UFC 111: St. Pierre vs. Hardy
The Prudential Center
Newark, New Jersey
March 27, 2010
The UFC has really been building up Georges St. Pierre as the pound for pound ace of the company. The only two multi-week build-up shows they've done have been for GSP (vs Penn and vs Hardy). GSP takes on Dan Hardy tonight in the Main Event for the Welterweight Championship. In the semi-Main Event Frank Mir will battle Shane Carwin for the Interim Heavyweight Championship and a shot at Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. Jon Fitch was supposed to take on Thiago Alves in the battle of #2 and #3 Welterweights but Alves had to drop out and Ben Saunders has stepped up and will fight Jon "Decision Machine" Fitch.
Lightweight Fight- Jim Miller (16-2) vs. Mark Bocek (8-2)
Both guys have a 3 fight win streak. Miller is from New Jersey so he is the hometown guy in this fight. Bocek is a Jiu Jitsu and Kempo Black Belt. Miller is a Jiu Jitsu Brown Belt and has a background as a Division 1 wrestler. Bocek has a 4" reach advantage.
R1- Bocek shot in for a take down and Miller pulled guard with a guillotine but Bocek slipped out. Bocek got a driving take down about half way through the round. Miller grabbed a kimura and used it to sweep on top of Bocek and take his guard. Bocek was very close to tapping out. Miller also opened up a cut on the forehead of Bocek. Miller 10-9.
R2- Bocek got an early take down in this round. Bocek went for an arm triangle but was denied. Miller went for a leg lock but Bocek was able to counter the submission. Bocek is losing a lot of blood but was able to take full mount. Miller spun out of full mount but gave up his back to Bocek. Bocek trapped one of Miller's arms inside his body triangle so Miller only has one arm to defend a choke. Miller got to his feet and dropped back on Bocek but Bocek held on but couldn't finish before the bell rang. Bocek took this round and it's 19-19 going into the final round. Miller popped right up after this round and looks ready to fight. Bocek has lost a lot of blood so far.
R3- Miller hit a good right hand to start the round. Bocek went for a take down but got stuffed. Bocek went for another take down but Miller countered with a couple of knees. Bocek finally completed the take down with thirty seconds left in the round. Miller took Bocek's back in the last ten seconds of the round. This round was really all about positioning with not much damage done. I think this will be a split decision, very tough fight to call.
Judges score cards: 29-28 on all score cards
Winner: Jim Miller by Decision (Unanimous)
Welterweight Fight- Ben Saunders (8-1-2) vs. Jon Fitch (24-3)
Thiago Alves was supposed to take on Fitch but had to drop out and Saunders stepped up and told Dana White that he wanted the fight. Saunders has a 3" height and 3.5" reach advantage. I expect Fitch to smother Saunders and ride to a decision victory because that's what he does.
R1- Fitch got a take down about a minute into the fight. And then Fitch rode Saunders for the rest of the round. Fitch 10-9. I expect more of this in the next two rounds. Fitch is a tough fighter but he's got to be the most boring fighter in the UFC.
R2- Fitch got a take down one minute into the round. The ref stood up the fight with a minute left in the round despite Fitch landing some strikes. Fitch 20-18.
R3- Fitch had to work a little harder in this round and didn't get a take down until 2 minutes left in the round. Fitch landed some good Ground and Pound at the end of the round and cut Saunders up. Fitch takes this one easily 30-27. Not exciting but effective.
Judges score cards: 30-27 on all score cards
Winner: Jon Fitch by Decision (Unanimous)
Lightweight Fight- Kurt Pellegrino (20-4) vs. Fabricio Camoes (10-4-1)
Pellegrino is the local guy in this fight. Camoes has an 8 fight unbeaten streak and fought Caol Uno to a majority draw in his UFC debut.
R1- Camoes got Pellegrino down with a judo type throw and then took his back as Pellegrino stood up. Pellegrino dropped Camoes on his head and reversed positions and took top position. Camoes went for a triangle and then tried for a different submission but Pellegrino avoided them and moved to side control. Pellegrino landed some elbows and almost got caught in a choke but got out and maintained top position. Really good competitive first round. I've got Pellegrino 10-9.
R2- Camoes went for a take down but Pellegrino ended up on top briefly before they went back to their feet and Pellegrino got a driving take down. Pellegrino mounted with three minutes left in the round. Pellegrino really grinding out this round. Pellegrino clamped in a Rear Naked Choke and finished the fight. Great showing by Pellegrino.
Winner: Kurt Pellegrino by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 4:20
Interim Heavyweight Championship Fight- Frank Mir (13-4) vs. Shane Carwin (11-0)
The fighter who wins this will be guaranteed a title shot when Brock Lesnar is back to full health. Mir is consumed by his hatred for Lesnar. It will be interesting to see if this has focused him more for Carwin or if he's overlooked him. Carwin comes out to the Drowning Pool's "Bodies". Great MMA entrance song. Due to this being for the Interim title this is a 5-round fight but I don't think anybody expects this fight to go the distance. The average length of Carwin's fights is 1:07. Brock is ringside for this fight standing next to Dana White. He gets a good chorus of boos when he's shown.
R1- Mir drove in and Carwin took him back to the cage. Carwin landed some punches to the face against the cage and also landed some knees to Mir's leg. Mir came in and threw a combination but Carwin hooked him again and put him against the cage. Carwin landed some big short left uppercuts in the clinch and Mir folded to the floor. Carwin jumped on top and landed some good punches. Joe Rogan was calling it over but Mir managed to move to a better position but Carwin continued to land strikes to the side of the head and finished the fight. Great showing by Carwin.
Winner and new UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion: Shane Carwin by KO R1 3:48
Post-fight they bring Brock into the ring and interview him. Brock tells Shane he's wearing a fake belt and that he has to come after the real one.
Next up they showed the Palharres/Drwal fight that was shown on the Prelim show on Spike TV.
Welterweight Title Fight- Georges St. Pierre (c) (19-2) vs. Dan Hardy (23-6)
The UFC tells us that GSP has a 87% defensive take down rate, a 78% take down accuracy rate and has 70% ground striking accuracy. Hardy defends 62% of his take down attempts, has never been knocked down in the UFC and lands 60% more strikes than his opponents. GSP is the big crowd favorite and Hardy the heel in this one based on the fan reactions at the introductions. Big "GSP" chant right after the introductions.
R1- GSP got a quick take down in the first 30 seconds of the fight. GSP passed Hardy's guard and took his back with 3 minutes left in the round. GSP tried for an arm bar but Hardy got up and GSP immediately took him down again before Hardy could separate. GSP mounted with a minute and a half left in the round. GSP went for some Ground and Pound and Hardy gave up his back. GSP landed some light strikes from the back and he clamped in a good arm bar but Hardy kept with it and broke the hold. Dominant round by GSP. Definitely a 10-9 round, borderline 10-8. It will be interesting to see how much damage GSP did to Hardy's arm in that round.
R2- GSP got a take down 1:25 into the round and moved into side control. Hardy gave up his back and GSP again went for the arm bar but Hardy was able to slip out and take GSP's guard. GSP quickly got back to his feet. GSP starts to land some strikes and then landed a driving take down with thirty seconds left in the round. GSP has dominated so far and is up 20-18 on my score card.
R3- Hardy took a wild shot to open the round and GSP immediately dove in and got an easy take down. GSP stood up in Hardy's guard and landed some elbows and strikes. Hardy went for a triangle so GSP passed his guard. GSP grabbed Hardy's arm and tried for a kimura but Hardy broke loose and GSP went back to side control. Hardy got back to his feet for about a second and GSP took him down again with one minute left in the round. Hardy gave up his back and Hardy got out and GSP immediately took him back down. GSP 30-27, just a dominant performance so far by GSP.
R4- This round started just like the last one, Hardy threw a strike and missed big a large amount and GSP took him down. GSP immediately mounted and Hardy gave up his back. Hardy went for a leg lock but GSP easily threw him back to the ground and took his guard again. GSP grabbed a kimura but Hardy somehow survived. GSP is up 40-36 after four rounds.
R5- GSP got a take down twenty seconds into the round after landing a couple of strikes. GSP goes for another kimura but couldn't quite get it the way he wanted. GSP went for the kimura one for time and couldn't get it. Hardy got up and GSP slammed him back down with thirty seconds left in the fight. They fought for 25 minutes and GSP dominated every one of them. GSP 50-45 on my score card. Hardy showed a lot of heart by not tapping to a couple of tough GSP submissions but GSP was clearly in a class above Hardy tonight.
Judges score cards: 50-43, 50-44, 50-45
Winner: Georges St. Pierre by Decision (Unanimous)
Post-fight interview GSP says that he made a lot of technical mistakes and that he is going to talk with his trainer and get better. GSP apologizes to the fans for not finishing the fight. He says Hardy did better tonight in his first title shot then he did when he got his first shot at Matt Hughes.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Rodney Wallace vs. Jared Hamman
This is a pre-show fight.
R1- Wallace landed a couple of strikes early and then got a take down. Wallace landed a couple of strikes and then a big uppercut and then chased Hamman down throwing some wild strikes and got another take down. Hamman landed a head kick and then tried to latch onto an arm but Wallace was able to take top position and try to recover. They stood up against the cage and threw strikes and Hamman landed a good punch. Hamman ended the round on top. Good round, Wallace looks pretty tired going into the second round.
R2- Wallace got an early take down but Hamman got back to his feet and landed a judo throw and took top position. Wallace was able to turn him over and take top position but Hamman landed some good strikes from the bottom. Wallace went for a triangle and missed and Hamman took top position and landed a good strike. Hamman landed some good elbows from the top.
R3- Wallace got a take down after his corner told him not to and Hamman quickly flipped him over and took top position. They got back to their feet and Wallace landed some good strikes and got another take down but Hamman again was able to flip him over and take top position. The ref stood them back up and Wallace landed a couple of more strikes but then Hamman was able to take him down. Wallace got back to his feet and then tired a kimura but couldn't quite turn it and Hamman once again took top position. Hamman will most likely take this 29-28.
Judges score cards: 29-28 on all score cards
Winner: Jared Hamman by Decision (Unanimous)
Showing posts with label Georges St-Pierre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Georges St-Pierre. Show all posts
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Monday, July 13, 2009
UFC 100 "Making History" 7/11/09 Re-Cap
UFC 100: Making History
7/11/09
Mandalay Bay Events Center
Las Vegas, Nevada
This event has been hyped up as the biggest UFC event of all time. On top we have 2 Main Event quality fights in Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir and GSP vs. Thiago Alves. We also have Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping in a match-up of the two trainers during the last TUF show. This fight is a borderline Main Event and the winner could be up for a shot at Anderson Silva. In addition to those three bouts we also have the UFC debut of Yoshihiro Akiyama, Stephan Bonnar/Mark Coleman and some interesting under card fights that will hopefully make the show (Jim Miller/Mac Danzig, Jon Jones/Jake O’Brien, Jon Fitch/Paul Thiago).
Middleweight Fight- Yoshihiro Akiyama (12-1) vs. Alan Belcher (13-4)
This is Akiyama’s debut in the UFC. Belcher recently spoiled Denis Kang’s UFC debut. Belcher is a brown belt in bjj and has just recently spent a few weeks with Eddie Bravo. Akiyama is a Judo Black Belt and is riding a 13 fight unbeaten streak. Akiyama has been training with UFC fighter Yushin Okami. Belcher has a 4” height advantage but their reach is even.
R1- Both guys are throwing kicks early. Belcher is the bigger fighter but Akiyama looks to be a lot faster. Belcher nailed Akiyama with a low blow early in the fight. Belcher connected with a punch that knocked Akiyama down but Akiyama jumped right back up. Akiyama’s striking is crisp and he’s landing some good shots. Akiyama caught a Belcher kick and took him down. I’ve got Akiyama taking the first round as he hit more and better strikes. Belcher did knock Akiyama down but it looked like it was more of being caught off balance. Good fight so far. Akiyama hit a strike after the bell and Belcher looked like he was not too happy about it.
R2- Akiyama got an immediate take down of Belcher to start the round. Belcher took some Ground and Pound but nothing too significant and was able to get back to his feet with two minutes left in the round. Both guys are looking a little winded at the end of this round. Akiyama is winning this fight 20-18 after two rounds but this could be anybody’s fight because both guys look like they are going to struggle with their conditioning in the third round.
R3- Both guys stand and throw some punches in the first minute of the round with both guys landing some decent blows. Akiyama is having some trouble with his left eye, I think he got poked by Belcher early in this round. Belcher went for a leg kick and Akiyama caught him and punched him to the mat but Belcher got back to his feet quickly. Akiyama got a take down with thirty seconds left but Belcher got back to his feet again. The stand-up in this round was pretty even but Akiyama got two take down/knock downs. I’ve got Akiyama winning this fight 30-27. The first and third rounds were close with Akiyama clearly winning the second. This was a good, competitive opening fight.
Judges scores: 30-27 Akiyama, 29-28 Belcher and 29-28 Akiyama
Rogan and Goldberg said that they thought Belcher got robbed. Not on my score card.
Winner: Yoshihiro Akiyama by Decision (Split)
Middleweight Fight- Dan Henderson (24-7) vs. Michael Bisping (18-1)
This is a big fight for both of these guys as a potential title shot is on the horizon for the winner. Bisping hasn’t fought since UFC 89 where he won a close but unanimous decision against Chris Leben. Dan Henderson also won a decision in his last fight as he beat former Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin by Split Decision at UFC 93. Bisping comes out to his usual Rock & Jock song. I think somebody told me it was by the band Blur. Woo hoo!
R1- Henderson is stalking Bisping early and Bisping is moving around the cage and trying to stick and move. Hendo hit a good combo against the cage that put Bisping at a back pedal and he followed with another combo but he was able to keep his senses. Hendo clinched him against the cage and landed some knees. Hendo is up 10-9 after the first round.
R2- Hendo got Bisping up against the cage and landed a big right hand but Bisping took it and backed out to the center of the cage. Bisping isn’t doing anything to hurt Hendo but he’s doing a better job keeping him away with jabs in this round. Bisping has been on his heels this entire fight. Hendo loaded up and nailed Bisping with a big right hand and Bisping fell like a ton of bricks. This fight is over. Hendo dove in with a punch to the grounded Bisping but it wasn’t needed, Bisping was gone when he hit the mat. Great showing by Hendo.
Hendo says he feels that he has earned a re-match with Anderson Silva but that he’s up for whatever UFC has for him.
Winner: Dan Henderson by KO R2 3:20
Royce Gracie is in attendance at the show tonight.
UFC 101 is coming up August 8th and will feature BJ Penn defending against Kenny Florian and Anderson Silva taking on Forrest Griffin in a Light Heavyweight Fight.
