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
Showing posts with label Frank Trigg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Frank Trigg. Show all posts
Monday, February 08, 2010
Saturday, September 26, 2009
UFC 103 "Franklin vs. Belfort" Re-Cap
UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort
9/19/09
Dallas, Texas
American Airlines Center
Vitor Belfort makes his return tonight against Rich Franklin in a 195 pound catch weight fight. Junior dos Santos will fight Mirko Cro Cop in an important fight in the Heavyweight Division. Josh Koscheck greats Frank Trigg in his return to the Octagon and top Welterweight contender Martin Kampmann will be in action.
Lightweight Fight- Tyson Griffin (13-2) vs. Hermes Franca (20-7)
Tyson Griffin is coming off of a Unanimous Decision win over Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 18. Hermes Franca comes out to the same music Chipper Jones does when he comes to bat (Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne). Franca came in over weight at 159 lbs. Griffin agreed to go ahead with the fight. Tyson Griffin comes out to the theme from Rocky, but it has nowhere near the impact of when Matt Serra used it in his fight against Matt Hughes (although Serra would go on to lose a close decision). Tyson Griffin has had “Fight of the Night” in 5 of his 8 UFC fights, that’s a pretty impressive statistic.
R1- Griffin is landing some strikes early. Griffin got Franca off his feet but he popped right back up. Franca really hasn’t brought any offense in this first round. Griffin wins this round with a comfortable 10-9 but Franca doesn’t look like he’s been hurt. Not sure why he didn’t make weight but he looks lethargic.
R2- Hermes comes out firing wildly to start the second round. Franca grabbed Griffin’s leg on a kick but Griffin was able to strike his way out. Just as I was thinking that Franca looked slow tonight Griffin popped him with a straight right hand. Franca hit the floor and Griffin jumped on top. Griffin landed a bunch of punches and Hermes hung in there for a while but Griffin ended up over powering him for the TKO victory. Good win by Griffin tonight as he came ready to fight and I’m not sure Hermes did.
Winner: Tyson Griffin by TKO (Punches) R1 3:26
Jon Fitch is in attendance at the fights tonight.
UFC 104 is Lyoto Machida defending the UFC Light Heavyweight Title against Shogun Rua on October 24th in Los Angeles. Ben Rothwell will also take on undefeated Cain Velasquez on the under card.
Welterweight Fight- Josh Koscheck (14-4) vs. Frank Trigg (19-6)
Koscheck is in need of a win after falling to Paulo Thiago in an upset and is only 1-2 in his last 3 fights. This is Trigg’s first fight since his return to the UFC. Trigg is fighting out of Xtreme Couture. Trigg comes out to LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out”. Koscheck counters with “Higher Ground” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Koscheck has had some time off since his last loss as he has been nursing a broken foot.
R1- Trigg landed a good right early but Josh absorbed the blow nicely. Koscheck caught Trigg with a looping right hand that looked like it may have caught him behind the ear and it knocked Trigg forward. Trigg then stood up and leaned on the cage and Koscheck blasted him with a right hand. Koscheck then started wailing on Trigg against the cage and the ref stopped the fight. Nice showing by Koscheck. Trigg was upset about the stoppage but he looked like he was getting tagged.
Winner: Josh Koscheck by TKO (strikes) R1 1:25
Post-Fight Koscheck says he would like to fight Matt Hughes.
Tito Ortiz is in the crowd.
Welterweight Fight- Martin Kampmann (15-2) vs. Paul Daley (21-8-2)
This fight was originally Kampmann versus Mike Swick but Swick got injured and Daley is filling in. Kampmann won a war at UFC Fight Night 18 in a close decision win versus Carlos Condit. If Kampmann wins he is the most likely next contender to the thrown of GSP. Kampmann is 2-0 in the Welterweight Division. The last time I saw Paul Daley fight was on an Elite XC CBS Show where he tapped out to Jake Shields. Kampmann has a 3” height advantage while Daley has a 4” reach advantage.
R1- Both guys are swinging a lot early and it looked like Daley connected on a couple of his. Kampmann went for a take down but was denied. Daley is looking pretty good so far. Kampmann presses Daley up against the cage and landed a nice knee. Daley landed a nice left and it staggered Kampmann. Daley got Kampmann up against the cage and landed some shots. Kampmann didn’t go down but Yves Lavigne stopped the fight as Kampmann looked like he was out on his feet. Very impressive showing by Daley. Kampmann really needed to get the fight to the ground and he never did. I guess Daley saved Kampmann from a worse beating at the hands of GSP. Looking at the re-play Rogan says that Lavigne should have probably let the fight go for another punch or two but it was a close call.
