UFC 114: Rampage vs. Rashad Re-Cap

UFC 114: Rampage vs. Rashad
MGM Garden Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada
Saturday May 29, 2010

Welterweight Fight- Diego Sanchez (23-3) vs. John Hathaway (13-0)

This is Diego's return to the welterweight division after a brief run in the lightweight division. Diego is 7-2 in the UFC welterweight division. Hathaway has a 2" height and 3" reach advantage.

R1- Diego went for an early take down but got stuffed. Hathaway caught Diego was a knee as he was coming in and floored him. Hathaway jumped on top and tried to finish but Diego recovered. Hathaway stayed on top for the rest of the round. Good start by Hathaway. Hathaway 10-9.

R2- Hathaway hit a good left jab early in the round. Diego got a take down two minutes into the round but Hathaway got back to his feet without taking any damage. Diego has blood coming from his nose. Hathaway is using his reach to his advantage. Hathaway landed some good shots in the last several seconds of the round. Hathaway 10-9, 20-18 for the fight.

R3- Sanchez landed a good left in the first minute. Sanchez went for a take down but was stuffed. Sanchez hit a good right. Diego got another take down attempt stuffed. Hathaway's nose has been busted open. Hathaway partially connected with a head kick. Diego started to stalk towards the end of the round but Hathaway got a brief take down. Close round. I'll give the third to Sanchez and the fight to Hathaway 29-28. Huge win for Hathaway and this win puts him on the map in the welterweight division.

Judges score cards: 30-27, 30-27, 30-26

Winner: John Hathaway by Decision (Unanimous)

Matt Hughes is in attendance. Yesterday he was officially inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. He also has a fight coming up against Ricardo Almeida.

Light Heavyweight Fight- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (18-3) vs. Jason Brilz (18-2-1)

Forrest Griffin was supposed to be in this fight but he got injured so enter Jason Brilz. Brilz took the fight on four weeks notice. Lil Nog debuted in the UFC at UFC 106 and took at Luiz Cane. Nog is on a 6 fight win streak. Nog has a 3" height and 3.5" reach advantage.

R1- Nog hit some good knees and kicks early. Brilz got a take down about 90 seconds into the fight. Nog slipped out but Brilz was able to get him back down onto the mat. Nog was able to slip out the back and take Brilz back and get him down but Brilz slipped out. Nog landed a couple of punches right at the end of the round. Brilz 10-9.

R2- Brilz went for a single leg and Nog grabbed a guillotine. Brilz slipped out and took top positon. Nog reversed but Brilz grabbed a guillotine. Nog got out of the move but Brilz grabbed it again and then released it but took top position. Brilz grabbed another guillotine but Nog slipped out and got back to his feet with two minutes left. Brilz landed a good right but Nog absorbed it. Nog landed a knee. Both guys swing for the fences and Brilz landed a good shot but Nog stayed on his feet but didn't engage for the rest of the round. Brilz 20-18. This would be another big upset.

R3- Brilz got an early take down. Nog swept him over and got back to his feet. Brilz went for a take down but Nog stuffed it and went for a choke but couldn't get it. Nog hit a knee. Brilz went for a take down but Nog quickly took top position. Nog caught Brilz in a crucifix but Brilz got out and took Nog's guard. Nog swept Brilz over with 30 seconds left. Nog took this round but I've got Brilz winning 29-28.

Judges score cards: 29-28 Brilz, 29-28 Nog, 29-28 Nog

Wow that was a very shocking decision. I thought Brilz clearly won that fight and so did the fans.

Winner: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by Decision (Split)

Heavyweight Fight- Todd Duffee (6-0) vs. Mike Russow (12-1)

Russow has won 8 straight fights with 6 of those coming by submission. Duffee debuted in the UFC at UFC 102 and promptly beat Tim Hague in 7 seconds. Duffee has a 2" height and 5" reach advantage.

R1- Duffee throwing some leather early .Duffee hit a couple of good uppercuts that hurt Russow but he survived teh onslaught. Duffee connected on a couple of overhand rights. Duffee is just dominating this fight so far. He is landing good shots and is taking his time. Duffee landed a big time left and Russow absorbed it. Duffee 10-8.

"I'll tell you one thing, Russow can take a shot"- Joe Rogan

R2- Duffee continues to land some good shots. Russow is starting to land a couple of punches. Duffee landed a good right when Russow came in for a take down. The fight has slowed down in this round. Fans are eager for a knockout after two decisions so far. Duffee 10-9, 20-17 for the fight.

