UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin

UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin
GM Place
Vancouver, British Columbia
June 12, 2010

The Main Event tonight is Chuck Liddell fighting Rich Franklin. As you know, it was originally supposed to be Chuck versus Tito Ortiz but Tito withdrew and had surgery and Rich stepped in to take Tito's spot as TUF coach and his spot in this fight. There are some other intriguing fights on this card. Cro Crop versus Pat Barry, Martin Kampann against Paulo Thiago, Ben Rothwell fights Gilbert Yvel and Carlos Condit is in action against Rory MacDonald. As usual, Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan handle the announcing and Bruce Buffer is the ringer announcer.

Welterweight Fight- Carlos Condit (24-5) vs. Rory MacDonald (10-0)

MacDonald is only 20 years old and is the youngest fighter in the UFC. MacDonald is 1-0 inside the Octagon. Condit is a former WEC Champion. Condit is 1-1 in the UFC with two wars against Martin Kampmann and Jake Ellenberger. Condit trains with Greg Jackson. Will it be youth or experience tonight? MacDonald is Canadian so he gets a huge ovation when announced.

R1- MacDonald quickly caught a Condit kick and took him down but let him back up. MacDonald tried to measure Condit with some shots but came up empty. Fans chant "Rory". MacDonald got a take down inside of the first minute. Condit lands some good strikes to the face from the bottom. Condit got back to his feet without taking any damage and actually controlling the situation from his back. MacDonald swung for the fences and Condit landed a good right counter that wobbled MacDonald. MacDonald landed a couple of strikes that took Condit to the fence and then MacDonald got another take down. Condit again got to his feet without taking any damage. Condit is landing some good kicks. MacDonald got a take down to end the round. MacDonald got 3 take downs but didn't do anything with them. I give the round to Condit because he delivered more damage on the ground and landed the best shot on their feet. It was close but I've got Condit 10-9. Rogan says he gave the round to MacDonald based on take downs.

R2- Condit tried for a take down but MacDonald ended up on top. Condit again gets to his feet without any damage. Condit missed a superman punch and MacDonald tried for a take down but Condit reversed it and ended up on top. MacDonald was able to kick out and ended up on top. Condit again defended and landed more strikes from the bottom and got back to his feet without taking any damage. Fans chant "Let's Go Rory." MacDonald landed a good combination in a near clinch situation. MacDonald landed a good counter front kick right at the end of the round. Both guys went for front kicks, Condit actually connected with Rory's face but Rory caught Condit's arm which knocked him off balance and knocked him down. MacDonald takes this round so I've got it at 19-19 on the score card. Good fight so far, Condit needs to be more aggressive. I've said this before in his UFC fights, but it almost feels like he's fighting a 5-Round fight.

R3- MacDonald hit a head kick that didn't fully connected in the early part of the round. MacDonald is throwing bombs but Condit is blocking them. Condit hit MacDonald with a 2-punch combination that hurt and MacDonald immediately went for the take down. Condit went for a kimura and ended up on top. Condit lands a couple of good elbows. MacDonald is cut open. Condit gets mount but then MacDonald gets him back in half guard. Condit lands more elbows. MacDonald gets back to his feet. MacDonald went for a take down and Condit easily reversed. MacDonald looks really tired or he's hurt. Rogan says it looks like something is wrong with MacDonald's eye, says it's possibly an orbital break. Condit continues to pressure MacDonald and land strikes. The ref steps in and stops the fight with about 10 seconds left in the fight. Great fight. Rogan says there is definitely something wrong with MacDonald's eye. MacDonald showed a lot of heart and at 20 years old he has a lot of life left in the UFC. Good win by Condit, he showed the killer instinct in the 3rd round that he needs to show earlier.

Winner: Carlos Condit by TKO (Strikes) R3 4:53

Heavyweight Fight- Gilbert Yvel (36-14-1) vs. Ben Rothwell (30-7)

30 of Yvel's 36 wins have come by way of knock out. Yvel fought at UFC 108 but he was stopped in that fight by Junior dos Santos. Rothwell has a 2" height, 3" reach and 21 pound advantage in this fight. Rothwell is coming off of a loss to Cain Velsaquez so both guys are coming off losses to top tier UFC Heavyweights. Yves Lavigne is the ref and gets some boos after his poor stoppage earlier on Spike TV.

R1- Rothwell charges right at Yvel and back him down throwing strikes. Yvel separates and grabs a guillotine and pulls guard but Rothwell easily gets out of it and takes side control. Yvel flips him over, Rothwell got back to his feet and slammed Yvel back down. Rothwell gets full mount and throws some elbows. Yvel goes for a leg lock but Rothwell spun out of it. Rothwell got Yvel in a crucifix but Yvel flipped him over and got to his feet. Yvels landed some good strikes. Good round. Yvel finished strong but I've got Rothwell taking the round 10-9.

R2- Rothwell immediately got a take down to start the round. Rothwell lands some good elbows. Yvel got back to his feet at the mid-way point of the round. Rothwell got another take down at the two minute mark. Yvel flipped him over and threw some good strikes from the top. Yvel is connecting and Rothwell tries to clinch him but Yvel breaks free and continues to land some good shots. Rothwell got back to his feet with a minute left in the round and took Yvel down again. Rothwell finished the round on top. Give Yvel this round due to damage inflicted and I've got it 19-19 going into the third.