UFC 102 will take place at the end of August and will feature Big Nog vs. Randy Couture. This card will also have Demian Maia against Nate Marquardt and Keith Jardine against Thiago Silva.
Welterweight Championship Fight: Georges St-Pierre © (18-2) vs.Thiago Alves (22-4)
GSP is at the top of a lot of people’s current P4P rankings. GSP is coming off his UFC 94 domination of BJ Penn. Previous to that GSP beat Jon Fitch by Decision in a fight that he dominated. Thiago Alves is coming off a UFC 90 Unanimous Decision win over Josh Koscheck (Koscheck stepped in for Diego Sanchez taking the fight on short notice). Before that Alves beat up Matt Hughes in a fight where Alves did not make weight. Goldberg says Alves has landed the third most leg kicks in UFC history. GSP is a Kyokushin Karate Black Belt and is considered to have among the best take down in MMA right now. GSP gets a good reaction from the crowd. Thiago is pacing in the ring like a mad man before the fight. GSP has a huge 6” reach advantage. This is the Co-Main Event.
R1- Crowd starts a big “GSP” chant as the fight starts. GSP got a quick take down in the first minute of the fight. Alves got back to his feet without any damage but GSP pulled him back down and transitioned to his back. Thiago rolled him over and then they got back to their feet. GSP is really getting better of the stand up so far in the fight. Alves came forwards with some strikes but GSP took him down. Alves got back to his feet as the round ended. GSP 10-9 after round one.
Jason Statham is at the show enjoying some frosty beverages.
R2- GSP got another take down about a minute into the round. GSP briefly got to mount but Alves was able to get out. Alves is bleeding from his nose. GSP is landing some good shots on Alves. Alves got back to his feet with thirty seconds left in the round. That was a borderline 10-8 round in favor of GSP but I’ll say 10-9 so it’s GSP up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- They had some even stand up early in the round but GSP got a take down with around two minutes gone from the round. Alves got back to his feet with two minutes left in the round. GSP landed a good right hand and floored Alves. GSP jumped on top with some aggressive Ground and Pound but Alves was able to hand on. GSP is up 30-27 after three rounds.
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida is at ringside for the fight and he gets a good response from the crowd.
R4- GSP got a quick take down within the first 30 seconds of the round. GSP passes guard and mounts. GSP tried to take GSP’s back but Alves slipped out and took GSP’s guard. Alves got some good Ground and Pound in on GSP but GSP got back to his feet with 1:45 left in the round. GSP got another take down as he timed an Alves leg kick. Alves gave up his back trying to get to his feet. This was the closest round to date but GSP took it and is up 40-36. GSP tells Greg Jackson in the corner that he pulled his groin.
R5- GSP got a take down at the one minute mark of the round but Alves battled back to his feet rather quickly. GSP got another take down at the half way point of the round. Alves got back to his feet with two minutes remaining in the fight but GSP got him down yet again. GSP takes the 5th and final round and I’ve got him winning this easily 50-45. Great showing by GSP. Alves showed good conditioning and showed some heart but just like Jon Fitch he was no match for GSP.
I’m not sure what’s next for GSP but I would like to see Alves fight Jon Fitch.
Judges score cards: 50-45, 50-44, and 50-45.
Winner and still champion: Georges St-Pierre by Decision (Unanimous)
Post-Fight GSP says he hurt his groin in the 3rd round. He is indecisive about moving up to 185 to take on Anderson Silva.
UFC Heavyweight Title Fight: Brock Lesnar © (3-1) vs. Frank Mir (12-3)
This is the re-match of the last fight where Brock was dominating but got caught by a Mir submission. Since that fight Brock has gone on to defeat Randy Couture for the UFC Heavyweight Championship and Frank Mir has gone on to defeat Big Nog for the UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship (which was created when Randy Couture was holding out). UFC tells me that Brock has outstruck his opponents 87-18 in his first 3 UFC fights. Brock has an 86% accuracy rate of ground power strikes and he has 75% take down accuracy. Frank Mir has 6 submission wins, which is the most by a UFC Heavyweight. Of Mir’s 15 career fights only 1 has gone past the second round and his fights have an average length of only 3:52. This fight has had a good traditional Pro Wrestling type build from the guys comments about each other. The UFC Countdown was well put together. Brock comes out to “Enter Sandman” by Metallica. Brock has a 20 lb and 2” reach advantage. They do not touch gloves when Herb Dean has them together at the center of the ring for pre-fight instruction.
R1- Brock got a quick take down. Brock took a while to get into position but eventually he started landing some good shots to Mir’s face. Not a very exciting round but Brock fought a smart round and got in some good punches that bloodied up Frank’s face. Brock up 10-9 after one round. Almost a 10-8 round just due to the fact that Mir got in virtually no offense.
R2- Mir went for a knee and Brock dumped in on the ground but didn’t follow. Mir landed a couple of strikes against the cage and Mir hit a jumping knee into Brock (similar to the Yves Edwards/Edson Berto knee) but Brock followed through with a take down. Brock lands some big shots to the face of Mir and Herb Dean steps in to stop the fight as Mir is down in the corner. Mir wobbles to his feet and he and Brock have some words in the middle of the cage.
Winner and still champion: Brock Lesnar by TKO (Strikes) R2 1:48
Post-Fight Brock says that Sable is going to get lucky tonight. Mir says Brock did a good job in the fight and that Mir made a mistake by getting caught against cage with such a big guy against him.
UFC Welterweight Fight- Jon Fitch (22-3) vs. Paulo Thiago (11-0)
Thiago burst on the scene in his UFC debut with an upset over Josh Koscheck. Thiago is an undefeated jiu jitsu black belt who also has amateur boxing experience. Fitch is pretty much the gatekeeper of the Welterweight division. He’s better than everybody else but not as good as GSP. Fitch is one of the least exciting fighters in UFC right now in my opinion.
R1- Fitch got a take down within a minute but Thiago grabbed a guillotine in the full guard position. Fitch finally got out of the move with two minutes left in the round. Fitch controlled the last two minutes but really didn’t do much damage. Basically an even first round.
R2- Fitch got another take down in the opening stages of the fight. Man, Fitch is a boring fighter. Thiago got up but Fitch slammed him back down and sat on him some more. Fitch took his back with about a minute left in the round. Fitch easily took this round.
R3- Fitch again gets Thiago down to the ground early and basically just rides Thiago for the rest of the round. Fitch takes this either 30-27 or 29-28 but he is clearly the winner.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 in favor of Fitch.
Winner: Jon Fitch by Decision (Unanimous)
TapouT Submission of the Night went to Tom Lawlor would choked out CB Dollaway with a guillotine in the under card.
The Turning Point of the Night was when Dan Henderson knocked out Michael Bisping. It wasn’t as much a “turning point” as it was lights out.
I enjoyed this show as it had a Great KO in the Hendo/Bisping fight, a dominant performance by the Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, a great showing by one of the best P4P fighters in the world GSP and a good opener in Akiyama/Belcher.
7/11/09
Mandalay Bay Events Center
Las Vegas, Nevada
This event has been hyped up as the biggest UFC event of all time. On top we have 2 Main Event quality fights in Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir and GSP vs. Thiago Alves. We also have Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping in a match-up of the two trainers during the last TUF show. This fight is a borderline Main Event and the winner could be up for a shot at Anderson Silva. In addition to those three bouts we also have the UFC debut of Yoshihiro Akiyama, Stephan Bonnar/Mark Coleman and some interesting under card fights that will hopefully make the show (Jim Miller/Mac Danzig, Jon Jones/Jake O’Brien, Jon Fitch/Paul Thiago).
Middleweight Fight- Yoshihiro Akiyama (12-1) vs. Alan Belcher (13-4)
This is Akiyama’s debut in the UFC. Belcher recently spoiled Denis Kang’s UFC debut. Belcher is a brown belt in bjj and has just recently spent a few weeks with Eddie Bravo. Akiyama is a Judo Black Belt and is riding a 13 fight unbeaten streak. Akiyama has been training with UFC fighter Yushin Okami. Belcher has a 4” height advantage but their reach is even.
R1- Both guys are throwing kicks early. Belcher is the bigger fighter but Akiyama looks to be a lot faster. Belcher nailed Akiyama with a low blow early in the fight. Belcher connected with a punch that knocked Akiyama down but Akiyama jumped right back up. Akiyama’s striking is crisp and he’s landing some good shots. Akiyama caught a Belcher kick and took him down. I’ve got Akiyama taking the first round as he hit more and better strikes. Belcher did knock Akiyama down but it looked like it was more of being caught off balance. Good fight so far. Akiyama hit a strike after the bell and Belcher looked like he was not too happy about it.
R2- Akiyama got an immediate take down of Belcher to start the round. Belcher took some Ground and Pound but nothing too significant and was able to get back to his feet with two minutes left in the round. Both guys are looking a little winded at the end of this round. Akiyama is winning this fight 20-18 after two rounds but this could be anybody’s fight because both guys look like they are going to struggle with their conditioning in the third round.
R3- Both guys stand and throw some punches in the first minute of the round with both guys landing some decent blows. Akiyama is having some trouble with his left eye, I think he got poked by Belcher early in this round. Belcher went for a leg kick and Akiyama caught him and punched him to the mat but Belcher got back to his feet quickly. Akiyama got a take down with thirty seconds left but Belcher got back to his feet again. The stand-up in this round was pretty even but Akiyama got two take down/knock downs. I’ve got Akiyama winning this fight 30-27. The first and third rounds were close with Akiyama clearly winning the second. This was a good, competitive opening fight.
Judges scores: 30-27 Akiyama, 29-28 Belcher and 29-28 Akiyama
Rogan and Goldberg said that they thought Belcher got robbed. Not on my score card.
Winner: Yoshihiro Akiyama by Decision (Split)
Middleweight Fight- Dan Henderson (24-7) vs. Michael Bisping (18-1)
This is a big fight for both of these guys as a potential title shot is on the horizon for the winner. Bisping hasn’t fought since UFC 89 where he won a close but unanimous decision against Chris Leben. Dan Henderson also won a decision in his last fight as he beat former Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin by Split Decision at UFC 93. Bisping comes out to his usual Rock & Jock song. I think somebody told me it was by the band Blur. Woo hoo!
R1- Henderson is stalking Bisping early and Bisping is moving around the cage and trying to stick and move. Hendo hit a good combo against the cage that put Bisping at a back pedal and he followed with another combo but he was able to keep his senses. Hendo clinched him against the cage and landed some knees. Hendo is up 10-9 after the first round.
R2- Hendo got Bisping up against the cage and landed a big right hand but Bisping took it and backed out to the center of the cage. Bisping isn’t doing anything to hurt Hendo but he’s doing a better job keeping him away with jabs in this round. Bisping has been on his heels this entire fight. Hendo loaded up and nailed Bisping with a big right hand and Bisping fell like a ton of bricks. This fight is over. Hendo dove in with a punch to the grounded Bisping but it wasn’t needed, Bisping was gone when he hit the mat. Great showing by Hendo.
Hendo says he feels that he has earned a re-match with Anderson Silva but that he’s up for whatever UFC has for him.
Winner: Dan Henderson by KO R2 3:20
Royce Gracie is in attendance at the show tonight.
UFC 101 is coming up August 8th and will feature BJ Penn defending against Kenny Florian and Anderson Silva taking on Forrest Griffin in a Light Heavyweight Fight.
UFC 102 will take place at the end of August and will feature Big Nog vs. Randy Couture. This card will also have Demian Maia against Nate Marquardt and Keith Jardine against Thiago Silva.
Welterweight Championship Fight: Georges St-Pierre © (18-2) vs.Thiago Alves (22-4)
GSP is at the top of a lot of people’s current P4P rankings. GSP is coming off his UFC 94 domination of BJ Penn. Previous to that GSP beat Jon Fitch by Decision in a fight that he dominated. Thiago Alves is coming off a UFC 90 Unanimous Decision win over Josh Koscheck (Koscheck stepped in for Diego Sanchez taking the fight on short notice). Before that Alves beat up Matt Hughes in a fight where Alves did not make weight. Goldberg says Alves has landed the third most leg kicks in UFC history. GSP is a Kyokushin Karate Black Belt and is considered to have among the best take down in MMA right now. GSP gets a good reaction from the crowd. Thiago is pacing in the ring like a mad man before the fight. GSP has a huge 6” reach advantage. This is the Co-Main Event.
R1- Crowd starts a big “GSP” chant as the fight starts. GSP got a quick take down in the first minute of the fight. Alves got back to his feet without any damage but GSP pulled him back down and transitioned to his back. Thiago rolled him over and then they got back to their feet. GSP is really getting better of the stand up so far in the fight. Alves came forwards with some strikes but GSP took him down. Alves got back to his feet as the round ended. GSP 10-9 after round one.
Jason Statham is at the show enjoying some frosty beverages.
R2- GSP got another take down about a minute into the round. GSP briefly got to mount but Alves was able to get out. Alves is bleeding from his nose. GSP is landing some good shots on Alves. Alves got back to his feet with thirty seconds left in the round. That was a borderline 10-8 round in favor of GSP but I’ll say 10-9 so it’s GSP up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- They had some even stand up early in the round but GSP got a take down with around two minutes gone from the round. Alves got back to his feet with two minutes left in the round. GSP landed a good right hand and floored Alves. GSP jumped on top with some aggressive Ground and Pound but Alves was able to hand on. GSP is up 30-27 after three rounds.
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida is at ringside for the fight and he gets a good response from the crowd.
R4- GSP got a quick take down within the first 30 seconds of the round. GSP passes guard and mounts. GSP tried to take GSP’s back but Alves slipped out and took GSP’s guard. Alves got some good Ground and Pound in on GSP but GSP got back to his feet with 1:45 left in the round. GSP got another take down as he timed an Alves leg kick. Alves gave up his back trying to get to his feet. This was the closest round to date but GSP took it and is up 40-36. GSP tells Greg Jackson in the corner that he pulled his groin.
R5- GSP got a take down at the one minute mark of the round but Alves battled back to his feet rather quickly. GSP got another take down at the half way point of the round. Alves got back to his feet with two minutes remaining in the fight but GSP got him down yet again. GSP takes the 5th and final round and I’ve got him winning this easily 50-45. Great showing by GSP. Alves showed good conditioning and showed some heart but just like Jon Fitch he was no match for GSP.
I’m not sure what’s next for GSP but I would like to see Alves fight Jon Fitch.
Judges score cards: 50-45, 50-44, and 50-45.
Winner and still champion: Georges St-Pierre by Decision (Unanimous)
Post-Fight GSP says he hurt his groin in the 3rd round. He is indecisive about moving up to 185 to take on Anderson Silva.