R3- Russow caught Duffee half way through this round with a shocking knockout. Down 20-17 on my score card and he came back and out of nowhere landed a couple

"That's the craziest thing I've ever seen in a thousand fights. Oh My God! Mike Russow is standing in front of us and he's as surprised as we are. I'm standing up. I can't even sit down right now. That's the craziest thing I've ever seen. Oh My God!"- Joe Rogan
"If that was in a movie you'd say shut up that can't happen in real life"- Joe Rogan
"It just did"- Mike Goldberg

Winner: Mike Russow by KO R3 2:03

The Korean Zombie is in the house. San Antonio Spurs star Tim Duncan is at the show too.

Melvin Guillard vs. Waylon Lowe (8-2)

This is from the pre-show. Lowe fought for KOTC in April of this year and beat Steve Berger by knockout in the first round.

R1- Lowe got a take down but Guillard popped back up to his feet. Melvin landed some good knees while Lowe clinched him against the cage. Melvin landed some hammer fists. Lowe went for a take down and Guillard nailed him with a knee to the body and Lowe just keeled over and this one is over. Guillard came in and gave him a shot or two before the ref stopped it but it was the knee that did Lowe in.

Winner: Melvin Guillard by TKO (Strikes) R1 3:28

Guillard calls out Jeremy Stephens after the fight.

Middleweight Fight- Michael Bisping (19-3) vs. Dan Miller (11-3)

Bisping last fought at UFC 110 where he lost a unanimous decision to Wanderlei Silva. Previously at UFC 105 Bisping beat Denis Kang in the 2nd round. Dan Miller is coming off of a loss to Demain Maia at UFC 109. After the referee gives them instructions they don't touch gloves and Miller gives him a little shove back to the corner.

R1- Miller hit a good left early and then kicked Bisping in the balls. Bisping landed a right hand. Both guys are landing some shots. Really even fight so far. I think Bisping takes this round because he started to land some good shots at the end of the round. Bisping 10-9.

R2- Miller is starting to throw some leg kicks. Bisping is landing jabs and has open a cut on or near Miller's nose. Bisping stuffed a take down and then landed a good right hand at the mid-way point of the round. Bisping 20-18.

R3- Miller threw a good overhand right but Bisping answered early in the last round. Miller got a take down at the half-way point in the round. Bisping quickly backed up to the wall and got to his feet. Miller landed a couple of strikes at the end. Even if you give Miller this round it's still Bisping by decision. Unless the same judges from the Brilz/Nog fight are judging this fight.

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

Winner: Michael Bisping by Decision (Unanimous)

Mike Tyson and his face tatoo are at the fights tonight. So are Snoop Dogg, Larry Fitzgerald and David Spade. And is Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre.

Light Heavyweight Fight- Rampage Jackson (30-7) vs. Rashad Evans (19-1-1)

Rashad last fought at UFC 108 where he won a decision against Thiago Silva. Rampage has not fought since March of 2009 when he beat Rashad's training partner Keith Jardine by unanimous decision. The UFC tells us that Rampage lands 84% of clinch strikes, defends 77% of take downs and has the 2nd best submission defense rate in MMA history. Rashad defends 63% of take downs, has never lost a fight when landing a take down and 4 of his last wins have come by way of knockout. This should be a good fight. Despite the layoff I've got Rampage. Rashad is boo'd as he enters the Octagon. Dana White has said the winner of this gets the first shot at Shogun Rua. Rampage has a 2" height advantage but Rashad has a 2" reach advantage.

R1- Rashad hit a right hand really early that stunned Rampage. Rashad rushed in and clinched Rampage against the cage and tried for a take down. Herb Dean separates the fighters. Rashad got a take down with two minutes left in the round. Rampage got back to his feet but ate a strike on the way up. Dean separates them again with 25 seconds left in the round. Rampage landed some offense right at the end of the round. Rashad 10-9.

R2- Rashad came in and clinched Rampage early in the round to a chorus of boos. They separated and then Rashad came in and clinched again. Dean separates them again. Rashad clinches Rampage again. Neither fighter has really done anything in this round besides Rashad clinching Rampage. Rashad went for a take down and didn't get it but did land a strike or two. Rashad 20-18.