R3- Yvel went for a take down but got taken down. Rothwell spends the majority of the round on top of Yvel. Rothwell is going to take this round and the fight 29-28.

Judges score cards: 30-27. 29-28, 29-28

Winner: Ben Rothwell by Decision (Unanimous)

Welterweight Fight- Paulo Thiago (13-1) vs. Martin Kampmann (16-3)

Kampmann is coming off of a win at UFC 108 on the preliminaries against Jacob Volkmann by submission. Kampmann has won 3 of his last 4 including a decision win over Carlos Condit. Thiago fought at UFC 109 and choked out Mike Swick in the 2nd round. Thiago also holds a victory over title contender Josh Koscheck. The winner of this fight probably sets themselves up for a title contenders fight since GSP and Koscheck are doing TUF and they won't be fighting for a while. Thiago has a 2.5" reach advantage.

R1- Kampmann lands some strikes early. Kampmann is landing some good jabs. Kampmann landed a good right hand and knocked down Thiago with 90 seconds left in the round. Thiago retaliated by getting a trip and take down. Kampmann grabbed a guillotine and used it to get to his feet. Kmapmann went for another choke against the cage but Thiago used his legs to kick off the cage and get out of the choke. Kampmann 10-9.

R2- Thiago is just throwing haymakers but is not connecting. Kampmann got a take down at the mid-way point of the round. Thiago used a kimura to sweept Kampmann over but there is only 30 seconds left in the round. Kampmann got back to his feet and landed a couple of knees. Kampmann 20-18.

R3- Kampmann landed a counter jab and then got a take down in the first minute of the final round. Kampmann went for an arm triangle and Thiago gave up his back and was able to avoid the submission. Kampmann stayed on top of Thiago. Thiago finally got back to his feet with about 80 seconds left. Thiago threw a bomb but Kampmann took him down again. Kampmann goes for another arm triangle. Kampmann almost finished the fight but not quite. Kampmann wins this fight 30-27.

Judges score cards: 30-27 on all 3 score cards

Winner: Martin Kampmann by Decision (Unanimous)

Heavyweight Fight- Mirko Cro Cop (26-7-2) vs. Pat Barry (5-1)

Cro Cop fought Junior dos Santos in late 2009 and verbally submitted. Barry fought at UFC 104 and beat Antoni Hardonk by TKO in the 2nd round. Cro Cop is one of Barry's idol's. Cro Cop needs some new theme music, Duran Duran just doesn't cut it.

R1- Barry is very aggressive from the outset and landed a good shot that knocked Cro Cop down 30 seconds into the fight. Barry is landing some good leg kicks. Cro Cop returns the favor with some kicks of his own. Barry hit a good right that floored Cro Cop again. Rogan says he thinks Cro Cop broke his jaw. Cro Cop got a brief take down but Barry got back to his feet. Barry 10-9.

R2- Barry partially connected with a head kick but it was just a glancing blow and Cro Cop was able to take him down. Cro Cop got the mount and Barry gave up his back. Cro Cop takes this round and we are at 19-19 going into the final stanza.

R3- Not a lot of action in this round. Cro Cop clinched against the cage for a while and then the ref re-started them and Cro Cop backed Barry down and landed some strikes. Cro Cop knocked Barry down and jumped on top and delivered some Ground and Pound. Cro Cop clamped in a Rear Naked Choke and won the fight in the last minute. Barry just tired out and Cro Cop outlasted him. Good win by Cro Cop.

Winner: Mirko Cro Cop by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3 4:30

Light Heavyweight Fight- Chuck Liddell (21-7) vs. Rich Franklin (27-5)

Chuck Liddell has changed his lifestyle going into this fight. He's training more and in different areas of his game, he's given up alcohol and he's been resting. It will be interesting to see how he matches up with Rich.

R1-Chuck is landing some leg kicks early. Just lands a body kick and just missed a head kick as it as partially blocked. Rich hit a good right but Chuck landed a good shot during a clinch. Chuck got a take down two minutes into the round. Rich got back to his feet and Chuck has been cut open (not sure how it happened). Chuck caught Rich with a punch that almost knocked him down. Chuck lands a couple more strikes. Chuck landed a partial head kick and moved in quickly. He slipped and Rich hit a couple of small shots. They clinched with 10 seconds left in the round. Chuck pushed off and threw a couple of punches. Chuck threw a big right and missed. Rich countered with a right hand that hit Chuck right on the button and ended his night with 7 seconds left in the round. Chuck looked pretty good until those last 10 seconds. Big time punch by Rich Franklin.

"You've gotta expect this is the last time we see Chuck Liddell in the Octagon"- Joe Rogan
"I was just thinking the same thing"- Mike Goldberg

Winner: Rich Franklin by KO R1 4:55

Franklin says that Chuck broke Rich's left hand in the first round when he threw and landed a body kick.

Welterweight Fight- Mike Pyle vs. Jesse Lennox

R1- Pyle landed some good shots at the end of the round and floored Lennox. Pyle jumped on top and tried for a choke but couldn't finish before the bell rung. Pyle 10-9.

R2- Pyle went for a take down and didn't get it but he was able to spin around and take top position from Lennox. Pyle stayed on top for the round and took it. Pyle 20-18.

