UFC 111: St. Pierre vs. Hardy Re-Cap

UFC 111: St. Pierre vs. Hardy
The Prudential Center
Newark, New Jersey
March 27, 2010

The UFC has really been building up Georges St. Pierre as the pound for pound ace of the company. The only two multi-week build-up shows they've done have been for GSP (vs Penn and vs Hardy). GSP takes on Dan Hardy tonight in the Main Event for the Welterweight Championship. In the semi-Main Event Frank Mir will battle Shane Carwin for the Interim Heavyweight Championship and a shot at Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. Jon Fitch was supposed to take on Thiago Alves in the battle of #2 and #3 Welterweights but Alves had to drop out and Ben Saunders has stepped up and will fight Jon "Decision Machine" Fitch.

Lightweight Fight- Jim Miller (16-2) vs. Mark Bocek (8-2)

Both guys have a 3 fight win streak. Miller is from New Jersey so he is the hometown guy in this fight. Bocek is a Jiu Jitsu and Kempo Black Belt. Miller is a Jiu Jitsu Brown Belt and has a background as a Division 1 wrestler. Bocek has a 4" reach advantage.

R1- Bocek shot in for a take down and Miller pulled guard with a guillotine but Bocek slipped out. Bocek got a driving take down about half way through the round. Miller grabbed a kimura and used it to sweep on top of Bocek and take his guard. Bocek was very close to tapping out. Miller also opened up a cut on the forehead of Bocek. Miller 10-9.

R2- Bocek got an early take down in this round. Bocek went for an arm triangle but was denied. Miller went for a leg lock but Bocek was able to counter the submission. Bocek is losing a lot of blood but was able to take full mount. Miller spun out of full mount but gave up his back to Bocek. Bocek trapped one of Miller's arms inside his body triangle so Miller only has one arm to defend a choke. Miller got to his feet and dropped back on Bocek but Bocek held on but couldn't finish before the bell rang. Bocek took this round and it's 19-19 going into the final round. Miller popped right up after this round and looks ready to fight. Bocek has lost a lot of blood so far.

R3- Miller hit a good right hand to start the round. Bocek went for a take down but got stuffed. Bocek went for another take down but Miller countered with a couple of knees. Bocek finally completed the take down with thirty seconds left in the round. Miller took Bocek's back in the last ten seconds of the round. This round was really all about positioning with not much damage done. I think this will be a split decision, very tough fight to call.

Judges score cards: 29-28 on all score cards

Winner: Jim Miller by Decision (Unanimous)

Welterweight Fight- Ben Saunders (8-1-2) vs. Jon Fitch (24-3)

Thiago Alves was supposed to take on Fitch but had to drop out and Saunders stepped up and told Dana White that he wanted the fight. Saunders has a 3" height and 3.5" reach advantage. I expect Fitch to smother Saunders and ride to a decision victory because that's what he does.

R1- Fitch got a take down about a minute into the fight. And then Fitch rode Saunders for the rest of the round. Fitch 10-9. I expect more of this in the next two rounds. Fitch is a tough fighter but he's got to be the most boring fighter in the UFC.

R2- Fitch got a take down one minute into the round. The ref stood up the fight with a minute left in the round despite Fitch landing some strikes. Fitch 20-18.

R3- Fitch had to work a little harder in this round and didn't get a take down until 2 minutes left in the round. Fitch landed some good Ground and Pound at the end of the round and cut Saunders up. Fitch takes this one easily 30-27. Not exciting but effective.

Judges score cards: 30-27 on all score cards

Winner: Jon Fitch by Decision (Unanimous)

Lightweight Fight- Kurt Pellegrino (20-4) vs. Fabricio Camoes (10-4-1)

Pellegrino is the local guy in this fight. Camoes has an 8 fight unbeaten streak and fought Caol Uno to a majority draw in his UFC debut.

R1- Camoes got Pellegrino down with a judo type throw and then took his back as Pellegrino stood up. Pellegrino dropped Camoes on his head and reversed positions and took top position. Camoes went for a triangle and then tried for a different submission but Pellegrino avoided them and moved to side control. Pellegrino landed some elbows and almost got caught in a choke but got out and maintained top position. Really good competitive first round. I've got Pellegrino 10-9.

R2- Camoes went for a take down but Pellegrino ended up on top briefly before they went back to their feet and Pellegrino got a driving take down. Pellegrino mounted with three minutes left in the round. Pellegrino really grinding out this round. Pellegrino clamped in a Rear Naked Choke and finished the fight. Great showing by Pellegrino.

Winner: Kurt Pellegrino by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 4:20

Interim Heavyweight Championship Fight- Frank Mir (13-4) vs. Shane Carwin (11-0)

The fighter who wins this will be guaranteed a title shot when Brock Lesnar is back to full health. Mir is consumed by his hatred for Lesnar. It will be interesting to see if this has focused him more for Carwin or if he's overlooked him. Carwin comes out to the Drowning Pool's "Bodies". Great MMA entrance song. Due to this being for the Interim title this is a 5-round fight but I don't think anybody expects this fight to go the distance. The average length of Carwin's fights is 1:07. Brock is ringside for this fight standing next to Dana White. He gets a good chorus of boos when he's shown.

R1- Mir drove in and Carwin took him back to the cage. Carwin landed some punches to the face against the cage and also landed some knees to Mir's leg. Mir came in and threw a combination but Carwin hooked him again and put him against the cage. Carwin landed some big short left uppercuts in the clinch and Mir folded to the floor. Carwin jumped on top and landed some good punches. Joe Rogan was calling it over but Mir managed to move to a better position but Carwin continued to land strikes to the side of the head and finished the fight. Great showing by Carwin.

Winner and new UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion: Shane Carwin by KO R1 3:48

Post-fight they bring Brock into the ring and interview him. Brock tells Shane he's wearing a fake belt and that he has to come after the real one.

Next up they showed the Palharres/Drwal fight that was shown on the Prelim show on Spike TV.

Welterweight Title Fight- Georges St. Pierre (c) (19-2) vs. Dan Hardy (23-6)

The UFC tells us that GSP has a 87% defensive take down rate, a 78% take down accuracy rate and has 70% ground striking accuracy. Hardy defends 62% of his take down attempts, has never been knocked down in the UFC and lands 60% more strikes than his opponents. GSP is the big crowd favorite and Hardy the heel in this one based on the fan reactions at the introductions. Big "GSP" chant right after the introductions.

R1- GSP got a quick take down in the first 30 seconds of the fight. GSP passed Hardy's guard and took his back with 3 minutes left in the round. GSP tried for an arm bar but Hardy got up and GSP immediately took him down again before Hardy could separate. GSP mounted with a minute and a half left in the round. GSP went for some Ground and Pound and Hardy gave up his back. GSP landed some light strikes from the back and he clamped in a good arm bar but Hardy kept with it and broke the hold. Dominant round by GSP. Definitely a 10-9 round, borderline 10-8. It will be interesting to see how much damage GSP did to Hardy's arm in that round.

R2- GSP got a take down 1:25 into the round and moved into side control. Hardy gave up his back and GSP again went for the arm bar but Hardy was able to slip out and take GSP's guard. GSP quickly got back to his feet. GSP starts to land some strikes and then landed a driving take down with thirty seconds left in the round. GSP has dominated so far and is up 20-18 on my score card.

R3- Hardy took a wild shot to open the round and GSP immediately dove in and got an easy take down. GSP stood up in Hardy's guard and landed some elbows and strikes. Hardy went for a triangle so GSP passed his guard. GSP grabbed Hardy's arm and tried for a kimura but Hardy broke loose and GSP went back to side control. Hardy got back to his feet for about a second and GSP took him down again with one minute left in the round. Hardy gave up his back and Hardy got out and GSP immediately took him back down. GSP 30-27, just a dominant performance so far by GSP.

