayed on top for the round and took it. Pyle 20-18.
R3- Lennox came on strong at the end of the round and landed some shots around the one minute mark. Pyle clinched him but Lennox got a take down. Lennox is cut open bad. Pyle got a triangle choke and finished the fight. Good finish from the bottom by Pyle.
Winner: Mike Pyle by Triangle Choke R3 4:44
Saturday, June 12, 2010
UFC 115: Preliminaries 6/12 Re-Cap
UFC 115: Preliminaries
GM Place
Vancouver, British Columbia
Spike TV
June 12, 2010
Tonight we will see Chuck Liddell step into the cage against Rich Franklin. But first we've got free fights on Spike TV. Mac Danzig fights Matt Wiman and Tyson Griffin takes on Evan Dunham.
Lightweight Fight- Mac Danzig (20-7-1) vs. Matt Wiman (11-5)
Wiman has a 2" height advantage but Danzig has a 3" reach advantage.
R1- Danzig was able to get Wiman down after an early exchange. Wiman grabbed a choke from the bottom and flipped Danzig over and applied some good pressure to his neck. Danzig got out but Wiman moved his weight onto Danzig and Yves Lavigne called for the bell. As soon as Yves called for the bell it was obvious that Danzig was not unconscious and that it was a horrible stoppage.
"This is a huge, huge, huge mistake. Let me tell you something, you cannot choke a guy unconscious when the side of his neck is loose. Yves Lavigne is moving his arm but Mac Danzig is just relaxing. This is a tremendous mistake."- Joe Rogan
Post fight both guys show a lot of class.
Winner: Matt Wiman by TKO (Yves Lavigne) R1 1:45
Welterweight Fight- Ricardo Funch vs. Claude Patrick
R1- Lots of clinching against the cage to start the fight. Patrick got a take down 90 seconds into the fight. Funch grazed Patrick's head with a kick while he had a knee on the ground and the ref immediately separated them and took a point away from Patrick despite the kick not fazing Funch. UFC 115 "Bad Officiating". Patrick landed a couple of good strikes from the top. Patrick stayed on top for the rest of the round. Patrick went for a guillotine towards the end of the round and Yves Lavigne wasn't the ref so Funch lives to see a second round. Patrick 10-8 since Funch had a point deducted by the ref. Funch has a cut under his left eye going into the second round.
"That was the babiest kick to the head ever"- Joe Rogan
R2- They clinched against the cage again. Patrick grabbed a guillotine and pulled guard and Funch tapped out. Good showing in his UFC debut for Patrick.
Winner: Claude Patrick by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R2 1:48
Lightweight Fight- Tyson Griffin (14-2) vs. Evan Dunham (10-0)
Dunham's last win was a submission victory over TUF winner Efrain Escudero. Griffin is coming off of a big win against Hermes Franca. Dunham has a 4" height and 4" reach advantage. Tyson should have a good strength advantage. Both guys have trained together at Xtreme Couture. Dunham trained elsewhere for this fight but will return to Couture after this fight.
R1- Dunham went for a take down but ate some good strikes from Griffin. Griffin has landed some good leg kicks. Griffin misses a punch and Dunham was able to grab Griffin's back. Dunham had a tough time after taking Griffin's back because of his height advantage. Close round. Probably goes to Dunham due to the dominant position he had for the end of the round.
R2- Dunham grabbed a take down in the first minute of the round. Griffin tried to grab a guillotine on the way down but couldn't lock it in. Dunham tried to grab a choke of his own but he couldn't and Griffin escaped to his feet. Dunham got another take down half way through the round. Dunham took Griffin's back again. Tyson got to his feet with Dunham still on his back and Tyson fell forward head planting Dunham into the mat. Dunham held on and Griffin stood back up with Dunham still on his back. Dunham 20-18.
R3- They both throw leather early in the round. Dunham whiffs on a take down and ate a good strike. Dunham landed a kick that briefly floored Griffin and Dunham took Griffin's back and got him to the ground. Griffin again got to his feet with Dunham still on his back. Tyson tried to slam Dunham again but Dunham held on.
Dunham is going to take this fight 30-27. Really good win for Dunham.
Judges score cards: 30-27 Dunham, 29-28 Griffin (huh?), 29-28 Dunham
Winner: Evan Dunham by Decision (Split)
GM Place
Vancouver, British Columbia
Spike TV
June 12, 2010
Tonight we will see Chuck Liddell step into the cage against Rich Franklin. But first we've got free fights on Spike TV. Mac Danzig fights Matt Wiman and Tyson Griffin takes on Evan Dunham.
Lightweight Fight- Mac Danzig (20-7-1) vs. Matt Wiman (11-5)
Wiman has a 2" height advantage but Danzig has a 3" reach advantage.
R1- Danzig was able to get Wiman down after an early exchange. Wiman grabbed a choke from the bottom and flipped Danzig over and applied some good pressure to his neck. Danzig got out but Wiman moved his weight onto Danzig and Yves Lavigne called for the bell. As soon as Yves called for the bell it was obvious that Danzig was not unconscious and that it was a horrible stoppage.
"This is a huge, huge, huge mistake. Let me tell you something, you cannot choke a guy unconscious when the side of his neck is loose. Yves Lavigne is moving his arm but Mac Danzig is just relaxing. This is a tremendous mistake."- Joe Rogan
Post fight both guys show a lot of class.
Winner: Matt Wiman by TKO (Yves Lavigne) R1 1:45
Welterweight Fight- Ricardo Funch vs. Claude Patrick
R1- Lots of clinching against the cage to start the fight. Patrick got a take down 90 seconds into the fight. Funch grazed Patrick's head with a kick while he had a knee on the ground and the ref immediately separated them and took a point away from Patrick despite the kick not fazing Funch. UFC 115 "Bad Officiating". Patrick landed a couple of good strikes from the top. Patrick stayed on top for the rest of the round. Patrick went for a guillotine towards the end of the round and Yves Lavigne wasn't the ref so Funch lives to see a second round. Patrick 10-8 since Funch had a point deducted by the ref. Funch has a cut under his left eye going into the second round.
"That was the babiest kick to the head ever"- Joe Rogan
R2- They clinched against the cage again. Patrick grabbed a guillotine and pulled guard and Funch tapped out. Good showing in his UFC debut for Patrick.
Winner: Claude Patrick by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R2 1:48
Lightweight Fight- Tyson Griffin (14-2) vs. Evan Dunham (10-0)
Dunham's last win was a submission victory over TUF winner Efrain Escudero. Griffin is coming off of a big win against Hermes Franca. Dunham has a 4" height and 4" reach advantage. Tyson should have a good strength advantage. Both guys have trained together at Xtreme Couture. Dunham trained elsewhere for this fight but will return to Couture after this fight.
R1- Dunham went for a take down but ate some good strikes from Griffin. Griffin has landed some good leg kicks. Griffin misses a punch and Dunham was able to grab Griffin's back. Dunham had a tough time after taking Griffin's back because of his height advantage. Close round. Probably goes to Dunham due to the dominant position he had for the end of the round.
R2- Dunham grabbed a take down in the first minute of the round. Griffin tried to grab a guillotine on the way down but couldn't lock it in. Dunham tried to grab a choke of his own but he couldn't and Griffin escaped to his feet. Dunham got another take down half way through the round. Dunham took Griffin's back again. Tyson got to his feet with Dunham still on his back and Tyson fell forward head planting Dunham into the mat. Dunham held on and Griffin stood back up with Dunham still on his back. Dunham 20-18.
R3- They both throw leather early in the round. Dunham whiffs on a take down and ate a good strike. Dunham landed a kick that briefly floored Griffin and Dunham took Griffin's back and got him to the ground. Griffin again got to his feet with Dunham still on his back. Tyson tried to slam Dunham again but Dunham held on.
Dunham is going to take this fight 30-27. Really good win for Dunham.
Judges score cards: 30-27 Dunham, 29-28 Griffin (huh?), 29-28 Dunham
Winner: Evan Dunham by Decision (Split)
Sunday, June 06, 2010
TUF Season 11 Episode 10 Re-Cap
The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 Episode 10 Re-Cap
"Shocked and Awed"
Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz
Last week Kris McCray and Brad Tavares advanced into the semi-finals. At the end of the show Dana dropped a bomb shell on Chuck when he told him that Tito had turned down the fight and was going to have back surgery. The tease this week is if Dana will fire Tito from The Ultimate Fighter. We will also have the last quarterfinal fight on this show as Jamie Yager will fight Josh Bryant.
Dana says it's the first time a coach has pulled out of a fight on the Ultimate Fighter because of an injury. Chuck is pissed and is dropping a ton of beeps. Dana tells Chuck he's still going to fight after the show. Chuck is OK with that he's just pissed that Tito backed out of the fight.
