UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva 1/02/10 Re-Cap

UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva
1/02/10
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada

Heavyweight Fight- Junior Dos Santos (9-1) vs. Gilbert Yvel (36-13-1)

Dos Santos is 3-0 in the UFC and is a Top 10 Heavyweight. This is Yvel’s return to the UFC. This is an important fight for both guys. Dos Santos comes out to the theme to Rocky with his ear looking similar to James Thompson’s did when he fought Kimbo in Elite XC.

R1- Both guys throwing freely in the early going of this fight. Dos Santos floored Yvel with a huge left hand two minutes into the round and then started peppering him with punches on the ground and Herb Dean stepped in and stopped the fight. Dos Santos is no joke.

Winner: Junior Dos Santos by TKO (Strikes) R1 2:07

Lightweight Fight- Jim Miller (15-2) vs. Duane Ludwig (27-9)

This is Duane Ludwig’s return to the UFC but he was 2-0 in his previous UFC fights. Ludwig is taking this fight on 2 weeks notice and Joe Rogan points out that he cut down from the 180s. Jim Miller comes out to CCR’s “Bad Moon Rising”.

R1- Miller hit a right that floored Ludwig and Miller quickly jumped on top and mounted. Ludwig tried to get out and Miller clamped on an arm bar and got the submission victory.

Winner: Jim Miller by Submission (Arm Bar) R1 2:31

Takanori Gomi is in the crowd and they show some of his highlights from Pride and they announce that he has signed with the UFC.

Lightweight Fight- Joe Lauzon (17-4) vs. Sam Stout (15-5-1)

R1- Lauzon got a quick take down in the opening moments of the round. Lauzon opened up a cut on Stout’s head and then grabbed a kimura but Stout was able to slip out and get back to his feet. Stout came back in the second half of the round and landed some good shots. Lauzon 10-9 but Stout almost stole that round.

R2- Stout got a take down about one minute into the round but Stout got to his feet without any damage. Stout is getting the better of the stand up in this round. This round definitely went to Stout as he ended the round in Lauzon’s guard.

R3- Stout controls the early part of the round by avoiding take downs and continually throwing strikes. Lauzon got a take down with two minutes left in the fight. Lauzon mounted and then tried for a guillotine but couldn’t clamp it in and Stout got back to his feet with one minute left in the fight. Stout really attacked at the finish and I’ve got him taking this round and the fight.

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

Winner: Sam Stout by Decision (Unanimous)

Welterweight Fight- Paul Daley (22-8-2) vs. Dustin Hazelett (14-4)

Daley came in overweight at 172 but Hazelett agreed to take the fight. This is Daley’s second fight in the UFC, with his first being a victory over Martin Kampmann.

R1- Both fighters felt each other out for the first half of the round mostly throwing leg and front kicks. At the half way point of the round Daley exploded with a big left hand and then jumped on top and finished the fight as Herb Dean stepped in. Very impressive finish by Daley.

Winner: Paul Daley by TKO (Strikes) R1 2:24

Light Heavyweight Fight- Rashad Evans (18-1-1) vs. Thiago Silva (14-1)

The UFC tells us that Rashad lands 58% of his take down attempts, has won 4 of his last 5 by knockout and holds the UFC record for most take downs without being swept. Thiago has won 12 of 13 fights by strike stoppage, his average UFC fight length is 3:48 and he has a 77% take down defense rate. Both fighters only have one loss on their record and it’s to the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida.

R1- Rashad quickly came at Thiago and clinched and then got a slam at the one minute mark. Rashad mounted but Thiago didn’t take any damage and got back to his feet. They threw some strikes and then Rashad got another take down about half way through the round. Silva again got to his feet without taking any damage. Rashad hit some good strikes against the cage and then got another brief take down. Rashad looks like he’s wearing Thiago down and is up 10-9 after one round.