R3- Rampage caught Rashad as Rashad tried to avoid Rampage and then went to clinch him. He landed a good right that knocked Rashad off-balance and down to the mat backwards. Rampage jumped on top and landed some good strikes. Rashad held onto Rampage to try and survive and Rashad got back to his feet. Rampage gave Rashad time to recover when they got back to their feet and Rashad shot and got a take down. Rampage got back to his feet with 40 seconds left in the fight but Rashad took him down again. Rampage 10-9 but Rashad is going to take this one 29-28 by wining a 2nd round in which both guys really did nothing. Unfortunately this fight didn't live up to the hype and even though Rashad won I have a hard time thinking he's deserving of a shot at Shogun after two decision victories.

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

Winner: Rashad Evans by Decision (Unanimous)

UFC 109: Relentless 2/6/10 Re-Cap

UFC 109: Relentless
2/6/10
Mandalay Bay Events Center
Las Vegas, Nevada

Welterweight Fight- Matt Serra vs. Frank Trigg

Serra has not fought since he lost a close decision to Matt Hughes. Trigg lost in his last fight at UFC 103 to Josh Koscheck by TKO early in the first round. If Trigg losses this fight he could be out of the UFC. Trigg comes out to LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out”. Serra comes out to the Rocky theme.

R1- About half way through the first round Serra landed a good combo and Trigg went down and got finished. Great showing by Serra. Serra landed 3 big time uncontested shots once Trigg was down on the mat.

Winner: Matt Serra by TKO (Strikes) R1 2:23

Middleweight Fight- Demian Miller (11-1) vs. Dan Miller (11-2)

Miller comes out to CCR’s “Run Through the Jungle”. At UFC 98 Miller lost a unanimous decision to Chael Sonnen. So this is a match-up of the guys who lost to the fighters in another fight later tonight (Sonnen vs. Marquardt). Both guys are in a need of a win here to get back on the radar in terms of contenders. Maia last fought at UFC 102 and got clipped by Nate Marquardt via knockout in 21 seconds.

R1- Maia clinched Miller up against the cage trying for a take down but was denied. Maia tried again for a take down and was successful but Miller got back to his feet and got hit with a low blow but the ref didn’t step in and Miller absorbed several punches until Mazzagatti stopped for a break. Maia pushed Miller down again towards the end of the round but Miller popped back up. Maia 10-9.

R2- Maia hit a good left hand about two minutes in to the round. Not a ton of action in this round but Maia landed more strikes. Maia 20-18.

R3- Miller briefly got Maia down when he stuffed a take down but Maia immediately countered and got a take down. Maia landed some light Ground and Pound but Miller got back to his feet with three minutes left in the round. Maia got another take down after Miller initially stuffed him. Not a very exciting fight but Maia is going to take this one by unanimous decision.

Judges score cards: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 Demian Maia

Winner: Demian Maia by Decision (Unanimous)

Light Heavyweight Fight- Brian Stann vs. Phil Davis

Stann has recently started training with Greg Jackson and is 2-0 since joining his camp. Davis trains with Brandon Vera.

R1- After Maia’s interview in the cage with Joe Rogan we immediately cut to this fight as the bell rings and we are off. Davis got a take down with about two minutes left in the round. Davis kept switching from back position to full mount as Stann tried to get him off. Davis landed some good Ground and Pound but couldn’t finish the fight. Davis 10-9.

R2- Davis got a good take down about a minute into the fight. Davis really just dominated Stann in this round and landed some really nice knees to the body up against cage. Looked like a borderline 10-8 round. Davis is up two rounds to zero so far, either 20-18 or 20-17.

R3- Davis got another take down about a minute in the final round. Davis grabbed an arm bar in the last couple of seconds but the bell rang. Davis is going to take this fight easily when the judges hand in their score cards. Really good debut by Davis.

Judges score cards: no scores announced

Winner: Phil Davis by Decision (Unanimous)

Welterweight Fight- Mike Swick (14-3) vs. Paulo Thiago (12-1)

Swick is coming off of a Unanimous Decision loss to Dan Hardy at UFC 105. Thiago is coming off of a Unanimous Decision win over Jacob Volkmann at UFC 106. Swick is filling in for injured teammate Josh Koscheck in this fight.

R1- Really close round. Swick got a take down in the last 30 seconds of the round which probably nets the round for him. Swick 10-9.

