UFC Fight Night
Patriot Center
Fairfax, Virginia
1/11/10
Top Lightweight contender Gray Maynard will take on Nate Diaz in the Main Event tonight in a re-match from The Ultimate Fighter TV show. TUF Winner Amir Sadollah face a tough fight against Brad Blackburn and TUF winner Efrain Escudero is also in action as is prospect Aaron Simpson.
Welterweight Fight- Amir Sadollah (3-1) vs. Brad Blackburn (15-9-1)
Amir is coming off of a UFC 106 win against Phil Baroni. Blackburn is coming off of a split decision victory over Edgar Garcia. Amir fights out of Richmond so he is a big fan favorite in this fight. Blackburn is yet to lose in the UFC.
R1- Both guys are landing shots early in this round. Amir hit a good right hand with one minute left to go in the round and it rocked Blackburn. Amir then hit and elbow and got a take down but Black burn was able to recover and push him off. Close round that Amir took with the push at the end. Amir 10-9 after one round.
R2- Blackburn hit a right hand and caught a kick at the same time and briefly knocked Amir down at the mid-way point of the round. Amir landed another right that briefly wobbled Blackburn right at the end of the round. Really close round that I give to Blackburn that makes the fight 19-19 on my score card.
R3- Amir landed a knee against the cage and Blackburn got rocked and taken down. Amir was able to land some good punches about half way through the round. Amir is going to take this round and will win via decision.
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all three score cards
Winner: Amir Sadollah by Decision (Unanimous)
Joe Rogan interviews Randy Couture ringside and they discuss his upcoming fight against Mark Coleman.
Middleweight Fight- Aaron Simpson (6-0) vs. Tom Lawlor (6-1)
Simpson has knockouts in all six of his fights. Simpson is coming off of a win at UFC 102 against Ed Herman and Lawlor is coming off of a 55 second submission victory over CB Dollaway at UFC 100. This is Lawlor’s 2nd fight at Middleweight in the UFC.
R1- Lawler landed a good uppercut in the first few moments of the fight. Lawler went for a take down and Simpson landed some punches and Lawlor gave up the take down attempt. Lawlor is looking good in the early going. Lawlor is landing some good punches in this fight. Lawlor hit a right hand counter punch and then came in with a barrage of punches and Simpson finally grabbed a clinch to stop the onslaught. Lawlor landed a good uppercut and continued to land good strikes. Lawlor looked really good in the first round and definitely took this round.
R2- Simpson landed some shots against the cage and then got a take down. Lawlor hit a good right hand that knocked Simpson into the cage and got a brief take down. Lawlor pulled guard at the end of the round but never really had it clamped in as the bell rung. Really close round, could have gone either way.
R3- Lawlor lands some good punches at the start of the round. Both guys are freely throwing leather at the beginning of the round. Simpson got a take down slam but Lawlor got back to his feet quickly and returned the favor. Lawlor tried to grab a kimura but couldn’t hold it and Simpson ended up on top. Simpson briefly mounted and then tried to take Lawlor’s back. Lawlor is worn out and Simpson is in totally control of this round. Simpson clearly took this round. This is going to be a close fight to call. Lawlor took round one and possibly could have squeaked out a 10-8 round, round two was a toss up and round three was Simpson 10-9. I think we could see a split or majority decision here. I’m calling Simpson via Split Decision. Really good fight.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Lawlor, 29-28 Simpson and 29-28 Simpson
Winner: Aaron Simpson by Decision (Split)
Lightweight Fight- Evan Dunham (9-0) vs. Efrain Escudero (13-0)
Both guys are coming into this fight undefeated. Efrain is coming off of a UFC 103 win against Cole Miller and Dunham is coming off a UFC 102 Split Decision win over Ricardo Almeida in a close fight that I had Almeida winning 29-28.
R1- Efrain landed a good jumping knee half-way through the round and then hit some strikes. Dunham went down but was able to defend on the ground and stay in the fight. Efrain grabs a guillotine choke but Dunham was able to escape back to his feet. Dunham pushed Escudero to the ground at the end of the round. Escudero 10-9.
R2- Dunham looks recovered and hits some strikes at the beginning of the round. Both guys are landing some decent strikes in this round. Dunham got a take down with two minutes left in the round. Dunham is landing some good strikes on the ground. Dunham takes Efrain’s back. Dunham won this round so it’s even at 19-19 going into the final round.
R3- Dunham went for a quick take down and Efrain tried to grab a guillotine and rolled over on top of Dunham trying to secure a choke but couldn’t not clamp it in and they scrambled back to their feet. Dunham stuck with it and got a take down about a minute into the fight. Dunham went for an arm bar and Efrain tapped out. Big win for Dunham.
Winner: Evan Dunham by Submission (Arm Bar) R3 1:59
Lightweight Fight- Gray Maynard (9-0) vs. Nate Diaz (11-4)
Nate Diaz is the only fighter that Maynard has lost to as Diaz beat Maynard on their season of TUF. Maynard is still officially unbeaten because the TUF fights (except for the finals) do not count on the fighters records. At UFC Fight Night 19 Gray Maynard beat Roger Huerta by Split Decision (I had the fight 30-27 for Maynard). Diaz is coming off a Guillotine Choke win over Melvin Guillard on the same show. Maynard is one of the top contenders for BJ Penn’s belt so this is a very important fight for him.
R1- Maynard is throwing some bombs early on. Diaz has opened up a cut on Maynard despite not landing any significant shots. Maynard is starting to land some decent shots. Both guys talk a little trash in the first round. Close round. I’ve got Maynard edging Diaz 10-9.
R2- Maynard hit a good overhand right about a minute and a half into the round but Diaz absorb the blow. Gray hit a good knee half way through the round that floored Diaz but Maynard let him back to his feet. Maynard hit a good left that sent Diaz to his knees before he quickly got back up. Maynard took this round and I’ve got him winning 20-18.
R3- Diaz hit a right hand about a minute and a half into the round that briefly floored Maynard but he popped back up. Diaz is landing some strikes this round and is looking much better than he did in the first two rounds. Maynard landed a good punch and then briefly got on top of Diaz but Diaz got up quickly. Maynard finished well in this round but I think Diaz still took this round. I’ve got Maynard taking this fight 29-28.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Diaz, 30-27 Maynard, 29-28 Maynard
Winner: Gray Maynard by Decision (Split)
Showing posts with label Gray Maynard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gray Maynard. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
UFC Fight Night 19 (9/16/09) Re-Cap
UFC Fight Night 19
Tulsa, OK (Cox Convention Center)
9/16/09
No Joe Rogan tonight so Kenny Florian will be replacing him on Color Commentary. Gray Maynard will take a big step tonight towards a Lightweight Title Fight if he can beat Roger Huerta. This is a risky fight for the UFC as Huerta plans on going Hollywood after the fight. Former WEC Champion Carlos Condit tries to get his first UFC win after a razor think loss to Martin Kampmann in his debut. TUF fighters fight it out tonight as Nate Diaz/Melvin Guillard and Nate Quarry/Tim Credeur collide. Hopefully Steve Cantwell/Brian Stann will make the main show and/or we can see Brock Larson/Mike Pierce. Phillipe Nover was pulled from his undercard fight with Sam Stout tonight when he suffered a seizure.
Middleweight Fight- Nate Quarry (17-3) vs. Tim Credeur (13-4)
Credeur is coming off a second round guillotine submission of Nick Catone at Fight Night 18. Credeur is 3-0 in the UFC and has really improved since his TUF days. Credeur has a 3” height and 2.5” reach advantage. Quarry has to be the favorite coming into this fight. Quarry’s only losses in the UFC have come to Rich Franklin and Demain Maia.
R1- Credeur is out striking Quarry early but doesn’t seem to be hurting him. Credeur caught Quarry with a solid left hand at the 1:20 mark and Quarry went down. Credeur jumped on top and grabbed a Rear Naked Choke with over a minute left in the round but Quarry rolled over and survived. Really great action. Credeur closed the round with some strikes and has bloodied Quarry’s nose. Impressive first round for Credeur as he’s up 10-9.
R2- Credeur opens up the round with strikes and has Quarry on the run early but he got popped by Quarry. Both guys go toe to toe swinging for the fences and Credeur went down. Credeur definitely doesn’t want to get into a shot for shot against Quarry. Quarry lands on top of Credeur and takes his guard. Quarry has done a good job of weathering the storm so far and turned the tide quickly in this round to tie it up 19-19 going into the third and final round.
R3- Credeur opens up this round landing some good strikes but Quarry unloaded on Credeur with a huge right hand. The punch looked so violent that Herb Dean rushed in and almost stopped the fight but Credeur was able to survive the strike. Quarry took Credeur’s guard. They get back to their feet but Credeur looks like he’s still really feeling the effects of that one punch. Credeur is taking some big shots and finally goes down with Quarry following him and taking his guard. Quarry takes this round and will take the fight 29-28. Good fight, Credeur showed a lot of heart but Quarry was just too big and too strong for him. Quarry finished the fight with a big mouse under his right eye.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 29-27 and 29-28 in favor of Quarry
Winner: Nate Quarry by Decision (Unanimous)
Welterweight Fight- Carlos Condit (23-5) vs. Jake Ellenberger (21-4)
This is Jake Ellenberger’s debut in the UFC as he is filling in for the injured Chris Lytle. Condit is a former WEC Welterweight Champion who lost in his debut to Martin Kampmann in a very close split decision. Condit has a 2” height and 3” reach advantage.
R1- Ellenberger grabbed a Condit kick early and punched him and took him down. Condit does a really good job in his guard and got back to his feet without taking any damage. Ellenberger again counters a kick with a punch and just drills Condit up against the cage and Condit goes down. Ellenberger jumps on top and Condit is in deep trouble. Ellenberger went for a choke but Condit was able to escape and get back to his feet. Condit hit Ellenberger with a big knee to the chin. Ellenberger absorbed two more knees and then fired a Hail Mary punch and looked like he grazed Condit right in the temple and Condit just crumpled. I thought for sure that was the end of the fight as Ellenberger jumped on top and reigned punches to the back of Condit’s head but Condit took Ellenberger down and took half guard. There is still two minutes left in this fight and so far it has been CRAZY. Condit was able to move to mount but Ellenberger kicked him off. Ellenberger grabbed a guillotine but Condit rolled out and ended up with Ellenberger in his guard. Condit has a very active guard and is hitting some elbows. Condit went for a triangle but Ellenberger slipped out quickly before it was even close and they stood back up. Ellenberger landed a head kick but it looked like it was just a glancing blow. Holy Crap, what a first round. Ellenberger is no joke and I can’t believe that Condit survived that first round. Condit clearly has to get this fight on the ground if he wants to win. You have to give that first round to Ellenberger 10-9.