Winner: Paul Daley by TKO (Strikes) R1 2:31
Mike Swick is in the crowd. The door is open for him now in the Welterweight Division with Kampmann’s loss.
Lightweight Fight- Robert Emerson vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
R1- This fight starts off pretty even in the first round. Dos Anjos went for several take downs but Emerson was able to keep the fight standing until the very send of the round. Dos Anjos took this round 10-9 but it was close.
R2- Dos Anjos is landing some good leg kicks. Emerson is starting to land some punches. Dos Anjos got a take down about half way through the round but Emerson got right up. Dos Anjos continues to land kicks and Emerson is limping from the shots. Dos Anjos is up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Dos Anjos landed a good leg kick to start the round and then got a take down. Good fight by Dos Anjos as I’ve got him taking the fight 30-27.
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all three score cards.
Winner: Rafael Dos Anjos by Decision (Unanimous)
Heavyweight Fight- Mirko Cro Cop (25-6-2) vs. Junior dos Santos (8-1)
dos Santos UFC debut was an upset of Fabricio Werdum that knocked Werdum out of the UFC. I’ve got dos Santos as a Top 10 Heavyweight right now and Cro Cop on the outside looking in. I’m confident in saying that the winner of this fight is a tried and true Top 10 Heavyweight and would be a win away from a potential shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Now I’m doubting myself as to the theme song that Tyson Griffin came out to because dos Santos is coming out to one of the Rocky themes. dos Santos is a Jiu Jitsu purple belt, with good chins that has most of his wins by KO- at least that’s what the UFC graphic tells me. Cro Cop comes out to some Duran Duran. My sister loved that band back in the 80s. I wonder if Cro Cop was a Wild Boy like Simon LeBon when he was younger? dos Santos has a 10 lb and 4” reach advantage on Cro Cop. Cro Cop got the best ovation of the night so far when he was introduced.
R1- dos Santos quickly charged at Cro Cop but Cro Cop clinched him against the cage to avoid damage. Cro Cop threw a high kick but it was blocked. dos Santos landed some punches up against the cage but Cro Cop was able to get out of trouble. dos Santos ran Cro Cop down but Cro Cop clinched him again. dos Santos has sustained a couple of cuts over his eyes. dos Santos takes the first round 10-9 as he was much more aggressive but Cro Cop is definitely still in this fight. I think the longer this fight goes on the more it swings to Cro Cop.
R2- Cro Cop swings a high kick but it’s avoided. dos Santos went in with a flurry and both guys landed strikes during the exchange. Cro Cop missed with another head kick. dos Santos is landing some strikes. Cro Cop nailed dos Santos with a low blow. dos Santos landed a couple of good shots and opened up a cut over Cro Cop’s eye. I’ve got dos Santos up 20-18 after two rounds. This is dos Santos’s first fight that’s been over one round so I think Cro Cop still has a shot at this he just has to finish the fight if he wants to win.
R3- Cro Cop opened up the round more aggressive and landed a solid right hand. dos Santos landed some knees. Cro Cop slipped and dos Santos swung with a left and it might have grazed Cro Cop because he looked a little wobbly after the punch and dos Santos followed with a knee. dos Santos then hit another knee and a punch. dos Santos starting to take over this fight. dos Santos with a big knee and then a left and Cro Cop is in big trouble with three minutes left in the round. dos Santos is hitting knees at will. Cro Cops says he can’t see as his face and eyes are all red and this fight is over. Kind of an anti-climatic finish but a great win for dos Santos over a respected veteran. On the re-play dos Santos hit Cro Cop with a big punch to his eye and that was when Cro Cop verbally submitted.
dos Santos is probably one fight away from a title shot. He’s got victories know over Cro Cop and Fabricio Werdum and both of those guys are legit heavyweights.
