UFC Live on Versus: Vera vs. Jones

UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones
1ST Bank Arena
Broomfield, Colorado
March 21, 2010
Versus

Thank You Dana White and the UFC for getting Versus back on DirecTV just in time for this show. I know it was no coincidence. This is the UFC's debut show on Versus and it's a solid "free" TV card headlined by Jon "Bones" Jones versus Brandon Vera. Top 10 Heavyweight Junior dos Santos will also take on Gabriel Gonzaga in the Co-Main Event. Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan are the announcers for the show and Bruce Buffer is the ring announcer.

Middleweight Fight- James Irvin (14-5) vs. Alessio Sakara (18-7)

This is the Middleweight debut for James Irvin. Sakara has won 3 of his last 4 fights. Sakara is a former pro boxer and Irvin loves to stand up so we could see an explosive fight between these two guys. Irvin has a 3" reach and 2" height advantage. If I was a betting man I wouldn't bet on this fight but I'd go with Sakara if I had to make a choice. It's always interesting to watch a guys first performance when moving down in weight and seeing how their body adjusts to the move during the fight. Sakara is now training full time at American Top Team and is 3-1 since moving to that camp.

R1- Irvin clipped Sakara and he went down early but bounced right back up. Sakara is landing some good hard strikes and is doing a good job of changing levels. Sakara nailed Irvin with a punch to the eye but the ref stopped the fight when Irvin complained of an eye poke. Weird stoppage as it looked like Sakara was about to finish Irvin and the ref is going to award the win to Sakara by TKO. Weird finish and a quick stoppage but the right guy won the fight.

Winner: Alessio Sakara by TKO (Punches) R1 3:01

Urijah Faber is in the house and Mike Goldberg hypes the upcoming Faber/Jose Aldo WEC PPV.I think Urijah goes to every MMA event.

Shane Carwin fights Frank Mir on Saturday at UFC 111 for the UFC Interim Heavyweight Title with the winner facing Brock Lesnar. They show a pre-taped interview with Carwin and Joe Rogan. Carwin is 11-0 with 11 knockouts.

Heavyweight Fight- Cheick Kongo (24-6-1) vs. Paul Buentello (25-11)

This is another fight between two guys who like to stand and bang. Buentello is coming off of a loss to Stefan Struve in his return to the UFC. Kongo has a 2" height and 5" reach advantage. I'm taking Kongo in this one. Buentello has been training with Shane Carwin for tonight's fight.

R1- Kongo got a take down at the one minute mark. Buentello tried his best to illegally use the cage to save his fall but failed. Buentello got back up and Kongo took him back down with a slam. Buentello got to his feet and then it looked like he dislocated his finger and Herb Dean stopped the fight for a minute. Kongo got another take down with a minute left in the round. Kongo 10-9.

R2- Kongo threw some good strikes against the cage and then took Buentello down again in the first minute of the round. Kongo landed some good knees to the body but then hit Buentello in the head with a knee while Buentello still had one knee on the ground and was in the process of getting up so Herb Dean steps in and gives Buentello a minute to recover. Herb Dean takes one point away from Kongo for the illegal knee to a downed opponent. Kongo got another take down shortly after the fight was re-started. Kongo landing some knees to the body. Kongo landed some knees to Buentello's head. Kongo landed some good strikes and got another take down. This is a borderline 10-8 round in favor of Kongo. Depending on how this round was scored Kongo is up 29-28 or 29-27 after his one point deduction.

"He's getting molested"- Joe Rogan

R3- Kongo got a quick take down at the start of the final round. Kongo hit some elbows to Buentello's side and Buentello tapped out. Really strong showing for Kongo.

Winner: Cheick Kongo by Submission (Strikes) R3 1:16

GSP is interviewed by Joe Rogan via satellite to discuss his title defense on Saturday against Dan Hardy.

Heavyweight Fight- Junior Dos Santos (10-1) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (11-4)

If Dos Santos can keep winning he is one or two fights away from fighting for the title. Santos trains with Big Nog, Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva. Gonzaga is a former jiu-jitsu world champion. Dos Santos is a jiu-jitsu purple wins. Neither fighter has ever been to a decision. Gonzaga out weighs Dos Santos by 17 pounds but Dos Santos says he will make that up with his speed. Dos Santos is my pick in this one.

R1- Gonzaga got a take down but Dos Santos did a good job on getting right back to his feet. Dos Santos is doing a good job in changing levels and is starting to land some strikes. Dos Santos landed a big left and Gonzaga went down. Dos Santos was able to get through with some Ground and Pound shots and this one is all over. Really impressive win for Dos Santos. The Heavyweight Division is just stacked right now with young guys like Dos Santos, Velasquez, Brock, Shane Carwin and Todd Duffee. And that's not even mentioning guys like Mir and Big Nog.

Winner: Junior Dos Santos by KO (Strikes) R1 3:53

Welterweight Fight- John Howard vs. Daniel Roberts

This is from the pre-show so this one is going to be a quick one. This is Roberts UFC debut.

R1- Roberts got a take down but Howard got back to his feet. Roberts grabbed a kimura and used it to sweep Howard back to the ground. Roberts landed some Ground and Pound. Howard picked up Roberts and slammed him and took top position. Roberts went for an omaplata but Howard got out of the submission and then delivered a huge left hand that knocked Roberts out while Roberts was still on the mat. Fantastic punch by Howard. Roberts looked pretty good early in the fight but he just got tagged. Howard is now 4-0 in the UFC and has won 7 straight fights.

Winner: John Howard by KO (Punch) R1 2:01

Light Heavyweight Fight- Jon Jones (9-1) vs. Brandon Vera (11-4)

Jones is coming off of a demolition of Matt Hamill where he got DQ'd due to downward elbows but he just blew out Hamill and destroyed him. The Hamill DQ loss is the only loss on Jones's record. This is the 2nd fight for Jones since he's joined Greg Jackson's camp. Jones has a background as a JUCO wrestling champion and comes at his opponent with a lot of different angles and does moves that aren't commonly used in MMA. He's a very unique talent. Brandon Vera is a Muay Thai fighter who also has a brown belt in bjj. Vera is a very good fighter but has honestly looked lackluster in the last year or two. Jones has a 6.5" reach advantage in this fight. I see this as a very even fight. I'm going to take Jones via decision as most of Vera's recent fights seem to have gone to decision if my memory is correct.

R1- Jones immediately got a take down on a judo type throw. Vera did a good job of kicking Jones off. Jones landed a knee and then got another take down. Vera hit an illegal up kick on Jones (it was illegal because Jones had a knee on the mat). Herb Dean takes a point away from Brandon Vera which could be huge with Vera's recent history of decisions. Dean restarts the fight with Jones in full guard. Vera tries another up kick but this time it brushed off Jones's shoulder. Rogan is commenting that Vera is looking for an arm bar. Jones hits some good Ground and Pound and Vera covers up and turns his back and Dean stops the fight. Jones landed some good shots and Vera looked like he got hurt bad. Good stoppage by Dean as Vera is still down on his knees with his hands on his face. In the replay Jones hit a crushing elbow strike to the side of Vera's face. Rogan says he may have done something to Vera's orbital socket. Great win for Jon Jones. Jon Jones is the real deal.

Winner: Jon Jones by TKO (Strikes) R1 3:19

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

UFC 99: "The Comeback" 6/13/09 Re-Cap

UFC 99: The Comeback
6/13/09
Cologne, Germany
Lanxess Arena

The headliner of this show is Rich Franklin versus Wanderlei Silva in what should be an action packed contest. The undercard is stacked with Cheick Kongo/Cain Velasquez, Mike Swick/Ben Saunders, Marcus Davis/Dan Hardy and Mirko Cro Cop. This should be an exciting night of fights. And I actually forgot about Caol Uno against Spencer Fisher and that could be the Fight of the Night.

