UFC 113: Machida vs Shogun 2
Bell Centre
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
May 8, 2010
The Main Event tonight is a re-match for the Light Heavyweight Title between Lyoto Machida and Shogun Rua. It is a re-match from their controversial decision last year in which the judges unanimously declared Machida the winner but most of the popular opinion said Rua should have won the fight. Josh Koscheck will fight Paul Daley in a #1 Contenders match with the winner going on to face champion Georges St-Pierre at a later date and also coach against him in the next version of The Ultimate Fighter. Kimbo Slice is in action tonight and Patrick Cote makes his return from an injury.
Middleweight Fight- Patrick Cote (14-5) vs. Alan Belcher (14-5)
Belcher's last fight was at UFC 107 in December where he disposed of Wilson Gouveia in the first round. This is Cote's first fight since getting injured in a freak accident in his title shot against Anderson Silva. The fans are solidly behind Canadian Cote in this one. I picked Belcher in this one but only because of the lay-off that Cote had. It will be interesting to see how Cote does after 18 months of not fighting.
R1- Belcher is throwing kicks early and then catches Cote with a low blow. Both guys are very active early and are landing strikes. Cote grabbed a Belcher kick and took him down. Cote went for a kimura but Belcher pulled out and was able to take top position. Belcher landed a couple of elbows and stayed on top until the end of the round. Cote sustained a small cut near his eye near the end of the round. Belcher 10-9.
"The inside leg kick. The enemy of cups all around the world."- Joe Rogan
R2- Belcher came out for the round without his mouthpiece and the ref briefly had to stop the fight. Cote landed some good punches to start the round. Belcher had to clinch to stop the onslaught. They traded some strikes against the cage and Cote got a take down at the mid-way point of the round. Belcher got back to his feet and basically did what in pro wrestling would be called a front piledriver as he picked up Cote and a pile driver type position and dropped him face first onto the mat. Belcher took Cote's back and Cote had to tap. Great win for Belcher. It looked like Cote was turning the tide until that pile driver.
"It is illegal to spike somebody on their head. To pick them up and drop them down purposely on the top of their head. It didn't seem like he spiked him. He went face first and that is legal. He just dropped him on his face"- Joe Rogan
Winner: Alan Belcher by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 3:25
Post fight Alan Belcher calls out Anderson Silva.
Heavyweight Fight- Kimbo Slice (4-1) vs. Matt Mitrione (1-0)
Both guys won fights on The Ultimate Fighter Finale back in December. Kimbo defeated Houston Alexander by decision in an ugly fight and Mitrione knocked out Marcus Jones ten seconds into the second round. Mitrione comes out to Simple Man from Lynyrd Skynyrd. Mitrione trains with Pat Berry, Eric Schafer, Jake O'Brien and Ben Rothwell. Kimbo gets a huge reaction. He should come out to Street Fighting Man by the Rolling Stones but he doesn't. Kimbo is training with American Top Team. Mitrione has a 5" reach advantage.
"There's something cool about watching a guy fight on Youtube in a backyard trying to avoid a satellite dish and a barbecue and then next thing you know he's in the Octagon"- Joe Rogan
"Kimbo might be the only guy who fights with an assumed name"- Joe Rogan
R1- Kimbo hit a right hand early and then Mitrione missed a kick and Kimbo tackle slammed him to the ground and then picked up Mitrione again and slammed him another time. Fans are going nuts. Mitrione grabs a quick triangle choke and Kimbo picks him up and tried to drop him down again. Kimbo broke free of the move and we've only fought for a minute and fifteen seconds. Kimbo had side control but is just doing nothing on the ground and Mitrione got back to his feet. Kimbo picked Mitrione up and Mitrione grabbed onto the top of the cage briefly to minimize the impact of Kimbo's slam. Mitrione goes for an triangle choke but didn't get it. Kimbo finally just backs off and let's Mitrione up with about a minute left in the round. Mitrione hit Kimbo with a knee and then grabbed him in a clinch and landed another knee to the head. Kimbo came in for a right hand and Mitrione kicked Kimbo's leg out from under him. Mitrione grabbed a choke on the ground. Kimbo looked like he was going to tap but Mitrione let the hold go to try and get a better grip on it. Fun first round. Mitrione 10-9.
R2- Mitrione is hurting Kimbo early in this round with leg kicks. Mitrione landed some good strikes with three minutes left. Kimbo tried to get a take down but couldn't and Mitrione landed a knee to Kimbo's side and Kimbo is looking like he's wilting. Mitrione is landing knees to Kimbo's side and legs. Mitrione has the mount and is landing strikes. Mitrione tried for a kimura but let it go after cranking back on it. Mitrione continued landing strikes and the ref stepped in. Mitrione really controlled Kimbo. Kimbo's grappling and wrestling is still just so rudimentary. I'm interested to see where Mitrione goes from here. He has some talent but both of his wins are against guys that really have no MMA experience.
Winner: Matt Mitrione by TKO (Strikes) R2 4:24
Lightweight Fight- Sam Stout (16-5-1) vs. Jeremy Stephens (17-5)
Stephens took out Justin Buchholz at UFC Fight Night 19 by TKO in the first round. Stout beat Joe Lauzon by Unanimous Decision in January (with one judge scoring the fight 30-26). Both guys say they are going to stand and bang. This looks like a fun fight on paper. Stout is from Ontario so he is the crowd favorite in this one. Shawn Thompkins is in Stout's corner.
R1- Stephens landed an early strike and caught a leg kick and got a take down. So much for standing and banging. Stout quickly got back to his feet. Stephens hit a good left that landed right in the eye of Stout and looked like it cut him. Stephens landed a good right hand. Stephens looks really good early. Stout landed a couple of body punches but Stephens retaliated with a big right hand that briefly floored Stout and Stephens then landed a knee. Stout lands some leg kicks and Stephens threw a big spinning back fist that was partially deflected. Good first round and they did stand and bang after that initial take down. Stephens 10-9.
R2- Stout lands some leg kicks to start the round and then got one caught and Stephens landed a punch as he held his leg which briefly floored Stout. Stout grabbed a kimura as they clinched on the cage but could not get it and the fight returned to the feet. Stout is very active this round and throwing a lot of strikes. Stout continues to land leg kicks and has slowed Stephens down. Stephens landed a couple of good strikes toward the end of the round. Really close round. Stephens might have stolen the round with the strikes he landed late but I scored it for Stout making it 19-19 going into the final frame on my score card.
R3- Stephens lands some strikes early in the round. Stephens grabbed a quick clinch and landed a knee. Stout looked like he landed a kick to the calf of Stephens and Stephens bent over in pain. Stout was able to land some strikes and got on top of Stephens and landed some elbows. Stephens got a take down in the last twenty seconds but Stout popped right back up. Good fight. I've got Stout winning the final round thus taking the fight 29-28 on my score card. I could see this fight going either way.
Judges score card: 30-27, 29-28, 28-29
Winner: Jeremy Stephens by Decision (Split)
Joe Doerkson vs. Tom Lawlor
After the Stephens/Stout fight they cut right into this one with no warning. Lawlor's hair is black and he has a Dan Severn mustache.
R1- Lawlor hit a left and knocked Doerkson down. Lawlor hurting Doerkson with strikes. Both guys swinging away and bloody. Lawler landed a punch that wobbled Doerkson but came in with another wild punch and missed. Crazy round. Doerkson started to go to the wrong corner after the round ended. Lawlor 10-9.
R2- Doerkson is the aggressor early in this round. Lawlor looks like he punched himself out in the first round. Doerkson took Lawlor's back and tapped him out with a Rear Naked Choke. Good comeback win for Doerkson.
Winner: Joe Doerkson by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 2:10
Welterweight Fight- Josh Koscheck (16-4) vs. Paul Daley (23-8-2)
Daley has defeated Martin Kampmann and Dustin Hazelett since entering the UFC. Both fights were stopped in the first round via TKO (strikes). Koscheck is coming off of back to back wins against Frank Trigg and Anthony Johnson. Koscheck comes out to Higher Ground by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Daley has a 3" reach advantage. The winner of this fight will coach against Georges St-Pierre on the next edition of The Ultimate Fighter and will then receive a title shot. They don't touch gloves. Koscheck looks like he has a bigger height advantage then what was listed. From an entertainment stand point I would like to see Koscheck as a TUF coach.
R1- Koscheck got a take down after a minute of feeling each other out. Daley got back to his feet and Koscheck slammed him back down. Koscheck staying on top but not really doing any damage. Koscheck took Daley's back and tried to grab a Rear Naked but Daley got back to his feet and hit an illegal knee to Koscheck. They ended clinched up against the cage. Koscheck took the round 10-9. No point was deducted, so a good piece of referring.
"Let's take a look at it here. Oh, wait a minute. He didn't even hit him. He looked like he toed him in the eye. Uh oh. We might want to show this re-play to Josh Koscheck. Josh Koscheck might want to take a look at that and stand up."- Joe Rogan
"Maybe it was a foot to the eye. Maybe it was a toe. He's saying it barely hit him so let's see what happened. The knee kind of grazed him. No. hmmm. And the Oscar goes to."- Joe Rogan
R2- Koscheck got a take down early in the round. Koscheck not doing much on top but is maintaining position. Koscheck again took Daley's back. Koscheck 20-18.
R3- Daley landed a couple of strikes and then Koscheck clinched him up against the cage. Koscheck got the take down with three and a half minutes left in the round. Looks like Koscheck is going to grind this one out in unspectacular fashion. Well I think it's obvious that if you are learning MMA don't go to Dan Hardy and Paul Daley's camp to learn wrestling and jiu jitsu. Koscheck 30-27 in a boring fight. Smart game plan by Koscheck.
Post-Fight Paul Daley punched Josh Koscheck after the fight. Daley just turned Koscheck into a sympathetic figure. What a disgrace.
"That was the best shot he landed in the whole fight"- Joe Rogan
Judges score cards: 30-27 on all score cards
Winner: Josh Koscheck by Decision (Unanimous)
Koscheck gets on the microphone and heels the crowd about hockey and GSP and then invites them to an after party.
Light Heavyweight Title Fight- Lyoto Machida (c) (16-0) vs. Shogun Rua (18-4)
Goldberg brings up a good stat. Shogun hit Machida more times in their last fight then the last 7 opponents did in Machida's other UFC fights. Machida broke his hand in the last fight and Rogan brings up the point that the hand hasn't been tested. In the 28 re-matches in UFC history the winner has won 13 times, the loser has won 13 times and twice it was a draw.
R1- Shogun the more aggressive fighter out of the gate but got taken down by Machida. Shogun quickly got back to his feet. Shogun pushed forward and landed a strike or two but got taken down again. Shogun again quickly got to his feet but did eat a knee to the body. Machida landed a knee but Shogun hit a strike and quickly mounted Machida and finished the fight. Wow. Fantastic finish by Shogun and it came out of nowhere. Shogun knocked him out on the ground and was already getting up to celebrate before the ref stepped in to call for the finish.
Winner and new Light Heavyweight Champion: Shogun Rua by KO R1 3:35
Welterweight Fight- Marcus Davis vs. Jonathan Goulet
This is from the pre-show. This fight is brought to you by Shogun Rua and his quick finish of Lyoto Machida. This is a fight I want to see so Thank You to Shogun despite him making me wrong on my prediction. Goulet has some crazy stuff going on in his hair.