UFC Heavyweight Title Fight: Brock Lesnar © (3-1) vs. Frank Mir (12-3)
This is the re-match of the last fight where Brock was dominating but got caught by a Mir submission. Since that fight Brock has gone on to defeat Randy Couture for the UFC Heavyweight Championship and Frank Mir has gone on to defeat Big Nog for the UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship (which was created when Randy Couture was holding out). UFC tells me that Brock has outstruck his opponents 87-18 in his first 3 UFC fights. Brock has an 86% accuracy rate of ground power strikes and he has 75% take down accuracy. Frank Mir has 6 submission wins, which is the most by a UFC Heavyweight. Of Mir’s 15 career fights only 1 has gone past the second round and his fights have an average length of only 3:52. This fight has had a good traditional Pro Wrestling type build from the guys comments about each other. The UFC Countdown was well put together. Brock comes out to “Enter Sandman” by Metallica. Brock has a 20 lb and 2” reach advantage. They do not touch gloves when Herb Dean has them together at the center of the ring for pre-fight instruction.
R1- Brock got a quick take down. Brock took a while to get into position but eventually he started landing some good shots to Mir’s face. Not a very exciting round but Brock fought a smart round and got in some good punches that bloodied up Frank’s face. Brock up 10-9 after one round. Almost a 10-8 round just due to the fact that Mir got in virtually no offense.
R2- Mir went for a knee and Brock dumped in on the ground but didn’t follow. Mir landed a couple of strikes against the cage and Mir hit a jumping knee into Brock (similar to the Yves Edwards/Edson Berto knee) but Brock followed through with a take down. Brock lands some big shots to the face of Mir and Herb Dean steps in to stop the fight as Mir is down in the corner. Mir wobbles to his feet and he and Brock have some words in the middle of the cage.
Winner and still champion: Brock Lesnar by TKO (Strikes) R2 1:48
Post-Fight Brock says that Sable is going to get lucky tonight. Mir says Brock did a good job in the fight and that Mir made a mistake by getting caught against cage with such a big guy against him.
UFC Welterweight Fight- Jon Fitch (22-3) vs. Paulo Thiago (11-0)
Thiago burst on the scene in his UFC debut with an upset over Josh Koscheck. Thiago is an undefeated jiu jitsu black belt who also has amateur boxing experience. Fitch is pretty much the gatekeeper of the Welterweight division. He’s better than everybody else but not as good as GSP. Fitch is one of the least exciting fighters in UFC right now in my opinion.
R1- Fitch got a take down within a minute but Thiago grabbed a guillotine in the full guard position. Fitch finally got out of the move with two minutes left in the round. Fitch controlled the last two minutes but really didn’t do much damage. Basically an even first round.
R2- Fitch got another take down in the opening stages of the fight. Man, Fitch is a boring fighter. Thiago got up but Fitch slammed him back down and sat on him some more. Fitch took his back with about a minute left in the round. Fitch easily took this round.
R3- Fitch again gets Thiago down to the ground early and basically just rides Thiago for the rest of the round. Fitch takes this either 30-27 or 29-28 but he is clearly the winner.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 in favor of Fitch.
Winner: Jon Fitch by Decision (Unanimous)
TapouT Submission of the Night went to Tom Lawlor would choked out CB Dollaway with a guillotine in the under card.
The Turning Point of the Night was when Dan Henderson knocked out Michael Bisping. It wasn’t as much a “turning point” as it was lights out.
I enjoyed this show as it had a Great KO in the Hendo/Bisping fight, a dominant performance by the Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, a great showing by one of the best P4P fighters in the world GSP and a good opener in Akiyama/Belcher.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
UFC 94: "St-Pierre vs. Penn 2" Re-Cap
UFC 94: St-Pierre vs. Penn 2
January 31st, 2009
MGM Grand Garden Arena - Las Vegas, NV
This is one of the most anticipated and hyped shows for UFC. The Penn/St Pierre champion vs. champion re-match is the main draw. We also have what is basically a #1 Contenders fight between Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva. A potential FOTN on any card is the lightweight fight between Nate Diaz and Clay Guida.
Lightweight Fight- Nate Diaz (10-2) vs. Clay Guida (24-6)
Clay Guida comes out to “Hero” by the Foo Fighters. Jason Guida is in Clay’s corner and Nick Diaz is in Nate’s corner. Maybe we can make this a 4-way brawl! Diaz has a big 5” height advantage and a huge 8” reach advantage. Diaz is undefeated in the UFC.
R1- Nate is doing a good job early with light jabs and keeping Guida at bay. Nate pulled guard and Clay put him in a full nelson after he took his back. Clay really controlled the second half of the round. Diaz stood up and landed a couple of shots as the round ended. About as even a round as there is but probably went to Guida.
“That might be the first full nelson in UFC history”- Joe Rogan
R2- Guida basically just clinched and held Diaz a lot in this round while trying to get better position. Not much damage done in this round. Diaz tried a triangle at the end of the round but couldn’t get it. I’ve got Guida up 20-18 although he’s done very little damage to Diaz at this point. Realistically this fight is either 20-18 Guida or 19-19 at this point. It smells like a split decision to me unless Diaz can get a submission.
R3- Diaz starts this round like the first round by picking apart Guida with jabs. Diaz is hitting some good shots in this round and is mocking Guida. Guida got a clinch and tries to hold on for a win. Diaz definitely won this round.
This was a close fight. If you are judging based on an entire fight (which UFC doesn’t) then Diaz won this fight. But if you are judging each round separately then I think Guida squeaks this one out 29-28.
The judges score the fight: 29-28 Diaz, 29-28 Guida and 29-28 Guida.
Winner: Clay Guida by Decision (Split)
Welterweight Fight- Karo Parisyan (26-5) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (11-0-1)
Both guys are Black Belts in Judo. Parisyan has been battling a panic disorder, a hamstring injury and a back injury. Parisyan has Greg Jackson in his corner and that’s a good thing. Parisyan is coming off a loss to Top Contender Thiago Alves and Kim’s last fight was at UFC 88 where he won a split decision against Matt Brown. Kim has a 3” height advantage and a 4” reach advantage. Frank Mir is in Kim’s corner.
R1- Kim got an early take down and then took Karo’s back. Karo flipped and tried to knock him off but Kim is just latched on like Shinya Aoki. Kim went for an arm bar but Karo slipped out. Karo then almost got caught in a triangle. Kim took this round 10-9. He didn’t do a lot of damage but he really controlled and wore down Karo.
R2- Kim got an early take down and Karo got a kimura on Kim but couldn’t finish. Karo hit a beautiful judo throw half through the round and landed in side control. Karo’s mouthpiece has come out twice and the ref warns him that if it happens again that he is deducting a point. Karo lands strikes towards the end of the round. Karo wins this round and we are at 19-19 after two rounds. Karo still seems like he is having a lot of trouble with the mouth piece.
“Dude, you are kicking his ass now”- Karo’s corner after Round Two
R3- Kim gets an early take down and Karo pushes him off and the ref warns him about up kicks to the face. A minute and a half left in the fight and this is anybody’s fight. Really tough finally round to judge. It was very even. This one is a toss up.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Karo, 29-28 Kim and 29-28 Karo.
Winner: Karo Parisyan by Decision (Split)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Stephan Bonnar (14-4) vs. Jon Jones (7-0)
Jones is undefeated and looked good in his only UFC fight and win against Andre Gusmao at UFC 87. Bonnar’s last fight was a win against Eric Schaefer at UFC 77. Jones is a JUCO National Wrestling Champion but has most of his wins by KO. On paper this should be a fun fight. Bonnar has moved his camp to Vegas and is now training with Forrest Griffin. Jones has a 4.5” reach advantage. Jones is the 3rd youngest fighter in the UFC.
R1- Jones got a good judo throw take down early in the round but couldn’t hold position. Jones got another take down and Bonnar again got to his feet. Jones hit Bonnar with a belly to back suplex and when Bonnar got up he hit him with a spinning back fist and then jumped on top of Bonnar. Bonnar is cut on his forehead. Jones landed a good knee. Jones ended the round with a take down. Jones looked great in this round. 10-9 in favor of Jones.
R2- This round was a lot closer but Jones landed 3 take downs and the stand up was relatively even. Jones 20-18.
R3- Bonnar is the aggressor in this round and Jones looks to be tiring. Bonnar tried for a take down and got it reversed. Jones almost got caught in a triangle. Bonnar took this round but Jones will win this fight 29-28. The 3rd decision of the night but the first unanimous one. Jones definitely has a lot of talent, I look forward to his next fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 in favor of Jones.
Winner: Jon Jones by Decision (Unanimous)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Lyoto Machida (13-0) vs. Thiago Silva (13-0)
If Machida wins this he is next in line for a shot at Rashad Evans. If Silva wins then he probably needs 1 more quality win to get a shot. Machida was last seen taking apart Tito Ortiz in a unanimous decision victory and Silva got a Round One TKO victory over Antonio Mendes. Both fights were at UFC 84. Silva has finished all but one of his opponents. Silva looks like he came to fight. Machida is called the “most elusive fighter in UFC history.”
R1- Machida hits some strikes early then they clinch and Machida hits a low blow. Machida got a quick take down after they re-started but he gave up his spot. Lyoto hit a big left hand and Silva went down. Lyoto caught Silva with a big right and knocked him down again. Great counter punching so far for Machida. In the closing seconds of the round Machida pushes Silva down and then jumps on top of him very quickly for a couple of strikes and the bell rings for time and then Silva just lays there and doesn’t get up to go back to his corner. It looked like the first punch from Machida knocked his head back into the canvas and knocked him out. Looks like he was knocked out more from the punch then from his head hitting the mat.
Machida looked great in this fight. He just earned himself a shot at Rashad Evans. Who would have thought that we would have 3 decisions and 1 KO so far and the KO would be for Machida?
Post-match Joe Rogan introduces Machida and his interpreter and then Machida speaks in English for his interview.
Winner: Lyoto Machida by KO R1 4:59
Welterweight Title Fight- Georges St Pierre © (17-2) vs. BJ Penn (13-4-1)
Champion versus Champion. UFC stats say Penn has never been knocked down and that he lands 61% of his lead jabs (UFC average is around 30%). GSP lands 75% of his take down attempts (UFC average is 45%) and he defends 85% of his opponents take downs (UFC average is 55%). BJ is looking to be the first UFC fighter to hold belts at the same time in different weight divisions. Penn gets a big reaction from the crowd as he comes to the ring. GSP gets more of a mixed reaction from the crowd. GSP won their first match-up by Decision after getting dominated in the first round by BJ Penn. GSP has a 6” reach advantage.
R1- Very even as GSP works the first couple of minutes trying to get a take down but BJ continues to deny him. GSP takes the first round by controlling where the fight went and landing a few more strikes. 10-9 GSP but not much damage done on either guy.
R2- Penn hit a good left hand in the first 30 seconds of round two. GSP finally got a take down one minute into the round after struggling the entire first round to try and get one but failing. GSP lands some Ground and Pound and passes guard and lands some more G&P. GSP is hitting some good elbows and the crowd rewards him with a “GSP” chant. GSP dominated this round and is up 20-18 so far.
R3- GSP lands some strikes to start the round and BJs nose is bloodied. GSP powers through another take down. BJ took some offense and some hammer fists and then got back to his feet but GSP got another take down. GSP lands some good strikes towards the end of the round. GSP is in control at 30-27. Penn is going to need a knockout or submission if he wants to win this one.
R4- GSP landed some early strikes and then got another take down. Starting in the second round GSP has done what he wanted to do. GSP is landing some good Ground and Pound. GSP was just all over BJ in this round. This was a 10-8 round for GSP. I’ve got GSP up 40-35 right now with one round left. Herb Dean wants the doctor to look at BJ and Dean stops the fight. It looks like in the replay that BJ’s corner stopped the fight.
What a dominate performance by GSP. This victory quickly catapults GSP into same stratosphere as Fedor and Anderson as the top Pound for Pound fighters in the world right now.
Winner and still Welterweight Champion: Georges St Pierre by TKO R4
Post-fight they interview GSP and bring in Thiago Alves and interview him as well.
The show started out kind of surprisingly with 3 straight decisions but 2 of them were entertaining fights in Diaz/Guida and Jones/Bonner. Lyoto and GSP both looked fantastic. Rashad vs. Lyoto and GSP vs. Alves should both be really good fights. Good show by UFC.
January 31st, 2009
MGM Grand Garden Arena - Las Vegas, NV
This is one of the most anticipated and hyped shows for UFC. The Penn/St Pierre champion vs. champion re-match is the main draw. We also have what is basically a #1 Contenders fight between Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva. A potential FOTN on any card is the lightweight fight between Nate Diaz and Clay Guida.
Lightweight Fight- Nate Diaz (10-2) vs. Clay Guida (24-6)
Clay Guida comes out to “Hero” by the Foo Fighters. Jason Guida is in Clay’s corner and Nick Diaz is in Nate’s corner. Maybe we can make this a 4-way brawl! Diaz has a big 5” height advantage and a huge 8” reach advantage. Diaz is undefeated in the UFC.
R1- Nate is doing a good job early with light jabs and keeping Guida at bay. Nate pulled guard and Clay put him in a full nelson after he took his back. Clay really controlled the second half of the round. Diaz stood up and landed a couple of shots as the round ended. About as even a round as there is but probably went to Guida.
“That might be the first full nelson in UFC history”- Joe Rogan
R2- Guida basically just clinched and held Diaz a lot in this round while trying to get better position. Not much damage done in this round. Diaz tried a triangle at the end of the round but couldn’t get it. I’ve got Guida up 20-18 although he’s done very little damage to Diaz at this point. Realistically this fight is either 20-18 Guida or 19-19 at this point. It smells like a split decision to me unless Diaz can get a submission.
R3- Diaz starts this round like the first round by picking apart Guida with jabs. Diaz is hitting some good shots in this round and is mocking Guida. Guida got a clinch and tries to hold on for a win. Diaz definitely won this round.
This was a close fight. If you are judging based on an entire fight (which UFC doesn’t) then Diaz won this fight. But if you are judging each round separately then I think Guida squeaks this one out 29-28.
The judges score the fight: 29-28 Diaz, 29-28 Guida and 29-28 Guida.
Winner: Clay Guida by Decision (Split)
Welterweight Fight- Karo Parisyan (26-5) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (11-0-1)
Both guys are Black Belts in Judo. Parisyan has been battling a panic disorder, a hamstring injury and a back injury. Parisyan has Greg Jackson in his corner and that’s a good thing. Parisyan is coming off a loss to Top Contender Thiago Alves and Kim’s last fight was at UFC 88 where he won a split decision against Matt Brown. Kim has a 3” height advantage and a 4” reach advantage. Frank Mir is in Kim’s corner.
