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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: Sam Stout by Decision (Unanimous)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: Rashad Evans by Decision (Unanimous)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lightweight Fight- Matt Grice vs. Matt Veach

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

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

Winner: Matt Veach by TKO R1 4:34

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

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

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

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

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

Middleweight Fight- Dan Miller vs. Jake Rosholt

This is our second pre-show fight.

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

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


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

UFC Wired 7/5 Re-Cap

UFC Wired 7/5 Re-Cap

Light Heavyweight Fight- Stephan Bonnar (12-4) vs. Mike Nichols (5-1)- UFC 73- 7/7/07

R1- Nichols comes out firing in this one and hits a shot right after the bell rings and then takes Bonnar down. Nichols gets mount but Bonner scrambles and Bonnar gets his back and then losses it but has Nichols in a hammer lock. Bonner then takes his back again and gets a choke clamped in and Nichols taps. Nice showing by Bonnar.

Winner: Stephan Bonnar by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1


Lightweight Fight- Frankie Edgar (7-0) vs. Spencer Fisher (21-3)- UFC 78- 11/17/07

Frankie gets a big round of applause for this fight and Spencer gets a mixed reaction. Frankie must be from Jersey.

R1- Frankie shoots in about 30 seconds into the fight and gets a take down slam. Frankie is controlling the fight as he’s spending the majority of the round in Spencer’s guard. They stood back up and Spencer tried a high kick but slipped and Frankie jumps down into his guard again. Edgar dominates round 1 for at least a 10-9 round.

R2- Edgar almost immediately takes Spencer down. They stood back up and Frankie avoided a Fisher punch and took him down again. Spencer gets a cut on his forehead, looks to be above his eye. Frankie took his back briefly towards the end of the round but couldn’t do anything with it. Edgar is winning 20-18 after two rounds.

R3- Round 3 is more of the same as Edgar immediately takes Spencer down again. Frankie gets his back and looks to finish. Spencer got to his feet but got taken down again. This was kind of a boring fight as Edgar just dominated on the ground in this one. Edgar easily wins this fight 30-27. 2 judges had it 30-27 and one judge had it 30-26.

Winner: Frankie Edgar by Decision (Unanimous)

Lightweight Fight- Joe Lauzon (14-3) vs. Jason Reinhardt (18-0)- UFC 78- 11/17/07

R1- Lauzon with a clinch and some knees early. Lauzon gets a take down and quickly gets good position and then takes his back and finishes him. Got to wonder who in the world Reinhardt fought to be 18-0. Lauzon just demolished him.

Winner: Joe Lauzon by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 1:14

Lightweight Fight- Kenny Florian (8-3) vs. Alvin Robinson (9-1)- UFC 73- 7/7/07

R1- Alvin Robinson hits a judo like arm throw. Florian answers with a hip throw and gets a take down. They get stood up and Robinson hit a couple of punches but Florian gets another take down. Florian hits some elbows. Florian get a mount and lands some punches but is forced back into the guard. Florian passes guard and hits some elbows but Robinson gets out. They do some dirty boxing and then Florian gets a double leg take down and gets full mount again. Florian is going to town on Robinson and this one is over.

Winner: Kenny Florian by TKO R1 4:30

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.