UFC Fight Night
Patriot Center
Fairfax, Virginia
1/11/10
Top Lightweight contender Gray Maynard will take on Nate Diaz in the Main Event tonight in a re-match from The Ultimate Fighter TV show. TUF Winner Amir Sadollah face a tough fight against Brad Blackburn and TUF winner Efrain Escudero is also in action as is prospect Aaron Simpson.
Welterweight Fight- Amir Sadollah (3-1) vs. Brad Blackburn (15-9-1)
Amir is coming off of a UFC 106 win against Phil Baroni. Blackburn is coming off of a split decision victory over Edgar Garcia. Amir fights out of Richmond so he is a big fan favorite in this fight. Blackburn is yet to lose in the UFC.
R1- Both guys are landing shots early in this round. Amir hit a good right hand with one minute left to go in the round and it rocked Blackburn. Amir then hit and elbow and got a take down but Black burn was able to recover and push him off. Close round that Amir took with the push at the end. Amir 10-9 after one round.
R2- Blackburn hit a right hand and caught a kick at the same time and briefly knocked Amir down at the mid-way point of the round. Amir landed another right that briefly wobbled Blackburn right at the end of the round. Really close round that I give to Blackburn that makes the fight 19-19 on my score card.
R3- Amir landed a knee against the cage and Blackburn got rocked and taken down. Amir was able to land some good punches about half way through the round. Amir is going to take this round and will win via decision.
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all three score cards
Winner: Amir Sadollah by Decision (Unanimous)
Joe Rogan interviews Randy Couture ringside and they discuss his upcoming fight against Mark Coleman.
Middleweight Fight- Aaron Simpson (6-0) vs. Tom Lawlor (6-1)
Simpson has knockouts in all six of his fights. Simpson is coming off of a win at UFC 102 against Ed Herman and Lawlor is coming off of a 55 second submission victory over CB Dollaway at UFC 100. This is Lawlor’s 2nd fight at Middleweight in the UFC.
R1- Lawler landed a good uppercut in the first few moments of the fight. Lawler went for a take down and Simpson landed some punches and Lawlor gave up the take down attempt. Lawlor is looking good in the early going. Lawlor is landing some good punches in this fight. Lawlor hit a right hand counter punch and then came in with a barrage of punches and Simpson finally grabbed a clinch to stop the onslaught. Lawlor landed a good uppercut and continued to land good strikes. Lawlor looked really good in the first round and definitely took this round.
R2- Simpson landed some shots against the cage and then got a take down. Lawlor hit a good right hand that knocked Simpson into the cage and got a brief take down. Lawlor pulled guard at the end of the round but never really had it clamped in as the bell rung. Really close round, could have gone either way.
R3- Lawlor lands some good punches at the start of the round. Both guys are freely throwing leather at the beginning of the round. Simpson got a take down slam but Lawlor got back to his feet quickly and returned the favor. Lawlor tried to grab a kimura but couldn’t hold it and Simpson ended up on top. Simpson briefly mounted and then tried to take Lawlor’s back. Lawlor is worn out and Simpson is in totally control of this round. Simpson clearly took this round. This is going to be a close fight to call. Lawlor took round one and possibly could have squeaked out a 10-8 round, round two was a toss up and round three was Simpson 10-9. I think we could see a split or majority decision here. I’m calling Simpson via Split Decision. Really good fight.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Lawlor, 29-28 Simpson and 29-28 Simpson
Winner: Aaron Simpson by Decision (Split)
Lightweight Fight- Evan Dunham (9-0) vs. Efrain Escudero (13-0)
Both guys are coming into this fight undefeated. Efrain is coming off of a UFC 103 win against Cole Miller and Dunham is coming off a UFC 102 Split Decision win over Ricardo Almeida in a close fight that I had Almeida winning 29-28.
R1- Efrain landed a good jumping knee half-way through the round and then hit some strikes. Dunham went down but was able to defend on the ground and stay in the fight. Efrain grabs a guillotine choke but Dunham was able to escape back to his feet. Dunham pushed Escudero to the ground at the end of the round. Escudero 10-9.
R2- Dunham looks recovered and hits some strikes at the beginning of the round. Both guys are landing some decent strikes in this round. Dunham got a take down with two minutes left in the round. Dunham is landing some good strikes on the ground. Dunham takes Efrain’s back. Dunham won this round so it’s even at 19-19 going into the final round.
R3- Dunham went for a quick take down and Efrain tried to grab a guillotine and rolled over on top of Dunham trying to secure a choke but couldn’t not clamp it in and they scrambled back to their feet. Dunham stuck with it and got a take down about a minute into the fight. Dunham went for an arm bar and Efrain tapped out. Big win for Dunham.
Winner: Evan Dunham by Submission (Arm Bar) R3 1:59
Lightweight Fight- Gray Maynard (9-0) vs. Nate Diaz (11-4)
Nate Diaz is the only fighter that Maynard has lost to as Diaz beat Maynard on their season of TUF. Maynard is still officially unbeaten because the TUF fights (except for the finals) do not count on the fighters records. At UFC Fight Night 19 Gray Maynard beat Roger Huerta by Split Decision (I had the fight 30-27 for Maynard). Diaz is coming off a Guillotine Choke win over Melvin Guillard on the same show. Maynard is one of the top contenders for BJ Penn’s belt so this is a very important fight for him.
R1- Maynard is throwing some bombs early on. Diaz has opened up a cut on Maynard despite not landing any significant shots. Maynard is starting to land some decent shots. Both guys talk a little trash in the first round. Close round. I’ve got Maynard edging Diaz 10-9.
R2- Maynard hit a good overhand right about a minute and a half into the round but Diaz absorb the blow. Gray hit a good knee half way through the round that floored Diaz but Maynard let him back to his feet. Maynard hit a good left that sent Diaz to his knees before he quickly got back up. Maynard took this round and I’ve got him winning 20-18.