R3- Lennox came on strong at the end of the round and landed some shots around the one minute mark. Pyle clinched him but Lennox got a take down. Lennox is cut open bad. Pyle got a triangle choke and finished the fight. Good finish from the bottom by Pyle.

Winner: Mike Pyle by Triangle Choke R3 4:44

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.

Retro Re-Cap: Pride "Total Elimination" 2003

Pride “Total Elimination” 2003

UFC clashes with Pride on this show as it features a tournament between 8 Middleweight Fighters (moving to the Final 4 in November).

Middleweight Tournament Fights
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Murilo Bustamante
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Wanderlei Silva
Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Kiyoshi Tamura
Alistair Overeem vs. Chuck Liddell

Heavyweight Fights
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Gary Goodridge
Ricco Rodriguez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Igor Vovchanchyn

Heavyweight Fight- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Gary Goodridge

Fedor is in the opener for this show! Fedor just came out firing at the beginning of this fight. Fedor quickly got Goodridge down and gave him some G&P and some kicks and this one was over. Phenomenal showing by Fedor as this was before he was a “big name” and he dispatched of Goodridge just like he would dispatch of Tim Sylvia last year.

Winner: Fedor Emelianenko by TKO (Strikes) R1 1:09

Next up they spent some time profiling Chuck Liddell and why he was fighting in the tournament for UFC.

Middleweight “Total Elimination” Tournament Fight- Chuck Liddell vs. Alistair Overeem

Talk about a stacked card. We’ve got Fedor in the first fight and Chuck Liddell in the second fight! Dana White joins the announce team on commentary for this fight. This was a pretty good fight while it lasted. For the first part of the fight it was pretty even with both fighters getting in offense. Then it looked like Alistair either got hurt or gassed and Liddell just took him apart.

Winner: Chuck Liddell by KO (Punches) R1 3:09

Middleweight “Total Elimination” Tournament Fight- Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Murilo Bustamante

Ricardo Arona was supposed to fight Jackson but he hurt his leg so Bustamante stepped in to take the fight. Bustamante clamped on a quick arm bar and then a triangle choke but Rampage hit a slam to get out of the submission. Bustamante then went for a guillotine choke but Rampage survived. Pretty even fight after the first round with Bustamante coming close to getting the finish with a few different submissions. Second round was controlled by Rampage with Bustamante continually trying to take the fight to the mat. Third round was pretty much the same as the first. Rampage will get this win in this one but not a particularly decisive victory. Very difficult match-up stylistically for Rampage in this fight.

Winner: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson by Decision (Split)

Heavyweight Fight- Ricco Rodriguez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

This actually put me to sleep when I watching it. Ricco controlled the first two rounds and really just stayed on top and smothered Big Nog throughout the fight. The announcers pretty much give the fight to Ricco without a doubt and Big Nog gets a unanimous decision. Definitely a surprising win.

In reading an explanation from Matt Hume it seems that Pride weighed “effort to finish by KO or submission” as their number one criteria in judging a fight and Big Nog did have the advantage in that category and thus he got the unanimous decision as Ricco totally controlled the fight but didn’t do any more damage than Nog did and seems to try to finish the fight less than Nog did.

Winner: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by Decision (Unanimous)

Heavyweight Fight- Cro Cop vs. Igor Vovchanchyn

Crop Cop has a large height advantage in this fight. Cro Cop hit a vicious kick about one minute into the fight and this was a highlight reel knockout! This is what Cro Cop use to be like when he was awesome. Now, he just gets kicked around by the likes of Alistair Overeem.

Winner: Cro Cop by KO (Kick)

Middleweight “Total Elimination” Tournament Fight- Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Kiyoshi Tamura

This was an exciting fight. It looked like Tamura was going to take it based on the early action but Yoshida came on strong and got the choke victory.

Winner: Hidehiko Yoshida by Submission (Choke)

Middleweight “Total Elimination” Tournament Fight- Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Wanderlei Silva

Rampage joins the booth to commentate this fight. This was a pretty exciting fight with Wanderlei swinging away a lot and then got the highlight reel KO about 5 minutes into the round.

Winner: Wanderlei Silva by KO R1

This really seems like a “Who’s Who” of MMA type show. Tons of big names from then and now like Fedor, Cro Cop, Liddell, Rampage, Wanderlei, Sakuraba and Big Nog under one roof. This was a fun show as it was really interesting seeing Dana and Chuck in Pride and it was nice to see Fedor before he became the monster that he is and Cro Cop when he was at the top of his game. the 4 Middleweights who survived this round of the tournament and will fight in the semis are Rampage Jackson, Chuck Liddell, Hidehiko Yoshida and Wanderlei Silva.

UFC 88 "Breakthrough" Re-Cap

UFC 88 "Breakthrough"

Welterweight Fight- Dong Hyun Kim (10-0-1) vs. Matt Brown (10-6)

Matt Brown comes out to "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by the Charlie Daniels Band. Dong Hyun Kim counters with "Higher Ground" by the Chilli Peppers.

R1- They clinched early and Kim took him down and then took his back but Brown stood him up. Kim grabbed a choke while on Brown's back as brown was standing but Brown broke it up. Kim controlled early but the middle portion of the match is even and then with about a minute left in the round Brown got a choke in on Kim that looks kind of like a head lock but Kim takes Brown's back again. Good first round that was close but I give to Kim due to him having control of Brown and his back for at least half the round.