R2- Rashad got a take down in the second minute of the round. Silva got up again but Rashad slammed him back down. Thiago landed a couple of strikes but then got taken down again. Rashad 20-18.

R3- Rashad got a quick take down but couldn’t hold it. Rashad missed a big swing and then Thiago put his gloves down and leaned his chin in and he and Rashad hammed it up for the fans for a minute. Thiago landed a big time right hand that wobbled Rashad’s knees. Thiago got Rashad down but Rashad clamped onto a leg. One minute and forty five seconds left in the round and Thiago got Rashad back to his feet and Rashad is looking at the clock. Thiago is landing some good shots but he looks like he’s running out of steam. Rashad clinched Thiago against the cage and held on to win this one by decision on my score card 29-28.

Judges score cards say: 29-28 on all score cards

Winner: Rashad Evans by Decision (Unanimous)

Strikeforce on NBC 1/11/08 Re-Cap

Strikeforce on NBC 1/11/08 Re-Cap

All 3 of these fights were from the Strikeforce "Payback" show that took place on 10/3/08.

Light Heavyweight Fight- Carlos Zevallos (0-0) vs. Andre Walker (1-3)

This is the MMA debut for Carlos Zevallos. Both guys have backgrounds in Muy Thai.

R1- Walker caught Carlos right out of the gate with a big right hand and then jumped on top of him but could not finish. Walker controlled the early portion of the round. Carlos reversed a take down and took full mount and landed some Ground and Pound and the ref stopped the fight.

Winner: Carlos Zevallos by TKO (punches) R1 4:49


Featherweight Fight- Ricky Johnson (0-1) vs. Tyler Toner (6-1)

R1- Only highlights are shown of Round One and Johnson is busted up and Toner finished the round strong.

R2- Johnson has some facial cuts. Toner got a take down after a knee to the body. Johnson went for a knee bar but instead ate some Ground and Pound. Toner is in full mount and Johnson is getting busted up pretty good until the ref stopped the fight.

Winner: Tyler Toner by TKO (punches) R2 3:44

Welterweight Fight- Duane Ludwig (16-8) vs. Sammy Morgan (19-11)

This was the Main Event of the "Payback" show and is also a re-match between these two as Sammy Morgan stopped Duane Ludwig 52 seconds into the first round of their first encounter. Ludwig has wins over Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett, Thomas Denny, Jens Pulver, Genki Sudo, Jonathan Goulet and Tony Fryklund. He's also lost to BJ Penn, Takanori Gomi, Paul Daley, Josh Thomson, and Tyson Griffin. Sammy Morgan was on the UFC The Ultimate Fighter Season 2.

R1- Morgan got an early take down but Ludwig got up quickly and both guys are swinging for the fences. Ludwig hit a good uppercut that knocked Sammy down and Ludwig got on top and Sammy tapped out.

Winner: Duane Ludwig by TKO (punches) R1 2:01

Strikeforce on NBC 11/30 Show Re-Cap

Strikeforce on NBC 11/30 Show Re-Cap

This weeks show features a compilation of the 10 best knockouts of the season.

10. Cung Le vs Mike Altman- This was Cung Le’s MMA debut. Le hit a spinning back kick to knock Altman up against the cage and then popped him in the chin with a right hook for the KO. Cung Le did a back flip after the win.

9. Frank Shamrock vs Cesar Gracie- This was just 21 seconds into the fight and Frank nailed him with a right and then hit some Ground and Pound and the ref stopped it as Gracie’s corner threw in the white towel.

8. Luke Stewart vs Bryson Kamaka- Stewart hit a couple of knees. One to the chest and one to the forehead and this one was over. This one only lasted 19 seconds.

7. Joe Riggs vs. Eugene Jackson- Riggs hit some Ground and Pound on Jackson and then postured up and nailed Jackson with several punches from the half guard position and Jacksons lights went out.

6. Kazuo Misaki vs. Joe Riggs- Riggs got a shot that floored Misaki and Misaki answered and knocked Riggs down and then got a Ground and Pound victory. Not really a good “knockout.”