Welterweight Fight- Dan Hardy (21-6) vs. Marcus Davis (21-5)

There has been a big war of the words between these guys for several weeks so it’s nice to see them get in the cage and settle their differences. Marcus Davis is coming off of a Split Decision victory over Chris Lytle and he submitted Paul Kelly previous to that. Dan Hardy is on a 5-fight win streak. Rogan says that he’s never seen Marcus Davis so fired up, in shape and ready for a fight in his life. Hardy has a 4” reach advantage in this fight.

R1- Neither guy wanted to make a mistake early. Davis made the first move by going for a take down and Davis finally got him down after a long struggle and got a mount. Hardy was able to get out of the mount but Davis leaned on him and got some Ground and Pound. Hardy got to his feet and hit Davis with a good punch. Davis slipped and Hardy caught him with a couple more shots but Davis tied him up. Davis looks like he got cut. This round was all Davis with the exception of about a 45 second explosion by Hardy. I’ve got Davis 10-9 but it was close due to the shots Hardy landed near the end of the round.

R2- They stand at the beginning of this round and exchange and Hardy gets a clinch and lands a knee that hurts Marcus. Hardy jumps on top to try and finish but Davis was able to protect so he didn’t get finished. Davis went for an arm bar from the guard position but Hardy was able to stop the submission. Davis is landing some elbows from the bottom and is very active in Hardy’s guard and the ref stands them up. Davis got a take down with 30 seconds left in the round and passed guard but all he could get was some brief Ground and Pound. This was pretty much a reversal of the first round as Hardy controlled the entire round and Davis controlled the last 45 seconds. I give this one to Hardy and have the fight 19-19 going into the third and deciding round.

R3- Davis landed a left that floored Hardy at the start of the round, it looked like Hardy got caught off balance. Davis took Hardy’s guard. Davis went for a heel hook but Hardy was able to spin out and both fighters got back to their feet. Hardy was able to get a take down with about 2 minutes left in the fight. Hardy hit an elbow and the ref stopped the fight to check the cut. It was on his nose so they continued the fight. Hardy is getting some Ground and Pound and Davis continues to bleed but Hardy doesn’t do enough and the ref stands the fighters up with 45 seconds left in the fight. Davis is having trouble seeing out of his eyes due to the blood and they tied up to finish the fight. I’ve got to give the fight to Hardy due to damage inflicted on his opponent. Close fight, I’ve got Hardy 29-28 on my score card. The winner of this is right on the verge of being a Top 10 Welterweight in the world and could be a couple of victories away from a title shot.

Judges score cards say: 29-28 Hardy, 29-28 Davis and 29-28 Hardy.

Hardy goes to shake Marcus’s hand after the decision and Davis shrugs him off. Hardy says he respects Davis and that he is a tough fighter.

Winner: Dan Hardy by Decision (Split)

Lightweight Fight- Caol Uno (25-11-4) vs. Spencer Fisher (23-4)

This is Uno’s first fight in his return to the UFC. Uno comes out to “Smells Like Teen Spirit”.

R1- They danced around for a while. Spencer went for a punch and Uno went for a take down and Spencer stuffed it and they clinched against the cage. The ref finally separated them with two minutes left in the round. Spencer landed a couple of punches and then blocked another Uno take down. This was a pretty even uneventful first round. I’ve got Spencer taking this one 10-9 but it’s anybody’s fight.

R2- Uno got a single leg after ducking a punch but Spencer got up quickly and separated. Uno went for another take down but was stuffed. Uno lands a couple of leg kicks but then gets another take down stuffed but Spencer stayed on him and Uno rolled him over and took his guard but Spencer was able to get back to his feet again. Uno is just constantly going for take downs. Spencer went for a sweep but got taken down by Uno and Spencer again quickly got up. This round went to Uno with his repeated take downs even though he didn’t do a lot once he got there. I’ve got it 19-19 going into the final round.

R3- Spencer landed a good left hand in the first minute of the fight but Uno kept coming with a take down attempt. Uno went for a leg kick but Spencer punched him and Uno’s momentum took him down to the mat. Spencer got a take down but Uno quickly rolled him off. Uno mounted Spencer and got in a couple of elbows and punches and is finishing this round in an impressive fashion. Uno get the nod in this round due to his final push. I’ve got Uno 29-28 in a rather uneventful fight.

Judges score cards say: all judges score the fight for Spencer Fisher (no scores announced)

Winner: Spencer Fisher by Decision (Unanimous)

Welterweight Fight- Mike Swick (13-2) vs. Ben Saunders (7-0-2)

This fight should be the opposite of our last fight. Saunders looked great back in December against Brandon Wolfe as he finished him by TKO in the first round. Mike Swick fought on that same card in December and got a 33 second victory over Jonathon Goulet. At UFC 85 Swick defeated Marcus Davis by Unanimous Decision. Swick is 3-0 as a Welterweight in the UFC and I’ve currently got Swick ranked #8 in the World Welterweight rankings.

R1- Saunders immediately pulls guard, which is a little surprising. Saunders is just holding him with Swick landing some little punches. Swick asks Saunders if he’s going to hold him all night. Ref stands them up with 1:30 left in the round. Swick landed some good punches after a Saunders kick. Swick takes this round 10-9 and Saunders rubs Swick’s head on the way back to his corner.

R2- Swick quickly mounted in less than a minute but Saunders was able to move him back to guard. The ref stands them up with 2:40 left in the round. Swick hit a good combination and drove Saunders back in the cage. Swick kept coming and Saunders went down Swick jumped on top and the ref stopped the fight. Swick jumped over the cage and gave Dana and his guys high fives and jumped back in the cage. Another great showing by Swick.

Post-fight Swick says he’s 9-1 in the UFC and wants to fight top guys. He names Matt Hughes, GSP and Thiago Alves.

Winner: Mike Swick by TKO (Strikes) R2 3:47

Heavyweight Fight- Mirko Cro Cop (24-6-2) vs. Mostapha Al-Turk (6-4)

Cro Cop has looked less than stellar in his last two fights. Cro Cop looked bored in his fight against Hong Man Choi and in the fight before that he was on the ropes against Alistair Overeem when Cro Cop got low blowed and sold like he’d been taken out by a shotgun and could not continue. Overeem was dominating Cro Cop before the low blow. Al-Turk comes out to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”. Mirko comes out to Duran Duran, I only know that because my sister was a big fan. Mirko gets a good reaction from the crowd despite his choice of theme music. Rogan says there are lots of fans here from Croatia. Al-Turk seems like the sacrificial lamb but let’s see how it plays out in the cage.

R1- Al-Turk is the aggressor early. Rogan points out that Al-Turk is telegraphing his shots. Mirko landed a good combo and is chasing down Al-Turk. Mirko gets on top and gets some shots in and then lets Al-Turk up. Cro Cop hits a punch that looked like it was an eye poke and Al-Turk covered up but the ref didn’t do anything and then Cro Cop finished him off when the ref didn’t step in. Miragliotta with another poor officiating job.

Cro Cop looked a little better than his previous two fights but he didn’t look much like he’s going to be a threat in the UFC Heavyweight Division. Throw him in there with Shane Carwin, Junior dos Santos or Cain Velaquez if he beats Kongo.

Winner: Mirko Cro Cop by TKO (Strikes) R1 3:06

Heavyweight Fight- Cain Velasquez (5-0) vs. Cheick Kongo (24-4-1)

Both of these fighters are coming in with momentum. At UFC 97 Kongo beat Antoni Hardonk by TKO in the second round and at UFC 92 Kongo just completely overwhelmed Mustafa Al-Turk. Velasquez dominated Denis Stojnic at UFC Fight Night 17 and won via TKO in the second round. Kongo comes out to some Jimi Hendrix. Kongo has a 5” reach and 3” height advantage. Velasquez is 9 lbs heavier. I’ve got both of these guys right outside the Top 10 Heavyweight rankings so the winner is really going to rise up the ranks.