R2- They stand up early in the round and Brown gets some good knees in on Kim. Brown is controlling early and is getting in some decent shots on Kim. Kim hits on up kick but Brown retaliates with some Ground & Pound. Brown really controlled this round and was in a dominate position at the end of the round, could have maybe finished him but he wasn't aggressive enough. Right now Kim looks real tired. I've got the fight 19-19 right now with Brown with the momentum.

R3- Matt Brown forgot his mouth piece to start the round so they stop the fight for a minute after he eats a punch. Kim gets a take down about a minute into the round and gets side control rather quickly but Brown gets out of the position without any damage. Brown gets some shots in as they clinched. Kim going for judo throws but Brown doing a good job stopping them. Kim gets another take down with 2 minutes left and is in Brown's guard. Kim hits some elbows and cuts Brown. Kim wins this round rather handily so i've got him taking Round 1 and 3 and Brown taking Round 3. Really close fight. I give it to Kim but not by much. Kim 29 Brown 28.

Judges score cards are 29-28 Kim, 29-28 Brown, and 29-28 Kim. Split Decision win for Kim. That's pretty much how I had it. Crowd doesn't really like the result.

Winner: Dong Hyun Kim by Decision (Split)

UFC fighter Yoshiyuki Yoshida is shown in the crowd. He was supposed to fight Karo Parisyan tonight but Karo pulled out due to injury.

Middleweight Fight- Martin Kampmann (13-1) vs. Nate Marquardt (29-8-2)

Kampmann is undefeated in the UFC and Marquardt is coming off a controversial loss in which he lost 2 points due to an illegal move and a questional punch to the back of his opponents head. Marquardt comes out to the theme that UFC uses at the beginning of it's PPVs and Kampmann comes out to what sounds like an Eminem song. Kampmann is the first Condomdepot.com fighter of the evening.

R1- They stand up early and Kampmann got in a good close punch. Nate rebounded with a nice kick to the head that sent Kampmann reeling. Nate hit a knee and was throwing a nuch of punches. Nate is all over him and has him in the corner and Kampmann sits down in the corner and the ref stops the fight. Fantastic showing by Marquardt as he was just all over Kampmann after he hit that kick.

Winner: Nate Marquardt by TKO (strikes) R1 1:22

Urijah Faber is at the show tonight. I think he actually attends every single MMA event no matter what company it's for (DREAM, UFC, WEC, etc).

They announce that Faber's fight is being rescheduled due to the hurricanes and will now be on Nov 5th. NO!

Miguel Torres is also with Faber at the fight.


Middleweight Fight- Dan Henderson (22-7) vs. Rousimarr Palhares (17-1)

Henderson is 10 years older than Palhares, about 5 inches taller and has a 3 inch reach advantage. Henderson gets the largest reaction of the evening so far. Palhares is our second condomdepot.com fighter of the evening. Matt Lindland is in Henderson's corner.

Big Boi from Outkast (they are from Atlanta) is shown in the crowd. He is sitting next to Rampage Jackson.

R1- They start out very carefully. No touching for the first 30 seconds. Rousimarr goes for a take down and Henderson nails him with a shot. Back to their feet. Henderson stops a take down and then another and then another and another. Henderson gets some good shots in as they mixed it up. They mix it up again and Palhares gets in a couple of shots and throws some wild kicks. Henderson connecting with some jabs. Palhares finally got a take down with 30 seconds left. Palhares can't get anything and then the bell rings. He looked like he was in position to get a knee bar but didn't have enough time. Henderson takes Round 1 but Palhares started to come on at the end of the round. Good, entertaining first round once it got started.

R2- Palhares picked up Henderson and slammed him down about one minute into the round and is in Henderson's guard. Palhares goes for a leg lock and gets it but Henderson gets out of the move. Palhares goes for a take down but gets caught by Henderson and Henderson locks him up and then they stand back up. Henderson with some strikes. Another take down stuffed by Henderson and he takes Palhares guard. The ref stands them up due to inactivity. This was a really close round. Palhares controlled the opening stanza and then Henderson the last half. I think Palhares was more dominant in his portion of the fight and almost finished Henderson with that leg lock so I think he takes the round. 19-19 so far with one round left.

R3- Henderson stuffs an early take down. Not a whole lot of action in this round. Henderson has connected on a couple of strikes. Two minutes left in the round. Palhares went for a take down but it was stuffed and Henderson got in a shot or two. Henderson went for a punch and looked like a slipped and Palhares almost caught him in a leg lock but Henderson slipped out. Henderson gets a good strike and then stuffs a take down. Henderson ends the fight with three or four good strikes. Not a good final round but Henderson will win this 29-28. Good first two rounds but a very unurgent third round. Not a very impressive victory for Henderson but still a victory.

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

Winner: Dan Henderson by Decision (Unanimous)

Randy Couture is at the event and Joe Rogan interviews him about the Brock Lesnar fight.

Light Heavyweight Fight- Tim Boetsch (7-2) vs. Michael Patt (15-2)

R1- Boetch hits a big right hand about 2 minutes into the round and then Ground and Pounds until the ref stops the fight.