5. Duane Ludwig vs. Tony Fryklund- Ludwig just nailed Fryklund with some Ground and Pound and then when they stood up he delivered a tough left hand that knocked him out.

4. Terry Martin vs. Cory Devela- Devela was winning this fight but walked in to a Martin left that floored him and then Martin hit him with a right on the ground to finish him off.

3. Paul Buentello vs. Tank Abbott- Buentello hit him with a big right hand and Tank fell over like a tree being chopped.

2. Paul Buentello vs. Carter Williams- Buentello hit several uppercuts coming out to start a round and this one was over.

1. Cung Le vs. Brian Warren- Le hit several punches and Warren stumbled and then Le knocked him out with a good right hand. The funny thing is that this was about 30 seconds after Warren mocking Cung Le.

Strikeforce "Destruction" 11/21/08 Re-Cap

Strikeforce "Destruction" Re-Cap

This show is from San Jose. The main fights will be a Strikeforce Light Heavyweight fight where Bobby Southworth defends against Renato "Babalu" Sobral and then Scott Smith fights Terry Martin in the Main Event. Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten are the announcers as usual. Jimmy Lennon Jr is the ring announcer.

Middleweight Fight- Nik Theotikos (5-1) vs. Luke Rockhold (2-1)

5 of Nik's first 6 fights have ended in the first round. He is 2-0 in Strikeforce fights. Luke comes out to a Metallica song. He's from San Jose. Luke has never been past the first round in a fight. Looks like this one will be a quick one.

R1- Nik quickly grabs Luke in a guillotine and seems to have it in really tight. Luke gets out and is in Nik's guard. Rockholt gets in a lot of strikes while in Nik's guard. Rockholt takes Nik's guard and wins via Rear Naked Choke. Good win by Luke as he had to escape an early submission and then dominated after that point.

Winner: Luke Rockhold by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1

Gina Carano is interviewed after the fight.

Welterweight Fight- Joe Riggs (28-10) vs. Luke Stewart (6-1)

Riggs is 10-10 since losing to Matt Hughes. Riggs is a 3-1 favorite in this fight. Big John McCarthy is the ref for this fight (he had previously retired but has now returned).

R1- Stewart gets a quick take down but they quickly stood back up. Stewart is controlling the pace of the fight and got Riggs back on the mat at the three minute mark of the round. Not a lot of damage done in the first round but it goes to Stewart as he controlled the fight. Stewart landed 10 strikes in round one to Riggs one strike and Stewart got 2 take downs to zero of Riggs. Stewart has a bunch of hotties in the crowd cheering for him.

R2- Riggs takes Stewart's guard early in the round and is laying in some punches. Riggs is landing some good shots now and Stewart dives at Riggs legs to try and hold on but McCarthy stops the fight.

Winner: Joe Riggs by TKO (strikes) R2 2:05

Woman's Fight- Kim Couture (0-1) vs. Lina Kvokov (0-1)

This is Couture's second professional fight. Both of these women are 0-1 so basically the only reason this fight is on the show tonight is due to Kim's last name. Randy and Gina Carano are both in Kim's corner for the fight.

R1- They come out throwing punches. Kvokov with horrible defense. Kim is pulling her hair and punching her and Kvokov is basically just in this fight to be a punching bag. They have a split screen on Randy for the first minute of the fight. The ref stops the fight a couple of minutes into it. Kvokov just didn't look like she belonged in the ring or wanted to be there.

"The first thing you should do is keep your eye on your opponent. That way you can see the punches coming."- Bas Rutten

Winner: Kim Couture by TKO (strikes) R1 1:44

Josh Thomson was originally going to fight but he injured his toe. So Duane Ludwig is stepping in to take his place.