R2- Ellenberger is swinging for the fences early but missed two big haymakers. Ellenberger got a double leg take down. Condit landed some elbows. Ellenberger is getting very little offense in despite being in an advantageous position. Condit got a kimura but could not submit Ellenberger because Ellenberger was holding onto the fence. Condit did however roll over Ellenberger and took mount. Condit was able to get in some shots but was moved to half guard. Condit re-mounts and tries to take Ellenberger’s back but he slips and Ellenberger takes his guard. Condit once again is active from his guard and Ellenberger is not really trying to improve his position. Back to their feet with 15 seconds left. Condit landed a couple of strikes before the land ended. Ellenberger got a take down and laid on top of Condit for a while but really didn’t get in any offense in this round. Condit had a near submission and was able to mount and score points from his guard. I think that’s enough as Condit controlled the striking and landed many more shots in this round than did Ellenberger. It will be interesting to see how judges score this round and I think many will give it to Ellenberger just for kind of laying on Condit and getting the take down. I’ve got it Condit 10-9 and that evens up the fight 19-19 on my score card.
R3- Condit threw a leg kick early but it was mostly deflected. Ellenberger got an early take down. Condit again worked strikes from the guard position. Ellenberger landed a big elbow but shortly thereafter Condit was able to slide out of his grasp and they stood back up with three and a half minutes remaining in the fight. Ellenberger threw a kick but it landed on Condit’s arm. Condit got a take down and Ellenberger grabbed a guillotine but Condit easily slipped out and moved to half guard. Condit controlled from the top and landed some good strikes. Condit went to take Ellenberger’s back and landed some more good strikes. Ellenberger spins out as Condit went for a submission and took Condit’s guard. Condit kicked him off and they stood back up. Ellenberger went for a single leg but Condit. The ref keeps warning Condit for striking to the back of Ellenberger’s head but I haven’t seen it as Carlos is not hitting him directly to the back of his head. Condit stuffed the take down and took Ellenberger’s back and flattened him out and continued to land strikes. I’ve got Condit taking this round 10-9 which gives him the fight 29-28 in a really good fight. I don’t know how Condit survived the first round but he really weathered that storm and wore out Ellenberger. It will be interesting to see how judges score this fight.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Condit, 29-28 Ellenberger and 29-28 Condit
So that’s 2 split decisions in his first two fights for Condit in the UFC. Ellenberger looked very game in the first round.
Winner: Carlos Condit by Decision (Split)
Mike Goldberg interviews Rich Franklin via Satellite.
Gray Maynard (8-0) vs. Roger Huerta (22-2-1)
Huerta is coming off of a lackluster loss to Kenny Florian by decision (30-27) back at UFC 87. Gray Maynard is coming off an impressive win over Jim Miller at UFC 96. Maynard is undefeated and is quickly moving up the Lightweight ladder. With another impressive win or two he could find himself as the #1 Contender to B.J. Penn. Huerta could be taking off to Hollywood after this fight so it will be interesting to see how prepared he is for this fight.
R1- Maynard came in at early and landed some good strikes. Huerta came in and Maynard landed a good counter punch that knocked Huerta off center. Maynard looks really quick so far early in this fight. Huerta got Maynard up against the fence and was able to land several strikes. Maynard was able to retreat and when Huerta came in again Maynard was able to pop him with a jab. Maynard went for a single leg but Huerta was able to sprawl out of the take down. Good first round that was pretty even. Huerta had the one flurry but overall Maynard landed more strikes and controlled more of the round. Maynard 10-9 after one round. Florian gave this round to Huerta.
R2- Maynard countered a Huerta kick with a good right hand and Huerta ducked and moved and slid in the Octagon to gain his balance and avoid Maynard. Maynard hit a good right that knocked Huerta off-balance and then Maynard landed another left but it appeared to just be a glancing blow. Huerta charged at Maynard and threw like 7 or 8 shots but Maynard ducked all of them and then Maynard landed a jab that took Huerta briefly off his feet as he lost his balance. Maynard is far from dominating this fight but he’s doing enough to win the rounds. I’ve got Maynard up 20-18 on my score card.
R3- Maynard landed a couple of strikes early. Maynard rushed in and took Huerta down. Huerta got back to his feet briefly but Maynard pulled him back down. Maynard’s nose is bleeding from a shot earlier in the fight. Maynard has a funky looking kimura locked in on Huerta and Maynard eventually let it go as Huerta was not going to tap and was able to twist out of the move. Huerta was briefly on top but then Maynard was able to grind him back down. Maynard takes this round and I’ve got him winning 30-27 on my score card. It was a close fight but I had Maynard winning all of the rounds. The only one that really seemed debatable was the first round. Maynard needs another quality win and then he could be a contender for the Lightweight Title.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Huerta, 30-27 Maynard and 30-27 Maynard.
29-28 Huerta? What was Chris Lee smoking?
Winner: Gray Maynard by Decision (Split)
Lightweight Fight- Nate Diaz (10-4) vs. Melvin Guillard (41-8-3)
In his last fight Melvin won a Split Decision over Gleison Tibau at the Ultimate Fight 9 Finale. I actually had the fight scored in favor of Tibau 29-28. On the same show Nate lost a close fight to Joe Stevenson by 29-28 decision on all score cards. Diaz has a 5” reach and 3” height advantage.
R1- Diaz threw a loopy right hand and Guillard stuck him with a quick right that knocked him down but Guillard let him back up. Diaz locked him up and got a take down but Guillard got back to his feet and hit Diaz with a judo throw and then let Diaz back to his feet. Diaz again got Guillard down but Guillard again quickly got to his feet without taking any damage. Diaz has some blood coming from near his eye. Fairly close round but Diaz really didn’t do anything to hurt Guillard and Guillard opened up a cut on Diaz and knocked him down early in the round. I’ve got Guillard taking a close round 10 to 9.
R2- Guillard went for another judo throw and was able to get Diaz down on the mat but he let Diaz back to his feet. Diaz is starting to land some strikes. Guillard fakes being hurt but then gets caught by Diaz as Diaz pulled guard and locked in a choke and Guillard submitted. What a huge mistake by Guillard and Diaz capitalized beautifully.
Winner: Nate Diaz by Guillotine Choke R2 2:13
Really good night of fights.
Tulsa, OK (Cox Convention Center)
9/16/09
No Joe Rogan tonight so Kenny Florian will be replacing him on Color Commentary. Gray Maynard will take a big step tonight towards a Lightweight Title Fight if he can beat Roger Huerta. This is a risky fight for the UFC as Huerta plans on going Hollywood after the fight. Former WEC Champion Carlos Condit tries to get his first UFC win after a razor think loss to Martin Kampmann in his debut. TUF fighters fight it out tonight as Nate Diaz/Melvin Guillard and Nate Quarry/Tim Credeur collide. Hopefully Steve Cantwell/Brian Stann will make the main show and/or we can see Brock Larson/Mike Pierce. Phillipe Nover was pulled from his undercard fight with Sam Stout tonight when he suffered a seizure.
Middleweight Fight- Nate Quarry (17-3) vs. Tim Credeur (13-4)
Credeur is coming off a second round guillotine submission of Nick Catone at Fight Night 18. Credeur is 3-0 in the UFC and has really improved since his TUF days. Credeur has a 3” height and 2.5” reach advantage. Quarry has to be the favorite coming into this fight. Quarry’s only losses in the UFC have come to Rich Franklin and Demain Maia.
R1- Credeur is out striking Quarry early but doesn’t seem to be hurting him. Credeur caught Quarry with a solid left hand at the 1:20 mark and Quarry went down. Credeur jumped on top and grabbed a Rear Naked Choke with over a minute left in the round but Quarry rolled over and survived. Really great action. Credeur closed the round with some strikes and has bloodied Quarry’s nose. Impressive first round for Credeur as he’s up 10-9.
R2- Credeur opens up the round with strikes and has Quarry on the run early but he got popped by Quarry. Both guys go toe to toe swinging for the fences and Credeur went down. Credeur definitely doesn’t want to get into a shot for shot against Quarry. Quarry lands on top of Credeur and takes his guard. Quarry has done a good job of weathering the storm so far and turned the tide quickly in this round to tie it up 19-19 going into the third and final round.
R3- Credeur opens up this round landing some good strikes but Quarry unloaded on Credeur with a huge right hand. The punch looked so violent that Herb Dean rushed in and almost stopped the fight but Credeur was able to survive the strike. Quarry took Credeur’s guard. They get back to their feet but Credeur looks like he’s still really feeling the effects of that one punch. Credeur is taking some big shots and finally goes down with Quarry following him and taking his guard. Quarry takes this round and will take the fight 29-28. Good fight, Credeur showed a lot of heart but Quarry was just too big and too strong for him. Quarry finished the fight with a big mouse under his right eye.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 29-27 and 29-28 in favor of Quarry
Winner: Nate Quarry by Decision (Unanimous)
Welterweight Fight- Carlos Condit (23-5) vs. Jake Ellenberger (21-4)
This is Jake Ellenberger’s debut in the UFC as he is filling in for the injured Chris Lytle. Condit is a former WEC Welterweight Champion who lost in his debut to Martin Kampmann in a very close split decision. Condit has a 2” height and 3” reach advantage.