R3- Diaz hit a right hand about a minute and a half into the round that briefly floored Maynard but he popped back up. Diaz is landing some strikes this round and is looking much better than he did in the first two rounds. Maynard landed a good punch and then briefly got on top of Diaz but Diaz got up quickly. Maynard finished well in this round but I think Diaz still took this round. I’ve got Maynard taking this fight 29-28.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Diaz, 30-27 Maynard, 29-28 Maynard
Winner: Gray Maynard by Decision (Split)
Showing posts with label Aaron Simpson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aaron Simpson. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Saturday, September 05, 2009
UFC 102: Couture vs. Noguiera Re-Cap
UFC 102: Couture vs. Noguiera
8/30/09
Rose Garden Arena
Portland, Or
Light Heavyweight Fight- Brandon Vera (10-3) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (19-9-1)
Krzysztof has looked very good since leaving his season of TUF. He beat Andre Gusmao in the first round of his last fight at UFC 98 and before that he defeated Brian Stann at UFC 97. Vera handled Mike Patt at UFC 96 in his last fight but lost a close fight previous to that to Keith Jardine in which both guys looked awful and neither deserved to win. Vera has a slight height and reach advantage.
R1- Vera hit some counter strikes early that backed Krzysztof off early. Lots of clinching in the first round as both guys struggled to get position on the other guy. Krzysztof got stuffed at the end of the round and Vera landed a couple of elbows. Close round that I give to Vera 10-9.
R2- Krzysztof had a tough time in this round catching up to Vera. Vera once again did a good job of countering Krzysztof’s attacks. Krzysztof’s only real offense was clinching and leaning on Vera. Krzysztof got a take down at the one minute mark but could hold it or do anything with it. Neither guy really did anything to win this round but Vera hit more strikes. I’ve got Vera up 20-18.
R3- Krzysztof clinched Vera and Vera nearly got a kimura but couldn’t lock it in. Vera landed some good knees in the clinch and then took down Krzysztof and landed some shots before Krzysztof got back to his feet. Krzysztof got really tired at the end of the round. Vera is going to take this fight 30-27 in my book. Not an exciting fight but Vera continues to improve at Light Heavyweight. Krzysztof was just outmatched in this fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all three score cards. Post-fight Vera wore an Affliction T-shirt. It’s been a while since one of those has been in the Octagon.
Winner: Brandon Vera by Decision (Unanimous)
Rashad Evans is in attendance and he gets a round of boos from the crowd.
Middleweight Fight- Demian Maia (11-0) vs. Nate Marquardt (31-8-2)
This fight is for a shot at Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. Marquardt has been impressive lately in his fight at UFC 88 with Martin Kampmann and his victory over Wilson Gouveia. Maia is undefeated and has recently submitted Nate Quarry and Jason MacDonald. Both of these guys are easily Top 10 Middleweights in the World Rankings and borderline Top 5 guys right now. The winner of this fight is a Top 5 World Middleweight. Maia is a BJJ Black Belt who has been working on his striking with Wanderlei Silva and Marquardt is part of Greg Jackson’s training camp.
R1- Maia came in with a kick and Marquardt just blasted him with a big time right hand and Maia hit the mat like a ton of bricks. Maia was not out but the ref stopped the fight. I’m not crazy about the stoppage. Marquardt would have probably finished the fight but he didn’t jump right on Maia and I think that influenced the decision. Either way that was a great punch by Marquardt.
Looks like Marquardt has earned his re-match with Anderson Silva and honestly that match can happen ASAP as neither Marquardt nor Anderson Silva got hurt in the slightest in their fights.
Winner: Nate Marquardt by KO R1 0:21
Middleweight Fight- Chris Leben (18-5) vs. Jake Rosholt (5-1)
Chris Leben’s last fight was a loss to Michael Bisping at UFC 89. After that fight Leben served a suspension for failing a drug test. Rosholt got submitted quickly by Dan Miller in his last fight. This fight is in Leben’s hometown. Rosholt has a 2” height and 4” reach advantage.
R1- Not much action in the first couple of minutes. Rosholt jumped in and Leben got a take down that almost looked like Rosholt pulled guard. Leben gave up his position to try and get a good shot but he didn’t and both fighters got back to their feet. Rosholt got a take down with a minute left in the round and landed some strikes. Leben took some wild shots at the end of the round and landed some. Leben looked like he got hurt by some of those Rosholt strikes. I give the first round to Rosholt as he did more damage but it was close.
R2- Rosholt went for a kick but Leben countered with a left hand and it dropped Rosholt as he was caught in the air and Leben jumped on top. The ref stood the fight back up due to lack of action by Leben. Leben had a leg kick blocked but landed a good punch and then clinched Rosholt up against the cage. Rosholt broke free and landed a punch and got a take down. Leben looks really tired right now. Rosholt landed some good strikes towards the end of the round but let Leben up. I’ve got Leben taking this round although it was very close so it’s 19-19 going into the final round.
R3- Rosholt got an early take down in the first 30 seconds of the round. Rosholt got an arm triangle and it looked like Leben was going to tap but he ended up passing out in the submission. Good showing by Rosholt. Leben had a tough time with his conditioning in this fight.
Winner: Jake Rosholt by Submission (Arm Triangle) R3 1:30
Heavyweight Fight- Tim Hague (10-1) vs. Todd Duffee (5-0)
This is a pre-show fight. The Heavyweight Division in UFC is all of the sudden pretty stacked. The winner of this fight will move up the ladder.
R1- Todd Duffee almost immediately knocked Hague down and then just destroyed him on the mat for a very quick finish. He hit a big left hand right off that bat when Hague left his chin wide open.
7 seconds is officially the fastest knockout in UFC history and Duffee got it in his UFC debut.
Winner: Todd Duffee by TKO (Punches) R1 0:07
UFC 103 is advertised. Rich Franklin vs Vitor Belfort. Mirko Crop Cop vs Junior dos Santos and Martin Kampmann vs. Mike Swick. September 19th!
Light Heavyweight Fight- Keith Jardine (14-6-1) vs. Thiago Silva (13-1)
Both of these fighters are coming off losses to two of the top Light Heavyweight fighters in the world. Jardine lost to Rampage Jackson and Silva got mauled by Lyoto Machida. Both fighters are borderline Top 10 World Light Heavyweights. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the Co-Main Event of the evening.