R1- Valesquez stalks Kongo down early but Kongo hits some nice shots and brings Cain to his knees. He landed two nice right hands but Cain stayed with it and got a double leg take down. Cain mounts and looks like he has a choke in but Kongo rolled out of the choke. Kongo got back to his feet but got slammed. Cain lands some nice shots and again goes for a choke but can’t get it locked in. Cain is landing some nice shots on Kongo. Kongo got to his feet again and again got slammed for his trouble. After those first two punches Cain just dominated Kongo. Kongo was two punches away from having a 10-8 round scored against him. Cain takes this round 10-9.

R2- Kongo landed another good punch on Cain and he went down to his feet. Kongo swung for the fences but then clinched Cain against the cage. Cain got a take down about one minute into the round. Cain hits some elbows and then lands some good punches against cage. Kongo got up but got taken down again. Cain hits some big knees to the body. Cain takes this round 10-9 so he’s up 20-18.

R3- Kongo looked like he landed another good strike but Cain wrapped him up. Kongo briefly got Cain down but then Cain got on top. This is reminiscent of Lesnar/Herring. Both fighters are bleeding. Kong is bleeding from the nose and Cain from the mouth. Kongo got to his feet at the two minute mark and got loose and threw some punches but Cain took him down again. Cain is landing some consistent punches on Kongo from the top. This was a good fight and FOTN so far. Cain wins 30-27 on my score card.

This was an interesting fight because of the the dominance of Cain on the ground and Kongo’s dominance on his feet. Cain’s technique and wrestling was just too much for Kongo. Cain was very impressive and definitely proved he could take a punch. The only question, as Rogan put it, is if Cain has the power to finish some of the Top Heavyweights in the UFC.

Winner: Cain Velasquez by Decision (Unanimous)

Main Event Catchweight Fight (195lbs)- Rich Franklin (26-4) vs. Wanderlei Silva (32-9-1)

This is a huge fight for both of these guys as they are coming off losses and adjusting to new weight classes. Franklin lost his last fight to Dan Henderson in a close decision loss and Silva lost his last fight by Knockout to Rampage Jackson. The winner of this fight could be within a fight or two of a title shot. I could realistically see the UFC giving Franklin a shot at Lyoto Machida (if he beats Shogun before he faces the winner of Rampage) and I could see Wanderlei get a shot at Anderson (because of the feud they built up on the Countdown show and Dana is looking for guys that will stand toe to toe with Anderson). Rogan points out that this is the first time that Wanderlei is cutting weight and Rogan says the rumor is that Wanderlei had to cut 12 pounds yesterday to make the 195 lb weight limit. Franklin has a 2” height and reach advantage.

R1- Wanderlei got a take down with two minutes left in the round after some fairly even stand-up. Franklin gets back to his feet with a minute left in the round and gets on top of Wanderlei and is landing some good Ground and Pound. Wanderlei back to his feet but he took some shots and looks like he has a cut. Franklin hit a couple of shots to end the round and he took this one 10-9 on my score card.

R2- Both guys are throwing some haymakers but nobody has hit anything substantial so far. Franklin caught Silva and his momentum took him to the mat but Franklin did not follow him to the ground. Franklin hit a good combo. Franklin got hit with a good left hand in an exchange and his knees briefly buckled. Wanderlei landed another good right hand and had Franklin reeling back into the cage. Franklin hit a high kick that was partially blocked but it seemed to hurt Wanderlei. This was a really hard round to judge. It seemed like Wanderlei hurt Franklin a couple times during the round so I’ve got to give the round to Wanderlei and that makes hit 19-19.

R3- Wanderlei landed a good knee after both guys threw a lot of punches. Wanderlei is the aggressor this round with Franklin choosing to stick and move. Wanderlei and Franklin are up against the cage and both guys were throwing bombs but not landing. Franklin got a take down and then they stood up with Wanderlei landed elbows and Franklin landing punches. Great finish to the fight as the crowd was on it’s feet cheering at the end. This third and final round was pretty much even. I think Wanderlei took this round which means he won the fight on my score card 29-28. Very close fight and this over took Velasquez/Kongo as FOTN.

Judges score the fight: all 3 judges score the fight for Rich Franklin.

Winner: Rich Franklin by Decision (Unanimous)

Post-Fight Franklin makes one of his corner guys do push-ups.

This was a solid show with the two closing fights really delivering. Mike Swick really looked good again and I’m interested to see how Dan Hardy continues to progress in his weight class.

UFC 97: "Redemption" Re-Cap

UFC 97: Redemption
4/18/09

This show is highlighted by Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva defending against Thales Leites and Chuck Liddell taking on Shogun Rua. The Shogun/Liddell fight will be particularly interesting because whoever losses that fight is pretty much finished in the Light Heavyweight Division for the near future. Silva is looking to break the tie for most consecutive wins inside the Octagon (he is currently sitting at 8 straight wins). Cheick Kongo will also fight Antoni Hardonk in Heavyweight Fight.

Light Heavyweight Fight- Steve Cantwell (7-1) vs. Luiz Cane (10-1)

Cantwell is a former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion. Cantwell fought on the “Fight for the Troops” show in November and destroyed Razak Al-Hassan. His previous fight was an August 2008 win over Brian Stann by TKO for the WEC Title. Cane is coming off a win over Sokoudjou in which Sokoudjou gassed and then Cane finished him off. Both of these guys are borderline Top 10 Light Heavyweight Fighters. Cane is a Muay Thai specialist and Jiu Jitsu Black Belt. Cantwell is a Jiu Jitsu Brown Belt with Kick Boxing experience. This should be an explosive fight.

R1- Cane looks good early as he landing some strikes and stalking Cantwell early. As the round went on Cantwell seemed to become more confident but Cane definitely looks like the stronger fighter in this fight. Cane is leading 10-9 after one round on my score card.

R2- Cane controlled the early part of the round but Cantwell really started to score points in the middle of the round. Really close round that I’m giving to Cantwell so it’s 19-19 going into the final round.

R3- Cane landed a good combo in the first minute. Cane hit another good combo around the 4 minute mark of the round. Cane takes round three in a fairly close fight 29-28. Not a great fight for either guy, both guys fought hard and looked pretty good but both will really need to elevate their games to get up to the next level in UFC.

Judges score cards say: 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 in favor of Cane.

Winner: Luiz Cane by Decision (Unanimous)

Heavyweight Fight- Cheick Kongo (23-4-1) vs. Antoni Hardonk (8-4)

Kongo is coming off of an impressive first round win over Mostapha Al Turk at UFC 92. Hardonk also fought at UFC 92 and won in the second round against Mike Wessel and is currently on a 3 fight win streak. Ernesto Hoost is in Hardonk’s corner for the fight. Kongo has a 4” reach advantage.

R1- Kongo grabbed Hardonk’s leg and pushed him down halfway through the round but the fight was stood back up. After they stood back up Kongo got in some good shots and then got a take down with about a minute left in the round. Kongo is up 10 to 9 after the first round.

R2- Kongo got Hardonk down quickly in this round and jumped on top for some Ground and Pound. Hardonk is bloodied up and the ref steps in to stop the fight. Really good showing by Kongo. It took him a while to get started but he looked impressive after he got the fight to the ground just like he did in his last outing.

Winner: Cheick Kongo by TKO (Strikes) R2 2:29

Light Heavyweight Fight- Krzysztof Soszynski (17-9-1) vs. Brian Stann (6-1)

Stann is a former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion. He lost the belt to Steven Cantwell in August of 2008. Soszynski is from TUF Season 8. These guys are former training partners at Team Quest. Stann is currently training with Greg Jackson. If I was a betting man I would put my money on Stann in this fight. Soszynski has a 3.5” reach advantage.

R1- Soszynski got a take down at the two minute mark of the round. Soszynski laid on top of Stann for a minute and a half. Stann got up and Soszynski got another take down. Soszynski went for a kimura and couldn’t get it but went for it again and got it and Stann tapped out. And this is why I’m not a betting man. Nice win for Soszynski. Stann obviously needs some work on his ground game.