R1- Ellenberger grabbed a Condit kick early and punched him and took him down. Condit does a really good job in his guard and got back to his feet without taking any damage. Ellenberger again counters a kick with a punch and just drills Condit up against the cage and Condit goes down. Ellenberger jumps on top and Condit is in deep trouble. Ellenberger went for a choke but Condit was able to escape and get back to his feet. Condit hit Ellenberger with a big knee to the chin. Ellenberger absorbed two more knees and then fired a Hail Mary punch and looked like he grazed Condit right in the temple and Condit just crumpled. I thought for sure that was the end of the fight as Ellenberger jumped on top and reigned punches to the back of Condit’s head but Condit took Ellenberger down and took half guard. There is still two minutes left in this fight and so far it has been CRAZY. Condit was able to move to mount but Ellenberger kicked him off. Ellenberger grabbed a guillotine but Condit rolled out and ended up with Ellenberger in his guard. Condit has a very active guard and is hitting some elbows. Condit went for a triangle but Ellenberger slipped out quickly before it was even close and they stood back up. Ellenberger landed a head kick but it looked like it was just a glancing blow. Holy Crap, what a first round. Ellenberger is no joke and I can’t believe that Condit survived that first round. Condit clearly has to get this fight on the ground if he wants to win. You have to give that first round to Ellenberger 10-9.
R2- Ellenberger is swinging for the fences early but missed two big haymakers. Ellenberger got a double leg take down. Condit landed some elbows. Ellenberger is getting very little offense in despite being in an advantageous position. Condit got a kimura but could not submit Ellenberger because Ellenberger was holding onto the fence. Condit did however roll over Ellenberger and took mount. Condit was able to get in some shots but was moved to half guard. Condit re-mounts and tries to take Ellenberger’s back but he slips and Ellenberger takes his guard. Condit once again is active from his guard and Ellenberger is not really trying to improve his position. Back to their feet with 15 seconds left. Condit landed a couple of strikes before the land ended. Ellenberger got a take down and laid on top of Condit for a while but really didn’t get in any offense in this round. Condit had a near submission and was able to mount and score points from his guard. I think that’s enough as Condit controlled the striking and landed many more shots in this round than did Ellenberger. It will be interesting to see how judges score this round and I think many will give it to Ellenberger just for kind of laying on Condit and getting the take down. I’ve got it Condit 10-9 and that evens up the fight 19-19 on my score card.
R3- Condit threw a leg kick early but it was mostly deflected. Ellenberger got an early take down. Condit again worked strikes from the guard position. Ellenberger landed a big elbow but shortly thereafter Condit was able to slide out of his grasp and they stood back up with three and a half minutes remaining in the fight. Ellenberger threw a kick but it landed on Condit’s arm. Condit got a take down and Ellenberger grabbed a guillotine but Condit easily slipped out and moved to half guard. Condit controlled from the top and landed some good strikes. Condit went to take Ellenberger’s back and landed some more good strikes. Ellenberger spins out as Condit went for a submission and took Condit’s guard. Condit kicked him off and they stood back up. Ellenberger went for a single leg but Condit. The ref keeps warning Condit for striking to the back of Ellenberger’s head but I haven’t seen it as Carlos is not hitting him directly to the back of his head. Condit stuffed the take down and took Ellenberger’s back and flattened him out and continued to land strikes. I’ve got Condit taking this round 10-9 which gives him the fight 29-28 in a really good fight. I don’t know how Condit survived the first round but he really weathered that storm and wore out Ellenberger. It will be interesting to see how judges score this fight.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Condit, 29-28 Ellenberger and 29-28 Condit
So that’s 2 split decisions in his first two fights for Condit in the UFC. Ellenberger looked very game in the first round.
Winner: Carlos Condit by Decision (Split)
Mike Goldberg interviews Rich Franklin via Satellite.
Gray Maynard (8-0) vs. Roger Huerta (22-2-1)
Huerta is coming off of a lackluster loss to Kenny Florian by decision (30-27) back at UFC 87. Gray Maynard is coming off an impressive win over Jim Miller at UFC 96. Maynard is undefeated and is quickly moving up the Lightweight ladder. With another impressive win or two he could find himself as the #1 Contender to B.J. Penn. Huerta could be taking off to Hollywood after this fight so it will be interesting to see how prepared he is for this fight.
R1- Maynard came in at early and landed some good strikes. Huerta came in and Maynard landed a good counter punch that knocked Huerta off center. Maynard looks really quick so far early in this fight. Huerta got Maynard up against the fence and was able to land several strikes. Maynard was able to retreat and when Huerta came in again Maynard was able to pop him with a jab. Maynard went for a single leg but Huerta was able to sprawl out of the take down. Good first round that was pretty even. Huerta had the one flurry but overall Maynard landed more strikes and controlled more of the round. Maynard 10-9 after one round. Florian gave this round to Huerta.
R2- Maynard countered a Huerta kick with a good right hand and Huerta ducked and moved and slid in the Octagon to gain his balance and avoid Maynard. Maynard hit a good right that knocked Huerta off-balance and then Maynard landed another left but it appeared to just be a glancing blow. Huerta charged at Maynard and threw like 7 or 8 shots but Maynard ducked all of them and then Maynard landed a jab that took Huerta briefly off his feet as he lost his balance. Maynard is far from dominating this fight but he’s doing enough to win the rounds. I’ve got Maynard up 20-18 on my score card.
R3- Maynard landed a couple of strikes early. Maynard rushed in and took Huerta down. Huerta got back to his feet briefly but Maynard pulled him back down. Maynard’s nose is bleeding from a shot earlier in the fight. Maynard has a funky looking kimura locked in on Huerta and Maynard eventually let it go as Huerta was not going to tap and was able to twist out of the move. Huerta was briefly on top but then Maynard was able to grind him back down. Maynard takes this round and I’ve got him winning 30-27 on my score card. It was a close fight but I had Maynard winning all of the rounds. The only one that really seemed debatable was the first round. Maynard needs another quality win and then he could be a contender for the Lightweight Title.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Huerta, 30-27 Maynard and 30-27 Maynard.
29-28 Huerta? What was Chris Lee smoking?
Winner: Gray Maynard by Decision (Split)
Lightweight Fight- Nate Diaz (10-4) vs. Melvin Guillard (41-8-3)
In his last fight Melvin won a Split Decision over Gleison Tibau at the Ultimate Fight 9 Finale. I actually had the fight scored in favor of Tibau 29-28. On the same show Nate lost a close fight to Joe Stevenson by 29-28 decision on all score cards. Diaz has a 5” reach and 3” height advantage.
R1- Diaz threw a loopy right hand and Guillard stuck him with a quick right that knocked him down but Guillard let him back up. Diaz locked him up and got a take down but Guillard got back to his feet and hit Diaz with a judo throw and then let Diaz back to his feet. Diaz again got Guillard down but Guillard again quickly got to his feet without taking any damage. Diaz has some blood coming from near his eye. Fairly close round but Diaz really didn’t do anything to hurt Guillard and Guillard opened up a cut on Diaz and knocked him down early in the round. I’ve got Guillard taking a close round 10 to 9.
R2- Guillard went for another judo throw and was able to get Diaz down on the mat but he let Diaz back to his feet. Diaz is starting to land some strikes. Guillard fakes being hurt but then gets caught by Diaz as Diaz pulled guard and locked in a choke and Guillard submitted. What a huge mistake by Guillard and Diaz capitalized beautifully.
Winner: Nate Diaz by Guillotine Choke R2 2:13
Really good night of fights.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
UFC 96 3/7/09 "Jackson vs Jardine" Re-Cap
UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine
Lightweight Fight- Gray Maynard (7-0) vs. Jim Miller (13-1)
Maynard is coming off of a unanimous decision victory over Rich Clementi at UFC 90 and previous to that he won another unanimous decision over Frankie Edgar. Jim Miller is coming off of a unanimous decision victory over Matt Wiman at the Fight for the Troops show in December. Might we be in for a 3 round fight here? Both guys are undefeated in the UFC. Miller is on an 8 fight win streak and is 2-0 in the UFC. Randy Couture is in the corner of Maynard for this fight.
R1- Miller is the aggressor early but Maynard does a good job throwing some combos. Miller spends a long time trying to take Maynard down and Maynard does a real good job avoiding it. Miller’s face is bloodied up. Maynard landed a nice shot at the end of the round and takes the round 10-9.
R2- Maynard got in some good shots at the two minute mark of the round. Miller went for a take down and eventually pulled guard because he couldn’t get the take down but Maynard quickly slipped out. Maynard is controlling this fight right now and is up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Maynard went for a take down for the first time in the fight and got a slam but then almost got caught in a leg lock but he slipped out. Miller tried to get a take down but got stuffed again and Maynard flipped it around and got some Ground and Pound. Maynard is going to win this decision 30-27.
Really solid showing by Maynard. He looked really good just didn’t show that Killer Instinct or finishing power. He’s had 3 straight decisions in which he’s controlled the fights. Would really like to see him step up in competition for his next fight as he’s definitely moving up the contenders list at this point.
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all cards
Winner: Gray Maynard by Decision (Unanimous)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Matt Hamill (7-2) vs. Mark Munoz (5-0)
We are following up a decision fight with two wrestlers. Hamill beat Reese Andy his last time out but was really controlled by Rich Franklin in the fight previous to that. Munoz is a D1 Wrestling Champion who is currently training with Urijah Faber and was 2-0 in WEC. This will be the UFC debut for Munoz. Joe Rogan points out that Mo Lawal (Sengoku fighter) and Jason Lambert are in Munoz corner. Matt Hamill is the hometown guy in this fight and gets a good reaction. Matt Hamill has a 5 inch reach advantage in this fight.
R1- Hamill is the aggressor early and Munoz looks like he’s in a little bit of UFC debut jitters. Munoz went for a take down and didn’t get it but seems to be loosening up a little bit and starts to throw a lot more strikes and be more aggressive. Hamill lands some good shots up against the cage. Out of nowhere Hamill nailed a right high kick and Munoz just hit the mat. What a fantastic knock out kick from Hamill! Munoz had his hands down and he just got rocked.
Winner: Matt Hamill by KO (High Kick) R1 3:53
Frank Mir is up next with Mike Goldberg. Mir has just had knee surgery and they will be pushing his fight with Brock Lesnar back a few weeks. Thus, Rashad Evans will step in and Main Event the show that Lesnar/Mir was supposed to on in May on UFC 98 in Las Vegas. If Rampage wins tonight then Rampage fights Rashad. If Jardine wins then Rashad will fight Lyoto Machida. So Rampage could be Main Eventing two out of the next three UFC shows.