Winner: Tim Boetsch by TKO (strikes) R1 2:03

Light Heavyweight Fight- Rich Franklin (25-3) vs. Matt Hamill (6-1)

Matt Hamill comes out to the Skynard's "Simple Man." Hamill gets a good response from the crowd. Franklin gets a good pop.

R1- They stand up at the beginning of the fight. Franklin getting more strikes in but Hamill got in a nice right hand. Franklin is hitting leg kicks. Hamill gets a take down with about a minute left in the round and Franklin goes for an arm bar but Hamill breaks free and they are back to their feet. Both guys are cut open. Franklin hits a big knee. Close first round. I think Franklin took this one 10-9 as he was more agressive during the round and landed more shots. Hamill got a take down but didn't get much offense in during the take down and Franklin got a submission attempt (although he never really locked it in) which led to him getting out of the hold pretty quickly).

R2- Franlin landed a good combination in the first minute and is landing some leg kicks. The ref is checking the cut on Franklin but the fight continues, he's not bleeding but the announcers seem to think that he lost a chunk of skin near his eye. Franklin landed a nice kick to Hamill and then follows it up with a kick to the family jewels which causes a stop in the action. Nice slow mo instant reply of the crotch kick and the groan by the crowd. Franklin landing more leg kicks. Franklin gets a good kick to the midsection. Franklin really controlled this fight and is up 2 rounds to nothing. Franklin 20 Hamill 18.

R3- Franklin hits a kick to the midsection and hits a couple of punches and this ones over. Good showing for Rich Franklin.

Winner: Rich Franklin by TKO (strikes) R3 0:39

Light Heavyweight Fight- Chuck Liddell (21-5) vs. Rashad Evans (16-0-1)

Evans gets some heel heat from the crowd, probably more because they are pro-Liddell than anti-Evans.

R1- They just kind of dance around each other for the first 30 seconds. Liddell got in a shot or two in the first minute or so. Evans then got one and Liddell answers. Not much action in the first two minutes. One of the more lackluster opening rounds I think I've ever seen. If I had to pick someone to give this round with it would be Liddell but he didn't do anything to deserve it. Liddell 10 Evans 9.

R2- They mix it up a little on the cage with Liddell attacking and Evans countering. Evans hitting some combos now. Evans drills Liddell with a right hand and Liddell drops like a sack of potatoes. Nice punch. Evans really had not shown much at all until that one punch but what a punch it was.

On the replay Chuck got caught with a slow looping hook and Rashad just came over the top and hit him with a quick overhand right that just rocked Liddell. This was a case of Liddell underestimating Liddell and leaving himself open and Rashad capitalizing on the mistake. Although it didn't make for a good first round Rashad did a good job not giving into Liddell and making Liddell be the aggressor in the first two rounds instead of the counter puncher.

Winner: Rashad Evans by KO R2 1:51

Rampage and Forrest are shown. Forrest gets a good pop. I think Rashad winning opens things up for a Rampage rematch quicker than he would have gotten one if Liddell won the fight.

Middleweight Fight- Jason MacDonald vs. Jason Lambert

R1- Lambert pulled guard early and took a guillotine. MacDonald popped out after about a minute and a half in the move. MacDonald controlled for the rest of the round until the last 15 seconds as Lambert grabbed another tight guillotine but MacDonald rode it out.

R2- They mix it up right at the beginning of the round and MacDonald takes Lambert down. MacDonald takes Lambert's back and gets the tap via Rear Naked Choke.

Winner: Jason MacDonald by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 1:27

This was a decent show with a bunch of decent fights and then a great KO in the Main Event. The most interesting thing coming out of tonight was not the fights but where these fighters like Evans, Liddell, Franklin, Henderson, Marquardt go from here

UFC Unleashed 7/10 Re-Cap

UFC Unleashed 7/10 Re-Cap

Middleweight Fight- Mike Swick (8-1) vs. Steve Vigneault (11-5)- UFC 58- 3/4/06

R1- Swick shows some good quick hands. Steve clinches a lot to try and stop Swick. Swick lands a nice knee two minutes into the round. Steve grabs him but Swick pulls guard with a guillotine and Steve quickly taps. Nice showing from Swick.

Winner: Mike Swick by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 2:09

Light Heavyweight Fight- Renato “Babalu” Sobral (25-5) vs. Chael Sonnen (15-6-1)- UFC 55- 10/7/05

R1- Babalu hits a big punch right at the beginning of the fight. Babalu gets a couple of take downs and then gets a standing arm triangle. Babalu with another take down and then lands some shots. Babalu really controlling but Chael reverses a Babalu take down. Chael gets in some shots on Bablu but Babalu grabs a heel hook with 30 seconds left. Babalu takes this round 10-9.

R2- Babalu gets a leg kick that takes Chael off his feet and Babalu jumps on top of him in his guard. Chael kicks him off and then gets in Babalu’s guard. Babalu gets a triangle from the guard position and submits Chael.

Winner: Renato “Babalu” Sobral by Submission (Arm Triangle) R2 1:20

Light Heavyweight Fight- Mike Van Arsdale (10-2) vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral (26-5)- UFC 57- 2/4/06

R1- Lots of clinching early in the fight. Mike gets him down but then Babalu takes Mike’s back and finishes him with a rear naked choke.