R4- This round started just like the last one, Hardy threw a strike and missed big a large amount and GSP took him down. GSP immediately mounted and Hardy gave up his back. Hardy went for a leg lock but GSP easily threw him back to the ground and took his guard again. GSP grabbed a kimura but Hardy somehow survived. GSP is up 40-36 after four rounds.

R5- GSP got a take down twenty seconds into the round after landing a couple of strikes. GSP goes for another kimura but couldn't quite get it the way he wanted. GSP went for the kimura one for time and couldn't get it. Hardy got up and GSP slammed him back down with thirty seconds left in the fight. They fought for 25 minutes and GSP dominated every one of them. GSP 50-45 on my score card. Hardy showed a lot of heart by not tapping to a couple of tough GSP submissions but GSP was clearly in a class above Hardy tonight.

Judges score cards: 50-43, 50-44, 50-45

Winner: Georges St. Pierre by Decision (Unanimous)

Post-fight interview GSP says that he made a lot of technical mistakes and that he is going to talk with his trainer and get better. GSP apologizes to the fans for not finishing the fight. He says Hardy did better tonight in his first title shot then he did when he got his first shot at Matt Hughes.

Light Heavyweight Fight- Rodney Wallace vs. Jared Hamman

This is a pre-show fight.

R1- Wallace landed a couple of strikes early and then got a take down. Wallace landed a couple of strikes and then a big uppercut and then chased Hamman down throwing some wild strikes and got another take down. Hamman landed a head kick and then tried to latch onto an arm but Wallace was able to take top position and try to recover. They stood up against the cage and threw strikes and Hamman landed a good punch. Hamman ended the round on top. Good round, Wallace looks pretty tired going into the second round.

R2- Wallace got an early take down but Hamman got back to his feet and landed a judo throw and took top position. Wallace was able to turn him over and take top position but Hamman landed some good strikes from the bottom. Wallace went for a triangle and missed and Hamman took top position and landed a good strike. Hamman landed some good elbows from the top.

R3- Wallace got a take down after his corner told him not to and Hamman quickly flipped him over and took top position. They got back to their feet and Wallace landed some good strikes and got another take down but Hamman again was able to flip him over and take top position. The ref stood them back up and Wallace landed a couple of more strikes but then Hamman was able to take him down. Wallace got back to his feet and then tired a kimura but couldn't quite turn it and Hamman once again took top position. Hamman will most likely take this 29-28.

Judges score cards: 29-28 on all score cards

Winner: Jared Hamman by Decision (Unanimous)

UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez 12/13/09 Re-Cap

UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez
12/13/09
Fedex Forum
Memphis, Tn

Heavyweight Fight- Paul Buentello (25-10) vs. Stefan Struve (22-3)

Buentello has won 5 of his last 6 fights and this is his return to the UFC. Struve is a 6’11” fighter with an 83” reach. Struve won his last fight via submission against Chase Gormley at UFC 104 and beat Denis Stojnic by submission at UFC 99 in a blood bath.

R1- Struve tried to pull guard early but abandoned that and nailed a big uppercut that Buentello ate and then Struve took him down and got a body triangle on Buentello. Struve tried to get in a Rear Naked Choke but couldn’t get it clamped in. With thirty seconds left in the round Buentello was able to turn over and take top position. Buentello really did nothing this round, it could have been a 10-8 round if Struve could have done some significant damage. Struve 10-9.

R2- Buentello hit a good shot as Struve was coming in and Buentello knocked him to the ground but did not attack and let him stand back up. Struve came in again about half way through the round and got destroyed by a right hand that looked like it might have knocked him out. Near the one minute mark Struve hit a good elbow , then Buentello retaliated then they went toe to toe throwing leather. Just seconds later both guys threw toe to toe again. Struve actually came back and made a round of this but I’ve got it going to Buentello. Really fun round and I’ve got the fight scored 19-19.

R3- The beginning of this round had to be delayed because they had to remove a piece of tooth from Struve’s mouth guard. Ouch. Struve landing more strikes in the first part of the round. Buentello was able to catch Struve leaning and landed a strike that knocked him to the ground in the last minute of the fight. Really close fight. I see a split decision. Struve landed more strikes in the third round but Buentello did get the knock down.

Judges score cards say: 29-28, 29-28, 28-28

Winner: Stefan Struve by Decision (Majority)

Lightweight Fight- Kenny Florian (13-4) vs. Clay Guida (25-7)

Guida is coming off of a FOTY Candidate loss to Diego Sanchez and Florian is coming off of a loss to BJ Penn. On paper this looks like it has the ability to steal the show and both guys need a win. Florian has a 3” height and 6” reach advantage. Guida is definitely the fan favorite in this fight.

R1- Kenny partially landed a head kick but it ended with Guida taking top position but Florian was able to get back to his feet quickly. Florian almost got a take down but did land a knee as Guida rose back up. Guida went for a take down but Florian controlled him and opened up a big cut on Guida and then got a slam and landed some strikes against the cage. Florian landed some elbows and the ref stopped the fight so the doctor could look at the cut. Florian won this round in the last minute and is up 10-9 going into round two.

R2- Guida went for a take down early but was stuffed. Florian really started to look comfortable with the stand up this round and he just leveled Guida with a big time right hand that hurt Guida. Florian jumped on top and landed some strikes and then clamped in a Rear Naked Choke and Guida tapped out. Fantastic showing by Florian.

Winner: Kenny Florian by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 2:19

Welterweight Fight- Jon Fitch (23-3) vs. Mike Pierce (9-2)

Fitch has a 4” height and 3” reach advantage in this fight.

R1- Fitch caught a kick early and muscled Pierce to the ground and took his back. At the two minute mark Pierce slipped out and got a take down but Fitch got to his feet pretty quickly. Fitch landed some decent strikes at the end of the round. Fitch 10-9.

R2- Fitch caught a leg kick and took Pierce down but Pierce got to his feet without taking any damage. Fitch got another brief take down. This was a typical Fitch round and he’s up 20-18 going into the final round.

R3- Jon Fitch makes me sleepy. Pierce got in some good shots towards the end of the round and almost stole this right but I’ve got Fitch 29-28 on the score cards.

Judges score cards say: 29-28 on all cards

Winner: Jon Fitch by Decision (Unanimous)

Heavyweight Fight- Frank Mir (12-4) vs. Cheick Kongo (24-5-1)

Mir has been talking all kinds of crap about this fight and about Brock Lesnar. It will be interesting to see if Mir overlooks Kongo in this fight. Goldberg tells us Kongo is the 4th most accurate striker in the UFC. Mir has earned more wins by submission than any other Heavyweight fighter in UFC history. Mir has 25 pounds on Kongo.

R1- No touching of the gloves to start the fight. Mir hit a huge left hand 30 seconds into the fight and Kongo went down hard. Mir jumped on top with a guillotine and Kongo tried to hold on but he went limp and the ref stopped the fight. Amazing performance by Mir.

Winner: Frank Mir by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 1:12

Catchweight Fight- Alan Belcher vs. Wilson Gouveia

This is a pre-show fight. There was a lot of talk before the fight that Belcher was upset that he was not on the main card.

R1- We join the fight about one minute into round one. Belcher is wearing some sweet pink tights and has corn rows. Lots of free swinging by both guys. Belcher hurt Gouveia with an uppercut and then finished him on the ground as the ref stepped in and stopped the fight.