Winner: Junior dos Santos by Submission (Verbal) R3 2:00
Catch weight Fight (195 lbs)- Rich Franklin (27-4) vs. Vitor Belfort (18-8)
Franklin is coming off of a close win over Wanderlei Silva in the Main Event of UFC 99. I actually had Wanderlei taking the fight by decision but what do I know as the decision was unanimous in favor of Franklin. Prior to that fight Franklin lost a split decision to Dan Henderson. Franklin is Main Eventing his 3rd event in a row which is very impressive for a guy without a belt. The last two fights of Belfort’s that I saw were both for Affliction. The first was a TKO over Terry Martin and the second was a quick destruction of Matt Lindland back in January. Franklin has landed the 2nd most strikes in UFC history behind GSP. Franklin also succeeds in 71% of his takedown attempts. Belfort won his first 3 UFC fights in under 3 minutes. He has also out struck his opponents 62-23 in his last 4 fights. Belfort has been training at Xtreme Couture and has Shawn Thompkins in his corner for the fight. This is Belfort’s first fight since 2005 when he lost a split decision to Tito Ortiz.
R1- Long feeling out process to start out the fight. So far two minutes gone and not much action. Franklin is trying to push the action but is being very cautious and Vitor is content to counter punch to start. Vitor hit Franklin with a big left uppercut after a right jab and Franklin hit the floor. Belfort jumped on top but the ref stopped the fight and Franklin was not quick to get back to his feet. Vitor made Franklin look really bad in that fight. I’m guessing Dana White is salivating over making a Belfort versus Anderson Silva fight.
Looking at the re-play Vitor actually missed with the big left uppercut and it looked like he hit Franklin on the top of the head with a punch afterwards. He really didn’t look like he connected solidly he just hit Franklin in the right spot.
Winner: Vitor Belfort by KO R1 3:02
Lightweight Fight- Nik Lentz vs. Rafaello Oliveira
Lentz is a training partner of Sean Sherk and this is his UFC debut.
R1- Oliveira went for a take down and Lentz tried for a guillotine but could not lock it in. Lentz quickly got back to his feet. Oliveira landed a goof right hand and then rushed in but Lentz grabbed a guillotine. Oliveira slammed him and Lentz lost the submission on the ground. Both guys threw some leather and then Oliveira got a big slam to take down Lentz. They went back to their feet and Lentz landed some good shots and hurt Oliveira but he survived. Lentz got a take down right at the end of the round. Good first round and Lentz may have stole the round with his performance in the last minute.
R2- Lentz grabbed another guillotine but let hit go. Oliveira spent the second part of the round on top of Lentz. Not a lot of action in this round as Oliveira has really tired since the first round. Looks like we could have a 19-19 fight going into the third round.
R3- Oliveira starts out this round much like he ended the last round by taking the top position. Lentz got a take down about half way through the round. Lentz stays on top and lands some Ground and Pound and rides this one out in top position. I’ve got Lentz as the 29-28 winner in this fight.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 for Nick Lentz
Winner: Nick Lentz by Decision (Unanimous)
9/19/09
Dallas, Texas
American Airlines Center
Vitor Belfort makes his return tonight against Rich Franklin in a 195 pound catch weight fight. Junior dos Santos will fight Mirko Cro Cop in an important fight in the Heavyweight Division. Josh Koscheck greats Frank Trigg in his return to the Octagon and top Welterweight contender Martin Kampmann will be in action.
Lightweight Fight- Tyson Griffin (13-2) vs. Hermes Franca (20-7)
Tyson Griffin is coming off of a Unanimous Decision win over Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 18. Hermes Franca comes out to the same music Chipper Jones does when he comes to bat (Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne). Franca came in over weight at 159 lbs. Griffin agreed to go ahead with the fight. Tyson Griffin comes out to the theme from Rocky, but it has nowhere near the impact of when Matt Serra used it in his fight against Matt Hughes (although Serra would go on to lose a close decision). Tyson Griffin has had “Fight of the Night” in 5 of his 8 UFC fights, that’s a pretty impressive statistic.
R1- Griffin is landing some strikes early. Griffin got Franca off his feet but he popped right back up. Franca really hasn’t brought any offense in this first round. Griffin wins this round with a comfortable 10-9 but Franca doesn’t look like he’s been hurt. Not sure why he didn’t make weight but he looks lethargic.
R2- Hermes comes out firing wildly to start the second round. Franca grabbed Griffin’s leg on a kick but Griffin was able to strike his way out. Just as I was thinking that Franca looked slow tonight Griffin popped him with a straight right hand. Franca hit the floor and Griffin jumped on top. Griffin landed a bunch of punches and Hermes hung in there for a while but Griffin ended up over powering him for the TKO victory. Good win by Griffin tonight as he came ready to fight and I’m not sure Hermes did.