Winner: Krzysztof Soszynski by Submission (Kimura) R1 3:53

Light Heavyweight Fight- Chuck Liddell (21-6) vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (17-3)

This is a feast or famine fight for these guys. The winner is in line for a title shot with another victory and the loser is all but done in the UFC as a legit title contender. Shogun is coming off a lackluster victory over Mark Coleman in what may have been the worst fight of the year. Chuck is coming off of a KO at the hands of current Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans. Chuck Liddell is 39 years old, is this one of the last times we see him in the Octagon?

R1- Shogun got a take down about two and a half minutes into the round and went for a leg lock but couldn’t lock in the submission. Chuck got a take down with a minute left but immediately stood back up. Shogun landed a left hand and jumped on top and the ref stopped the fight! Shogun is back. Chuck looked really old in this fight as once Shogun hit a couple of leg kicks Chuck’s mobility looked slower and more limited. Maybe one more “money” fight for Chuck but besides that I don’t really think he should be fighting anymore.

Winner: Shogun Rua by TKO (Strikes) R1 4:28

Lightweight Fight- Sam Stout (14-5-1) vs. Matt Wiman (10-4)

Wiman is coming off of a Unanimous Decision loss to Jim Miller in December. Stout has a 3” reach advantage in this fight.

R1- Wiman starts off by landing some good strikes and then gets a take down but can’t land anything on the ground. Both guys are swinging freely in this fight. Wiman grabbed a guillotine and tried to pull guard but Stout slipped out and landed in Wiman’s guard. Wiman went for a take down with 30 seconds left in the round but Stout flipped him over. Good first round that was very close.

R2- Wiman tried to take Stout’s back but Stout was able to move into Wiman’s guard. Stout hurt Wiman towards the end of the round but Stout could not finish him and Wiman almost landed an arm bar. Stout really started to pull away here and took this round. I’ve got the fight 19-19 after two rounds.

R3- Wiman took Stout’s back and got him down onto the ground just a minute and a half into the round. Stout eventually rolls out of it and into Wiman’s guard with half the round remaining and Stout lands some Ground and Pound. They stood up and Wiman got another take down with a minute and a half left in the fight. Wiman drew some blood, got another take down and then both guys ended up swinging on their feet. This one is a toss up. I think Wiman’s going to take it as he looked better in the 1st and 2nd. Stout looked better overall but the fight is judges round by round not on the fight as a whole.

Judges score cards say: 29-28 on all score cards in favor of Sam Stout.

I can’t say that I disagree with the decision but it was a very close fight.

Winner: Sam Stout by Decision (Unanimous)

Channing Tatum and Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Cung Le join Mike Goldberg to hype their movie “Fighting”.


UFC Middleweight Title Fight: Anderson Silva © (23-4) vs. Thales Leites (14-1)

Thales is the next contender to try and take away Anderson’s belt. Thales has earned the title shot by winning a controversial decision over Nate Marquardt and by stopping Drew McFedries a little over a minute into the first round on the under card of Silva/Cote. Leites has won 5 straight fights and has won 27% of his fights by arm triangle. Leites is a Jiu Jitsu black belt. Anderson has 8 straight wins which is tied for the most in UFC history but is coming off of a disappointing fight against Patrick Cote. In UFC Anderson has landed 80% of his strikes. Leites comes out to “Welcome to the Jungle”. You have to like that.

R1- One minute into the fight and neither guy has thrown a strike. Two minutes into the fight and not much is going on. Anderson tries to stalk Leites down but he’s more comfortable staying away from Anderson. Leites throws a high kick at the two minute mark that is blocked. Anderson sweeps Leites to the ground with a leg kick. Leites tries to take Anderson down but he’s denied and they clinch. Really slow first round. Anderson takes it 10-9 to the boos of the crowd as he landed the best two shots of the round. Both guys are fighting more of a counter style. Anderson finally started to stalk Leites towards the end of the round when it became apparent that Leites was not going to let Anderson be the counter puncher in this fight.

R2- Leites got a take down early into the round. Anderson got back to his feet at the two minute mark without really taking any damage from Leites. They basically stand around and do nothing for a minute as Leites wants nothing to do with Anderson on his feet. Anderson basically chases Leites around the ring and lands a couple of strikes. Leites got a take down but didn’t do anything with it. Anderson at least landed some strikes. I’ve got Anderson up 20-18 in a very unimpressive fight so far. Leites wants nothing to do with Anderson on his feet and Anderson is being very wary of Leites.

R3- Anderson caught a Leites leg kick early in the round and then avoided a take down. Anderson stuffed another take down and then Leites laid on his back. Fans chant “GSP” during the fight. Anderson starts to land some strikes and Leites dives onto the ground to avoid them. Anderson landed a good side kick. Anderson went for a punch and Leites dove onto the ground again to avoid him. Anderson starts to work Leites over with some jabs. Anderson takes this round so he’s up 30-27. Unless Leites somehow wins this fight he might be dropped by UFC after this performance. He’s almost going out of his way to be “unexciting”.

R4- Anderson is landing some front kicks and leg kicks to start this round. Anderson is dancing around this round since Leites doesn’t want to exchange with him. Leites went for a take down and got stuffed. Anderson is winning this fight 40-36. I think Leites would just lay on the ground and sleep if the ref would let him.

R5- Leites actually comes out to fight in this round and Anderson gets on top and gets in a couple of shots. Leites has blood coming from his nose. Anderson hits a couple of strikes and Leites dives to the ground to avoid Anderson. Fans chant “GSP” again during this round. This is probably the most boring title fight I’ve ever seen. Leites just did not want any part of Anderson Silva in this fight. Anderson wins this fight 50-45 in a boring, dominant route. I would be surprised if Thales Leites fights for UFC again after this debacle.

Judges score cards say: 49-46, 48-47 and 50-46 in favor of Anderson.

Winner and still Middleweight Champion: Anderson Silva by Decision (Unanimous)

Not a real good show from UFC. The under card was pretty decent but the Main Event just flat out did not deliver.

UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 Re-Cap

UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008

Heavyweight Fight- Cheick Kongo (22-4-1) vs. Mostapha Al Turk (6-3)

This is Turk's debut in UFC. He was born in Beruit, Lebanon and is fighting out of London, England. Turk is a jiu jitsu based fighter. If Kongo can win this fight he puts himself in position to be a possible title contender later in 2009 due to the soft UFC Heavyweight Division. Kongo has a 4 and a half inch reach advantage which could be huge since he's a better striker.

"This is a battle of the cool names"- Joe Rogan

R1- They exchange low blows in the first round. Kongo came on really strong in the last minute of the round and knocked Turk down and started hitting a ton of strikes and busted him open and reigned down elbows and hammer fists. Great finish by Kongo. He really took it to Turk once he got him down. This is as good as I've seen Kongo look. Rogan described it well by saying he was "completely relentless."

Winner: Cheick Kongo by TKO (strikes) R1 4:37

Randy and Kim Couture are in attendance tonight.

Light Heavyweight Fight- Rampage Jackson (28-7) vs. Wanderlei Silva (32-8-1)

What a stacked card when you can bring out Rampage/Wanderlei for the second fight on the show. This should be FOTN and has the ability to be one of the most exciting fights this year. This is the third match-up between the two fighters with Silva winning the first two. Winner of this fight steps up in line (with Lyoto Machida) to face the winner of Griffin/Evans for the Light Heavyweight Strap. Rogan calls Silva the most consistently exciting fighter in MMA history. This should be a Main Event on any show for any organization. Very mixed reaction for Rampage from the crowd. The fighters don't touch gloves prior to the fight. This is a GRUDGE match!

R1- Rampage hit a big knockout punch towards the end of the round and then continued to pound on Silva as the ref tried to pull him off. Big knockout punch by Rampage. Big left hook by Rampage. They cut to Chuck Liddell after the knockout and he looked less than thrilled with the finish. Great comeback for Rampage after the Forrest fight and he looks to step right back up in line for a re-match for the Light Heavyweight Fight.

Winner: Rampage Jackson by KO (left hook) R1 3:21

In the post-fight interview Rampage says he's back.