Winner: Alan Belcher by TKO (Strikes) R1

Lightweight Title Fight- BJ Penn © (14-5-1) vs. Diego Sanchez (23-2)

The UFC tells me that BJ lands 61% of his total strikes, lands 57% of his lead jabs (tied for 1st in UFC History with Anderson Silva) and he has never been knocked down. Diego has also never been knocked down, he has 56% ground striking accuracy and in his last four fights he has a 79% take down defense rate.

R1- BJ rocked Diego and knocked him down at the thirty second round of the fight. Diego got back up and ate a knee and BJ jumped all over him with punches. Diego fought and survived the onslaught. BJ hit a couple more strikes at the end of the round and looks to be in total control so far. BJ 10-9.

R2- Diego went for an early take down but could not get BJ off his feet. Diego keeps going for the take down but cannot get it. Diego missed a high kick and ate a couple of shots. BJ 20-18.

R3- Sanchez trying hard for the take down but BJ is not letting him. BJ is winning the striking game. BJ 30-27.

R4- BJ hit a good combo at the one and a half minute mark of the round. Diego continues to go for take downs and BJ continues to avoid them. BJ 40-36.

R5- Diego tried hard for a take down but BJ sprawled and ended up on top and then took the fight back to their feet. BJ hit a good kick and then followed it with some good punches before Diego could latch onto BJ’s leg. BJ sprawled out and then landed some punches and opened a huge cut above Diego’s eye and the fight was stopped due to the cut. The high kick is what opened up the big cut on Diego. Great performance by BJ.

Winner: BJ Penn by TKO (Cut) R5 2:37

Welterweight Fight- Damarques Johnson vs. Edgar Garcia

R!- Both guys throwing strikes early. Garcia gets a take down about a minute and a half into the round. Garcia goes for a choke and Damarques survived and Edgar gave up the hold. Garcia hit some good shots against the cage and Damarques seemed to feed off of it. Edgar landed another right that took Damarques off his feet. Edgar landed some Ground and Pound and Damarques trapped him in a triangle and won the fight. Great submission by Damarques and it earned submission of the night.

Winner: Damarques Johnson by Submission (Triangle Choke) R1 4:03

UFC 100 "Making History" 7/11/09 Re-Cap

UFC 100: Making History
7/11/09
Mandalay Bay Events Center
Las Vegas, Nevada

This event has been hyped up as the biggest UFC event of all time. On top we have 2 Main Event quality fights in Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir and GSP vs. Thiago Alves. We also have Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping in a match-up of the two trainers during the last TUF show. This fight is a borderline Main Event and the winner could be up for a shot at Anderson Silva. In addition to those three bouts we also have the UFC debut of Yoshihiro Akiyama, Stephan Bonnar/Mark Coleman and some interesting under card fights that will hopefully make the show (Jim Miller/Mac Danzig, Jon Jones/Jake O’Brien, Jon Fitch/Paul Thiago).

Middleweight Fight- Yoshihiro Akiyama (12-1) vs. Alan Belcher (13-4)

This is Akiyama’s debut in the UFC. Belcher recently spoiled Denis Kang’s UFC debut. Belcher is a brown belt in bjj and has just recently spent a few weeks with Eddie Bravo. Akiyama is a Judo Black Belt and is riding a 13 fight unbeaten streak. Akiyama has been training with UFC fighter Yushin Okami. Belcher has a 4” height advantage but their reach is even.

R1- Both guys are throwing kicks early. Belcher is the bigger fighter but Akiyama looks to be a lot faster. Belcher nailed Akiyama with a low blow early in the fight. Belcher connected with a punch that knocked Akiyama down but Akiyama jumped right back up. Akiyama’s striking is crisp and he’s landing some good shots. Akiyama caught a Belcher kick and took him down. I’ve got Akiyama taking the first round as he hit more and better strikes. Belcher did knock Akiyama down but it looked like it was more of being caught off balance. Good fight so far. Akiyama hit a strike after the bell and Belcher looked like he was not too happy about it.

R2- Akiyama got an immediate take down of Belcher to start the round. Belcher took some Ground and Pound but nothing too significant and was able to get back to his feet with two minutes left in the round. Both guys are looking a little winded at the end of this round. Akiyama is winning this fight 20-18 after two rounds but this could be anybody’s fight because both guys look like they are going to struggle with their conditioning in the third round.

R3- Both guys stand and throw some punches in the first minute of the round with both guys landing some decent blows. Akiyama is having some trouble with his left eye, I think he got poked by Belcher early in this round. Belcher went for a leg kick and Akiyama caught him and punched him to the mat but Belcher got back to his feet quickly. Akiyama got a take down with thirty seconds left but Belcher got back to his feet again. The stand-up in this round was pretty even but Akiyama got two take down/knock downs. I’ve got Akiyama winning this fight 30-27. The first and third rounds were close with Akiyama clearly winning the second. This was a good, competitive opening fight.

Judges scores: 30-27 Akiyama, 29-28 Belcher and 29-28 Akiyama

Rogan and Goldberg said that they thought Belcher got robbed. Not on my score card.

Winner: Yoshihiro Akiyama by Decision (Split)

Middleweight Fight- Dan Henderson (24-7) vs. Michael Bisping (18-1)

This is a big fight for both of these guys as a potential title shot is on the horizon for the winner. Bisping hasn’t fought since UFC 89 where he won a close but unanimous decision against Chris Leben. Dan Henderson also won a decision in his last fight as he beat former Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin by Split Decision at UFC 93. Bisping comes out to his usual Rock & Jock song. I think somebody told me it was by the band Blur. Woo hoo!

R1- Henderson is stalking Bisping early and Bisping is moving around the cage and trying to stick and move. Hendo hit a good combo against the cage that put Bisping at a back pedal and he followed with another combo but he was able to keep his senses. Hendo clinched him against the cage and landed some knees. Hendo is up 10-9 after the first round.

R2- Hendo got Bisping up against the cage and landed a big right hand but Bisping took it and backed out to the center of the cage. Bisping isn’t doing anything to hurt Hendo but he’s doing a better job keeping him away with jabs in this round. Bisping has been on his heels this entire fight. Hendo loaded up and nailed Bisping with a big right hand and Bisping fell like a ton of bricks. This fight is over. Hendo dove in with a punch to the grounded Bisping but it wasn’t needed, Bisping was gone when he hit the mat. Great showing by Hendo.

Hendo says he feels that he has earned a re-match with Anderson Silva but that he’s up for whatever UFC has for him.

Winner: Dan Henderson by KO R2 3:20

Royce Gracie is in attendance at the show tonight.

UFC 101 is coming up August 8th and will feature BJ Penn defending against Kenny Florian and Anderson Silva taking on Forrest Griffin in a Light Heavyweight Fight.

UFC 102 will take place at the end of August and will feature Big Nog vs. Randy Couture. This card will also have Demian Maia against Nate Marquardt and Keith Jardine against Thiago Silva.

Welterweight Championship Fight: Georges St-Pierre © (18-2) vs.Thiago Alves (22-4)

GSP is at the top of a lot of people’s current P4P rankings. GSP is coming off his UFC 94 domination of BJ Penn. Previous to that GSP beat Jon Fitch by Decision in a fight that he dominated. Thiago Alves is coming off a UFC 90 Unanimous Decision win over Josh Koscheck (Koscheck stepped in for Diego Sanchez taking the fight on short notice). Before that Alves beat up Matt Hughes in a fight where Alves did not make weight. Goldberg says Alves has landed the third most leg kicks in UFC history. GSP is a Kyokushin Karate Black Belt and is considered to have among the best take down in MMA right now. GSP gets a good reaction from the crowd. Thiago is pacing in the ring like a mad man before the fight. GSP has a huge 6” reach advantage. This is the Co-Main Event.