Winner: Tyson Griffin by TKO (Punches) R1 3:26
Jon Fitch is in attendance at the fights tonight.
UFC 104 is Lyoto Machida defending the UFC Light Heavyweight Title against Shogun Rua on October 24th in Los Angeles. Ben Rothwell will also take on undefeated Cain Velasquez on the under card.
Welterweight Fight- Josh Koscheck (14-4) vs. Frank Trigg (19-6)
Koscheck is in need of a win after falling to Paulo Thiago in an upset and is only 1-2 in his last 3 fights. This is Trigg’s first fight since his return to the UFC. Trigg is fighting out of Xtreme Couture. Trigg comes out to LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out”. Koscheck counters with “Higher Ground” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Koscheck has had some time off since his last loss as he has been nursing a broken foot.
R1- Trigg landed a good right early but Josh absorbed the blow nicely. Koscheck caught Trigg with a looping right hand that looked like it may have caught him behind the ear and it knocked Trigg forward. Trigg then stood up and leaned on the cage and Koscheck blasted him with a right hand. Koscheck then started wailing on Trigg against the cage and the ref stopped the fight. Nice showing by Koscheck. Trigg was upset about the stoppage but he looked like he was getting tagged.
Winner: Josh Koscheck by TKO (strikes) R1 1:25
Post-Fight Koscheck says he would like to fight Matt Hughes.
Tito Ortiz is in the crowd.
Welterweight Fight- Martin Kampmann (15-2) vs. Paul Daley (21-8-2)
This fight was originally Kampmann versus Mike Swick but Swick got injured and Daley is filling in. Kampmann won a war at UFC Fight Night 18 in a close decision win versus Carlos Condit. If Kampmann wins he is the most likely next contender to the thrown of GSP. Kampmann is 2-0 in the Welterweight Division. The last time I saw Paul Daley fight was on an Elite XC CBS Show where he tapped out to Jake Shields. Kampmann has a 3” height advantage while Daley has a 4” reach advantage.
R1- Both guys are swinging a lot early and it looked like Daley connected on a couple of his. Kampmann went for a take down but was denied. Daley is looking pretty good so far. Kampmann presses Daley up against the cage and landed a nice knee. Daley landed a nice left and it staggered Kampmann. Daley got Kampmann up against the cage and landed some shots. Kampmann didn’t go down but Yves Lavigne stopped the fight as Kampmann looked like he was out on his feet. Very impressive showing by Daley. Kampmann really needed to get the fight to the ground and he never did. I guess Daley saved Kampmann from a worse beating at the hands of GSP. Looking at the re-play Rogan says that Lavigne should have probably let the fight go for another punch or two but it was a close call.
Winner: Paul Daley by TKO (Strikes) R1 2:31
Mike Swick is in the crowd. The door is open for him now in the Welterweight Division with Kampmann’s loss.
Lightweight Fight- Robert Emerson vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
R1- This fight starts off pretty even in the first round. Dos Anjos went for several take downs but Emerson was able to keep the fight standing until the very send of the round. Dos Anjos took this round 10-9 but it was close.
R2- Dos Anjos is landing some good leg kicks. Emerson is starting to land some punches. Dos Anjos got a take down about half way through the round but Emerson got right up. Dos Anjos continues to land kicks and Emerson is limping from the shots. Dos Anjos is up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Dos Anjos landed a good leg kick to start the round and then got a take down. Good fight by Dos Anjos as I’ve got him taking the fight 30-27.
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all three score cards.
Winner: Rafael Dos Anjos by Decision (Unanimous)
Heavyweight Fight- Mirko Cro Cop (25-6-2) vs. Junior dos Santos (8-1)
dos Santos UFC debut was an upset of Fabricio Werdum that knocked Werdum out of the UFC. I’ve got dos Santos as a Top 10 Heavyweight right now and Cro Cop on the outside looking in. I’m confident in saying that the winner of this fight is a tried and true Top 10 Heavyweight and would be a win away from a potential shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Now I’m doubting myself as to the theme song that Tyson Griffin came out to because dos Santos is coming out to one of the Rocky themes. dos Santos is a Jiu Jitsu purple belt, with good chins that has most of his wins by KO- at least that’s what the UFC graphic tells me. Cro Cop comes out to some Duran Duran. My sister loved that band back in the 80s. I wonder if Cro Cop was a Wild Boy like Simon LeBon when he was younger? dos Santos has a 10 lb and 4” reach advantage on Cro Cop. Cro Cop got the best ovation of the night so far when he was introduced.