R1- Goulet landed a quick head kick and then got a take down but Davis bounced right back to his feet. Goulet landed a knee to the body but in doing so he also ate a punch that wobbled him. Goulet went for a take down and Davis grabbed a guillotine and pulled guard. Goulet fought hard and finally popped his head out of the submission. Davis threw a leg and got taken down. Goulet landed a couple strikes. Davis got back to his feet but Goulet took him back down. Goulet probably stole that round despite Davis having a sub attempt and landing the best strike of the round.
R2- Davis hit a good right hand that knocked Goulet to his knees. Davis jumped on top and landed a couple of strikes but Goulet got back to his feet. Goulet is busted open. Davis landed something and Goulet just dropped like a ton of bricks. He landed a right and then a big left hook.
Winner: Marcus Davis by TKO (Strikes) R2 1:23
Showing posts with label Alan Belcher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alan Belcher. Show all posts
Monday, May 10, 2010
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez 12/13/09 Re-Cap
UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez
12/13/09
Fedex Forum
Memphis, Tn
Heavyweight Fight- Paul Buentello (25-10) vs. Stefan Struve (22-3)
Buentello has won 5 of his last 6 fights and this is his return to the UFC. Struve is a 6’11” fighter with an 83” reach. Struve won his last fight via submission against Chase Gormley at UFC 104 and beat Denis Stojnic by submission at UFC 99 in a blood bath.
R1- Struve tried to pull guard early but abandoned that and nailed a big uppercut that Buentello ate and then Struve took him down and got a body triangle on Buentello. Struve tried to get in a Rear Naked Choke but couldn’t get it clamped in. With thirty seconds left in the round Buentello was able to turn over and take top position. Buentello really did nothing this round, it could have been a 10-8 round if Struve could have done some significant damage. Struve 10-9.
R2- Buentello hit a good shot as Struve was coming in and Buentello knocked him to the ground but did not attack and let him stand back up. Struve came in again about half way through the round and got destroyed by a right hand that looked like it might have knocked him out. Near the one minute mark Struve hit a good elbow , then Buentello retaliated then they went toe to toe throwing leather. Just seconds later both guys threw toe to toe again. Struve actually came back and made a round of this but I’ve got it going to Buentello. Really fun round and I’ve got the fight scored 19-19.
R3- The beginning of this round had to be delayed because they had to remove a piece of tooth from Struve’s mouth guard. Ouch. Struve landing more strikes in the first part of the round. Buentello was able to catch Struve leaning and landed a strike that knocked him to the ground in the last minute of the fight. Really close fight. I see a split decision. Struve landed more strikes in the third round but Buentello did get the knock down.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 29-28, 28-28
Winner: Stefan Struve by Decision (Majority)
Lightweight Fight- Kenny Florian (13-4) vs. Clay Guida (25-7)
Guida is coming off of a FOTY Candidate loss to Diego Sanchez and Florian is coming off of a loss to BJ Penn. On paper this looks like it has the ability to steal the show and both guys need a win. Florian has a 3” height and 6” reach advantage. Guida is definitely the fan favorite in this fight.
R1- Kenny partially landed a head kick but it ended with Guida taking top position but Florian was able to get back to his feet quickly. Florian almost got a take down but did land a knee as Guida rose back up. Guida went for a take down but Florian controlled him and opened up a big cut on Guida and then got a slam and landed some strikes against the cage. Florian landed some elbows and the ref stopped the fight so the doctor could look at the cut. Florian won this round in the last minute and is up 10-9 going into round two.
R2- Guida went for a take down early but was stuffed. Florian really started to look comfortable with the stand up this round and he just leveled Guida with a big time right hand that hurt Guida. Florian jumped on top and landed some strikes and then clamped in a Rear Naked Choke and Guida tapped out. Fantastic showing by Florian.
Winner: Kenny Florian by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 2:19
Welterweight Fight- Jon Fitch (23-3) vs. Mike Pierce (9-2)
Fitch has a 4” height and 3” reach advantage in this fight.
R1- Fitch caught a kick early and muscled Pierce to the ground and took his back. At the two minute mark Pierce slipped out and got a take down but Fitch got to his feet pretty quickly. Fitch landed some decent strikes at the end of the round. Fitch 10-9.
R2- Fitch caught a leg kick and took Pierce down but Pierce got to his feet without taking any damage. Fitch got another brief take down. This was a typical Fitch round and he’s up 20-18 going into the final round.
R3- Jon Fitch makes me sleepy. Pierce got in some good shots towards the end of the round and almost stole this right but I’ve got Fitch 29-28 on the score cards.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 on all cards
Winner: Jon Fitch by Decision (Unanimous)
Heavyweight Fight- Frank Mir (12-4) vs. Cheick Kongo (24-5-1)
Mir has been talking all kinds of crap about this fight and about Brock Lesnar. It will be interesting to see if Mir overlooks Kongo in this fight. Goldberg tells us Kongo is the 4th most accurate striker in the UFC. Mir has earned more wins by submission than any other Heavyweight fighter in UFC history. Mir has 25 pounds on Kongo.
R1- No touching of the gloves to start the fight. Mir hit a huge left hand 30 seconds into the fight and Kongo went down hard. Mir jumped on top with a guillotine and Kongo tried to hold on but he went limp and the ref stopped the fight. Amazing performance by Mir.
Winner: Frank Mir by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 1:12
Catchweight Fight- Alan Belcher vs. Wilson Gouveia
This is a pre-show fight. There was a lot of talk before the fight that Belcher was upset that he was not on the main card.
R1- We join the fight about one minute into round one. Belcher is wearing some sweet pink tights and has corn rows. Lots of free swinging by both guys. Belcher hurt Gouveia with an uppercut and then finished him on the ground as the ref stepped in and stopped the fight.
Winner: Alan Belcher by TKO (Strikes) R1
Lightweight Title Fight- BJ Penn © (14-5-1) vs. Diego Sanchez (23-2)
The UFC tells me that BJ lands 61% of his total strikes, lands 57% of his lead jabs (tied for 1st in UFC History with Anderson Silva) and he has never been knocked down. Diego has also never been knocked down, he has 56% ground striking accuracy and in his last four fights he has a 79% take down defense rate.
R1- BJ rocked Diego and knocked him down at the thirty second round of the fight. Diego got back up and ate a knee and BJ jumped all over him with punches. Diego fought and survived the onslaught. BJ hit a couple more strikes at the end of the round and looks to be in total control so far. BJ 10-9.
R2- Diego went for an early take down but could not get BJ off his feet. Diego keeps going for the take down but cannot get it. Diego missed a high kick and ate a couple of shots. BJ 20-18.
R3- Sanchez trying hard for the take down but BJ is not letting him. BJ is winning the striking game. BJ 30-27.
R4- BJ hit a good combo at the one and a half minute mark of the round. Diego continues to go for take downs and BJ continues to avoid them. BJ 40-36.
R5- Diego tried hard for a take down but BJ sprawled and ended up on top and then took the fight back to their feet. BJ hit a good kick and then followed it with some good punches before Diego could latch onto BJ’s leg. BJ sprawled out and then landed some punches and opened a huge cut above Diego’s eye and the fight was stopped due to the cut. The high kick is what opened up the big cut on Diego. Great performance by BJ.
Winner: BJ Penn by TKO (Cut) R5 2:37
Welterweight Fight- Damarques Johnson vs. Edgar Garcia
R!- Both guys throwing strikes early. Garcia gets a take down about a minute and a half into the round. Garcia goes for a choke and Damarques survived and Edgar gave up the hold. Garcia hit some good shots against the cage and Damarques seemed to feed off of it. Edgar landed another right that took Damarques off his feet. Edgar landed some Ground and Pound and Damarques trapped him in a triangle and won the fight. Great submission by Damarques and it earned submission of the night.
Winner: Damarques Johnson by Submission (Triangle Choke) R1 4:03
12/13/09
Fedex Forum
Memphis, Tn
Heavyweight Fight- Paul Buentello (25-10) vs. Stefan Struve (22-3)
Buentello has won 5 of his last 6 fights and this is his return to the UFC. Struve is a 6’11” fighter with an 83” reach. Struve won his last fight via submission against Chase Gormley at UFC 104 and beat Denis Stojnic by submission at UFC 99 in a blood bath.
R1- Struve tried to pull guard early but abandoned that and nailed a big uppercut that Buentello ate and then Struve took him down and got a body triangle on Buentello. Struve tried to get in a Rear Naked Choke but couldn’t get it clamped in. With thirty seconds left in the round Buentello was able to turn over and take top position. Buentello really did nothing this round, it could have been a 10-8 round if Struve could have done some significant damage. Struve 10-9.
R2- Buentello hit a good shot as Struve was coming in and Buentello knocked him to the ground but did not attack and let him stand back up. Struve came in again about half way through the round and got destroyed by a right hand that looked like it might have knocked him out. Near the one minute mark Struve hit a good elbow , then Buentello retaliated then they went toe to toe throwing leather. Just seconds later both guys threw toe to toe again. Struve actually came back and made a round of this but I’ve got it going to Buentello. Really fun round and I’ve got the fight scored 19-19.
R3- The beginning of this round had to be delayed because they had to remove a piece of tooth from Struve’s mouth guard. Ouch. Struve landing more strikes in the first part of the round. Buentello was able to catch Struve leaning and landed a strike that knocked him to the ground in the last minute of the fight. Really close fight. I see a split decision. Struve landed more strikes in the third round but Buentello did get the knock down.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 29-28, 28-28
Winner: Stefan Struve by Decision (Majority)
Lightweight Fight- Kenny Florian (13-4) vs. Clay Guida (25-7)
Guida is coming off of a FOTY Candidate loss to Diego Sanchez and Florian is coming off of a loss to BJ Penn. On paper this looks like it has the ability to steal the show and both guys need a win. Florian has a 3” height and 6” reach advantage. Guida is definitely the fan favorite in this fight.
R1- Kenny partially landed a head kick but it ended with Guida taking top position but Florian was able to get back to his feet quickly. Florian almost got a take down but did land a knee as Guida rose back up. Guida went for a take down but Florian controlled him and opened up a big cut on Guida and then got a slam and landed some strikes against the cage. Florian landed some elbows and the ref stopped the fight so the doctor could look at the cut. Florian won this round in the last minute and is up 10-9 going into round two.
R2- Guida went for a take down early but was stuffed. Florian really started to look comfortable with the stand up this round and he just leveled Guida with a big time right hand that hurt Guida. Florian jumped on top and landed some strikes and then clamped in a Rear Naked Choke and Guida tapped out. Fantastic showing by Florian.
Winner: Kenny Florian by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 2:19
Welterweight Fight- Jon Fitch (23-3) vs. Mike Pierce (9-2)
Fitch has a 4” height and 3” reach advantage in this fight.
R1- Fitch caught a kick early and muscled Pierce to the ground and took his back. At the two minute mark Pierce slipped out and got a take down but Fitch got to his feet pretty quickly. Fitch landed some decent strikes at the end of the round. Fitch 10-9.
R2- Fitch caught a leg kick and took Pierce down but Pierce got to his feet without taking any damage. Fitch got another brief take down. This was a typical Fitch round and he’s up 20-18 going into the final round.
R3- Jon Fitch makes me sleepy. Pierce got in some good shots towards the end of the round and almost stole this right but I’ve got Fitch 29-28 on the score cards.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 on all cards
Winner: Jon Fitch by Decision (Unanimous)
Heavyweight Fight- Frank Mir (12-4) vs. Cheick Kongo (24-5-1)
Mir has been talking all kinds of crap about this fight and about Brock Lesnar. It will be interesting to see if Mir overlooks Kongo in this fight. Goldberg tells us Kongo is the 4th most accurate striker in the UFC. Mir has earned more wins by submission than any other Heavyweight fighter in UFC history. Mir has 25 pounds on Kongo.
