UFC Fight Night 21
Bojangles Arena
Charlotte, North Carolina
March 31, 2010
Big fight tonight between the UFC’s #2 Lightweight Fighter Kenny Florian and Japanese legend Takanori Gomi. Gomi’s best days are behind him but if he can beat Florian tonight it will provide a huge boost for the UFC’s Lightweight division as Florian is currently clearly the #1 challenger to BJ Penn but has already lost to him.
Lightweight Fight- Ross Pearson (12-3) vs. Denis Siver (15-6)
You should know, but if you don’t Ross Pearson was the Lightweight winner of TUF 9. Siver is a German kick boxer who has 3 straight wins. Should be fun.
R1- A Pearson strike cut Siver under his eye. Pearson looks good so far and landed a good left that hurt Siver but Siver did a good job shaking off the strike. Pearson unloaded with a left kick to the face. Pearson took Siver’s back with a minute left in the round. Siver is bleeding on the God of War III logo. Pearson briefly took full mount and Siver started to really bleed but Siver got back to his feet and landed some strikes. Great first round with Pearson taking it 10-9.
R2- Siver went for a spinning back kick but Pearson was able to back off and deflect most of the kick. Pearson responded with a flying knee that looked like it partially connected. Siver got a take down with two minutes left in the round but Pearson slipped out when Siver tried to take his back. Siver looks to be running out of steam a bit towards the end of the round. This was a close round but I gave it to Pearson as it looked to me like he landed more strikes. Pearson 20-18.
R3- Pearson hit a good right but left himself open and Siver got a take down but couldn’t do anything with it. Pearson took Siver’s back and took him down and mounted but Siver slipped out without sustaining any damage. Another fairly close round but I’ve got Pearson taking this fight 30-27. Good opening fight.
Judges score cards: 30-27 on all score cards
Winner: Ross Pearson by Decision (Unanimous)
Mike Goldberg interviews BJ Penn via satellite about his upcoming title defense against Frankie Edgar.
Former WWE wrestler Jeff Hardy is in the house for the show tonight.
Middleweight Fight- Nate Quarry (18-3) vs. Jorge Rivera (17-7)
Rivera is on a two fight win streak and Quarry has won 4 of his last 5. These guys should stand up and bang so this should be fun. It will be the anti-Jon Fitch fight. Both of these guys are TUF alum. Quarry won on the inaugural season of TUF and Rivera was on the Comeback season.
R1- Rivera hit a couple of good clean right hands that Quarry absorbed. Rivera’s fist are finding a home on Quarry’s face. Rivera landed a good right that floored Quarry. Quarry got up and answered with an elbow. Rivera had Quarry up against the cage and landed some shots and Quarry dropped down to try and clinch. Quarry’s nose got busted open. Rivera landed some more good shots up against the cage. Quarry to his knees but was fighting hard to stay in the fight. Quarry barely survived the round. Rivera 10-9.
R2- Quarry came out to fight in this round but Rivera landed some solid shows and dropped Quarry and then jumped on top and finished. Another good fight. Quarry just left too many openings and Rivera did a great job capitalizing.
Winner: Jorge Rivera by TKO (Strikes) R2 0:29
Joe Rogan and Dana White shoot the shit about the debut episode of TUF. Dana says there are “great fights this season”. Rogan floats out there that he’s hearing rumors of lots of crazy stuff happening on this season and Dana confirms this but doesn’t give any details.
Lightweight Fight- Caol Uno vs. Gleison Tibau
This is from the pre-show.
R1- Tibau hit a good left early that pushed Uno back to the cage. Tibau blocked a kick and took Uno down and then stood up with Uno and tried to take his back but Uno got separated. Tibau hit a couple of good strikes and Uno went down and Tibau tried to finish but Uno recovered. Tibau landed a big right to the side of Uno’s head from behind. Tibau landed some good strikes and then flattened Uno out and landed strikes to the side of the head and the ref stepped in and stopped the fight. Really good win for Tibau.
Winner: Gleison Tibau by TKO (Strikes) R1
Heavyweight Fight- Roy Nelson (15-4) vs. Stefan Struve (23-3)
Nelson was the Heavyweight winner of TUF 9. Struve has a huge 11″ height advantage (yes that’s not a typo) and a 10″ reach advantage. Nelson has a 15 pound weight advantage. The game plan for Nelson should be to take down Struve and smother him with his belly. Struve is only 22. Nelson comes to the ring to Weird Al’s classic tune “I’m Fat”. While Bruce Buffer is introducing Stefan Struve the lights go out and cut off Buffer in mid intro and the camera cuts to KenFlo in the locker room and they take a break to get the lights turned back on. Nelson is introduced as a “Kung Fu” fighter.
R1- Wow the height difference in this fight is amazing. Nelson landed a big time right hand that rocked Struve, buckled his legs and brought him to the mat. Nelson jumped on top with Ground and Pound and the ref stopped the fight. Big time showing for Nelson. Dana must have told Nelson to finish up quick so they didn’t run over due to the blackout.
“That guy gets his ass into those punches…There is a lot of muscle behind all that fat.”- Joe Rogan
Winner: Roy Nelson by TKO (Strikes) R1 0:39
Lightweight Fight- Kenny Florian (14-4) vs. Takanori Gomi (31-5)
Gomi was 13-1 from 2004-2007 and was the last Pride Lightweight Champion. Gomi is a power puncher with knockout capability. Florian was a finalist from Season 1 of TUF. He has 10 wins in the UFC and is 10-2 since losing to Diego Sanchez at the TUF finale. Florian has won 7 of his last 8 fights and has finished 6 of those fight. The one loss was to BJ Penn. He had a big win over Clay Guida in his last outing. If Gomi can win this then he probably catapults to the top of the contenders list since Gray Maynard seems to be waiting for BJ Penn to lose. Florian has a 2″ height and 4″ reach advantage.
R1- Florian scored with some jabs and then a straight left after about a two minute feeling out process. Florian is finding a home for his jab. Florian really has Gomi back on his heels. Gomi went for a take down but got stuffed. Florian looks really good early. Florian 10-9.
R2- Florian is still working the jab effectively. Gomi is starting to land some strikes in the middle of this round. This was a much closer round. Tough round to score but it probably went to Florian for landing more strikes.
R3- Gomi hit a good left about a minute in but Florian absorbed it and got an immediate take down. Florian landed some strikes to the side. Florian looked like he was going for an arm triangle but instead took mounted and started landing some good punches and Gomi gave up his back. Florian clamped in a Rear Naked Choke and Gomi tapped out. Great showing by Florian on the ground as he just dominated Gomi once the fight went to the ground.
Winner: Kenny Florian by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3 2:52
Showing posts with label MMA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MMA. Show all posts
Sunday, April 04, 2010
King of the Cage: Legacy 3/26/2010 Re-Cap
King of the Cage: Legacy
Silver Legacy Casino Resort
Reno, Nevada
March 26, 2010
HDNet
This is the 2nd King of the Cage show on HDNet (the first was called Vengeance and was Feb 2nd). On this show Tony Lopez defends his Heavyweight Title against Tony Johnson. In the Main Event Mike Kyle will fight Jon Murphy of Bully Beatdown fame. The announcers for the show are “The Voice” Michael Schiavello and Jason “Mayhem” Miller. Former WWE diva and former CM Punk girlfriend Maria Kanellis is the backstage interviewer for the show.
Welterweight Title Fight- Quinn Mulhern (10-1) vs. Koffi Adzitso (11-4)
On the last KOTC show on HDNet Mulhern beat UFC vet Rich Clementi by TKO in the 2nd round. Mulhern has a 5″ height and 4″ reach advantage. Mulhern has won 4 of his last 5 with his last win coming on March 6th. Koffi is 3-2 in his last 5 fights and is on a 2 fight losing streak. In his last fight he lost to Kyacey Uscola who is on the version of The Ultimate Fighter. Not sure why someone with back-to-back losses is fighting for a title.
R1- Koffi’s stand-up looks pretty good early and he opened a cut over the eye brow of Mulhern. Koffi is landing some good strikes. Mulhern went for a double leg but Koffi ended up on top. Mulhern has strong jiu jitsu so this is where he wants the fight. Mulhern got him in a triangle but Koffi slipped out. Mulhern got him in another triangle but Koffi slipped out again. Koffi grabbed a omaplata and cranked back on Koffi’s shoulder and was just cranking back on his arm when the bell rung. Mulhern won this round with his submissions after the fight got to the ground.
R2- Mulhern went for an immediate take down and got it within the first minute of the round. Mulhern landed some strikes and then took Koffi’s back. Mulhern tapped Koffi out with a Rear Naked Choke.
“Give Mulhern your back and he’ll put you to sleep quicker than watching golf”- Michael Schiavello
Winner and new Welterweight Champion: Quinn Mulhern by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2
Heavyweight Fight- Nick Gaston (3-0) vs. Mike Guidry (2-0)
Gaston is a boxer and skilled stand up fighter. His nickname is “Afrozilla”. Guidry has finished both of his pro fights (one by TKO and one by submission). Gaston has a 2.5″ reach and 4″ height advantage and also out weighs Guidry by 15 pounds.
R1- Guidry moving forward early and is the agressor. Lots of clinching and Gaston controlled Guidry with the Muay Thai clinch for a while. Gaston nailed some good strikes. Guidry has a horrible tank top suntan line. Gaston got a take down with two minutes left in the round. Guidry has been cut open. Gaston landed some good strikes on the ground. Gaston went for a kimura at the end of the round and got the tapout a few seconds before the end of the round.
“He leans forward with 250 pounds of Columus beef on top of that arm pressing down on Mike Guidry”- Michael Schiavello
Winner: Nick Gaston by Submission (Kimura) R1 4:49
Middleweight Fight- Tim Means (8-2) vs. Jaime Jara (25-7)
Jara is a 41 year old fighter who has held 5 titles in 4 different weight classes. Means is on a 6 fight win streak and won his last fight in less than a minute. One of the two losses on Means record is to UFC fighter Spencer Fisher and the other one came in 2004. Jara is on a 4 fight win streak.
R1- Jara got a quick take down in the first thirty seconds of the fight. Jara tried to mount and Means got back to his feet. Jara landed a good left hand that rocked Means and then he grabbed a guillotine and got the submission. Good showing for Jara.
Winner: Jaime Jara by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 2:19
Heavyweight Title Fight- Tony Lopez (c) (18-2) vs. Tony Johnson (3-0)
Lopez has defended this belt 4 times and is on a 16 fight win streak. He fought on the last HDNet KOTC card and beat Tyler East by Triangle Choke submission in the first round. Johnson is a former amateur wrestler at Iowa State and pro football player. Lopez has a 4″ height and 6″ reach advantage but Johnson has a huge 39 pound weight advantage. Lopez is the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Champion for King of the Cage. Strange that he isn’t Main Eventing since he’s a two-division champion. Johnson trains with American Top Team.
R1- Johnson got an early take down and then starting throwing a punch of strikes as Lopez tried to defend. Johnson landed 19 strikes in the first minute according to CompuStrike. Lopez stood up and tried to grab a submission but Johnson picked Lopez up over his head and slammed him to the ground in a tremendous feat of strength. Lopez stood up and went for a kimura but Johnson got a double leg and took him back down. Lopez went for an arm bar and Johnson tried to slam out of it and finally Lopez let go. Johnson clearly took this round. I’ve got it 10-9, if Lopez didn’t get some submission attempts it would have been 10-8.