Winner: Renato “Babalu” Sobral by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 2:21

Kind of weird to me that UFC puts this episode of UFC Unleashed on with Babalu fighting for Affliction on their PPV next weekend.

Light Heavyweight Championship Fight: Chuck Liddell © (17-3) vs. Randy Couture (14-7)- UFC 57- 2/4/06

They show some celebs ringside for the fight including Charles Barkley, Ken Shamrock, and Michael Clarke Duncan. Couture gets a big reaction from the crowd. Liddell gets an equally big reaction from the fans.

R1- Long feeling out process as Liddell moves around Randy and jabs. Both guys really look for their spots. Randy got a good right hand in on Chuck and then Chuck came at his and they exchanged and then Randy got a take down. Randy tried to get a take down but Chuck held onto the cage to avoid it. Looks like Randy is losing blood. Looks like he got a cut on his nose. This was really close but I give the round to Randy to him getting the take down with the offense being somewhat even. Couture 10-9.

R2- Chuck hit a big left hand out of nowhere and Couture crumpled to the mat and then Chuck finished him really quickly. Randy slipped and then ate a big punch from Chuck and then Chuck just drilled him with a bunch of big punches.

Winner: Chuck Liddell by KO (strikes) R2 1:28

UFC Wired 6/28 Re-Cap

UFC Wired 6/28 Re-Cap

This looks like it could be one of the best episodes of Wired I’ve ever seen as they are hyping Jackson/Griffin so we are getting Jackson/Liddell and Shogun/Griffin tonight. Sweet, I’ve never seen either of these fights and am looking forward to it.

Welterweight Fight- Kyle Bradley (13-4-1) vs. Chris Lytle (34-15-4)- UFC 81- 2/2/08

This was also recently on the UFC Unleashed 6/11 show.

R1- Lytle opens up on him early and is just pounding Bradley and this one is over very quickly. Lytle just overwhelms Bradley. The ref stops the fight and then Bradley pulls guard on the ref. Great stand up by Lytle.

Winner: Chris Lytle by TKO (punches) R1 0:33


Middleweight- Chris Leben (17-4) vs. Alessio Sakara (16-6-1)- UFC 82- 3/1/08

This is from the UFC 82 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)

Light Heavyweight Fight- Forrest Griffin (14-4) vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (16-2)- UFC 76- 9/22/07

This is Shogun’s UFC debut. Griffin has a 2” height and 3” reach advantage. Griffin gets a really good reaction during introductions.

R1- Forrest shows some good take down defense early and then almost gets caught in an arm bar but escapes. Fans are chanting “Forrest.” Shogun takes Forrest down about a minute into the fight. Forrest does a good job defending in the full guard. Forrest gets stood up and they exchange. Forrest gets a take down. In some of the stand up it almost looks like Shogun has underestimated Forrest and maybe didn’t prepare as well as he should have. Both guys hit some shots and Forrest really connects with Shogun. Shogun gets a take down with about 30 seconds left in the round. Forrest takes Shogun’s back and then gets in his guard. Really good first round. I think Forrest did more damage so he probably took this one 10-9. Really close round though and could have been scored either way I just didn’t see Shogun getting in as much offense.

R2- Forrest gets in a couple of jabs early and Shogun takes him down. Shogun gets in a couple of shots and bloodies Forrest. Forrest gets up and then takes Shogun down. Shogun gets a take down stuffed. Forrest is bleeding on Shogun’s back. Shogun looks like he is out of breath. Shogun gets another take down stuffed. Both guys look really tired right now. Shogun gets stuffed again and Forrest jumps on top. Forrest with some elbows and shots on Shogun. Forrest stole this round as he just dominated the last minute. I’ve got Forrest 20-18 in two really close rounds. Shogun is seriously gassed with Forrest not far behind.

R3- Shogun gets an early take down but gets caught in a triangle but quickly gets out of it and moves to full guard on Forrest. Shogun is getting in some elbows. Shogun tries to posture up and gets caught in an arm submission and then Forrest takes his back. Forrest moves to half guard and is getting in some shots. Forrest gets some uncontested shots in and then Shogun gives up his back. Forrest with knees and punches to the side and Forrest moves back to half guard. Shogun gives up his back with about 30 seconds left. Forrest gets the Rear Naked Choke left and it’s over with 16 seconds left in the fight. Great showing by Forrest. I think this was a combination of Shogun not coming ready to fight and overlooking Forrest and Forrest working really hard during the fight and never quitting.

Winner: Forrest Griffin by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3 4:45

Light Heavyweight Title Fight: Chuck Liddell © (20-3) vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (26-6)- UFC 71- 5/26/07

I didn’t realize that Rampage is not even 30 yet. That’s interesting. He’s still got a lot of time left it he fights wisely. Rampage gets a mostly heel reaction from the crowd at introductions. Chuck gets a big face pop at introductions.

R1- Rampage kind of stalks Chuck at the beginning with Chuck walking around him. Not much action in the first minute or so. Liddell ducks in and gets a shot in but gets two from Rampage. Chuck went for a left hand jab and he got popped by a Rampage right hand. It looked like Rampage missed at first and Chuck just fell down but on second look he got caught. Rampage jumps on Chuck and the ref stops the fight. Looked like an early stoppage to me at first but when you watch the replay Jackson gets about 3 shots in and on the second one Chuck stops defending. Big time knock out by Rampage.