R1- dos Santos quickly charged at Cro Cop but Cro Cop clinched him against the cage to avoid damage. Cro Cop threw a high kick but it was blocked. dos Santos landed some punches up against the cage but Cro Cop was able to get out of trouble. dos Santos ran Cro Cop down but Cro Cop clinched him again. dos Santos has sustained a couple of cuts over his eyes. dos Santos takes the first round 10-9 as he was much more aggressive but Cro Cop is definitely still in this fight. I think the longer this fight goes on the more it swings to Cro Cop.
R2- Cro Cop swings a high kick but it’s avoided. dos Santos went in with a flurry and both guys landed strikes during the exchange. Cro Cop missed with another head kick. dos Santos is landing some strikes. Cro Cop nailed dos Santos with a low blow. dos Santos landed a couple of good shots and opened up a cut over Cro Cop’s eye. I’ve got dos Santos up 20-18 after two rounds. This is dos Santos’s first fight that’s been over one round so I think Cro Cop still has a shot at this he just has to finish the fight if he wants to win.
R3- Cro Cop opened up the round more aggressive and landed a solid right hand. dos Santos landed some knees. Cro Cop slipped and dos Santos swung with a left and it might have grazed Cro Cop because he looked a little wobbly after the punch and dos Santos followed with a knee. dos Santos then hit another knee and a punch. dos Santos starting to take over this fight. dos Santos with a big knee and then a left and Cro Cop is in big trouble with three minutes left in the round. dos Santos is hitting knees at will. Cro Cops says he can’t see as his face and eyes are all red and this fight is over. Kind of an anti-climatic finish but a great win for dos Santos over a respected veteran. On the re-play dos Santos hit Cro Cop with a big punch to his eye and that was when Cro Cop verbally submitted.
dos Santos is probably one fight away from a title shot. He’s got victories know over Cro Cop and Fabricio Werdum and both of those guys are legit heavyweights.
Winner: Junior dos Santos by Submission (Verbal) R3 2:00
Catch weight Fight (195 lbs)- Rich Franklin (27-4) vs. Vitor Belfort (18-8)
Franklin is coming off of a close win over Wanderlei Silva in the Main Event of UFC 99. I actually had Wanderlei taking the fight by decision but what do I know as the decision was unanimous in favor of Franklin. Prior to that fight Franklin lost a split decision to Dan Henderson. Franklin is Main Eventing his 3rd event in a row which is very impressive for a guy without a belt. The last two fights of Belfort’s that I saw were both for Affliction. The first was a TKO over Terry Martin and the second was a quick destruction of Matt Lindland back in January. Franklin has landed the 2nd most strikes in UFC history behind GSP. Franklin also succeeds in 71% of his takedown attempts. Belfort won his first 3 UFC fights in under 3 minutes. He has also out struck his opponents 62-23 in his last 4 fights. Belfort has been training at Xtreme Couture and has Shawn Thompkins in his corner for the fight. This is Belfort’s first fight since 2005 when he lost a split decision to Tito Ortiz.
R1- Long feeling out process to start out the fight. So far two minutes gone and not much action. Franklin is trying to push the action but is being very cautious and Vitor is content to counter punch to start. Vitor hit Franklin with a big left uppercut after a right jab and Franklin hit the floor. Belfort jumped on top but the ref stopped the fight and Franklin was not quick to get back to his feet. Vitor made Franklin look really bad in that fight. I’m guessing Dana White is salivating over making a Belfort versus Anderson Silva fight.
Looking at the re-play Vitor actually missed with the big left uppercut and it looked like he hit Franklin on the top of the head with a punch afterwards. He really didn’t look like he connected solidly he just hit Franklin in the right spot.
Winner: Vitor Belfort by KO R1 3:02
Lightweight Fight- Nik Lentz vs. Rafaello Oliveira
Lentz is a training partner of Sean Sherk and this is his UFC debut.