Lightweight Fight- Duane Ludwig (17-8) vs. Yves Edwards (34-14-1)

Edwards was last seen getting demolished at the hands of KJ Noons. Ludwig defeated Sammy Morgan in his last fight. Josh Thomson joins Bas and Kenny to help announce the fight. Mike Brown (WEC Featherweight Champ) is in the corner of Edwards for the fight.

R1- Yves gets a quick take down. Yves looks like he's bleeding even though he hasn't been hit with a punch yet. Not a lot of action but Yves basically stays on top of Ludwig for the entire first round. Yves 10-9 in round one.

R2- Edwards got a take down but Ludwig got right up. Yves got another take down about one and a half minutes into the round. Ludwig gets back to his feet and slams Edwards to the mat but Edwards gets back up and takes Ludwig down again.

R3- Ludwig fought off Yves and got a take down about a minute and a half into the round. I've got it 20-18 Yves so Ludwig needs to finish. Not a very exciting fight, kind of disappointing. I've got Yves 29-28 for the decision win.

The judges score cards say: 29-28 in favor of Duane Ludwig for all judges. surprising. Duane did out strike Yves. I'm just very surprised that it was "unanimous".

Winner: Duane Ludwig by Decision (Unanimous)

Light Heavyweight Title Fight- Bobby Southworth (c) (9-5) vs. Renato "Babalu" Sobral (30-7)

Southworth's strategy in every fight I've ever seen him in is to simply grab his opponent and lean on them for 5 rounds. Babalu has won 13 of his last 15 fights.

R1- Southworth gets a quick take down and lays on Babalu. Babalu gets up and they clinch against the cage. Three and a half minutes gone in the fight and little to no action so far. Babalu hits an elbow and Southworth's nose is busted open. McCarthy pauses the fight to take a look at the cut. The announcers are surprised that the fight is continuing. Southworth pushes Babalu to the ground and jumps on top as the bell rings to end the fight.I think you have to give this round to Babalu due to damage inflicted on Southworth.

During the intermission they stop the fight due to the cut (it was actually over his eye) and give Babalu the TKO victory.

Winner and new champion: Babalu Sobral TKO (cut) R1 5:00

Middleweight Fight- Terry Martin (18-5) vs. Scott Smith (13-5)

Cung Le joins Bas and Kenny to call the fight.

R1- Scott Smith hit a big shot early in the round and Terry Martin got KO'd. Quick work by Scott Smith. That was a big time KO. Smith hit him on the temple as he leaned in and Martin just fell where he was standing.

Winner: Scott Smith by KO R1 0:24

Strikeforce on NBC 6/8 Re-Cap

Strikeforce on NBC 6/8 Re-Cap

Duane Ludwig (13-4) vs. Tyson Griffin (6-0)- 6/9/06

This should be a good fight.

R1- Ludwig starts off with a good combo. Ludwig has a very noticeable height advantage. Griffin shoots and gets a take down Tyson backs him up against the cage. They mention Tyson’s win over Urijah Faber a couple of times. They mention that Ludwig made his name by knocking out Jens Pulver. Ludwig attempts a triangle but doesn’t get it set in and Griffin starts to hit some punches. Tyson is hitting some good punches and the ref stops the fight. Shamrock immediately says that he thinks it was a bad stoppage. I agree that it was a pre-mature stoppage. Griffin was dominating but Ludwig wasn’t in too bad of shape and was still defending.

Interesting that Strikeforce puts a fight on TV with a UFC fighter (Tyson Griffin) going over one of their guys.

Winner: Tyson Griffin by TKO (punches) R1

Gina Carano (2-0) vs. Elaina Maxwell (1-0)- 12/8/06

Maxwell trains with Cung Le. They show a hype video for Maxwell.

R1- They are fighting 2 minute rounds. Pretty even first round. Carano started to open up and then Maxwell took her down but Carano reversed and the round ended. Really short round, not much time to get going.

R2- Maxwell got a single leg take down early in the round but Carano just rolled through and got on top. Carano getting in a couple of shots. They mixed it up pretty well at the end of the round. Carano definitely took this round. I’d probably go Carano 20-18 at this point.