R2- Swick hit a good right hand but Thiago threw two wild defensive punches and one landed and floored Swick. Thiago jumped on top of Swick and grabbed a choke and Swick passed out in the move.

Winner: Paulo Thiago by Submission (Choke) R2 1:54

Middleweight Fight- Nate Marquardt (32-8-2) vs. Chael Sonnen (25-10-1)

Marquardt is next in line for a shot at Anderson Silva (after Vitor Belfort) if he can keep on winning fights. Marquardt quickly disposed of Demian Maia in his last fight. Sonnen last fought at UFC 104 where he defeated Yushin Okami by Unanimous Decision. Sonnen comes out to some horrible music and has Matt Lindland in his corner.

R1- Marquardt pulled guard in the first minute with a guillotine but couldn’t hold it and Sonnen ended up in his guard. Sonnen landed some good Ground and Pound. Marquardt got to his feet and tried a flying knee but got taken down. Sonnen takes this round.

R2- Sonnen goes in and immediately gets a take down. Marquardt went for a kimura but could not get it. Lots of blood in this fight as Sonnen is on top and doing damage but Marquardt caught Sonnen with an elbow which opened up Sonnen. Sonnen is up 20-18 in this fight going into the third round.

R3- Sonnen got an immediate take down to start the final round. Sonnen is just all on over Marquardt in this fight. Marquardt got back to his feet and hit a knee and then Sonnen went for a take down and Marquardt clamped in a deep guillotine but couldn’t quite finish Sonnen off. Marquardt rolled Sonnen over and is on top with one minute left in the fight. Marquardt finished strong and could have stolen this round but he definitely lost the first two and Sonnen scores the upset victory in this one.

Judges score cards: 30-27, 30-27 and 30-27

Winner: Chael Sonnen by Decision (Unanimous)

Light Heavyweight Fight- Randy Couture (17-10) vs. Mark Coleman (16-9)

This is the battle of two of the oldest and decorated fighters in UFC history. Couture is coming off of a close 29-28 Unanimous Decision victory over Brandon Vera. Mark Coleman is coming off a UFC 100 29-28 Unanimous Decision victory over Stephan Bonnar. Both men are UFC Hall of Famers and former UFC Heavyweight Champions. Couture has also held the UFC Light Heavyweight Title.

R1- Randy is landing some good jabs at the opening of the round. Randy landed a good right and then a knee and then clinched Coleman up against the cage two minutes into the round. Randy is landing some good shots in the clinch. Randy lands some really good uppercuts. Couture 10-9.

R2- Randy backed Coleman into the fence and landed some good shots and then got a take down. Randy mounted and landed some Ground and Pound. Coleman gave up his back and Randy clamped in a Rear Naked Choke and Coleman passed out in the hold. Really good dominant showing by Couture.

Winner: Randy Couture by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 1:09

Post Fight Mark Coleman is being interviewed Joe Rogan and Tito Ortiz yells out something and Coleman says “F You Tito, Anytime”.

Heavyweight Fight- Rolles Gracie vs. Joey Beltran

This is Gracie’s UFC debut.

R1- Gracie got a take down a little over a minute into the fight. Beltran finished the round strong by stuffing a take down and then getting some shots to the side of Gracie’s head. Both guys looked pretty inexperienced out there when they were on their feet.

R2- Beltran got Gracie down and landed some shots and then left him there as he wanted to stand up. Gracie looks really tired. He’s dove at Beltran feet and whiffed . Beltran is landing some shots and Gracie just looks like he’s given up and Herb Dean finally stops the fight. What a pathetic display by Gracie. He’s going to be cut from UFC after one fight after this performance. Gracie looked worse then some of the TUF guys that can barely go a round and gas.

Winner: Joey Beltran by TKO (Strikes) R2 1:31

UFC 98 "Evans vs. Machida" Re-Cap

UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida
5/23/09
MGM Grand
Las Vegas, Nevada

This show is highlighted by Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans defending against Lyoto Machida. This will be the first time two unbeaten fighters have fought for the belt. Also, on this card in a feature fight is Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra in what is a grudge match due to their dislike of each other.