R1- Kim got an early take down and then took Karo’s back. Karo flipped and tried to knock him off but Kim is just latched on like Shinya Aoki. Kim went for an arm bar but Karo slipped out. Karo then almost got caught in a triangle. Kim took this round 10-9. He didn’t do a lot of damage but he really controlled and wore down Karo.
R2- Kim got an early take down and Karo got a kimura on Kim but couldn’t finish. Karo hit a beautiful judo throw half through the round and landed in side control. Karo’s mouthpiece has come out twice and the ref warns him that if it happens again that he is deducting a point. Karo lands strikes towards the end of the round. Karo wins this round and we are at 19-19 after two rounds. Karo still seems like he is having a lot of trouble with the mouth piece.
“Dude, you are kicking his ass now”- Karo’s corner after Round Two
R3- Kim gets an early take down and Karo pushes him off and the ref warns him about up kicks to the face. A minute and a half left in the fight and this is anybody’s fight. Really tough finally round to judge. It was very even. This one is a toss up.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Karo, 29-28 Kim and 29-28 Karo.
Winner: Karo Parisyan by Decision (Split)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Stephan Bonnar (14-4) vs. Jon Jones (7-0)
Jones is undefeated and looked good in his only UFC fight and win against Andre Gusmao at UFC 87. Bonnar’s last fight was a win against Eric Schaefer at UFC 77. Jones is a JUCO National Wrestling Champion but has most of his wins by KO. On paper this should be a fun fight. Bonnar has moved his camp to Vegas and is now training with Forrest Griffin. Jones has a 4.5” reach advantage. Jones is the 3rd youngest fighter in the UFC.
R1- Jones got a good judo throw take down early in the round but couldn’t hold position. Jones got another take down and Bonnar again got to his feet. Jones hit Bonnar with a belly to back suplex and when Bonnar got up he hit him with a spinning back fist and then jumped on top of Bonnar. Bonnar is cut on his forehead. Jones landed a good knee. Jones ended the round with a take down. Jones looked great in this round. 10-9 in favor of Jones.
R2- This round was a lot closer but Jones landed 3 take downs and the stand up was relatively even. Jones 20-18.
R3- Bonnar is the aggressor in this round and Jones looks to be tiring. Bonnar tried for a take down and got it reversed. Jones almost got caught in a triangle. Bonnar took this round but Jones will win this fight 29-28. The 3rd decision of the night but the first unanimous one. Jones definitely has a lot of talent, I look forward to his next fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 in favor of Jones.
Winner: Jon Jones by Decision (Unanimous)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Lyoto Machida (13-0) vs. Thiago Silva (13-0)
If Machida wins this he is next in line for a shot at Rashad Evans. If Silva wins then he probably needs 1 more quality win to get a shot. Machida was last seen taking apart Tito Ortiz in a unanimous decision victory and Silva got a Round One TKO victory over Antonio Mendes. Both fights were at UFC 84. Silva has finished all but one of his opponents. Silva looks like he came to fight. Machida is called the “most elusive fighter in UFC history.”
R1- Machida hits some strikes early then they clinch and Machida hits a low blow. Machida got a quick take down after they re-started but he gave up his spot. Lyoto hit a big left hand and Silva went down. Lyoto caught Silva with a big right and knocked him down again. Great counter punching so far for Machida. In the closing seconds of the round Machida pushes Silva down and then jumps on top of him very quickly for a couple of strikes and the bell rings for time and then Silva just lays there and doesn’t get up to go back to his corner. It looked like the first punch from Machida knocked his head back into the canvas and knocked him out. Looks like he was knocked out more from the punch then from his head hitting the mat.
Machida looked great in this fight. He just earned himself a shot at Rashad Evans. Who would have thought that we would have 3 decisions and 1 KO so far and the KO would be for Machida?
Post-match Joe Rogan introduces Machida and his interpreter and then Machida speaks in English for his interview.
Winner: Lyoto Machida by KO R1 4:59
Welterweight Title Fight- Georges St Pierre © (17-2) vs. BJ Penn (13-4-1)
Champion versus Champion. UFC stats say Penn has never been knocked down and that he lands 61% of his lead jabs (UFC average is around 30%). GSP lands 75% of his take down attempts (UFC average is 45%) and he defends 85% of his opponents take downs (UFC average is 55%). BJ is looking to be the first UFC fighter to hold belts at the same time in different weight divisions. Penn gets a big reaction from the crowd as he comes to the ring. GSP gets more of a mixed reaction from the crowd. GSP won their first match-up by Decision after getting dominated in the first round by BJ Penn. GSP has a 6” reach advantage.
R1- Very even as GSP works the first couple of minutes trying to get a take down but BJ continues to deny him. GSP takes the first round by controlling where the fight went and landing a few more strikes. 10-9 GSP but not much damage done on either guy.
R2- Penn hit a good left hand in the first 30 seconds of round two. GSP finally got a take down one minute into the round after struggling the entire first round to try and get one but failing. GSP lands some Ground and Pound and passes guard and lands some more G&P. GSP is hitting some good elbows and the crowd rewards him with a “GSP” chant. GSP dominated this round and is up 20-18 so far.
R3- GSP lands some strikes to start the round and BJs nose is bloodied. GSP powers through another take down. BJ took some offense and some hammer fists and then got back to his feet but GSP got another take down. GSP lands some good strikes towards the end of the round. GSP is in control at 30-27. Penn is going to need a knockout or submission if he wants to win this one.
R4- GSP landed some early strikes and then got another take down. Starting in the second round GSP has done what he wanted to do. GSP is landing some good Ground and Pound. GSP was just all over BJ in this round. This was a 10-8 round for GSP. I’ve got GSP up 40-35 right now with one round left. Herb Dean wants the doctor to look at BJ and Dean stops the fight. It looks like in the replay that BJ’s corner stopped the fight.
What a dominate performance by GSP. This victory quickly catapults GSP into same stratosphere as Fedor and Anderson as the top Pound for Pound fighters in the world right now.
Winner and still Welterweight Champion: Georges St Pierre by TKO R4
Post-fight they interview GSP and bring in Thiago Alves and interview him as well.
The show started out kind of surprisingly with 3 straight decisions but 2 of them were entertaining fights in Diaz/Guida and Jones/Bonner. Lyoto and GSP both looked fantastic. Rashad vs. Lyoto and GSP vs. Alves should both be really good fights. Good show by UFC.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
UFC 87: "Seek and Destroy" Re-Cap
UFC 87: Seek and Destroy
Middleweight Fight- Jason MacDonald (21-9) vs. Demian Maia (8-0)
MacDonald has an 8" reach advantage.
R1- Maia pulls guard 30 seconds into the fight. Maia is going for a triangle early. Rogan says it's over. Maia also hitting him with elbows. MacDonald flips out and gets Maia's back. Incredible reversal and he had a Rear Naked Choke but lost it. MacDonald gets some shots in and then gets a guillotine and Maia flips him over and takes side control. Maia takes MacDonald's back with 45 seconds left. Maia is bleeding. Maia looks like he's got it in pretty good. And the first round ends. Great first round. A very thinking man's grappling match on the ground. Maia 10 MacDonald 9.
R2- They mix it up for a couple of seconds before they tie up. Maia goes for some knees and connects lightly to the body with some. Maia gets a take down. Maia is landing some nice punches on MacDonald and then some elbows. Maia with more elbows. Maia dominating this round so far. Maia is landing more punches. MacDonald has been busted open now, but not too badly. Maia goes for an arm bar as McDonald tried to escape. MacDonald gets out and takes Maia's guard with about 15 seconds left in the round. Maia just dominated this round. Maia 20 MacDonald 18. MacDonald needs a submission or a knockout to win.
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is shown in the crowd between rounds.
R3- Maia gets a take down early and MacDonald reverses it. MacDonald controlled for about a minute and then Maia rolled him over and took full mount. Maia hitting some elbows. MacDonald gives up his back and Maia continues to punch him. Maia goes for a Rear Naked Choke and MacDonald taps out. Wanderlei Silva was in Maia's corner for the fight.
Pretty decent opening fight with a great first round. Maia looks like a good fighter based on this fight. It will be interesting to see him progress as he fights guys up the ladder.
"The only reason he escapes is cause the other guy is trying to kill him"- Joe Rogan
Winner: Demian Maia by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3 2:44
Lightweight Fight- Roger Huerta (22-1-1) vs. Kenny Florian (11-3)
This should be fun. Florian has looked really good lately and Huerta is coming off of a big lay off. It will be interesting to see how much this hurts Huerta. Florian has a 4" reach advantage. Huerta is from Minneapolis so he gets a big reaction and Florian doesn't get much in the way of cheers.
R1- They trade some leg kicks early and then Florian gets a take down and mounts Huerta about a minute and a half into the fight. Huerta gives up his back with 3 minutes left in the round and gets out of the hold. Huerta catches Florian with a good combo then they clinch with no one with a distinct advantage. Close first round. Not nearly as much action as I thought that there would be. I've got to give the round to Florian based on getting the only take down, mounting Huerta and then taking his back although he didn't really do much damage in the sequence. Florian 10 Huerta 9.
R2- Pretty even action early in the round. Florian went for a take down, got stuffed but stayed with it and got Huerta down and quickly took his back but Huerta got out again. Florian got a leg sweep on Huerta and then got in a couple of good shots. They mix it up at the end of the round and seems like they are starting to get going. I've got Florian taking this round as well. Both rounds are fairly close but Florian looks like he's starting to pull away as Huerta looks real rusty to me. He keeps trying to use the Superman punch. Looks to me like Florian has a much better game plan. Florian 20 Huerta 18.
R3- Lots of action early in this round. Florian hit a front kick to start the round off then got a take down but couldn't hold it, hit a knee and then hit a flying knee on Huerta. Huerta looked pissed but got taken down by Florian. Huerta got back to his feet again. Three minutes left and both guys are standing up and punching now. Florian hit another front kick. Florian kind of running away from Huerta a little here towards the end with a minute and a half left in the fight- maybe knowing that he's got this one in the bag if it goes to a decision. Huerta lands a right hand and keeps moving forward. Florian keeps backing up fighting this round to win by decision. Florian hits a knee and Huerta comes at him and Florian backs off. Huerta slips on a kick and then Florian takes him down as Huerta looks like he hurt himself. Florian much more aggressive right at the end of the round. I've got this round going to Huerta just based on Florian backing away for about 4 minutes of the round. I've got it scored 29-28 Florian, not a convincing victory due to the lack of effort to get a finish and a little disappointing fight based on what I was expected.
All three judges score the fight 30-27 in favor of Florian.
Winner: Kenny Florian by Decision (Unanimous)
BJ Penn is in attendance tonight.
Lightweight Fight- Manvel Gamburyan (10-3) vs.Rob Emerson (9-6)
R1- Both guys swinging big early and Rob Emerson hits Manvel hard and he goes down and then he eats some more punches and this one is over.
Winner: Rob Emerson by KO R1 0:12
Laura Prepon from That 70s Show is at the fights again tonight.
Heavyweight Fight- Cheick Kongo (21-4-1) vs. Dan Evensen (10-2)
R1- Kongo got a take down against the cage about a minute into the fight but doesn't do anything. Evensen has a standing guillotine against the cage but Kongo pops out pretty easily. Kongo gets another take down about 4 minutes into the round and this time gets some shots in on Evensen but then gave up his advantage. Kongo hits some kicks and then sticks Evensen with a punch that floors him and then jumps on him for some Ground & Pound and the ref steps in with about five seconds left in the fight. Great finishing flurry by Kongo. He controlled the fight although wasn't doing much damage until that end flurry.
Winner: Cheick Kongo by TKO (strikes) R1 4:55
Heavyweight Fight- Heath Herring (28-13) vs. Brock Lesnar (1-1)
Brock gets a huge pop. Herring is the heel. This should be fun.
R1- Lesnar misses a big knee to start out and then sticks Herring with a big straight right hand punch that knocks him down. Lesnar runs in but Herring gets to his feet. Brock has him in a guillotine against the cage. Herring is bleeding. Heath gets out but Brock gets a take down. Brock nails Heath with a punch but then stands up and then gets back down on Heath. Lesnar with a couple of punches in as Heath is ducking into the canvas and trying to slide out. Brock with a big knee to the side. Brock just kind of riding Heath at this point and not letting him up and hitting some strikes. Lesnar with punches to Herrings back or side. Lesnar just dominated Heath in the first round. Lesnar ends the round with knees to the side. I don't remember Herring even getting in one offensive move in this round so it's got to be a 10-8 round. Herring just did nothing offensively. That being said, Herring is very experienced so he could still easily pull out this fight but Lesnar looked awesome in the first round.
They show Jessie Ventura in between rounds and it looks like he's sitting next to BJ Penn!
R2- Lesnar goes for an immediate take down but Herring denies him. Lesnar with a leg kick. They clinch and Lesnar just muscled him down. Herring again kind of ducks his head into the canvas and gives Brock his back. Lesnar moves into side control. Lesnar hits a couple of punches and Herring again goes into the turtle trying to survive. Brock mounts and Herring gives up his back and then goes back into the turtle before Brock can do anything. Lesnar with some knees to the side of Heath. Herring looks exhausted. Brock moves to side control but Heath again moves to the turtle. Heath works his way back to his feet. Lesnar with a knee while in the clinch and then another and you can just see Herring hurt when he hits those. Herring with a couple of knees.Herring missed a couple of punches and then got taken down again. Almost another 10-8 round but I'll go 10-9. Lesnar just dominating 20-17 on my score card. Herring needs to finish this fight in order to win. Herring looks rough in the corner.
R3- Lesnar lands a kick to the side. Herring rushes him against the cage and they clinch. Lesnar with a knee and another. Herring comes back with a couple of small knees and then gets muscled down by Brock. Lesnar hits some knees to the body. Herring trying to go for an arm lock but Lesnar denies him and gets full mount. Herring rolls over and turtles up again. Lesnar with a big knee. Herring gets back to his feet gets in a couple of shots and gets taken down again. Lesnar getting some shots in to the side. Lesnar mounts with about 10 seconds left and gets some punches in. Lesnar looked great in this fight. He acted like a jackass after he won but he still looked great. I've got this an easy Lesnar 30-26 win. If Lesnar could work on his ground game he's going to be a real problem for the fighters he's up against. Herring looked messed up badly after this fight.
Judges score cards are all 30-26 in favor of Lesnar.
Winner: Brock Lesnar by Decision (Unanimous)
Welterweight Title Fight- Georges St. Pierre (c) (16-2) vs. Jon Fitch (21-2)
R1- GSP gets an immediate take down about 5 seconds into the fight. Fitch got to his feet after two minutes but got taken down again. Fitch back to his feet and GSP just nailed him with a punch and Ftich went down. GSP is all over Fitch and is reigning down punches on him in his guard. GSP with big elbows. Fitch back to his feet and he gets rocked again by GSP. GSP just totally dominating Fitch. GSP with some big time elbows and Fitch is busted open. GSP passes Fitch's guard and gets side control. GSP mounts with 10 seconds left but doesn't get anything before the round ends. GSP just totally ate up Fitch in this round. A borderline 10-8 round.