R2- Johnson got a quick take down to start the round. Johnson stayed on top throughout the round. Lopez went for a triangle with about a minute and a half left in the round but Johnson slipped out. Johnson 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Johnson got a take down in the first minute of the fight. Lopez tried to get up but Johnson grabbed a guillotine. Lopez pulled his head out and Johnson landed a strike or two and then took him back down. Johnson 30-27 after three rounds.
R4- Johnson got a take down with about four minutes left in the fight. Not an exciting fight right now as Johnson is just grinding it out. Mazzagatti stood the fight up with a minute and a half left. Johnson is winning 40-36 with one round left.
R5- Johnson got a take down/slam in the first thirty seconds of the round. Johnson is just grinding out this round. Lopez tries to grab a couple of arm bars in this round. Lopez almost got it in the last ten seconds of the fight but Johnson finally broke his arm out of the submission. Johnson is clearly going to take this fight on the score cards. Johnson ended up with 131 strikes to 29 for Lopez and 8 take downs for Johnson.
All the judges scored the fight the same but the scores were not announced.
Winner and new KOTC Heavyweight Champion: Tony Johnson by Decision (Unanimous)
Welterweight Fight- Dustin Akbari (4-1) vs. Jack Montgomery (7-7)
Urijah Faber is in Dustin’s corner and is taking pictures of him and probably tweeting them out as he enters the ring. This is a “swing” fight so it’s being shown due to them having time on the broadcast.
R1- Dustin got a quick take down. Dustin tried to hit some leg locks and then took his back and threw some strikes and knocked Montgomery out.
Winner: Dustin Akbari by KO R1 2:30
Maria grabs Urijah outside the cage. Urijah says he’s been training with him since he’s been 15 (he’s now 22). Urijah said it was supposed to be a 155lb fight but his opponent came in heavy and they took the fight at Welterweight.
Heavyweight Fight- Mike Kyle (16-7-1) vs. Jon Murphy (5-3)
Kyle fought on the last KOTC HDNet show and he knocked Travis Wiuff right at the bell in the 2nd round. Kyle trains at the American Kickboxing Academy and trained on stand up last week with Andre Arlovski. Kyle is 4-1 in his last five fights with his only loss coming to borderline Top 10 Heavyweight Fabricio Werdum and with a win over up and comer Rafael Cavalcante. Kyle has a 3″ reach advantage but is giving up 49 pounds to Murphy as Kyle comes in at only 211 pounds for the fight. Kyle has a 71% KO ratio.
R1- Kyle got a take down in the first twenty seconds of the fight. Kyle landed a bunch of strikes and tried to take the back but couldn’t and they stood back up. With two minutes left in the round Kyle had landed 41 strikes to 2 for Murphy. Murphy threw some big strikes and Kyle used his speed to get away and get a brief take down. Murphy grabbed a guillotine choke and Kyle took him down but Murphy rolled over and took Kyle’s guard with thirty seconds left in the round. Kyle 10-9.
R2- Murphy grabbed a guillotine and pulled guard but Kyle quickly popped his head out and scored an elbow. Kyle landed some more good elbows. The fight is stood back up and Kyle hits a judo throw and Murphy rolled over on top of Kyle. So far this round Kyle has 30 strikes to Murphy’s 2. Murphy landed a couple of good strikes from the top but Kyle worked actively from the bottom. Kyle was able to flip Murphy over and take top position. Kyle lands some good elbows and strikes as he had Murphy pinned in a crucifix position and kept pounding him and the ref stepped in and stopped the fight. Good showing for Kyle. Kyle landed 115 strikes to Murphy’s 17.
Winner: Mike Kyle by TKO (Strikes) R2 4:53
Silver Legacy Casino Resort
Reno, Nevada
March 26, 2010
HDNet
This is the 2nd King of the Cage show on HDNet (the first was called Vengeance and was Feb 2nd). On this show Tony Lopez defends his Heavyweight Title against Tony Johnson. In the Main Event Mike Kyle will fight Jon Murphy of Bully Beatdown fame. The announcers for the show are “The Voice” Michael Schiavello and Jason “Mayhem” Miller. Former WWE diva and former CM Punk girlfriend Maria Kanellis is the backstage interviewer for the show.
Welterweight Title Fight- Quinn Mulhern (10-1) vs. Koffi Adzitso (11-4)
On the last KOTC show on HDNet Mulhern beat UFC vet Rich Clementi by TKO in the 2nd round. Mulhern has a 5″ height and 4″ reach advantage. Mulhern has won 4 of his last 5 with his last win coming on March 6th. Koffi is 3-2 in his last 5 fights and is on a 2 fight losing streak. In his last fight he lost to Kyacey Uscola who is on the version of The Ultimate Fighter. Not sure why someone with back-to-back losses is fighting for a title.
R1- Koffi’s stand-up looks pretty good early and he opened a cut over the eye brow of Mulhern. Koffi is landing some good strikes. Mulhern went for a double leg but Koffi ended up on top. Mulhern has strong jiu jitsu so this is where he wants the fight. Mulhern got him in a triangle but Koffi slipped out. Mulhern got him in another triangle but Koffi slipped out again. Koffi grabbed a omaplata and cranked back on Koffi’s shoulder and was just cranking back on his arm when the bell rung. Mulhern won this round with his submissions after the fight got to the ground.
R2- Mulhern went for an immediate take down and got it within the first minute of the round. Mulhern landed some strikes and then took Koffi’s back. Mulhern tapped Koffi out with a Rear Naked Choke.
“Give Mulhern your back and he’ll put you to sleep quicker than watching golf”- Michael Schiavello
Winner and new Welterweight Champion: Quinn Mulhern by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2
Heavyweight Fight- Nick Gaston (3-0) vs. Mike Guidry (2-0)
Gaston is a boxer and skilled stand up fighter. His nickname is “Afrozilla”. Guidry has finished both of his pro fights (one by TKO and one by submission). Gaston has a 2.5″ reach and 4″ height advantage and also out weighs Guidry by 15 pounds.
R1- Guidry moving forward early and is the agressor. Lots of clinching and Gaston controlled Guidry with the Muay Thai clinch for a while. Gaston nailed some good strikes. Guidry has a horrible tank top suntan line. Gaston got a take down with two minutes left in the round. Guidry has been cut open. Gaston landed some good strikes on the ground. Gaston went for a kimura at the end of the round and got the tapout a few seconds before the end of the round.
“He leans forward with 250 pounds of Columus beef on top of that arm pressing down on Mike Guidry”- Michael Schiavello
Winner: Nick Gaston by Submission (Kimura) R1 4:49
Middleweight Fight- Tim Means (8-2) vs. Jaime Jara (25-7)
Jara is a 41 year old fighter who has held 5 titles in 4 different weight classes. Means is on a 6 fight win streak and won his last fight in less than a minute. One of the two losses on Means record is to UFC fighter Spencer Fisher and the other one came in 2004. Jara is on a 4 fight win streak.
R1- Jara got a quick take down in the first thirty seconds of the fight. Jara tried to mount and Means got back to his feet. Jara landed a good left hand that rocked Means and then he grabbed a guillotine and got the submission. Good showing for Jara.
Winner: Jaime Jara by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 2:19
Heavyweight Title Fight- Tony Lopez (c) (18-2) vs. Tony Johnson (3-0)
Lopez has defended this belt 4 times and is on a 16 fight win streak. He fought on the last HDNet KOTC card and beat Tyler East by Triangle Choke submission in the first round. Johnson is a former amateur wrestler at Iowa State and pro football player. Lopez has a 4″ height and 6″ reach advantage but Johnson has a huge 39 pound weight advantage. Lopez is the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Champion for King of the Cage. Strange that he isn’t Main Eventing since he’s a two-division champion. Johnson trains with American Top Team.
R1- Johnson got an early take down and then starting throwing a punch of strikes as Lopez tried to defend. Johnson landed 19 strikes in the first minute according to CompuStrike. Lopez stood up and tried to grab a submission but Johnson picked Lopez up over his head and slammed him to the ground in a tremendous feat of strength. Lopez stood up and went for a kimura but Johnson got a double leg and took him back down. Lopez went for an arm bar and Johnson tried to slam out of it and finally Lopez let go. Johnson clearly took this round. I’ve got it 10-9, if Lopez didn’t get some submission attempts it would have been 10-8.
R2- Johnson got a quick take down to start the round. Johnson stayed on top throughout the round. Lopez went for a triangle with about a minute and a half left in the round but Johnson slipped out. Johnson 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Johnson got a take down in the first minute of the fight. Lopez tried to get up but Johnson grabbed a guillotine. Lopez pulled his head out and Johnson landed a strike or two and then took him back down. Johnson 30-27 after three rounds.
R4- Johnson got a take down with about four minutes left in the fight. Not an exciting fight right now as Johnson is just grinding it out. Mazzagatti stood the fight up with a minute and a half left. Johnson is winning 40-36 with one round left.
R5- Johnson got a take down/slam in the first thirty seconds of the round. Johnson is just grinding out this round. Lopez tries to grab a couple of arm bars in this round. Lopez almost got it in the last ten seconds of the fight but Johnson finally broke his arm out of the submission. Johnson is clearly going to take this fight on the score cards. Johnson ended up with 131 strikes to 29 for Lopez and 8 take downs for Johnson.
All the judges scored the fight the same but the scores were not announced.
Winner and new KOTC Heavyweight Champion: Tony Johnson by Decision (Unanimous)
Welterweight Fight- Dustin Akbari (4-1) vs. Jack Montgomery (7-7)
Urijah Faber is in Dustin’s corner and is taking pictures of him and probably tweeting them out as he enters the ring. This is a “swing” fight so it’s being shown due to them having time on the broadcast.
R1- Dustin got a quick take down. Dustin tried to hit some leg locks and then took his back and threw some strikes and knocked Montgomery out.
Winner: Dustin Akbari by KO R1 2:30
Maria grabs Urijah outside the cage. Urijah says he’s been training with him since he’s been 15 (he’s now 22). Urijah said it was supposed to be a 155lb fight but his opponent came in heavy and they took the fight at Welterweight.
Heavyweight Fight- Mike Kyle (16-7-1) vs. Jon Murphy (5-3)
Kyle fought on the last KOTC HDNet show and he knocked Travis Wiuff right at the bell in the 2nd round. Kyle trains at the American Kickboxing Academy and trained on stand up last week with Andre Arlovski. Kyle is 4-1 in his last five fights with his only loss coming to borderline Top 10 Heavyweight Fabricio Werdum and with a win over up and comer Rafael Cavalcante. Kyle has a 3″ reach advantage but is giving up 49 pounds to Murphy as Kyle comes in at only 211 pounds for the fight. Kyle has a 71% KO ratio.
R1- Kyle got a take down in the first twenty seconds of the fight. Kyle landed a bunch of strikes and tried to take the back but couldn’t and they stood back up. With two minutes left in the round Kyle had landed 41 strikes to 2 for Murphy. Murphy threw some big strikes and Kyle used his speed to get away and get a brief take down. Murphy grabbed a guillotine choke and Kyle took him down but Murphy rolled over and took Kyle’s guard with thirty seconds left in the round. Kyle 10-9.
R2- Murphy grabbed a guillotine and pulled guard but Kyle quickly popped his head out and scored an elbow. Kyle landed some more good elbows. The fight is stood back up and Kyle hits a judo throw and Murphy rolled over on top of Kyle. So far this round Kyle has 30 strikes to Murphy’s 2. Murphy landed a couple of good strikes from the top but Kyle worked actively from the bottom. Kyle was able to flip Murphy over and take top position. Kyle lands some good elbows and strikes as he had Murphy pinned in a crucifix position and kept pounding him and the ref stepped in and stopped the fight. Good showing for Kyle. Kyle landed 115 strikes to Murphy’s 17.