Lightweight Fight- Sean Sherk (37-3-1) vs. Frank Edgar (9-1)

Edgar has not fought since last July when he defeated Hermes Franca. Sherk was last seen at UFC 90 when he defeated Tyson Griffin by unanimous decision. If Sherk wins this then he should be right at the top of the list to fight the winner of BJ Penn/Kenny Florian. Edgar is a Jiu-Jitsu Purple Belt who trains with Ricardo Almeida, he also has a strong wrestling base and has fast hands. Sherk is a former UFC Lightweight Champion and has only lost to Matt Hughes, BJ Penn and Georges St-Pierre. Edgar has a big 5” reach advantage.

R1- Lots of stand-up early with Frankie with a slight advantage as he landed a couple of nice combinations. Edgar caught a Sherk leg kick and got a take down about three minutes into the fight and held him down for a minute but didn’t inflict any damage. Good, close first round that I give to Edgar 10-9. Edgar looks like the quicker fighter. Sherk looks like he’s going to need to take this to the ground and grind it out.

R2- Sherk is more aggressive to start off the round. Frankie got a knee to the body and briefly knocked Sherk off his feet. Sherk took the first half of this round but Frankie really started to land some nice shots in the second half of the round. I’ve got Edgar taking this round to go up 20-18. Rogan made a great point in saying that Sherk just keeps doing the same thing and Edgar is doing a much better job of mixing things up and keeping Sherk unbalanced and not knowing what is coming next.

R3- Sherk got a big take down about 45 seconds into the round but Edgar got back to his feet within 20 seconds. Sherk has a small cut over his left eyebrow. Sherk went for a another take down with about 2 minutes left but got stuffed. Sherk went for a shoot right at the end of the round and Edgar grabbed him in a guillotine and pulled guard as the round ended. I think Edgar may have stolen this round. Regardless I’ve got Edgar as the clear winner in this fight although it wasn’t a dominate performance. Frankie fought a really good fight and showed some great conditioning. Big win by Frankie as I had Sherk as a Top 5 Lightweight prior to this fight.

Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all score cards.

Winner: Frank Edgar by Decision (Unanimous)

They show BJ Penn in the crowd after the fight and hype his fight against Kenny Florian.

Middleweight Fight- Chael Sonnen (23-10-1) vs. Dan Miller (11-1)

Miller is 3-0 inside the Octagon and is coming off a February fight against Jake Rosholt that he won in a tad more than a minute by guillotine choke. Miller is a Jiu-Jitsu brown belt and a submission specialist. Sonnen is taking this fight on short notice as he’s filling in for the injured Yushin Okami. Sonnen trains with Team Quest. Sonnen has lost 3 times in the UFC, all by submission, and most recently by Demien Maia.

R1- Sonnen went for a take down early and got caught in a tight guillotine. Sonnen was able to survive the early submission attempt. Sonnen is landing some good Ground and Pound and landed some really hard shots towards the end of the round. Sonnen takes round one 10-9.

R2- Sonnen got a slam but Miller grabbed a guillotine again but this one was not as tight as the first round and Sonnen ends up in his guard. Miller goes for an arm bar but could not clamp it in as Sonnen continues to get some Ground and Pound but nothing at the level of what he got in the first round. Sonnen takes this round and is up 20-18. Miller is going to need to finish this fight if he wants to win.

R3- Miller landed a good combo to start the round but then got taken down. Not a real exciting fight but Sonnen just continues to grind this fight out and is going to take it by decision.

Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all score cards.

Winner: Chael Sonnen by Decision (Unanimous)

Middleweight Fight- Drew McFedries (7-5) vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam (20-10)

After two draws the odds are very strong that we will have a KO or TKO in this fight. Xavier lost to Denis Kang by Decision in his last fight. He is taking this fight on short notice filling in for James Irvin. Xavier is known as “Professor X”. He is explosive, with KO ability and good knees. Drew comes out to some Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre “Nothin’ But a G Thing”. Professor X has a 3” reach advantage.

R1- McFedries caught Xavier with a big punch early and just lays it in and the ref stops the fight. Drew hit him with some good punches and Xavier was trying to hold on but he got hit with several good punches. Great showing by McFedries.

Winner: Drew McFedries by TKO (Punches) R1 0:37

Light Heavyweight Fight- Krzystof Soszynski vs. Andre Gusmao

This is a pre-show fight.

R1- Gusmao caught him with a kick early that knocked Krzystof down but he recovered. Soszynski got him up against the cage and landed some nice shots and hit a big right hand that knocked Gusmao out. Another great showing for Soszynski. I thought early on that he was the favorite to win the TUF season he was on but he just didn’t deliver in the big fight on that show. He’s been delivering big time since getting a shot in the UFC as he is now 3-0 in the Octagon.