Welterweight Fight- Matt Brown (11-7) vs. Pete Sell (8-5)
Pete Sell is trained by Matt Serra and he will be stepping down to Welterweight for the second time in this fight. He beat Josh Burkman in his Welterweight debut. Sell is a jiu jitsu black belt. Brown trains with Rich Franklin. Brown subbed Ryan Thomas at UFC 91 and lost a close split decision loss to Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 88. Despite the win/loss records these guys bring into the cage, this should be a pretty exciting fight.
R1- Brown is landing some good strikes early and floors Brown and the ref steps in front of Brown to break up the fight and stops Brown from jumping on Sell for some Ground and Pound but then lets the fight continue. HUGE referee error! Mat Brown then hits some knees and gets Sell down again and is nailing him with some punches. Brown is hitting some big elbows and knees on the cage and has Sell peddling back wards. Sell drops to the ground to tell Brown to come down to where he can dictate the fight but Brown steps in and lands a couple of punches and the ref stops the fight. Horrible referring by Yves Lavigne in this fight. Great showing by Matt Brown.
Winner: Matt Brown by TKO (Strikes) R1 1:32
Middleweight Fight- Kendall Grove vs. Jason Day
This is a fight from the pre-show card. Kendall is in big need of a win. BJ Penn is in Grove’s corner.
R1- Kendall hit a big right hand after a pretty even fight and then jumped on top for the stoppage. Good win for Grove as he may have needed it to stay in the UFC.
Winner: Kendall Grove by TKO (Strikes) R1 1:32
Heavyweight Fight- Gabriel Gonzaga (10-3) vs. Shane Carwin (10-0)
This is the fight that I am most looking forward to on this card as the winner of this fight has the ability to move up into the upper echelon of UFC Heavyweights like Mir, Lesnar, Big Nog and Couture. The winner of this fight should get a big name for their next fight (or a match-up against a guy like Cain Velasquez or Cheick Kongo). Carwin comes out to Drowning Pool’s “Let the Bodies Hit the Floor.” Nice choice for an MMA entrance theme in my opinion. Not to be outdone Gonzaga comes out to Danzig’s “Mother.” Looks like we are in for a showdown of MMA entrance themes! Neither guy is known to go deep into a fight. Gonzaga is a BJJ World Champion. Carwin has a 4 inch reach advantage in this fight.
R1- Carwin pushed forward early but Gonzaga hit some nice punches. Gonzaga got him taken down within the first minute of the fight but Carwin got back to his feet. Carwin caught Gonzaga with a punch and Gonzaga went down and crumpled against the cage. Carwin just hit a big right hand and it connected fully.
Really good statement made tonight by Carwin as he took some early punishment from Gonzaga and escaped a take down to come back and knock out Gonzaga in less than two minutes.
Winner: Shane Carwin by KO R1 1:09
Welterweight Fight- Tamdan McCrory vs. Ryan Madigan
This is our second pre-show fight of the night. Brought to you by Shane Carwin, Matt Hamill and Matt Brown.
R1- McCrory gets a quick take down and passed the guard of Madigan within the first minute of the fight. McCrory is pushed back to full guard but gets in some Ground and Pound punches. McCrory passes again and mounts Madigan. McCrory almost got caught in a leg lock but got back into position and took out Madigan with some Ground and Pound. Madigan really didn’t provide a lot of resistance for McCrory in this fight. This was pretty much all McCrory.
Winner: Tamdan McCrory by TKO (Strikes) R1 3:35
Post-Fight McCrory drops some language and complains that he didn’t choose his music. He calls out Dana White for choosing his music! Says he wanted to come out to “Thunder Horse” cause he came out here on his “f’n Thunder Horse and handled business.” Best post-fight interview ever.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (29-7) vs. Keith Jardine (14-5-1)
If Rampage wins then he goes on to fight Rashad Evans for the Light Heavyweight Title. Jackson is currently my #3 ranked Light Heavyweight in the world and is 2-1 in his last 3 fights. He has victories over Wanderlei Silva and Dan Henderson and a loss to Forrest Griffin in a close decision. I’ve got Jardine ranked #9 as he is also 2-1 in his last 3 fights. He has wins over Chuck Liddell and Brandon Vera and got demolished by Wanderlei Silva. I think Jardine is going to be a tough match-up for Rampage kind of like Forrest was. Rampage is in a better camp now then he was for the Forrest fight so it will be interesting to see how this camp makes his game plan for an unorthodox guy like Jardine.
UFC pulls out the statistical analysis for this fight (I love this stuff). Rampage lands 81% of his clinch strikes and is successful on 68% of his clinch take downs. Jardine lands 86% of his leg kicks and 92% of his body shots. Jardine has a 3” reach advantage.
Rashad Evans joins Mike and Joe in the broadcast booth for this fight. Rashad will fight Rampage if Rampage wins but is also a training partner of Jardine.
R1- The clinched early and got broken up by the ref. Jardine is employing a stick and move style early into the fight. They tied up against the cage again. Rampage hit a nice combo at the one minute mark. Rampage hit some shots as he chased Jardine towards the end of the round. A fairly close round that I give to Rampage 10-9. Rampage is clearly the aggressor and Jardine is being somewhat effective and is sticking and moving but is also getting chased around the ring a lot by Rampage.
R2- Rampage hit a big left hand on Jardine about 2 minutes into the round and then jumped on top to try and finish but Jardine weathered the storm and got back to his feet and clinched Rampage. Rampage got a take down but Jardine again quickly got up and clinched Rampage. Jardine hit Rampage with a low blow and Rampage wanted to continue on and shortly thereafter Jardine got in a good combo and had Rampage wobbly up against the cage but Rampage survived and didn’t go down and looked to gather his wits pretty quickly. Good round with both guys getting in some good shots. I’ve got Rampage up 20-18 so far after two rounds but Cecil Peoples is judging so these fighters will want to finish this fight before it gets to the judges score cards.
R3- Jackson got a take down shortly after the one minute mark of the round but couldn’t hold Jardine down. Pretty even stand up this round. Jardine goes for a take down but is not able to get it. One minute left in the fight and the ref breaks a clinch. Rampage chases Jardine down and lands some good shots but Jardine stays on his feet and escapes. Rampage levels Jardine with a left hand right before the buzzer and Jardine clutches Rampage’s leg. Rampage takes this round and he’s got this fight 30-27 on my score card. A good fight that was clearly won by Rampage although Rampage could not finish Jardine.
Judges score cards have the fight: 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 Rampage (and of course Cecil Peoples comes up with the same score that I did after I complained about his judging).
Winner: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson by Decision (Unanimous)
Post-fight they have Rashad and Rampage face to face in each others face with both guys talking trash.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Brandon Vera vs. Mike Patt
We get another pre-show fight. Brandon Vera is looking to bounce back with this fight. He’s coming off of a close decision loss at UFC 89 to Keith Jardine in which neither guy really did enough to truly say that they won the fight as both guys put on a lackluster performance.
R1- Vera starts the fight off aggressively. Vera looks like he’s physically starting to adjust better to the Light Heavyweight weight. Vera is hitting some good leg kicks. Patt barely missed a high leg kick with a minute and a half left in the round. Vera looked really good in round one and clearly took it 10-9.
R2- Vera is just destroying Patt with leg kicks and literally chops him down to the ground until the ref stops the fight. Great showing by Vera as he just took out Patt with leg kicks in this fight. Maybe this will get Vera going as he looked really good and looks like he is adjusting to the new weight finally.
Winner: Brandon Vera by TKO (Leg Kicks) R2 1:27
Light Heavyweight Fight- Tim Boetsch vs. Jason Brilz
R1- Boetsch really comes at Brilz early and lands some strikes. Brilz got a take down at around the one and a half minute mark but Boetsch got back up when Brilz tried to pass. Pretty decent and even first round. Rogan points out that Jason Brilz corner forgot a stool and he had to stand up during the break between rounds.
R2- Brilz got a take down about one minute into the round and passes guard to side control. Brilz is really controlling the fight on the ground in this round. Brilz definitely takes this round so it’s probably 19-19 but Round One could have gone either way.
R3- Brilz got Boetsch to the mat at the half way mark of the round. Brilz controls this round and bloodies up Boetsch a little bit towards the end of the round. Brilz is going to win this fight by Decision.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 all for Brilz
Winner: Jason Brilz by Decision (Unanimous)
Overall, this was a solid show. It ended up being much stronger than it looked on paper. Rampage/Jardine ended up being a good solid fight and we had great showings by Hamill, Brown, and Carwin. Gray Maynard, Kendall Grove and Brandon Vera also put on good performances.
Lightweight Fight- Gray Maynard (7-0) vs. Jim Miller (13-1)
Maynard is coming off of a unanimous decision victory over Rich Clementi at UFC 90 and previous to that he won another unanimous decision over Frankie Edgar. Jim Miller is coming off of a unanimous decision victory over Matt Wiman at the Fight for the Troops show in December. Might we be in for a 3 round fight here? Both guys are undefeated in the UFC. Miller is on an 8 fight win streak and is 2-0 in the UFC. Randy Couture is in the corner of Maynard for this fight.
R1- Miller is the aggressor early but Maynard does a good job throwing some combos. Miller spends a long time trying to take Maynard down and Maynard does a real good job avoiding it. Miller’s face is bloodied up. Maynard landed a nice shot at the end of the round and takes the round 10-9.
R2- Maynard got in some good shots at the two minute mark of the round. Miller went for a take down and eventually pulled guard because he couldn’t get the take down but Maynard quickly slipped out. Maynard is controlling this fight right now and is up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Maynard went for a take down for the first time in the fight and got a slam but then almost got caught in a leg lock but he slipped out. Miller tried to get a take down but got stuffed again and Maynard flipped it around and got some Ground and Pound. Maynard is going to win this decision 30-27.
Really solid showing by Maynard. He looked really good just didn’t show that Killer Instinct or finishing power. He’s had 3 straight decisions in which he’s controlled the fights. Would really like to see him step up in competition for his next fight as he’s definitely moving up the contenders list at this point.
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all cards
Winner: Gray Maynard by Decision (Unanimous)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Matt Hamill (7-2) vs. Mark Munoz (5-0)
We are following up a decision fight with two wrestlers. Hamill beat Reese Andy his last time out but was really controlled by Rich Franklin in the fight previous to that. Munoz is a D1 Wrestling Champion who is currently training with Urijah Faber and was 2-0 in WEC. This will be the UFC debut for Munoz. Joe Rogan points out that Mo Lawal (Sengoku fighter) and Jason Lambert are in Munoz corner. Matt Hamill is the hometown guy in this fight and gets a good reaction. Matt Hamill has a 5 inch reach advantage in this fight.