Winner: Mike Kyle by TKO (Strikes) R2 4:53
XFC X: Night of Champions 3/19/2010 Re-Cap
XFC X: Night of Champions
Tampa, Florida
St. Pete Times Forum
March 19, 2010
HDNet
Time to take care of some of my MMA backlog on my DVR. This show will feature 2 title fights. Former UFC fighter Junior Assuncao (Raphael’s brother) will be in action on this show, as will former TUF fighter Shane Primm. Michael Schiavello and Guy Mezger are the announcers for the show. Christopher James is the ring announcer.
Heavyweight Fight- Kenneth Garner (2-1) vs. Chris Barnett (2-0)
Garner has a 2″ reach and 4″ height advantage. Barnett is 12 years younger than Garner and weighs in 7 pounds heavier than Garner for this fight.
R1- Garner got a quick take down and took Barnett’s back and clamped on a choke. Barnett got back to his feet and struggled to get out of the choke and finally broke free but Garner still took top position. Garner landed some really weak strikes on the ground and Barnett got back to his feet and then got a take down. Barnett trapped Garner in a crucifix position against the cage and landed some good strikes. Garner gave up his back and Barnett rained down some good blows to the side of the head. Garner tried for a toe hold but didn’t have good position. Really close round. Garner almost finished the fight with a choke early and Barnett came close to finishing it with some Ground and Pound late.
R2- Barnett picked Garner up for a good slam one minute into the round. Barnett took Garner’s back and landed some strikes to the side of Garner’s head and then rolled him over to north south position and landed some body shots. Garner looks completely gassed out. Barnett landed some body strikes. Barnett mounted Garner with a minute and a half left in the round but couldn’t take advantage of the position. Garner’s eye is swollen shut and the ref stops the fight to look at the eye and then they continue. Barnett definitely took this round and it was a borderline 10-8 round.
R3- Barnett got a quick take down. Barnett landed a couple of strikes and Garner wasn’t defending himself so the ref stopped the fight.
Winner: Chris Barnett by TKO (Strikes) R3 1:36
Featherweight Fight- Derek Schiffer (2-1) vs. Bruce Connors (7-1)
Connors trains with Team Gracie in Orlando. Connors is 4-1 in his last 5 fights. Schiffer is a wrestler/jiu jitsu fighter. Bruce Connors lists the disciplines of BJJ, boxing and Muay Thai as his fight style but more importantly he is a CondomDepot.com fighter. The CondomDepot logo is really the only way I can tell these guys apart because they are wearing the same trunks. Schiffer cut a lot of weight for this fight.
R1- Schiffer got a take down with two minutes left to go in the round but couldn’t do anything with it.Schiffer picked up Connors with a minute left in the fight and slammed him down. Connors grabbed a head lock on the way down and then tried to turn it into a guillotine but couldn’t. Schiffer 10-9 even though he didn’t do any damage. Schiffer got 2 take downs and Connors landed 8 strikes to Schiffer’s 2. Really close round. Schiavello and Metzger score 10-9 in favor of Connors.
R2- Connors landed a couple of nice strikes in the opening minute. Connors landed another good combo and then grabbed a guillotine and pulled guard but Schiffer quickly got out of the submission and took top position. Connors got back to his feet mid-way through the round. Connors landed a good punch/kick combo. Connors is really starting to pick Schiffer apart. I missed it but Schiffer cut Connors under the eye and he has a trickle of blood flowing down his face. Connors took this round so I’ve got the fight 19-19. Both guys really slowed down at the end of that round.
R3- Schiffer got a big take down in the first minute of the round. Connors tried a choke from the bottom but couldn’t get it. Schiffer didn’t do anything from the top before they stood back up. Schiffer got another take down with about a minute left. Not much happened in this round. It is going to be interesting to see how this fight is scored as I can see an argument being made for Schiffer taking 1 and 3 but I thought Connors won the fight overall. Connors landed 33 strikes to 12 for Schiffer. Schiffer got 5 take downs to 0, Connors had 2 submission attempts to 0.
Judges score cards: 29-28, 29-28, 30-27
Winner: Bruce Connors by Decision (Unanimous)
Bantamweight Fight- Frank Sharipov (10-3) vs. Gilbert Burgos (5-0)
Burgos fights out of Team Gracie in Orlando and is a jiu jitsu and wrestling specialist. Sharipov is out of Team Gracie in Tampa and is a BJJ specialist. The winner of this fight fights for the title in July. Sharipov has won 4 of his last 5 fights.
R1- They clinched and Sharipov basically used a Fireman’s Carry to get Burgos to the ground. Sharipov stayed on top of Burgos for the rest of the round and took it 10-9.
R2- Sharipov got a take down a minute and a half into the round. Burgos tried to grab a guillotine but couldn’t clamp it in. Burgos tried to grab a triangle but couldn’t complete the submission. I’ve got Sharipov up 20-18.
R3- Burgos got a quick take down to start the round. Sharipov got an arm bar from the bottom and finished the fight.
Winner: Frank Sharipov by Submission (Arm Bar) 1:07
XFC Lightweight Title Fight- John Mahlow (c) (12-11) vs. Junior Assuncao (9-4)
Mahlow trains with American Top Team. Assuncao is on a 3 fight win streak and has won 4 of his last 5. Assuncao is a BJJ Black Belt. Mahlow has won 3 of his last 5 and is coming off of a decision loss to Rafaello Oliveira which I’m guessing was a non-title fight or not an XFC fight. Assuncao has a 2″ height and 3″ reach advantage.
R1- Assuncao hit a good leg kick to the knee and Mahlow buckled a bit and then Assuncao came in and landed some strikes. Mahlow went down and Assuncao landed some strikes but Mahlow clamped onto a leg to stay in the fight. Assuncao tried to take Mahlow’s back and there is blood dripping onto the mat. Mahlow has been cut open. They stood up on the cage and Assuncao grabbed a guillotine and pulled guard and Mahlow quickly tapped out. Solid showing by Assuncao.
Winner and new champion: Junior Assuncao by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 4:02
Middleweight Fight- Julio Gallegos (3-0) vs. Shane Primm (4-2)
Primm fights out of Team Gracie in Tampa and was a member of Team Nogueira on TUF Season 8. On TUF Primm was defeated by Eliot Marshall via Rear Naked Choke in the first round on Episode 5. Primm has won 3 of his last 5 fights including wins over TUF alums Tom Lawlor (by DQ) and Mike Dolce and losses to Krzysztof Soszynski and Luigi Fioravanti. Gallegos brings a 14 year old to the ring with him as a part of the “Make A Wish” foundation. Schiavello also tells us that Gallegos suffered a huge tragedy as a child watching his parents die from a murder/suicide. Primm has a 5″ height and 8″ reach advantage in this fight.
R1- Gallegos destroyed Primm early with some shots to the head. I thought Primm was going to do a Flair flop but he grabbed onto Gallegos for balance and then Gallegos threw some good uppercuts and Primm fell to the ground and the ref stopped the fight.Gallegos looked awesome. Primm contests the stoppage but Guy Metzger says it was a good stoppage.
Winner: Julio Gallegos by TKO (Strikes) R1 0:34
XFC Featherweight Title Fight- Jarrod Card (c) (11-3-1) vs. Jason Wood (4-0)
This is the Main Event. Card is a jiu-jitsu and wrestling specialist. Wood is a jiu-jitsu and ground game specialist. Both fighters are on 4 fight win streaks. Card’s last loss was due to DQ in 2007.
R1- Wood tried to get an early take down but was reversed by Card. Wood spun Card over and Card went for an arm bar but Wood blocked it and took side control. Card caught Wood in an inverted triangle from the bottom but couldn’t hold it. Wood landed a couple of strikes and tried to take Card’s back but Card reversed him. Card stood up and then dove back into Wood’s guard but Wood caught Card in a triangle attempt but Card pushed through and got to guard. Card landed some strikes and Wood went for an arm bar. Card was able to get out of the submission and went back to guard. Wood went for another submission attempt but couldn’t grab it. Good first round. Both fighters landed 12 strikes with Wood landing a higher percentage, Wood had 2 submission attempts to Card’s 1.
R2- Wood came out swinging early and they clinched and Wood ended up on top as Card tried for a guillotine but quickly lost it. Card was able to reverse positions but Wood grabbed a guillotine in the guard. Card quickly escape the submission attempt. Wood did a good job of reversing back to top position. Card went for a choke from the bottom but Wood got back to standing to negate the choke. Card took Wood’s back and got the choke from a weird position and tapped out Wood. Good fight. Wood was probably narrowly winning the fight when Card finished.
Winner: Jarrod Card by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 4:07
Tampa, Florida
St. Pete Times Forum
March 19, 2010
HDNet
Time to take care of some of my MMA backlog on my DVR. This show will feature 2 title fights. Former UFC fighter Junior Assuncao (Raphael’s brother) will be in action on this show, as will former TUF fighter Shane Primm. Michael Schiavello and Guy Mezger are the announcers for the show. Christopher James is the ring announcer.
Heavyweight Fight- Kenneth Garner (2-1) vs. Chris Barnett (2-0)
Garner has a 2″ reach and 4″ height advantage. Barnett is 12 years younger than Garner and weighs in 7 pounds heavier than Garner for this fight.
R1- Garner got a quick take down and took Barnett’s back and clamped on a choke. Barnett got back to his feet and struggled to get out of the choke and finally broke free but Garner still took top position. Garner landed some really weak strikes on the ground and Barnett got back to his feet and then got a take down. Barnett trapped Garner in a crucifix position against the cage and landed some good strikes. Garner gave up his back and Barnett rained down some good blows to the side of the head. Garner tried for a toe hold but didn’t have good position. Really close round. Garner almost finished the fight with a choke early and Barnett came close to finishing it with some Ground and Pound late.
R2- Barnett picked Garner up for a good slam one minute into the round. Barnett took Garner’s back and landed some strikes to the side of Garner’s head and then rolled him over to north south position and landed some body shots. Garner looks completely gassed out. Barnett landed some body strikes. Barnett mounted Garner with a minute and a half left in the round but couldn’t take advantage of the position. Garner’s eye is swollen shut and the ref stops the fight to look at the eye and then they continue. Barnett definitely took this round and it was a borderline 10-8 round.
R3- Barnett got a quick take down. Barnett landed a couple of strikes and Garner wasn’t defending himself so the ref stopped the fight.
Winner: Chris Barnett by TKO (Strikes) R3 1:36
Featherweight Fight- Derek Schiffer (2-1) vs. Bruce Connors (7-1)
Connors trains with Team Gracie in Orlando. Connors is 4-1 in his last 5 fights. Schiffer is a wrestler/jiu jitsu fighter. Bruce Connors lists the disciplines of BJJ, boxing and Muay Thai as his fight style but more importantly he is a CondomDepot.com fighter. The CondomDepot logo is really the only way I can tell these guys apart because they are wearing the same trunks. Schiffer cut a lot of weight for this fight.
R1- Schiffer got a take down with two minutes left to go in the round but couldn’t do anything with it.Schiffer picked up Connors with a minute left in the fight and slammed him down. Connors grabbed a head lock on the way down and then tried to turn it into a guillotine but couldn’t. Schiffer 10-9 even though he didn’t do any damage. Schiffer got 2 take downs and Connors landed 8 strikes to Schiffer’s 2. Really close round. Schiavello and Metzger score 10-9 in favor of Connors.
R2- Connors landed a couple of nice strikes in the opening minute. Connors landed another good combo and then grabbed a guillotine and pulled guard but Schiffer quickly got out of the submission and took top position. Connors got back to his feet mid-way through the round. Connors landed a good punch/kick combo. Connors is really starting to pick Schiffer apart. I missed it but Schiffer cut Connors under the eye and he has a trickle of blood flowing down his face. Connors took this round so I’ve got the fight 19-19. Both guys really slowed down at the end of that round.