R1- Jardine hit a body kick but Silva took him down to the mat about 30 seconds into the fight but Jardine got back to his feet without taking any damage. Jardine came in with a flurry but Silva stuck Jardine with a punch and he went down. Silva landed some big shots on Jardine while he was on the mat and the ref jumped in and stopped the fight. Good stoppage as Jardine went limp after Silva hit two shots on the ground.
Winner: Thiago Silva by TKO (Strikes) R1 1:35
Middleweight Fight- Ed Herman vs. Aaron Simpson
This is our second re-show fight. Mike Goldberg drops the interesting trivia that Aaron Simpson and his wife competed together on American Gladiators.
R1- Both guys throw leather early into the fight. Simpson shot in and got a take down. Herman quickly got back to his feet but Simpson slammed him back down. Herman is trying some weird type of soccer style bicycle kick while Simpson is standing hovering above him. Herman hit a couple of up kicks and backed Simpson off. Herman got to his feet and hit a knee but Simpson tossed him to the mat. Very entertaining fight so far. Simpson hit a good combo and then hit a punch that floored Herman. Simpson jumped on top but Herman did a good job of defending. Herman got up but Simpson took him back down and got some Ground and Pound. Good first round that Simpson took 10-9. Herman limps back to his corner as it looks like his knee is hurt.
R2- Herman came out and tried a kick but Simpson grabbed it and took him down and Herman hurt his leg again and the ref stopped the fight. Herman showed a lot of heart in this fight and Simpson looks like he’s going to be a good fighter in the Middleweight division.
Winner: Aaron Simpson by TKO (Ref Stoppage) R2 0:17
Heavyweight Fight- Antonio Minotauro Nogueira (31-5-1) vs. Randy Couture (16-9)
The UFC tells us that Nogueira’s average fight length is 12:18, he lands 75% of strikes thrown when standing up and he leads Pride & UFC in Submission Attempts. The fans have this fight pegged at 77% in favor of Couture. Rogan says Big Nog had a meniscus tear and a bad staph infection going into the Frank Mir fight where he was hospitalized five weeks before the fight. Couture, fighting in his home town, gets a huge reaction at introductions.
Brock Lesnar is at this show for the fight and he gets some boos when he is shown.
R1- Both guys throw some leather early and Big Nog tries to pull guard but Randy avoids it. Big Nog hurt Randy about 2 minutes into the fight and followed him to the ground. Big Nog locked in a choke and Randy somehow was able to get out of the move and get back to his fight. Both guys exchange some leather a couple of times and pop the crowd. Both guys just slug it out at about the one minute mark left in the round with both guys landing good shots. Really good first round that I’ve got Big Nog taking 10-9.
R2- Big Nog hit some good strikes early and tried to pull guard on a guillotine but Randy slipped out and took Big Nog’s guard. Randy controlled but Big Nog flipped him over and mounted Randy. Big Nog went for an arm triangle and punched Randy to try to get a better position with the submission but Randy got free. Randy got back to his feet with one minute left in the round. Both guys throw leather with Randy backing down first. Randy rocked Big Nog with a big left hand but Big Nog took it and stayed on his feet. Randy hit him with a follow-up left jab but Big Nog absorbed it. Another good round. I’ve got Big Nog up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Randy started out the round with a good combo. Big Nog came next with a combo of his own and then dropped Randy and got on top and hit some hammer punches with Randy fighting through and hanging on. Big Nog passed guard and took side control. Randy was able to flip Big Nog over. Goldberg says Lesnar is next to them shouting instructions at Couture. Randy lands some elbows from the top. Big Nog reversed Randy right at the end of the fight. Really good fight. I’ve got Big Nog taking all three rounds and redeeming himself after the Frank Mir fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 in favor of Big Nog.
Winner: Antonio Minotauro Nogueira by Decision (Unanimous)
Lightweight Fight- Evan Dunham vs. Marcus Aurelio
This is our third pre-show fight. Aurelio took this fight on short notice.
R1- Dunham got in a punch at the half way point of round one that knocked down Aurelio and Dunham followed him to the ground and got some good Ground and Pound but could not finish the fight. They went back to their feet and Dunham continued to win the round. Dunham took this round 10-9 and was really in control from the mid-point to the end of the round.
Dunham is an Xtreme Couture fighter and they show Shawn Thompkins giving him advice in the corner during the rest between rounds.
R2- Aurelio tries several times to get Dunham in the first minute and finally got him down after about a minute was gone from the round. Dunham was able to get back to his feet without taking much damage but Aurelio looks a lot more confident in this round. This was a fairly even round that will go to Aurelio due to the take down so it’s 19-19 going into the third and final round.
R3- Aurelio got a take down right off the bat in the final round. Aurelio got an Anaconda Choke submission attempt but Dunham was able to slip out. Dunham got a take down but did nothing with it as Aurelio quickly got back to his feet. The final minute of this fight sees Dunham trying to make this into a slugfest and Aurelio trying to take Dunham down. Really close round as they go toe to toe at the end of the round but I’ve got it for Aurelio due to the take down and submission attempt. So I’ve got Aurelio winning 29-28 in a very close fight.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Aurelio, 29-28 Dunham, 30-27 Dunham
30-27? Really?
Winner: Evan Dunham by Decision (Split)
8/30/09
Rose Garden Arena
Portland, Or
Light Heavyweight Fight- Brandon Vera (10-3) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (19-9-1)
Krzysztof has looked very good since leaving his season of TUF. He beat Andre Gusmao in the first round of his last fight at UFC 98 and before that he defeated Brian Stann at UFC 97. Vera handled Mike Patt at UFC 96 in his last fight but lost a close fight previous to that to Keith Jardine in which both guys looked awful and neither deserved to win. Vera has a slight height and reach advantage.
R1- Vera hit some counter strikes early that backed Krzysztof off early. Lots of clinching in the first round as both guys struggled to get position on the other guy. Krzysztof got stuffed at the end of the round and Vera landed a couple of elbows. Close round that I give to Vera 10-9.