R1- Crowd starts a big “GSP” chant as the fight starts. GSP got a quick take down in the first minute of the fight. Alves got back to his feet without any damage but GSP pulled him back down and transitioned to his back. Thiago rolled him over and then they got back to their feet. GSP is really getting better of the stand up so far in the fight. Alves came forwards with some strikes but GSP took him down. Alves got back to his feet as the round ended. GSP 10-9 after round one.

Jason Statham is at the show enjoying some frosty beverages.

R2- GSP got another take down about a minute into the round. GSP briefly got to mount but Alves was able to get out. Alves is bleeding from his nose. GSP is landing some good shots on Alves. Alves got back to his feet with thirty seconds left in the round. That was a borderline 10-8 round in favor of GSP but I’ll say 10-9 so it’s GSP up 20-18 after two rounds.

R3- They had some even stand up early in the round but GSP got a take down with around two minutes gone from the round. Alves got back to his feet with two minutes left in the round. GSP landed a good right hand and floored Alves. GSP jumped on top with some aggressive Ground and Pound but Alves was able to hand on. GSP is up 30-27 after three rounds.

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida is at ringside for the fight and he gets a good response from the crowd.

R4- GSP got a quick take down within the first 30 seconds of the round. GSP passes guard and mounts. GSP tried to take GSP’s back but Alves slipped out and took GSP’s guard. Alves got some good Ground and Pound in on GSP but GSP got back to his feet with 1:45 left in the round. GSP got another take down as he timed an Alves leg kick. Alves gave up his back trying to get to his feet. This was the closest round to date but GSP took it and is up 40-36. GSP tells Greg Jackson in the corner that he pulled his groin.

R5- GSP got a take down at the one minute mark of the round but Alves battled back to his feet rather quickly. GSP got another take down at the half way point of the round. Alves got back to his feet with two minutes remaining in the fight but GSP got him down yet again. GSP takes the 5th and final round and I’ve got him winning this easily 50-45. Great showing by GSP. Alves showed good conditioning and showed some heart but just like Jon Fitch he was no match for GSP.

I’m not sure what’s next for GSP but I would like to see Alves fight Jon Fitch.

Judges score cards: 50-45, 50-44, and 50-45.

Winner and still champion: Georges St-Pierre by Decision (Unanimous)

Post-Fight GSP says he hurt his groin in the 3rd round. He is indecisive about moving up to 185 to take on Anderson Silva.

UFC Heavyweight Title Fight: Brock Lesnar © (3-1) vs. Frank Mir (12-3)

This is the re-match of the last fight where Brock was dominating but got caught by a Mir submission. Since that fight Brock has gone on to defeat Randy Couture for the UFC Heavyweight Championship and Frank Mir has gone on to defeat Big Nog for the UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship (which was created when Randy Couture was holding out). UFC tells me that Brock has outstruck his opponents 87-18 in his first 3 UFC fights. Brock has an 86% accuracy rate of ground power strikes and he has 75% take down accuracy. Frank Mir has 6 submission wins, which is the most by a UFC Heavyweight. Of Mir’s 15 career fights only 1 has gone past the second round and his fights have an average length of only 3:52. This fight has had a good traditional Pro Wrestling type build from the guys comments about each other. The UFC Countdown was well put together. Brock comes out to “Enter Sandman” by Metallica. Brock has a 20 lb and 2” reach advantage. They do not touch gloves when Herb Dean has them together at the center of the ring for pre-fight instruction.

R1- Brock got a quick take down. Brock took a while to get into position but eventually he started landing some good shots to Mir’s face. Not a very exciting round but Brock fought a smart round and got in some good punches that bloodied up Frank’s face. Brock up 10-9 after one round. Almost a 10-8 round just due to the fact that Mir got in virtually no offense.

R2- Mir went for a knee and Brock dumped in on the ground but didn’t follow. Mir landed a couple of strikes against the cage and Mir hit a jumping knee into Brock (similar to the Yves Edwards/Edson Berto knee) but Brock followed through with a take down. Brock lands some big shots to the face of Mir and Herb Dean steps in to stop the fight as Mir is down in the corner. Mir wobbles to his feet and he and Brock have some words in the middle of the cage.

Winner and still champion: Brock Lesnar by TKO (Strikes) R2 1:48

Post-Fight Brock says that Sable is going to get lucky tonight. Mir says Brock did a good job in the fight and that Mir made a mistake by getting caught against cage with such a big guy against him.

UFC Welterweight Fight- Jon Fitch (22-3) vs. Paulo Thiago (11-0)

Thiago burst on the scene in his UFC debut with an upset over Josh Koscheck. Thiago is an undefeated jiu jitsu black belt who also has amateur boxing experience. Fitch is pretty much the gatekeeper of the Welterweight division. He’s better than everybody else but not as good as GSP. Fitch is one of the least exciting fighters in UFC right now in my opinion.

R1- Fitch got a take down within a minute but Thiago grabbed a guillotine in the full guard position. Fitch finally got out of the move with two minutes left in the round. Fitch controlled the last two minutes but really didn’t do much damage. Basically an even first round.

R2- Fitch got another take down in the opening stages of the fight. Man, Fitch is a boring fighter. Thiago got up but Fitch slammed him back down and sat on him some more. Fitch took his back with about a minute left in the round. Fitch easily took this round.

R3- Fitch again gets Thiago down to the ground early and basically just rides Thiago for the rest of the round. Fitch takes this either 30-27 or 29-28 but he is clearly the winner.

Judges score cards say: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 in favor of Fitch.

Winner: Jon Fitch by Decision (Unanimous)

TapouT Submission of the Night went to Tom Lawlor would choked out CB Dollaway with a guillotine in the under card.

The Turning Point of the Night was when Dan Henderson knocked out Michael Bisping. It wasn’t as much a “turning point” as it was lights out.

I enjoyed this show as it had a Great KO in the Hendo/Bisping fight, a dominant performance by the Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, a great showing by one of the best P4P fighters in the world GSP and a good opener in Akiyama/Belcher.

UFC 94 Preliminary Fights Re-Cap

UFC 94: Penn vs. St Pierre 2 Prelims

Welterweight Fight- Matt Arroyo (3-2) vs. Dan Cramer (0-0)

Dan Cramer has a 3.5” reach advantage. This is Cramer’s professional MMA debut and is coming off of a Collarbone injury. Daniel Cramer was in TUF 7 but I don’t remember him. Apparently he beat Luke Zachrich and then lost to Tim Credeur in a fight that he was winning before he got caught and subbed in the first round. Cramer was a member of Team Rampage. Arroyo was a cast member of TUF6. Arroyo bowed out of a semi-final fight against Mac Danzig with a rib injury.

R1- Not a very exciting first round. Arroyo pulled guard early and Cramer got some light Ground and Pound.

R2- This round was more of the same. It’s probably 19-19 but neither guy has done anything to distance himself as the favorite going into the third round.

R3- Arroyo took Cramer’s back and looked like he was going to win via Rear Naked Choke but Cramer got out of the move but Arroyo still had his back. Cramer landed some Ground and Pound toward the end of the round.

This was a pretty tough fight to watch. Based on this fight if either guy is asked back to UFC it will definitely be against someone they are picked to lose against. Neither guy did anything to deserve to win this fight more than the other guy. Arroyo will probably get the win but I smell a split.