R1- Hamill is the aggressor early and Munoz looks like he’s in a little bit of UFC debut jitters. Munoz went for a take down and didn’t get it but seems to be loosening up a little bit and starts to throw a lot more strikes and be more aggressive. Hamill lands some good shots up against the cage. Out of nowhere Hamill nailed a right high kick and Munoz just hit the mat. What a fantastic knock out kick from Hamill! Munoz had his hands down and he just got rocked.
Winner: Matt Hamill by KO (High Kick) R1 3:53
Frank Mir is up next with Mike Goldberg. Mir has just had knee surgery and they will be pushing his fight with Brock Lesnar back a few weeks. Thus, Rashad Evans will step in and Main Event the show that Lesnar/Mir was supposed to on in May on UFC 98 in Las Vegas. If Rampage wins tonight then Rampage fights Rashad. If Jardine wins then Rashad will fight Lyoto Machida. So Rampage could be Main Eventing two out of the next three UFC shows.
Welterweight Fight- Matt Brown (11-7) vs. Pete Sell (8-5)
Pete Sell is trained by Matt Serra and he will be stepping down to Welterweight for the second time in this fight. He beat Josh Burkman in his Welterweight debut. Sell is a jiu jitsu black belt. Brown trains with Rich Franklin. Brown subbed Ryan Thomas at UFC 91 and lost a close split decision loss to Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 88. Despite the win/loss records these guys bring into the cage, this should be a pretty exciting fight.
R1- Brown is landing some good strikes early and floors Brown and the ref steps in front of Brown to break up the fight and stops Brown from jumping on Sell for some Ground and Pound but then lets the fight continue. HUGE referee error! Mat Brown then hits some knees and gets Sell down again and is nailing him with some punches. Brown is hitting some big elbows and knees on the cage and has Sell peddling back wards. Sell drops to the ground to tell Brown to come down to where he can dictate the fight but Brown steps in and lands a couple of punches and the ref stops the fight. Horrible referring by Yves Lavigne in this fight. Great showing by Matt Brown.
Winner: Matt Brown by TKO (Strikes) R1 1:32
Middleweight Fight- Kendall Grove vs. Jason Day
This is a fight from the pre-show card. Kendall is in big need of a win. BJ Penn is in Grove’s corner.
R1- Kendall hit a big right hand after a pretty even fight and then jumped on top for the stoppage. Good win for Grove as he may have needed it to stay in the UFC.
Winner: Kendall Grove by TKO (Strikes) R1 1:32
Heavyweight Fight- Gabriel Gonzaga (10-3) vs. Shane Carwin (10-0)
This is the fight that I am most looking forward to on this card as the winner of this fight has the ability to move up into the upper echelon of UFC Heavyweights like Mir, Lesnar, Big Nog and Couture. The winner of this fight should get a big name for their next fight (or a match-up against a guy like Cain Velasquez or Cheick Kongo). Carwin comes out to Drowning Pool’s “Let the Bodies Hit the Floor.” Nice choice for an MMA entrance theme in my opinion. Not to be outdone Gonzaga comes out to Danzig’s “Mother.” Looks like we are in for a showdown of MMA entrance themes! Neither guy is known to go deep into a fight. Gonzaga is a BJJ World Champion. Carwin has a 4 inch reach advantage in this fight.
R1- Carwin pushed forward early but Gonzaga hit some nice punches. Gonzaga got him taken down within the first minute of the fight but Carwin got back to his feet. Carwin caught Gonzaga with a punch and Gonzaga went down and crumpled against the cage. Carwin just hit a big right hand and it connected fully.
Really good statement made tonight by Carwin as he took some early punishment from Gonzaga and escaped a take down to come back and knock out Gonzaga in less than two minutes.
Winner: Shane Carwin by KO R1 1:09
Welterweight Fight- Tamdan McCrory vs. Ryan Madigan
This is our second pre-show fight of the night. Brought to you by Shane Carwin, Matt Hamill and Matt Brown.
R1- McCrory gets a quick take down and passed the guard of Madigan within the first minute of the fight. McCrory is pushed back to full guard but gets in some Ground and Pound punches. McCrory passes again and mounts Madigan. McCrory almost got caught in a leg lock but got back into position and took out Madigan with some Ground and Pound. Madigan really didn’t provide a lot of resistance for McCrory in this fight. This was pretty much all McCrory.
Winner: Tamdan McCrory by TKO (Strikes) R1 3:35
Post-Fight McCrory drops some language and complains that he didn’t choose his music. He calls out Dana White for choosing his music! Says he wanted to come out to “Thunder Horse” cause he came out here on his “f’n Thunder Horse and handled business.” Best post-fight interview ever.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (29-7) vs. Keith Jardine (14-5-1)
If Rampage wins then he goes on to fight Rashad Evans for the Light Heavyweight Title. Jackson is currently my #3 ranked Light Heavyweight in the world and is 2-1 in his last 3 fights. He has victories over Wanderlei Silva and Dan Henderson and a loss to Forrest Griffin in a close decision. I’ve got Jardine ranked #9 as he is also 2-1 in his last 3 fights. He has wins over Chuck Liddell and Brandon Vera and got demolished by Wanderlei Silva. I think Jardine is going to be a tough match-up for Rampage kind of like Forrest was. Rampage is in a better camp now then he was for the Forrest fight so it will be interesting to see how this camp makes his game plan for an unorthodox guy like Jardine.
UFC pulls out the statistical analysis for this fight (I love this stuff). Rampage lands 81% of his clinch strikes and is successful on 68% of his clinch take downs. Jardine lands 86% of his leg kicks and 92% of his body shots. Jardine has a 3” reach advantage.
Rashad Evans joins Mike and Joe in the broadcast booth for this fight. Rashad will fight Rampage if Rampage wins but is also a training partner of Jardine.
R1- The clinched early and got broken up by the ref. Jardine is employing a stick and move style early into the fight. They tied up against the cage again. Rampage hit a nice combo at the one minute mark. Rampage hit some shots as he chased Jardine towards the end of the round. A fairly close round that I give to Rampage 10-9. Rampage is clearly the aggressor and Jardine is being somewhat effective and is sticking and moving but is also getting chased around the ring a lot by Rampage.
R2- Rampage hit a big left hand on Jardine about 2 minutes into the round and then jumped on top to try and finish but Jardine weathered the storm and got back to his feet and clinched Rampage. Rampage got a take down but Jardine again quickly got up and clinched Rampage. Jardine hit Rampage with a low blow and Rampage wanted to continue on and shortly thereafter Jardine got in a good combo and had Rampage wobbly up against the cage but Rampage survived and didn’t go down and looked to gather his wits pretty quickly. Good round with both guys getting in some good shots. I’ve got Rampage up 20-18 so far after two rounds but Cecil Peoples is judging so these fighters will want to finish this fight before it gets to the judges score cards.
R3- Jackson got a take down shortly after the one minute mark of the round but couldn’t hold Jardine down. Pretty even stand up this round. Jardine goes for a take down but is not able to get it. One minute left in the fight and the ref breaks a clinch. Rampage chases Jardine down and lands some good shots but Jardine stays on his feet and escapes. Rampage levels Jardine with a left hand right before the buzzer and Jardine clutches Rampage’s leg. Rampage takes this round and he’s got this fight 30-27 on my score card. A good fight that was clearly won by Rampage although Rampage could not finish Jardine.
Judges score cards have the fight: 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 Rampage (and of course Cecil Peoples comes up with the same score that I did after I complained about his judging).
Winner: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson by Decision (Unanimous)
Post-fight they have Rashad and Rampage face to face in each others face with both guys talking trash.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Brandon Vera vs. Mike Patt
We get another pre-show fight. Brandon Vera is looking to bounce back with this fight. He’s coming off of a close decision loss at UFC 89 to Keith Jardine in which neither guy really did enough to truly say that they won the fight as both guys put on a lackluster performance.
R1- Vera starts the fight off aggressively. Vera looks like he’s physically starting to adjust better to the Light Heavyweight weight. Vera is hitting some good leg kicks. Patt barely missed a high leg kick with a minute and a half left in the round. Vera looked really good in round one and clearly took it 10-9.
R2- Vera is just destroying Patt with leg kicks and literally chops him down to the ground until the ref stops the fight. Great showing by Vera as he just took out Patt with leg kicks in this fight. Maybe this will get Vera going as he looked really good and looks like he is adjusting to the new weight finally.
Winner: Brandon Vera by TKO (Leg Kicks) R2 1:27
Light Heavyweight Fight- Tim Boetsch vs. Jason Brilz
R1- Boetsch really comes at Brilz early and lands some strikes. Brilz got a take down at around the one and a half minute mark but Boetsch got back up when Brilz tried to pass. Pretty decent and even first round. Rogan points out that Jason Brilz corner forgot a stool and he had to stand up during the break between rounds.
R2- Brilz got a take down about one minute into the round and passes guard to side control. Brilz is really controlling the fight on the ground in this round. Brilz definitely takes this round so it’s probably 19-19 but Round One could have gone either way.
R3- Brilz got Boetsch to the mat at the half way mark of the round. Brilz controls this round and bloodies up Boetsch a little bit towards the end of the round. Brilz is going to win this fight by Decision.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 all for Brilz
Winner: Jason Brilz by Decision (Unanimous)
Overall, this was a solid show. It ended up being much stronger than it looked on paper. Rampage/Jardine ended up being a good solid fight and we had great showings by Hamill, Brown, and Carwin. Gray Maynard, Kendall Grove and Brandon Vera also put on good performances.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
UFC 90 Re-Cap
[b]UFC 90: Silva vs Cote[/u]
[b]Lightweight Fight- Sean Sherk (36-3-1) vs. Tyson Griffin (12-1)[/b]
Griffin comes out to "Eye of the Tiger.". This is a huge fight for him as Sherk is basically playing gate-keeper of the lightweight division here.