Heavyweight Fight- Dan Evensen vs. Pat Barry

This is from the pre-show. Barry is hyped as a big-time striker. Evenson lost to Kongo at the UFC 87 show at the end of the first round by TKO. This is Barry's debut in the UFC.

R1- Barry looked decent and it looked like Evensen tweaked something (due to Barry's leg kicks) and could not continue.

Winner: Patrick Barry by TKO (Leg Kick) R1 2:36

Middleweight Fight- CB Dollaway (8-2) vs. Mike Massenzio (11-2)

Both guys are college wrestlers with Massenzio's only loss coming on an upset at the hands of Dollaway. Dollaway has a 2 and a half inch reach advantage.

R1- Massenzio got some shots in and knocked CB down and then grabbed a guillotine but CB survived. CB mounts him and then takes his back and starts to hit him with punches on both sides of the head and Massenzio does nothing to get out of the strikes and the ref stops the fight. Not much damage done by CB but Massenzio did nothing to defend himself. Questionable finish but Massenzio didn't help himself out. Big win for CB.

Winner: CB Dollaway by TKO (strikes) R1 3:01

Light Heavyweight FIght- Matt Hamill vs. Reese Andy

Hamill is coming off a loss to Rich Franklin and Andy is coming off a loss to Brandon Vera. This is a pre-show fight.

R1- They stand up for the round and trade strikes. Hamill got a cut under his eye but pushed forward for the majority of the round. The guy in Matt Hamill's corner drops the f bomb about 50 times as Hamill reads his lips for instruction.

R2- Andy looked for some take downs but Hamill stuffed them and then hit some good strikes on Andy. Andy just slumped down to his knees and basically looked like he gave up as Hamill started to hit him with strikes. The ref finally stops it. Great second round by Hamill.

Winner: Matt Hamill by TKO (strikes) R2 2:15

Brock Lesnar joins Mike and Joe between the fights. Basically says he's not the champ yet until he beats the winner of Mir/Big Nog.

UFC Interim Heavyweight Title Fight- Antonio Minotauro Nogueira © (31-4-1) vs. Frank Mir (11-3)

Mir's average fight lasts 3:38 according to Mike Goldberg. Big Nog comes out to the Rolling Stones.

R1- Mir hit a good jab early. Mir is looking good early and gets a take down but gives it up to stand back up. Mir knocked down Big Nog at the 3 minute mark but again lets Big Nog up. Big Nog got in a good combo against the cage at the end of the round. Mir looked really good in this first round and got another knock down at the end of the first round. Mir won this round. Possibly 10-8. The announcers say it's 10-8, Big Nog got in some shots but Mir knocked Big Nog down 3 times.

R2- Mir hits Big Nog with two big punches and knocks him down and then jumps on top with some punches and Herb Dean stops the fight. Surprising finish and I think the stoppage was early considering how much punishment Big Nog takes but Mir was definitely owning this fight.

Post-fight Mir basically stares down Lesnar.

Winner and new Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion: Frank Mir by TKO (strikes) R2 1:54

Light Heavyweight Title Fight- Forrest Griffin © (16-4) vs. Rashad Evans (17-0-1)

The battle of the winners of TUF Season 1 and Season 2. And they are Main Eventing a show with Wanderlei Silva, Big Nog, Frank Mir and Rampage Jackson. Forrest has a 4 inch reach advantage and a 2 inch height advantage. I have a feeling that Rashad is going to win this fight but I've got to pull for Forrest since he's from Athens.

R1- Huge "Forrest" chant at the beginning of the round. Rashad laying back early like he did in the Liddell fight. Forrest took Round One 10-9. Rashad looked like he definitely has the quickness factor but he's laying back more and Forrest is pushing forward. If this fight stays on it's feet I can see Rashad getting a big punch in and ending this.

R2- Forrest hit a big right hand about a minute into the fight and they really mixed it up against the cage and then Rashad smiled at him and kind of gave him that "you can't hurt me" look. Forrest is doing a really good job with his kicks in this fight. Forrest took this round as well and is up 20-18 on my score card. His leg kicks seem to be taking their toll and Rashad is having trouble so far with Forrest's reach advantage. Still anybody's fight but Forrest is the aggressor so far and is out striking Rashad. Rashad has more power though so he's far from out with 3 rounds left. Neither guy looks to have sustained significant damage.

R3- Rashad grabs a Forrest leg kick and takes him down and is delivering hammer fists to Forrest. Forrest was in trouble but took him to full guard. Rashad hits some nice elbows while in Forrest's guard. Rashad delivering lots of punches from the top and the ref stops the fight. Big time round from Rashad. Forrest shows a lot of class and immediately congratulates Rashad once he gets up.

Winner and NEW Light Heavyweight Champion: Rashad Evans by TKO (strikes) R3 2:46

Heavyweight Fight- Antoni Hardonk vs. Mike Wessel

This is a pre-show fight. This is Wessell's UFC debut.

R1- Wessell overpowers him early and gets him to the ground. Back to their feet. Wessell is thick. Hardonk hits some good knees. Wessell gets Hardonk down again and Hardonk goes for a triangle but can't get it. Wessell gets full mount right at the buzzer. Wessell is bloodied up from the knees to his face. Good first round.

R2- Hardonk takes Wessell's back and gets the hooks in on him. Hardonk finishes him with strikes.

Winner: Antoni Hardonk by TKO (strikes) R2 2:09


Overall a strong show with a good Main Event in Evans/Griffin. Mir/Big Nog was a surprisingly one-sided fight and Silva/Jackson had a big KO. FOTN was Evans/Griffin.

UFC awarded Evans/Griffin the "Fight of the Night" 60K bonus and Rampage got the 60K "KO of the Night" bonus. No submission bonus was given as no fight ended by submission.

Where do we go from here?

Light Heavyweight Division- Looks like we are set up with Rashad Evans vs Rampage Jackson for the Light Heavyweight Championship with the winner taking on Lyoto Machida/Thiago Silva winner. Forrest versus Chuck Liddell would be an interesting fight for Forrest's next fight.

Heavyweight Division- Obviously we have the Lesnar/Mir re-match. It will be interesting to see where they go with Big Nog. Maybe a fight with Randy Couture?

UFC 87: "Seek and Destroy" Re-Cap

UFC 87: Seek and Destroy

Middleweight Fight- Jason MacDonald (21-9) vs. Demian Maia (8-0)

MacDonald has an 8" reach advantage.

R1- Maia pulls guard 30 seconds into the fight. Maia is going for a triangle early. Rogan says it's over. Maia also hitting him with elbows. MacDonald flips out and gets Maia's back. Incredible reversal and he had a Rear Naked Choke but lost it. MacDonald gets some shots in and then gets a guillotine and Maia flips him over and takes side control. Maia takes MacDonald's back with 45 seconds left. Maia is bleeding. Maia looks like he's got it in pretty good. And the first round ends. Great first round. A very thinking man's grappling match on the ground. Maia 10 MacDonald 9.

R2- They mix it up for a couple of seconds before they tie up. Maia goes for some knees and connects lightly to the body with some. Maia gets a take down. Maia is landing some nice punches on MacDonald and then some elbows. Maia with more elbows. Maia dominating this round so far. Maia is landing more punches. MacDonald has been busted open now, but not too badly. Maia goes for an arm bar as McDonald tried to escape. MacDonald gets out and takes Maia's guard with about 15 seconds left in the round. Maia just dominated this round. Maia 20 MacDonald 18. MacDonald needs a submission or a knockout to win.

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is shown in the crowd between rounds.

R3- Maia gets a take down early and MacDonald reverses it. MacDonald controlled for about a minute and then Maia rolled him over and took full mount. Maia hitting some elbows. MacDonald gives up his back and Maia continues to punch him. Maia goes for a Rear Naked Choke and MacDonald taps out. Wanderlei Silva was in Maia's corner for the fight.

Pretty decent opening fight with a great first round. Maia looks like a good fighter based on this fight. It will be interesting to see him progress as he fights guys up the ladder.