Judges: 29-28 Cramer, 29-28 Arroyo and 29-28 Cramer

Winner: Dan Cramer by Decision (Split)

Welterweight Fight- John Howard (10-4) vs. Chris Wilson (13-4)

Wilson has a 6” height advantage and a 3” reach advantage. At UFC 87 Wilson decisioned Steve Bruno 30-27 on all cards. At UFC 82 Chris Wilson lost a decision to top contender Jon Fitch. This is Howard’s UFC debut and has won his last 3 fights. Wilson has won 5 of his last 6 with his only loss being to Fitch, he took that fight on short notice.

R1- Pretty even fight through the first half of the round with Howard catching Wilson on the nose and causing some blood loss. Wilson hit a good combo right after this and took control. This was a close round with pretty good action. I give the slight edge to Wilson.

R2- Howard opened up more at the beginning of the round and the tired out and Wilson came on at the end. I’ve got the fight 19-19 right now with the advantage going to Wilson for the final round.

R3- Howard took Wilson’s back at the beginning of the round. Howard goes for a Rear Naked Choke about two minutes into the round but he couldn’t finish. Howard continues to maintain a triangle on Wilson and has his back. Wilson was able to get out and take guard but Howard went for a leg lock and both guys stand up with 50 seconds left. Howard got a take down and took guard with 30 seconds left but is just resting at this point. Howard limped to the finish but he won this round and thus in my opinion he wins the fight.

This was a good win for Howard as it was his UFC debut and Wilson is a tough opponent.

Judges score cards say: 29-28 Howard, 29-28 Wilson and 29-28 Howard.

Winner: John Howard by Decision (Split)

Lightweight Fight- Thiago Tavares (17-3) vs. Manvel Gamburyan (10-4)

Tavares has a 2” height and 3” reach advantage. Gamburyan got rocked at UFC 87 by a big Rob Emerson punch and lost in 12 seconds.

R1- Tavares got a take down but Manvel almost got a kimura submission. Tavares controlled the round and got a slam with one minute left. Tavares 10-9 after round one.

R2- This round was a snoozer. Thiago came on at the end of the round but this one is a toss up.

R3- They mostly stand up and strike in this round. Tavares lands a good punch and a good knee in the middle of the round.

Judges scores are all 29-28 in favor of Tavares. Another kind of blah under card fight.

Winner: Thiago Tavares by Decision (Unanimous)

Light Heavyweight Fight- Jake O’Brien (10-2) vs. Christian Wellisch (9-3)

O’Brien is dropping down from Heavyweight for this fight.

R1- O’Brien hit a good punch about 20 seconds into the fight but Wellisch fought through it. Wellisch seemed like he really wanted to take this to the ground but O’Brien remained in control of the fight through the first round. O’Brien 10-9.

R2- O’Brien continuted to control this round by bloodying Christian’s nose and getting two take downs. O’Brien 20-18.

R3- Wellisch looked better in this round as O’Brien began to fade. O’Brien got a couple of take downs but got in little offense.

I’ve got O’Brien 29-28 in this fight. Not an exciting fight.

Judges score the fight 29-28 Wellisch, 29-28 O’Brien and 29-28 O’Brien.

Winner: Jake O’Brien by Decision (Unanimous)

Welterweight Fight- Akihiro Gono (28-13-7) vs. Jon Fitch (21-3)

Fitch has a 6” reach advantage and a 4” height advantage. Fitch is coming off of a lopsided loss to one of the top P4P fighters in the world GSP in which he showed a lot of heart by going 5 full rounds with the champ.

R1- Fitch controlled this round and took Gono’s back at the end of the round but couldn’t get into a good enough position to go for a finish. Fitch 10-9.

R2- Fitch dominated this round. Almost a 10-8 round but I don’t think Fitch did enough damage. Fitch went for a late arm bar but Gono survived. Fitch 20-18.

R3- Gono showed some life in this round but Fitch does what he does which is smother his opponents in a boring fashion.

Judges score cards say: 30-27, 30-27, 30-26 in favor of Fitch.

Winner: Jon Fitch by Decision (Unanimous)

This has got to take the cake as the most boring and pedestrian UFC under card that there has ever been. Five decisions on the under card and while they were competitive none of them were anywhere near exciting fights.

UFC 87: "Seek and Destroy" Re-Cap

UFC 87: Seek and Destroy

Middleweight Fight- Jason MacDonald (21-9) vs. Demian Maia (8-0)

MacDonald has an 8" reach advantage.

R1- Maia pulls guard 30 seconds into the fight. Maia is going for a triangle early. Rogan says it's over. Maia also hitting him with elbows. MacDonald flips out and gets Maia's back. Incredible reversal and he had a Rear Naked Choke but lost it. MacDonald gets some shots in and then gets a guillotine and Maia flips him over and takes side control. Maia takes MacDonald's back with 45 seconds left. Maia is bleeding. Maia looks like he's got it in pretty good. And the first round ends. Great first round. A very thinking man's grappling match on the ground. Maia 10 MacDonald 9.

R2- They mix it up for a couple of seconds before they tie up. Maia goes for some knees and connects lightly to the body with some. Maia gets a take down. Maia is landing some nice punches on MacDonald and then some elbows. Maia with more elbows. Maia dominating this round so far. Maia is landing more punches. MacDonald has been busted open now, but not too badly. Maia goes for an arm bar as McDonald tried to escape. MacDonald gets out and takes Maia's guard with about 15 seconds left in the round. Maia just dominated this round. Maia 20 MacDonald 18. MacDonald needs a submission or a knockout to win.

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is shown in the crowd between rounds.

R3- Maia gets a take down early and MacDonald reverses it. MacDonald controlled for about a minute and then Maia rolled him over and took full mount. Maia hitting some elbows. MacDonald gives up his back and Maia continues to punch him. Maia goes for a Rear Naked Choke and MacDonald taps out. Wanderlei Silva was in Maia's corner for the fight.

Pretty decent opening fight with a great first round. Maia looks like a good fighter based on this fight. It will be interesting to see him progress as he fights guys up the ladder.

"The only reason he escapes is cause the other guy is trying to kill him"- Joe Rogan

Winner: Demian Maia by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3 2:44

Lightweight Fight- Roger Huerta (22-1-1) vs. Kenny Florian (11-3)

This should be fun. Florian has looked really good lately and Huerta is coming off of a big lay off. It will be interesting to see how much this hurts Huerta. Florian has a 4" reach advantage. Huerta is from Minneapolis so he gets a big reaction and Florian doesn't get much in the way of cheers.

R1- They trade some leg kicks early and then Florian gets a take down and mounts Huerta about a minute and a half into the fight. Huerta gives up his back with 3 minutes left in the round and gets out of the hold. Huerta catches Florian with a good combo then they clinch with no one with a distinct advantage. Close first round. Not nearly as much action as I thought that there would be. I've got to give the round to Florian based on getting the only take down, mounting Huerta and then taking his back although he didn't really do much damage in the sequence. Florian 10 Huerta 9.

R2- Pretty even action early in the round. Florian went for a take down, got stuffed but stayed with it and got Huerta down and quickly took his back but Huerta got out again. Florian got a leg sweep on Huerta and then got in a couple of good shots. They mix it up at the end of the round and seems like they are starting to get going. I've got Florian taking this round as well. Both rounds are fairly close but Florian looks like he's starting to pull away as Huerta looks real rusty to me. He keeps trying to use the Superman punch. Looks to me like Florian has a much better game plan. Florian 20 Huerta 18.