Middleweight Quarterfinal Fight- Jamie Yager (2-1) (Team Ortiz) vs. Josh Bryant (10-0) (Team Liddell)
R1- Josh hit a good counter right hand early in the fight that knocked Yager back but Yager was able to clinch before Josh could inflict any more damage. Yager landed a good knee against the cage. Yager landed a couple of strikes and then kicked Josh in the balls. Yager landed a couple of inside leg kicks. There was a crazy sequence where Yager jumped up for a front kick and his leg got stuck on top of Josh's head. Josh ran him back into the cage but Yager ended up on top and landed some strikes. Josh came forward and landed a good strike that took Yager down. Yager landed a good up kick that stopped Bryant from immediately capitalizing. Josh took top position but couldn't do anything before the round ended. Tough round to judge. Josh landed the best two shots of the round but basically did nothing besides land those two punches. Bryant did get the only knockdown so I think you have to give him the round.
R2- Josh kicks Yager in the balls early in the round to even the score. Yager is doing a good job keeping Josh off balance with the kicks he is throwing. Josh came forward and threw some strikes but Yager landed a knee to Josh's body. Yager tried a kick but Josh was able to get a take down into side control. Yager quickly got to his feet and was able to land a strike on the way up. Yager landed a front kick. Yager continues to land leg kicks and he landed two that you could tell hurt Bryant. Bryant landed a knee but Yager returned the favor. Good fight, both guys giving it their all and engaging. Bryant landed a left that took Yager down and then he jumped on top. Josh was able to land some good elbows. I've got Bryant 20-18 but I could see the first round going to Yager. Yager took a long time to get back to his corner after the round ended. Dana said the judges declared the fight a draw and they are going to a third round.
Yager can't answer the bell and Mazzagatti calls the fight in favor of Bryant.
Winner: Josh Bryant by TKO (Ref Stoppage) R2
"I would have never, ever expected that from Yager. To not answer the bell for the third round"- Dana White
"It's one thing to come in and play the game and everything else. It's another thing to quit on the stool."- Dana White
"He got hit with those first two punches and he wasn't the same the rest of the fight. He didn't like that. He didn't like that at all."- Dana White
"That was the best fight since we've been here. That was a good fucking fight."- Dana White
Post fight Tito calls Yager a pussy and storms off. On the next scene they are shown taking Yager away to the hospital.
"You can teach someone how to fight but you can't teach them to have heart."- Tito Ortiz
Dana came into Tito's locker room and pulled him out to talk to him. Dana tells Tito that he has a doctor's appointment for him tomorrow in LA to get a second opinion. Dana tells Tito that tomorrow is his last day. Tito questions him but Dana tells him that he is going to start the process now and that they've made another fight for Chuck. Tito looks visibly shaken up. Tito says he's never been fired at anything in his life and it's hard to swallow.
"If Tito thought he wasn't 100% he should have never come on the show"- Dana White
"This is not the last of Tito Ortiz"- Tito Ortiz
Tito didn't say anything to his guys. He just took off and left. Dana gave him time to go talk to his guys but that didn't happen. Dana called Tito's team back into the training center from their van. Dana told them that Tito was done because he pulled out of the fight. Tito's team was shocked that Tito didn't say anything to them. Dana tells the guys that somebody else has signed on to fight Chuck and that he is in route. He promises the guys that they will have good coaching. Tito comes to the house to talk to the guys later that night and say his goodbyes.
Dana gets everyone together at the training center and he goes to announce the first fight and they abruptly cut to commercial in the middle of him talking. First fight is Brad Tavares against Court McGee. So that leaves Kris McCray against Josh Bryant in the second fight.
Next they show a man walking into the training center from behind and then they show Rich Franklin highlights. They cut to Rich and Dana standing together and Team Ortiz coming into the Training Center. Dana says that because this happened he has over compensated. He says "let me bring in the assistant coaches" and they go off the air as the door opens.
"Dana called me and said 'I need a big favor. Tito's hurt, he's not going to be able to fight Chuck.' I said I'll do what you need me to do."- Rich Franklin
I think at this point I don't see a clear favorite to take this. All of the guys have their strengths and weaknesses but seem like they are on the same level.
Middleweights Remaining:
Brad Tavares (Team Liddell Pick #5)- defeated James Hammortree (Decision), Seth Baczynski (DQ)
Court McGee- Injury Replacement (Rich Attonito)- lost to Nick Ring by Decision in 1st Round, beat Hammortree by Guillotine Choke in 2nd Round
Josh Bryant (Team Liddell Pick #4)- defeated Kris McCray (Decision), Jamie Yager (TKO)
Kris McCray (Wildcard Selection)- defeated Kyacey Uscola (Submission) and Kyle Noke (Decision)
Eliminated:
Clayton McKinney by Kyle Noke (First Round)
Chris Camozzi- left due to injury
James Hammortree by Brad Tavares (First Round)
Charles Blanchard by Jamie Yager (First Round)
Rich Attonito- left due to injury after beating Kyacey Uscola in first round by DQ
Joe Henle by Seth Baczynski (First Round)
Kyacey Uscola- defeated by Kris McCray (Wildcard Round)
Nick Ring- left due to injury
James Hammortree- defeated by Court McGee (Second Round)
Kyle Noke- defeated by Kris McCray (Decision)
Seth Baczynski- eliminated by Brad Tavares (DQ for Illegal Soccer kick to the head)
Jamie Yager- eliminated by Josh Bryant (TKO)
"Shocked and Awed"
Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz
Last week Kris McCray and Brad Tavares advanced into the semi-finals. At the end of the show Dana dropped a bomb shell on Chuck when he told him that Tito had turned down the fight and was going to have back surgery. The tease this week is if Dana will fire Tito from The Ultimate Fighter. We will also have the last quarterfinal fight on this show as Jamie Yager will fight Josh Bryant.
Dana says it's the first time a coach has pulled out of a fight on the Ultimate Fighter because of an injury. Chuck is pissed and is dropping a ton of beeps. Dana tells Chuck he's still going to fight after the show. Chuck is OK with that he's just pissed that Tito backed out of the fight.
Middleweight Quarterfinal Fight- Jamie Yager (2-1) (Team Ortiz) vs. Josh Bryant (10-0) (Team Liddell)
R1- Josh hit a good counter right hand early in the fight that knocked Yager back but Yager was able to clinch before Josh could inflict any more damage. Yager landed a good knee against the cage. Yager landed a couple of strikes and then kicked Josh in the balls. Yager landed a couple of inside leg kicks. There was a crazy sequence where Yager jumped up for a front kick and his leg got stuck on top of Josh's head. Josh ran him back into the cage but Yager ended up on top and landed some strikes. Josh came forward and landed a good strike that took Yager down. Yager landed a good up kick that stopped Bryant from immediately capitalizing. Josh took top position but couldn't do anything before the round ended. Tough round to judge. Josh landed the best two shots of the round but basically did nothing besides land those two punches. Bryant did get the only knockdown so I think you have to give him the round.
R2- Josh kicks Yager in the balls early in the round to even the score. Yager is doing a good job keeping Josh off balance with the kicks he is throwing. Josh came forward and threw some strikes but Yager landed a knee to Josh's body. Yager tried a kick but Josh was able to get a take down into side control. Yager quickly got to his feet and was able to land a strike on the way up. Yager landed a front kick. Yager continues to land leg kicks and he landed two that you could tell hurt Bryant. Bryant landed a knee but Yager returned the favor. Good fight, both guys giving it their all and engaging. Bryant landed a left that took Yager down and then he jumped on top. Josh was able to land some good elbows. I've got Bryant 20-18 but I could see the first round going to Yager. Yager took a long time to get back to his corner after the round ended. Dana said the judges declared the fight a draw and they are going to a third round.
Yager can't answer the bell and Mazzagatti calls the fight in favor of Bryant.
Winner: Josh Bryant by TKO (Ref Stoppage) R2
"I would have never, ever expected that from Yager. To not answer the bell for the third round"- Dana White
"It's one thing to come in and play the game and everything else. It's another thing to quit on the stool."- Dana White
"He got hit with those first two punches and he wasn't the same the rest of the fight. He didn't like that. He didn't like that at all."- Dana White
"That was the best fight since we've been here. That was a good fucking fight."- Dana White
Post fight Tito calls Yager a pussy and storms off. On the next scene they are shown taking Yager away to the hospital.
"You can teach someone how to fight but you can't teach them to have heart."- Tito Ortiz
Dana came into Tito's locker room and pulled him out to talk to him. Dana tells Tito that he has a doctor's appointment for him tomorrow in LA to get a second opinion. Dana tells Tito that tomorrow is his last day. Tito questions him but Dana tells him that he is going to start the process now and that they've made another fight for Chuck. Tito looks visibly shaken up. Tito says he's never been fired at anything in his life and it's hard to swallow.
"If Tito thought he wasn't 100% he should have never come on the show"- Dana White
"This is not the last of Tito Ortiz"- Tito Ortiz
Tito didn't say anything to his guys. He just took off and left. Dana gave him time to go talk to his guys but that didn't happen. Dana called Tito's team back into the training center from their van. Dana told them that Tito was done because he pulled out of the fight. Tito's team was shocked that Tito didn't say anything to them. Dana tells the guys that somebody else has signed on to fight Chuck and that he is in route. He promises the guys that they will have good coaching. Tito comes to the house to talk to the guys later that night and say his goodbyes.