R2- Fitch trying to stay in this fight as he gets a couple of body shots but GSP comes back with a good combo. GSP hit him with a good solid jab. Fitch gets in some shots with about a minute and a half left in the round. GSP gets a take down stuffed. Good come back round for Fitch as GSP changed up his game plan and let Fitch back into the fight. This round could have gone either way.
R3- GSP rocks Fitch about 15 seconds into the round with a solid punch and then takes Fitch's back. Fitch rolls him over and is in GSP's guard. Fitch eventually turns him back over and takes Fitch's guard. They stand up. GSP with a big right and then a big knee, a head kick and another knee. GSP with another shot and he's measuring Fitch and this point and then picks him up and slams him to the ground as the round is ending. GSP clearly took this round.
R4- Pretty even stand up for the first minute or two of this round. Fitch had a take down stuffed. Fitch went for another take down but GSP stood up and rode him to the cage. GSP got a take down at the end of the round. Overall, an uneventful round that goes to GSP. Both guys have cuts but neither are bad. Fitch needs a knockout or submission to win.
R5- GSP hit a nice spinning back fist about a minute into the round and then took Fitch down.GSP lands some solid shots on Fitch while in his guard. GSP controls this round. GSP took every round except maybe Round 2 and was never in danger in this fight. Good win for GSP. Fitch got dominated in Round 1 and then showed a lot of heart and came back and fought a closer fight but again never really put GSP in a position of danger.
Scorecards are 50-43, 50-44 and 50-44 for GSP
Winner: Georges St. Pierre by Decision (Unanimous)
BJ Penn comes into the ring post match as they tease the fight.
Overall, a little bit disappointing of a show as the Big 3 fights that I came in really wanted to see where all lopsided victories (Brock, GSP and KFlo).
Middleweight Fight- Jason MacDonald (21-9) vs. Demian Maia (8-0)
MacDonald has an 8" reach advantage.
R1- Maia pulls guard 30 seconds into the fight. Maia is going for a triangle early. Rogan says it's over. Maia also hitting him with elbows. MacDonald flips out and gets Maia's back. Incredible reversal and he had a Rear Naked Choke but lost it. MacDonald gets some shots in and then gets a guillotine and Maia flips him over and takes side control. Maia takes MacDonald's back with 45 seconds left. Maia is bleeding. Maia looks like he's got it in pretty good. And the first round ends. Great first round. A very thinking man's grappling match on the ground. Maia 10 MacDonald 9.
R2- They mix it up for a couple of seconds before they tie up. Maia goes for some knees and connects lightly to the body with some. Maia gets a take down. Maia is landing some nice punches on MacDonald and then some elbows. Maia with more elbows. Maia dominating this round so far. Maia is landing more punches. MacDonald has been busted open now, but not too badly. Maia goes for an arm bar as McDonald tried to escape. MacDonald gets out and takes Maia's guard with about 15 seconds left in the round. Maia just dominated this round. Maia 20 MacDonald 18. MacDonald needs a submission or a knockout to win.
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is shown in the crowd between rounds.
R3- Maia gets a take down early and MacDonald reverses it. MacDonald controlled for about a minute and then Maia rolled him over and took full mount. Maia hitting some elbows. MacDonald gives up his back and Maia continues to punch him. Maia goes for a Rear Naked Choke and MacDonald taps out. Wanderlei Silva was in Maia's corner for the fight.
Pretty decent opening fight with a great first round. Maia looks like a good fighter based on this fight. It will be interesting to see him progress as he fights guys up the ladder.
"The only reason he escapes is cause the other guy is trying to kill him"- Joe Rogan
Winner: Demian Maia by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3 2:44
Lightweight Fight- Roger Huerta (22-1-1) vs. Kenny Florian (11-3)
This should be fun. Florian has looked really good lately and Huerta is coming off of a big lay off. It will be interesting to see how much this hurts Huerta. Florian has a 4" reach advantage. Huerta is from Minneapolis so he gets a big reaction and Florian doesn't get much in the way of cheers.
R1- They trade some leg kicks early and then Florian gets a take down and mounts Huerta about a minute and a half into the fight. Huerta gives up his back with 3 minutes left in the round and gets out of the hold. Huerta catches Florian with a good combo then they clinch with no one with a distinct advantage. Close first round. Not nearly as much action as I thought that there would be. I've got to give the round to Florian based on getting the only take down, mounting Huerta and then taking his back although he didn't really do much damage in the sequence. Florian 10 Huerta 9.
R2- Pretty even action early in the round. Florian went for a take down, got stuffed but stayed with it and got Huerta down and quickly took his back but Huerta got out again. Florian got a leg sweep on Huerta and then got in a couple of good shots. They mix it up at the end of the round and seems like they are starting to get going. I've got Florian taking this round as well. Both rounds are fairly close but Florian looks like he's starting to pull away as Huerta looks real rusty to me. He keeps trying to use the Superman punch. Looks to me like Florian has a much better game plan. Florian 20 Huerta 18.
R3- Lots of action early in this round. Florian hit a front kick to start the round off then got a take down but couldn't hold it, hit a knee and then hit a flying knee on Huerta. Huerta looked pissed but got taken down by Florian. Huerta got back to his feet again. Three minutes left and both guys are standing up and punching now. Florian hit another front kick. Florian kind of running away from Huerta a little here towards the end with a minute and a half left in the fight- maybe knowing that he's got this one in the bag if it goes to a decision. Huerta lands a right hand and keeps moving forward. Florian keeps backing up fighting this round to win by decision. Florian hits a knee and Huerta comes at him and Florian backs off. Huerta slips on a kick and then Florian takes him down as Huerta looks like he hurt himself. Florian much more aggressive right at the end of the round. I've got this round going to Huerta just based on Florian backing away for about 4 minutes of the round. I've got it scored 29-28 Florian, not a convincing victory due to the lack of effort to get a finish and a little disappointing fight based on what I was expected.
All three judges score the fight 30-27 in favor of Florian.
Winner: Kenny Florian by Decision (Unanimous)
BJ Penn is in attendance tonight.
Lightweight Fight- Manvel Gamburyan (10-3) vs.Rob Emerson (9-6)
R1- Both guys swinging big early and Rob Emerson hits Manvel hard and he goes down and then he eats some more punches and this one is over.
Winner: Rob Emerson by KO R1 0:12
Laura Prepon from That 70s Show is at the fights again tonight.
Heavyweight Fight- Cheick Kongo (21-4-1) vs. Dan Evensen (10-2)
R1- Kongo got a take down against the cage about a minute into the fight but doesn't do anything. Evensen has a standing guillotine against the cage but Kongo pops out pretty easily. Kongo gets another take down about 4 minutes into the round and this time gets some shots in on Evensen but then gave up his advantage. Kongo hits some kicks and then sticks Evensen with a punch that floors him and then jumps on him for some Ground & Pound and the ref steps in with about five seconds left in the fight. Great finishing flurry by Kongo. He controlled the fight although wasn't doing much damage until that end flurry.
Winner: Cheick Kongo by TKO (strikes) R1 4:55
Heavyweight Fight- Heath Herring (28-13) vs. Brock Lesnar (1-1)
Brock gets a huge pop. Herring is the heel. This should be fun.
R1- Lesnar misses a big knee to start out and then sticks Herring with a big straight right hand punch that knocks him down. Lesnar runs in but Herring gets to his feet. Brock has him in a guillotine against the cage. Herring is bleeding. Heath gets out but Brock gets a take down. Brock nails Heath with a punch but then stands up and then gets back down on Heath. Lesnar with a couple of punches in as Heath is ducking into the canvas and trying to slide out. Brock with a big knee to the side. Brock just kind of riding Heath at this point and not letting him up and hitting some strikes. Lesnar with punches to Herrings back or side. Lesnar just dominated Heath in the first round. Lesnar ends the round with knees to the side. I don't remember Herring even getting in one offensive move in this round so it's got to be a 10-8 round. Herring just did nothing offensively. That being said, Herring is very experienced so he could still easily pull out this fight but Lesnar looked awesome in the first round.
They show Jessie Ventura in between rounds and it looks like he's sitting next to BJ Penn!
R2- Lesnar goes for an immediate take down but Herring denies him. Lesnar with a leg kick. They clinch and Lesnar just muscled him down. Herring again kind of ducks his head into the canvas and gives Brock his back. Lesnar moves into side control. Lesnar hits a couple of punches and Herring again goes into the turtle trying to survive. Brock mounts and Herring gives up his back and then goes back into the turtle before Brock can do anything. Lesnar with some knees to the side of Heath. Herring looks exhausted. Brock moves to side control but Heath again moves to the turtle. Heath works his way back to his feet. Lesnar with a knee while in the clinch and then another and you can just see Herring hurt when he hits those. Herring with a couple of knees.Herring missed a couple of punches and then got taken down again. Almost another 10-8 round but I'll go 10-9. Lesnar just dominating 20-17 on my score card. Herring needs to finish this fight in order to win. Herring looks rough in the corner.
R3- Lesnar lands a kick to the side. Herring rushes him against the cage and they clinch. Lesnar with a knee and another. Herring comes back with a couple of small knees and then gets muscled down by Brock. Lesnar hits some knees to the body. Herring trying to go for an arm lock but Lesnar denies him and gets full mount. Herring rolls over and turtles up again. Lesnar with a big knee. Herring gets back to his feet gets in a couple of shots and gets taken down again. Lesnar getting some shots in to the side. Lesnar mounts with about 10 seconds left and gets some punches in. Lesnar looked great in this fight. He acted like a jackass after he won but he still looked great. I've got this an easy Lesnar 30-26 win. If Lesnar could work on his ground game he's going to be a real problem for the fighters he's up against. Herring looked messed up badly after this fight.
Judges score cards are all 30-26 in favor of Lesnar.
Winner: Brock Lesnar by Decision (Unanimous)
Welterweight Title Fight- Georges St. Pierre (c) (16-2) vs. Jon Fitch (21-2)
R1- GSP gets an immediate take down about 5 seconds into the fight. Fitch got to his feet after two minutes but got taken down again. Fitch back to his feet and GSP just nailed him with a punch and Ftich went down. GSP is all over Fitch and is reigning down punches on him in his guard. GSP with big elbows. Fitch back to his feet and he gets rocked again by GSP. GSP just totally dominating Fitch. GSP with some big time elbows and Fitch is busted open. GSP passes Fitch's guard and gets side control. GSP mounts with 10 seconds left but doesn't get anything before the round ends. GSP just totally ate up Fitch in this round. A borderline 10-8 round.
R2- Fitch trying to stay in this fight as he gets a couple of body shots but GSP comes back with a good combo. GSP hit him with a good solid jab. Fitch gets in some shots with about a minute and a half left in the round. GSP gets a take down stuffed. Good come back round for Fitch as GSP changed up his game plan and let Fitch back into the fight. This round could have gone either way.
R3- GSP rocks Fitch about 15 seconds into the round with a solid punch and then takes Fitch's back. Fitch rolls him over and is in GSP's guard. Fitch eventually turns him back over and takes Fitch's guard. They stand up. GSP with a big right and then a big knee, a head kick and another knee. GSP with another shot and he's measuring Fitch and this point and then picks him up and slams him to the ground as the round is ending. GSP clearly took this round.
R4- Pretty even stand up for the first minute or two of this round. Fitch had a take down stuffed. Fitch went for another take down but GSP stood up and rode him to the cage. GSP got a take down at the end of the round. Overall, an uneventful round that goes to GSP. Both guys have cuts but neither are bad. Fitch needs a knockout or submission to win.
R5- GSP hit a nice spinning back fist about a minute into the round and then took Fitch down.GSP lands some solid shots on Fitch while in his guard. GSP controls this round. GSP took every round except maybe Round 2 and was never in danger in this fight. Good win for GSP. Fitch got dominated in Round 1 and then showed a lot of heart and came back and fought a closer fight but again never really put GSP in a position of danger.
Scorecards are 50-43, 50-44 and 50-44 for GSP
Winner: Georges St. Pierre by Decision (Unanimous)
BJ Penn comes into the ring post match as they tease the fight.
Overall, a little bit disappointing of a show as the Big 3 fights that I came in really wanted to see where all lopsided victories (Brock, GSP and KFlo).
Saturday, April 26, 2008
UFC Wired 4/19 Re-Cap
Middleweight Fight- Rich Franklin (22-2) vs. Jason McDonald (19-7)- UFC 68- 3/3/07
R1- McDonald went for an early take down and almost got it but then Franklin peppered him with punches. They battled a lot up against the cage for position. Franklin pretty much controlling when they were on their feet. Franklin gets him to the ground and really goes after him. McDonald got a take down with 20 seconds left but did nothing and Franklin flipped it over and got a couple of elbows in. R1 to Franklin.
R2- The story of the early part of this round is McDonald trying to take down Franklin and Franklin trying to keep it on their feet. McDonald gets him down and gets a submission and is trying to tap Rich but doesn’t quite have a triangle. Franklin escapes and is now in the dominant position. Franklin gets full mount with 2 minutes left and gets in some good punches. With 1 minute left Franklin is again peppering him and is now punching him as he has his back. McDonald not doing much here at all in this round. Franklin dominating. The round ends as Franklin is just dominating McDonald and punching him for the last 10 to 15 seconds of the round in full mount. Franklin wins this round and McDonald actually taps out after the round is over and that’s the fight.
Winner: Rich Franklin via TKO (Corner Stoppage) R2 5:00
Heavyweight Fight- Mirko Cro Cop (22-4) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (7-1)- UFC 70- 4/21/07
Not much action in the first minute and a half but Gonzaga blocks a Cro Cop kick and takes him down. Gonzaga hitting some elbows. Gonzaga pretty much dominating but then the ref stands them up. Gonzaga then just DESTROYS Cro Cop with a knockout kick. I’ve seen this before but seeing it again it’s still just an amazing kick.
Winner: Gabriel Gonzaga via KO R1 4:51
Middleweight Fight- Travis Lutter (12-3) vs. Anderson Silva (17-4)- UFC 67- 2/3/07
R1- This is a non-title match due to Lutter’s inability to make weight. Silva is pretty much the best P4P fighter in the world. This is Silva’s first fight since he won the title. Long feeling out process. Anderson hits a flying knee but Lutter gets in Anderson’s guard. Anderson is a great fighter from the guard and is very hard to take advantage of. Anderson gets up with very little damage if any but Lutter takes him back down. Travis got side control and then got full mount and was pounding on Silva but Silva brilliantly reversed it. Lutter ends the round on the ground. Really close first round. Silva did a great job in fighting and defending from the bottom and Lutter got in the one really good series of punches from the mount but it was quickly reversed. Almost too close to call.