Winner: Krzystof Soszynski by KO R1 3:17

Mike Tyson is shown in the crowd.

Welterweight Fight- Matt Hughes (43-7) vs. Matt Serra (16-5)

This is a fight that I’ve been looking forward to for a while. Both guys really want to get in there and beat each other up. The only problem for the fans is that neither guy is a likeable character so you kind of want to see both guys get their asses kicked.

“Matt Hughes. He is a dick. He’s a very talented dick. I’m looking forward to the fight. I feel like a winner already just knowing that I get to hit him in his face.”- Matt Serra

Matt Serra comes out to the theme to Rocky. Alright, so maybe Serra is a little bit likeable. Hughes is coming into this fight on a two fight losing streak (Thiago Alves and GSP). Serra’s last fight was a loss to GSP in defense of his Welterweight Championship. Hughes has a big size advantage in this fight as he is 3” taller and has a reach advantage of 5”.

R1- Serra landed an overhand right on Hughes about a minute into the fight and jumped on top of him. Hughes got back to his feet but his legs looked wobbly and Hughes tried to get a take down and looked like he recovered a bit. Hughes got a take down with a minute thirty left in the round. Hughes took his back but Serra slipped out and didn’t take much damage. Good first round. Serra is up 10-9. Hughes started to go to the wrong corner after the end of the round. It sounded like Matt Hughes asked his corner men if Serra knocked him down in the first round (it sounded like he might have asked if Serra knocked him out). They showed the re-play of Serra’s over hand right and at the same time that Serra hit him with the right his head also connected with Hughes’ chin.

R2- Hughes got a take down about a minute into the round. Serra rolled his eyes while he was in half guard and Hughes was hitting him with some side punches. Hughes basically just smothered Serra in this round but it didn’t look like he hurt him at all. They stood them up at the end of the round due to lack of action. Right now I’ve got this at 19-19.

R3- Hughes rushed him early and got a take down about a minute into the round but Serra landed in a good spot for a possible submission but he wasn’t able to grab anything. Serra went for a triangle but couldn’t grab it. The ref stands them up with one and a half minutes left in the fight. Serra reversed a take down with about 50 seconds left in the fight. Serra hit a good punch on the ground and finished the fight on top. The third round was close. They embraced after the fight and Hughes raised Serra’s arm before the decision came in. I’m thinking Serra 20-19 as Serra did more to try and finish the fight in the final round and neither guy did a significant amount of damage.

Judges score cards say: 29-28 on all score cards for Matt Hughes.

Winner: Matt Hughes by Decision (Unanimous)

Main Event: Light Heavyweight Title Fight: Rashad Evans © (18-0-1) vs. Lyoto Machida (14-0)

This should be an interesting fight as both guys tend to like to counter punch. Evans is coming off big wins against Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin and he has Yoda in his corner (Greg Jackson). Machida has an unorthodox style and is coming off of a decisive win against Thiago Silva. Rashad has never been knocked out, lands 58% of his take down attempts and has yet to attempt a submission in the UFC. Machida is the most elusive fighter in UFC history, he has never lost a round in the UFC, lands 65% of all strikes and has an 84% takedown defense. Machida is actually a favorite in this fight and the fans also texted him in as a 64% favorite. Machida is also a Karate Black Belt. Goldberg says that Machida has never been knocked down and Rogan says that he hasn’t taken a power punch since he fought BJ Penn. Rashad is a great wrestler and also has great power in his punches. Rashad is the third TUF fighter to try and defend a title successfully in the UFC (both Forrest and Serra were unsuccessful in their first title defenses).

The winner of this fight probably gets Rampage Jackson (since he was originally offered this title fight with Rashad but couldn’t go due to the short time needed to rebound from his fight with Jardine). Rashad/Rampage is a big time fight on paper that the UFC could really get behind due to all the trash talking that those guys would put on each other. I also like Rampage/Machida on paper as I think Rampage could be a difficult match-up for Machida since Rampage has solid boxing skills.