R2- Krzysztof had a tough time in this round catching up to Vera. Vera once again did a good job of countering Krzysztof’s attacks. Krzysztof’s only real offense was clinching and leaning on Vera. Krzysztof got a take down at the one minute mark but could hold it or do anything with it. Neither guy really did anything to win this round but Vera hit more strikes. I’ve got Vera up 20-18.
R3- Krzysztof clinched Vera and Vera nearly got a kimura but couldn’t lock it in. Vera landed some good knees in the clinch and then took down Krzysztof and landed some shots before Krzysztof got back to his feet. Krzysztof got really tired at the end of the round. Vera is going to take this fight 30-27 in my book. Not an exciting fight but Vera continues to improve at Light Heavyweight. Krzysztof was just outmatched in this fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all three score cards. Post-fight Vera wore an Affliction T-shirt. It’s been a while since one of those has been in the Octagon.
Winner: Brandon Vera by Decision (Unanimous)
Rashad Evans is in attendance and he gets a round of boos from the crowd.
Middleweight Fight- Demian Maia (11-0) vs. Nate Marquardt (31-8-2)
This fight is for a shot at Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. Marquardt has been impressive lately in his fight at UFC 88 with Martin Kampmann and his victory over Wilson Gouveia. Maia is undefeated and has recently submitted Nate Quarry and Jason MacDonald. Both of these guys are easily Top 10 Middleweights in the World Rankings and borderline Top 5 guys right now. The winner of this fight is a Top 5 World Middleweight. Maia is a BJJ Black Belt who has been working on his striking with Wanderlei Silva and Marquardt is part of Greg Jackson’s training camp.
R1- Maia came in with a kick and Marquardt just blasted him with a big time right hand and Maia hit the mat like a ton of bricks. Maia was not out but the ref stopped the fight. I’m not crazy about the stoppage. Marquardt would have probably finished the fight but he didn’t jump right on Maia and I think that influenced the decision. Either way that was a great punch by Marquardt.
Looks like Marquardt has earned his re-match with Anderson Silva and honestly that match can happen ASAP as neither Marquardt nor Anderson Silva got hurt in the slightest in their fights.
Winner: Nate Marquardt by KO R1 0:21
Middleweight Fight- Chris Leben (18-5) vs. Jake Rosholt (5-1)
Chris Leben’s last fight was a loss to Michael Bisping at UFC 89. After that fight Leben served a suspension for failing a drug test. Rosholt got submitted quickly by Dan Miller in his last fight. This fight is in Leben’s hometown. Rosholt has a 2” height and 4” reach advantage.
R1- Not much action in the first couple of minutes. Rosholt jumped in and Leben got a take down that almost looked like Rosholt pulled guard. Leben gave up his position to try and get a good shot but he didn’t and both fighters got back to their feet. Rosholt got a take down with a minute left in the round and landed some strikes. Leben took some wild shots at the end of the round and landed some. Leben looked like he got hurt by some of those Rosholt strikes. I give the first round to Rosholt as he did more damage but it was close.
R2- Rosholt went for a kick but Leben countered with a left hand and it dropped Rosholt as he was caught in the air and Leben jumped on top. The ref stood the fight back up due to lack of action by Leben. Leben had a leg kick blocked but landed a good punch and then clinched Rosholt up against the cage. Rosholt broke free and landed a punch and got a take down. Leben looks really tired right now. Rosholt landed some good strikes towards the end of the round but let Leben up. I’ve got Leben taking this round although it was very close so it’s 19-19 going into the final round.
R3- Rosholt got an early take down in the first 30 seconds of the round. Rosholt got an arm triangle and it looked like Leben was going to tap but he ended up passing out in the submission. Good showing by Rosholt. Leben had a tough time with his conditioning in this fight.
Winner: Jake Rosholt by Submission (Arm Triangle) R3 1:30
Heavyweight Fight- Tim Hague (10-1) vs. Todd Duffee (5-0)
This is a pre-show fight. The Heavyweight Division in UFC is all of the sudden pretty stacked. The winner of this fight will move up the ladder.
R1- Todd Duffee almost immediately knocked Hague down and then just destroyed him on the mat for a very quick finish. He hit a big left hand right off that bat when Hague left his chin wide open.
7 seconds is officially the fastest knockout in UFC history and Duffee got it in his UFC debut.
Winner: Todd Duffee by TKO (Punches) R1 0:07
UFC 103 is advertised. Rich Franklin vs Vitor Belfort. Mirko Crop Cop vs Junior dos Santos and Martin Kampmann vs. Mike Swick. September 19th!
Light Heavyweight Fight- Keith Jardine (14-6-1) vs. Thiago Silva (13-1)
Both of these fighters are coming off losses to two of the top Light Heavyweight fighters in the world. Jardine lost to Rampage Jackson and Silva got mauled by Lyoto Machida. Both fighters are borderline Top 10 World Light Heavyweights. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the Co-Main Event of the evening.
R1- Jardine hit a body kick but Silva took him down to the mat about 30 seconds into the fight but Jardine got back to his feet without taking any damage. Jardine came in with a flurry but Silva stuck Jardine with a punch and he went down. Silva landed some big shots on Jardine while he was on the mat and the ref jumped in and stopped the fight. Good stoppage as Jardine went limp after Silva hit two shots on the ground.
Winner: Thiago Silva by TKO (Strikes) R1 1:35
Middleweight Fight- Ed Herman vs. Aaron Simpson
This is our second re-show fight. Mike Goldberg drops the interesting trivia that Aaron Simpson and his wife competed together on American Gladiators.
R1- Both guys throw leather early into the fight. Simpson shot in and got a take down. Herman quickly got back to his feet but Simpson slammed him back down. Herman is trying some weird type of soccer style bicycle kick while Simpson is standing hovering above him. Herman hit a couple of up kicks and backed Simpson off. Herman got to his feet and hit a knee but Simpson tossed him to the mat. Very entertaining fight so far. Simpson hit a good combo and then hit a punch that floored Herman. Simpson jumped on top but Herman did a good job of defending. Herman got up but Simpson took him back down and got some Ground and Pound. Good first round that Simpson took 10-9. Herman limps back to his corner as it looks like his knee is hurt.