R3- Lots of action early in this round. Florian hit a front kick to start the round off then got a take down but couldn't hold it, hit a knee and then hit a flying knee on Huerta. Huerta looked pissed but got taken down by Florian. Huerta got back to his feet again. Three minutes left and both guys are standing up and punching now. Florian hit another front kick. Florian kind of running away from Huerta a little here towards the end with a minute and a half left in the fight- maybe knowing that he's got this one in the bag if it goes to a decision. Huerta lands a right hand and keeps moving forward. Florian keeps backing up fighting this round to win by decision. Florian hits a knee and Huerta comes at him and Florian backs off. Huerta slips on a kick and then Florian takes him down as Huerta looks like he hurt himself. Florian much more aggressive right at the end of the round. I've got this round going to Huerta just based on Florian backing away for about 4 minutes of the round. I've got it scored 29-28 Florian, not a convincing victory due to the lack of effort to get a finish and a little disappointing fight based on what I was expected.

All three judges score the fight 30-27 in favor of Florian.

Winner: Kenny Florian by Decision (Unanimous)

BJ Penn is in attendance tonight.

Lightweight Fight- Manvel Gamburyan (10-3) vs.Rob Emerson (9-6)

R1- Both guys swinging big early and Rob Emerson hits Manvel hard and he goes down and then he eats some more punches and this one is over.

Winner: Rob Emerson by KO R1 0:12

Laura Prepon from That 70s Show is at the fights again tonight.

Heavyweight Fight- Cheick Kongo (21-4-1) vs. Dan Evensen (10-2)

R1- Kongo got a take down against the cage about a minute into the fight but doesn't do anything. Evensen has a standing guillotine against the cage but Kongo pops out pretty easily. Kongo gets another take down about 4 minutes into the round and this time gets some shots in on Evensen but then gave up his advantage. Kongo hits some kicks and then sticks Evensen with a punch that floors him and then jumps on him for some Ground & Pound and the ref steps in with about five seconds left in the fight. Great finishing flurry by Kongo. He controlled the fight although wasn't doing much damage until that end flurry.

Winner: Cheick Kongo by TKO (strikes) R1 4:55

Heavyweight Fight- Heath Herring (28-13) vs. Brock Lesnar (1-1)

Brock gets a huge pop. Herring is the heel. This should be fun.

R1- Lesnar misses a big knee to start out and then sticks Herring with a big straight right hand punch that knocks him down. Lesnar runs in but Herring gets to his feet. Brock has him in a guillotine against the cage. Herring is bleeding. Heath gets out but Brock gets a take down. Brock nails Heath with a punch but then stands up and then gets back down on Heath. Lesnar with a couple of punches in as Heath is ducking into the canvas and trying to slide out. Brock with a big knee to the side. Brock just kind of riding Heath at this point and not letting him up and hitting some strikes. Lesnar with punches to Herrings back or side. Lesnar just dominated Heath in the first round. Lesnar ends the round with knees to the side. I don't remember Herring even getting in one offensive move in this round so it's got to be a 10-8 round. Herring just did nothing offensively. That being said, Herring is very experienced so he could still easily pull out this fight but Lesnar looked awesome in the first round.

They show Jessie Ventura in between rounds and it looks like he's sitting next to BJ Penn!

R2- Lesnar goes for an immediate take down but Herring denies him. Lesnar with a leg kick. They clinch and Lesnar just muscled him down. Herring again kind of ducks his head into the canvas and gives Brock his back. Lesnar moves into side control. Lesnar hits a couple of punches and Herring again goes into the turtle trying to survive. Brock mounts and Herring gives up his back and then goes back into the turtle before Brock can do anything. Lesnar with some knees to the side of Heath. Herring looks exhausted. Brock moves to side control but Heath again moves to the turtle. Heath works his way back to his feet. Lesnar with a knee while in the clinch and then another and you can just see Herring hurt when he hits those. Herring with a couple of knees.Herring missed a couple of punches and then got taken down again. Almost another 10-8 round but I'll go 10-9. Lesnar just dominating 20-17 on my score card. Herring needs to finish this fight in order to win. Herring looks rough in the corner.

R3- Lesnar lands a kick to the side. Herring rushes him against the cage and they clinch. Lesnar with a knee and another. Herring comes back with a couple of small knees and then gets muscled down by Brock. Lesnar hits some knees to the body. Herring trying to go for an arm lock but Lesnar denies him and gets full mount. Herring rolls over and turtles up again. Lesnar with a big knee. Herring gets back to his feet gets in a couple of shots and gets taken down again. Lesnar getting some shots in to the side. Lesnar mounts with about 10 seconds left and gets some punches in. Lesnar looked great in this fight. He acted like a jackass after he won but he still looked great. I've got this an easy Lesnar 30-26 win. If Lesnar could work on his ground game he's going to be a real problem for the fighters he's up against. Herring looked messed up badly after this fight.

Judges score cards are all 30-26 in favor of Lesnar.

Winner: Brock Lesnar by Decision (Unanimous)

Welterweight Title Fight- Georges St. Pierre (c) (16-2) vs. Jon Fitch (21-2)

R1- GSP gets an immediate take down about 5 seconds into the fight. Fitch got to his feet after two minutes but got taken down again. Fitch back to his feet and GSP just nailed him with a punch and Ftich went down. GSP is all over Fitch and is reigning down punches on him in his guard. GSP with big elbows. Fitch back to his feet and he gets rocked again by GSP. GSP just totally dominating Fitch. GSP with some big time elbows and Fitch is busted open. GSP passes Fitch's guard and gets side control. GSP mounts with 10 seconds left but doesn't get anything before the round ends. GSP just totally ate up Fitch in this round. A borderline 10-8 round.

R2- Fitch trying to stay in this fight as he gets a couple of body shots but GSP comes back with a good combo. GSP hit him with a good solid jab. Fitch gets in some shots with about a minute and a half left in the round. GSP gets a take down stuffed. Good come back round for Fitch as GSP changed up his game plan and let Fitch back into the fight. This round could have gone either way.

R3- GSP rocks Fitch about 15 seconds into the round with a solid punch and then takes Fitch's back. Fitch rolls him over and is in GSP's guard. Fitch eventually turns him back over and takes Fitch's guard. They stand up. GSP with a big right and then a big knee, a head kick and another knee. GSP with another shot and he's measuring Fitch and this point and then picks him up and slams him to the ground as the round is ending. GSP clearly took this round.

R4- Pretty even stand up for the first minute or two of this round. Fitch had a take down stuffed. Fitch went for another take down but GSP stood up and rode him to the cage. GSP got a take down at the end of the round. Overall, an uneventful round that goes to GSP. Both guys have cuts but neither are bad. Fitch needs a knockout or submission to win.

R5- GSP hit a nice spinning back fist about a minute into the round and then took Fitch down.GSP lands some solid shots on Fitch while in his guard. GSP controls this round. GSP took every round except maybe Round 2 and was never in danger in this fight. Good win for GSP. Fitch got dominated in Round 1 and then showed a lot of heart and came back and fought a closer fight but again never really put GSP in a position of danger.

Scorecards are 50-43, 50-44 and 50-44 for GSP

Winner: Georges St. Pierre by Decision (Unanimous)

BJ Penn comes into the ring post match as they tease the fight.

Overall, a little bit disappointing of a show as the Big 3 fights that I came in really wanted to see where all lopsided victories (Brock, GSP and KFlo).

UFC Wired 7/13/ Re-Cap

UFC Wired 7/13 Re-Cap

Light Heavyweight Fight- Alessio Sakara (14-4) vs. Drew McFedries (4-1)- UFC 65- 11/18/06

McFedries took this fight on short notice.