R1- No touching of the gloves to start the fight. Mir hit a huge left hand 30 seconds into the fight and Kongo went down hard. Mir jumped on top with a guillotine and Kongo tried to hold on but he went limp and the ref stopped the fight. Amazing performance by Mir.
Winner: Frank Mir by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 1:12
Catchweight Fight- Alan Belcher vs. Wilson Gouveia
This is a pre-show fight. There was a lot of talk before the fight that Belcher was upset that he was not on the main card.
R1- We join the fight about one minute into round one. Belcher is wearing some sweet pink tights and has corn rows. Lots of free swinging by both guys. Belcher hurt Gouveia with an uppercut and then finished him on the ground as the ref stepped in and stopped the fight.
Winner: Alan Belcher by TKO (Strikes) R1
Lightweight Title Fight- BJ Penn © (14-5-1) vs. Diego Sanchez (23-2)
The UFC tells me that BJ lands 61% of his total strikes, lands 57% of his lead jabs (tied for 1st in UFC History with Anderson Silva) and he has never been knocked down. Diego has also never been knocked down, he has 56% ground striking accuracy and in his last four fights he has a 79% take down defense rate.
R1- BJ rocked Diego and knocked him down at the thirty second round of the fight. Diego got back up and ate a knee and BJ jumped all over him with punches. Diego fought and survived the onslaught. BJ hit a couple more strikes at the end of the round and looks to be in total control so far. BJ 10-9.
R2- Diego went for an early take down but could not get BJ off his feet. Diego keeps going for the take down but cannot get it. Diego missed a high kick and ate a couple of shots. BJ 20-18.
R3- Sanchez trying hard for the take down but BJ is not letting him. BJ is winning the striking game. BJ 30-27.
R4- BJ hit a good combo at the one and a half minute mark of the round. Diego continues to go for take downs and BJ continues to avoid them. BJ 40-36.
R5- Diego tried hard for a take down but BJ sprawled and ended up on top and then took the fight back to their feet. BJ hit a good kick and then followed it with some good punches before Diego could latch onto BJ’s leg. BJ sprawled out and then landed some punches and opened a huge cut above Diego’s eye and the fight was stopped due to the cut. The high kick is what opened up the big cut on Diego. Great performance by BJ.
Winner: BJ Penn by TKO (Cut) R5 2:37
Welterweight Fight- Damarques Johnson vs. Edgar Garcia
R!- Both guys throwing strikes early. Garcia gets a take down about a minute and a half into the round. Garcia goes for a choke and Damarques survived and Edgar gave up the hold. Garcia hit some good shots against the cage and Damarques seemed to feed off of it. Edgar landed another right that took Damarques off his feet. Edgar landed some Ground and Pound and Damarques trapped him in a triangle and won the fight. Great submission by Damarques and it earned submission of the night.
Winner: Damarques Johnson by Submission (Triangle Choke) R1 4:03
Monday, July 13, 2009
UFC 100 "Making History" 7/11/09 Re-Cap
UFC 100: Making History
7/11/09
Mandalay Bay Events Center
Las Vegas, Nevada
This event has been hyped up as the biggest UFC event of all time. On top we have 2 Main Event quality fights in Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir and GSP vs. Thiago Alves. We also have Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping in a match-up of the two trainers during the last TUF show. This fight is a borderline Main Event and the winner could be up for a shot at Anderson Silva. In addition to those three bouts we also have the UFC debut of Yoshihiro Akiyama, Stephan Bonnar/Mark Coleman and some interesting under card fights that will hopefully make the show (Jim Miller/Mac Danzig, Jon Jones/Jake O’Brien, Jon Fitch/Paul Thiago).
Middleweight Fight- Yoshihiro Akiyama (12-1) vs. Alan Belcher (13-4)
This is Akiyama’s debut in the UFC. Belcher recently spoiled Denis Kang’s UFC debut. Belcher is a brown belt in bjj and has just recently spent a few weeks with Eddie Bravo. Akiyama is a Judo Black Belt and is riding a 13 fight unbeaten streak. Akiyama has been training with UFC fighter Yushin Okami. Belcher has a 4” height advantage but their reach is even.
R1- Both guys are throwing kicks early. Belcher is the bigger fighter but Akiyama looks to be a lot faster. Belcher nailed Akiyama with a low blow early in the fight. Belcher connected with a punch that knocked Akiyama down but Akiyama jumped right back up. Akiyama’s striking is crisp and he’s landing some good shots. Akiyama caught a Belcher kick and took him down. I’ve got Akiyama taking the first round as he hit more and better strikes. Belcher did knock Akiyama down but it looked like it was more of being caught off balance. Good fight so far. Akiyama hit a strike after the bell and Belcher looked like he was not too happy about it.
R2- Akiyama got an immediate take down of Belcher to start the round. Belcher took some Ground and Pound but nothing too significant and was able to get back to his feet with two minutes left in the round. Both guys are looking a little winded at the end of this round. Akiyama is winning this fight 20-18 after two rounds but this could be anybody’s fight because both guys look like they are going to struggle with their conditioning in the third round.
R3- Both guys stand and throw some punches in the first minute of the round with both guys landing some decent blows. Akiyama is having some trouble with his left eye, I think he got poked by Belcher early in this round. Belcher went for a leg kick and Akiyama caught him and punched him to the mat but Belcher got back to his feet quickly. Akiyama got a take down with thirty seconds left but Belcher got back to his feet again. The stand-up in this round was pretty even but Akiyama got two take down/knock downs. I’ve got Akiyama winning this fight 30-27. The first and third rounds were close with Akiyama clearly winning the second. This was a good, competitive opening fight.
Judges scores: 30-27 Akiyama, 29-28 Belcher and 29-28 Akiyama
Rogan and Goldberg said that they thought Belcher got robbed. Not on my score card.
Winner: Yoshihiro Akiyama by Decision (Split)
Middleweight Fight- Dan Henderson (24-7) vs. Michael Bisping (18-1)
This is a big fight for both of these guys as a potential title shot is on the horizon for the winner. Bisping hasn’t fought since UFC 89 where he won a close but unanimous decision against Chris Leben. Dan Henderson also won a decision in his last fight as he beat former Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin by Split Decision at UFC 93. Bisping comes out to his usual Rock & Jock song. I think somebody told me it was by the band Blur. Woo hoo!
R1- Henderson is stalking Bisping early and Bisping is moving around the cage and trying to stick and move. Hendo hit a good combo against the cage that put Bisping at a back pedal and he followed with another combo but he was able to keep his senses. Hendo clinched him against the cage and landed some knees. Hendo is up 10-9 after the first round.
R2- Hendo got Bisping up against the cage and landed a big right hand but Bisping took it and backed out to the center of the cage. Bisping isn’t doing anything to hurt Hendo but he’s doing a better job keeping him away with jabs in this round. Bisping has been on his heels this entire fight. Hendo loaded up and nailed Bisping with a big right hand and Bisping fell like a ton of bricks. This fight is over. Hendo dove in with a punch to the grounded Bisping but it wasn’t needed, Bisping was gone when he hit the mat. Great showing by Hendo.
Hendo says he feels that he has earned a re-match with Anderson Silva but that he’s up for whatever UFC has for him.
Winner: Dan Henderson by KO R2 3:20
Royce Gracie is in attendance at the show tonight.
UFC 101 is coming up August 8th and will feature BJ Penn defending against Kenny Florian and Anderson Silva taking on Forrest Griffin in a Light Heavyweight Fight.
UFC 102 will take place at the end of August and will feature Big Nog vs. Randy Couture. This card will also have Demian Maia against Nate Marquardt and Keith Jardine against Thiago Silva.
Welterweight Championship Fight: Georges St-Pierre © (18-2) vs.Thiago Alves (22-4)
GSP is at the top of a lot of people’s current P4P rankings. GSP is coming off his UFC 94 domination of BJ Penn. Previous to that GSP beat Jon Fitch by Decision in a fight that he dominated. Thiago Alves is coming off a UFC 90 Unanimous Decision win over Josh Koscheck (Koscheck stepped in for Diego Sanchez taking the fight on short notice). Before that Alves beat up Matt Hughes in a fight where Alves did not make weight. Goldberg says Alves has landed the third most leg kicks in UFC history. GSP is a Kyokushin Karate Black Belt and is considered to have among the best take down in MMA right now. GSP gets a good reaction from the crowd. Thiago is pacing in the ring like a mad man before the fight. GSP has a huge 6” reach advantage. This is the Co-Main Event.
R1- Crowd starts a big “GSP” chant as the fight starts. GSP got a quick take down in the first minute of the fight. Alves got back to his feet without any damage but GSP pulled him back down and transitioned to his back. Thiago rolled him over and then they got back to their feet. GSP is really getting better of the stand up so far in the fight. Alves came forwards with some strikes but GSP took him down. Alves got back to his feet as the round ended. GSP 10-9 after round one.
Jason Statham is at the show enjoying some frosty beverages.
R2- GSP got another take down about a minute into the round. GSP briefly got to mount but Alves was able to get out. Alves is bleeding from his nose. GSP is landing some good shots on Alves. Alves got back to his feet with thirty seconds left in the round. That was a borderline 10-8 round in favor of GSP but I’ll say 10-9 so it’s GSP up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- They had some even stand up early in the round but GSP got a take down with around two minutes gone from the round. Alves got back to his feet with two minutes left in the round. GSP landed a good right hand and floored Alves. GSP jumped on top with some aggressive Ground and Pound but Alves was able to hand on. GSP is up 30-27 after three rounds.
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida is at ringside for the fight and he gets a good response from the crowd.
R4- GSP got a quick take down within the first 30 seconds of the round. GSP passes guard and mounts. GSP tried to take GSP’s back but Alves slipped out and took GSP’s guard. Alves got some good Ground and Pound in on GSP but GSP got back to his feet with 1:45 left in the round. GSP got another take down as he timed an Alves leg kick. Alves gave up his back trying to get to his feet. This was the closest round to date but GSP took it and is up 40-36. GSP tells Greg Jackson in the corner that he pulled his groin.
R5- GSP got a take down at the one minute mark of the round but Alves battled back to his feet rather quickly. GSP got another take down at the half way point of the round. Alves got back to his feet with two minutes remaining in the fight but GSP got him down yet again. GSP takes the 5th and final round and I’ve got him winning this easily 50-45. Great showing by GSP. Alves showed good conditioning and showed some heart but just like Jon Fitch he was no match for GSP.
I’m not sure what’s next for GSP but I would like to see Alves fight Jon Fitch.
Judges score cards: 50-45, 50-44, and 50-45.
Winner and still champion: Georges St-Pierre by Decision (Unanimous)
Post-Fight GSP says he hurt his groin in the 3rd round. He is indecisive about moving up to 185 to take on Anderson Silva.
UFC Heavyweight Title Fight: Brock Lesnar © (3-1) vs. Frank Mir (12-3)
This is the re-match of the last fight where Brock was dominating but got caught by a Mir submission. Since that fight Brock has gone on to defeat Randy Couture for the UFC Heavyweight Championship and Frank Mir has gone on to defeat Big Nog for the UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship (which was created when Randy Couture was holding out). UFC tells me that Brock has outstruck his opponents 87-18 in his first 3 UFC fights. Brock has an 86% accuracy rate of ground power strikes and he has 75% take down accuracy. Frank Mir has 6 submission wins, which is the most by a UFC Heavyweight. Of Mir’s 15 career fights only 1 has gone past the second round and his fights have an average length of only 3:52. This fight has had a good traditional Pro Wrestling type build from the guys comments about each other. The UFC Countdown was well put together. Brock comes out to “Enter Sandman” by Metallica. Brock has a 20 lb and 2” reach advantage. They do not touch gloves when Herb Dean has them together at the center of the ring for pre-fight instruction.