R2- Herman came out and tried a kick but Simpson grabbed it and took him down and Herman hurt his leg again and the ref stopped the fight. Herman showed a lot of heart in this fight and Simpson looks like he’s going to be a good fighter in the Middleweight division.
Winner: Aaron Simpson by TKO (Ref Stoppage) R2 0:17
Heavyweight Fight- Antonio Minotauro Nogueira (31-5-1) vs. Randy Couture (16-9)
The UFC tells us that Nogueira’s average fight length is 12:18, he lands 75% of strikes thrown when standing up and he leads Pride & UFC in Submission Attempts. The fans have this fight pegged at 77% in favor of Couture. Rogan says Big Nog had a meniscus tear and a bad staph infection going into the Frank Mir fight where he was hospitalized five weeks before the fight. Couture, fighting in his home town, gets a huge reaction at introductions.
Brock Lesnar is at this show for the fight and he gets some boos when he is shown.
R1- Both guys throw some leather early and Big Nog tries to pull guard but Randy avoids it. Big Nog hurt Randy about 2 minutes into the fight and followed him to the ground. Big Nog locked in a choke and Randy somehow was able to get out of the move and get back to his fight. Both guys exchange some leather a couple of times and pop the crowd. Both guys just slug it out at about the one minute mark left in the round with both guys landing good shots. Really good first round that I’ve got Big Nog taking 10-9.
R2- Big Nog hit some good strikes early and tried to pull guard on a guillotine but Randy slipped out and took Big Nog’s guard. Randy controlled but Big Nog flipped him over and mounted Randy. Big Nog went for an arm triangle and punched Randy to try to get a better position with the submission but Randy got free. Randy got back to his feet with one minute left in the round. Both guys throw leather with Randy backing down first. Randy rocked Big Nog with a big left hand but Big Nog took it and stayed on his feet. Randy hit him with a follow-up left jab but Big Nog absorbed it. Another good round. I’ve got Big Nog up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Randy started out the round with a good combo. Big Nog came next with a combo of his own and then dropped Randy and got on top and hit some hammer punches with Randy fighting through and hanging on. Big Nog passed guard and took side control. Randy was able to flip Big Nog over. Goldberg says Lesnar is next to them shouting instructions at Couture. Randy lands some elbows from the top. Big Nog reversed Randy right at the end of the fight. Really good fight. I’ve got Big Nog taking all three rounds and redeeming himself after the Frank Mir fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 in favor of Big Nog.
Winner: Antonio Minotauro Nogueira by Decision (Unanimous)
Lightweight Fight- Evan Dunham vs. Marcus Aurelio
This is our third pre-show fight. Aurelio took this fight on short notice.
R1- Dunham got in a punch at the half way point of round one that knocked down Aurelio and Dunham followed him to the ground and got some good Ground and Pound but could not finish the fight. They went back to their feet and Dunham continued to win the round. Dunham took this round 10-9 and was really in control from the mid-point to the end of the round.
Dunham is an Xtreme Couture fighter and they show Shawn Thompkins giving him advice in the corner during the rest between rounds.
R2- Aurelio tries several times to get Dunham in the first minute and finally got him down after about a minute was gone from the round. Dunham was able to get back to his feet without taking much damage but Aurelio looks a lot more confident in this round. This was a fairly even round that will go to Aurelio due to the take down so it’s 19-19 going into the third and final round.
R3- Aurelio got a take down right off the bat in the final round. Aurelio got an Anaconda Choke submission attempt but Dunham was able to slip out. Dunham got a take down but did nothing with it as Aurelio quickly got back to his feet. The final minute of this fight sees Dunham trying to make this into a slugfest and Aurelio trying to take Dunham down. Really close round as they go toe to toe at the end of the round but I’ve got it for Aurelio due to the take down and submission attempt. So I’ve got Aurelio winning 29-28 in a very close fight.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Aurelio, 29-28 Dunham, 30-27 Dunham
30-27? Really?
Winner: Evan Dunham by Decision (Split)
Sunday, April 26, 2009
UFC Fight Night 18 4/1/09 Preliminary Fights Re-Cap
UFC Fight Night 18 Prelims
April 1, 2009
Nashville, Tn
Middleweight Fight- Ricardo Almeida (9-3) vs. Matt Horwich (24-10-1)
R1- Kind of a blah first round until the end when Almeida took Horwich down with a guillotine and then Horwich came up with a heel hook. Pretty close first round.
R2- Almeida really dominates the first part of this round by taking Horwich’s guard and then getting in some good Ground and Pound. Almeida really dominated this entire round.
R3- Almeida gets two take downs in the first part of this round and continued to dominate Horwich in this round. Almedia wins this fight via unanimous decision.
All 3 judges scored the fight 30-27.
Winner: Ricardo Almeida by Decision (Unanimous)
Middleweight Fight- Tim Credeur (12-4) vs. Nick Catone (7-0)
Credeur has a 2.5” reach and 3” height advantage in this fight. Tim looked really good in his dismantling of undefeated Nate Loughran at the Fight for the Troops back in December. Let’s see if he can beat his second undefeated fighter in a row.
R1- Catone got a take down early but Credeur grabbed an arm bar from the bottom but couldn’t fully lock it in and Catone returned to Credeur’s guard. Credeur grabs a heel hook but couldn’t hold on to that one either. Credeur also got a near kimura. Catone has had octagon control in this round but Credeur has almost finished the fight several times so far and landed another near arm bar towards the end of the round. Credeur 10-9.
R2- Catone got a take down and Credeur again looked for submissions and ended with a guillotine victory. Credeur looked really good for the second straight fight.
Winner: Tim Credeur by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R2 3:45
Middleweight Fight- Rob Kimmons (21-4) vs. Joe Vedepo (9-2)
R1- Lots of action early and Kimmons connected with a couple of punches. Both guys have been opened up. Kimmons catches Vedepo in a guillotine choke and Vedepo passes out in the submission.
Winner: Rob Kimmons by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 1:54
Welterweight Fight- Brock Larson (25-2) vs. Jesse Sanders (21-4)
Sanders has a 4” reach advantage. Brock Larson most recently fought for WEC and just destroyed Carlo Prater in their fight back in August of 2008.