Dana gets everyone together at the training center and he goes to announce the first fight and they abruptly cut to commercial in the middle of him talking. First fight is Brad Tavares against Court McGee. So that leaves Kris McCray against Josh Bryant in the second fight.
Next they show a man walking into the training center from behind and then they show Rich Franklin highlights. They cut to Rich and Dana standing together and Team Ortiz coming into the Training Center. Dana says that because this happened he has over compensated. He says "let me bring in the assistant coaches" and they go off the air as the door opens.
"Dana called me and said 'I need a big favor. Tito's hurt, he's not going to be able to fight Chuck.' I said I'll do what you need me to do."- Rich Franklin
I think at this point I don't see a clear favorite to take this. All of the guys have their strengths and weaknesses but seem like they are on the same level.
Middleweights Remaining:
Brad Tavares (Team Liddell Pick #5)- defeated James Hammortree (Decision), Seth Baczynski (DQ)
Court McGee- Injury Replacement (Rich Attonito)- lost to Nick Ring by Decision in 1st Round, beat Hammortree by Guillotine Choke in 2nd Round
Josh Bryant (Team Liddell Pick #4)- defeated Kris McCray (Decision), Jamie Yager (TKO)
Kris McCray (Wildcard Selection)- defeated Kyacey Uscola (Submission) and Kyle Noke (Decision)
Eliminated:
Clayton McKinney by Kyle Noke (First Round)
Chris Camozzi- left due to injury
James Hammortree by Brad Tavares (First Round)
Charles Blanchard by Jamie Yager (First Round)
Rich Attonito- left due to injury after beating Kyacey Uscola in first round by DQ
Joe Henle by Seth Baczynski (First Round)
Kyacey Uscola- defeated by Kris McCray (Wildcard Round)
Nick Ring- left due to injury
James Hammortree- defeated by Court McGee (Second Round)
Kyle Noke- defeated by Kris McCray (Decision)
Seth Baczynski- eliminated by Brad Tavares (DQ for Illegal Soccer kick to the head)
Jamie Yager- eliminated by Josh Bryant (TKO)
Monday, May 31, 2010
UFC 114: Rampage vs. Rashad Re-Cap
UFC 114: Rampage vs. Rashad
MGM Garden Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada
Saturday May 29, 2010
Welterweight Fight- Diego Sanchez (23-3) vs. John Hathaway (13-0)
This is Diego's return to the welterweight division after a brief run in the lightweight division. Diego is 7-2 in the UFC welterweight division. Hathaway has a 2" height and 3" reach advantage.
R1- Diego went for an early take down but got stuffed. Hathaway caught Diego was a knee as he was coming in and floored him. Hathaway jumped on top and tried to finish but Diego recovered. Hathaway stayed on top for the rest of the round. Good start by Hathaway. Hathaway 10-9.
R2- Hathaway hit a good left jab early in the round. Diego got a take down two minutes into the round but Hathaway got back to his feet without taking any damage. Diego has blood coming from his nose. Hathaway is using his reach to his advantage. Hathaway landed some good shots in the last several seconds of the round. Hathaway 10-9, 20-18 for the fight.
R3- Sanchez landed a good left in the first minute. Sanchez went for a take down but was stuffed. Sanchez hit a good right. Diego got another take down attempt stuffed. Hathaway's nose has been busted open. Hathaway partially connected with a head kick. Diego started to stalk towards the end of the round but Hathaway got a brief take down. Close round. I'll give the third to Sanchez and the fight to Hathaway 29-28. Huge win for Hathaway and this win puts him on the map in the welterweight division.
Judges score cards: 30-27, 30-27, 30-26
Winner: John Hathaway by Decision (Unanimous)
Matt Hughes is in attendance. Yesterday he was officially inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. He also has a fight coming up against Ricardo Almeida.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (18-3) vs. Jason Brilz (18-2-1)
Forrest Griffin was supposed to be in this fight but he got injured so enter Jason Brilz. Brilz took the fight on four weeks notice. Lil Nog debuted in the UFC at UFC 106 and took at Luiz Cane. Nog is on a 6 fight win streak. Nog has a 3" height and 3.5" reach advantage.
R1- Nog hit some good knees and kicks early. Brilz got a take down about 90 seconds into the fight. Nog slipped out but Brilz was able to get him back down onto the mat. Nog was able to slip out the back and take Brilz back and get him down but Brilz slipped out. Nog landed a couple of punches right at the end of the round. Brilz 10-9.
R2- Brilz went for a single leg and Nog grabbed a guillotine. Brilz slipped out and took top positon. Nog reversed but Brilz grabbed a guillotine. Nog got out of the move but Brilz grabbed it again and then released it but took top position. Brilz grabbed another guillotine but Nog slipped out and got back to his feet with two minutes left. Brilz landed a good right but Nog absorbed it. Nog landed a knee. Both guys swing for the fences and Brilz landed a good shot but Nog stayed on his feet but didn't engage for the rest of the round. Brilz 20-18. This would be another big upset.
R3- Brilz got an early take down. Nog swept him over and got back to his feet. Brilz went for a take down but Nog stuffed it and went for a choke but couldn't get it. Nog hit a knee. Brilz went for a take down but Nog quickly took top position. Nog caught Brilz in a crucifix but Brilz got out and took Nog's guard. Nog swept Brilz over with 30 seconds left. Nog took this round but I've got Brilz winning 29-28.
Judges score cards: 29-28 Brilz, 29-28 Nog, 29-28 Nog
Wow that was a very shocking decision. I thought Brilz clearly won that fight and so did the fans.
Winner: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by Decision (Split)
Heavyweight Fight- Todd Duffee (6-0) vs. Mike Russow (12-1)
Russow has won 8 straight fights with 6 of those coming by submission. Duffee debuted in the UFC at UFC 102 and promptly beat Tim Hague in 7 seconds. Duffee has a 2" height and 5" reach advantage.
R1- Duffee throwing some leather early .Duffee hit a couple of good uppercuts that hurt Russow but he survived teh onslaught. Duffee connected on a couple of overhand rights. Duffee is just dominating this fight so far. He is landing good shots and is taking his time. Duffee landed a big time left and Russow absorbed it. Duffee 10-8.
"I'll tell you one thing, Russow can take a shot"- Joe Rogan
R2- Duffee continues to land some good shots. Russow is starting to land a couple of punches. Duffee landed a good right when Russow came in for a take down. The fight has slowed down in this round. Fans are eager for a knockout after two decisions so far. Duffee 10-9, 20-17 for the fight.
R3- Russow caught Duffee half way through this round with a shocking knockout. Down 20-17 on my score card and he came back and out of nowhere landed a couple
"That's the craziest thing I've ever seen in a thousand fights. Oh My God! Mike Russow is standing in front of us and he's as surprised as we are. I'm standing up. I can't even sit down right now. That's the craziest thing I've ever seen. Oh My God!"- Joe Rogan
"If that was in a movie you'd say shut up that can't happen in real life"- Joe Rogan
"It just did"- Mike Goldberg
Winner: Mike Russow by KO R3 2:03
The Korean Zombie is in the house. San Antonio Spurs star Tim Duncan is at the show too.
Melvin Guillard vs. Waylon Lowe (8-2)
This is from the pre-show. Lowe fought for KOTC in April of this year and beat Steve Berger by knockout in the first round.
R1- Lowe got a take down but Guillard popped back up to his feet. Melvin landed some good knees while Lowe clinched him against the cage. Melvin landed some hammer fists. Lowe went for a take down and Guillard nailed him with a knee to the body and Lowe just keeled over and this one is over. Guillard came in and gave him a shot or two before the ref stopped it but it was the knee that did Lowe in.
Winner: Melvin Guillard by TKO (Strikes) R1 3:28
Guillard calls out Jeremy Stephens after the fight.
Middleweight Fight- Michael Bisping (19-3) vs. Dan Miller (11-3)
Bisping last fought at UFC 110 where he lost a unanimous decision to Wanderlei Silva. Previously at UFC 105 Bisping beat Denis Kang in the 2nd round. Dan Miller is coming off of a loss to Demain Maia at UFC 109. After the referee gives them instructions they don't touch gloves and Miller gives him a little shove back to the corner.
R1- Miller hit a good left early and then kicked Bisping in the balls. Bisping landed a right hand. Both guys are landing some shots. Really even fight so far. I think Bisping takes this round because he started to land some good shots at the end of the round. Bisping 10-9.
R2- Miller is starting to throw some leg kicks. Bisping is landing jabs and has open a cut on or near Miller's nose. Bisping stuffed a take down and then landed a good right hand at the mid-way point of the round. Bisping 20-18.