R1- Brock got a quick take down. Brock took a while to get into position but eventually he started landing some good shots to Mir’s face. Not a very exciting round but Brock fought a smart round and got in some good punches that bloodied up Frank’s face. Brock up 10-9 after one round. Almost a 10-8 round just due to the fact that Mir got in virtually no offense.
R2- Mir went for a knee and Brock dumped in on the ground but didn’t follow. Mir landed a couple of strikes against the cage and Mir hit a jumping knee into Brock (similar to the Yves Edwards/Edson Berto knee) but Brock followed through with a take down. Brock lands some big shots to the face of Mir and Herb Dean steps in to stop the fight as Mir is down in the corner. Mir wobbles to his feet and he and Brock have some words in the middle of the cage.
Winner and still champion: Brock Lesnar by TKO (Strikes) R2 1:48
Post-Fight Brock says that Sable is going to get lucky tonight. Mir says Brock did a good job in the fight and that Mir made a mistake by getting caught against cage with such a big guy against him.
UFC Welterweight Fight- Jon Fitch (22-3) vs. Paulo Thiago (11-0)
Thiago burst on the scene in his UFC debut with an upset over Josh Koscheck. Thiago is an undefeated jiu jitsu black belt who also has amateur boxing experience. Fitch is pretty much the gatekeeper of the Welterweight division. He’s better than everybody else but not as good as GSP. Fitch is one of the least exciting fighters in UFC right now in my opinion.
R1- Fitch got a take down within a minute but Thiago grabbed a guillotine in the full guard position. Fitch finally got out of the move with two minutes left in the round. Fitch controlled the last two minutes but really didn’t do much damage. Basically an even first round.
R2- Fitch got another take down in the opening stages of the fight. Man, Fitch is a boring fighter. Thiago got up but Fitch slammed him back down and sat on him some more. Fitch took his back with about a minute left in the round. Fitch easily took this round.
R3- Fitch again gets Thiago down to the ground early and basically just rides Thiago for the rest of the round. Fitch takes this either 30-27 or 29-28 but he is clearly the winner.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 in favor of Fitch.
Winner: Jon Fitch by Decision (Unanimous)
TapouT Submission of the Night went to Tom Lawlor would choked out CB Dollaway with a guillotine in the under card.
The Turning Point of the Night was when Dan Henderson knocked out Michael Bisping. It wasn’t as much a “turning point” as it was lights out.
I enjoyed this show as it had a Great KO in the Hendo/Bisping fight, a dominant performance by the Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, a great showing by one of the best P4P fighters in the world GSP and a good opener in Akiyama/Belcher.
7/11/09
Mandalay Bay Events Center
Las Vegas, Nevada
This event has been hyped up as the biggest UFC event of all time. On top we have 2 Main Event quality fights in Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir and GSP vs. Thiago Alves. We also have Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping in a match-up of the two trainers during the last TUF show. This fight is a borderline Main Event and the winner could be up for a shot at Anderson Silva. In addition to those three bouts we also have the UFC debut of Yoshihiro Akiyama, Stephan Bonnar/Mark Coleman and some interesting under card fights that will hopefully make the show (Jim Miller/Mac Danzig, Jon Jones/Jake O’Brien, Jon Fitch/Paul Thiago).
Middleweight Fight- Yoshihiro Akiyama (12-1) vs. Alan Belcher (13-4)
This is Akiyama’s debut in the UFC. Belcher recently spoiled Denis Kang’s UFC debut. Belcher is a brown belt in bjj and has just recently spent a few weeks with Eddie Bravo. Akiyama is a Judo Black Belt and is riding a 13 fight unbeaten streak. Akiyama has been training with UFC fighter Yushin Okami. Belcher has a 4” height advantage but their reach is even.
R1- Both guys are throwing kicks early. Belcher is the bigger fighter but Akiyama looks to be a lot faster. Belcher nailed Akiyama with a low blow early in the fight. Belcher connected with a punch that knocked Akiyama down but Akiyama jumped right back up. Akiyama’s striking is crisp and he’s landing some good shots. Akiyama caught a Belcher kick and took him down. I’ve got Akiyama taking the first round as he hit more and better strikes. Belcher did knock Akiyama down but it looked like it was more of being caught off balance. Good fight so far. Akiyama hit a strike after the bell and Belcher looked like he was not too happy about it.
R2- Akiyama got an immediate take down of Belcher to start the round. Belcher took some Ground and Pound but nothing too significant and was able to get back to his feet with two minutes left in the round. Both guys are looking a little winded at the end of this round. Akiyama is winning this fight 20-18 after two rounds but this could be anybody’s fight because both guys look like they are going to struggle with their conditioning in the third round.
R3- Both guys stand and throw some punches in the first minute of the round with both guys landing some decent blows. Akiyama is having some trouble with his left eye, I think he got poked by Belcher early in this round. Belcher went for a leg kick and Akiyama caught him and punched him to the mat but Belcher got back to his feet quickly. Akiyama got a take down with thirty seconds left but Belcher got back to his feet again. The stand-up in this round was pretty even but Akiyama got two take down/knock downs. I’ve got Akiyama winning this fight 30-27. The first and third rounds were close with Akiyama clearly winning the second. This was a good, competitive opening fight.
Judges scores: 30-27 Akiyama, 29-28 Belcher and 29-28 Akiyama
Rogan and Goldberg said that they thought Belcher got robbed. Not on my score card.
Winner: Yoshihiro Akiyama by Decision (Split)
Middleweight Fight- Dan Henderson (24-7) vs. Michael Bisping (18-1)
This is a big fight for both of these guys as a potential title shot is on the horizon for the winner. Bisping hasn’t fought since UFC 89 where he won a close but unanimous decision against Chris Leben. Dan Henderson also won a decision in his last fight as he beat former Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin by Split Decision at UFC 93. Bisping comes out to his usual Rock & Jock song. I think somebody told me it was by the band Blur. Woo hoo!
R1- Henderson is stalking Bisping early and Bisping is moving around the cage and trying to stick and move. Hendo hit a good combo against the cage that put Bisping at a back pedal and he followed with another combo but he was able to keep his senses. Hendo clinched him against the cage and landed some knees. Hendo is up 10-9 after the first round.
R2- Hendo got Bisping up against the cage and landed a big right hand but Bisping took it and backed out to the center of the cage. Bisping isn’t doing anything to hurt Hendo but he’s doing a better job keeping him away with jabs in this round. Bisping has been on his heels this entire fight. Hendo loaded up and nailed Bisping with a big right hand and Bisping fell like a ton of bricks. This fight is over. Hendo dove in with a punch to the grounded Bisping but it wasn’t needed, Bisping was gone when he hit the mat. Great showing by Hendo.
Hendo says he feels that he has earned a re-match with Anderson Silva but that he’s up for whatever UFC has for him.
Winner: Dan Henderson by KO R2 3:20
Royce Gracie is in attendance at the show tonight.
UFC 101 is coming up August 8th and will feature BJ Penn defending against Kenny Florian and Anderson Silva taking on Forrest Griffin in a Light Heavyweight Fight.
UFC 102 will take place at the end of August and will feature Big Nog vs. Randy Couture. This card will also have Demian Maia against Nate Marquardt and Keith Jardine against Thiago Silva.
Welterweight Championship Fight: Georges St-Pierre © (18-2) vs.Thiago Alves (22-4)
GSP is at the top of a lot of people’s current P4P rankings. GSP is coming off his UFC 94 domination of BJ Penn. Previous to that GSP beat Jon Fitch by Decision in a fight that he dominated. Thiago Alves is coming off a UFC 90 Unanimous Decision win over Josh Koscheck (Koscheck stepped in for Diego Sanchez taking the fight on short notice). Before that Alves beat up Matt Hughes in a fight where Alves did not make weight. Goldberg says Alves has landed the third most leg kicks in UFC history. GSP is a Kyokushin Karate Black Belt and is considered to have among the best take down in MMA right now. GSP gets a good reaction from the crowd. Thiago is pacing in the ring like a mad man before the fight. GSP has a huge 6” reach advantage. This is the Co-Main Event.
R1- Crowd starts a big “GSP” chant as the fight starts. GSP got a quick take down in the first minute of the fight. Alves got back to his feet without any damage but GSP pulled him back down and transitioned to his back. Thiago rolled him over and then they got back to their feet. GSP is really getting better of the stand up so far in the fight. Alves came forwards with some strikes but GSP took him down. Alves got back to his feet as the round ended. GSP 10-9 after round one.
Jason Statham is at the show enjoying some frosty beverages.
R2- GSP got another take down about a minute into the round. GSP briefly got to mount but Alves was able to get out. Alves is bleeding from his nose. GSP is landing some good shots on Alves. Alves got back to his feet with thirty seconds left in the round. That was a borderline 10-8 round in favor of GSP but I’ll say 10-9 so it’s GSP up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- They had some even stand up early in the round but GSP got a take down with around two minutes gone from the round. Alves got back to his feet with two minutes left in the round. GSP landed a good right hand and floored Alves. GSP jumped on top with some aggressive Ground and Pound but Alves was able to hand on. GSP is up 30-27 after three rounds.
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida is at ringside for the fight and he gets a good response from the crowd.
R4- GSP got a quick take down within the first 30 seconds of the round. GSP passes guard and mounts. GSP tried to take GSP’s back but Alves slipped out and took GSP’s guard. Alves got some good Ground and Pound in on GSP but GSP got back to his feet with 1:45 left in the round. GSP got another take down as he timed an Alves leg kick. Alves gave up his back trying to get to his feet. This was the closest round to date but GSP took it and is up 40-36. GSP tells Greg Jackson in the corner that he pulled his groin.
R5- GSP got a take down at the one minute mark of the round but Alves battled back to his feet rather quickly. GSP got another take down at the half way point of the round. Alves got back to his feet with two minutes remaining in the fight but GSP got him down yet again. GSP takes the 5th and final round and I’ve got him winning this easily 50-45. Great showing by GSP. Alves showed good conditioning and showed some heart but just like Jon Fitch he was no match for GSP.
I’m not sure what’s next for GSP but I would like to see Alves fight Jon Fitch.
Judges score cards: 50-45, 50-44, and 50-45.
Winner and still champion: Georges St-Pierre by Decision (Unanimous)
Post-Fight GSP says he hurt his groin in the 3rd round. He is indecisive about moving up to 185 to take on Anderson Silva.
UFC Heavyweight Title Fight: Brock Lesnar © (3-1) vs. Frank Mir (12-3)
This is the re-match of the last fight where Brock was dominating but got caught by a Mir submission. Since that fight Brock has gone on to defeat Randy Couture for the UFC Heavyweight Championship and Frank Mir has gone on to defeat Big Nog for the UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship (which was created when Randy Couture was holding out). UFC tells me that Brock has outstruck his opponents 87-18 in his first 3 UFC fights. Brock has an 86% accuracy rate of ground power strikes and he has 75% take down accuracy. Frank Mir has 6 submission wins, which is the most by a UFC Heavyweight. Of Mir’s 15 career fights only 1 has gone past the second round and his fights have an average length of only 3:52. This fight has had a good traditional Pro Wrestling type build from the guys comments about each other. The UFC Countdown was well put together. Brock comes out to “Enter Sandman” by Metallica. Brock has a 20 lb and 2” reach advantage. They do not touch gloves when Herb Dean has them together at the center of the ring for pre-fight instruction.