R1- Sherk took Tyson down and took his back pretty quickly but Tyson went to his corner and got advice and got out. Sherk is bullying Tyson around a bit in the early parts of the first round. Sherk took his back again with bout 45 seconds left but got out again. Sherk controlled the first round and won 10-9. Good first round.
R2- A lot of good stand up action in this round with both guys landing some good shots. Sherk controlled the majority of this round. Griffin had a really good burst in the middle and towards the end of the round but seemed to be struggling with his cardio. Sherk 20-18 after two rounds.
WEC Bantamweight champion Miguel Torres is in the house.
R3- Griffin comes out firing and hit a nice shot to open the round but Sherk countered. This was a pretty even round but I think Sherk hit more clean shots. Really good fight that i've got Sherk winning 30-27. Good performance from Sherk.
Judges score cards are: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 in favor of Sherk.
Winner: Sean Sherk by Decision (Unanimous)
[b]Heavyweight Fight- Fabricio Werdum (11-3-1) vs. Junior Dos Santos (6-1)[/b]
Werdum is waiting in the wings for the winner of the mini-tournament involving Coture, Noguiera, Mir and Lesnar. Dos Santos is a newcomer to UFC and has Big Nog in his corner. Dos Santos is a Jiu-Jitsu guy, a solid striker and has a good chin. Rogan says that Werdum is bulking up due to "Giant Freaks like Brock Lesnar" being in the Heavyweight division now (Werdum is up to 256 lbs). Apparently Werdum was (or maybe still is) Cro Cop's jiu jitsu coach.
Dan Severn is in the crowd.
R1- Dos Santos caught Werdum with a big uppercut about 1:15 into the fight and then quickly finished Werdum. Wow, that was a shocker. Looks like the UFC Heavyweight Division might have a new player. Werdum just got caught and actually leaned into the uppercut.
Winner: Junior Dos Santos by KO R1 1:20
Georges St-Pierre is at the show tonight.
[b]Lightweight Fight- Rich Clementi (40-12-1) vs. Gray Maynard (6-0)[/b]
I think Rich has the advantage in experience but I'll have to go back and look at how many fights they've had to figure that out for sure.
R1- Maynard got a take down with about a minute and a half left in the round and got in some shots but not too much. First round was uneventful until the Maynard take down. Maynard takes round one 10-9 but this is anybody's fight.
Matt Hughes is in the crowd tonight, seems like there are a ton of guys at the show tonight. Hughes got a smattering of boos from the crowd.
R2- Maynard got a take down early into the round and clamped on a guillotine but Clementi stood up and got out of the hold. Maynard took Clementi down and avoided a triangle but Clementi grabbed his arm. Maynard avoided a submission and moved back to half guard. Clementi is doing a good job in keeping an active guard and constantly looking for submissions. Maynard takes this round, so i've got him up 20-18.
R3- Maynard gets an early slam/take down. Maynard took him down until about 2 minutes left when Clementi got up but Maynard took him down again. Clementi escaped out and tried to take Maynard's back but couldn't and Maynard took him down again. I've got Maynard 30-27.
Not a real exciting fight but Maynard controlled the fight and thus gets the victory.
Judges score cards are: 30-27 on all three score cards.
Winner: Gray Maynard by Decision (Unanimous)
Rashad Evans is at the fights tonight, he was a college team mate of Gray Maynard at Michigan State.
[b]Welterweight Fight- Thiago Alves (21-4) vs. Josh Koscheck (13-2)[/b]
Koscheck comes in to the RHCP "Higher Ground." Koscheck has better intro music and a 3" reach advantage. I really disliked Koscheck on TUF because he was a jerk and a boring fighter but you really have to respect him for stepping up to take Sanchez's spot on short notice. Plus, he's destruction of Chris Lytle a few months back was pretty great. That and he's fighting a guy that didn't make weight for his last fight. Someone Koscheck has become the fan favorite in this fight for me even though he still gets boo'd by the fans.
R1- Koscheck slipped early but got out of dodge before Alves could touch him. Alves popped Koshcheck about a minute in and Koscheck went down and Alves pounced on him. Koscheck grabbed onto a leg to avoid further pain but Alves stood up and then kicked Josh in the head. Somehow Koscheck holds on and recovers. Koscheck comes back with a couple of jabs. Koscheck starting to land some shots. Koscheck went for a take down but was denied. Really strong first round. Alves owned the beginning and Koscheck came back and controlled the second half of the round. Alves takes this 10-9 as he came close to finishing Koscheck early.
R2- Koscheck is throwing a lot of punches early and hits a head kick that looked to be partially deflected. Koscheck is really active here in the second round and is coming close to hitting a lot of big shots. Alves is hitting some leg kicks. Koscheck goes for a take down but Alves defends it well. Nobody really dominated this round but I think Koscheck controlled the majority of it while Alves mostly only got leg kicks. I've got it 19-19 right now.
R3- Alves comes out and rocks Koscheck against the cage. He hit a knee and then some punches. Koshcheck does a good job of holding onto Alves to avoid more punishment and wobbles to his feet and throws kicks to try and keep Alves at bay. Alves hits a left and then Koscheck clinches him. Alves hits a decent right and Koscheck clinches him again. Koscheck complains about an eye poke and the ref stops it for about 30 seconds. Koscheck has recovered from the shots earlier in the round and we've got two minutes and thirty seconds left in the fight with Alves in the lead. Koscheck pokes Alves in the eye and they stop the fight for recovery time. Alves hit a big leg kick that buckled Josh. Alves seems to be the agressor as the fight is coming to a close. Alves hits another good leg kick. They swing for the fences towards the end. Alves hits a big punch right at the end and then takes Koscheck down after the bell as Alves didn't hear the bell. Alves wins this round and the fight 29-28 in a good, entertaining fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27 in favor of Alves.
Winner: Thiago Alves by Decision (Unanimous)
Post-match interview sees Rogan calling for a title shot for Alves and Alves agreeing.
Jeff Samardzija, Cubs pitcher and former Notre Dame Wide Receiver, is at the show tonight. And Clay Guida is sitting right near him.
[b]Middleweight Title Fight- Anderson Silva (22-4) vs. Patrick Cote (14-4)[/b]
Silva has a 3" height advantage and a 2.5" reach advantage. We've already seen one big upset tonight in Werdum, let's see if we get another. I don't think we will but I don't think anybody expects Cote to win so you never know.
R1- Not much action in the first two minutes as Anderson is just kind of waiting for a spot and watching Cote. Anderson gets a few leg kicks in on Cote. Andrerson hit a kick and they mixed it up a little bit. Anderson then threw a knee that looked like it landed but he lost his balance and couldn't really follow up. Cote's forehead is cut. Not a great round but Anderson seemed to control the flow and tempo of the round and definitely hit the two best strikes of the round. I've got Anderson up 10-9 after round one.
R2- Anderson landed a good left to start the round and definitely looks more aggressive than the last round. Cote hit a spinning back fist and Anderson clinched him. Anderson with some leg kicks. Cote charged at him and Silva ducked him and landed in his guard. They are back tot heir feet now. Silva hit a low kick and Cote blocked it and then Silva tried it again and Cote caught it again and they clinched against the cage. Anderson starts to hit some knees to the body. Not a ton of offense but i've got Anderson taking this round as well so he's up 20-18. Anderson almost seems like he's playing with Cote in this fight just waiting for his spot to strike. This is Anderson's first time being taken to the third round in UFC and Cote seems proud of that fact as he holds up 3 fingers as the round starts.
R3- A few seconds into the round Cote blew out his knee without Anderson even touching him. Just a freak accident.
Winner: Anderson Silva TKO (Ref Stoppage) R3 0:39
[b]Middleweight Fight- Thales Leites (13-1) vs. Drew McFedries (7-4)[/b]
This was a pre-show fight. I'm thinking this is McFedries by KO since it looks like this will be a quick fight. Leites is coming off of his oddball win against Marquardt and has a 4 fight win streak. Leites has a 6" reach advantage.
R1- McFedries swings for the fences early and looked like he hit a strike but Leites held on and got McFedries to the ground. This one should be about over as McFedries only shot was on his feet. Leites gets the Rear Naked Choke and this one is over. Well I had that one wrong.
Winner: Thales Leites by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 1:18
This was a decent show that ended poorly due to the freak accident/injury of Patrick Cote. Alves/Koscheck was a very good fight. Dos Santos/Werdum was a huge upset. Sherk/Griffin was decent.
[b]Lightweight Fight- Sean Sherk (36-3-1) vs. Tyson Griffin (12-1)[/b]
Griffin comes out to "Eye of the Tiger.". This is a huge fight for him as Sherk is basically playing gate-keeper of the lightweight division here.
R1- Sherk took Tyson down and took his back pretty quickly but Tyson went to his corner and got advice and got out. Sherk is bullying Tyson around a bit in the early parts of the first round. Sherk took his back again with bout 45 seconds left but got out again. Sherk controlled the first round and won 10-9. Good first round.
R2- A lot of good stand up action in this round with both guys landing some good shots. Sherk controlled the majority of this round. Griffin had a really good burst in the middle and towards the end of the round but seemed to be struggling with his cardio. Sherk 20-18 after two rounds.
WEC Bantamweight champion Miguel Torres is in the house.
R3- Griffin comes out firing and hit a nice shot to open the round but Sherk countered. This was a pretty even round but I think Sherk hit more clean shots. Really good fight that i've got Sherk winning 30-27. Good performance from Sherk.
Judges score cards are: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 in favor of Sherk.
Winner: Sean Sherk by Decision (Unanimous)
[b]Heavyweight Fight- Fabricio Werdum (11-3-1) vs. Junior Dos Santos (6-1)[/b]
Werdum is waiting in the wings for the winner of the mini-tournament involving Coture, Noguiera, Mir and Lesnar. Dos Santos is a newcomer to UFC and has Big Nog in his corner. Dos Santos is a Jiu-Jitsu guy, a solid striker and has a good chin. Rogan says that Werdum is bulking up due to "Giant Freaks like Brock Lesnar" being in the Heavyweight division now (Werdum is up to 256 lbs). Apparently Werdum was (or maybe still is) Cro Cop's jiu jitsu coach.
Dan Severn is in the crowd.
R1- Dos Santos caught Werdum with a big uppercut about 1:15 into the fight and then quickly finished Werdum. Wow, that was a shocker. Looks like the UFC Heavyweight Division might have a new player. Werdum just got caught and actually leaned into the uppercut.