R1- No action in the first minute as Machida takes the center of the cage and Rashad dances around him. This is what I thought would happen since we have two counter punchers and Rashad didn’t really bring the action in the Liddell fight until Liddell brought it to him. Machida hits the first shot as he threw a leg kick that Rashad deflected but it sent him back into the cage. Machida landed another kick this one to the side and then Rashad answered with a kick. Machida threw a quick kick and then two quick punches all in a flurry of a second or two and Rashad went down. Machida jumped on top but Rashad recovered to his feet and they stood back up. Machida was lightning quick in that sequence. Machida takes round one 10-9 and looked good but didn’t do much damage.

R2- Machida takes the center of the cage again at the start of the round and the crowd chants “Machida…Machida…Machida”. So much for him being a boring fighter like some have said. Machida clinched Rashad but he got saved by the cage and Machida couldn’t get him down. Rashad threw a punch and missed and Machida came in with a flurry of punches but Rashad fought out of it by throwing some punches of his own. Rashad hit a side kick. Rashad came in for a looping punch but Machida beat him with a quick jab and then Machida caught him with a left hand knocking him down. Machida jumped on top but Rashad got to his feet and Machida chased him to the cage. Machida is now landing some big punches up against the cage. Machida hits Rashad with a wicked left and Rashad just crumbles to the ground as his leg falls underneath him. FANTASTIC showing by Lyoto Machida tonight. He just looked awesome. Rashad never looked comfortable tonight and Machida really just picked him apart in this fight. Machida hit him with 3 or 4 good punches on the cage and finally closed the door with the big left hand. Dana White straps the belt on Lyoto as he is announced as the NEW champion.

Winner and NEW Light Heavyweight Champion: Lyoto Machida by KO R2 3:57

“The Dragon is the champion”- Lyoto Machida

Bring on Lyoto versus Rampage.

Welterweight Fight- Brock Larson vs. Mike Pyle

This is a fight from the pre-show. I like Brock Larson a lot and I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t come out on top in this fight. Pyle is taking this fight on short notice. This is Pyle’s UFC debut. Larson is a very explosive fighter.

R1- Larson took him down but Pyle countered with some submission attempts. Larson stays on top with some Ground and Pound and Larson goes for the arm triangle and gets the win. Good showing by Larson.

Winner: Brock Larson by Submission (Arm Triangle) R1 3:06

Heavyweight Fight- Pat Barry vs. Tim Hague

This is the UFC debut for Tim Hague. This is another pre-show fight.

R1- Barry hit a big right head kick and then hit another but Hague took him down at the one minute mark of the round. Hague got a guillotine and pulled out the upset. Rogan says Barry had this fight won but he just got sloppy.

Winner: Tim Hague by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 1:42

UFC Fight Night 17 2/7/09 Re-Cap

UFC Fight Night 17
February 7th, 2009
USF Sun Dome - Tampa, FL

No major drawing cards on the show tonight but the last time UFC ran a show similar to this (Fight for the Troops) they had a really good show. On paper we’ve got some interesting fights in Lauzon/Stephens, Neer/Danzig, Johnson/Fioravanti and Pellegrino/Emerson.

Welterweight Fight- Anthony Johnson (6-2) vs. Luigi Fioravanti (13-4)

Anthony Johnson is coming off of a big Third Round KO of Kevin Burns in their re-match at the Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale. Fioravanti is the home town guy in this fight as he’s from Florida. Johnson is a JUCO wrestler and a feared striker. This is a big fight for both guys. Johnson has a big 8” reach advantage and a 6” height advantage. Cung Le is in Anthony Johnson’s corner for the fight as Johnson has been training with Le and Strikeforce Lightweight Champ Josh Thomson. Fioravanti has won 3 of his last 4 fights with the loss coming at the hands of Diego Sanchez.

R1- Johnson scored mostly in this round with leg kicks and then caught Luigi towards the end of the round with a punch and then laid it on and got the Ground and Pound victory. Very impressive victory by Johnson as it took Diego Sanchez 3 rounds to get a TKO win over Luigi.

I’m looking forward to Johnson stepping up in competition for his next fight in the Welterweight Division. Post-fight Johnson says he’s disappointed with his performance so that’s a good sign that this guy is going to work really hard to continue to improve.

Winner: Anthony Johnson by TKO (Strikes) R3 4:39

Lightweight Fight- Josh Neer (24-7-1) vs. Mac Danzig (19-5-1)

Danzig is coming off of a September loss to Clay Guida in which he was really controlled by Guida’s wrestling. Neer fought on the same show and lost a split decision to Nate Diaz. Both guys are in a need to win situation as they don’t want to start racking up multiple losses in a row. Danzig won TUF Season 6 in 2007. Neer has a 3” height advantage and a 2” reach advantage.