R1- Larson got a take down within the first minute of the fight and then took Sanders back. Larson hit some good shots to the side of the head of Sanders. Larson is just destroying Sanders and locks in the Rear Naked Choke and submits him.
Larson looked awesome in this fight. It was his first UFC appearance since 2006 and I’m looking forward to seeing more of him in UFC. He has really looked good in his last two fights.
Winner: Brock Larson by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 2:01
Middleweight Fight- Tim McKenzie (12-5) vs. Aaron Simpson (4-0)
Simpson is another guy that is coming over from WEC. In Simpson’s last fight in WEC in November of 2008 he decimated David Avellan in 18 seconds with a right handed knockout reel punch. McKenzie has a green Mohawk. Simpson trains at Arizona Combat Sports.
R1- Lots of action early in this one as Simpson grabbed a clinch and hit a couple of shot and then took McKenzie down. Simpson got in a couple of shots before McKenzie got up. Simpson hit McKenzie with a good shot and he went down and then Simpson landed some Ground and Pound. Mario Yamazaki stepped in and stopped the fight earlier then he should have but Simpson looked great.
Winner: Aaron Simpson by TKO (punches) R1 1:40
Middleweight Fight- Jorge Rivera (15-7) vs. Nissen Osterneck (5-1)
It looks like it’s WEC night tonight as Osterneck is another WEC fighter debuting on this show. He last fought on WEC 36 and lost to Jake Rosholt by second round TKO but put on a good fight. This is Rivera’s first fight since the loss of his daughter.
R1- Osterneck got a take down to start the fight but Jorge swept him over and they stood back up. Rivera got a take down and almost fell victim to a triangle but maintained the dominant position and landed some punches but Nissen got back to his feet. Pretty even first round.
R2- Lots of clinching and pretty even fight until Rivera nailed a big right hand near the one minute mark and fell into Nissen’s guard. Rivera takes this round.
R3- Both guys are really tired in this round. Not a real exciting round
Judges score cards are: 29-28, 29-28 and 29-28- split decision for Rivera.
Winner: Jorge Rivera by Decision (Split)
Catchweight Fight- Gleison Tibau (28-5) vs. Jeremy Stephens (16-4)
This should have been a lightweight fight but both guys missed weight with Tibau weighing in at 156.5 and Stephens at 158. Hermes Franca is in Stephens’ corner.
R1- Tibau fought for a take down the entire first round and finally got one with a minute and a half left. Tibau then went for an arm triangle but couldn’t clamp it on. Tibau 10-9 after one round.
R2- Tibau got a take down about a minute and a half into this round. With about a minute left Tibau went for the arm triangle again but couldn’t get it. He ended up getting it clinched it but not tight enough to tap Stephens as he held on until the bell sounded. Tibau 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Tibau got a take down about half way through the round after avoiding some bombs from Stephens. Stephens grabbed a clinch in the last minute and tried some jumping knees but got take down again. Tibau will win this fight 30-27.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28
Winner: Gleison Tibau by Decision (Unanimous)
April 1, 2009
Nashville, Tn
Middleweight Fight- Ricardo Almeida (9-3) vs. Matt Horwich (24-10-1)
R1- Kind of a blah first round until the end when Almeida took Horwich down with a guillotine and then Horwich came up with a heel hook. Pretty close first round.
R2- Almeida really dominates the first part of this round by taking Horwich’s guard and then getting in some good Ground and Pound. Almeida really dominated this entire round.
R3- Almeida gets two take downs in the first part of this round and continued to dominate Horwich in this round. Almedia wins this fight via unanimous decision.
All 3 judges scored the fight 30-27.
Winner: Ricardo Almeida by Decision (Unanimous)
Middleweight Fight- Tim Credeur (12-4) vs. Nick Catone (7-0)
Credeur has a 2.5” reach and 3” height advantage in this fight. Tim looked really good in his dismantling of undefeated Nate Loughran at the Fight for the Troops back in December. Let’s see if he can beat his second undefeated fighter in a row.
R1- Catone got a take down early but Credeur grabbed an arm bar from the bottom but couldn’t fully lock it in and Catone returned to Credeur’s guard. Credeur grabs a heel hook but couldn’t hold on to that one either. Credeur also got a near kimura. Catone has had octagon control in this round but Credeur has almost finished the fight several times so far and landed another near arm bar towards the end of the round. Credeur 10-9.
R2- Catone got a take down and Credeur again looked for submissions and ended with a guillotine victory. Credeur looked really good for the second straight fight.
Winner: Tim Credeur by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R2 3:45
Middleweight Fight- Rob Kimmons (21-4) vs. Joe Vedepo (9-2)
R1- Lots of action early and Kimmons connected with a couple of punches. Both guys have been opened up. Kimmons catches Vedepo in a guillotine choke and Vedepo passes out in the submission.
Winner: Rob Kimmons by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 1:54
Welterweight Fight- Brock Larson (25-2) vs. Jesse Sanders (21-4)
Sanders has a 4” reach advantage. Brock Larson most recently fought for WEC and just destroyed Carlo Prater in their fight back in August of 2008.
R1- Larson got a take down within the first minute of the fight and then took Sanders back. Larson hit some good shots to the side of the head of Sanders. Larson is just destroying Sanders and locks in the Rear Naked Choke and submits him.
Larson looked awesome in this fight. It was his first UFC appearance since 2006 and I’m looking forward to seeing more of him in UFC. He has really looked good in his last two fights.
Winner: Brock Larson by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 2:01
Middleweight Fight- Tim McKenzie (12-5) vs. Aaron Simpson (4-0)
Simpson is another guy that is coming over from WEC. In Simpson’s last fight in WEC in November of 2008 he decimated David Avellan in 18 seconds with a right handed knockout reel punch. McKenzie has a green Mohawk. Simpson trains at Arizona Combat Sports.
R1- Lots of action early in this one as Simpson grabbed a clinch and hit a couple of shot and then took McKenzie down. Simpson got in a couple of shots before McKenzie got up. Simpson hit McKenzie with a good shot and he went down and then Simpson landed some Ground and Pound. Mario Yamazaki stepped in and stopped the fight earlier then he should have but Simpson looked great.