R3- Schiffer got a big take down in the first minute of the round. Connors tried a choke from the bottom but couldn’t get it. Schiffer didn’t do anything from the top before they stood back up. Schiffer got another take down with about a minute left. Not much happened in this round. It is going to be interesting to see how this fight is scored as I can see an argument being made for Schiffer taking 1 and 3 but I thought Connors won the fight overall. Connors landed 33 strikes to 12 for Schiffer. Schiffer got 5 take downs to 0, Connors had 2 submission attempts to 0.
Judges score cards: 29-28, 29-28, 30-27
Winner: Bruce Connors by Decision (Unanimous)
Bantamweight Fight- Frank Sharipov (10-3) vs. Gilbert Burgos (5-0)
Burgos fights out of Team Gracie in Orlando and is a jiu jitsu and wrestling specialist. Sharipov is out of Team Gracie in Tampa and is a BJJ specialist. The winner of this fight fights for the title in July. Sharipov has won 4 of his last 5 fights.
R1- They clinched and Sharipov basically used a Fireman’s Carry to get Burgos to the ground. Sharipov stayed on top of Burgos for the rest of the round and took it 10-9.
R2- Sharipov got a take down a minute and a half into the round. Burgos tried to grab a guillotine but couldn’t clamp it in. Burgos tried to grab a triangle but couldn’t complete the submission. I’ve got Sharipov up 20-18.
R3- Burgos got a quick take down to start the round. Sharipov got an arm bar from the bottom and finished the fight.
Winner: Frank Sharipov by Submission (Arm Bar) 1:07
XFC Lightweight Title Fight- John Mahlow (c) (12-11) vs. Junior Assuncao (9-4)
Mahlow trains with American Top Team. Assuncao is on a 3 fight win streak and has won 4 of his last 5. Assuncao is a BJJ Black Belt. Mahlow has won 3 of his last 5 and is coming off of a decision loss to Rafaello Oliveira which I’m guessing was a non-title fight or not an XFC fight. Assuncao has a 2″ height and 3″ reach advantage.
R1- Assuncao hit a good leg kick to the knee and Mahlow buckled a bit and then Assuncao came in and landed some strikes. Mahlow went down and Assuncao landed some strikes but Mahlow clamped onto a leg to stay in the fight. Assuncao tried to take Mahlow’s back and there is blood dripping onto the mat. Mahlow has been cut open. They stood up on the cage and Assuncao grabbed a guillotine and pulled guard and Mahlow quickly tapped out. Solid showing by Assuncao.
Winner and new champion: Junior Assuncao by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 4:02
Middleweight Fight- Julio Gallegos (3-0) vs. Shane Primm (4-2)
Primm fights out of Team Gracie in Tampa and was a member of Team Nogueira on TUF Season 8. On TUF Primm was defeated by Eliot Marshall via Rear Naked Choke in the first round on Episode 5. Primm has won 3 of his last 5 fights including wins over TUF alums Tom Lawlor (by DQ) and Mike Dolce and losses to Krzysztof Soszynski and Luigi Fioravanti. Gallegos brings a 14 year old to the ring with him as a part of the “Make A Wish” foundation. Schiavello also tells us that Gallegos suffered a huge tragedy as a child watching his parents die from a murder/suicide. Primm has a 5″ height and 8″ reach advantage in this fight.
R1- Gallegos destroyed Primm early with some shots to the head. I thought Primm was going to do a Flair flop but he grabbed onto Gallegos for balance and then Gallegos threw some good uppercuts and Primm fell to the ground and the ref stopped the fight.Gallegos looked awesome. Primm contests the stoppage but Guy Metzger says it was a good stoppage.
Winner: Julio Gallegos by TKO (Strikes) R1 0:34
XFC Featherweight Title Fight- Jarrod Card (c) (11-3-1) vs. Jason Wood (4-0)
This is the Main Event. Card is a jiu-jitsu and wrestling specialist. Wood is a jiu-jitsu and ground game specialist. Both fighters are on 4 fight win streaks. Card’s last loss was due to DQ in 2007.
R1- Wood tried to get an early take down but was reversed by Card. Wood spun Card over and Card went for an arm bar but Wood blocked it and took side control. Card caught Wood in an inverted triangle from the bottom but couldn’t hold it. Wood landed a couple of strikes and tried to take Card’s back but Card reversed him. Card stood up and then dove back into Wood’s guard but Wood caught Card in a triangle attempt but Card pushed through and got to guard. Card landed some strikes and Wood went for an arm bar. Card was able to get out of the submission and went back to guard. Wood went for another submission attempt but couldn’t grab it. Good first round. Both fighters landed 12 strikes with Wood landing a higher percentage, Wood had 2 submission attempts to Card’s 1.
R2- Wood came out swinging early and they clinched and Wood ended up on top as Card tried for a guillotine but quickly lost it. Card was able to reverse positions but Wood grabbed a guillotine in the guard. Card quickly escape the submission attempt. Wood did a good job of reversing back to top position. Card went for a choke from the bottom but Wood got back to standing to negate the choke. Card took Wood’s back and got the choke from a weird position and tapped out Wood. Good fight. Wood was probably narrowly winning the fight when Card finished.
Winner: Jarrod Card by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 4:07
Thursday, April 01, 2010
TUF Season 11 Episode 1 Re-Cap
The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 Episode 1
Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz
Dana brings all the guys together in the re-modeled UFC gym. He tells them this year they will do things a little different. He says they will have a "wild card". He says there are 28 fighters. 14 will get into the house. After the first 7 preliminary fights the coaches and Dana will choose 2 guys who they think deserves a second chance. Those two guys will fight each other and the winner will get the 8th spot in the Quarterfinals. He tells them not to leave it in the hands of the judges and the referees. He tells them not to blow their shot.
"Never Leave It In The Hands Of The Judges" is painted on the top of the entrance to the locker rooms.
Jamie Yager (2-1) vs. Ben Stark (3-1)
Yager has a crazy afro. Ben Stark calls himself the "Hebrew Hammer".
R1- Yager is aggressive early and is throwing a lot of kicks. He hits a front kick and then takes Stark out with a head kick. Big time showing by Yager. One of the most impressive debut fights on TUF i've seen.
Winner: Jamie Yager by KO (Head Kick) R1
Jordan Smith (10-0) vs. Brad Tavares (4-0)
Smith is a 7th grade teacher. He tries to get through the day without "ripping someones head off at the grocery store." Tavares is a Hawaiian who likes to fight.
R1- They clinched against the fence and Tavares landed a big right hand that knocked out Smith.
Winner: Brad Tavares by KO (Punch) R1
Cleburn Walker (9-3) vs. Kris McCray (5-0)
McCray says he's the most ferocious guy in the group.
R1- McCray landed a good judo throw early and Walker tapped out as his shoulder popped out of joint during the slam. Then McCray did a running back flip off the cage.
Winner: Kris McCray by Submission (Injury) R1
Norman Paraisy (5-1) vs. James Hammortree (5-1)
Paraisy was raised in France. Hammortree is a firefighter/EMT. He saves people and also beats the crap out of people in the cage.
R1-Paraisy got a quick take down but couldn't do anything with it. Hammertree got on top of Paraisy and landed some Ground and Pound. Hammertree was landing some good Ground and Pound at the end of the round. Paraisy was talking about quitting in between rounds. John Hackleman was his corner man and wasn't happy.
Winner: James Hammortree by Submission R1
"If you did that in my gym don't come back. Just don't"- Chuck Liddell
"There is no quitting in the game of MMA. Are you kidding me"- Tito Ortiz
"Paraisy's big thing was he was going to come on the show and prove that the French aren't a bunch of pussies. (laughs) Not that I'm calling anybody a pussy but (laughs) he should probably get another job"- Dana White
Fight Highlights are shown next
Nick Ring (10-0) vs. Woody Weatherby (7-3)- highlights
Tito said Nick picked Weatherby apart.Ring won by Ground and Pound.
Kyle Noke (16-4-1) vs. Warren Thompson (5-0)- highlights
I've seen Noke fight before. Probably for Elite XC. Liddell said this was a one-sided fight for Noke. Thompson bleed a ton in this fight. 20-18 on all three score cards in favor of Noke.
Court McGee (9-1) vs. Seth Baczynski (11-5)- highlights
Tito said these guys were swinging for the fences right off the bat. Dana said McGee was dominating the first round before he got caught with a big punch. Second round was even and the judges declared the fight a draw after two rounds. Court won the fight in the third round by decision by using his wrestling.
Victor O'Donnell (8-1) vs. Chris Camozzi (12-3)
R1- Camozzi caught him with a nice knee that bloodied O'Donnell's nose. O'Donnell answered with a good punch.
R2- Both guys swinging for the fences early. O'Donnell hit a big punch that looked like it hurt Camozzi. Camozzi hit a good judo throw. O'Donnell got a driving take down. Looked like a good fight from what was shown. Judges declared the fight a draw and they went to sudden victory.
R3- O'Donnell hit a good left and then got a take down. Camozzi landed some good knees in this fight. Camozzi hit another nice judo throw. O'Donnell was finishing a take down right at the buzzer for the round. Dana, Tito and Chuck gave the guys a standing ovation.
Winner: Chris Camozzi by Decision
Kyacey Uscola (18-15) vs. Brent Cooper (5-1)
Cooper likes to punch people in the face. Uscola says he fought a bunch of fights that he never should have taken and that's why he's 18-15 but feels he can take the guys on this show.
R1- Cooper landed a good combo but Uscola caught Cooper and then jumped on him and finished him. Good showing by Uscola.
Winner: Kyacey Uscola by TKO (Strikes) R1
Joe Henle (3-0) vs. Constantinos Philippou (5-1)- highlights
Constantinos dominated the fight but Henle got an arm bar for the win.
Winner: Jon Henle by Submission (Arm Bar)
Rich Attonito (7-3) vs. Lyle Steffens (5-2)- highlights
Rich won by using his wrestling.
Winner: Rich Attonito by Decision
Josh Bryant (10-0) vs. Greg Rebello (9-2)- highlights
Greg landed some good shots and Josh tried to out wrestle Rebello.
Winner: Josh Bryant by Decision.
Jacen Flynn (8-2) vs. Charles Blanchard (7-2)- highlights
Blanchard worked his top game well in this one and landed some good Ground and Pound.
Winner: Charles Blanchard
Charley Lynch (6-0) vs. Clayton McKinney (4-2)
McKinney has a half green hair and half black. These guys are apparently friends outside of the cage.
R1- McKinney got a driving take down early but couldn't do anything with it. McKinney got a good judo throw but Lynch again got right to his feet. McKinney landed some good strikes and landed a knee but slipped and Lynch took his guard. McKinney landed some good shots and bloodied Lynch and broke his nose.
Winner: Clayton McKinney by TKO (Punches) R1
Teams get picked next week. So we've got 14 guys in the house. They will fight and then after the first round two of the losers will be re-picked to fight again for a spot in the quarterfinals. Anyway, after watching the fights and highlights here is my totally unprofessional rankings for the fighters in the house after just a brief look at them:
Middleweight Rankings:
1. Jamie Yager
2. Kyacey Uscola
3. Kyle Noke
4. Clayton McKinney
5. Kris McCray
6. Brad Tavares
7. Nick Ring
8. Chris Camozzi
9. James Hammortree
10. Court McGee
11. Charles Blancard
12. Rich Attonito
13. Joe Henle
14. Josh Bryant
Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz
Dana brings all the guys together in the re-modeled UFC gym. He tells them this year they will do things a little different. He says they will have a "wild card". He says there are 28 fighters. 14 will get into the house. After the first 7 preliminary fights the coaches and Dana will choose 2 guys who they think deserves a second chance. Those two guys will fight each other and the winner will get the 8th spot in the Quarterfinals. He tells them not to leave it in the hands of the judges and the referees. He tells them not to blow their shot.