Winner: Rampage Jackson by KO R1 1:53

UFC Wired 6/8 Re-Cap

UFC Wired 6/8 Re-Cap

Lightweight Fight- Joe Stevenson (30-7) vs. Dokonjonosuke Mishima (17-4-2)- UFC 65- 11/18/06

I’ve liked Mishima ever since I saw him wrestle for U-Style in Japan. He’s got good charisma and some really funky mat work. That being said, the only MMA fight I’ve seen him in he pretty much got destroyed and I’m expecting Stevenson to take him out in this fight.

R1- Mishima gets a take down early but Stevenson wraps him up nicely in a guillotine. Mishima slams him down but can’t slip out. Finally he gets out. Stevenson is working a good active guard and Mishima keeps trying to get into a better position. Stevenson finally taps Mishima with the guillotine. Interesting fight as Stevenson was on the bottom for the whole fight but was in a dominant position for a majority of it.

Winner: Joe Stevenson by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 2:07

Lightweight Fight- Tyson Griffin (7-0) vs. David Lee (5-1)- UFC 63- 9/23/06

R1- Lee went for a jumping knee early and Tyson quickly took his back. It takes a minute but Tyson gets him in a Rear Naked Choke and taps him out.

Winner: Tyson Griffin by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 1:50

This is squash night on UFC Wired.

Catchweight Fight- Matt Hughes (40-4) vs. Royce Gracie (11-0)- UFC 60- 5/27/06

They are fighting at 175 lbs. Gracie has a 6” reach advantage. Gracie won the UFC 1, 2 and 4 tournaments. Hughes was the UFC Welterweight Champion at the time of this fight. Gracie gets a big ovation, Hughes not so much.

R1- Long feeling out process. Hughes gets a take down about a minute and a half into the fight. Royce gives up his back briefly to get to half guard but Hughes then grabs a kimura type move. Hughes really worked over the arm but Royce didn’t tap. Hughes gets Royce’s back and stretches him out. Hughes is hitting some punches in and the ref stops the fight.

Winner: Matt Hughes by TKO (strikes) R1 4:39

Light Heavyweight Championship Fight- Chuck Liddell © (19-3) vs. Tito Ortiz (16-4)- UFC 66- 12/30/06

R1- Good opening round with Chuck drawing first blood on Tito and then taking over the round and becoming more aggressive. Tito goes down and Liddell is just destroying him in the corner and Tito now has a big cut. Round One goes to Liddell as he came on strong towards the end of the round and almost ended Tito at one point.

R2- Even round with Tito getting Chuck’s back with about a minute left and taking him down but Liddell quickly got back up. Close Round.

R3- Tito went for a take down but ate a couple of punches for his trouble. Tito countered with a punch. Liddell hits some body shots. Chuck hits Tito with a barrage of punches towards the end of the round and gets him down and starts throwing punches and hammer punches on Tito and the ref stops the fight. Good fight, nice showing from Liddell.

Winner and still champion: Chuck Liddell by TKO (strikes) R3 3:59

UFC Unleashed “Liddell vs. Silva: A Special Presentation” 5/31 Re-Cap

UFC Unleashed “Liddell vs. Silva: A Special Presentation” 5/31 Re-Cap

This show is basically all about the hype, build-up and anticipation of this fight. And then of course they show the fight…

Chuck Liddell (20-5) vs. Wanderlei Silva (31-7-1)- UFC 79- 12/29/07

R1- Very cautious first minute and a half as Chuck seems to be waiting for Silva to come at him and Silva is cautious as well. They start to throw heavily after about two minutes. Not a whole lot of action until Liddell starts to hit some shots at about the 3:30 minute time of the round. Liddell is somewhat the aggressor in round one and seemed to land more shots. Liddell 10 Wanderlei 9.

They have Dana White, Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva talk about the first round after it happens and give their perspective of who won, etc. Then they show some of the corner action with Liddell. Pretty interesting perspective.

R2- They come out and swing like crazy in the first 10 seconds with Silva hitting a couple of shots. Silva seems to be wanting to be more aggressive in this round as he’s throwing some haymakers early. Silva is kind of stalking Chuck in this round and is getting in some shots. Chuck gets knocked down by kind of a push by Silva but he pops back up. Silva’s ear is bleeding but he pops Chuck with a right hand and Chuck falls down and gets right back up again. They clinch for the first time in the fight and Chuck hits a couple of shots and Wanderlei is bleeding from the left eye. Chuck now controlling the fight as Wanderlei is trying to wildly defend himself and he gets out of trouble. Wanderlei comes back and hits some shots. They are really mixing it up and swinging wildly. Great last minute of action in this round. Just fantastic. I actually re-wound the TIVO to check out the last 1:30 of this round again. Both guys just mixing it up and laying it all on the line. It’s amazing how both of these guys take shots and then dish it right back out. I’m gonna give this round to Wanderlei but not by much. Liddell 19 Silva 19.

They show Dana talking about the last round and the fight and also get some quotes from Wanderlei as well as going briefly inside the corners of Wanderlei and Liddell and then letting Chuck talk about the round briefly.