Winner: Junior Dos Santos by KO R1 1:20
Georges St-Pierre is at the show tonight.
[b]Lightweight Fight- Rich Clementi (40-12-1) vs. Gray Maynard (6-0)[/b]
I think Rich has the advantage in experience but I'll have to go back and look at how many fights they've had to figure that out for sure.
R1- Maynard got a take down with about a minute and a half left in the round and got in some shots but not too much. First round was uneventful until the Maynard take down. Maynard takes round one 10-9 but this is anybody's fight.
Matt Hughes is in the crowd tonight, seems like there are a ton of guys at the show tonight. Hughes got a smattering of boos from the crowd.
R2- Maynard got a take down early into the round and clamped on a guillotine but Clementi stood up and got out of the hold. Maynard took Clementi down and avoided a triangle but Clementi grabbed his arm. Maynard avoided a submission and moved back to half guard. Clementi is doing a good job in keeping an active guard and constantly looking for submissions. Maynard takes this round, so i've got him up 20-18.
R3- Maynard gets an early slam/take down. Maynard took him down until about 2 minutes left when Clementi got up but Maynard took him down again. Clementi escaped out and tried to take Maynard's back but couldn't and Maynard took him down again. I've got Maynard 30-27.
Not a real exciting fight but Maynard controlled the fight and thus gets the victory.
Judges score cards are: 30-27 on all three score cards.
Winner: Gray Maynard by Decision (Unanimous)
Rashad Evans is at the fights tonight, he was a college team mate of Gray Maynard at Michigan State.
[b]Welterweight Fight- Thiago Alves (21-4) vs. Josh Koscheck (13-2)[/b]
Koscheck comes in to the RHCP "Higher Ground." Koscheck has better intro music and a 3" reach advantage. I really disliked Koscheck on TUF because he was a jerk and a boring fighter but you really have to respect him for stepping up to take Sanchez's spot on short notice. Plus, he's destruction of Chris Lytle a few months back was pretty great. That and he's fighting a guy that didn't make weight for his last fight. Someone Koscheck has become the fan favorite in this fight for me even though he still gets boo'd by the fans.
R1- Koscheck slipped early but got out of dodge before Alves could touch him. Alves popped Koshcheck about a minute in and Koscheck went down and Alves pounced on him. Koscheck grabbed onto a leg to avoid further pain but Alves stood up and then kicked Josh in the head. Somehow Koscheck holds on and recovers. Koscheck comes back with a couple of jabs. Koscheck starting to land some shots. Koscheck went for a take down but was denied. Really strong first round. Alves owned the beginning and Koscheck came back and controlled the second half of the round. Alves takes this 10-9 as he came close to finishing Koscheck early.
R2- Koscheck is throwing a lot of punches early and hits a head kick that looked to be partially deflected. Koscheck is really active here in the second round and is coming close to hitting a lot of big shots. Alves is hitting some leg kicks. Koscheck goes for a take down but Alves defends it well. Nobody really dominated this round but I think Koscheck controlled the majority of it while Alves mostly only got leg kicks. I've got it 19-19 right now.
R3- Alves comes out and rocks Koscheck against the cage. He hit a knee and then some punches. Koshcheck does a good job of holding onto Alves to avoid more punishment and wobbles to his feet and throws kicks to try and keep Alves at bay. Alves hits a left and then Koscheck clinches him. Alves hits a decent right and Koscheck clinches him again. Koscheck complains about an eye poke and the ref stops it for about 30 seconds. Koscheck has recovered from the shots earlier in the round and we've got two minutes and thirty seconds left in the fight with Alves in the lead. Koscheck pokes Alves in the eye and they stop the fight for recovery time. Alves hit a big leg kick that buckled Josh. Alves seems to be the agressor as the fight is coming to a close. Alves hits another good leg kick. They swing for the fences towards the end. Alves hits a big punch right at the end and then takes Koscheck down after the bell as Alves didn't hear the bell. Alves wins this round and the fight 29-28 in a good, entertaining fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27 in favor of Alves.
Winner: Thiago Alves by Decision (Unanimous)
Post-match interview sees Rogan calling for a title shot for Alves and Alves agreeing.
Jeff Samardzija, Cubs pitcher and former Notre Dame Wide Receiver, is at the show tonight. And Clay Guida is sitting right near him.
[b]Middleweight Title Fight- Anderson Silva (22-4) vs. Patrick Cote (14-4)[/b]
Silva has a 3" height advantage and a 2.5" reach advantage. We've already seen one big upset tonight in Werdum, let's see if we get another. I don't think we will but I don't think anybody expects Cote to win so you never know.
R1- Not much action in the first two minutes as Anderson is just kind of waiting for a spot and watching Cote. Anderson gets a few leg kicks in on Cote. Andrerson hit a kick and they mixed it up a little bit. Anderson then threw a knee that looked like it landed but he lost his balance and couldn't really follow up. Cote's forehead is cut. Not a great round but Anderson seemed to control the flow and tempo of the round and definitely hit the two best strikes of the round. I've got Anderson up 10-9 after round one.
R2- Anderson landed a good left to start the round and definitely looks more aggressive than the last round. Cote hit a spinning back fist and Anderson clinched him. Anderson with some leg kicks. Cote charged at him and Silva ducked him and landed in his guard. They are back tot heir feet now. Silva hit a low kick and Cote blocked it and then Silva tried it again and Cote caught it again and they clinched against the cage. Anderson starts to hit some knees to the body. Not a ton of offense but i've got Anderson taking this round as well so he's up 20-18. Anderson almost seems like he's playing with Cote in this fight just waiting for his spot to strike. This is Anderson's first time being taken to the third round in UFC and Cote seems proud of that fact as he holds up 3 fingers as the round starts.
R3- A few seconds into the round Cote blew out his knee without Anderson even touching him. Just a freak accident.
Winner: Anderson Silva TKO (Ref Stoppage) R3 0:39
[b]Middleweight Fight- Thales Leites (13-1) vs. Drew McFedries (7-4)[/b]
This was a pre-show fight. I'm thinking this is McFedries by KO since it looks like this will be a quick fight. Leites is coming off of his oddball win against Marquardt and has a 4 fight win streak. Leites has a 6" reach advantage.
R1- McFedries swings for the fences early and looked like he hit a strike but Leites held on and got McFedries to the ground. This one should be about over as McFedries only shot was on his feet. Leites gets the Rear Naked Choke and this one is over. Well I had that one wrong.
Winner: Thales Leites by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 1:18
This was a decent show that ended poorly due to the freak accident/injury of Patrick Cote. Alves/Koscheck was a very good fight. Dos Santos/Werdum was a huge upset. Sherk/Griffin was decent.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
UFC Fight Night 4/2/08 Thoughts
UFC Fight Night Live
Light Heavyweight- Houston Alexander (8-2) vs James Irvin (13-4)
This was pretty shocking and a great way to start the show. I’ve never seen Irvin before and I was pretty much expecting Alexander to take this one but Alexander just ate a huge punch right off the bat and the ref stopped the fight. This tied the record for fastest knockout in UFC history at 8 seconds.
Lightweight- Kurt Pellegrino (17-3) vs Nate Diaz (8-2)
Pellegrino is sporting brown hair instead of his normal colored looks- almost didn’t recognize him. Pellegrino seems to be controlling on the ground early. Pellegrino got side control and peppered Diaz with several quick punches. Diaz is busted open and Pellegrino dominating so far 3 minuts into the fight as he hits a big elbow. Diaz looks like he’s out and Pellegrino has his back. Diaz back to his feet as he is trying to get in some offense. Pellegrino just dominated the first round with Diaz holding on. It will be interesting to see if Diaz can come back. Pellegrino had 2 or 3 chances to really finish off Diaz in the first Round but didn’t get it done.
Round 2- Pellegrino takes Diaz down about 45 seconds into the round after some stand up with little contact. Diaz is going for a kimura but Pellegrino slips out and still is on top of Diaz. They get to their feet and Pellegrino has Diaz’s back but Diaz does a nice flip but Pellegrino still has control. Diaz with a brief control but Pellegrino lifts him up and takes him down but now Diaz is going for a triangle and he’s got it and Pellegrino taps.
Good fight. Pellegrino really dominated but Diaz got that one move and got the submission. Diaz showed a lot of guts cause he was almost gone several times in the first round.
Light Heavyweight- Matt Hamill (5-1)vs Tim Boetsch (7-1)
Hamill takes him down about 20 seconds into the fight. Hamill is controlling the fight but not much going on and the ref stands them up. Boetsch looks like the better striker as he’s definitely the aggressor when they are on their feet. Boetsch is really swinging for the fences. Matt Hamill is bleeding slightly from his mouth. Boetsch hits a big knee but Hamill comes back with some punches and lands a nice one. Really even first round. Hamill controlled early but really didn’t get in any offense and then they went back and forth on their feet and I think Boetsch landed more damage in those exchanges. Both guys looked a little winded after Round 1.
Round 2- Hamill goes for a high sidekick and falls but gets back up. Boetsch goes for a takedown but Hamill is landed a bunch of punches. Repeated punches and this might be over real soon and the ref stops it. Huge mistake by Boetsch in going for the takedown on a better wrestler. Hamill took advantage and won the fight by capitalizing on Boetsch’s mistake.
Welterweight- Karo Parisyan (26-4) vs Thiago Alves (19-4)
Karo grabs the clinch early and takes down Thiago quickly. Thiago gets back to his feet with little damage and they are back on their feet now. Karo is controlling the fight early but not dominating. Karo goes in for a takedown but Thiago fights it as they are up against the cage. They separate and are on their feet again. Thiago seems to be getting a little more comfortable and is throwing more punches and kicks as the round continues. They end the round with Karo at an advantage against the cage. Round goes to Karo but no real damage was landed by either fighter.
Round 2- Thiago just destroys Karo with a vicious knee about 20 seconds into R2 and wins via ref stoppage. Karo is the second guy tonight who is upset about stoppage but he just got destroyed by that knee.