"The only reason he escapes is cause the other guy is trying to kill him"- Joe Rogan

Winner: Demian Maia by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3 2:44

Lightweight Fight- Roger Huerta (22-1-1) vs. Kenny Florian (11-3)

This should be fun. Florian has looked really good lately and Huerta is coming off of a big lay off. It will be interesting to see how much this hurts Huerta. Florian has a 4" reach advantage. Huerta is from Minneapolis so he gets a big reaction and Florian doesn't get much in the way of cheers.

R1- They trade some leg kicks early and then Florian gets a take down and mounts Huerta about a minute and a half into the fight. Huerta gives up his back with 3 minutes left in the round and gets out of the hold. Huerta catches Florian with a good combo then they clinch with no one with a distinct advantage. Close first round. Not nearly as much action as I thought that there would be. I've got to give the round to Florian based on getting the only take down, mounting Huerta and then taking his back although he didn't really do much damage in the sequence. Florian 10 Huerta 9.

R2- Pretty even action early in the round. Florian went for a take down, got stuffed but stayed with it and got Huerta down and quickly took his back but Huerta got out again. Florian got a leg sweep on Huerta and then got in a couple of good shots. They mix it up at the end of the round and seems like they are starting to get going. I've got Florian taking this round as well. Both rounds are fairly close but Florian looks like he's starting to pull away as Huerta looks real rusty to me. He keeps trying to use the Superman punch. Looks to me like Florian has a much better game plan. Florian 20 Huerta 18.

R3- Lots of action early in this round. Florian hit a front kick to start the round off then got a take down but couldn't hold it, hit a knee and then hit a flying knee on Huerta. Huerta looked pissed but got taken down by Florian. Huerta got back to his feet again. Three minutes left and both guys are standing up and punching now. Florian hit another front kick. Florian kind of running away from Huerta a little here towards the end with a minute and a half left in the fight- maybe knowing that he's got this one in the bag if it goes to a decision. Huerta lands a right hand and keeps moving forward. Florian keeps backing up fighting this round to win by decision. Florian hits a knee and Huerta comes at him and Florian backs off. Huerta slips on a kick and then Florian takes him down as Huerta looks like he hurt himself. Florian much more aggressive right at the end of the round. I've got this round going to Huerta just based on Florian backing away for about 4 minutes of the round. I've got it scored 29-28 Florian, not a convincing victory due to the lack of effort to get a finish and a little disappointing fight based on what I was expected.

All three judges score the fight 30-27 in favor of Florian.

Winner: Kenny Florian by Decision (Unanimous)

BJ Penn is in attendance tonight.

Lightweight Fight- Manvel Gamburyan (10-3) vs.Rob Emerson (9-6)

R1- Both guys swinging big early and Rob Emerson hits Manvel hard and he goes down and then he eats some more punches and this one is over.

Winner: Rob Emerson by KO R1 0:12

Laura Prepon from That 70s Show is at the fights again tonight.

Heavyweight Fight- Cheick Kongo (21-4-1) vs. Dan Evensen (10-2)

R1- Kongo got a take down against the cage about a minute into the fight but doesn't do anything. Evensen has a standing guillotine against the cage but Kongo pops out pretty easily. Kongo gets another take down about 4 minutes into the round and this time gets some shots in on Evensen but then gave up his advantage. Kongo hits some kicks and then sticks Evensen with a punch that floors him and then jumps on him for some Ground & Pound and the ref steps in with about five seconds left in the fight. Great finishing flurry by Kongo. He controlled the fight although wasn't doing much damage until that end flurry.

Winner: Cheick Kongo by TKO (strikes) R1 4:55

Heavyweight Fight- Heath Herring (28-13) vs. Brock Lesnar (1-1)

Brock gets a huge pop. Herring is the heel. This should be fun.

R1- Lesnar misses a big knee to start out and then sticks Herring with a big straight right hand punch that knocks him down. Lesnar runs in but Herring gets to his feet. Brock has him in a guillotine against the cage. Herring is bleeding. Heath gets out but Brock gets a take down. Brock nails Heath with a punch but then stands up and then gets back down on Heath. Lesnar with a couple of punches in as Heath is ducking into the canvas and trying to slide out. Brock with a big knee to the side. Brock just kind of riding Heath at this point and not letting him up and hitting some strikes. Lesnar with punches to Herrings back or side. Lesnar just dominated Heath in the first round. Lesnar ends the round with knees to the side. I don't remember Herring even getting in one offensive move in this round so it's got to be a 10-8 round. Herring just did nothing offensively. That being said, Herring is very experienced so he could still easily pull out this fight but Lesnar looked awesome in the first round.

They show Jessie Ventura in between rounds and it looks like he's sitting next to BJ Penn!

R2- Lesnar goes for an immediate take down but Herring denies him. Lesnar with a leg kick. They clinch and Lesnar just muscled him down. Herring again kind of ducks his head into the canvas and gives Brock his back. Lesnar moves into side control. Lesnar hits a couple of punches and Herring again goes into the turtle trying to survive. Brock mounts and Herring gives up his back and then goes back into the turtle before Brock can do anything. Lesnar with some knees to the side of Heath. Herring looks exhausted. Brock moves to side control but Heath again moves to the turtle. Heath works his way back to his feet. Lesnar with a knee while in the clinch and then another and you can just see Herring hurt when he hits those. Herring with a couple of knees.Herring missed a couple of punches and then got taken down again. Almost another 10-8 round but I'll go 10-9. Lesnar just dominating 20-17 on my score card. Herring needs to finish this fight in order to win. Herring looks rough in the corner.

R3- Lesnar lands a kick to the side. Herring rushes him against the cage and they clinch. Lesnar with a knee and another. Herring comes back with a couple of small knees and then gets muscled down by Brock. Lesnar hits some knees to the body. Herring trying to go for an arm lock but Lesnar denies him and gets full mount. Herring rolls over and turtles up again. Lesnar with a big knee. Herring gets back to his feet gets in a couple of shots and gets taken down again. Lesnar getting some shots in to the side. Lesnar mounts with about 10 seconds left and gets some punches in. Lesnar looked great in this fight. He acted like a jackass after he won but he still looked great. I've got this an easy Lesnar 30-26 win. If Lesnar could work on his ground game he's going to be a real problem for the fighters he's up against. Herring looked messed up badly after this fight.

Judges score cards are all 30-26 in favor of Lesnar.

Winner: Brock Lesnar by Decision (Unanimous)

Welterweight Title Fight- Georges St. Pierre (c) (16-2) vs. Jon Fitch (21-2)

R1- GSP gets an immediate take down about 5 seconds into the fight. Fitch got to his feet after two minutes but got taken down again. Fitch back to his feet and GSP just nailed him with a punch and Ftich went down. GSP is all over Fitch and is reigning down punches on him in his guard. GSP with big elbows. Fitch back to his feet and he gets rocked again by GSP. GSP just totally dominating Fitch. GSP with some big time elbows and Fitch is busted open. GSP passes Fitch's guard and gets side control. GSP mounts with 10 seconds left but doesn't get anything before the round ends. GSP just totally ate up Fitch in this round. A borderline 10-8 round.

R2- Fitch trying to stay in this fight as he gets a couple of body shots but GSP comes back with a good combo. GSP hit him with a good solid jab. Fitch gets in some shots with about a minute and a half left in the round. GSP gets a take down stuffed. Good come back round for Fitch as GSP changed up his game plan and let Fitch back into the fight. This round could have gone either way.

R3- GSP rocks Fitch about 15 seconds into the round with a solid punch and then takes Fitch's back. Fitch rolls him over and is in GSP's guard. Fitch eventually turns him back over and takes Fitch's guard. They stand up. GSP with a big right and then a big knee, a head kick and another knee. GSP with another shot and he's measuring Fitch and this point and then picks him up and slams him to the ground as the round is ending. GSP clearly took this round.