"Never Leave It In The Hands Of The Judges" is painted on the top of the entrance to the locker rooms.
Jamie Yager (2-1) vs. Ben Stark (3-1)
Yager has a crazy afro. Ben Stark calls himself the "Hebrew Hammer".
R1- Yager is aggressive early and is throwing a lot of kicks. He hits a front kick and then takes Stark out with a head kick. Big time showing by Yager. One of the most impressive debut fights on TUF i've seen.
Winner: Jamie Yager by KO (Head Kick) R1
Jordan Smith (10-0) vs. Brad Tavares (4-0)
Smith is a 7th grade teacher. He tries to get through the day without "ripping someones head off at the grocery store." Tavares is a Hawaiian who likes to fight.
R1- They clinched against the fence and Tavares landed a big right hand that knocked out Smith.
Winner: Brad Tavares by KO (Punch) R1
Cleburn Walker (9-3) vs. Kris McCray (5-0)
McCray says he's the most ferocious guy in the group.
R1- McCray landed a good judo throw early and Walker tapped out as his shoulder popped out of joint during the slam. Then McCray did a running back flip off the cage.
Winner: Kris McCray by Submission (Injury) R1
Norman Paraisy (5-1) vs. James Hammortree (5-1)
Paraisy was raised in France. Hammortree is a firefighter/EMT. He saves people and also beats the crap out of people in the cage.
R1-Paraisy got a quick take down but couldn't do anything with it. Hammertree got on top of Paraisy and landed some Ground and Pound. Hammertree was landing some good Ground and Pound at the end of the round. Paraisy was talking about quitting in between rounds. John Hackleman was his corner man and wasn't happy.
Winner: James Hammortree by Submission R1
"If you did that in my gym don't come back. Just don't"- Chuck Liddell
"There is no quitting in the game of MMA. Are you kidding me"- Tito Ortiz
"Paraisy's big thing was he was going to come on the show and prove that the French aren't a bunch of pussies. (laughs) Not that I'm calling anybody a pussy but (laughs) he should probably get another job"- Dana White
Fight Highlights are shown next
Nick Ring (10-0) vs. Woody Weatherby (7-3)- highlights
Tito said Nick picked Weatherby apart.Ring won by Ground and Pound.
Kyle Noke (16-4-1) vs. Warren Thompson (5-0)- highlights
I've seen Noke fight before. Probably for Elite XC. Liddell said this was a one-sided fight for Noke. Thompson bleed a ton in this fight. 20-18 on all three score cards in favor of Noke.
Court McGee (9-1) vs. Seth Baczynski (11-5)- highlights
Tito said these guys were swinging for the fences right off the bat. Dana said McGee was dominating the first round before he got caught with a big punch. Second round was even and the judges declared the fight a draw after two rounds. Court won the fight in the third round by decision by using his wrestling.
Victor O'Donnell (8-1) vs. Chris Camozzi (12-3)
R1- Camozzi caught him with a nice knee that bloodied O'Donnell's nose. O'Donnell answered with a good punch.
R2- Both guys swinging for the fences early. O'Donnell hit a big punch that looked like it hurt Camozzi. Camozzi hit a good judo throw. O'Donnell got a driving take down. Looked like a good fight from what was shown. Judges declared the fight a draw and they went to sudden victory.
R3- O'Donnell hit a good left and then got a take down. Camozzi landed some good knees in this fight. Camozzi hit another nice judo throw. O'Donnell was finishing a take down right at the buzzer for the round. Dana, Tito and Chuck gave the guys a standing ovation.
Winner: Chris Camozzi by Decision
Kyacey Uscola (18-15) vs. Brent Cooper (5-1)
Cooper likes to punch people in the face. Uscola says he fought a bunch of fights that he never should have taken and that's why he's 18-15 but feels he can take the guys on this show.
R1- Cooper landed a good combo but Uscola caught Cooper and then jumped on him and finished him. Good showing by Uscola.
Winner: Kyacey Uscola by TKO (Strikes) R1
Joe Henle (3-0) vs. Constantinos Philippou (5-1)- highlights
Constantinos dominated the fight but Henle got an arm bar for the win.
Winner: Jon Henle by Submission (Arm Bar)
Rich Attonito (7-3) vs. Lyle Steffens (5-2)- highlights
Rich won by using his wrestling.
Winner: Rich Attonito by Decision
Josh Bryant (10-0) vs. Greg Rebello (9-2)- highlights
Greg landed some good shots and Josh tried to out wrestle Rebello.
Winner: Josh Bryant by Decision.
Jacen Flynn (8-2) vs. Charles Blanchard (7-2)- highlights
Blanchard worked his top game well in this one and landed some good Ground and Pound.
Winner: Charles Blanchard
Charley Lynch (6-0) vs. Clayton McKinney (4-2)
McKinney has a half green hair and half black. These guys are apparently friends outside of the cage.
R1- McKinney got a driving take down early but couldn't do anything with it. McKinney got a good judo throw but Lynch again got right to his feet. McKinney landed some good strikes and landed a knee but slipped and Lynch took his guard. McKinney landed some good shots and bloodied Lynch and broke his nose.
Winner: Clayton McKinney by TKO (Punches) R1
Teams get picked next week. So we've got 14 guys in the house. They will fight and then after the first round two of the losers will be re-picked to fight again for a spot in the quarterfinals. Anyway, after watching the fights and highlights here is my totally unprofessional rankings for the fighters in the house after just a brief look at them:
Middleweight Rankings:
1. Jamie Yager
2. Kyacey Uscola
3. Kyle Noke
4. Clayton McKinney
5. Kris McCray
6. Brad Tavares
7. Nick Ring
8. Chris Camozzi
9. James Hammortree
10. Court McGee
11. Charles Blancard
12. Rich Attonito
13. Joe Henle
14. Josh Bryant
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)
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)
Strikeforce Challengers Series 3/26 Re-Cap
Strikeforce Challengers Series
Savemart Center
Fresno, California
March 26, 2010
Showtime
Strikeforce Challengers features up and coming prospects looking to move up the ladder. The Main Event features Lavar Johnson who was shot at a Family Reunion last July in what Mauro called a senseless tragedy (one of Lavar's relatives was killed) and was in critical condition and will be making his return tonight. Mauro Ranallo, Stephen Quadros and Pat Militech are the announcers for the show. Danny Miller is the ring announcer.The fight to watch on the card is Luke Stewart versus Andre Galvao.
Catchweight Fight (160 lbs)- Justin Wilcox (8-3) vs. Shamar Bailey (13-1)
Bailey is a wrestler with 4 knockouts and 3 submissions to his credit and he has won his last 4 fights. Wilcox is also a wrestler but is listed as a freestyle fighter. Wilcox is on a 3 fight win streak and is training with the American Kickboxing Academy and is a former wrestling teammate of Josh Koscheck. Bailey has a 2" height and 6.5" reach advantage.
R1- Wilcox rocked Bailey early with a kick that connected to Bailey's face. Wilcox connected with a couple of punches and Bailey retreated knocking over the ref. Looks like Bailey has a cut on his forehead and the blood is in his eye. Wilcox hits another head kick but Bailey absorbs it. Bailey keeps wiping blood out of his eye and the ref stops the fight to check on the cut. Wilcox was dominating the fight standing but went for a take down and got stuffed. Bailey went for a take down but Wilcox sprawled out of it. Strong round for Wilcox. I scored it 10-9. Wilcox landed a lot of shots and cut Bailey but never knocked him down despite landing some good clean shots. Good opening round for the first fight of the night.
R2- Wilcox landed a barrage of strikes in the first thirty seconds and Bailey is having trouble with his other eye now. Wilcox hit a good kick and then nailed Bailey with a low blow. Wilcox hit another high kick to the head and then a good overhand right. Wilcox hit Bailey with an open hand to the face and poked him in the eye but the ref didn't stop the fight like he should have and allowed Wilcox an unfair advantage and Wilcox took him down to the mat. Wilcox would have won the round with or without the poor refereeing. Wilcox 20-18.
R3- Wilcox continues his dominance and lands some good strikes early in this round. Both guys are trading strikes in the middle of the round and Wilcox got a take down with about two minutes left in the fight. Wilcox mounted and stayed busy with punches but Bailey did a good job defending by wrapping him up. Wilcox went for an arm bar at the end of the round but couldn't land it. Really good performance by Wilcox as he took this fight 30-27 in my book. Bailey showed a lot of heart but just didn't have the offense to hang with Wilcox. Good opening fight.
Judges score cards: 30-26, 30-27, 30-27
Winner: Justin Wilcox by Decision (Unanimous)
Women's Welterweight Fight (135 lbs)- Miesha Tate (8-2) vs. Zoila Frausto (5-0)
R1- Tate went for an early take down and had to work for it but completed it. Tate was able to land some strikes and then took Zoila's back but Zoila got to her feet and flipped her off. Tate got another take down with 45 seconds left in the round. Tate 10-9.
R2- Zoila landed a couple of strikes at the beginning of the round much to the delight of the round but got take down. Tate is using her shoulder to choke Zoila in side control. Tate went for an arm triangle and couldn't get it so she mounted and landed some strikes. Zoila tried to push her off but got caught in an arm bar and Zoila fought it hard but had to tap out. Really good showing for Miesha Tate.
Winner: Miesha Tate by Submission (Arm Bar) R2 4:09
Mauro Ranallo hypes up the Saturday April 17th Strikeforce show as he interviews King Mo Lawal ringside. Mo says he been training with guys like Rashad Evans, Mark Munoz, Babalu, Mayhem Miller and Fabricio Werdum. King Mo promises a flashy entrance and is looking for a knockout. Jake Shields also joins Mauro and they discuss his defense against Dan Henderson.
The show features three world title fights:
Lightweight Title Fight- Gilbert Melendez (c) vs. Shinya Aoki
Light Heavyweight Title Fight- Gegard Mousasi (c) vs. King Mo Lawal
Middleweight Title Fight- Jake Shields (c) vs. Dan Henderson
Welterweight Fight- Luke Stewart (6-2) vs. Andre Galvao (3-1)
Galvao is a BJJ fighter who has won all of his fights by submission. He trains with guys like Anderson Silva and Jacare Souza. Stewart is also a BJJ fighter who has 3 wins by submission and 3 by knockout. Stewart has a 2" height and 4.5" reach advantage.
R1- Stewart landed a nice punch early but got taken down very quickly after that. Galvao went for a leg lock but Stewart did a good job neutralizing it and transitioned back to his feet. Stewart threw some strikes and then got a take down but Galvao bounced right back up. Galvao landed a couple of knees at the end of the round. Really close round that could have easily gone either way.
R2- Stewart went for a knee but fell down and Galvao jumped on top but Stewart flipped him over and they quickly went back to their feet. Galvao got a take down with a minute left in the round. Galvao landed some strikes but got flipped over when he went for an arm triangle. Another close round that was probably taken by Stewart due to his work when they were standing during the first part of the fight. Quadros has Stewart up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Galvao swept Stewart and took him down inside the first minute of the final round. Stewart flipped Galvao over with three minutes left in the round but couldn't do anything before Galvao escaped. Galvao landed a good knee and then took Stewart down but Stewart again flipped him over. Neither guy came close to finishing this fight. Stewart will most likely take the decision. The first and third rounds were close with Stewart taking the second round.