R1- McFedries is the aggressor early and is taking lots of swings. They compare him to Robbie Lawler. Sakara hits some knees in the clinch. McFedries lands some nice shots and takes down Sakara briefly. Sakara becomes the aggressor and then they exchange. Sakara knocks out McFedries mouthpiece. Both of these guys are really going at each other. Sakara gets some really nice shots in and seems to be taking over the round. Sakara hits some nice left handed punches. McFedries takes Sakara down but they are quickly back to their feet. Sakara with some more shots and one of them looked like it hurt Drew but he continues to fight back. Sakara went down and the McFedries jumped on top and reigned punches and got the TKO. Good fight.

Winner: Drew McFedries by TKO R1 4:07

Lightweight Fight- Tyson Griffin (8-0) vs. Frankie Edgar (5-0)- UFC 67- 2/3/07

This is Edgar’s UFC debut. Both guys are undefeated coming into this fight.

R1- Edgar gets the first take down but Tyson gets a guillotine but Edgar gets out of it. Tyson picks him up and slams him and they sprawl. The stand up is pretty even in this round. Edgar gets another take down and is in Griffin’s guard. Edgar lands some good shots. Edgar 10-9 in a good first round.

R2- Griffin lands a really nice uppercut early in the round. Edgar gets a take down with about 2 minutes left after Griffin had been winning the round. Back on their feet and Griffin knocks Edgar down with a leg kick and then goes for another but Edgar takes him down. They sprawl and Tyson gets his back but Edgar transitions into a mount. This was a really close round. Edgar finished it really well and Griffin had trouble getting back to his corner and I think that and the take downs ultimately won the round for Edgar. I’ve got Edgar 20-18 in a really close fight so far.

R3- They are pretty even at the stand up at the beginning of the round. Edgar gets some knees and Griffin looks like he complains about a low blow but the ref tells him to fight on. Edgar starts to control the fight and has Griffin in the corner and is hitting him with punches. Edgar gets a take down. Edgar gets some more punches in as they stand up. Edgar gets another take down and is controlling this round. Edgar with more punches as they stand up and then gets another take down. Griffin reverses into a knee bar and Edgar looks like he’s going to hold on for the rest of the fight. Really good fight. Edgar really dominated this round with Griffin almost getting a submission at the end. Really good fight, I’ve got Edgar winning 30-27, but a really close 30-27.

Judges score the fight: 29-28, 30-27 and 29-28 in favor of Edgar.

Winner: Frankie Edgar by Decision (Unanimous)

Welterweight Fight- Jon Fitch (17-2) vs. Luigi Fioravanti (11-1)- UFC 68- 3/3/07

R1- Fitch gets a take down about a minute and a half into the fight. Fitch takes his back but then gets rolled back over and is in Luigi’s guard. Fitch doesn’t really inflict much damage and they get back to their feet. Luigi got some points towards the end of the round with some punches but Fitch took this round 10-9. Not overly exciting, but that’s Jon Fitch. He’s America’s version of Shinya Aoki.

R2- Fitch gets a slam with about one and a half minutes gone in the round- Luigi grabbed onto the top of the cage to prevent being slammed hard. Fitch takes Luigi’s back gets a choke clamped in and gets the tap out victory.

Winner: Jon Fitch by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)

UFC 82 Show Re-Cap/Thoughts

UFC 82

Pre-Show

John Halverson vs Jorge Gurgel

This one looks like a pretty even match-up through the first couple of minutes as they are exchanging on their feet. Halverson attacks about 3 minutes into the cage with a flurry of punches and then ties up Gurgel against the cage. Halverson’s got him in a guillotine but Gurgel gets out pretty quickly and is now on top in guard position. Really close first round. Gurgel finished strong in guard and got in a couple of good punches.

R2- An early low blow slows this one down as they break for recovery time. Halverson goes for a guillotine and then another submission but Gurgel ends up on top in guard and is starting to get in some good punches as he has Halverson up against the cage. Gorges getting in a lot of punches and is looking to finish Halverson. Halverson hangs on. Gurgel passes to side control with a minute and a half left in the round. He is now in basically a north/south position and is going for an arm submission. Now he’s going for an arm bar but Halverson slips out and is on top in guard and is throwing some punches. This round goes to Gurgel but Halverson showed a lot of guts in staying alive in the round and then getting in some offense at the end of the round.

R3- Halverson is the aggressor early and he hits some punches and backs Gurgel into the cage. They go to the mat and then back to their feet with Halverson again landing some punches. They are really going back and forth in the middle of the ring and then Gurgel takes him down with half the round left. Gurgel again laying in punches from the guard position. Gurgel hitting some elbows. The ref ends up standing them up with a minute left. Halverson is swining for the fences to get the win but Gurgel wraps him up.

Overall, this was a pretty decent fight. Gurgel gets the win via decision 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. Good decision IMO. Halverson fought a good fight but Gurgel just controlled the fight more and clearly dominated Round 2.

Welterweight- Dustin Hazelett (12-3) vs Josh Koscheck (11-2)

Haslett takes it right to Koscheck at the beginning and back him up to the cage and then Koscheck comes back after him in an exciting exchange to start the fight. Koscheck looking good early and is throwing a lot of punches and looking to be the aggressor but then Hazelett comes back and gets dsome good attempts in. Koscheck comes at him and pins him up against the cage. Hazelett goes for the guillotine and looks like he might be able to finish here but Koscheck gets out of it. Hazelett throws a big knee. Koscheck with a good combo. Koscheck takes him down but Hazelett goes for the triangle with 20 seconds left as the round ends. Really good first round with both guys looking real good. This was really even IMO, not sure who really won the fight. If I had to choose I would pick Koscheck because even though he ended the round at a disadvantage he had the most control of the fight throughout and seemed to me to get in more shots on his opponent and also got the only takedown of the round. Really close round, really a toss up.

Round 2- They are fighting for while pretty evenly but then Koscheck hits a real nice head kick and quickly follows it up with some punches and the ref stops the fight. Really nice finish from Koscheck who has really improved his stand up game since the Ultimate Fighter Season 1.

Welterweight- David Bielkheden (12-5) vs Diego Sanchez (19-2)

Sanchez quickly takes David down and gets in a couple of shots. He’s really working trying to get in position on top to do damage or to pass. Diego is getting in a couple of shots and is really in control early. Diego gets side control and hits some short elbows and is looking for a kimura. Diego moves into full mount and finally starts to get in some good shots on David and then just starts laying it in and gets the win via opponent tap. Diego just controlled this match and won decisively. Real good showing for Diego.

Heavyweight- Andrei Arlovski (13-5) vs Jake O’Brien (10-0)

Don’t know much about O’Brien except that he is undefeated. Arlovski has got to be the favorite here and he gets a real good reaction from the fans at introduction. Jake shoots in quick for the takedown but Arlovski holds him up and grabs a guillotine type hold but it’s not cinched in. They stand up and O’Brien shoots again but Arlovski keeps him at bay and grabs him again. They stand up again and O’Brien shoots again and again gets denied. Arlovski grabs him again but isn’t doing any damage. O’Brien finally takes him down on a 4th try. O’Brien is on top in the guard but not much is happening. Arlovski is actually getting in more clean shots from the bottom than O’Brien is from the top. First Round goes to Arlovski based on cage control, denying the takedowns and doing more damage. O’Brien has a cut on the top of his head.

Round 2- O’Brien shoots in quickly but again is denied. And then again. And again. And again. It happens again but O’Brien fights through and gets on top. Not much happening in this round. They are standing up and Arlovski has him in a bear hug and goes down on top of O’Brien and starts to pepper him with punches. Ref calls the fight.

Pretty boring fight until Arlovski got on top in Round 2 and ended it quickly.