Winner: Aaron Simpson by TKO (punches) R1 1:40
Middleweight Fight- Jorge Rivera (15-7) vs. Nissen Osterneck (5-1)
It looks like it’s WEC night tonight as Osterneck is another WEC fighter debuting on this show. He last fought on WEC 36 and lost to Jake Rosholt by second round TKO but put on a good fight. This is Rivera’s first fight since the loss of his daughter.
R1- Osterneck got a take down to start the fight but Jorge swept him over and they stood back up. Rivera got a take down and almost fell victim to a triangle but maintained the dominant position and landed some punches but Nissen got back to his feet. Pretty even first round.
R2- Lots of clinching and pretty even fight until Rivera nailed a big right hand near the one minute mark and fell into Nissen’s guard. Rivera takes this round.
R3- Both guys are really tired in this round. Not a real exciting round
Judges score cards are: 29-28, 29-28 and 29-28- split decision for Rivera.
Winner: Jorge Rivera by Decision (Split)
Catchweight Fight- Gleison Tibau (28-5) vs. Jeremy Stephens (16-4)
This should have been a lightweight fight but both guys missed weight with Tibau weighing in at 156.5 and Stephens at 158. Hermes Franca is in Stephens’ corner.
R1- Tibau fought for a take down the entire first round and finally got one with a minute and a half left. Tibau then went for an arm triangle but couldn’t clamp it on. Tibau 10-9 after one round.
R2- Tibau got a take down about a minute and a half into this round. With about a minute left Tibau went for the arm triangle again but couldn’t get it. He ended up getting it clinched it but not tight enough to tap Stephens as he held on until the bell sounded. Tibau 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Tibau got a take down about half way through the round after avoiding some bombs from Stephens. Stephens grabbed a clinch in the last minute and tried some jumping knees but got take down again. Tibau will win this fight 30-27.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28
Winner: Gleison Tibau by Decision (Unanimous)
Thursday, November 27, 2008
WEC 36: "Faber vs Brown" 11/5/08
WEC 36: Faber vs. Brown- 11/5/08
This looks like a real good show with Faber/Brown, Filho/Sonnen, Garcia/Pulver and Rosholt and Cerrone on the show. Paulo Filho failed to make weight so this will not be a title fight. Kind of a weird situation where the champ didn’t make weight.
Middleweight Fight- Jake Rosholt (4-0) vs. Nissen Osterneck (5-0)
Rosholt was one of the fighters showcased on the last season of Tapout and he looked very impressive in his fight on that show if my memory serves correct. This is the WEC debut of both fighters and they are both undefeated so far in their professional careers.
R1- Nissen charges early and hit some punches but Jake recovers and slams Nissen to the mat and takes side control. Rosholt threw some punches but then almost got caught in an arm bar and Nissen got back to his feet and delivered some more punches to Rosholt. Nissen is landing some good punches and shots. Rosholt got another take down and again landed some good punches. Rosholt hit a bunch of punches towards the end of the round but Nissen held on as Rosholt attempted a choke at the end of the round. Very good first round. Rosholt owned the fight when it was on the ground and Nissen controlled when it was on the feet. Rosholt 10-9 in my book as he controlled more of the round.
R2- Rosholt went for a take down early but Nissen grabbed a kimura and took the advantage. Jake escaped and took half guard. They got back to their feet and Nissen hit a bunch of good solid shots. Then he went for a spinning back fist and missed and Rosholt took him down and mounted him. Great chin by Rosholt. Rosholt finished him as Nissen just burnt himself out and then Rosholt took advantage.
Really good fight and good showing by Rosholt as he controlled when on the ground and took a bunch of shots. Rosholt showed a really good shin and good conditioning. Rosholt needs a lot of work on his stand up- specifically his defense.
Winner: Jake Rosholt by TKO (Strikes) R2 3:48
Hermes Franca, Miguel Torres, Jamie Varner and Carlos Conduit are all at the show tonight in attendance.
Featherweight Fight- Leonard Garcia (15-3) vs. Jens Pulver (22-9-1)
On paper this looks like the most exciting fight of the night. Jens gets a good response from the fans.
R1- Jens hits a couple of shots early. Garcia answers about a minute into the round and rocks Pulver against the cage. Jens is down and Garcia is nailing him and Garcia gets a quick victory. Very impressive showing for Garcia and it looks like he steps right up in line to face the winner of Faber/Brown.
Winner: Leonard Garcia by TKO (Strikes) R1 1:12
Middleweight Fight- David Avellan (2-0) vs. Aaron Simpson (3-0)
Both of these guys are undefeated.
R1- Aaron Simpson just levels Avellan with a fantastic right hand and knocked Avellan out right at the beginning of the fight. That was a highlight reel knockout.
Winner: Aaron Simpson by KO R1 0:18
NON-TITLE- Middleweight Fight- Paulo Filho (16-0) vs. Chael Sonnen (22-9-1)
Filho is one of the top ranked Middleweight fighters in the world being ranked as high as #2 behind Anderson Silva in some of the rankings. Filho did not make weight. Sonnen gets a good response from the fans. Filho gets a round of boos upon his introduction.
R1- Filho grabs a single leg and fights hard for a take down but Sonnen does a good job of denying. Filho slips going for a punch but stays on his back seeing if Sonnen wants to come down and fight him on the ground. Filho pretty much spends the whole round on his back trying to catch Sonnen with a submission. Round One is slow paced and Sonnen is up 10-9.
R2- Filho missed on a single leg and Sonnen got a take down about one minute into the round but then quickly gave up his position. Sonnen gave Filho a good leg kick when he tried to shoot. Sonnen got a slam in when Filho tried to pull guard. Filho started to get in some offense towards the end of the round but right now it’s Sonnen 20-18.
R3- This is Sonnen’s fight to lose. Sonnen using the jab to keep Filho away. Filho looking like he doesn’t even want to be in the cage tonight. What a boring fight. Filho is just doing and trying to do nothing.
Sonnen is going to win this dud of a fight 30-27. Filho definitely didn’t live up to his hype. Not really looking forward to the re-match for the title either.