Judges score cards: 30-27 Stewart, 30-27 Galvao, 29-28 Galvao. Wow, how can you have a 30-27 in favor of one guy and a 30-27 in favor of the other guy?
Winner: Andre Galvao by Decision (Split)
Light Heavyweight Fight- George Bush III (5-1) vs. Abongo Humphrey (5-1)
Both of these guys have previously fought at Heavyweight. Bush is a freestyle fighter and is not a former president of the United States. Bush has 3 knockouts and 1 submission in his 5 wins. Bush also played baseball at the Ohio State University. Mark Coleman is in Bush's corner for the fight tonight. Bush is coming off of a loss to Ricco Rodriguez. This is Humphrey's first fight at Light Heavyweight. He is also a freestyle fighter. All 5 of Abongo's wins have come by way of knockout. Abongo's only loss is to Brett Rogers. Bush has a 4.5" reach advantage.
R1- Abongo landed a head kick early but Bush absorbed it and took him down. Abongo grabbed a guillotine up against the cage and Bush tapped out. Surprising finish and good showing for Abongo.
Winner: Abongo Humphrey by Submission (Guillotine) R1 1:44
Heavyweight Fight- Lavar Johnson (13-3) vs. Lolohea Mahe (6-0-1)
This is the Strikeforce debut of Mahe. Mahe came in 2 pounds over the 265 lb Heavyweight limit but Johnson agreed to the fight. Mahe has won all of his fights by way of knockout. Johnson is from Fresno and gets a good reaction during his introduction. Johnson has a 2" reach and 1.5" height advantage. Mahe has a 26 pound weight advantage. Johnson has 11 wins by knockout and 2 by submission.
R1- Johnson is sticking the left jab early. Mahe landed a good overhand right. Mahe went for a take downa nd Johnson locked in a guillotine but couldn't finish with it. Mahe finished the take down with two minutes left in the round. Johnson got back to his feet but got taken down again near the end of the round. Mahe probably stole this round with the two take downs and by clearly controlling the last two minutes of the round.
R2- Johnson missed a high head kick and Mahe landed a good kick to the side. Johnson landed a couple of knees. With four minutes left in the round Mahe looks exhausted. Johnson landed a good right hand. Mahe is just spent and Johnson is landing some strikes. Johnson is not in great shape himself and Mahe is able to stay in the fight. Johnson grabs another guillotine against the cage but Mahe gets out of it. Johnson lands some good strikes and has bloodied up Mahe's nose. Mahe covers up on the fence and eats some strikes and Johnson lands an over hand right that brings Mahe to his knees and then lands a couple more strikes before the ref steps in. Both guys really gassed in this round but Johnson had more left in the tank and was able to finish Mahe.
Winner: Lavar Johnson by TKO (Strikes) R2 3:29
Savemart Center
Fresno, California
March 26, 2010
Showtime
Strikeforce Challengers features up and coming prospects looking to move up the ladder. The Main Event features Lavar Johnson who was shot at a Family Reunion last July in what Mauro called a senseless tragedy (one of Lavar's relatives was killed) and was in critical condition and will be making his return tonight. Mauro Ranallo, Stephen Quadros and Pat Militech are the announcers for the show. Danny Miller is the ring announcer.The fight to watch on the card is Luke Stewart versus Andre Galvao.
Catchweight Fight (160 lbs)- Justin Wilcox (8-3) vs. Shamar Bailey (13-1)
Bailey is a wrestler with 4 knockouts and 3 submissions to his credit and he has won his last 4 fights. Wilcox is also a wrestler but is listed as a freestyle fighter. Wilcox is on a 3 fight win streak and is training with the American Kickboxing Academy and is a former wrestling teammate of Josh Koscheck. Bailey has a 2" height and 6.5" reach advantage.
R1- Wilcox rocked Bailey early with a kick that connected to Bailey's face. Wilcox connected with a couple of punches and Bailey retreated knocking over the ref. Looks like Bailey has a cut on his forehead and the blood is in his eye. Wilcox hits another head kick but Bailey absorbs it. Bailey keeps wiping blood out of his eye and the ref stops the fight to check on the cut. Wilcox was dominating the fight standing but went for a take down and got stuffed. Bailey went for a take down but Wilcox sprawled out of it. Strong round for Wilcox. I scored it 10-9. Wilcox landed a lot of shots and cut Bailey but never knocked him down despite landing some good clean shots. Good opening round for the first fight of the night.
R2- Wilcox landed a barrage of strikes in the first thirty seconds and Bailey is having trouble with his other eye now. Wilcox hit a good kick and then nailed Bailey with a low blow. Wilcox hit another high kick to the head and then a good overhand right. Wilcox hit Bailey with an open hand to the face and poked him in the eye but the ref didn't stop the fight like he should have and allowed Wilcox an unfair advantage and Wilcox took him down to the mat. Wilcox would have won the round with or without the poor refereeing. Wilcox 20-18.
R3- Wilcox continues his dominance and lands some good strikes early in this round. Both guys are trading strikes in the middle of the round and Wilcox got a take down with about two minutes left in the fight. Wilcox mounted and stayed busy with punches but Bailey did a good job defending by wrapping him up. Wilcox went for an arm bar at the end of the round but couldn't land it. Really good performance by Wilcox as he took this fight 30-27 in my book. Bailey showed a lot of heart but just didn't have the offense to hang with Wilcox. Good opening fight.
Judges score cards: 30-26, 30-27, 30-27
Winner: Justin Wilcox by Decision (Unanimous)
Women's Welterweight Fight (135 lbs)- Miesha Tate (8-2) vs. Zoila Frausto (5-0)
R1- Tate went for an early take down and had to work for it but completed it. Tate was able to land some strikes and then took Zoila's back but Zoila got to her feet and flipped her off. Tate got another take down with 45 seconds left in the round. Tate 10-9.
R2- Zoila landed a couple of strikes at the beginning of the round much to the delight of the round but got take down. Tate is using her shoulder to choke Zoila in side control. Tate went for an arm triangle and couldn't get it so she mounted and landed some strikes. Zoila tried to push her off but got caught in an arm bar and Zoila fought it hard but had to tap out. Really good showing for Miesha Tate.
Winner: Miesha Tate by Submission (Arm Bar) R2 4:09
Mauro Ranallo hypes up the Saturday April 17th Strikeforce show as he interviews King Mo Lawal ringside. Mo says he been training with guys like Rashad Evans, Mark Munoz, Babalu, Mayhem Miller and Fabricio Werdum. King Mo promises a flashy entrance and is looking for a knockout. Jake Shields also joins Mauro and they discuss his defense against Dan Henderson.
The show features three world title fights:
Lightweight Title Fight- Gilbert Melendez (c) vs. Shinya Aoki
Light Heavyweight Title Fight- Gegard Mousasi (c) vs. King Mo Lawal
Middleweight Title Fight- Jake Shields (c) vs. Dan Henderson
Welterweight Fight- Luke Stewart (6-2) vs. Andre Galvao (3-1)
Galvao is a BJJ fighter who has won all of his fights by submission. He trains with guys like Anderson Silva and Jacare Souza. Stewart is also a BJJ fighter who has 3 wins by submission and 3 by knockout. Stewart has a 2" height and 4.5" reach advantage.
R1- Stewart landed a nice punch early but got taken down very quickly after that. Galvao went for a leg lock but Stewart did a good job neutralizing it and transitioned back to his feet. Stewart threw some strikes and then got a take down but Galvao bounced right back up. Galvao landed a couple of knees at the end of the round. Really close round that could have easily gone either way.
R2- Stewart went for a knee but fell down and Galvao jumped on top but Stewart flipped him over and they quickly went back to their feet. Galvao got a take down with a minute left in the round. Galvao landed some strikes but got flipped over when he went for an arm triangle. Another close round that was probably taken by Stewart due to his work when they were standing during the first part of the fight. Quadros has Stewart up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Galvao swept Stewart and took him down inside the first minute of the final round. Stewart flipped Galvao over with three minutes left in the round but couldn't do anything before Galvao escaped. Galvao landed a good knee and then took Stewart down but Stewart again flipped him over. Neither guy came close to finishing this fight. Stewart will most likely take the decision. The first and third rounds were close with Stewart taking the second round.
Judges score cards: 30-27 Stewart, 30-27 Galvao, 29-28 Galvao. Wow, how can you have a 30-27 in favor of one guy and a 30-27 in favor of the other guy?
Winner: Andre Galvao by Decision (Split)
Light Heavyweight Fight- George Bush III (5-1) vs. Abongo Humphrey (5-1)
Both of these guys have previously fought at Heavyweight. Bush is a freestyle fighter and is not a former president of the United States. Bush has 3 knockouts and 1 submission in his 5 wins. Bush also played baseball at the Ohio State University. Mark Coleman is in Bush's corner for the fight tonight. Bush is coming off of a loss to Ricco Rodriguez. This is Humphrey's first fight at Light Heavyweight. He is also a freestyle fighter. All 5 of Abongo's wins have come by way of knockout. Abongo's only loss is to Brett Rogers. Bush has a 4.5" reach advantage.
R1- Abongo landed a head kick early but Bush absorbed it and took him down. Abongo grabbed a guillotine up against the cage and Bush tapped out. Surprising finish and good showing for Abongo.
Winner: Abongo Humphrey by Submission (Guillotine) R1 1:44
Heavyweight Fight- Lavar Johnson (13-3) vs. Lolohea Mahe (6-0-1)
This is the Strikeforce debut of Mahe. Mahe came in 2 pounds over the 265 lb Heavyweight limit but Johnson agreed to the fight. Mahe has won all of his fights by way of knockout. Johnson is from Fresno and gets a good reaction during his introduction. Johnson has a 2" reach and 1.5" height advantage. Mahe has a 26 pound weight advantage. Johnson has 11 wins by knockout and 2 by submission.
R1- Johnson is sticking the left jab early. Mahe landed a good overhand right. Mahe went for a take downa nd Johnson locked in a guillotine but couldn't finish with it. Mahe finished the take down with two minutes left in the round. Johnson got back to his feet but got taken down again near the end of the round. Mahe probably stole this round with the two take downs and by clearly controlling the last two minutes of the round.
R2- Johnson missed a high head kick and Mahe landed a good kick to the side. Johnson landed a couple of knees. With four minutes left in the round Mahe looks exhausted. Johnson landed a good right hand. Mahe is just spent and Johnson is landing some strikes. Johnson is not in great shape himself and Mahe is able to stay in the fight. Johnson grabs another guillotine against the cage but Mahe gets out of it. Johnson lands some good strikes and has bloodied up Mahe's nose. Mahe covers up on the fence and eats some strikes and Johnson lands an over hand right that brings Mahe to his knees and then lands a couple more strikes before the ref steps in. Both guys really gassed in this round but Johnson had more left in the tank and was able to finish Mahe.
Winner: Lavar Johnson by TKO (Strikes) R2 3:29
UFC Fight Night 21 Re-Cap
UFC Fight Night 21
Bojangles Arena
Charlotte, North Carolina
March 31, 2010
Big fight tonight between the UFC's #2 Lightweight Fighter Kenny Florian and Japanese legend Takanori Gomi. Gomi's best days are behind him but if he can beat Florian tonight it will provide a huge boost for the UFC's Lightweight division as Florian is currently clearly the #1 challenger to BJ Penn but has already lost to him.
Lightweight Fight- Ross Pearson (12-3) vs. Denis Siver (15-6)
You should know, but if you don't Ross Pearson was the Lightweight winner of TUF 9. Siver is a German kick boxer who has 3 straight wins. Should be fun.