R4- Pretty even stand up for the first minute or two of this round. Fitch had a take down stuffed. Fitch went for another take down but GSP stood up and rode him to the cage. GSP got a take down at the end of the round. Overall, an uneventful round that goes to GSP. Both guys have cuts but neither are bad. Fitch needs a knockout or submission to win.

R5- GSP hit a nice spinning back fist about a minute into the round and then took Fitch down.GSP lands some solid shots on Fitch while in his guard. GSP controls this round. GSP took every round except maybe Round 2 and was never in danger in this fight. Good win for GSP. Fitch got dominated in Round 1 and then showed a lot of heart and came back and fought a closer fight but again never really put GSP in a position of danger.

Scorecards are 50-43, 50-44 and 50-44 for GSP

Winner: Georges St. Pierre by Decision (Unanimous)

BJ Penn comes into the ring post match as they tease the fight.

Overall, a little bit disappointing of a show as the Big 3 fights that I came in really wanted to see where all lopsided victories (Brock, GSP and KFlo).

UFC Wired 4/26 Re-Cap

UFC Wired 4/26

Heavyweight Fight- Mirko Cro Cop (22-5-2) vs. Cheick Kongo (20-3-1)- UFC 75- 9/8/07

R1- Cro Cop is coming off of a knockout at the hands of Gonzaga and Kongo is coming off of a win. Cro Cop got a pretty good ovation at introduction. Mirko is kind of stalking him early- continually moving forward- and got in a couple of punches. Kongo slipped and Mirko jumped all over him but didn’t get any damage as they clinched against the cage. Mirko takes him down and is in control as he slides him up against the cage. Mirko gets full mount with about 50 seconds left in the round. Kongo is doing a pretty good job defending and actually reverses the position at the end of the round. R1 goes to Mirko as he controlled the cage and got more damage. Not a dominate performance but a good first round from him. Still anybody’s fight.

R2- Kongo is the aggressor in Round 2 as he’s throwing jabs and kicks. Kongo gets a take down on Mirko. Kongo controlling the round but not inflicting too much damage. Kongo with some nice knees while in the clinch. This round was all Kongo as he controlled from start to finish.

R3- This round will decide the fight. Kongo gets some nice strikes in right off the bat. Kongo with some knees and there is a low blow by Kongo and we have a break. Kongo with more kicks and jabs. Mirko trying to come back with a couple of kicks but Kongo is the aggressor again in this round. One minute left and Kongo with some knees and a nice kick and ties up Mirko on the cage. Kongo controlled this round and I’ve got him with a 29-28 win on my scorecard. Judges scorecards are all 29-28 in favor of Kongo

Rogan puts over that Kongo broke one of Cro Cop’s ribs in the first round.

Winner: Cheick Kongo via Decision (unanimous)

Light Heavyweight Fight- Keith Jardine (12-3-1) vs. Houston Alexander (6-1)- UFC 71- 5/26/07

This is Alexander’s UFC debut and they put Jardine over as being heavily favored coming off of his win against Forrest Griffin.

R1- Jardine starts off with some shots and gets Alexander down. He charges but Alexander catches him and just swarms on him laying down a ton of punches and a knee and more punches and Jardine just crumbles. Alexander takes time to scream at him after he’s knocked out. Just a wild one minute fight. Alexander landed a ton of brutal shots.

Winner: Houston Alexander by KO R1 0:41

Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin

This was on the UFC Unleashed 4/16 show.

Middleweight Title Match: Anderson Silva © vs. Rich Franklin

R1- This is the re-match and it’s in Franklin’s hometown of Cincinnati. Long feeling out process to start. Franklin trying to exchange. Anderson going for the clinch. Doesn’t get it but has Franklin against the cage. Anderson with some knees. Franklin gets the takedown and is in Anderson’s guard but Anderson is real active and they are standing up again with Franklin holding one of Anderson’s legs. Franklin has him up against the cage now. Anderson with some knees. They separate. Anderson with a spinning back kick. They are exchanging on their feet now. Anderson with a nice kick and some punches and knees. Anderson is taking it to him now. Franklin looking at the clock and trying to survive. Franklin with a couple knees. Anderson responds with a knee. Franklin is cut. Franklin with an attempted combo and Anderson dances around it. Anderson with a huge knee and some nice punches and Franklin gets destroyed with a punch at the end of the round and needs help getting back to his corner. Round to Silva- period.

R2- Franklin with some jabs, Anderson goes for the Muy Thai Clinch but misses. Anderson destroys Franklin with a knee and is now pelting him with kicks, knees and punches and it’s over.

Anderson Silva is just so impressive. He waits for his spot and when he attacks he’s so overwhelming. He’s got to be the best fighter in the world right now.

Winner: Anderson Silva by TKO R2 1:07

UFC 82 Show Re-Cap/Thoughts

UFC 82

Pre-Show

John Halverson vs Jorge Gurgel

This one looks like a pretty even match-up through the first couple of minutes as they are exchanging on their feet. Halverson attacks about 3 minutes into the cage with a flurry of punches and then ties up Gurgel against the cage. Halverson’s got him in a guillotine but Gurgel gets out pretty quickly and is now on top in guard position. Really close first round. Gurgel finished strong in guard and got in a couple of good punches.

R2- An early low blow slows this one down as they break for recovery time. Halverson goes for a guillotine and then another submission but Gurgel ends up on top in guard and is starting to get in some good punches as he has Halverson up against the cage. Gorges getting in a lot of punches and is looking to finish Halverson. Halverson hangs on. Gurgel passes to side control with a minute and a half left in the round. He is now in basically a north/south position and is going for an arm submission. Now he’s going for an arm bar but Halverson slips out and is on top in guard and is throwing some punches. This round goes to Gurgel but Halverson showed a lot of guts in staying alive in the round and then getting in some offense at the end of the round.

R3- Halverson is the aggressor early and he hits some punches and backs Gurgel into the cage. They go to the mat and then back to their feet with Halverson again landing some punches. They are really going back and forth in the middle of the ring and then Gurgel takes him down with half the round left. Gurgel again laying in punches from the guard position. Gurgel hitting some elbows. The ref ends up standing them up with a minute left. Halverson is swining for the fences to get the win but Gurgel wraps him up.

Overall, this was a pretty decent fight. Gurgel gets the win via decision 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. Good decision IMO. Halverson fought a good fight but Gurgel just controlled the fight more and clearly dominated Round 2.

Welterweight- Dustin Hazelett (12-3) vs Josh Koscheck (11-2)

Haslett takes it right to Koscheck at the beginning and back him up to the cage and then Koscheck comes back after him in an exciting exchange to start the fight. Koscheck looking good early and is throwing a lot of punches and looking to be the aggressor but then Hazelett comes back and gets dsome good attempts in. Koscheck comes at him and pins him up against the cage. Hazelett goes for the guillotine and looks like he might be able to finish here but Koscheck gets out of it. Hazelett throws a big knee. Koscheck with a good combo. Koscheck takes him down but Hazelett goes for the triangle with 20 seconds left as the round ends. Really good first round with both guys looking real good. This was really even IMO, not sure who really won the fight. If I had to choose I would pick Koscheck because even though he ended the round at a disadvantage he had the most control of the fight throughout and seemed to me to get in more shots on his opponent and also got the only takedown of the round. Really close round, really a toss up.

Round 2- They are fighting for while pretty evenly but then Koscheck hits a real nice head kick and quickly follows it up with some punches and the ref stops the fight. Really nice finish from Koscheck who has really improved his stand up game since the Ultimate Fighter Season 1.

Welterweight- David Bielkheden (12-5) vs Diego Sanchez (19-2)

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.

Heavyweight- Andrei Arlovski (13-5) vs Jake O’Brien (10-0)

Don’t know much about O’Brien except that he is undefeated. Arlovski has got to be the favorite here and he gets a real good reaction from the fans at introduction. Jake shoots in quick for the takedown but Arlovski holds him up and grabs a guillotine type hold but it’s not cinched in. They stand up and O’Brien shoots again but Arlovski keeps him at bay and grabs him again. They stand up again and O’Brien shoots again and again gets denied. Arlovski grabs him again but isn’t doing any damage. O’Brien finally takes him down on a 4th try. O’Brien is on top in the guard but not much is happening. Arlovski is actually getting in more clean shots from the bottom than O’Brien is from the top. First Round goes to Arlovski based on cage control, denying the takedowns and doing more damage. O’Brien has a cut on the top of his head.