R2- Lutter takes him down but Silva hits an up kick then grabs a triangle and is choking Lutter out from the bottom. Anderson hits elbows and Lutter taps. What a brilliant reversal by Silva. He’s just too tough a defender and counter attacker.
Winner: Anderson Silva by
Welterweight Title Fight: Matt Serra (15-4) vs. Georges St-Pierre © (13-1)- UFC 69- 4/7/07
Pretty even to start out for the first minute as they exchange. Still real even through the first 2 and a half minutes. Serra nails St-Pierre at the 2 minute mark and from that point St-Pierre was in trouble and was back peddling and Serra just stayed on him and finished him with the full mount. Great flurry by Serra and killer instinct as he hurt St-Pierre and quickly followed up.
Winner and new champion: Matt Serra by TKO R1 3:25
R1- McDonald went for an early take down and almost got it but then Franklin peppered him with punches. They battled a lot up against the cage for position. Franklin pretty much controlling when they were on their feet. Franklin gets him to the ground and really goes after him. McDonald got a take down with 20 seconds left but did nothing and Franklin flipped it over and got a couple of elbows in. R1 to Franklin.
R2- The story of the early part of this round is McDonald trying to take down Franklin and Franklin trying to keep it on their feet. McDonald gets him down and gets a submission and is trying to tap Rich but doesn’t quite have a triangle. Franklin escapes and is now in the dominant position. Franklin gets full mount with 2 minutes left and gets in some good punches. With 1 minute left Franklin is again peppering him and is now punching him as he has his back. McDonald not doing much here at all in this round. Franklin dominating. The round ends as Franklin is just dominating McDonald and punching him for the last 10 to 15 seconds of the round in full mount. Franklin wins this round and McDonald actually taps out after the round is over and that’s the fight.
Winner: Rich Franklin via TKO (Corner Stoppage) R2 5:00
Heavyweight Fight- Mirko Cro Cop (22-4) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (7-1)- UFC 70- 4/21/07
Not much action in the first minute and a half but Gonzaga blocks a Cro Cop kick and takes him down. Gonzaga hitting some elbows. Gonzaga pretty much dominating but then the ref stands them up. Gonzaga then just DESTROYS Cro Cop with a knockout kick. I’ve seen this before but seeing it again it’s still just an amazing kick.
Winner: Gabriel Gonzaga via KO R1 4:51
Middleweight Fight- Travis Lutter (12-3) vs. Anderson Silva (17-4)- UFC 67- 2/3/07
R1- This is a non-title match due to Lutter’s inability to make weight. Silva is pretty much the best P4P fighter in the world. This is Silva’s first fight since he won the title. Long feeling out process. Anderson hits a flying knee but Lutter gets in Anderson’s guard. Anderson is a great fighter from the guard and is very hard to take advantage of. Anderson gets up with very little damage if any but Lutter takes him back down. Travis got side control and then got full mount and was pounding on Silva but Silva brilliantly reversed it. Lutter ends the round on the ground. Really close first round. Silva did a great job in fighting and defending from the bottom and Lutter got in the one really good series of punches from the mount but it was quickly reversed. Almost too close to call.
R2- Lutter takes him down but Silva hits an up kick then grabs a triangle and is choking Lutter out from the bottom. Anderson hits elbows and Lutter taps. What a brilliant reversal by Silva. He’s just too tough a defender and counter attacker.
Winner: Anderson Silva by
Welterweight Title Fight: Matt Serra (15-4) vs. Georges St-Pierre © (13-1)- UFC 69- 4/7/07
Pretty even to start out for the first minute as they exchange. Still real even through the first 2 and a half minutes. Serra nails St-Pierre at the 2 minute mark and from that point St-Pierre was in trouble and was back peddling and Serra just stayed on him and finished him with the full mount. Great flurry by Serra and killer instinct as he hurt St-Pierre and quickly followed up.
Winner and new champion: Matt Serra by TKO R1 3:25
UFC Unleashed 4/23 Re-Cap
Lightweight Fight- Rich Clementi (37-12-1) vs. Melvin Guillard (39-7-3)- UFC 79- 12/29/07
R1- Both guys feeling each other out. Guillard has a real explosive combo but hasn’t connected yet. Guillard has “Condom Depot” as the ad on his shorts, classy. Clementi grabs Guillard in a bear hug and slams him. Clementi has Guillard’s back and basically has him in a full nelson. Guillard flips it over and they get back to their feet. Guillard nails Clementi with a couple of punches and then slams him down. Clementi reverses and he’s on top. Real back and forth fight, Clementi with more cage control in Round 1. Clementi grabs a choke and it’s over. Clementi then does a classy “crotch chop” while above Guillard after the win.
Winner: Rich Clementi via submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 4:40
Middleweight Fight- Kendall Grove (10-4) vs. Jorge Rivera (14-6)- UFC 80- 1/19/08
Jorge takes him down quickly and is landing some punches against the cage. Jorge has his back and is landing more punches. Kendall to his feet but he’s eating punch after punch and this one is over quickly and impressively. Jorge with a dominating win.
Winner: Jorge Rivera via TKO (punches) R1 1:20
Light Heavyweight Fight- Lyoto Machida (11-0) vs. Sokoudjou (4-1)- UFC 79- 12/29/07
R1- Machida is unbeaten so far. Soko has been training with Dan Henderson. Soko hits a couple of nice punches early and gets a take down but Machida quickly reverses and is on top controlling in the half guard. Machida is going after his arm but gives it up and is trying to get some punches. Soko doing a good job defending but not actively seeming to try and get out. The ref stands them up. Soko with another take down but they are quickly back to their feet. Round goes to Machida but he definitely wasn’t dominating.
R2- Not much going on in this round. Machida is hitting a couple of kicks and then he gets an opening and trips Soku and goes after him in full guard with a bunch of punches. Machida going for a submission now with an arm triangle but losses it. Soko seems to be real winded as he’s really been controlled in this fight and especially this round. Machida on top and throwing some elbows. Machida grabs the arm triangle again and gets the victory. Real good win for Machida. He seems like a real good technical fighter, not exciting but seems like a real good tactician.
Winner: Lyoto Machida by submission (arm triangle) R2 4:20
Welterweight- Interim Welterweight Title Match: Georges St-Pierre (14-2) vs. Matt Hughes (43-5)- UFC 79- 12/29/07
This is the third fight between these two fighters. This was on UFC Wired just a week or so ago.
R1- The first minute is active but both guys real cautious as nothing of note has been hit yet. Hughes tried for an early take down but Georges backed down. Hughes again goes for take down but is denied. Georges going for some kicks and then a Superman punch and Hughes goes for a take down but the clinch and Georges takes Hughes down and is on top in full guard. Georges with some light punches from the top. Georges pushes Hughes up against the cage. Georges with some short elbows. Georges with some punches again. Georges dominating so far but not really close to a stoppage. Hughes needs to find a way out. Georges slams Hughes a couple of times. Georges got his back in the last 10 seconds. Easy round to Georges here as he just dominated. Hughes really didn’t even get any offense at all in.
R2- Georges again takes Hughes down. Georges now in half guard. Hughes trying to get some offense from the bottom as he hits an elbow. Georges with some elbows. He’s in full guard now. Georges back on top in half guard and mounts Hughes and has his back with 1:30 left in the round. They battle and Georges has him up against the cage now. Hughes now with Georges leg but can’t get the takedown. They are tied up and Georges with a great take down into side control. Georges with an arm bar type move and Hughes taps.
Georges St-Pierre just absolutely dominated this fight from start to finish.
Winner: Georges St-Pierre by Verbal Submission (arm bar) R2 4:54.
R1- Both guys feeling each other out. Guillard has a real explosive combo but hasn’t connected yet. Guillard has “Condom Depot” as the ad on his shorts, classy. Clementi grabs Guillard in a bear hug and slams him. Clementi has Guillard’s back and basically has him in a full nelson. Guillard flips it over and they get back to their feet. Guillard nails Clementi with a couple of punches and then slams him down. Clementi reverses and he’s on top. Real back and forth fight, Clementi with more cage control in Round 1. Clementi grabs a choke and it’s over. Clementi then does a classy “crotch chop” while above Guillard after the win.
Winner: Rich Clementi via submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 4:40
Middleweight Fight- Kendall Grove (10-4) vs. Jorge Rivera (14-6)- UFC 80- 1/19/08
Jorge takes him down quickly and is landing some punches against the cage. Jorge has his back and is landing more punches. Kendall to his feet but he’s eating punch after punch and this one is over quickly and impressively. Jorge with a dominating win.
Winner: Jorge Rivera via TKO (punches) R1 1:20
Light Heavyweight Fight- Lyoto Machida (11-0) vs. Sokoudjou (4-1)- UFC 79- 12/29/07
R1- Machida is unbeaten so far. Soko has been training with Dan Henderson. Soko hits a couple of nice punches early and gets a take down but Machida quickly reverses and is on top controlling in the half guard. Machida is going after his arm but gives it up and is trying to get some punches. Soko doing a good job defending but not actively seeming to try and get out. The ref stands them up. Soko with another take down but they are quickly back to their feet. Round goes to Machida but he definitely wasn’t dominating.
R2- Not much going on in this round. Machida is hitting a couple of kicks and then he gets an opening and trips Soku and goes after him in full guard with a bunch of punches. Machida going for a submission now with an arm triangle but losses it. Soko seems to be real winded as he’s really been controlled in this fight and especially this round. Machida on top and throwing some elbows. Machida grabs the arm triangle again and gets the victory. Real good win for Machida. He seems like a real good technical fighter, not exciting but seems like a real good tactician.
Winner: Lyoto Machida by submission (arm triangle) R2 4:20
Welterweight- Interim Welterweight Title Match: Georges St-Pierre (14-2) vs. Matt Hughes (43-5)- UFC 79- 12/29/07
This is the third fight between these two fighters. This was on UFC Wired just a week or so ago.
R1- The first minute is active but both guys real cautious as nothing of note has been hit yet. Hughes tried for an early take down but Georges backed down. Hughes again goes for take down but is denied. Georges going for some kicks and then a Superman punch and Hughes goes for a take down but the clinch and Georges takes Hughes down and is on top in full guard. Georges with some light punches from the top. Georges pushes Hughes up against the cage. Georges with some short elbows. Georges with some punches again. Georges dominating so far but not really close to a stoppage. Hughes needs to find a way out. Georges slams Hughes a couple of times. Georges got his back in the last 10 seconds. Easy round to Georges here as he just dominated. Hughes really didn’t even get any offense at all in.
R2- Georges again takes Hughes down. Georges now in half guard. Hughes trying to get some offense from the bottom as he hits an elbow. Georges with some elbows. He’s in full guard now. Georges back on top in half guard and mounts Hughes and has his back with 1:30 left in the round. They battle and Georges has him up against the cage now. Hughes now with Georges leg but can’t get the takedown. They are tied up and Georges with a great take down into side control. Georges with an arm bar type move and Hughes taps.
Georges St-Pierre just absolutely dominated this fight from start to finish.
Winner: Georges St-Pierre by Verbal Submission (arm bar) R2 4:54.
Monday, April 21, 2008
UFC 83: "Serra vs. St-Pierre 2" Re-Cap/Thoughts
UFC 83
Lightweight Fight: Mac Danzig (18-4-1) vs. Mark Bocek (5-1)
Bocek is Canadian so he gets a big pop. Danzig was the winner of Season 6 of the Ultimate Fighter and has been real impressive in the fights I've seen him in.
R1- They are mixing it up so far on their feet. No one with a clear advantage. Bocek grabs a leg and pushes Mac up against the cage. Danzig grabs an arm to stop it. Bocek finally gets him down and begins to hammer some punches to the side. Mac has him in his guard. Danzig grabs an arm submission but Bocek gets out and gets in some punches. Mac trying to get back to his feet. Bocek's got his back but Mac fights out. Bocek with the advantage in half guard, now in full guard. Danzig trying to grab a submission. Bocek controlling the fight. Danzig works back to his feet. Mac rides him and gets some good shots in. Mac is now on top in half guard. Mac now in full guard and is laying in punches. Bocek grabs him and holds him trying to hold on to win the round. Close round with Danzig rallying at the end. I think Bocek gets this one although he definitely suffered some damage towards the end of the round. He looks much rougher than Danzig does in the corner shots.
R2- Danzig destroys Bocek with a knee to the chin and jumps on him trying to finish but Bocek protects himself. Danzig still on top. Danzig laying in some shots. Bocek brings the fight back to the feet and Mac hits him with another knee and Bocek wilts back to the ground. Danzig on top and getting in some shots. Danzig in full mount. Bocek gives up his back. Danzig just dominating in this round. Danzig releases and they stand up. Bocek getting in some shots and goes for a single leg take down. Danzig going after his arm. Danzig takes the dominant position. Danzig wins this round easily, he just couldn't finish. He just destroyed Bocek with that knee at the beginning of the round.
R3- Bocek going for some punches then goes for the take down and he finally gets it. Bocek is in Danzig's guard trying to pass as Danzig is going for a submission choke from the bottom. Bocek getting some shots from the top. Danzig slips out and gets up. They are in a clinch and Danzig hits another knee. Danzig seems to have gained the advantage again and gets a punch and then a kick. Bocek is bleeding heavily know and the ref stops the fight just as Danzig seems to be gaining the momentum and was looking to really go after him. Bocek is cut badly but they will continue. Crowd roars. Danzig landing some jabs. Danzig punches him into the corner and Danzig gets a leg sweep and is in full mount. Bocek gives up his back with 90 seconds left. Danzig going for a choke but there is so much blood. Danzig gets the win via Rear Naked Choke.
Good fight. Danzig looked real good and Bocek showed a lot of heart.
Winner: Mac Danzig by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3
Kenny Florian did the color commentary for Joe Rogan and was real solid.
Mandy Moore is in the house!
Middleweight Fight: Charles McCarthy (10-4) vs Michael Bisping (15-1)
I've only seen Bisping fight once and he was solid but real unmemorable. This will be the first time i've seen Charles McCarthy. Bisping is the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 3. Bisping seems to be the crowd favorite here as he gets a good pop during introductions. This is Bisping's first fight at Middleweight.