All three judges score the fight 30-27
Winner: Chael Sonnen by Decision (Unanimous)
WEC Featherweight Title Fight- Urijah Faber (21-1) © vs. Mike Brown (19-4)
Brown is from Florida so he gets a good reaction from the crowd.
R1- Faber lands some punches early. Brown muscled Faber against the cage and tried for a take down but Faber caught him in a clinch and delivered a big knee. Faber hit a jab and then Brown took Faber down and Faber popped right back up. Faber went for an elbow but got caught with a good clean punch from Brown and knocked down. Brown is just nailing Faber on the ground and this one is in danger of being stopped and the ref stops the fight. Wow. Really good, short fight. Would like to see a re-match as Faber got caught in a weird position and would be very interested to see if Brown can do it again.
Winner and new WEC Featherweight Champion: Mike Brown by TKO (strikes) R1 2:23
Overall, this was a pretty decent show that had only 1 stinker. Leonard Garcia and Mike Brown came up as the biggest winners tonight. They might face each other down the road very shortly.
This looks like a real good show with Faber/Brown, Filho/Sonnen, Garcia/Pulver and Rosholt and Cerrone on the show. Paulo Filho failed to make weight so this will not be a title fight. Kind of a weird situation where the champ didn’t make weight.
Middleweight Fight- Jake Rosholt (4-0) vs. Nissen Osterneck (5-0)
Rosholt was one of the fighters showcased on the last season of Tapout and he looked very impressive in his fight on that show if my memory serves correct. This is the WEC debut of both fighters and they are both undefeated so far in their professional careers.
R1- Nissen charges early and hit some punches but Jake recovers and slams Nissen to the mat and takes side control. Rosholt threw some punches but then almost got caught in an arm bar and Nissen got back to his feet and delivered some more punches to Rosholt. Nissen is landing some good punches and shots. Rosholt got another take down and again landed some good punches. Rosholt hit a bunch of punches towards the end of the round but Nissen held on as Rosholt attempted a choke at the end of the round. Very good first round. Rosholt owned the fight when it was on the ground and Nissen controlled when it was on the feet. Rosholt 10-9 in my book as he controlled more of the round.
R2- Rosholt went for a take down early but Nissen grabbed a kimura and took the advantage. Jake escaped and took half guard. They got back to their feet and Nissen hit a bunch of good solid shots. Then he went for a spinning back fist and missed and Rosholt took him down and mounted him. Great chin by Rosholt. Rosholt finished him as Nissen just burnt himself out and then Rosholt took advantage.
Really good fight and good showing by Rosholt as he controlled when on the ground and took a bunch of shots. Rosholt showed a really good shin and good conditioning. Rosholt needs a lot of work on his stand up- specifically his defense.
Winner: Jake Rosholt by TKO (Strikes) R2 3:48
Hermes Franca, Miguel Torres, Jamie Varner and Carlos Conduit are all at the show tonight in attendance.
Featherweight Fight- Leonard Garcia (15-3) vs. Jens Pulver (22-9-1)
On paper this looks like the most exciting fight of the night. Jens gets a good response from the fans.
R1- Jens hits a couple of shots early. Garcia answers about a minute into the round and rocks Pulver against the cage. Jens is down and Garcia is nailing him and Garcia gets a quick victory. Very impressive showing for Garcia and it looks like he steps right up in line to face the winner of Faber/Brown.
Winner: Leonard Garcia by TKO (Strikes) R1 1:12
Middleweight Fight- David Avellan (2-0) vs. Aaron Simpson (3-0)
Both of these guys are undefeated.
R1- Aaron Simpson just levels Avellan with a fantastic right hand and knocked Avellan out right at the beginning of the fight. That was a highlight reel knockout.
Winner: Aaron Simpson by KO R1 0:18
NON-TITLE- Middleweight Fight- Paulo Filho (16-0) vs. Chael Sonnen (22-9-1)
Filho is one of the top ranked Middleweight fighters in the world being ranked as high as #2 behind Anderson Silva in some of the rankings. Filho did not make weight. Sonnen gets a good response from the fans. Filho gets a round of boos upon his introduction.
R1- Filho grabs a single leg and fights hard for a take down but Sonnen does a good job of denying. Filho slips going for a punch but stays on his back seeing if Sonnen wants to come down and fight him on the ground. Filho pretty much spends the whole round on his back trying to catch Sonnen with a submission. Round One is slow paced and Sonnen is up 10-9.
R2- Filho missed on a single leg and Sonnen got a take down about one minute into the round but then quickly gave up his position. Sonnen gave Filho a good leg kick when he tried to shoot. Sonnen got a slam in when Filho tried to pull guard. Filho started to get in some offense towards the end of the round but right now it’s Sonnen 20-18.
R3- This is Sonnen’s fight to lose. Sonnen using the jab to keep Filho away. Filho looking like he doesn’t even want to be in the cage tonight. What a boring fight. Filho is just doing and trying to do nothing.
Sonnen is going to win this dud of a fight 30-27. Filho definitely didn’t live up to his hype. Not really looking forward to the re-match for the title either.
All three judges score the fight 30-27
Winner: Chael Sonnen by Decision (Unanimous)
WEC Featherweight Title Fight- Urijah Faber (21-1) © vs. Mike Brown (19-4)
Brown is from Florida so he gets a good reaction from the crowd.
R1- Faber lands some punches early. Brown muscled Faber against the cage and tried for a take down but Faber caught him in a clinch and delivered a big knee. Faber hit a jab and then Brown took Faber down and Faber popped right back up. Faber went for an elbow but got caught with a good clean punch from Brown and knocked down. Brown is just nailing Faber on the ground and this one is in danger of being stopped and the ref stops the fight. Wow. Really good, short fight. Would like to see a re-match as Faber got caught in a weird position and would be very interested to see if Brown can do it again.
Winner and new WEC Featherweight Champion: Mike Brown by TKO (strikes) R1 2:23
Overall, this was a pretty decent show that had only 1 stinker. Leonard Garcia and Mike Brown came up as the biggest winners tonight. They might face each other down the road very shortly.
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