Round 2- O’Brien shoots in quickly but again is denied. And then again. And again. And again. It happens again but O’Brien fights through and gets on top. Not much happening in this round. They are standing up and Arlovski has him in a bear hug and goes down on top of O’Brien and starts to pepper him with punches. Ref calls the fight.

Pretty boring fight until Arlovski got on top in Round 2 and ended it quickly.

Main Card:

Welterweight- Jon Fitch (20-2-1)vs Chris Wilson (12-3-1)

They feel each other out and then Wilson grabs a brief clinch but Fitch gets out. Wilson went for a punch and got pushed into the cage but they are back in the center now. Fitch with a couple of jabs and sprinkling in kicks. Wilson whiffs on a punch and Fitch grabs him but Wilson battles out and catches him with a punch. Wilson is hitting some strikes now but Fitch grabs him and is trying to take him down. Fitch finally gets Wilson off his feet. Fitch does nothing on the ground so the ref stands them up. They are exchanging some soft strikes. Fitch takes him down off of a kick and is in full guard on top of Wilson. Fitch is laying in some punches, Wilson trying to get some elbows from the top and the round ends. Pretty even round. I think Wilson got more on their feet but Fitch got two takedowns so I'll give him the round due to Wilson not really getting much damage despite getting in more shots.

"The most boring aspect of Mixed Martial Arts is still more exciting then the best part of baseball"- Joe Rogan

R2- Fitch goes for a quick takedown by grabbing the leg but Wilson squirms out. Wilson misses an uppercut and Fitch goes for another takedown and eventually gets it. He's in half guard now on top of Wilson and moves to full guard. Fitch is switching between half and full guard and hitting some body punches. Fitch gets side control and starts to hit some elbows to the side of the head and then follows with some punches. Fitch gets in the mount position with 1:20 left in the round but Wilson gets him into half guard. Fitch is getting some punches and elbows in, nothing that's going to end the fight but they will take their toll. They scramble but Fitch stays on top. Nothing exciting about this round but Fitch controlled it and is winning the fight 20-18 in my book.

R3- Not much going on here in round 3. Fitch finally hits a combo about a minute in. Wilson gets in a couple of shots after another Fitch combo. Fitch with another punch. Fitch is winning the exchanges in this round. Crowd is lightly booing. Fitch takes down Wilson again and is on top. Fitch throwing some punches down on Wilson, who is pinned against the cage. Wilson is going for a triangle with about 20 seconds left and apparently has it but Fitch holds on. Fitch wins this round also as he just dominated the entire round but the last 20 seconds.

I think Fitch wins this in very un-exciting fashion 30-27. Fitch is a good fighter and really controlled this one but he just has no flair which is a big selling point for the fighters in UFC.

Decision: Jon Fitch by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Middleweight- Yushin Okami (22-4) vs. Evan Tanner (34-6)

Tanner seems to be the aggressor early but no clear advantage. Okami sticks him with a punch and Tanner goes down and Okami jumps on him but can’t finish and Tanner takes him down and they quickly go back to their feet. Good recovery from Tanner. Okami trying to get some knees in. Not a real exciting first round. I felt that Tanner controlled the fight but Okami got the only knockdown of the first down.

R2- Okami with some nice kicks in the first minute. Okami seems to be taking over this fight here in the second round. Tanner backs him into the cage. Okami destroys Tanner with a knee and gets the win. Not an overly exciting fight but Okami looked really good and in control in Round 2 and hit an impressive finish.

Winner: Yushin Okami via KO Round 2 (3:00)

Big Dave Batista is in the house.

Middleweight- Chris Leben (17-4) vs. Alessio Sakara (16-6-1)

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.

"There's the left hook that put him on queer street"- Joe Rogan

Winner: Chris Leben via TKO Round 1 (3:16)

Heavyweight- Heath Herring (27-13-1) vs. Cheick Kongo (21-3-1)

Herring comes right out and just nails Kongo and he goes down quickly. Herring has him up against the fence but Kongo reverses and takes Herring down. Herring has a kimura but Kongo slips out and lands some shots on the back of Herring. They are now mixing it up on their feet and Kongo takes him down again. Herring reverses and they sprawl a bit. Herring stays on top as he corners Kongo on the cage but Kongo gets to his feet. Herring has him in a guillotine type hold. Kongo using his knees to try and get out. Kongo takes him down again and is in full mount against the cage. Kongo hitting some punches to the side of Herring. Herring rolls over on top but Kongo gets back to his feet and Herring has him up against the cage. Herring tries to take him down but Kongo rolls over and is landing punches. Kongo in a dominant position now but not doing much with it. This was a good first round. Pretty close, I'm going to give it to Kongo due to him seemingly controlling the majority of takedowns and he landed more damage in the round.

R2- Herring again looks to come out quick but Kongo is quickly on top and throwing punches. Kongo is in half guard on top and working some punches into the side of Herring. Herring hits an upkick. Ref stands them up. Herring charges at Kongo and they are up against the cage now. Kongo picks him up and dumps him down and Herring is giving up his back but Kongo doesn't attack it as he hasn't when he's had the opportunity. Kongo finally rolls over and attempts to take his back. Gets in a couple of shots. Herring rolls over and is in a North/South position and is landing punches to Kongo's body. Herring moves to side control. He lands some knees. More knees by Herring. Herring continues to hit knees as the round ends. This round goes to Herring as Kongo dominated early but didn't do much damage and Herring just dominated the last minute and a half and hit a bunch of big knees to Kongo's body. I've got it 19-19 going into Round 2.

R3- Herring goes right at Kongo and lands a big kick but Kongo lands on top and hits a couple of punches and now has Herring's back. Kongo tried for a choke but Herring rolled out and they are on their feet. They wrestle and Kongo gets him down and again has his back. Herring rolls over and is on top. Herring in side control and is landing some punches. Herring lands a knee and is now hitting some knees. Herring with some punches to the body. Herring now in full mount and is laying in some body punches until the round ends.

This is the second time I watched this fight. The first time I though Kongo won but watching it again I give Kongo the first round and Herring the last two as he inflicted more damage in those rounds and ended both rounds in a dominant position. My pick is Herring 29-28 in a close one but not one that I would necessarily like to see a re-match for.

Decision: Heath Herring by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Middleweight Championship- Anderson Silva (c) (20-4) vs Dan Henderson (22-6)

Feeling out process in the early going. Henderson finally goes in after about a minute and we start to see some action now. Silva throwing some kicks now but not doing damage with them. Henderson grabs Silva and takes him down. Silva grabs a headlock and Henderson isn't doing anything on top. Henderson starting to get in a couple of punches but Silva still has him in a headlock which is limiting the damage that can be inflicted. Henderson has side control with 30 seconds left but Silva spins out and Henderson is now in full guard. Round One comes to an end with what seems to be little damage inflicted by either fighter. Henderson wins the round due to cage control and his take down. 10-9 Henderson.

R2- They are trading some jabs and kicks early. Sliva starting to get some kicks in. Silva takes down Henderson. They are up and against the fence. Henderson is controlling Silva against the cage in a greco clinch. Henderson with a knee. They trade some punches and Silva is dominating with punches and gets on top. Nails an elbow, Henderson grabs Silva and is trying to get out. Silva has half guard. Silva has his back and is throwing punches. Silva is delivering punches and has him in a body triangle. Silva throwing punches. Silva trying to flatten out Henderson but they roll over and Silva's got the rear naked choke clamped on and Henderson taps.

Good fight. Silva really dominated the second round

Winner and still champ: Anderson Silva via tapout from Rear Naked Choke Round 2 4:52