R3- Miller threw a good overhand right but Bisping answered early in the last round. Miller got a take down at the half-way point in the round. Bisping quickly backed up to the wall and got to his feet. Miller landed a couple of strikes at the end. Even if you give Miller this round it's still Bisping by decision. Unless the same judges from the Brilz/Nog fight are judging this fight.
Judges score cards: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28
Winner: Michael Bisping by Decision (Unanimous)
Mike Tyson and his face tatoo are at the fights tonight. So are Snoop Dogg, Larry Fitzgerald and David Spade. And is Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Rampage Jackson (30-7) vs. Rashad Evans (19-1-1)
Rashad last fought at UFC 108 where he won a decision against Thiago Silva. Rampage has not fought since March of 2009 when he beat Rashad's training partner Keith Jardine by unanimous decision. The UFC tells us that Rampage lands 84% of clinch strikes, defends 77% of take downs and has the 2nd best submission defense rate in MMA history. Rashad defends 63% of take downs, has never lost a fight when landing a take down and 4 of his last wins have come by way of knockout. This should be a good fight. Despite the layoff I've got Rampage. Rashad is boo'd as he enters the Octagon. Dana White has said the winner of this gets the first shot at Shogun Rua. Rampage has a 2" height advantage but Rashad has a 2" reach advantage.
R1- Rashad hit a right hand really early that stunned Rampage. Rashad rushed in and clinched Rampage against the cage and tried for a take down. Herb Dean separates the fighters. Rashad got a take down with two minutes left in the round. Rampage got back to his feet but ate a strike on the way up. Dean separates them again with 25 seconds left in the round. Rampage landed some offense right at the end of the round. Rashad 10-9.
R2- Rashad came in and clinched Rampage early in the round to a chorus of boos. They separated and then Rashad came in and clinched again. Dean separates them again. Rashad clinches Rampage again. Neither fighter has really done anything in this round besides Rashad clinching Rampage. Rashad went for a take down and didn't get it but did land a strike or two. Rashad 20-18.
R3- Rampage caught Rashad as Rashad tried to avoid Rampage and then went to clinch him. He landed a good right that knocked Rashad off-balance and down to the mat backwards. Rampage jumped on top and landed some good strikes. Rashad held onto Rampage to try and survive and Rashad got back to his feet. Rampage gave Rashad time to recover when they got back to their feet and Rashad shot and got a take down. Rampage got back to his feet with 40 seconds left in the fight but Rashad took him down again. Rampage 10-9 but Rashad is going to take this one 29-28 by wining a 2nd round in which both guys really did nothing. Unfortunately this fight didn't live up to the hype and even though Rashad won I have a hard time thinking he's deserving of a shot at Shogun after two decision victories.
Judges score cards: 30-27, 29-28, 30-27
Winner: Rashad Evans by Decision (Unanimous)
MGM Garden Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada
Saturday May 29, 2010
Welterweight Fight- Diego Sanchez (23-3) vs. John Hathaway (13-0)
This is Diego's return to the welterweight division after a brief run in the lightweight division. Diego is 7-2 in the UFC welterweight division. Hathaway has a 2" height and 3" reach advantage.
R1- Diego went for an early take down but got stuffed. Hathaway caught Diego was a knee as he was coming in and floored him. Hathaway jumped on top and tried to finish but Diego recovered. Hathaway stayed on top for the rest of the round. Good start by Hathaway. Hathaway 10-9.
R2- Hathaway hit a good left jab early in the round. Diego got a take down two minutes into the round but Hathaway got back to his feet without taking any damage. Diego has blood coming from his nose. Hathaway is using his reach to his advantage. Hathaway landed some good shots in the last several seconds of the round. Hathaway 10-9, 20-18 for the fight.
R3- Sanchez landed a good left in the first minute. Sanchez went for a take down but was stuffed. Sanchez hit a good right. Diego got another take down attempt stuffed. Hathaway's nose has been busted open. Hathaway partially connected with a head kick. Diego started to stalk towards the end of the round but Hathaway got a brief take down. Close round. I'll give the third to Sanchez and the fight to Hathaway 29-28. Huge win for Hathaway and this win puts him on the map in the welterweight division.
Judges score cards: 30-27, 30-27, 30-26
Winner: John Hathaway by Decision (Unanimous)
Matt Hughes is in attendance. Yesterday he was officially inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. He also has a fight coming up against Ricardo Almeida.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (18-3) vs. Jason Brilz (18-2-1)
Forrest Griffin was supposed to be in this fight but he got injured so enter Jason Brilz. Brilz took the fight on four weeks notice. Lil Nog debuted in the UFC at UFC 106 and took at Luiz Cane. Nog is on a 6 fight win streak. Nog has a 3" height and 3.5" reach advantage.
R1- Nog hit some good knees and kicks early. Brilz got a take down about 90 seconds into the fight. Nog slipped out but Brilz was able to get him back down onto the mat. Nog was able to slip out the back and take Brilz back and get him down but Brilz slipped out. Nog landed a couple of punches right at the end of the round. Brilz 10-9.
R2- Brilz went for a single leg and Nog grabbed a guillotine. Brilz slipped out and took top positon. Nog reversed but Brilz grabbed a guillotine. Nog got out of the move but Brilz grabbed it again and then released it but took top position. Brilz grabbed another guillotine but Nog slipped out and got back to his feet with two minutes left. Brilz landed a good right but Nog absorbed it. Nog landed a knee. Both guys swing for the fences and Brilz landed a good shot but Nog stayed on his feet but didn't engage for the rest of the round. Brilz 20-18. This would be another big upset.
R3- Brilz got an early take down. Nog swept him over and got back to his feet. Brilz went for a take down but Nog stuffed it and went for a choke but couldn't get it. Nog hit a knee. Brilz went for a take down but Nog quickly took top position. Nog caught Brilz in a crucifix but Brilz got out and took Nog's guard. Nog swept Brilz over with 30 seconds left. Nog took this round but I've got Brilz winning 29-28.
Judges score cards: 29-28 Brilz, 29-28 Nog, 29-28 Nog
Wow that was a very shocking decision. I thought Brilz clearly won that fight and so did the fans.
Winner: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by Decision (Split)
Heavyweight Fight- Todd Duffee (6-0) vs. Mike Russow (12-1)
Russow has won 8 straight fights with 6 of those coming by submission. Duffee debuted in the UFC at UFC 102 and promptly beat Tim Hague in 7 seconds. Duffee has a 2" height and 5" reach advantage.
R1- Duffee throwing some leather early .Duffee hit a couple of good uppercuts that hurt Russow but he survived teh onslaught. Duffee connected on a couple of overhand rights. Duffee is just dominating this fight so far. He is landing good shots and is taking his time. Duffee landed a big time left and Russow absorbed it. Duffee 10-8.
"I'll tell you one thing, Russow can take a shot"- Joe Rogan
R2- Duffee continues to land some good shots. Russow is starting to land a couple of punches. Duffee landed a good right when Russow came in for a take down. The fight has slowed down in this round. Fans are eager for a knockout after two decisions so far. Duffee 10-9, 20-17 for the fight.
R3- Russow caught Duffee half way through this round with a shocking knockout. Down 20-17 on my score card and he came back and out of nowhere landed a couple
"That's the craziest thing I've ever seen in a thousand fights. Oh My God! Mike Russow is standing in front of us and he's as surprised as we are. I'm standing up. I can't even sit down right now. That's the craziest thing I've ever seen. Oh My God!"- Joe Rogan
"If that was in a movie you'd say shut up that can't happen in real life"- Joe Rogan
"It just did"- Mike Goldberg
Winner: Mike Russow by KO R3 2:03
The Korean Zombie is in the house. San Antonio Spurs star Tim Duncan is at the show too.
Melvin Guillard vs. Waylon Lowe (8-2)
This is from the pre-show. Lowe fought for KOTC in April of this year and beat Steve Berger by knockout in the first round.
R1- Lowe got a take down but Guillard popped back up to his feet. Melvin landed some good knees while Lowe clinched him against the cage. Melvin landed some hammer fists. Lowe went for a take down and Guillard nailed him with a knee to the body and Lowe just keeled over and this one is over. Guillard came in and gave him a shot or two before the ref stopped it but it was the knee that did Lowe in.
Winner: Melvin Guillard by TKO (Strikes) R1 3:28
Guillard calls out Jeremy Stephens after the fight.
Middleweight Fight- Michael Bisping (19-3) vs. Dan Miller (11-3)
Bisping last fought at UFC 110 where he lost a unanimous decision to Wanderlei Silva. Previously at UFC 105 Bisping beat Denis Kang in the 2nd round. Dan Miller is coming off of a loss to Demain Maia at UFC 109. After the referee gives them instructions they don't touch gloves and Miller gives him a little shove back to the corner.
R1- Miller hit a good left early and then kicked Bisping in the balls. Bisping landed a right hand. Both guys are landing some shots. Really even fight so far. I think Bisping takes this round because he started to land some good shots at the end of the round. Bisping 10-9.