R1- Oliveira went for a take down and Lentz tried for a guillotine but could not lock it in. Lentz quickly got back to his feet. Oliveira landed a goof right hand and then rushed in but Lentz grabbed a guillotine. Oliveira slammed him and Lentz lost the submission on the ground. Both guys threw some leather and then Oliveira got a big slam to take down Lentz. They went back to their feet and Lentz landed some good shots and hurt Oliveira but he survived. Lentz got a take down right at the end of the round. Good first round and Lentz may have stole the round with his performance in the last minute.
R2- Lentz grabbed another guillotine but let hit go. Oliveira spent the second part of the round on top of Lentz. Not a lot of action in this round as Oliveira has really tired since the first round. Looks like we could have a 19-19 fight going into the third round.
R3- Oliveira starts out this round much like he ended the last round by taking the top position. Lentz got a take down about half way through the round. Lentz stays on top and lands some Ground and Pound and rides this one out in top position. I’ve got Lentz as the 29-28 winner in this fight.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 for Nick Lentz
Winner: Nick Lentz by Decision (Unanimous)
Monday, January 19, 2009
Strikeforce on NBC 1/18/08 Re-Cap
Strikeforce on NBC 1/18/08 Re-Cap
Just one fight on tap for tonight and it's the semi Main-Event from the Strikeforce "Payback" show that took place back on 10/3/08.
Frank Trigg (17-6) vs. Falaniko Vitale (26-8)
Trigg is a veteran of UFC and Pride. He has victories over Kazuo Misaki, Jason Miller, an d Dennis Hallman. His only losses have come to Hayato Sakurai, Matt Hughes (2x), Georges St Pierre, Robbie Lawler and Carlos Conduit. So he has lost to some pretty good fighters. He is on a 2 fight win streak. Vitale has also been in UFC and holds victories over Matt Lindland (Lindland won the re-match) and Yushin Okami. He has losses to Robbie Lawler (2x), Jason Miller, and Jeremy Horn. Vitale is also on a 2 fight win streak coming into the fight.
R1- Trigg was the aggressor in the first round and pushed the fight throughout the round. At one point he took and landed some nice standing elbows. Trigg took round one 10-9.
R2- Not as much action in this round and the fighters began to tire. Announcers blamed it partially on the altitude (fighting in Colorado). Trigg was throwing much lighter punches in this round. He still landed with quite a few but they were far less effective in this round. That being said, Trigg still won the round and is up 20-18 on my score card.
R3- Trigg started out with a take down but there was really not much action in this round. Vitale hit a big right hand about half way through the round and got a take down but quickly lost his position. Trigg ended the round with a take down. Very close round that I gave to Vitale. So I've got Trigg taking the fight 29-28.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 in favor of Trigg.
Winner: Frank Trigg by Decision (Unanimous)
Just one fight on tap for tonight and it's the semi Main-Event from the Strikeforce "Payback" show that took place back on 10/3/08.
Frank Trigg (17-6) vs. Falaniko Vitale (26-8)
Trigg is a veteran of UFC and Pride. He has victories over Kazuo Misaki, Jason Miller, an d Dennis Hallman. His only losses have come to Hayato Sakurai, Matt Hughes (2x), Georges St Pierre, Robbie Lawler and Carlos Conduit. So he has lost to some pretty good fighters. He is on a 2 fight win streak. Vitale has also been in UFC and holds victories over Matt Lindland (Lindland won the re-match) and Yushin Okami. He has losses to Robbie Lawler (2x), Jason Miller, and Jeremy Horn. Vitale is also on a 2 fight win streak coming into the fight.
R1- Trigg was the aggressor in the first round and pushed the fight throughout the round. At one point he took and landed some nice standing elbows. Trigg took round one 10-9.
R2- Not as much action in this round and the fighters began to tire. Announcers blamed it partially on the altitude (fighting in Colorado). Trigg was throwing much lighter punches in this round. He still landed with quite a few but they were far less effective in this round. That being said, Trigg still won the round and is up 20-18 on my score card.
R3- Trigg started out with a take down but there was really not much action in this round. Vitale hit a big right hand about half way through the round and got a take down but quickly lost his position. Trigg ended the round with a take down. Very close round that I gave to Vitale. So I've got Trigg taking the fight 29-28.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 in favor of Trigg.
Winner: Frank Trigg by Decision (Unanimous)
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