R1- Bisping is the aggressor early. McCarthy throws some hay makers that miss. Bisping jabbing. Bisping controlling the cage early and McCarthy just curling up and Bisping pelts him a couple times then McCarthy screams at him and plays to the crowd. Bisping controlling early. Bisping with a knee. Bisping with some combos. McCarthy just covering up and doing nothing offensively besides playing to the crowd. Bisping with a knee and then an uppercut. crowd doing the "Ole" chant. McCarthy with a take down which is really his first offensive move that was successful. McCarthy in half guard. McCarthy going after his back and then going after an arm. Bisping trying to get his arm out as McCarthy is trying to get the submission. Bisping gets out and nails some punches. Bisping with some jabs and a knee. Bisping with a kick and some jabs. Bisping with punches and knees and just owning McCarthy who is doing nothing. Bisping just owning McCarthy who is in the fetal. Bisping just owned this round. McCarthy got one take down. The ref calls the fight after the bell as McCarthy is still on the ground where Bisping left him. Bisping looked great in this fight and just picked apart McCarthy.
Winner: Michael Bisping by TKO R1
Middleweight Fight: Khalib Starnes (10-3-1) vs. Nate Quarry (15-2)
Starnes is Canadian so obviously he's the crowd favorite tonight. Both of these guys were in different seasons of The Ultimate Fighter.
R1- They are dancing around a lot. Quarry is the aggressor and is basically chasing him around the ring. Kalib runs away but then grabs him but they release. Crowd starting to boo as Starnes looks like he wants none of this fight so far. Most of this match is Starnes trying to stay away from Quarry. They are tied up on the cage now. Quarry with a flurry out of the clinch. Quarry with a combo and is chasing Starnes around the ring again. Kalib just continually running away from Quarry. They clinch against the cage. Starnes with his first offensive move of the fight- a knee at one minute left in the round. Quarry though answers. Quarry with a flurry at the end of the round. Quarry just dominates Kalib who spent the majority of the first round running away from Quarry. Not sure what Kalib's game plan is here, he looks like he doesn't want to be in there with Quarry.
R2- Starnes comes out and actually tries to hit a punch and then tries a tie up. Quarry hitting leg kicks. Quarry still the aggressor and Kalib still running away. Starnes grabs a leg on a kick and takes down Quarry briefly and gets in a couple of shots. Quarry quickly back to his feet. Florian is describing this as sparring practice for Quarry. Quarry wins this round again as Starnes is just running away. The Canadian fans are booing Starnes.
R3- Two rounds to none so far for Quarry. So far this round is just more of the same. Quarry with a combo and another. Quarry with a flurry. Quarry is only going to lose here if he trips and breaks his neck cause Starnes is not interested in fighting Quarry tonight. Quarry with another flurry of punches with a couple hitting. Quarry with a big knee that just misses. Starnes just making no attempt at trying to win this fight with only a minute left and way down on the judges cards. Quarry lighting him up now and chasing Starnes and mocking him by doing the running man. Quarry now punching himself.
Starnes with an embarrassing performance and I wonder if he'll see another fight in UFC after this performance. Quarry looked great but Starnes just simply did not want to fight tonight. Starnes and his corner are mad that Quarry is making fun of Starnes but Starnes just put on an embarrassing performance tonight. He simply didn't want to fight. Crowd is booing Starnes whenever he's shown and cheering Quarry. 30-26, 30-27 and 30-24 by unanimous decision. Goldberg says this might be the first 30-24 he's ever seen in UFC. Can't wait to see Quarry fight someone who actually wants to fight.
Winner: Nate Quarry via Decision (Unanimous)
Forrest Griffin is in the house and he's going for the cheap pop with a Montreal Canadians sweater.
Middleweight Fight: Travis Lutter (12-4) vs. Rich Franklin (24-3)
Travis Lutter comes out to Nickelback, so there is one reason to dislike him. Franklin is definitely the crowd favorite in this one. Both guys have lost to Anderson Silva and are still considered top contenders.
R1- They are mixing it up early. Nice to see two guys who actually want to fight. They are tied up against the cage. Lutter's got his back early. Lutter moves to side control and now to half guard. Not much action but Lutter seems to be moving into position. Franklin showing good defense. Lutter gets into full mount with 2 minutes left. Lutter starting to land some punches. Lutter's goit him in the arm bar but Franklin with a magnificent escape and he's back to his feet. Lutter for a take down and Franklin getting in some punches. Lutter still holding onto the leg. First Round goes to Lutter due to him almost finishing the match and controlling the majority of the round. He didn't dominate or inflict much damage though so this is anybody's fight.
R2- Franklin controls early. Lutter misses a take down. Lutter goes again but Franklin denies him and lands a knee and then hits a kick that hurts Lutter. Franklin trying to finish but Lutter grabs Franklin's leg and still has it. Franklin escapes. Franklin with another knee. Lutter is looking hurt. Franklin with some jabs. Franklin with a knee to the body and some punches. Lutter grabs a leg. Lutter is just dead tired. Franklin with some jabs. And more jabs and a big knee. Franklin just dominating. Lutter is down and Franklin looking to finish and the ref calls for the bell. Franklin just dominated this round and Lutter got hurt with knees and punches and gassed out.
Winner: Rich Franklin by TKO R2
Welterweight Title Fight: Matt Serra © (16-4) vs. Georges St-Pierre (15-2)
Here it is. The Main Event. The match that's been hyped up and we've been waiting to see. St-Pierre has a big height and reach advantage. St-Pierre gets a huge reaction. Crowd is really ready for this one.
R1- St-Pierre grabs him immediately and gets to half guard. St-Pierre getting in some short jabs. Serra defending. "GSP" chants by the crowd. St-Pierre with a couple of punches. Serra hitting a couple of elbows from the bottom. Crowd with an "Ole" chant. St-Pierre with a nice combination. St-Pierre controlling this fight. More "GSP" chants. St-Pierre passes the guard and has Serra's back. St-Pierre hitting him with punches. Serra trying to get up but St-Pierre is all over him. St-Pierre with a knee and they are back on their feet. St-Pierre with a Super man punch that barely misses and then takes down Serra again. St-Pierre with punches to end the round. St-Pierre just dominated Round 1. Serra's got a nice bruise under his right eye.
R2- Serra goes for a kick and GSP grabs his leg and takes him down against the cage. Crowd with an "Ole" chant. They are on their feet now. GSP with some nice jabs. GSP with another take down. GSP with a big elbow on the ground. GSP has Serra's back and Serra flips over and GSP is on top in guard position. GSP with punches on top. GSP with a knee to the side and another. GSP with punches and knees. GSP with side control and gets Serra's back. GSP with punches and knees to the midsection. Serra turns over but GSP is peppering him with knees to the back and the ref stops the fight as Serra is not defending himself and GSP does a back flip. Relatively easy win for GSP as he just dominated and Serra ran out of gas mid-second round probably due to inactivity coming off the injury. Serra raises GSP's hand after the fight and picks him up in celebration as a show of respect. GSP just looked phenomenal in this fight.
Winner: Georges St-Pierre via TKO R2 and new Welterweight Champion.
The guys who came out looking really good tonight were Georges St-Pierre, Mac Danzig, Michael Bisping, Rich Franklin and Nate Quarry. They all looked impressive in their wins. Mark Bocek probably looked best in defeat.
Preliminary Match:
Welterweight Fight: Jonathan Goulet (21-9-1) vs Kuniyoshi Hironaka (11-4)
Goulet is Canadian so he'll be the crowd favorite here. Goulet comes out in a Montreal Canadians sweater.
R1- Hironaka tries an early take down but it's denied. Goulet trying for some kicks. Hironaka going for another takedown but eats two knees. They tie up against the fence but the ref separates them. Goulet with a combo. Goulet with a series of strikes. Hironaka back with jabs. Hironaka shoots in but is denied again. Goulet with another combo and a jab. Hironaka gets in a good counter punch. Goulet controlling the action. Hironaka again misses a take down and eats another knee. Hironaka drops Goulet with a punch and is now on top and trying to finish. Hironaka all over Goulet on the ground. Goulet barely makes it to the second round. Goulet controlled this fight for the first 4 minutes but just got dominated in the last minute of the fight. Gotta give this to Hironaka due to the damage that he inflicted after he hit a nice left handed counter punch to Goulet's chin.
R2- They are mixing it up pretty evenly early in Round 2. Hironaka with a combo and Goulet almost drops. Goulet lands a big punch and jumps on top and hit a knee and is chasing Hironaka. Goulet hits him squarely with another punch and ends the fight.
Good fight. Both guys showed some good offense and Goulet persevered after almost losing in Round 1.
Winner: Jonathan Goulet via TKO R2 (2:07)
Lightweight Fight: Mac Danzig (18-4-1) vs. Mark Bocek (5-1)
Bocek is Canadian so he gets a big pop. Danzig was the winner of Season 6 of the Ultimate Fighter and has been real impressive in the fights I've seen him in.
R1- They are mixing it up so far on their feet. No one with a clear advantage. Bocek grabs a leg and pushes Mac up against the cage. Danzig grabs an arm to stop it. Bocek finally gets him down and begins to hammer some punches to the side. Mac has him in his guard. Danzig grabs an arm submission but Bocek gets out and gets in some punches. Mac trying to get back to his feet. Bocek's got his back but Mac fights out. Bocek with the advantage in half guard, now in full guard. Danzig trying to grab a submission. Bocek controlling the fight. Danzig works back to his feet. Mac rides him and gets some good shots in. Mac is now on top in half guard. Mac now in full guard and is laying in punches. Bocek grabs him and holds him trying to hold on to win the round. Close round with Danzig rallying at the end. I think Bocek gets this one although he definitely suffered some damage towards the end of the round. He looks much rougher than Danzig does in the corner shots.
R2- Danzig destroys Bocek with a knee to the chin and jumps on him trying to finish but Bocek protects himself. Danzig still on top. Danzig laying in some shots. Bocek brings the fight back to the feet and Mac hits him with another knee and Bocek wilts back to the ground. Danzig on top and getting in some shots. Danzig in full mount. Bocek gives up his back. Danzig just dominating in this round. Danzig releases and they stand up. Bocek getting in some shots and goes for a single leg take down. Danzig going after his arm. Danzig takes the dominant position. Danzig wins this round easily, he just couldn't finish. He just destroyed Bocek with that knee at the beginning of the round.
R3- Bocek going for some punches then goes for the take down and he finally gets it. Bocek is in Danzig's guard trying to pass as Danzig is going for a submission choke from the bottom. Bocek getting some shots from the top. Danzig slips out and gets up. They are in a clinch and Danzig hits another knee. Danzig seems to have gained the advantage again and gets a punch and then a kick. Bocek is bleeding heavily know and the ref stops the fight just as Danzig seems to be gaining the momentum and was looking to really go after him. Bocek is cut badly but they will continue. Crowd roars. Danzig landing some jabs. Danzig punches him into the corner and Danzig gets a leg sweep and is in full mount. Bocek gives up his back with 90 seconds left. Danzig going for a choke but there is so much blood. Danzig gets the win via Rear Naked Choke.
Good fight. Danzig looked real good and Bocek showed a lot of heart.
Winner: Mac Danzig by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3
Kenny Florian did the color commentary for Joe Rogan and was real solid.
Mandy Moore is in the house!
Middleweight Fight: Charles McCarthy (10-4) vs Michael Bisping (15-1)
I've only seen Bisping fight once and he was solid but real unmemorable. This will be the first time i've seen Charles McCarthy. Bisping is the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 3. Bisping seems to be the crowd favorite here as he gets a good pop during introductions. This is Bisping's first fight at Middleweight.
R1- Bisping is the aggressor early. McCarthy throws some hay makers that miss. Bisping jabbing. Bisping controlling the cage early and McCarthy just curling up and Bisping pelts him a couple times then McCarthy screams at him and plays to the crowd. Bisping controlling early. Bisping with a knee. Bisping with some combos. McCarthy just covering up and doing nothing offensively besides playing to the crowd. Bisping with a knee and then an uppercut. crowd doing the "Ole" chant. McCarthy with a take down which is really his first offensive move that was successful. McCarthy in half guard. McCarthy going after his back and then going after an arm. Bisping trying to get his arm out as McCarthy is trying to get the submission. Bisping gets out and nails some punches. Bisping with some jabs and a knee. Bisping with a kick and some jabs. Bisping with punches and knees and just owning McCarthy who is doing nothing. Bisping just owning McCarthy who is in the fetal. Bisping just owned this round. McCarthy got one take down. The ref calls the fight after the bell as McCarthy is still on the ground where Bisping left him. Bisping looked great in this fight and just picked apart McCarthy.
Winner: Michael Bisping by TKO R1
Middleweight Fight: Khalib Starnes (10-3-1) vs. Nate Quarry (15-2)
Starnes is Canadian so obviously he's the crowd favorite tonight. Both of these guys were in different seasons of The Ultimate Fighter.
R1- They are dancing around a lot. Quarry is the aggressor and is basically chasing him around the ring. Kalib runs away but then grabs him but they release. Crowd starting to boo as Starnes looks like he wants none of this fight so far. Most of this match is Starnes trying to stay away from Quarry. They are tied up on the cage now. Quarry with a flurry out of the clinch. Quarry with a combo and is chasing Starnes around the ring again. Kalib just continually running away from Quarry. They clinch against the cage. Starnes with his first offensive move of the fight- a knee at one minute left in the round. Quarry though answers. Quarry with a flurry at the end of the round. Quarry just dominates Kalib who spent the majority of the first round running away from Quarry. Not sure what Kalib's game plan is here, he looks like he doesn't want to be in there with Quarry.
R2- Starnes comes out and actually tries to hit a punch and then tries a tie up. Quarry hitting leg kicks. Quarry still the aggressor and Kalib still running away. Starnes grabs a leg on a kick and takes down Quarry briefly and gets in a couple of shots. Quarry quickly back to his feet. Florian is describing this as sparring practice for Quarry. Quarry wins this round again as Starnes is just running away. The Canadian fans are booing Starnes.
R3- Two rounds to none so far for Quarry. So far this round is just more of the same. Quarry with a combo and another. Quarry with a flurry. Quarry is only going to lose here if he trips and breaks his neck cause Starnes is not interested in fighting Quarry tonight. Quarry with another flurry of punches with a couple hitting. Quarry with a big knee that just misses. Starnes just making no attempt at trying to win this fight with only a minute left and way down on the judges cards. Quarry lighting him up now and chasing Starnes and mocking him by doing the running man. Quarry now punching himself.
Starnes with an embarrassing performance and I wonder if he'll see another fight in UFC after this performance. Quarry looked great but Starnes just simply did not want to fight tonight. Starnes and his corner are mad that Quarry is making fun of Starnes but Starnes just put on an embarrassing performance tonight. He simply didn't want to fight. Crowd is booing Starnes whenever he's shown and cheering Quarry. 30-26, 30-27 and 30-24 by unanimous decision. Goldberg says this might be the first 30-24 he's ever seen in UFC. Can't wait to see Quarry fight someone who actually wants to fight.