R2- Miller is starting to throw some leg kicks. Bisping is landing jabs and has open a cut on or near Miller's nose. Bisping stuffed a take down and then landed a good right hand at the mid-way point of the round. Bisping 20-18.
R3- Miller threw a good overhand right but Bisping answered early in the last round. Miller got a take down at the half-way point in the round. Bisping quickly backed up to the wall and got to his feet. Miller landed a couple of strikes at the end. Even if you give Miller this round it's still Bisping by decision. Unless the same judges from the Brilz/Nog fight are judging this fight.
Judges score cards: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28
Winner: Michael Bisping by Decision (Unanimous)
Mike Tyson and his face tatoo are at the fights tonight. So are Snoop Dogg, Larry Fitzgerald and David Spade. And is Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Rampage Jackson (30-7) vs. Rashad Evans (19-1-1)
Rashad last fought at UFC 108 where he won a decision against Thiago Silva. Rampage has not fought since March of 2009 when he beat Rashad's training partner Keith Jardine by unanimous decision. The UFC tells us that Rampage lands 84% of clinch strikes, defends 77% of take downs and has the 2nd best submission defense rate in MMA history. Rashad defends 63% of take downs, has never lost a fight when landing a take down and 4 of his last wins have come by way of knockout. This should be a good fight. Despite the layoff I've got Rampage. Rashad is boo'd as he enters the Octagon. Dana White has said the winner of this gets the first shot at Shogun Rua. Rampage has a 2" height advantage but Rashad has a 2" reach advantage.
R1- Rashad hit a right hand really early that stunned Rampage. Rashad rushed in and clinched Rampage against the cage and tried for a take down. Herb Dean separates the fighters. Rashad got a take down with two minutes left in the round. Rampage got back to his feet but ate a strike on the way up. Dean separates them again with 25 seconds left in the round. Rampage landed some offense right at the end of the round. Rashad 10-9.
R2- Rashad came in and clinched Rampage early in the round to a chorus of boos. They separated and then Rashad came in and clinched again. Dean separates them again. Rashad clinches Rampage again. Neither fighter has really done anything in this round besides Rashad clinching Rampage. Rashad went for a take down and didn't get it but did land a strike or two. Rashad 20-18.
R3- Rampage caught Rashad as Rashad tried to avoid Rampage and then went to clinch him. He landed a good right that knocked Rashad off-balance and down to the mat backwards. Rampage jumped on top and landed some good strikes. Rashad held onto Rampage to try and survive and Rashad got back to his feet. Rampage gave Rashad time to recover when they got back to their feet and Rashad shot and got a take down. Rampage got back to his feet with 40 seconds left in the fight but Rashad took him down again. Rampage 10-9 but Rashad is going to take this one 29-28 by wining a 2nd round in which both guys really did nothing. Unfortunately this fight didn't live up to the hype and even though Rashad won I have a hard time thinking he's deserving of a shot at Shogun after two decision victories.
Judges score cards: 30-27, 29-28, 30-27
Winner: Rashad Evans by Decision (Unanimous)
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Bellator 19 Re-Cap
Bellator 19
Bellator Fighting Championships
Verizon Theatre
Grand Prairie, Tx
May 20, 2010
Fox Sports South
This week features the Welterweights in action. Steve Carl takes on Dan Hornbuckle and Ryan Thomas gets his re-match against Ben Askren. Featherweight Champion Joe Soto will also have a non-title Super Fight on the card. Sean Wheelock and Jimmy Smith are the announcers for the show.
Welterweight Semi-Final Tournament Fight- Steve Carl (13-1) vs. Dan Hornbuckle (20-2)
Both of these fighters fought on Bellator 15 in April. Hornbuckle quickly dispatched of Tyler Stinson with a Triangle Choke in the first round. Carl beat Brett Cooper by split decision. Hornbuckle is my odds on favorite to take the Welterweight tournament. The ring announcer botches the introductions. Hornbuckle fights out of American Top Team.
R1- Hornbuckle pulled guard early and the announcers called it a take down. Hornbuckle went for a kimura and trapped Carl's head with his leg. Hornbuckle rolled over on top and applied more pressure and got the submission win. Very impressive win for Hornbuckle.
Winner: Dan Hornbuckle by Submission (Kimura) R1 2:31
Welterweight Semi-Final Tournament Fight- Ben Askren (4-0) vs. Ryan Thomas (11-4)
These two fought on Bellator 14 and Askren won by ref stoppage in what was a poor call by the ref. Askren was in control of the fight in the first round and had a guillotine on Thomas but didn't have it on tight. Thomas was given the opportunity to fight his way back into the tournament and did so on Bellator 15 when he finished Jacob McClintock with strikes in the first round.
R1- Askren got a quick take down. Askren briefly got a mount but was then put into half guard. Askren went for an arm bar but Thomas got out. Thomas jumped over Askren and instead of taking his back took bottom position. Big mistake by Thomas. Askren mounted again and tried to get the arm bar again but Thomas was able to fight out as the round ended. Askren 10-9. Thomas looked like he threw a punch on the ground clearly after the bell but they cut to commercial as he was about to connect.
R2- This is the first time Askren has had a fight go to the second round. Askren hit a right hand early but then Thomas clinched and got a take down. Askren was able to scramble and briefly take Ryan's back and then got on top in side control. If Askren was more experienced this fight would have been over a long time ago. Thomas is giving Askren all kinds of openings for submissions. Askren briefly tried to grab a Rear Naked but Thomas rolled out. Askren dominating right now 20-18.
R3- Thomas hit a knee early. Askren went for a take down and Thomas tried for a choke but Askren completed the take down. Lots of back and forth wrestling. Askren mounted Thomas with two minutes left. Not a very exciting round but I score it for Askren again. Askren 30-27. It's going to be really tough for him to beat Hornbuckle.
Judges score cards: 30-27 on all score cards
Winner: Ben Askren by Decision (Unanimous)
Featherweight Super Fight- Joe Soto (8-0) vs. Diego Saraiva (18-8-1)
Soto is the reigning Bellator Featherweight Champion and has a background in wrestling. Soto has 4 wins by knockout and 3 by submission. Saraiva is 4-0 at Featherweight. Saraiva has finished 12 fights by submission
R1- Soto got a quick take down early in the first round. Soto stayed on top and controlled for the entire round. Soto landed a big elbow very late in the round that opened up a large cut on Saraiva's forehead. Soto 10-9.
During the break the doctor stopped the fight due to the cut Saraiva sustained at the end of the round.
Winner: Joe Soto by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) R1 5:00
Bantamweight Fight- Jared Lopez (8-9) vs. Johnny Bedford (23-8-1)
Lopez has knocked his opponent out in 6 of his 8 wins. Bedford has 10 knockouts and 9 submissions to his record.
R1- Lopez landed a couple of strikes but then got taken down about a minute and a half into the round. Bedford stayed on top for the majority of the run until Lopez flipped him over in the last minute. Bedford 10-9.
R2- Bedford got a take down early in the round. Bedford grabbed a kimura from side control but let it go in order to land some elbows to the head. Bedford let him up and landed some good strikes and then took him back down. Bedford 20-18.
R3- Bedford landed some good body shots early in the round and then got the take down. The fight was stood up with three minutes left in the round. Bedford landed some good body shots again and then landed a good knee that knocked Lopez down. Lopez covered up and turned to his side and Bedford landed another strike or two and the ref stopped the fight.
Winner: Johnny Bedford by TKO (Strikes) R3 2:16
Bellator Fighting Championships
Verizon Theatre
Grand Prairie, Tx
May 20, 2010
Fox Sports South
This week features the Welterweights in action. Steve Carl takes on Dan Hornbuckle and Ryan Thomas gets his re-match against Ben Askren. Featherweight Champion Joe Soto will also have a non-title Super Fight on the card. Sean Wheelock and Jimmy Smith are the announcers for the show.
Welterweight Semi-Final Tournament Fight- Steve Carl (13-1) vs. Dan Hornbuckle (20-2)
Both of these fighters fought on Bellator 15 in April. Hornbuckle quickly dispatched of Tyler Stinson with a Triangle Choke in the first round. Carl beat Brett Cooper by split decision. Hornbuckle is my odds on favorite to take the Welterweight tournament. The ring announcer botches the introductions. Hornbuckle fights out of American Top Team.
R1- Hornbuckle pulled guard early and the announcers called it a take down. Hornbuckle went for a kimura and trapped Carl's head with his leg. Hornbuckle rolled over on top and applied more pressure and got the submission win. Very impressive win for Hornbuckle.
Winner: Dan Hornbuckle by Submission (Kimura) R1 2:31
Welterweight Semi-Final Tournament Fight- Ben Askren (4-0) vs. Ryan Thomas (11-4)
These two fought on Bellator 14 and Askren won by ref stoppage in what was a poor call by the ref. Askren was in control of the fight in the first round and had a guillotine on Thomas but didn't have it on tight. Thomas was given the opportunity to fight his way back into the tournament and did so on Bellator 15 when he finished Jacob McClintock with strikes in the first round.