R1- Danzig got caught early when he went for a head kick but weathered the storm. Danzig hit a good combo about a minute in a half in to even the fight back out. Danzig caught Neer coming in with a minute and half left and then took his guard. Neer grabbed a triangle but Danzig spun out and survived. Neer unloaded in the corner. Neer showboated towards the end of the round. Neer ended the round on an upswing. Very good and very close first round. Neer controlled early, Danzig took the middle part of the round with a knock down and Neer came on strong at the end. Danzig also opened up a cut on Neer’s face.

R2- Danzig got a take down stuffed and Neer unloaded with some good elbows. Neer tried to take his back but slipped off and Danzig took guard. Neer got another triangle with a minute and a half left in the round and Danzig had to tap.

Really good fight and a good showing by both guys as it was very competitive.

Winner: Josh Neer by Submission (Arm Triangle) R2 3:36

Heavyweight Fight- Cain Velasquez (4-0) vs. Denis Stojnic (12-1)

Velasquez is an up and coming Heavyweight prospect and this is Stojnic’s first fight in the UFC. Cain has a 2” height and 3” reach advantage. Stojnic is from Amsterdam and his nickname is “Denis the Menace.”

R1- Velasquez just dominated this round. Stojnic showed a good chin but wasn’t able to get in any offense. Velasquez 10-8. Velasquez showed really good technique throughout the fight and did a good job mixing in strikes, kicks and knees.

R2- Velasquez took Stojnic down and Ground and Pound him over and over. The ref stopped the fight a little early but there was no question that Velasquez was just dominating this fight. Good showing by Velasquez, the only thing that was missing was a dominant finish.

Winner: Cain Velasquez by TKO (Strikes) R2 2:34

Lightweight Fight- Matt Grice vs. Matt Veach

This is a pre-show fight. Veach took this fight on short notice and has Matt Hughes and Robbie Lawler in his corner.

R1- Veach really pushed the pace early and got a take down. Grice caught Veach in an Anaconda Choke but Veach quickly got out of it. Grice caught Veach with an uppercut and then got on top of him with some Ground and Pound and tried to finish. Grice looked like he punched himself out when he was going for the finish. Grice went for a guillotine and Veach took his guard. Veach was looking very tired and taking some shots and he landed a good shot on Grice and took him down and got the finish. Looked like an early ref stoppage but it was a really good fight.

Winner: Matt Veach by TKO R1 4:34

Lightweight Fight- Joe Lauzon (16-4) vs. Jeremy Stephens (16-3)

Stephens is coming off of a win at UFC 91 over Rafael Dos Anjos. Lauzon’s last fight was a win over Kyle Bradley. Previous to that he had won 6 straight fights before losing to Top Contender Kenny Florian. Hermes Franca was originally supposed to fight Lauzon. Stephens trains with Franca. Lauzon was on Season 5 of the Ultimate Fighter and was BJ Penn’s team.

R1- Lauzon did a good job early in the round in working his strategy and keeping Stephens close to him and on the mat. Stephens came on late in the round with some Ground and Pound and a big slam. Close first round, very competitive.

R2- Lauzon again controlled the first part of this round and got some light Ground and Pound. At about one and a half minutes left in the round Stephens flipped it over and opened up a cut on Lauzon. Lauzon reverses but he’s bleeding pretty good. Lauzon caught Stephens in an arm bar and got a tap out as the round was ending. Really good job by Lauzon quickly getting a finish after he started to lose blood as the fight could have been ended if the round ended depending on where the cut was.

Winner: Joe Lauzon by Submission (Arm Bar) R2 4:43

Middleweight Fight- Dan Miller vs. Jake Rosholt

This is our second pre-show fight.

R1- Rosholt got a quick take down but got reversed. Miller caught Rosholt in a guillotine and he got caught and tapped. His corner was yelling for him to watch for it but apparently he didn’t hear them.

Winner: Dan Miller by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 1:03


Overall, I was very satisfied with this show. Anthony Johnson and Cain Velasquez both looked really good. Grice/Veach and Lauzon/Stephens were both good fights and I thought Danzig/Neer was a really good fight. Danzig/Neer is probably the best fight I’ve seen so far this year although it’s only February.