R1- Brock got a quick take down. Brock took a while to get into position but eventually he started landing some good shots to Mir’s face. Not a very exciting round but Brock fought a smart round and got in some good punches that bloodied up Frank’s face. Brock up 10-9 after one round. Almost a 10-8 round just due to the fact that Mir got in virtually no offense.
R2- Mir went for a knee and Brock dumped in on the ground but didn’t follow. Mir landed a couple of strikes against the cage and Mir hit a jumping knee into Brock (similar to the Yves Edwards/Edson Berto knee) but Brock followed through with a take down. Brock lands some big shots to the face of Mir and Herb Dean steps in to stop the fight as Mir is down in the corner. Mir wobbles to his feet and he and Brock have some words in the middle of the cage.
Winner and still champion: Brock Lesnar by TKO (Strikes) R2 1:48
Post-Fight Brock says that Sable is going to get lucky tonight. Mir says Brock did a good job in the fight and that Mir made a mistake by getting caught against cage with such a big guy against him.
UFC Welterweight Fight- Jon Fitch (22-3) vs. Paulo Thiago (11-0)
Thiago burst on the scene in his UFC debut with an upset over Josh Koscheck. Thiago is an undefeated jiu jitsu black belt who also has amateur boxing experience. Fitch is pretty much the gatekeeper of the Welterweight division. He’s better than everybody else but not as good as GSP. Fitch is one of the least exciting fighters in UFC right now in my opinion.
R1- Fitch got a take down within a minute but Thiago grabbed a guillotine in the full guard position. Fitch finally got out of the move with two minutes left in the round. Fitch controlled the last two minutes but really didn’t do much damage. Basically an even first round.
R2- Fitch got another take down in the opening stages of the fight. Man, Fitch is a boring fighter. Thiago got up but Fitch slammed him back down and sat on him some more. Fitch took his back with about a minute left in the round. Fitch easily took this round.
R3- Fitch again gets Thiago down to the ground early and basically just rides Thiago for the rest of the round. Fitch takes this either 30-27 or 29-28 but he is clearly the winner.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 in favor of Fitch.
Winner: Jon Fitch by Decision (Unanimous)
TapouT Submission of the Night went to Tom Lawlor would choked out CB Dollaway with a guillotine in the under card.
The Turning Point of the Night was when Dan Henderson knocked out Michael Bisping. It wasn’t as much a “turning point” as it was lights out.
I enjoyed this show as it had a Great KO in the Hendo/Bisping fight, a dominant performance by the Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, a great showing by one of the best P4P fighters in the world GSP and a good opener in Akiyama/Belcher.
Monday, January 19, 2009
UFC 93 "Franklin vs Henderson" 1/17/09 Re-Cap
UFC 93: "Franklin vs Henderson"
Welterweight Fight- Marcus Davis (20-5) vs. Chris Lytle (36-16-4)
Looks like we are starting out with the fight on paper that should be FOTN. Davis beat Paul Kelly by submission in his last fight in October at UFC 89 and at the same show Chris Lytle scored a unanimous decision over Paul Taylor. Both guys have professional boxing experience. Lytle is a Jiu Jitsu Black Belt. Marcus Davis comes out the House of Pain's "Jump Around." Both guys have won the majority of their fights by submission. Davis has a 2" reach advantage. Davis is the overwhelming fan favorite in this fight since he is the "Irish Hand Grenade."
"Ole" chant goes out from the crowd as the fight starts.
R1- Lytle attacks early and briefly knocks Davis back against the cage. Lytle is the aggressor but Davis is hitting some counter punches. Davis caught a kick with two minutes left in the fight and threw Lytle to the ground but didn't follow him down. Lytle went down again, on a possible slip or push, and Davis went down and tried some Ground and Pound but Lytle got back up and then ate a knee. Davis has a cut under his left eye. Good first round and really close to score. Lytle was the aggressor but got knocked off his feet twice. Very close fight so far.
R2- Lytle backed Davis up against the cage and threw bombs to open up the fight but Davis survived. Davis caught him with a body shot that knocked Lytle down. Davis hits a body kick and then some knees. This was a close round. Davis seemed like he hit more shots, Lytle seemed like he hit heavy shots. I think we've got a 19-19 fight here but I could honestly see it legitimately being scored 20-18 right now in favor of either fighter. It's a really close fight so far. Davis has a couple of minor cuts.
R3- Lytle throwing and missing with some wild shots this round. He's still pushing forward but looks like he's slowing. With about a minute and a half left they both throw punches against the cage. Lytle got knocked to his knees at the end of the round. Really good fight. I've got Davis 29-28 but I would be surprised if this wasn't a split decision.
The judges score the fight: Davis 29-28, Lytle 29-28 and Davis 29-28
Winner: Marcus Davis by Decision (Split)
Middleweight Fight- Alan Belcher (12-4) vs. Denis Kang (31-10-1)
This is Kang's UFC debut. Belcher is coming off of a questionable split decision victory over Ed Herman in September and has won 3 of his last 4 fights. The last time I saw Denis Kang he was getting submitted by Gegard Mousasi in the first round of the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix tournament. Kang is a Jiu Jitsu Black Belt. Belcher is a Jiu Jitsu Purple Belt.
R1- Kang got an early take down and controlled the action early. Kang got his second take down of the round with two minutes left. Knag went for a kimura but couldn't get it locked in. Really strong round for Kang as he dominated but didn't inflict too much damage on Belcher. 10-9 Kang after one round.
R2- Kang got a take down one and a half minutes into the round. Belcher pulled guard near the end of the round and caught Kang in a guillotine and tapped him. It looked like Kang had run out of gas prior to getting caught. Kang was controlling this fight but not dominating. Very disappointing debut by Kang but I think you could see it coming after he got subbed by Mousasi in very short order last April.
Winner: Alan Belcher by Submission (Guillotine) R2 4:36
Post-fight interview Belcher says he thinks he needs one or two more fights before calling out Anderson Silva. No shit sherlock.
Michael Bisping is shown in the crowd and they hype up the fact that he will be one of the coaches on the next installment of TUF.
Middleweight Fight- Jeremy Horn (88-18-5) vs. Rousimar Palhares (17-2)
Palhares is coming off of a decision loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 88 in a close fight that I scored in favor of Henderson 29-28. Palhares is an aggressive submission fighter and a jiu jitsu black belt. Horn has a 3" reach and 6" height advantage. Horn has over 50 submissions in his MMA career and has fought in over 100 career MMA fights.
R1- Horn pulled guard early but Palhares quickly took his back but Horn survived and was able to roll over. Palhares missed with a leg lock and Horn missed with a triangle. Palhares really controlled and almost dominating first round. This was a borderline 10-8 round in favor of Palhares.
R2- Palhares got a big slam and take down about 15 seconds into round two. Palhares has been warned a couple of times about grabbing onto the cage. Horn survived and got a single leg and then mounted Palhares and got him in an arm triangle but couldn't clamp it in right. Horn hit some stand up but then Palhaes got a take down. Very close first round with Palhares controlling the beginning and end and Horn controlling the middle. I've got Palhares 20-17 so far but I could see it as close as 19-19 depending on what the judges favor when they score.
R3- Huge suplex by Palhares to start off the round. Palhares just controls this round as Palhares was winded but Horn couldn't do anything. Palhares is going to take this by unanimous decision.
Judges say: 30-27 for all three judges.
Winner: Rousimar Palhares by Decision (Unanimous)
Welterweight Fight- Tom Egan vs. John Hathaway
This is a pre-show fight. Egan got a huge response from the crowd. This is the UFC debut of both guys. Hathaway has more experience.
R1- Hathaway dominated on the ground early. The crowd was really behind Egan. Hathaway finished Egan in the final minute of the round due to ref stoppage. Hathaway looked really good. Egan got in virtually no offense.
Winner: John Hathaway by TKO (strikes) R1 4:36
Light Heavyweight Fight- Mark Coleman (15-8) vs. Shogun Rua (16-3)
This is a re-match from their much talked about Pride fight where Rua broke his arm and then their was a post-fight melee in the ring. Coleman comes out to AC/DCs "Back in Black." This is the "Co-Main Event."
R1- Coleman rushes in early and eats a Shogun knee but got the take down. Rua going for a knee bar but Coleman escaped. Rua with a knee but Coleman took him down. Basically this fight is Coleman trying to Ground and Pound and Shogun trying to go for subs. Shogun is starting to come on at the end of the round with some good leg kicks. Coleman looking tired towards the end of the round. Shogun hit a good knee and Coleman dove at his leg. Big left hand from Rua and Coleman crumbles to the floor but grabs onto Rua's leg. Rua 10-9 in this round as Coleman just ran out of gas.
Phil Baroni is in Coleman's corner and telling Coleman that he's hurt Rua badly and that Rua is looking for a way out as Coleman has trouble finding his corner.
R2- Coleman got a take down after he ate a couple of strikes. Rua hitting more strikes and Coleman is having a difficult time keeping his hands up. Coleman got a take down with about 2 minutes left but couldn't hold him down. Rua peppered Coleman with some shots and Coleman got another take down. Rua got a shoulder lock. Both guys look tired. Coleman survives to fight another round if he can make it back to his corner. Rua is up 20-18 but not looking particularly good so far.
R3- Coleman got a take down and is laying on top of Rua. Rua is going after Coleman's leg and Coleman is continually grabbing the cage to help against the move. Coleman back on top and is on Rua's back and is taking some shots. Rua escaped and hit a knee to Coleman where Coleman's knees were on the ground. The ref separated them but on replay it was to the body which was a legal shot. Both guys are just gassed. Rua hitting Coleman with some shots and knocks him down and the ref stops the fight.
That was hard to watch. Both guys clearly didn't have the stamina needed to be ready for this fight. After Rua's interview with Rogan, Rua and Coleman shake hands and embrace a couple of times to squash their feud.
Winner: Shogun Rua by TKO (Strikes) R3 4:36
Light Heavyweight Fight- Rich Franklin (26-3-1) vs. Dan Henderson (23-7)
Henderson defeated Rousimar Palhares by decision at UFC 88 and Franklin's last fight was a win at the same show when he finished Matt Hamill. Henderson is a two-time Olympic wrestler and the only fighter to hold two belts at the same time in Pride. Both of these guys have recent losses to Anderson Silva so they are basically the #2 and #3 fighters in the Middleweight Division but are fighting at Light Heavyweight as Silva has basically forced them to move up. The winner is going to coach opposite of Michael Bisping in the next TUF installment.
R1- Henderson got a couple of good strikes in early, slipped but then got on top of Franklin. Franklin took some punishment but made it back to his feet about half way through the round. They exchanged on their feet as both guys got in shots. Henderson hit Franklin with an accidental headbutt that opened up a cut on his forehead. Henderson up 10-9 after Round One.
R2- Pretty even round but Henderson got a take down at the two minute mark and controlled for the rest of the fight. Henderson is up 20-18 so far so Franklin needs to finish if he wants to get a win.
R3- They mix it up at the beginning of the round with Franklin avoiding a take down but he couldn't avoid a second. Franklin started to land some good shots toward the end of the fight but then Henderson hit him with an eye poke and they had to take a break in the action. Not much action after the eye poke. Henderson takes this 29-28 in a rather boring fight for a Main Event.
Judges scores are: 29-28 Henderson, 30-27 Franklin and 29-28 Henderson. What's up with the 30-27 Franklin? Not a dominant win for Henderson but based on MMA scoring criteria he won the fight.
Winner: Dan Henderson by Decision (Split)
Not a great show from UFC but about what I was expecting. Davis/Lytle was Fight of the Night. BJ Penn vs Georges St Pierre is just two weeks away!