R1- Askren got a quick take down. Askren briefly got a mount but was then put into half guard. Askren went for an arm bar but Thomas got out. Thomas jumped over Askren and instead of taking his back took bottom position. Big mistake by Thomas. Askren mounted again and tried to get the arm bar again but Thomas was able to fight out as the round ended. Askren 10-9. Thomas looked like he threw a punch on the ground clearly after the bell but they cut to commercial as he was about to connect.
R2- This is the first time Askren has had a fight go to the second round. Askren hit a right hand early but then Thomas clinched and got a take down. Askren was able to scramble and briefly take Ryan's back and then got on top in side control. If Askren was more experienced this fight would have been over a long time ago. Thomas is giving Askren all kinds of openings for submissions. Askren briefly tried to grab a Rear Naked but Thomas rolled out. Askren dominating right now 20-18.
R3- Thomas hit a knee early. Askren went for a take down and Thomas tried for a choke but Askren completed the take down. Lots of back and forth wrestling. Askren mounted Thomas with two minutes left. Not a very exciting round but I score it for Askren again. Askren 30-27. It's going to be really tough for him to beat Hornbuckle.
Judges score cards: 30-27 on all score cards
Winner: Ben Askren by Decision (Unanimous)
Featherweight Super Fight- Joe Soto (8-0) vs. Diego Saraiva (18-8-1)
Soto is the reigning Bellator Featherweight Champion and has a background in wrestling. Soto has 4 wins by knockout and 3 by submission. Saraiva is 4-0 at Featherweight. Saraiva has finished 12 fights by submission
R1- Soto got a quick take down early in the first round. Soto stayed on top and controlled for the entire round. Soto landed a big elbow very late in the round that opened up a large cut on Saraiva's forehead. Soto 10-9.
During the break the doctor stopped the fight due to the cut Saraiva sustained at the end of the round.
Winner: Joe Soto by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) R1 5:00
Bantamweight Fight- Jared Lopez (8-9) vs. Johnny Bedford (23-8-1)
Lopez has knocked his opponent out in 6 of his 8 wins. Bedford has 10 knockouts and 9 submissions to his record.
R1- Lopez landed a couple of strikes but then got taken down about a minute and a half into the round. Bedford stayed on top for the majority of the run until Lopez flipped him over in the last minute. Bedford 10-9.
R2- Bedford got a take down early in the round. Bedford grabbed a kimura from side control but let it go in order to land some elbows to the head. Bedford let him up and landed some good strikes and then took him back down. Bedford 20-18.
R3- Bedford landed some good body shots early in the round and then got the take down. The fight was stood up with three minutes left in the round. Bedford landed some good body shots again and then landed a good knee that knocked Lopez down. Lopez covered up and turned to his side and Bedford landed another strike or two and the ref stopped the fight.
Winner: Johnny Bedford by TKO (Strikes) R3 2:16
UFC 114: Prelims Re-Cap
UFC 114: Prelims
MGM Garden Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada
Saturday May 29, 2010
Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans finally meet tonight but first we get an hour of free fights on Spike TV. Efrain Escudero will fight Dan Lauzon and Amir Sadollah will fight Dong Hyun Kim. As always Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan are your announcers and Bruce Buffer is the ring announcer.
Lightweight Fight- Efrain Escudero (13-1) vs. Dan Lauzon (12-3)
Escudero was the winner of TUF 8. Escudero beat Cole Miller at UFC 103 but then lost to Evan Dunham by submission at Fight Night 20. Lauzon lost to Cole Miller in his last fight by submission in the first round.
R1- Lauzon is throwing bombs early but not connecting. Escudero is doing a good job countering and landed a good knee. Escudero threw knees up against the cage but Lauzon blocked most of the barrage. Escudero has a cut above his left eye. Close round. I've got Escudero 10-9.
R2- Escudero came in with some strikes and landed some knees and then threw a barrage of punches against the cage. Lauzon was able to cover up and Escudero backed out to avoid punching himself out. Lauzon went for a take down but was stuffed. Lauzon looks tired and Escudero is stalking him. Escudero is landing some good kicks. Escudero landed a strike and Lauzon went down but it didn't look like it connected that well. Escudero 20-18.
R3- Lauzon hits Escudero with a low blow early in the round. Escudero threw some strikes and clinched Lauzon up against the cage. Escudero landed a couple of knees and then a leg kick. Escudero returns the low blow near the end of the round. Josh Rosenthal takes a point away from Escudero. I don't agree with that but it will be a moot point since Escudero is winning every round. Both guys throw leather at the end of the round and Lauzon cut Escudero. I've got Escudero 29-27 after the point deduction.
Judges score cards: All 3 judges score the fight 29-27
Winner: Efrain Escudero by Decision (Unanimous)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Luiz Cane vs. Cyrille Diabate
This is a pre-show fight. I'm thinking Cane took this early since they are showing it now. Cane is trying to rebound from his beating at the hands of lil Nog. This is the UFC debut for Diabate.
R1- Cane landed a big shot early in the first round that rocked Diabate. Diabate landed some good strikes and landed two shots that knocked Cane down then he jumped on and finished Cane. Great win by Diabate.
Winner: Cyrille Diabate by TKO (Strikes) R1 2:13
Welterweight Fight- Amir Sadollah (3-1) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (12-0-1)
Amir has won his last two fights over Phil Baroni and Brad Blackburn, both by unanimous decision. Kim is undefeated in his MMA career since his fight against Karo Parisyan was overturned. In the UFC Kim has defeated T.J. Grant by decision, Matt Brown by split decision and Jason Tan by TKO (elbows). Goldberg points out that they have trained together in the past.
R1- Amir landed some strikes early but Kim got a take down in the first 30 seconds of the fight. Kim is controlling on top but not landing anything clean. Kim was able to get on Amir's back in the last minute of the round. Kim 10-9. Amir needs to keep the fight standing if he wants to win this one.
R2- Amir uses some kicks early but then got taken down quickly before the first minute is over. Amir was able to get back to his feet but Kim won't let go of him and takes him down again. Kim trapped one of Amir's arms and landed some strikes. Amir gave up his back very late in the round. Kim is up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Kim got an early take down and this one feels like it is over. Amir got back to his feet with 80 seconds left in the fight. Amir avoided a take down. Amir tried a flying knee but Kim got a take down instead. 40 seconds left and Amir was able to get back to his feet. Amir landed some strikes but nothing that came close to finishing the fight.
Judges score cards: 30-27 on all score cards
Winner: Dong Hyun Kim by Decision (Unanimous)
MGM Garden Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada
Saturday May 29, 2010
Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans finally meet tonight but first we get an hour of free fights on Spike TV. Efrain Escudero will fight Dan Lauzon and Amir Sadollah will fight Dong Hyun Kim. As always Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan are your announcers and Bruce Buffer is the ring announcer.
Lightweight Fight- Efrain Escudero (13-1) vs. Dan Lauzon (12-3)
Escudero was the winner of TUF 8. Escudero beat Cole Miller at UFC 103 but then lost to Evan Dunham by submission at Fight Night 20. Lauzon lost to Cole Miller in his last fight by submission in the first round.
R1- Lauzon is throwing bombs early but not connecting. Escudero is doing a good job countering and landed a good knee. Escudero threw knees up against the cage but Lauzon blocked most of the barrage. Escudero has a cut above his left eye. Close round. I've got Escudero 10-9.
R2- Escudero came in with some strikes and landed some knees and then threw a barrage of punches against the cage. Lauzon was able to cover up and Escudero backed out to avoid punching himself out. Lauzon went for a take down but was stuffed. Lauzon looks tired and Escudero is stalking him. Escudero is landing some good kicks. Escudero landed a strike and Lauzon went down but it didn't look like it connected that well. Escudero 20-18.
R3- Lauzon hits Escudero with a low blow early in the round. Escudero threw some strikes and clinched Lauzon up against the cage. Escudero landed a couple of knees and then a leg kick. Escudero returns the low blow near the end of the round. Josh Rosenthal takes a point away from Escudero. I don't agree with that but it will be a moot point since Escudero is winning every round. Both guys throw leather at the end of the round and Lauzon cut Escudero. I've got Escudero 29-27 after the point deduction.
Judges score cards: All 3 judges score the fight 29-27
Winner: Efrain Escudero by Decision (Unanimous)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Luiz Cane vs. Cyrille Diabate
This is a pre-show fight. I'm thinking Cane took this early since they are showing it now. Cane is trying to rebound from his beating at the hands of lil Nog. This is the UFC debut for Diabate.
R1- Cane landed a big shot early in the first round that rocked Diabate. Diabate landed some good strikes and landed two shots that knocked Cane down then he jumped on and finished Cane. Great win by Diabate.