R1- A Pearson strike cut Siver under his eye. Pearson looks good so far and landed a good left that hurt Siver but Siver did a good job shaking off the strike. Pearson unloaded with a left kick to the face. Pearson took Siver's back with a minute left in the round. Siver is bleeding on the God of War III logo. Pearson briefly took full mount and Siver started to really bleed but Siver got back to his feet and landed some strikes. Great first round with Pearson taking it 10-9.
R2- Siver went for a spinning back kick but Pearson was able to back off and deflect most of the kick. Pearson responded with a flying knee that looked like it partially connected. Siver got a take down with two minutes left in the round but Pearson slipped out when Siver tried to take his back. Siver looks to be running out of steam a bit towards the end of the round. This was a close round but I gave it to Pearson as it looked to me like he landed more strikes. Pearson 20-18.
R3- Pearson hit a good right but left himself open and Siver got a take down but couldn't do anything with it. Pearson took Siver's back and took him down and mounted but Siver slipped out without sustaining any damage. Another fairly close round but I've got Pearson taking this fight 30-27. Good opening fight.
Judges score cards: 30-27 on all score cards
Winner: Ross Pearson by Decision (Unanimous)
Mike Goldberg interviews BJ Penn via satellite about his upcoming title defense against Frankie Edgar.
Former WWE wrestler Jeff Hardy is in the house for the show tonight.
Middleweight Fight- Nate Quarry (18-3) vs. Jorge Rivera (17-7)
Rivera is on a two fight win streak and Quarry has won 4 of his last 5. These guys should stand up and bang so this should be fun. It will be the anti-Jon Fitch fight. Both of these guys are TUF alum. Quarry won on the inaugural season of TUF and Rivera was on the Comeback season.
R1- Rivera hit a couple of good clean right hands that Quarry absorbed. Rivera's fist are finding a home on Quarry's face. Rivera landed a good right that floored Quarry. Quarry got up and answered with an elbow. Rivera had Quarry up against the cage and landed some shots and Quarry dropped down to try and clinch. Quarry's nose got busted open. Rivera landed some more good shots up against the cage. Quarry to his knees but was fighting hard to stay in the fight. Quarry barely survived the round. Rivera 10-9.
R2- Quarry came out to fight in this round but Rivera landed some solid shows and dropped Quarry and then jumped on top and finished. Another good fight. Quarry just left too many openings and Rivera did a great job capitalizing.
Winner: Jorge Rivera by TKO (Strikes) R2 0:29
Joe Rogan and Dana White shoot the shit about the debut episode of TUF. Dana says there are "great fights this season". Rogan floats out there that he's hearing rumors of lots of crazy stuff happening on this season and Dana confirms this but doesn't give any details.
Lightweight Fight- Caol Uno vs. Gleison Tibau
This is from the pre-show.
R1- Tibau hit a good left early that pushed Uno back to the cage. Tibau blocked a kick and took Uno down and then stood up with Uno and tried to take his back but Uno got separated. Tibau hit a couple of good strikes and Uno went down and Tibau tried to finish but Uno recovered. Tibau landed a big right to the side of Uno's head from behind. Tibau landed some good strikes and then flattened Uno out and landed strikes to the side of the head and the ref stepped in and stopped the fight. Really good win for Tibau.
Winner: Gleison Tibau by TKO (Strikes) R1
Heavyweight Fight- Roy Nelson (15-4) vs. Stefan Struve (23-3)
Nelson was the Heavyweight winner of TUF 9. Struve has a huge 11" height advantage (yes that's not a typo) and a 10" reach advantage. Nelson has a 15 pound weight advantage. The game plan for Nelson should be to take down Struve and smother him with his belly. Struve is only 22. Nelson comes to the ring to Weird Al's classic tune "I'm Fat". While Bruce Buffer is introducing Stefan Struve the lights go out and cut off Buffer in mid intro and the camera cuts to KenFlo in the locker room and they take a break to get the lights turned back on. Nelson is introduced as a "Kung Fu" fighter.
R1- Wow the height difference in this fight is amazing. Nelson landed a big time right hand that rocked Struve, buckled his legs and brought him to the mat. Nelson jumped on top with Ground and Pound and the ref stopped the fight. Big time showing for Nelson. Dana must have told Nelson to finish up quick so they didn't run over due to the blackout.
"That guy gets his ass into those punches...There is a lot of muscle behind all that fat."- Joe Rogan
Winner: Roy Nelson by TKO (Strikes) R1 0:39
Lightweight Fight- Kenny Florian (14-4) vs. Takanori Gomi (31-5)
Gomi was 13-1 from 2004-2007 and was the last Pride Lightweight Champion. Gomi is a power puncher with knockout capability. Florian was a finalist from Season 1 of TUF. He has 10 wins in the UFC and is 10-2 since losing to Diego Sanchez at the TUF finale. Florian has won 7 of his last 8 fights and has finished 6 of those fight. The one loss was to BJ Penn. He had a big win over Clay Guida in his last outing. If Gomi can win this then he probably catapults to the top of the contenders list since Gray Maynard seems to be waiting for BJ Penn to lose. Florian has a 2" height and 4" reach advantage.
R1- Florian scored with some jabs and then a straight left after about a two minute feeling out process. Florian is finding a home for his jab. Florian really has Gomi back on his heels. Gomi went for a take down but got stuffed. Florian looks really good early. Florian 10-9.
R2- Florian is still working the jab effectively. Gomi is starting to land some strikes in the middle of this round. This was a much closer round. Tough round to score but it probably went to Florian for landing more strikes.
R3- Gomi hit a good left about a minute in but Florian absorbed it and got an immediate take down. Florian landed some strikes to the side. Florian looked like he was going for an arm triangle but instead took mounted and started landing some good punches and Gomi gave up his back. Florian clamped in a Rear Naked Choke and Gomi tapped out. Great showing by Florian on the ground as he just dominated Gomi once the fight went to the ground.
Winner: Kenny Florian by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3 2:52
Bojangles Arena
Charlotte, North Carolina
March 31, 2010
Big fight tonight between the UFC's #2 Lightweight Fighter Kenny Florian and Japanese legend Takanori Gomi. Gomi's best days are behind him but if he can beat Florian tonight it will provide a huge boost for the UFC's Lightweight division as Florian is currently clearly the #1 challenger to BJ Penn but has already lost to him.
Lightweight Fight- Ross Pearson (12-3) vs. Denis Siver (15-6)
You should know, but if you don't Ross Pearson was the Lightweight winner of TUF 9. Siver is a German kick boxer who has 3 straight wins. Should be fun.
R1- A Pearson strike cut Siver under his eye. Pearson looks good so far and landed a good left that hurt Siver but Siver did a good job shaking off the strike. Pearson unloaded with a left kick to the face. Pearson took Siver's back with a minute left in the round. Siver is bleeding on the God of War III logo. Pearson briefly took full mount and Siver started to really bleed but Siver got back to his feet and landed some strikes. Great first round with Pearson taking it 10-9.
R2- Siver went for a spinning back kick but Pearson was able to back off and deflect most of the kick. Pearson responded with a flying knee that looked like it partially connected. Siver got a take down with two minutes left in the round but Pearson slipped out when Siver tried to take his back. Siver looks to be running out of steam a bit towards the end of the round. This was a close round but I gave it to Pearson as it looked to me like he landed more strikes. Pearson 20-18.
R3- Pearson hit a good right but left himself open and Siver got a take down but couldn't do anything with it. Pearson took Siver's back and took him down and mounted but Siver slipped out without sustaining any damage. Another fairly close round but I've got Pearson taking this fight 30-27. Good opening fight.
Judges score cards: 30-27 on all score cards
Winner: Ross Pearson by Decision (Unanimous)
Mike Goldberg interviews BJ Penn via satellite about his upcoming title defense against Frankie Edgar.
Former WWE wrestler Jeff Hardy is in the house for the show tonight.
Middleweight Fight- Nate Quarry (18-3) vs. Jorge Rivera (17-7)
Rivera is on a two fight win streak and Quarry has won 4 of his last 5. These guys should stand up and bang so this should be fun. It will be the anti-Jon Fitch fight. Both of these guys are TUF alum. Quarry won on the inaugural season of TUF and Rivera was on the Comeback season.
R1- Rivera hit a couple of good clean right hands that Quarry absorbed. Rivera's fist are finding a home on Quarry's face. Rivera landed a good right that floored Quarry. Quarry got up and answered with an elbow. Rivera had Quarry up against the cage and landed some shots and Quarry dropped down to try and clinch. Quarry's nose got busted open. Rivera landed some more good shots up against the cage. Quarry to his knees but was fighting hard to stay in the fight. Quarry barely survived the round. Rivera 10-9.
R2- Quarry came out to fight in this round but Rivera landed some solid shows and dropped Quarry and then jumped on top and finished. Another good fight. Quarry just left too many openings and Rivera did a great job capitalizing.
Winner: Jorge Rivera by TKO (Strikes) R2 0:29
Joe Rogan and Dana White shoot the shit about the debut episode of TUF. Dana says there are "great fights this season". Rogan floats out there that he's hearing rumors of lots of crazy stuff happening on this season and Dana confirms this but doesn't give any details.
Lightweight Fight- Caol Uno vs. Gleison Tibau
This is from the pre-show.
R1- Tibau hit a good left early that pushed Uno back to the cage. Tibau blocked a kick and took Uno down and then stood up with Uno and tried to take his back but Uno got separated. Tibau hit a couple of good strikes and Uno went down and Tibau tried to finish but Uno recovered. Tibau landed a big right to the side of Uno's head from behind. Tibau landed some good strikes and then flattened Uno out and landed strikes to the side of the head and the ref stepped in and stopped the fight. Really good win for Tibau.
Winner: Gleison Tibau by TKO (Strikes) R1
Heavyweight Fight- Roy Nelson (15-4) vs. Stefan Struve (23-3)
Nelson was the Heavyweight winner of TUF 9. Struve has a huge 11" height advantage (yes that's not a typo) and a 10" reach advantage. Nelson has a 15 pound weight advantage. The game plan for Nelson should be to take down Struve and smother him with his belly. Struve is only 22. Nelson comes to the ring to Weird Al's classic tune "I'm Fat". While Bruce Buffer is introducing Stefan Struve the lights go out and cut off Buffer in mid intro and the camera cuts to KenFlo in the locker room and they take a break to get the lights turned back on. Nelson is introduced as a "Kung Fu" fighter.
R1- Wow the height difference in this fight is amazing. Nelson landed a big time right hand that rocked Struve, buckled his legs and brought him to the mat. Nelson jumped on top with Ground and Pound and the ref stopped the fight. Big time showing for Nelson. Dana must have told Nelson to finish up quick so they didn't run over due to the blackout.
"That guy gets his ass into those punches...There is a lot of muscle behind all that fat."- Joe Rogan
Winner: Roy Nelson by TKO (Strikes) R1 0:39
Lightweight Fight- Kenny Florian (14-4) vs. Takanori Gomi (31-5)
Gomi was 13-1 from 2004-2007 and was the last Pride Lightweight Champion. Gomi is a power puncher with knockout capability. Florian was a finalist from Season 1 of TUF. He has 10 wins in the UFC and is 10-2 since losing to Diego Sanchez at the TUF finale. Florian has won 7 of his last 8 fights and has finished 6 of those fight. The one loss was to BJ Penn. He had a big win over Clay Guida in his last outing. If Gomi can win this then he probably catapults to the top of the contenders list since Gray Maynard seems to be waiting for BJ Penn to lose. Florian has a 2" height and 4" reach advantage.