Welterweight Fight- Marcus Davis (20-5) vs. Chris Lytle (36-16-4)
Looks like we are starting out with the fight on paper that should be FOTN. Davis beat Paul Kelly by submission in his last fight in October at UFC 89 and at the same show Chris Lytle scored a unanimous decision over Paul Taylor. Both guys have professional boxing experience. Lytle is a Jiu Jitsu Black Belt. Marcus Davis comes out the House of Pain's "Jump Around." Both guys have won the majority of their fights by submission. Davis has a 2" reach advantage. Davis is the overwhelming fan favorite in this fight since he is the "Irish Hand Grenade."
"Ole" chant goes out from the crowd as the fight starts.
R1- Lytle attacks early and briefly knocks Davis back against the cage. Lytle is the aggressor but Davis is hitting some counter punches. Davis caught a kick with two minutes left in the fight and threw Lytle to the ground but didn't follow him down. Lytle went down again, on a possible slip or push, and Davis went down and tried some Ground and Pound but Lytle got back up and then ate a knee. Davis has a cut under his left eye. Good first round and really close to score. Lytle was the aggressor but got knocked off his feet twice. Very close fight so far.
R2- Lytle backed Davis up against the cage and threw bombs to open up the fight but Davis survived. Davis caught him with a body shot that knocked Lytle down. Davis hits a body kick and then some knees. This was a close round. Davis seemed like he hit more shots, Lytle seemed like he hit heavy shots. I think we've got a 19-19 fight here but I could honestly see it legitimately being scored 20-18 right now in favor of either fighter. It's a really close fight so far. Davis has a couple of minor cuts.
R3- Lytle throwing and missing with some wild shots this round. He's still pushing forward but looks like he's slowing. With about a minute and a half left they both throw punches against the cage. Lytle got knocked to his knees at the end of the round. Really good fight. I've got Davis 29-28 but I would be surprised if this wasn't a split decision.
The judges score the fight: Davis 29-28, Lytle 29-28 and Davis 29-28
Winner: Marcus Davis by Decision (Split)
Middleweight Fight- Alan Belcher (12-4) vs. Denis Kang (31-10-1)
This is Kang's UFC debut. Belcher is coming off of a questionable split decision victory over Ed Herman in September and has won 3 of his last 4 fights. The last time I saw Denis Kang he was getting submitted by Gegard Mousasi in the first round of the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix tournament. Kang is a Jiu Jitsu Black Belt. Belcher is a Jiu Jitsu Purple Belt.
R1- Kang got an early take down and controlled the action early. Kang got his second take down of the round with two minutes left. Knag went for a kimura but couldn't get it locked in. Really strong round for Kang as he dominated but didn't inflict too much damage on Belcher. 10-9 Kang after one round.
R2- Kang got a take down one and a half minutes into the round. Belcher pulled guard near the end of the round and caught Kang in a guillotine and tapped him. It looked like Kang had run out of gas prior to getting caught. Kang was controlling this fight but not dominating. Very disappointing debut by Kang but I think you could see it coming after he got subbed by Mousasi in very short order last April.
Winner: Alan Belcher by Submission (Guillotine) R2 4:36
Post-fight interview Belcher says he thinks he needs one or two more fights before calling out Anderson Silva. No shit sherlock.
Michael Bisping is shown in the crowd and they hype up the fact that he will be one of the coaches on the next installment of TUF.
Middleweight Fight- Jeremy Horn (88-18-5) vs. Rousimar Palhares (17-2)
Palhares is coming off of a decision loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 88 in a close fight that I scored in favor of Henderson 29-28. Palhares is an aggressive submission fighter and a jiu jitsu black belt. Horn has a 3" reach and 6" height advantage. Horn has over 50 submissions in his MMA career and has fought in over 100 career MMA fights.
R1- Horn pulled guard early but Palhares quickly took his back but Horn survived and was able to roll over. Palhares missed with a leg lock and Horn missed with a triangle. Palhares really controlled and almost dominating first round. This was a borderline 10-8 round in favor of Palhares.
R2- Palhares got a big slam and take down about 15 seconds into round two. Palhares has been warned a couple of times about grabbing onto the cage. Horn survived and got a single leg and then mounted Palhares and got him in an arm triangle but couldn't clamp it in right. Horn hit some stand up but then Palhaes got a take down. Very close first round with Palhares controlling the beginning and end and Horn controlling the middle. I've got Palhares 20-17 so far but I could see it as close as 19-19 depending on what the judges favor when they score.
R3- Huge suplex by Palhares to start off the round. Palhares just controls this round as Palhares was winded but Horn couldn't do anything. Palhares is going to take this by unanimous decision.
Judges say: 30-27 for all three judges.
Winner: Rousimar Palhares by Decision (Unanimous)
Welterweight Fight- Tom Egan vs. John Hathaway
This is a pre-show fight. Egan got a huge response from the crowd. This is the UFC debut of both guys. Hathaway has more experience.
R1- Hathaway dominated on the ground early. The crowd was really behind Egan. Hathaway finished Egan in the final minute of the round due to ref stoppage. Hathaway looked really good. Egan got in virtually no offense.
Winner: John Hathaway by TKO (strikes) R1 4:36
Light Heavyweight Fight- Mark Coleman (15-8) vs. Shogun Rua (16-3)
This is a re-match from their much talked about Pride fight where Rua broke his arm and then their was a post-fight melee in the ring. Coleman comes out to AC/DCs "Back in Black." This is the "Co-Main Event."
R1- Coleman rushes in early and eats a Shogun knee but got the take down. Rua going for a knee bar but Coleman escaped. Rua with a knee but Coleman took him down. Basically this fight is Coleman trying to Ground and Pound and Shogun trying to go for subs. Shogun is starting to come on at the end of the round with some good leg kicks. Coleman looking tired towards the end of the round. Shogun hit a good knee and Coleman dove at his leg. Big left hand from Rua and Coleman crumbles to the floor but grabs onto Rua's leg. Rua 10-9 in this round as Coleman just ran out of gas.
Phil Baroni is in Coleman's corner and telling Coleman that he's hurt Rua badly and that Rua is looking for a way out as Coleman has trouble finding his corner.
R2- Coleman got a take down after he ate a couple of strikes. Rua hitting more strikes and Coleman is having a difficult time keeping his hands up. Coleman got a take down with about 2 minutes left but couldn't hold him down. Rua peppered Coleman with some shots and Coleman got another take down. Rua got a shoulder lock. Both guys look tired. Coleman survives to fight another round if he can make it back to his corner. Rua is up 20-18 but not looking particularly good so far.
R3- Coleman got a take down and is laying on top of Rua. Rua is going after Coleman's leg and Coleman is continually grabbing the cage to help against the move. Coleman back on top and is on Rua's back and is taking some shots. Rua escaped and hit a knee to Coleman where Coleman's knees were on the ground. The ref separated them but on replay it was to the body which was a legal shot. Both guys are just gassed. Rua hitting Coleman with some shots and knocks him down and the ref stops the fight.
That was hard to watch. Both guys clearly didn't have the stamina needed to be ready for this fight. After Rua's interview with Rogan, Rua and Coleman shake hands and embrace a couple of times to squash their feud.
Winner: Shogun Rua by TKO (Strikes) R3 4:36
Light Heavyweight Fight- Rich Franklin (26-3-1) vs. Dan Henderson (23-7)
Henderson defeated Rousimar Palhares by decision at UFC 88 and Franklin's last fight was a win at the same show when he finished Matt Hamill. Henderson is a two-time Olympic wrestler and the only fighter to hold two belts at the same time in Pride. Both of these guys have recent losses to Anderson Silva so they are basically the #2 and #3 fighters in the Middleweight Division but are fighting at Light Heavyweight as Silva has basically forced them to move up. The winner is going to coach opposite of Michael Bisping in the next TUF installment.
R1- Henderson got a couple of good strikes in early, slipped but then got on top of Franklin. Franklin took some punishment but made it back to his feet about half way through the round. They exchanged on their feet as both guys got in shots. Henderson hit Franklin with an accidental headbutt that opened up a cut on his forehead. Henderson up 10-9 after Round One.
R2- Pretty even round but Henderson got a take down at the two minute mark and controlled for the rest of the fight. Henderson is up 20-18 so far so Franklin needs to finish if he wants to get a win.
R3- They mix it up at the beginning of the round with Franklin avoiding a take down but he couldn't avoid a second. Franklin started to land some good shots toward the end of the fight but then Henderson hit him with an eye poke and they had to take a break in the action. Not much action after the eye poke. Henderson takes this 29-28 in a rather boring fight for a Main Event.
Judges scores are: 29-28 Henderson, 30-27 Franklin and 29-28 Henderson. What's up with the 30-27 Franklin? Not a dominant win for Henderson but based on MMA scoring criteria he won the fight.
Winner: Dan Henderson by Decision (Split)
Not a great show from UFC but about what I was expecting. Davis/Lytle was Fight of the Night. BJ Penn vs Georges St Pierre is just two weeks away!
Monday, September 22, 2008
UFC Fight Night 15 9/17/08 Re-Cap
UFC Fight Night 9/17/08
Light Heavyweight Fight- Houston Alexander (8-3) vs. Eric Schafer (11-3-2)
Schafer has a 3 inch height and 4 inch reach advantage. Alexander is the hometown fighter in this one and he gets a huge reaction. Alexander usually has short fights so this one could be quick.
R1- Alexander gets a clinch early and hits Schafer with a knee and then really rocks him with another. Alexander is trying to finish and Schafer is trying to survive and gets Alexander into his guard but Alexander gets back up as he wants the fight to remain standing. Alexander with some leg kicks and then gets driven into the cage. Schafer going for take downs but Alexander is denying him. Schafer finally gets a take down and gets side control. Schafer going for short elbows. Alexander gets out of the position but then gets turned over and mounted by Schafer. Schafer hitting some strikes. Schafer with some elbows and punches. One minute left in the round. Schafer landing punches and Alexander gives up his back but Schafer doesn’t take it and continues with Ground & Pound. Schafer goes for an arm triangle and Alexander taps out. Good, exciting opening fight. Schafer did a good job weathering the early storm and after several take down attempts he stayed with it and finally got one and then ended the fight.
This is Alexander’s third straight loss in the UFC. Eric Schafer has won three straight fights but had lost his last two in UFC to Stephan Bonnar and Michael Bisping.
Winner: Eric Schafer by Submission (Arm Triangle) R1 4:53
Middleweight Fight- Ed Herman (16-5) vs. Alan Belcher (11-4)
R1- Lots of action early and then they clinch and are separated. Both guys hitting some strikes. Pretty even fight through the first half of the round. Herman hit a good combo and tried a take down but it was stopped and they clinched again. Herman picked Belcher up with a double-leg and got the take down. Herman is trying for what Rogan is calling a “Darth Choke” but Belcher gets to his feet. Herman gets another take down with half a minute left and is going for the same choke again. Pretty even round when they stood up but Herman took Belcher down twice and had two submission attempts. Herman is up 10-9 after Round One.
R2- Belcher hit a big left hand to start out the round. Herman hits a good combo after a couple of counter punches. Belcher with a couple of body punches and then hit a big punch that rocked Herman back into the cage. Belcher hit a kick to the midsection but got caught and taken down by Herman. Belcher got back to his feet with minimal damage from Herman. 45 seconds left in the round. Close round. Belcher controlled the first 2 and a half minutes and rocked Herman. Herman then got a take down and control for about a minute and the rest was even. Overall, I give Belcher this round which makes it 19-19.