Winner: Cyrille Diabate by TKO (Strikes) R1 2:13
Welterweight Fight- Amir Sadollah (3-1) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (12-0-1)
Amir has won his last two fights over Phil Baroni and Brad Blackburn, both by unanimous decision. Kim is undefeated in his MMA career since his fight against Karo Parisyan was overturned. In the UFC Kim has defeated T.J. Grant by decision, Matt Brown by split decision and Jason Tan by TKO (elbows). Goldberg points out that they have trained together in the past.
R1- Amir landed some strikes early but Kim got a take down in the first 30 seconds of the fight. Kim is controlling on top but not landing anything clean. Kim was able to get on Amir's back in the last minute of the round. Kim 10-9. Amir needs to keep the fight standing if he wants to win this one.
R2- Amir uses some kicks early but then got taken down quickly before the first minute is over. Amir was able to get back to his feet but Kim won't let go of him and takes him down again. Kim trapped one of Amir's arms and landed some strikes. Amir gave up his back very late in the round. Kim is up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Kim got an early take down and this one feels like it is over. Amir got back to his feet with 80 seconds left in the fight. Amir avoided a take down. Amir tried a flying knee but Kim got a take down instead. 40 seconds left and Amir was able to get back to his feet. Amir landed some strikes but nothing that came close to finishing the fight.
Judges score cards: 30-27 on all score cards
Winner: Dong Hyun Kim by Decision (Unanimous)
Thursday, May 27, 2010
TUF Season 11 Episode 9 Re-Cap
The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 Episode 9 Re-Cap
"Civilized Sport"
Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz
The last episode featured two fights and had Kris McCray and Court McGee advancing to the next round after both having been chosen as replacements. McCray won the *wildcard* fight to advance to the quarterfinals. McGee took Rich Attonito's spot (Rich had to bow out due to injury) and defeated replacement James Hammortree (replaced Nick Ring) to advance to the Semi-Finals. This show features McCray versus Kyle Noke and Brad Tavares fights Seth Baczynski. Plus, they tease "shocking news that will have both teams reeling"! I'm guessing this is Tito's exit episode.
Tito had to go see his neck doctor and he said they want to do another surgery. Tito debates whether or not to have the surgery and says he's not going to let Chuck beat him because he wasn't 100% like he's done in the past.
Middleweight Fight- Kyle Noke (16-4-1) (Team Liddell) vs. Kris McCray (Team Ortiz) (5-0)
McCray and Noke trained with each other in the past before coming to TUF so they should be very familiar with each other. Kyle beat Clayton McKinney in the first round via Triangle Choke. McCray lost a decision to Josh Bryant and then came back and beat Kyacey Uscola by submission. I really like Noke to get to the finals of this season of TUF. Noke has a 4.5" reach and 2" height advantage.
R1- McCray went in for a take down and got it but also ate a knee. Noke got to his feet without taking any damage. McCray clinched again and got another take down. McCray had some really weird positioning he was trying for while on top and Noke again got back to his feet with very little damage taken. McCray went for a take down and Noke blocked it and grabbed a front choke and pulled it into a guillotine. McCray got back to his feet and Noke lost the choke. Noke went for a kimura and was able to use it to take McCray to the mat. McCray was able to get out and take Noke's guard but it looked like he was able to do that because Noke was too aggressive in going for the submission. Noke's guard is more active than McCray on top. McCray looks like he's tired. I give this round to Noke 10-9. McCray controlled positioning but Noke came closer to finishing the fight and McCray didn't do any damage to Noke. McCray had the take downs but he didn't do anything with them.
R2- McCray got two early take downs. McCray really utilizing the lay and pray in this fight. The strikes he's throwing on top have been ineffective so far. Noke got back to his feet mid-way through the round. All McCray so far this round but very little damage inflicted. Noke got a take down and took McCray's back. Noke tried to clinch in the Rear Naked but couldn't get it clamped in. McCray reversed and took top position with one minute left in the round. McCray just laid on him for the rest of the round. Noke was only in control for about a minute but he did more in that one minute to try and finish the fight than McCray did for the four minutes he was in control. I have Noke 20-18. McCray has done nothing in this fight but lay and pray. I fear for the judges score cards. It is declared a draw and we are going to a third round. Dana originally thought it was going to be over. Tito is pissed at the decision. I'm guessing he thought that Kris simply laying on his opponent should have equaled victory.
R3- McCray landed an early jab. Both guys look tired. McCray got Noke up against the cage and took him down. Now he will probably lay on him for 4 minutes and rest. McCray is doing nothing on top. C'mon ref, stand this up. Jesus. Kris finally lands two decent elbows mid-way through the round. I think I'm falling asleep. Wake me up if they stand this one up. Noke grabs a kimura from the bottom but McCray slips out. Who the fuck is refereeing this fight? They stand it up with one minute left. Noke tries for a jumping knee but McCray clinches him against the cage. Yawn. McCray has really done nothing to deserve this fight besides get take downs and lay on his opponent. I've got Noke 29-28 with McCray taking the final round. The judges all score the round 10-9 for McCray.
I realize McCray is young and very inexperienced but my god this was a boring fight because of McCray. Noke obviously needs to work on his take down defense. I'm not looking forward to McCray's next fight. McCray has had two very boring fights so far.
Winner: Kris McCray by Decision
Chuck visits the house and finds out that Tito is injured and is not happy.
Middleweight Fight- Brad Tavares (Team Liddell) (4-0) vs. Seth Baczynski (Team Ortiz) (11-5)
Tavares is the youngest fighter in the house. Says he likes having to fight all of the "old men". Tavares beat James Hammortree by decision in the first round and Baczynski was a late replacement and defeated Joe Henle by decision in his first round fight.
R1- They swung at each other early and then Seth went for a take down and they clinched against the cage. Seth completed the take down about 40 seconds into the round. Seth stood up and tried to land some strikes and ended up taking Brad's back and got him in a body triangle to secure the position. Seth landed a couple of strikes and then tried for a Rear Naked. Seth is looking really good so far. Brad was trying to get out and Seth used the cage to keep his position on Brad's back and then about five seconds later he almost had a Rear Naked choke. CHEAT TO WIN! I'm glad he didn't win that way. I'm sure it was more reflex than anything but it would have been a really douchy way to win a fight. Brad slipped out the back with a minute and a half left and took top position. Seth went for a triangle choke but Brad slammed him down on the mat twice. Brad landed a couple of strikes from the top and then started to let the strikes fly. Brad slipped and Seth soccer kicked him right in the head while he was downed right before the buzzer. No question that's a deduction right there. It was instinctive but that's the second foul he's had in the fight and this one was a major one. I scored the round 10-9 in favor of Seth and was really impressed by his jiu jitsu and he obviously wants to win due to his Cheat to Win mentality. I've got the fight 9-9 after one due to the point deduction.
"What did he hit me with"- Brad Tavares
The doctor ruled that Brad could not continue due to the illegal kick as it looked like it knocked him a little bit loopy. It's unfortunate because it was a good fight and I was impressed by Seth but it was the right call.
Winner: Brad Tavares by DQ (Illegal Knee) R1
"You see that kick land and he just drops right to the canvas. Arms down, right on his face, like he's out"- Dana White
"He hopped up and I said Tavares I'm sorry and he said 'for what'. Immediately after hitting Brad I wasn't worried about the fight. I was worried about him"- Seth Baczynski
Some jackass on Team Ortiz starts saying the kick was under his arm pit. Rich Attonito takes issue with it and some tempers fly as he calls the guy a fat fuck (agreed, Rich, agreed). Tito Ortiz rushes off in a hissy after the fight. Tito starts screaming at the Team Liddell guys about them winning the fight by kicking the guy in the chest.
"He started walking back and walking at one of my guys to scream at one of my guys. And that ain't bleeeep"- Chuck Liddell
Chuck jumps down from the ring and starts after Tito and his guys have to hold him back.
"Civilized Sport"- Dana White
"Watch the tape and see and then come apologize to me after"- Tito Ortiz (ummm. No)
"Let me soccer kick him in the face and then tell him to continue after and we'll see what happens"- Chuck Liddell
Dana pulls Chuck aside to keep him from kicking Tito's ass. Dana tells Chuck that he's been waiting to tell Chuck that Tito pulled out of the fight (great timing Dana!). Chuck stands up, looks pissed, and says he's going to punch Tito. And we go off the air! Wow, great drama finish to the episode.