R3- Carano hits a big right hand to start the round. Maxwell tries a take down but instead gets taken down herself. Maxwell went for a triangle and turned it over but then Carano reversed again and is now in full mount and is punching Maxwell a lot. Carano continues to pound away as the round ends. All three judges score the fight 29-28 in favor of Carano.

Winner: Gina Carano by Decision (Unanimous)

Strikeforce on NBC debut show re-cap

Strikeforce on NBC debut show

Start off with guys talking and highlight shown. Gilbert Melendez, Cung Le and Frank Shamrock are among those shown but are not identified by name.

Lon McEachern welcomes us to the show. Says they will kick off with Cung Le. They show Le talking and have his trainer talking about him.

Cung Le vs. Brian Warren- 6/9/06

Lon McEachern and Ken Shamrock are the announcers. Warren charges at Le but gets a swift kick for his troubles. This is Le’s second MMA fight. Le takes Warren down with a slam and now has side control and moves into half guard and then into full guard. Le stands up with him and slams him again. Le is trying to get some punches in but not much is happening on the ground and the ref stands them up. Le with a spinning heel kick and then a roundhouse kick and then a knee. Warren responds with a knee but doesn’t have much effect. Le with some punches. Le with a spinning heel kick. Warren trying to come back and misses a big swing. Le with some short elbows and they tie up. Looks like Le has a small cut on his face. Warren swinging trying to land a wild knockout blow. Le with some shots to the head and Warren is knocked loopy and Le wins with a combo of several punches. Good finishing power and Le looked impressive here as he wins by KO in his second fight.

Winner: Cung Le by KO R1 4:19

Tony Fryklund vs. Duane Ludwig- 12/8/06

Long feeling out process here as there is not much action so far. Fryklund tries to get a clinch but Ludwig gets a couple of knees in the process. They trade combos that miss for the most part but then Ludwig lands some more knees but Ludwig ends up down but Fryklund lets him get up. Pretty even fight so far. Ludwig with a good combo and now going to town with punches and kicks and knees. Ludwig dominating now with kicks and punches and Ludwig floors him with a sweep kick but Fryklund is quickly back to his feet. Ludwig continues to deliver punishment to Fryklund. Fryklund grabs him and finally takes him down but Ludwig shows good take down defense. They are now up against the cage with Fryklund in control but Ludwig pushes him off. Ludwig clearly won the first round as he is just the superior fighter in terms of striking. Fryklunk failed to take Ludwig down in the first round and is going to have to take the fight to the ground in order to win.

R2- Fryklund trying to jab to keep Ludwig at bay but Ludwig hits a good punch. Fryklund trying to be more pro-active in this round and trying to keep moving forward. Misses a Superman punch and is now going for a take down but he’s denied. Ludwig with a combo. Ludwig lands a good knee. Ludwig lands a great kick and is now going to town on Fryklund and jumps on top. Ludwig is landing blows on top. Several punches. They stand back up and Ludwig with a knee and then knocks him out with a punch and the ref calls for the bell.

Impressive showing for Ludwig as he dominated this fight and finished it in Round 2. Ludwig also showed impressive take down defense in the win.

Winner: Duane “Bang” Ludwig by TKO (knee) R2 3:37

They come back from commercial and show highlights of the fight and show the announcing of the winner in the ring.

That’s it for the debut show. Really good production values. I thought Shamrock was real good on Play-By-Play and McEachern wasn’t bad. They showed a good fight to highlight Cung Le as he won impressively and the Ludwig fight was good as well as both fights were mostly stand-up and had a lot of action. Good debut show and good use of 30 minutes. Definitely looking forward to seeing this show in the future.

Go to nbcsports.com (click on MMA) to view tonight’s show and go to strikeforceusa.net for info on Strikeforce and the fighters on tonight’s show.