Winner: Nate Quarry via Decision (Unanimous)
Forrest Griffin is in the house and he's going for the cheap pop with a Montreal Canadians sweater.
Middleweight Fight: Travis Lutter (12-4) vs. Rich Franklin (24-3)
Travis Lutter comes out to Nickelback, so there is one reason to dislike him. Franklin is definitely the crowd favorite in this one. Both guys have lost to Anderson Silva and are still considered top contenders.
R1- They are mixing it up early. Nice to see two guys who actually want to fight. They are tied up against the cage. Lutter's got his back early. Lutter moves to side control and now to half guard. Not much action but Lutter seems to be moving into position. Franklin showing good defense. Lutter gets into full mount with 2 minutes left. Lutter starting to land some punches. Lutter's goit him in the arm bar but Franklin with a magnificent escape and he's back to his feet. Lutter for a take down and Franklin getting in some punches. Lutter still holding onto the leg. First Round goes to Lutter due to him almost finishing the match and controlling the majority of the round. He didn't dominate or inflict much damage though so this is anybody's fight.
R2- Franklin controls early. Lutter misses a take down. Lutter goes again but Franklin denies him and lands a knee and then hits a kick that hurts Lutter. Franklin trying to finish but Lutter grabs Franklin's leg and still has it. Franklin escapes. Franklin with another knee. Lutter is looking hurt. Franklin with some jabs. Franklin with a knee to the body and some punches. Lutter grabs a leg. Lutter is just dead tired. Franklin with some jabs. And more jabs and a big knee. Franklin just dominating. Lutter is down and Franklin looking to finish and the ref calls for the bell. Franklin just dominated this round and Lutter got hurt with knees and punches and gassed out.
Winner: Rich Franklin by TKO R2
Welterweight Title Fight: Matt Serra © (16-4) vs. Georges St-Pierre (15-2)
Here it is. The Main Event. The match that's been hyped up and we've been waiting to see. St-Pierre has a big height and reach advantage. St-Pierre gets a huge reaction. Crowd is really ready for this one.
R1- St-Pierre grabs him immediately and gets to half guard. St-Pierre getting in some short jabs. Serra defending. "GSP" chants by the crowd. St-Pierre with a couple of punches. Serra hitting a couple of elbows from the bottom. Crowd with an "Ole" chant. St-Pierre with a nice combination. St-Pierre controlling this fight. More "GSP" chants. St-Pierre passes the guard and has Serra's back. St-Pierre hitting him with punches. Serra trying to get up but St-Pierre is all over him. St-Pierre with a knee and they are back on their feet. St-Pierre with a Super man punch that barely misses and then takes down Serra again. St-Pierre with punches to end the round. St-Pierre just dominated Round 1. Serra's got a nice bruise under his right eye.
R2- Serra goes for a kick and GSP grabs his leg and takes him down against the cage. Crowd with an "Ole" chant. They are on their feet now. GSP with some nice jabs. GSP with another take down. GSP with a big elbow on the ground. GSP has Serra's back and Serra flips over and GSP is on top in guard position. GSP with punches on top. GSP with a knee to the side and another. GSP with punches and knees. GSP with side control and gets Serra's back. GSP with punches and knees to the midsection. Serra turns over but GSP is peppering him with knees to the back and the ref stops the fight as Serra is not defending himself and GSP does a back flip. Relatively easy win for GSP as he just dominated and Serra ran out of gas mid-second round probably due to inactivity coming off the injury. Serra raises GSP's hand after the fight and picks him up in celebration as a show of respect. GSP just looked phenomenal in this fight.
Winner: Georges St-Pierre via TKO R2 and new Welterweight Champion.
The guys who came out looking really good tonight were Georges St-Pierre, Mac Danzig, Michael Bisping, Rich Franklin and Nate Quarry. They all looked impressive in their wins. Mark Bocek probably looked best in defeat.
Preliminary Match:
Welterweight Fight: Jonathan Goulet (21-9-1) vs Kuniyoshi Hironaka (11-4)
Goulet is Canadian so he'll be the crowd favorite here. Goulet comes out in a Montreal Canadians sweater.
R1- Hironaka tries an early take down but it's denied. Goulet trying for some kicks. Hironaka going for another takedown but eats two knees. They tie up against the fence but the ref separates them. Goulet with a combo. Goulet with a series of strikes. Hironaka back with jabs. Hironaka shoots in but is denied again. Goulet with another combo and a jab. Hironaka gets in a good counter punch. Goulet controlling the action. Hironaka again misses a take down and eats another knee. Hironaka drops Goulet with a punch and is now on top and trying to finish. Hironaka all over Goulet on the ground. Goulet barely makes it to the second round. Goulet controlled this fight for the first 4 minutes but just got dominated in the last minute of the fight. Gotta give this to Hironaka due to the damage that he inflicted after he hit a nice left handed counter punch to Goulet's chin.
R2- They are mixing it up pretty evenly early in Round 2. Hironaka with a combo and Goulet almost drops. Goulet lands a big punch and jumps on top and hit a knee and is chasing Hironaka. Goulet hits him squarely with another punch and ends the fight.
Good fight. Both guys showed some good offense and Goulet persevered after almost losing in Round 1.
Winner: Jonathan Goulet via TKO R2 (2:07)
Thursday, April 17, 2008
UFC Wired (Airdate 4/13/08)
UFC Wired (Aired 4/13/08)
Middleweight- Patrick Cote vs. Kendall Grove- UFC 74- 8/25/07
R1- A couple of shots exchanged early and then they tie up on the cage. Lots of jockeying for position but not much action. The ref separates them due to inactivity. Some exchanges and then Grove ties him up and works him back into the cage. Cote switches on him. Grove is the more aggressive fighter during stand-up but isn’t really hitting anything. Grove goes for take down and is denies. Cote destroys him with a short left hand and then jumps and mounts Grove. Grove gives up his back and Cote is trying to finish but Grove rolls back over. Cote is nailing him. Grove trying to hold on with 15 seconds left in the round but the ref stops the fight.
Real boring fight until the last 30 seconds when Cote exploded when Grove went for a takedown and left himself undefended.
Winner: Patrick Cote winner by TKO (Strikes) R1 4:45
Middleweight- Chris Leben vs. Khalib Starnes- UFC 71- 5/26/07
R1- Leben is the aggressor early. Starnes ties him up but Chris breaks loose. Leben with some strikes. Leben goes for a jumping kick and leaves his feet but Starnes can’t capitalize. Leben gets in a couple of more shots following a leg kick by Starnes. Leben with some wild punches and some of them connecting but Starnes covering up good to minimize damage. Leben looks like he might be punching himself out here. Starnes ties him up but gets pushed off. Leben with some more left hands. Leben misses with a spinning kick and gets takedown down. Big mistake. Leben trying to get a rubber guard as Starnes is in full guard. Starnes ends the round with a flurry of punches. This was a close round. Leben controlled the right up right and it was up right for most of the first round. Starnes got a takedown but did nothing with it until the last 5 seconds of the round. Leben 10-9.
R2- Start of this round is pretty even for the first minute or so. No one with a clear advantage. Starnes lands a nice right hand and then follows it up by taking down Leben and is on top in full guard. Starnes stands up and comes down with a punch and lands a couple more but now they are on their feet again. Starnes clinches him and backs him up against the cage. Starnes with some knees and they separate again. Leben looks tired but so does Starnes. Leben with a knee. They trade jabs. Starnes looks real tired now and Leben is landing some punches. Leben nails a knee. Starnes was real impressive at the beginning of this round but then gassed and Leben got in some good damage towards the end of the round. Round still goes to Starnes but I think Leben might have the advantage in cardio going into the final round. I’ve got the scorecard as 19-19.
R3- They trade some at the beginning and Leben is the aggressor. Leben had him up against the cage and got a couple of blows and then got a kick to the gut. Starnes to the mat and leben falls into his guard. Leben is not doing much on top. Getting a couple of punches in. Leben stands up then gets back on top this time in half guard and lands a short elbow. Starnes flips him over very impressively. Leben punching from the bottom. Leben trying to work the rubber guard. Leben getting in a lot more offense and then Starnes nails a nice elbow. Leben pestering him from the bottom with punches, elbows and kicks. Starnes stands up and then lands a punch and goes into half guard. 30 seconds left. Leben still punching from the bottom. Khalib trying to get some punches from the top but Leben continues to punch. I give this round to Leben as he controlled the first half and then did just as much damage from the bottom as Starnes did from the top.
Somehow Khalib Starnes gets a unanimous decision 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. It was real close but the only round that Starnes clearly won was Round 2. That’s why you don’t leave the match to the judges’ decision.
Winner: Khalib Starnes via Decision (Unanimous)
Welterweight- Interim Welterweight Title Match: Georges St-Pierre (14-2) vs. Matt Hughes (43-5)- UFC 79- 12/29/07
R1- The first minute is active but both guys real cautious as nothing of note has been hit yet. Hughes tried for an early take down but Georges backed down. Hughes again goes for take down but is denied. Georges going for some kicks and then a Superman punch and Hughes goes for a take down but the clinch and Georges takes Hughes down and is on top in full guard. Georges with some light punches from the top. Georges pushes Hughes up against the cage. Georges with some short elbows. Georges with some punches again. Georges dominating so far but not really close to a stoppage. Hughes needs to find a way out. Georges slams Hughes a couple of times. Georges got his back in the last 10 seconds. Easy round to Georges here as he just dominated. Hughes really didn’t even get any offense at all in.
R2- Georges again takes Hughes down. Georges now in half guard. Hughes trying to get some offense from the bottom as he hits an elbow. Georges with some elbows. He’s in full guard now. Georges back on top in half guard and mounts Hughes and has his back with 1:30 left in the round. They battle and Georges has him up against the cage now. Hughes now with Georges leg but can’t get the takedown. They are tied up and Georges with a great take down into side control. Georges with an armbar type move and Hughes taps.
Georges St-Pierre just absolutely dominated this fight from start to finish.
Winner: Georges St-Pierre by Verbal Submission (armbar) R2 4:54.
Middleweight- Patrick Cote vs. Kendall Grove- UFC 74- 8/25/07
R1- A couple of shots exchanged early and then they tie up on the cage. Lots of jockeying for position but not much action. The ref separates them due to inactivity. Some exchanges and then Grove ties him up and works him back into the cage. Cote switches on him. Grove is the more aggressive fighter during stand-up but isn’t really hitting anything. Grove goes for take down and is denies. Cote destroys him with a short left hand and then jumps and mounts Grove. Grove gives up his back and Cote is trying to finish but Grove rolls back over. Cote is nailing him. Grove trying to hold on with 15 seconds left in the round but the ref stops the fight.
Real boring fight until the last 30 seconds when Cote exploded when Grove went for a takedown and left himself undefended.
Winner: Patrick Cote winner by TKO (Strikes) R1 4:45
Middleweight- Chris Leben vs. Khalib Starnes- UFC 71- 5/26/07
R1- Leben is the aggressor early. Starnes ties him up but Chris breaks loose. Leben with some strikes. Leben goes for a jumping kick and leaves his feet but Starnes can’t capitalize. Leben gets in a couple of more shots following a leg kick by Starnes. Leben with some wild punches and some of them connecting but Starnes covering up good to minimize damage. Leben looks like he might be punching himself out here. Starnes ties him up but gets pushed off. Leben with some more left hands. Leben misses with a spinning kick and gets takedown down. Big mistake. Leben trying to get a rubber guard as Starnes is in full guard. Starnes ends the round with a flurry of punches. This was a close round. Leben controlled the right up right and it was up right for most of the first round. Starnes got a takedown but did nothing with it until the last 5 seconds of the round. Leben 10-9.
R2- Start of this round is pretty even for the first minute or so. No one with a clear advantage. Starnes lands a nice right hand and then follows it up by taking down Leben and is on top in full guard. Starnes stands up and comes down with a punch and lands a couple more but now they are on their feet again. Starnes clinches him and backs him up against the cage. Starnes with some knees and they separate again. Leben looks tired but so does Starnes. Leben with a knee. They trade jabs. Starnes looks real tired now and Leben is landing some punches. Leben nails a knee. Starnes was real impressive at the beginning of this round but then gassed and Leben got in some good damage towards the end of the round. Round still goes to Starnes but I think Leben might have the advantage in cardio going into the final round. I’ve got the scorecard as 19-19.
R3- They trade some at the beginning and Leben is the aggressor. Leben had him up against the cage and got a couple of blows and then got a kick to the gut. Starnes to the mat and leben falls into his guard. Leben is not doing much on top. Getting a couple of punches in. Leben stands up then gets back on top this time in half guard and lands a short elbow. Starnes flips him over very impressively. Leben punching from the bottom. Leben trying to work the rubber guard. Leben getting in a lot more offense and then Starnes nails a nice elbow. Leben pestering him from the bottom with punches, elbows and kicks. Starnes stands up and then lands a punch and goes into half guard. 30 seconds left. Leben still punching from the bottom. Khalib trying to get some punches from the top but Leben continues to punch. I give this round to Leben as he controlled the first half and then did just as much damage from the bottom as Starnes did from the top.
Somehow Khalib Starnes gets a unanimous decision 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. It was real close but the only round that Starnes clearly won was Round 2. That’s why you don’t leave the match to the judges’ decision.
Winner: Khalib Starnes via Decision (Unanimous)
Welterweight- Interim Welterweight Title Match: Georges St-Pierre (14-2) vs. Matt Hughes (43-5)- UFC 79- 12/29/07
R1- The first minute is active but both guys real cautious as nothing of note has been hit yet. Hughes tried for an early take down but Georges backed down. Hughes again goes for take down but is denied. Georges going for some kicks and then a Superman punch and Hughes goes for a take down but the clinch and Georges takes Hughes down and is on top in full guard. Georges with some light punches from the top. Georges pushes Hughes up against the cage. Georges with some short elbows. Georges with some punches again. Georges dominating so far but not really close to a stoppage. Hughes needs to find a way out. Georges slams Hughes a couple of times. Georges got his back in the last 10 seconds. Easy round to Georges here as he just dominated. Hughes really didn’t even get any offense at all in.
R2- Georges again takes Hughes down. Georges now in half guard. Hughes trying to get some offense from the bottom as he hits an elbow. Georges with some elbows. He’s in full guard now. Georges back on top in half guard and mounts Hughes and has his back with 1:30 left in the round. They battle and Georges has him up against the cage now. Hughes now with Georges leg but can’t get the takedown. They are tied up and Georges with a great take down into side control. Georges with an armbar type move and Hughes taps.
Georges St-Pierre just absolutely dominated this fight from start to finish.
Winner: Georges St-Pierre by Verbal Submission (armbar) R2 4:54.
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