Middleweight Rankings:
1. Jamie Yager (Team Ortiz Pick #4)- defeated Charles Blanchard (TKO (Strikes) R1)
2. Brad Tavares (Team Liddell Pick #5)- defeated James Hammortree (Decision)
3. Court McGee- Injury Replacement (Rich Attonito)- lost to Nick Ring by Decision in 1st Round, beat Hammortree by Guillotine Choke in 2nd Round
4. Josh Bryant (Team Liddell Pick #4)- defeated Kris McCray (Decision)
5. Kris McCray (Wildcard Selection)- defeated Kyacey Uscola (Submission) and Kyle Noke (Decision)
7. Seth Baczynski (Team Ortiz Replacement)- defeated Joe Henle (Decision)
Eliminated:
Clayton McKinney by Kyle Noke (First Round)
Chris Camozzi- left due to injury
James Hammortree by Brad Tavares (First Round)
Charles Blanchard by Jamie Yager (First Round)
Rich Attonito- left due to injury after beating Kyacey Uscola in first round by DQ
Joe Henle by Seth Baczynski (First Round)
Kyacey Uscola- defeated by Kris McCray (Wildcard Round)
Nick Ring- left due to injury
James Hammortree- defeated by Court McGee (Second Round)
Kyle Noke- defeated by Kris McCray (Decision)
Seth Baczynski- eliminated by Brad Tavares (DQ for Illegal Soccer kick to the head)
"Civilized Sport"
Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz
The last episode featured two fights and had Kris McCray and Court McGee advancing to the next round after both having been chosen as replacements. McCray won the *wildcard* fight to advance to the quarterfinals. McGee took Rich Attonito's spot (Rich had to bow out due to injury) and defeated replacement James Hammortree (replaced Nick Ring) to advance to the Semi-Finals. This show features McCray versus Kyle Noke and Brad Tavares fights Seth Baczynski. Plus, they tease "shocking news that will have both teams reeling"! I'm guessing this is Tito's exit episode.
Tito had to go see his neck doctor and he said they want to do another surgery. Tito debates whether or not to have the surgery and says he's not going to let Chuck beat him because he wasn't 100% like he's done in the past.
Middleweight Fight- Kyle Noke (16-4-1) (Team Liddell) vs. Kris McCray (Team Ortiz) (5-0)
McCray and Noke trained with each other in the past before coming to TUF so they should be very familiar with each other. Kyle beat Clayton McKinney in the first round via Triangle Choke. McCray lost a decision to Josh Bryant and then came back and beat Kyacey Uscola by submission. I really like Noke to get to the finals of this season of TUF. Noke has a 4.5" reach and 2" height advantage.
R1- McCray went in for a take down and got it but also ate a knee. Noke got to his feet without taking any damage. McCray clinched again and got another take down. McCray had some really weird positioning he was trying for while on top and Noke again got back to his feet with very little damage taken. McCray went for a take down and Noke blocked it and grabbed a front choke and pulled it into a guillotine. McCray got back to his feet and Noke lost the choke. Noke went for a kimura and was able to use it to take McCray to the mat. McCray was able to get out and take Noke's guard but it looked like he was able to do that because Noke was too aggressive in going for the submission. Noke's guard is more active than McCray on top. McCray looks like he's tired. I give this round to Noke 10-9. McCray controlled positioning but Noke came closer to finishing the fight and McCray didn't do any damage to Noke. McCray had the take downs but he didn't do anything with them.
R2- McCray got two early take downs. McCray really utilizing the lay and pray in this fight. The strikes he's throwing on top have been ineffective so far. Noke got back to his feet mid-way through the round. All McCray so far this round but very little damage inflicted. Noke got a take down and took McCray's back. Noke tried to clinch in the Rear Naked but couldn't get it clamped in. McCray reversed and took top position with one minute left in the round. McCray just laid on him for the rest of the round. Noke was only in control for about a minute but he did more in that one minute to try and finish the fight than McCray did for the four minutes he was in control. I have Noke 20-18. McCray has done nothing in this fight but lay and pray. I fear for the judges score cards. It is declared a draw and we are going to a third round. Dana originally thought it was going to be over. Tito is pissed at the decision. I'm guessing he thought that Kris simply laying on his opponent should have equaled victory.
R3- McCray landed an early jab. Both guys look tired. McCray got Noke up against the cage and took him down. Now he will probably lay on him for 4 minutes and rest. McCray is doing nothing on top. C'mon ref, stand this up. Jesus. Kris finally lands two decent elbows mid-way through the round. I think I'm falling asleep. Wake me up if they stand this one up. Noke grabs a kimura from the bottom but McCray slips out. Who the fuck is refereeing this fight? They stand it up with one minute left. Noke tries for a jumping knee but McCray clinches him against the cage. Yawn. McCray has really done nothing to deserve this fight besides get take downs and lay on his opponent. I've got Noke 29-28 with McCray taking the final round. The judges all score the round 10-9 for McCray.
I realize McCray is young and very inexperienced but my god this was a boring fight because of McCray. Noke obviously needs to work on his take down defense. I'm not looking forward to McCray's next fight. McCray has had two very boring fights so far.
Winner: Kris McCray by Decision
Chuck visits the house and finds out that Tito is injured and is not happy.
Middleweight Fight- Brad Tavares (Team Liddell) (4-0) vs. Seth Baczynski (Team Ortiz) (11-5)
Tavares is the youngest fighter in the house. Says he likes having to fight all of the "old men". Tavares beat James Hammortree by decision in the first round and Baczynski was a late replacement and defeated Joe Henle by decision in his first round fight.
R1- They swung at each other early and then Seth went for a take down and they clinched against the cage. Seth completed the take down about 40 seconds into the round. Seth stood up and tried to land some strikes and ended up taking Brad's back and got him in a body triangle to secure the position. Seth landed a couple of strikes and then tried for a Rear Naked. Seth is looking really good so far. Brad was trying to get out and Seth used the cage to keep his position on Brad's back and then about five seconds later he almost had a Rear Naked choke. CHEAT TO WIN! I'm glad he didn't win that way. I'm sure it was more reflex than anything but it would have been a really douchy way to win a fight. Brad slipped out the back with a minute and a half left and took top position. Seth went for a triangle choke but Brad slammed him down on the mat twice. Brad landed a couple of strikes from the top and then started to let the strikes fly. Brad slipped and Seth soccer kicked him right in the head while he was downed right before the buzzer. No question that's a deduction right there. It was instinctive but that's the second foul he's had in the fight and this one was a major one. I scored the round 10-9 in favor of Seth and was really impressed by his jiu jitsu and he obviously wants to win due to his Cheat to Win mentality. I've got the fight 9-9 after one due to the point deduction.
"What did he hit me with"- Brad Tavares
The doctor ruled that Brad could not continue due to the illegal kick as it looked like it knocked him a little bit loopy. It's unfortunate because it was a good fight and I was impressed by Seth but it was the right call.
Winner: Brad Tavares by DQ (Illegal Knee) R1
"You see that kick land and he just drops right to the canvas. Arms down, right on his face, like he's out"- Dana White
"He hopped up and I said Tavares I'm sorry and he said 'for what'. Immediately after hitting Brad I wasn't worried about the fight. I was worried about him"- Seth Baczynski
Some jackass on Team Ortiz starts saying the kick was under his arm pit. Rich Attonito takes issue with it and some tempers fly as he calls the guy a fat fuck (agreed, Rich, agreed). Tito Ortiz rushes off in a hissy after the fight. Tito starts screaming at the Team Liddell guys about them winning the fight by kicking the guy in the chest.
"He started walking back and walking at one of my guys to scream at one of my guys. And that ain't bleeeep"- Chuck Liddell
Chuck jumps down from the ring and starts after Tito and his guys have to hold him back.
"Civilized Sport"- Dana White
"Watch the tape and see and then come apologize to me after"- Tito Ortiz (ummm. No)
"Let me soccer kick him in the face and then tell him to continue after and we'll see what happens"- Chuck Liddell
Dana pulls Chuck aside to keep him from kicking Tito's ass. Dana tells Chuck that he's been waiting to tell Chuck that Tito pulled out of the fight (great timing Dana!). Chuck stands up, looks pissed, and says he's going to punch Tito. And we go off the air! Wow, great drama finish to the episode.
Middleweight Rankings:
1. Jamie Yager (Team Ortiz Pick #4)- defeated Charles Blanchard (TKO (Strikes) R1)
2. Brad Tavares (Team Liddell Pick #5)- defeated James Hammortree (Decision)
3. Court McGee- Injury Replacement (Rich Attonito)- lost to Nick Ring by Decision in 1st Round, beat Hammortree by Guillotine Choke in 2nd Round
4. Josh Bryant (Team Liddell Pick #4)- defeated Kris McCray (Decision)
5. Kris McCray (Wildcard Selection)- defeated Kyacey Uscola (Submission) and Kyle Noke (Decision)
7. Seth Baczynski (Team Ortiz Replacement)- defeated Joe Henle (Decision)
Eliminated:
Clayton McKinney by Kyle Noke (First Round)
Chris Camozzi- left due to injury
James Hammortree by Brad Tavares (First Round)
Charles Blanchard by Jamie Yager (First Round)
Rich Attonito- left due to injury after beating Kyacey Uscola in first round by DQ
Joe Henle by Seth Baczynski (First Round)
Kyacey Uscola- defeated by Kris McCray (Wildcard Round)
Nick Ring- left due to injury
James Hammortree- defeated by Court McGee (Second Round)
Kyle Noke- defeated by Kris McCray (Decision)
Seth Baczynski- eliminated by Brad Tavares (DQ for Illegal Soccer kick to the head)
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