Welterweight- Tommy Speer vs Anthony Johnson (4-1)
I’m actually in the process of watching The Ultimate Fighter Season 6 (Hughes vs Serra) from the marathon that came on last week (got 2 episodes left) so this should be interesting to see how Speer does and see how he has improved. Speer seems to have slimmed down a bit. Johnson nailed him with a left hook early and then destroyed him with a kick and is nailing him with punches and then just destroys him with a HUGE knockout punch. Great showing for Anthony Johnson. This one only last 51 seconds.
Lightweight- Frank Edgar (8-0) vs Gray Maynard (5-0-1)
Maynard seems to be a tad of the aggressor so far as he’s throwing more punches and throwing them with more force and Edgar just seems to be trying to measure Maynard and feel him out. Edgar starts to get some shots in and Maynard takes him down. Close Round- I’ve got to give it to Maynard due to him having the only takedown and maintaining control for the majority of the round. Little damage done in Round 1 by either guy. Both guys may have small cuts.
Round 2- Maynard comes out swinging and then Edgar does as well. Much more action in this round as both guys feel a sense of urgency. Edgar goes for a takedown but Maynard blocks. Instead Maynard gets the takedown. Edgar gets to his feet and gets in 2 decent shots. Edgar looking much more aggressive in this round and is landing more shots. Edgar gets a great takedown on a throw but Maynard quickly escapes. Edgar seemed to be controlling the game on the feet but Maynard took him down. Edgar battling trying to get a kimura. That takedown may have saved the round for Maynard but Edgar is trying to submit him from the bottom. This was real close and this one really could have gone either way.
Round 3- Both guys come out swinging and Maynard shoots in for a takedown and they are really going back and forth on the mat until they stand up. Edgar with a combo. Maynard with another takedown and then with a big slam. Maynard has been controlling the wrestling in this match. Maynard with another big slam and he’s still controlling the wrestling. Back to the feet and Edgar throws some elbows. Edgar’s got to do something here or he’s gonna lose via decision. Maynard with another takedown and throw. Maynard remains on top as the match is coming to a close. I’ve got this one Maynard 30-27 but I guess we’ll see what the judges think.
Winner by Unanimous decision 30-27 on all card Gray Maynard. Definitely the right decision. Maynard looked real impressive in his wrestling and control of the fight. Maynard really has to work on his submissions and/or killer instinct because even though he dominated the fight at no point was he even close to finishing Edgar.
Lightweight- Kenny Florian (10-3) vs Joe Lauzon (15-3)
Lauzon shoots in early and takes down Florian but gets nailed with several elbows to the head that busts Lauzon upon. The ref breaks it up. Florian lands a nice kick. Florian on top with some nice strikes. Lauzon takes down Florian and goes for a heel hook but never really gets any damage in. Lauzon goes for another leg hold but Florian gets out again and hits Lauzon with a couple of shots. Really close first round, I’d give it to Florian just based on damage inflicted as he got in more.
Round 2- They stand up for about a minute and then Florain gets a take down and gets Full Mount and is swinging on Lauzon as Lauzon is just trying to cover up right now. Florian with some elbows and now punching more in side control. Florian still just controlling Lauzon. Lauzon trying to squirm out. Florian just continuing to pound on Lauzon and the ref finally stops it.
Florian looked really good here. I haven’t seen much of him but he looks like a totally different fighter than when he was in The Ultimate Fighter Season 1.
Overall this was a good show and very enjoyable. Several good fights- Florian/Lauzon, Pellegrino/Diaz, Edgar/Maynard and Karo/Alves. I think my favorite fight was the Nate Diaz fight just due to the beating he took and then came back to win.
Light Heavyweight- Houston Alexander (8-2) vs James Irvin (13-4)
This was pretty shocking and a great way to start the show. I’ve never seen Irvin before and I was pretty much expecting Alexander to take this one but Alexander just ate a huge punch right off the bat and the ref stopped the fight. This tied the record for fastest knockout in UFC history at 8 seconds.
Lightweight- Kurt Pellegrino (17-3) vs Nate Diaz (8-2)
Pellegrino is sporting brown hair instead of his normal colored looks- almost didn’t recognize him. Pellegrino seems to be controlling on the ground early. Pellegrino got side control and peppered Diaz with several quick punches. Diaz is busted open and Pellegrino dominating so far 3 minuts into the fight as he hits a big elbow. Diaz looks like he’s out and Pellegrino has his back. Diaz back to his feet as he is trying to get in some offense. Pellegrino just dominated the first round with Diaz holding on. It will be interesting to see if Diaz can come back. Pellegrino had 2 or 3 chances to really finish off Diaz in the first Round but didn’t get it done.
Round 2- Pellegrino takes Diaz down about 45 seconds into the round after some stand up with little contact. Diaz is going for a kimura but Pellegrino slips out and still is on top of Diaz. They get to their feet and Pellegrino has Diaz’s back but Diaz does a nice flip but Pellegrino still has control. Diaz with a brief control but Pellegrino lifts him up and takes him down but now Diaz is going for a triangle and he’s got it and Pellegrino taps.
Good fight. Pellegrino really dominated but Diaz got that one move and got the submission. Diaz showed a lot of guts cause he was almost gone several times in the first round.
Light Heavyweight- Matt Hamill (5-1)vs Tim Boetsch (7-1)
Hamill takes him down about 20 seconds into the fight. Hamill is controlling the fight but not much going on and the ref stands them up. Boetsch looks like the better striker as he’s definitely the aggressor when they are on their feet. Boetsch is really swinging for the fences. Matt Hamill is bleeding slightly from his mouth. Boetsch hits a big knee but Hamill comes back with some punches and lands a nice one. Really even first round. Hamill controlled early but really didn’t get in any offense and then they went back and forth on their feet and I think Boetsch landed more damage in those exchanges. Both guys looked a little winded after Round 1.
Round 2- Hamill goes for a high sidekick and falls but gets back up. Boetsch goes for a takedown but Hamill is landed a bunch of punches. Repeated punches and this might be over real soon and the ref stops it. Huge mistake by Boetsch in going for the takedown on a better wrestler. Hamill took advantage and won the fight by capitalizing on Boetsch’s mistake.
Welterweight- Karo Parisyan (26-4) vs Thiago Alves (19-4)
Karo grabs the clinch early and takes down Thiago quickly. Thiago gets back to his feet with little damage and they are back on their feet now. Karo is controlling the fight early but not dominating. Karo goes in for a takedown but Thiago fights it as they are up against the cage. They separate and are on their feet again. Thiago seems to be getting a little more comfortable and is throwing more punches and kicks as the round continues. They end the round with Karo at an advantage against the cage. Round goes to Karo but no real damage was landed by either fighter.
Round 2- Thiago just destroys Karo with a vicious knee about 20 seconds into R2 and wins via ref stoppage. Karo is the second guy tonight who is upset about stoppage but he just got destroyed by that knee.
Welterweight- Tommy Speer vs Anthony Johnson (4-1)
I’m actually in the process of watching The Ultimate Fighter Season 6 (Hughes vs Serra) from the marathon that came on last week (got 2 episodes left) so this should be interesting to see how Speer does and see how he has improved. Speer seems to have slimmed down a bit. Johnson nailed him with a left hook early and then destroyed him with a kick and is nailing him with punches and then just destroys him with a HUGE knockout punch. Great showing for Anthony Johnson. This one only last 51 seconds.
Lightweight- Frank Edgar (8-0) vs Gray Maynard (5-0-1)
Maynard seems to be a tad of the aggressor so far as he’s throwing more punches and throwing them with more force and Edgar just seems to be trying to measure Maynard and feel him out. Edgar starts to get some shots in and Maynard takes him down. Close Round- I’ve got to give it to Maynard due to him having the only takedown and maintaining control for the majority of the round. Little damage done in Round 1 by either guy. Both guys may have small cuts.
Round 2- Maynard comes out swinging and then Edgar does as well. Much more action in this round as both guys feel a sense of urgency. Edgar goes for a takedown but Maynard blocks. Instead Maynard gets the takedown. Edgar gets to his feet and gets in 2 decent shots. Edgar looking much more aggressive in this round and is landing more shots. Edgar gets a great takedown on a throw but Maynard quickly escapes. Edgar seemed to be controlling the game on the feet but Maynard took him down. Edgar battling trying to get a kimura. That takedown may have saved the round for Maynard but Edgar is trying to submit him from the bottom. This was real close and this one really could have gone either way.
Round 3- Both guys come out swinging and Maynard shoots in for a takedown and they are really going back and forth on the mat until they stand up. Edgar with a combo. Maynard with another takedown and then with a big slam. Maynard has been controlling the wrestling in this match. Maynard with another big slam and he’s still controlling the wrestling. Back to the feet and Edgar throws some elbows. Edgar’s got to do something here or he’s gonna lose via decision. Maynard with another takedown and throw. Maynard remains on top as the match is coming to a close. I’ve got this one Maynard 30-27 but I guess we’ll see what the judges think.
Winner by Unanimous decision 30-27 on all card Gray Maynard. Definitely the right decision. Maynard looked real impressive in his wrestling and control of the fight. Maynard really has to work on his submissions and/or killer instinct because even though he dominated the fight at no point was he even close to finishing Edgar.
Lightweight- Kenny Florian (10-3) vs Joe Lauzon (15-3)
Lauzon shoots in early and takes down Florian but gets nailed with several elbows to the head that busts Lauzon upon. The ref breaks it up. Florian lands a nice kick. Florian on top with some nice strikes. Lauzon takes down Florian and goes for a heel hook but never really gets any damage in. Lauzon goes for another leg hold but Florian gets out again and hits Lauzon with a couple of shots. Really close first round, I’d give it to Florian just based on damage inflicted as he got in more.
Round 2- They stand up for about a minute and then Florain gets a take down and gets Full Mount and is swinging on Lauzon as Lauzon is just trying to cover up right now. Florian with some elbows and now punching more in side control. Florian still just controlling Lauzon. Lauzon trying to squirm out. Florian just continuing to pound on Lauzon and the ref finally stops it.
Florian looked really good here. I haven’t seen much of him but he looks like a totally different fighter than when he was in The Ultimate Fighter Season 1.
Overall this was a good show and very enjoyable. Several good fights- Florian/Lauzon, Pellegrino/Diaz, Edgar/Maynard and Karo/Alves. I think my favorite fight was the Nate Diaz fight just due to the beating he took and then came back to win.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