Main Card:

Welterweight- Jon Fitch (20-2-1)vs Chris Wilson (12-3-1)

They feel each other out and then Wilson grabs a brief clinch but Fitch gets out. Wilson went for a punch and got pushed into the cage but they are back in the center now. Fitch with a couple of jabs and sprinkling in kicks. Wilson whiffs on a punch and Fitch grabs him but Wilson battles out and catches him with a punch. Wilson is hitting some strikes now but Fitch grabs him and is trying to take him down. Fitch finally gets Wilson off his feet. Fitch does nothing on the ground so the ref stands them up. They are exchanging some soft strikes. Fitch takes him down off of a kick and is in full guard on top of Wilson. Fitch is laying in some punches, Wilson trying to get some elbows from the top and the round ends. Pretty even round. I think Wilson got more on their feet but Fitch got two takedowns so I'll give him the round due to Wilson not really getting much damage despite getting in more shots.

"The most boring aspect of Mixed Martial Arts is still more exciting then the best part of baseball"- Joe Rogan

R2- Fitch goes for a quick takedown by grabbing the leg but Wilson squirms out. Wilson misses an uppercut and Fitch goes for another takedown and eventually gets it. He's in half guard now on top of Wilson and moves to full guard. Fitch is switching between half and full guard and hitting some body punches. Fitch gets side control and starts to hit some elbows to the side of the head and then follows with some punches. Fitch gets in the mount position with 1:20 left in the round but Wilson gets him into half guard. Fitch is getting some punches and elbows in, nothing that's going to end the fight but they will take their toll. They scramble but Fitch stays on top. Nothing exciting about this round but Fitch controlled it and is winning the fight 20-18 in my book.

R3- Not much going on here in round 3. Fitch finally hits a combo about a minute in. Wilson gets in a couple of shots after another Fitch combo. Fitch with another punch. Fitch is winning the exchanges in this round. Crowd is lightly booing. Fitch takes down Wilson again and is on top. Fitch throwing some punches down on Wilson, who is pinned against the cage. Wilson is going for a triangle with about 20 seconds left and apparently has it but Fitch holds on. Fitch wins this round also as he just dominated the entire round but the last 20 seconds.

I think Fitch wins this in very un-exciting fashion 30-27. Fitch is a good fighter and really controlled this one but he just has no flair which is a big selling point for the fighters in UFC.

Decision: Jon Fitch by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Middleweight- Yushin Okami (22-4) vs. Evan Tanner (34-6)

Tanner seems to be the aggressor early but no clear advantage. Okami sticks him with a punch and Tanner goes down and Okami jumps on him but can’t finish and Tanner takes him down and they quickly go back to their feet. Good recovery from Tanner. Okami trying to get some knees in. Not a real exciting first round. I felt that Tanner controlled the fight but Okami got the only knockdown of the first down.

R2- Okami with some nice kicks in the first minute. Okami seems to be taking over this fight here in the second round. Tanner backs him into the cage. Okami destroys Tanner with a knee and gets the win. Not an overly exciting fight but Okami looked really good and in control in Round 2 and hit an impressive finish.

Winner: Yushin Okami via KO Round 2 (3:00)

Big Dave Batista is in the house.

Middleweight- Chris Leben (17-4) vs. Alessio Sakara (16-6-1)

Both guys swinging pretty freely early. Leben seems to be moving forward and in slight control. They are still throwing pretty good at one another with no one with a clear advantage. Leben continues to move forward on Sakara as they exchange. Sakara gets in a couple of good shots but then eats a knee. Leben with a nice inside leg kick and then body kick. They tie up on the cage but then release. Leben gets in some punches and Sakara is rocked on the cage and Leben is on top of him landing punches and the ref stops the fight. Leben has Sakara's blood on him and is the victor. Leben got in some good punches and then rocked Sakara with 2 punches and then got on top and started punching and the ref stopped the fight.

"There's the left hook that put him on queer street"- Joe Rogan

Winner: Chris Leben via TKO Round 1 (3:16)

Heavyweight- Heath Herring (27-13-1) vs. Cheick Kongo (21-3-1)

Herring comes right out and just nails Kongo and he goes down quickly. Herring has him up against the fence but Kongo reverses and takes Herring down. Herring has a kimura but Kongo slips out and lands some shots on the back of Herring. They are now mixing it up on their feet and Kongo takes him down again. Herring reverses and they sprawl a bit. Herring stays on top as he corners Kongo on the cage but Kongo gets to his feet. Herring has him in a guillotine type hold. Kongo using his knees to try and get out. Kongo takes him down again and is in full mount against the cage. Kongo hitting some punches to the side of Herring. Herring rolls over on top but Kongo gets back to his feet and Herring has him up against the cage. Herring tries to take him down but Kongo rolls over and is landing punches. Kongo in a dominant position now but not doing much with it. This was a good first round. Pretty close, I'm going to give it to Kongo due to him seemingly controlling the majority of takedowns and he landed more damage in the round.

R2- Herring again looks to come out quick but Kongo is quickly on top and throwing punches. Kongo is in half guard on top and working some punches into the side of Herring. Herring hits an upkick. Ref stands them up. Herring charges at Kongo and they are up against the cage now. Kongo picks him up and dumps him down and Herring is giving up his back but Kongo doesn't attack it as he hasn't when he's had the opportunity. Kongo finally rolls over and attempts to take his back. Gets in a couple of shots. Herring rolls over and is in a North/South position and is landing punches to Kongo's body. Herring moves to side control. He lands some knees. More knees by Herring. Herring continues to hit knees as the round ends. This round goes to Herring as Kongo dominated early but didn't do much damage and Herring just dominated the last minute and a half and hit a bunch of big knees to Kongo's body. I've got it 19-19 going into Round 2.

R3- Herring goes right at Kongo and lands a big kick but Kongo lands on top and hits a couple of punches and now has Herring's back. Kongo tried for a choke but Herring rolled out and they are on their feet. They wrestle and Kongo gets him down and again has his back. Herring rolls over and is on top. Herring in side control and is landing some punches. Herring lands a knee and is now hitting some knees. Herring with some punches to the body. Herring now in full mount and is laying in some body punches until the round ends.

This is the second time I watched this fight. The first time I though Kongo won but watching it again I give Kongo the first round and Herring the last two as he inflicted more damage in those rounds and ended both rounds in a dominant position. My pick is Herring 29-28 in a close one but not one that I would necessarily like to see a re-match for.

Decision: Heath Herring by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Middleweight Championship- Anderson Silva (c) (20-4) vs Dan Henderson (22-6)

Feeling out process in the early going. Henderson finally goes in after about a minute and we start to see some action now. Silva throwing some kicks now but not doing damage with them. Henderson grabs Silva and takes him down. Silva grabs a headlock and Henderson isn't doing anything on top. Henderson starting to get in a couple of punches but Silva still has him in a headlock which is limiting the damage that can be inflicted. Henderson has side control with 30 seconds left but Silva spins out and Henderson is now in full guard. Round One comes to an end with what seems to be little damage inflicted by either fighter. Henderson wins the round due to cage control and his take down. 10-9 Henderson.

R2- They are trading some jabs and kicks early. Sliva starting to get some kicks in. Silva takes down Henderson. They are up and against the fence. Henderson is controlling Silva against the cage in a greco clinch. Henderson with a knee. They trade some punches and Silva is dominating with punches and gets on top. Nails an elbow, Henderson grabs Silva and is trying to get out. Silva has half guard. Silva has his back and is throwing punches. Silva is delivering punches and has him in a body triangle. Silva throwing punches. Silva trying to flatten out Henderson but they roll over and Silva's got the rear naked choke clamped on and Henderson taps.

Good fight. Silva really dominated the second round

Winner and still champ: Anderson Silva via tapout from Rear Naked Choke Round 2 4:52