R3- Liddell goes for an immediate take down and gets it but they get back to their feet quickly. Chuck misses with a spinning back fist but then hits a right hand and Wanderlei is pushed back to the cage and then they just start throwing at each other. Chuck is connecting big time but ends up backing off. Chuck has Wanderlei on the cage again and is just picking him apart. Wanderlei backs him off. Wanderlei trying to come back and lands and couple of punches. Liddell takes him down with 15 seconds left and rides him to victory. This was a real good fight with a couple of parts that were just fantastic. 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 the winner is Chuck Liddell. I had it 29-28.

Winner: Chuck Liddell by Decision (Unanimous)

They also show some post-match interviews/reflection from the fighters. I really liked the presentation of this fight. They took one fight and built it up and then showed the fight with the fighters and Dana talking about each round and Joe Rogan chiming in once in a while. I would really like to see some other fights given this treatment. Really, enjoyable match and show.

UFC Wired 5/10 Re-Cap

UFC Wired 5/10 Re-Cap


Light Heavyweight Fight- Rashad Evans (14-0) vs. Sean Salmon (9-1)- UFC Fight Night 8- 1/25/07

R1- Salmon goes for a Karate Kid type move early that looks hilarious. Not much contact in the first minute. Neither guy really looks like they want to fight early. Evans is content to counter punch. They tie up 2 minutes in and Salmon takes Evans down and gets half guard. Salmon got side control but Evans quickly got to his feet. Salmon gets a couple of punches in on the cage. Salmon grabs a leg and takes down Evans again. Salmon is landing some blows on Evans. Round 1 easily goes to Salmon as Rashad didn’t really do anything and got taken down twice and sustained more damage.

R2- Salmon comes in and slips and Evans hits a knee and then attacks and gets his first advantage of the fight. After this Evans looks like the aggressor as he’s started to take control of the ring and then he just DESTROYS Salmon with a kick to the head. Awesome finish to the fight after a very poor first round by Evans. Evans started really slow, seemed very nervous but after he got that one knee his demeanor kind of changed and then he just nailed the finish.

Winner: Rashad Evans via KO (kick) R2

Light Heavyweight Fight- Thiago Silva (11-0) vs. Houston Alexander (8-1)- UFC 78- 11/17/07

R1- Alexander gets a really strong ovation at introductions. Alexander is stalking Silva early and Silva is trying to jab and kick to keep Alexander away. Silva is tying up when Alexander gets close. Alexander slams Silva but Silva reverses it and takes Alexander down. Silva’s got full mount. Silva getting in some decent shots, Alexander showing some good defense as he’s not opening himself up for damage. And just as I say that Silva lands 5 or 6 punches. And Sliva hits 5 or 6 more and the ref stops it. Real impressive fight for Silva as he got Alexander down on the mat and finished him.

Winner: Thiago Silva via TKO (strikes) R1

Light Heavyweight Fight- Chuck Liddell (20-4) vs. Keith Jardine (12-4-1)- UFC 76- 9/22/07

R1- This is the battle of the cool nicknames. “The Dean of Mean” versus “The Iceman”. Liddell gets a superstar intro, which is expected, so it will be interesting to see how Jardine can hang with him. This looks like it’s going to be fun as we are only 20 seconds in and both guys are swinging. Both guys also have awkward styles compared to most MMA guys. Liddell definitely the aggressor and landing more shots early. Liddell looks real good early. Jardine hits a couple of kicks trying to slow down Liddell a little. Liddell is controlling the octagon. Jardine starting to even out the fight a little and is gaining more confidence. Both guys really throwing and hitting good shots on each other. Jardine is really effectively using kicks to slow down Liddell a little bit. Just as I say that Liddell gets a good combo in on Jardine. Liddell really pushing the pace towards the end of the round and hitting some shots and stalking Jardine. Really entertaining first round. Liddell takes this one although Jardine looked good once he got settled. Liddell finished strong just making this round easier for the judges to score.

R2- Jardine looks a lot more comfortable starting this round out as he takes the middle of the octagon. Jardine nails a shot and Liddell went down but he got to his feet pretty quickly. Jardine with a big body kick. Jardine really taking over here in the second round as the body language of both guys are really showing it. Jardine is bleeding down the side of his head. Chuck seems to be trying to take back the octagon. Chuck counter punches and Jardine goes down to his knees. Chuck hits with a knee that wobbles Jardine but Jardine is back up. Liddell’s cardio looks a lot better at this point and it’s helping him get back into this round. I think Jardine took this round due to the first 3 minutes but Liddell did a good job seizing control back and getting back into the round. Liddell definitely has the momentum going into Round 3 as Jardine looks spent.

R3- Jardine starts out this round like round 2 as he takes the center of the octagon. Liddell stalks down Jardine but he’s getting nailed with leg kicks. Jardine with a good combo leg kick and right hook. Jardine with a couple more kicks. Chuck starting to stalk Jardine. This fight is real even right now so I think the guy that takes this last 2 minutes will take this fight. Jardine is continuing to hit leg kicks and seems to be in control. Both guys with a flurry to finish the fight as Lidell lands some good punches.

Really good and entertaining fight. Almost too close to call. I’m going to give this to Jardine as I felt he won rounds 2 and 3. Round 3 was a lot closer but he controlled the round and landed more body kicks and strikes.

Jardine 29-28, Liddell 29-28, and Jardine 29-28. Very just decision.

Winner: Keith Jardine via decision (split)