R3- Herman went for a quick take down but got stuffed. Belcher landing some jabs. Herman went for another take down but Belcher stopped it again and they clinch against the cage and then get separated. Belcher showing good hands in this fight. Belcher goes for a spinning back fist and Herman goes for a take down but doesn’t get it. Herman stays with it and gets the take down. Herman gets some strikes in but Belcher gets back to his feet. One minute and fifteen seconds remain in the fight. It’s very even to this point so this will probably decide the fight. Herman gets another take down with 45 seconds left and lands some good punches. Herman continuing to hit some punches. Herman ends the fight in a dominate position. Belcher won the stand up part of the fight but Herman dominated in take downs and on the ground. Very, very close fight but I’ve got to give it to Herman as I think he won rounds 1 and 3 with a strong finish. Herman 29-28 on my score card. Not a dominate win but a good win and a good fight.
Judges score the fight: 29-28 Belcher, 29-28 Herman, and 29-28 Belcher.
Interesting decision, not sure that I agree with it though.
Winner: Alan Belcher by Decision (Split)
Lightweight Fight- Mac Danzig (19-4-1) vs. Clay Guida (23-6)
This should be a really fun fight.
R1- Danzig seems to be the aggressor early as he backs down Guida twice but doesn’t land anything substantial. Guida went for a take down on a Danzig kick but couldn’t get it. Danzig landed a couple of shots about two minutes into the round. Danzig rushes Guida and hits a big combo but Guida grabs him and takes him down. Great sequence of events. Danzig goes for a kimura from the bottom but Guida backs him up against the cage and Danzig gets back to his feet with no damage from Guida but Guida picks up Danzig and slams him down. Danzig once again has his back to the cage and stands up again and Guida slams him down again. Guida gets a couple of shots in but Danzig works his way back to his feet at the end of the round. Interesting round as Danzig won the first part of the round by winning the stand up game but Guida got several take downs and slams although not much actually offense on the ground. Almost an even round. Probably have to give it to Guida due to the slams but based on the way the judges scored the Belcher fight I would say that they would probably give it to Danzig. Guida 10-9. Good round.
R2- Guida looks to be more aggressive early in this round as he backs down Danzig and pushes forward. Danzig hits a good punch and then a front kick but Guida fights back and runs him down and gets a take down but Danzig goes right for his arm again and stands right up. Guida shoots in again about half way through the round and gets a take partial take down but Danzig doesn’t go all the way down and doesn’t take any damage. Danzig lands a couple of good shots with about a minute left but Guida grabs him and clinches and then takes Danzig’s back with 30 seconds left and takes him down and goes for a Rear Naked. Danzig rolls over and Guida finishes the fight in a dominate position but without landing much damage. I think Guida stole this round at the end with the big take down. I had Danzig winning based on strikes but Guida put himself in a position to finish the fight. I’ve got Guida winning a very close 20-18 so far.
R3- They sprawl early as Danzig missed a kick and then stopped a Guida take down. They both got some good shots in during a dirty boxing clinch. Danzig then got his first take down of the fight and attempted a kimura. Guida escaped and briefly took Danzig’s back. Guida with some knees against the cage. Danzig looks really tired and Guida is smothering him against the cage. Danzig got to his feet but got taken down again. Guida isn’t doing much damage but he’s controlling the fight. Danzig back to his feet but Guida is still holding him. Guida ends the fight with a flurry of punches on the ground. I’ve got Guida taking this fight 30-27. Not a dominate performance as far as damage but Guida controlled the fight with his wrestling.
Judges score cards are: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 for Guida.
This is Guida’s second win a row after a loss to Roger Huerta. This is Danzig’s first loss after two consecutive wins.
Winner: Clay Guida by Decision (Unanimous)
Joe Rogan is joined by Dana White. Dana announces a fight on December 10th live from Ft Bragg a 3-Hour event called “UFC Fights for the Troops” to benefit the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.
Lightweight Fight- Nate Diaz (9-2) vs. Josh Neer (24-6-1)
This is the first fight that we get the ring walk and entrance music. Josh Neer is from nearby Des Moines, Iowa. Jens Pulver is in his corner for the fight. Neer comes out to some soft rock that sounds like something from Nickelback. Diaz comes out to some rap with his brother Nick by his side. Diaz has a four inch reach advantage.
R1- They clinch early and Neer gets an immediate take down. Neer goes for a choke but lets it go. Neer takes his back and Diaz stands up and Neer takes him down but Diaz back to his feet again with Neer still on his back. Nate gets turned around and they sprawl and are back to their feet with a clinch. Diaz gets some shots in on Neer to the corner. Diaz is landing some good jabs and then gets a great looking judo throw and ends in side control but Neer gets him to half guard. Neer gets out but gets puched. Diaz fights his way back to full guard and then steps over and transitions to the back in a great move but can’t get anything. Diaz ends the fight on top of Neer. Neer controlled early but Diaz looked great late first hitting jabs, then a judo throw and then some good ground work. I’ve got Diaz taking this round 10-9.
R2- They exchange to start the round. Neer gets a take down but Diaz scrambles and reverses it so he’s in full guard. Neer gets back to his feet and gets a take down and has Nate’s back. Neer goes for a choke but Nate turns out of it. Lots of action as Neer goes for an arm bar and Nate for a triangle and both come up short. Neer gets some shots in and continues to be at and advantage but Diaz gets to his feet and they clinch. Diaz peppers him with jabs. Close round, I think Neer took this one so I’ve got it 19-19 going into the final round.
R3- They come out with Nate as the aggressor and they clinch against the cage. Nate gets a take down and is in half guard. Neer gets out but Diaz gets back to full guard and then stands up and then gets full guard again. Neer to his feet and they clinch. Diaz winning the final round half way through. Diaz takes Neer’s back and then turns to full mount. Nate with some strikes. They stand up with 20 seconds left and Diaz gets another judo throw and ends with some strikes. Diaz wins round three and will win this fight 29-28.
Judges scorecards are: 29-28 Neer, 29-28 Diaz and 29-28 Diaz.
Winner: Nate Diaz by Decision (Split)
I thought this was a real solid show with 4 good fights. The only real disappointing thing I could see was that only 1 fight went to a finish. 2 really close fights as they were judged as split decision.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Houston Alexander (8-3) vs. Eric Schafer (11-3-2)
Schafer has a 3 inch height and 4 inch reach advantage. Alexander is the hometown fighter in this one and he gets a huge reaction. Alexander usually has short fights so this one could be quick.
R1- Alexander gets a clinch early and hits Schafer with a knee and then really rocks him with another. Alexander is trying to finish and Schafer is trying to survive and gets Alexander into his guard but Alexander gets back up as he wants the fight to remain standing. Alexander with some leg kicks and then gets driven into the cage. Schafer going for take downs but Alexander is denying him. Schafer finally gets a take down and gets side control. Schafer going for short elbows. Alexander gets out of the position but then gets turned over and mounted by Schafer. Schafer hitting some strikes. Schafer with some elbows and punches. One minute left in the round. Schafer landing punches and Alexander gives up his back but Schafer doesn’t take it and continues with Ground & Pound. Schafer goes for an arm triangle and Alexander taps out. Good, exciting opening fight. Schafer did a good job weathering the early storm and after several take down attempts he stayed with it and finally got one and then ended the fight.
This is Alexander’s third straight loss in the UFC. Eric Schafer has won three straight fights but had lost his last two in UFC to Stephan Bonnar and Michael Bisping.
Winner: Eric Schafer by Submission (Arm Triangle) R1 4:53
Middleweight Fight- Ed Herman (16-5) vs. Alan Belcher (11-4)
R1- Lots of action early and then they clinch and are separated. Both guys hitting some strikes. Pretty even fight through the first half of the round. Herman hit a good combo and tried a take down but it was stopped and they clinched again. Herman picked Belcher up with a double-leg and got the take down. Herman is trying for what Rogan is calling a “Darth Choke” but Belcher gets to his feet. Herman gets another take down with half a minute left and is going for the same choke again. Pretty even round when they stood up but Herman took Belcher down twice and had two submission attempts. Herman is up 10-9 after Round One.
R2- Belcher hit a big left hand to start out the round. Herman hits a good combo after a couple of counter punches. Belcher with a couple of body punches and then hit a big punch that rocked Herman back into the cage. Belcher hit a kick to the midsection but got caught and taken down by Herman. Belcher got back to his feet with minimal damage from Herman. 45 seconds left in the round. Close round. Belcher controlled the first 2 and a half minutes and rocked Herman. Herman then got a take down and control for about a minute and the rest was even. Overall, I give Belcher this round which makes it 19-19.
R3- Herman went for a quick take down but got stuffed. Belcher landing some jabs. Herman went for another take down but Belcher stopped it again and they clinch against the cage and then get separated. Belcher showing good hands in this fight. Belcher goes for a spinning back fist and Herman goes for a take down but doesn’t get it. Herman stays with it and gets the take down. Herman gets some strikes in but Belcher gets back to his feet. One minute and fifteen seconds remain in the fight. It’s very even to this point so this will probably decide the fight. Herman gets another take down with 45 seconds left and lands some good punches. Herman continuing to hit some punches. Herman ends the fight in a dominate position. Belcher won the stand up part of the fight but Herman dominated in take downs and on the ground. Very, very close fight but I’ve got to give it to Herman as I think he won rounds 1 and 3 with a strong finish. Herman 29-28 on my score card. Not a dominate win but a good win and a good fight.
Judges score the fight: 29-28 Belcher, 29-28 Herman, and 29-28 Belcher.
Interesting decision, not sure that I agree with it though.
Winner: Alan Belcher by Decision (Split)
Lightweight Fight- Mac Danzig (19-4-1) vs. Clay Guida (23-6)
This should be a really fun fight.
R1- Danzig seems to be the aggressor early as he backs down Guida twice but doesn’t land anything substantial. Guida went for a take down on a Danzig kick but couldn’t get it. Danzig landed a couple of shots about two minutes into the round. Danzig rushes Guida and hits a big combo but Guida grabs him and takes him down. Great sequence of events. Danzig goes for a kimura from the bottom but Guida backs him up against the cage and Danzig gets back to his feet with no damage from Guida but Guida picks up Danzig and slams him down. Danzig once again has his back to the cage and stands up again and Guida slams him down again. Guida gets a couple of shots in but Danzig works his way back to his feet at the end of the round. Interesting round as Danzig won the first part of the round by winning the stand up game but Guida got several take downs and slams although not much actually offense on the ground. Almost an even round. Probably have to give it to Guida due to the slams but based on the way the judges scored the Belcher fight I would say that they would probably give it to Danzig. Guida 10-9. Good round.
R2- Guida looks to be more aggressive early in this round as he backs down Danzig and pushes forward. Danzig hits a good punch and then a front kick but Guida fights back and runs him down and gets a take down but Danzig goes right for his arm again and stands right up. Guida shoots in again about half way through the round and gets a take partial take down but Danzig doesn’t go all the way down and doesn’t take any damage. Danzig lands a couple of good shots with about a minute left but Guida grabs him and clinches and then takes Danzig’s back with 30 seconds left and takes him down and goes for a Rear Naked. Danzig rolls over and Guida finishes the fight in a dominate position but without landing much damage. I think Guida stole this round at the end with the big take down. I had Danzig winning based on strikes but Guida put himself in a position to finish the fight. I’ve got Guida winning a very close 20-18 so far.
R3- They sprawl early as Danzig missed a kick and then stopped a Guida take down. They both got some good shots in during a dirty boxing clinch. Danzig then got his first take down of the fight and attempted a kimura. Guida escaped and briefly took Danzig’s back. Guida with some knees against the cage. Danzig looks really tired and Guida is smothering him against the cage. Danzig got to his feet but got taken down again. Guida isn’t doing much damage but he’s controlling the fight. Danzig back to his feet but Guida is still holding him. Guida ends the fight with a flurry of punches on the ground. I’ve got Guida taking this fight 30-27. Not a dominate performance as far as damage but Guida controlled the fight with his wrestling.
Judges score cards are: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 for Guida.
This is Guida’s second win a row after a loss to Roger Huerta. This is Danzig’s first loss after two consecutive wins.
Winner: Clay Guida by Decision (Unanimous)
Joe Rogan is joined by Dana White. Dana announces a fight on December 10th live from Ft Bragg a 3-Hour event called “UFC Fights for the Troops” to benefit the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.
Lightweight Fight- Nate Diaz (9-2) vs. Josh Neer (24-6-1)
This is the first fight that we get the ring walk and entrance music. Josh Neer is from nearby Des Moines, Iowa. Jens Pulver is in his corner for the fight. Neer comes out to some soft rock that sounds like something from Nickelback. Diaz comes out to some rap with his brother Nick by his side. Diaz has a four inch reach advantage.
R1- They clinch early and Neer gets an immediate take down. Neer goes for a choke but lets it go. Neer takes his back and Diaz stands up and Neer takes him down but Diaz back to his feet again with Neer still on his back. Nate gets turned around and they sprawl and are back to their feet with a clinch. Diaz gets some shots in on Neer to the corner. Diaz is landing some good jabs and then gets a great looking judo throw and ends in side control but Neer gets him to half guard. Neer gets out but gets puched. Diaz fights his way back to full guard and then steps over and transitions to the back in a great move but can’t get anything. Diaz ends the fight on top of Neer. Neer controlled early but Diaz looked great late first hitting jabs, then a judo throw and then some good ground work. I’ve got Diaz taking this round 10-9.
R2- They exchange to start the round. Neer gets a take down but Diaz scrambles and reverses it so he’s in full guard. Neer gets back to his feet and gets a take down and has Nate’s back. Neer goes for a choke but Nate turns out of it. Lots of action as Neer goes for an arm bar and Nate for a triangle and both come up short. Neer gets some shots in and continues to be at and advantage but Diaz gets to his feet and they clinch. Diaz peppers him with jabs. Close round, I think Neer took this one so I’ve got it 19-19 going into the final round.
R3- They come out with Nate as the aggressor and they clinch against the cage. Nate gets a take down and is in half guard. Neer gets out but Diaz gets back to full guard and then stands up and then gets full guard again. Neer to his feet and they clinch. Diaz winning the final round half way through. Diaz takes Neer’s back and then turns to full mount. Nate with some strikes. They stand up with 20 seconds left and Diaz gets another judo throw and ends with some strikes. Diaz wins round three and will win this fight 29-28.
Judges scorecards are: 29-28 Neer, 29-28 Diaz and 29-28 Diaz.
Winner: Nate Diaz by Decision (Split)
I thought this was a real solid show with 4 good fights. The only real disappointing thing I could see was that only 1 fight went to a finish. 2 really close fights as they were judged as split decision.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
UFC Unleashed 6/18 Re-Cap
UFC Unleashed 6/18 Re-Cap
Looks like we’ve got 5 fights on tap night. I’ve already seen a couple of them but I’m looking forward to seeing Brock/Mir again.
Middleweight- Chris Leben (17-4) vs. Alessio Sakara (16-6-1)- UFC 82- 3/1/08
This is from the UFC 82 show and is also on the UFC Wired 6/28 show.
R1- Both guys swinging pretty freely early. Leben seems to be moving forward and in slight control. They are still throwing pretty good at one another with no one with a clear advantage. Leben continues to move forward on Sakara as they exchange. Sakara gets in a couple of good shots but then eats a knee. Leben with a nice inside leg kick and then body kick. They tie up on the cage but then release. Leben gets in some punches and Sakara is rocked on the cage and Leben is on top of him landing punches and the ref stops the fight. Leben has Sakara's blood on him and is the victor. Leben got in some good punches and then rocked Sakara with 2 punches and then got on top and started punching and the ref stopped the fight.
Winner: Chris Leben via TKO Round 1 (3:16)
Lightweight Fight- Ryan Roberts (14-2-1) vs. Marcus Auriello (15-5)- UFC Fight Night 13- 4/2/08
R1- Auriello takes him down quick and then taps him with an arm bar. This one was over before it started. Auriello just dominated. His celebration took longer than the fight did.
Winner: Marcus Auriello by Submission (Arm Bar) R1 0:16
Welterweight- David Bielkheden (12-5) vs Diego Sanchez (19-2)- UFC 82- 3/1/08
Sanchez quickly takes David down and gets in a couple of shots. He’s really working trying to get in position on top to do damage or to pass. Diego is getting in a couple of shots and is really in control early. Diego gets side control and hits some short elbows and is looking for a kimura. Diego moves into full mount and finally starts to get in some good shots on David and then just starts laying it in and gets the win via opponent tap. Diego just controlled this match and won decisively. Real good showing for Diego.
Winner: Diego Sanchez by Submission (punches) R1 4:43
Middleweight Fight- Alan Belcher (9-2) vs. Kendall Grove (9-3)- UFC 69- 4/7/07
This is a fight with some really young fighters as Belcher is only 22 and Grove is 24 as of this fight.
R1- Belcher takes him down about 30 seconds in and gets side control. Grove did a good job getting out and threw some knees. Kendall seems to be the aggressor as he hits some knees and gets a take down. Kendall gets some shots in and then stops a take down at the end of the round. This was a good, close round that I think Kendall took 10-9.
R2- Kendall gets a real nice knee in early in the round and Belcher goes for a take down but gets it stuffed. Grove just starts to nail Belcher with some elbows and he took some skin off of the top of Belcher’s head with those elbows. Kendall hits a really nice combo as he gets a kick and then a punch and follows it with some good looking knees. Grove is getting some big shots in on Belcher and then hits a big slam on Belcher. Kendall has half guard and is getting in some good shots on Belcher. Kendall finishes Belcher with a nice submission from half guard. Kendall just looked great in this fight. This was definitely the best that I’ve seen him look.
Winner: Kendall Grove by Submission (Brabo Choke) R2 4:42
Heavyweight Fight- Frank Mir (10-3) vs. Brock Lesnar (1-0)- UFC 81- 2/2/08
R1- Lesnar takes down Mir immediately. Lesnar gets some nice shots in but the ref calls a timeout due to a shot to the back of the head and they take a point away from Lesnar without a warning. I didn’t see anything bad based on the other MMA fights that I’ve seen. Lesnar hit him in the back of the head a couple of times but I’ve seen a lot worse without points taken away and without even a warning given. Mir was getting overwhelmed at this point so it was a real interesting call by the ref. Brock hits Mir again and starts pounding on him on the ground. Mir almost gets an arm bar. Mir gets to the guard position. Mir caught Lesnar in a knee bar with a very nice wily veteran type move and tapped him. Lesnar let down his guard and it cost him.
This was a real interesting fight, especially watching it again. Lesnar just dominated but made some real mistakes due to his inexperience. Lesnar’s offense looked awesome. I’m very interested in seeing Lesnar fight again. Great job my Mir in holding on and finding Lesnar’s weakness and taping him but I just can’t see Mir beating Noguiera.
Winner: Frank Mir by Submission (Knee Bar) R1 1:30
Looks like we’ve got 5 fights on tap night. I’ve already seen a couple of them but I’m looking forward to seeing Brock/Mir again.
Middleweight- Chris Leben (17-4) vs. Alessio Sakara (16-6-1)- UFC 82- 3/1/08
This is from the UFC 82 show and is also on the UFC Wired 6/28 show.
R1- Both guys swinging pretty freely early. Leben seems to be moving forward and in slight control. They are still throwing pretty good at one another with no one with a clear advantage. Leben continues to move forward on Sakara as they exchange. Sakara gets in a couple of good shots but then eats a knee. Leben with a nice inside leg kick and then body kick. They tie up on the cage but then release. Leben gets in some punches and Sakara is rocked on the cage and Leben is on top of him landing punches and the ref stops the fight. Leben has Sakara's blood on him and is the victor. Leben got in some good punches and then rocked Sakara with 2 punches and then got on top and started punching and the ref stopped the fight.
Winner: Chris Leben via TKO Round 1 (3:16)
Lightweight Fight- Ryan Roberts (14-2-1) vs. Marcus Auriello (15-5)- UFC Fight Night 13- 4/2/08
R1- Auriello takes him down quick and then taps him with an arm bar. This one was over before it started. Auriello just dominated. His celebration took longer than the fight did.
Winner: Marcus Auriello by Submission (Arm Bar) R1 0:16
Welterweight- David Bielkheden (12-5) vs Diego Sanchez (19-2)- UFC 82- 3/1/08
Sanchez quickly takes David down and gets in a couple of shots. He’s really working trying to get in position on top to do damage or to pass. Diego is getting in a couple of shots and is really in control early. Diego gets side control and hits some short elbows and is looking for a kimura. Diego moves into full mount and finally starts to get in some good shots on David and then just starts laying it in and gets the win via opponent tap. Diego just controlled this match and won decisively. Real good showing for Diego.
Winner: Diego Sanchez by Submission (punches) R1 4:43
Middleweight Fight- Alan Belcher (9-2) vs. Kendall Grove (9-3)- UFC 69- 4/7/07
This is a fight with some really young fighters as Belcher is only 22 and Grove is 24 as of this fight.
R1- Belcher takes him down about 30 seconds in and gets side control. Grove did a good job getting out and threw some knees. Kendall seems to be the aggressor as he hits some knees and gets a take down. Kendall gets some shots in and then stops a take down at the end of the round. This was a good, close round that I think Kendall took 10-9.
R2- Kendall gets a real nice knee in early in the round and Belcher goes for a take down but gets it stuffed. Grove just starts to nail Belcher with some elbows and he took some skin off of the top of Belcher’s head with those elbows. Kendall hits a really nice combo as he gets a kick and then a punch and follows it with some good looking knees. Grove is getting some big shots in on Belcher and then hits a big slam on Belcher. Kendall has half guard and is getting in some good shots on Belcher. Kendall finishes Belcher with a nice submission from half guard. Kendall just looked great in this fight. This was definitely the best that I’ve seen him look.
Winner: Kendall Grove by Submission (Brabo Choke) R2 4:42
Heavyweight Fight- Frank Mir (10-3) vs. Brock Lesnar (1-0)- UFC 81- 2/2/08
R1- Lesnar takes down Mir immediately. Lesnar gets some nice shots in but the ref calls a timeout due to a shot to the back of the head and they take a point away from Lesnar without a warning. I didn’t see anything bad based on the other MMA fights that I’ve seen. Lesnar hit him in the back of the head a couple of times but I’ve seen a lot worse without points taken away and without even a warning given. Mir was getting overwhelmed at this point so it was a real interesting call by the ref. Brock hits Mir again and starts pounding on him on the ground. Mir almost gets an arm bar. Mir gets to the guard position. Mir caught Lesnar in a knee bar with a very nice wily veteran type move and tapped him. Lesnar let down his guard and it cost him.
This was a real interesting fight, especially watching it again. Lesnar just dominated but made some real mistakes due to his inexperience. Lesnar’s offense looked awesome. I’m very interested in seeing Lesnar fight again. Great job my Mir in holding on and finding Lesnar’s weakness and taping him but I just can’t see Mir beating Noguiera.
Winner: Frank Mir by Submission (Knee Bar) R1 1:30
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