R1- Florian scored with some jabs and then a straight left after about a two minute feeling out process. Florian is finding a home for his jab. Florian really has Gomi back on his heels. Gomi went for a take down but got stuffed. Florian looks really good early. Florian 10-9.
R2- Florian is still working the jab effectively. Gomi is starting to land some strikes in the middle of this round. This was a much closer round. Tough round to score but it probably went to Florian for landing more strikes.
R3- Gomi hit a good left about a minute in but Florian absorbed it and got an immediate take down. Florian landed some strikes to the side. Florian looked like he was going for an arm triangle but instead took mounted and started landing some good punches and Gomi gave up his back. Florian clamped in a Rear Naked Choke and Gomi tapped out. Great showing by Florian on the ground as he just dominated Gomi once the fight went to the ground.
Winner: Kenny Florian by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3 2:52
Saturday, March 27, 2010
UFC Unleashed 3/24/2010 Re-Cap
UFC Unleashed 3/24/2010
On this episode of UFC Unleashed we have 2 preliminary fights from the UFC on Versus show (Clay Guida and TUF alum Brendan Schaub) last Sunday and 2 other fights that have never been aired on TV.
Lightweight Fight- Justin Buchholz (9-3) vs. Jeremy Stephens (16-5)- UFC Fight Night 19- 9/16/2009
R1- Stephens is very aggressive early. Stephens landed some good knees two minutes into the fight but couldn't finish Buchholz. Stephens cut Buchholz with some strikes and the ref stopped the fight to check out his cut. The doctor stopped the fight.
Winner: Jeremy Stephens by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) R1 3:32
Lightweight Fight- Paul Kelly vs. Dennis Siver- 11/14/2009- UFC 105
R1- Both guys stood up and threw for the majority of the first round. Siver did a really good job counter punching. Kelly got a take down right at the end of the round.
R2- Siver hit a good spinning back kick about half way through the round and Kelly got rocked and stayed down for a while but Siver let him get up. When Kelly got up you could tell he was in no condition to fight. Siver hit some more strikes and then the ref stopped the fight. Awesome kick, as he hit him with the back of his heel right in the side.
Winner: Dennis Siver by TKO (Strikes) R2 2:53
Lightweight Fight- Clay Guida vs. Shannon Gugerty- 3/21/2010- UFC on Versus
R1- Guida spent the majority of the time in this round on top of Gugerty. Guida ended the round with a couple of strikes.
R2- Guida got a quick take down in the opening minute of the round. Guida mounted and grabbed an arm triangle and finished the fight.
Winner: Clay Guida by Submission (Arm Triangle) R2 3:40
Heavyweight Fight- Brendan Schaub vs. Chase Gormley- 3/21/2010- UFC on Versus
R1- Gormley came in quick and Schaub landed something that brought Gormley to his knees. Schaub continued to get strikes in on Gormley. Schaub landed a big uppercut and followed with more strikes and Schaub finished the fight. Great showing by Schaub. He looked very good in this fight.
Winner: Brendan Schaub by TKO (Strikes) R1 0:47
On this episode of UFC Unleashed we have 2 preliminary fights from the UFC on Versus show (Clay Guida and TUF alum Brendan Schaub) last Sunday and 2 other fights that have never been aired on TV.
Lightweight Fight- Justin Buchholz (9-3) vs. Jeremy Stephens (16-5)- UFC Fight Night 19- 9/16/2009
R1- Stephens is very aggressive early. Stephens landed some good knees two minutes into the fight but couldn't finish Buchholz. Stephens cut Buchholz with some strikes and the ref stopped the fight to check out his cut. The doctor stopped the fight.
Winner: Jeremy Stephens by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) R1 3:32
Lightweight Fight- Paul Kelly vs. Dennis Siver- 11/14/2009- UFC 105
R1- Both guys stood up and threw for the majority of the first round. Siver did a really good job counter punching. Kelly got a take down right at the end of the round.
R2- Siver hit a good spinning back kick about half way through the round and Kelly got rocked and stayed down for a while but Siver let him get up. When Kelly got up you could tell he was in no condition to fight. Siver hit some more strikes and then the ref stopped the fight. Awesome kick, as he hit him with the back of his heel right in the side.
Winner: Dennis Siver by TKO (Strikes) R2 2:53
Lightweight Fight- Clay Guida vs. Shannon Gugerty- 3/21/2010- UFC on Versus
R1- Guida spent the majority of the time in this round on top of Gugerty. Guida ended the round with a couple of strikes.
R2- Guida got a quick take down in the opening minute of the round. Guida mounted and grabbed an arm triangle and finished the fight.
Winner: Clay Guida by Submission (Arm Triangle) R2 3:40
Heavyweight Fight- Brendan Schaub vs. Chase Gormley- 3/21/2010- UFC on Versus
R1- Gormley came in quick and Schaub landed something that brought Gormley to his knees. Schaub continued to get strikes in on Gormley. Schaub landed a big uppercut and followed with more strikes and Schaub finished the fight. Great showing by Schaub. He looked very good in this fight.
Winner: Brendan Schaub by TKO (Strikes) R1 0:47
DREAM 13 3/22/10 Re-Cap
DREAM 13
Yokohama Arena
Japan
March 22, 2010
What a busy two weeks for MMA. XFC on HDNet last Friday, UFC on Versus on Sunday night, DREAM on HDNet Monday morning, next Friday HDNet has another King of the Cage show and Showtime counters with a Strikeforce Challengers show and UFC has another PPV next weekend. Wow. That's a huge line-up. This DREAM line-up has Joachim Hansen dropping in weight to challenge Bibiano Fernandes for the Featherweight title in what should be a great fight. We also have the return of KJ Noons and the controversial Josh Barnett on this show. Michael Schiavello and Frank Trigg are the announcers. This is the first DREAM show of 2010.
Open Weight Fight- Minowaman vs. Jimmy Ambriz
Schiavello's man love for Minowaman knows no bounds. I love how enthusiastic Schiavello is when he calls MMA. I had never heard him call anything until last year but he's quickly become my favorite play by play guy. Ambriz comes in at 275 pounds and Minowa is only 196 pounds.
R1- Ambriz controls the first part of the match by smothering Minowa. Ambriz grabs an arm triangle but can't keep it. Ambriz is just controlling Minowa so far. Ambriz gassed and Minowa employed the stick and move for the rest of the round. Not a very compelling fight so far.
R2- Ambriz starts off this round like the last one as he attempts to smother Minowa. Ambriz mounted but Minowa reversed him and then tapped him with a heel hook.
Winner: Minowman by Submission (Heel Hook) R2
We are one hour into the telecast and we are now on Fight #2.
Lightweight Fight- Kuniyoshi Hironaka (16-6) vs. Katsunori Kikuno (12-2-2)
Kikuno comes out to "We Are the World". Only in Japan. Hironaka is a former UFC fighter who went 1-3 while in the UFC. Kikuno holds a win over Nick Diaz. Both fighters are 4-1 in their last 5 fights. This is being promoted as who is the 3rd strongest Japanese lightweight fighter behind Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri.
R1- Kikuno lands some good strikes at the beginning of the round. Kikuno landed a liver kick and then a big time right hand and Hironaka just folded to the mat and this one is all over. Really impressive victory for Katsunori Kikuno. He hit a kick, missed with a strike, hit a good solid left and a big right. Really good combination. This one lasted only a minute and a half.
Winner: Katsunori Kikuno by TKO (Strikes) R1
Featherweight Fight- Cole Escovedo (15-4) vs. Yoshiro Maeda (26-7-2)
Escovedo is a former WEC Featherweight Champion. He has lost fights to Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver in the past. He had to take 3 and a half years off after a really bad staph infection. He is known for his triangle choke. He comes out to some Metallica. 14 of Maeda's wins have come by TKO/KO. Escovedo is 4-1 in his last 5 fights, Maeda is 3-2 in his last 5.
R1- Maeda is the agressor early and is throwing a lot of strikes. Out of nowhere Escovedo landed a left head kick and this one is over. Two great finishes back to back. Maeda was looking really good until he ate that head kick. Big time KO by Escovedo.
Winner: Cole Escovedo by KO (Head Kick) R1
Welterweight Fight- Andrews Nakahara (2-1) vs. Ryo Chonan (16-10)
Nakahara comes out to Eminem. This is his one shot to seize everything. His palms are sweaty..... Chonan is a former Pride and UFC fighter and this is his debut in DREAM. He is only 1-3 in the UFC. Schiavello tells us that Chonan is the betting underdog in this fight.
R1- They exchanged two minutes into the round and Nakahara went down but I don't think he got hit solidly with anything. Chonan took top position but Nakahara did a good job of locking him up from the bottom. Chonan spends the majority of the round in top position. The referee hands out a yellow card to Nakahara for not working enough from the bottom and stands the fight back up. Chonan is definitely the aggressor on their feet after the stand up. Nakahara hit Chonan with a big kick to the balls which puts a stop to Chonan's control of the round. Chonan is well in control of this fight going into the final five minutes.
R2- Nakahara lands some good shots half way through the round and then both guys throw with Nakahara getting the better of the exchange. Chonan was able to stop Nakahara's onslaught with a take down. Chonan ends the fight on top of Nakahara as they go the distance. I think Chonan is going to win this one. Nakahara had a good onslaught in the 2nd round but it wasn't enough as Chonan controlled the majority of the fight.
Winner: Ryo Chonan by Decision (Unanimous)
Lightweight Fight- KJ Noons (7-2) vs. Andre Dida (6-3-1)
Andre Dida comes out wearing a Tiger Mask mask. Schiavello tells us that if Noons wins this fight that they will look to set him up against Tatsuya Kawajiri. Schiavello also tells us that Strikeforce big wig Scott Coker is in the house tonight. This is KJ's return to MMA after spending a lot of time boxing (he was 4-1 in his last 5 fights and won his last 3 fights). KJ has a 100% KO ratio in MMA. Dida is 2-3 in his last 5 fights. Noons is the favorite in this one.
R1- Dida starts this one out with a low blow. Noons is landing some decent body shots. Both guys landed quality punches at around the four minute mark but both guys absorbed them well. Methodical first round with Noons walking down Dida for the majority of the round and landing more jabs. Noons drew some blood from Dida's nose at the end of the round.
R2- Noons is starting to be more aggressive in this round and going for bigger shots. Dida's nose is really starting to bleed now and Noons looks like he may have a cut on his face as well. Noons is a little frustrated at Dida's continually backing away. Noons is going to take this by decision. Not a great fight by Noons but he was clearly the winner here tonight.
Winner: KJ Noons by Decision (Unanimous)
Heavyweight Fight- Josh Barnett (24-5) vs. Mighty Mo (3-1)
Barnett is a very controversial figure in the world of MMA. It's no shock that Josh is fighting in Japan after everything that happened to him prior to his Affliction fight with Fedor that never came to be. I would be shocked if Barnett fights in the US again for a major MMA company. Barnett should have an easy time in this fight. Mo took this fight on short notice about 10 days ago. Apparently DREAM had a tough time finding an opponent for Barnett for this fight.
R1- Mo hit a good strike and floored Barnett but he quickly got back to his feet before Mo could capitalize. Barnett landed a kick flush to Mo's "junk" and we are going to be taking a break for a while in this one. This one might be all over as they are taking a look at his package to see if he can continue. Mo is down and in agony and Schiavello and Twinkle Toes are thinking this one might be over. They have spent more than 5 minutes giving Mo time to rest as they really don't want to call this fight. They are giving Mo 3 more minutes. Josh told Mo he can hit him in the balls to even it out if they want. Mo is ready to continue and the ref gives Barnett a yellow card. Barnett got a take down about half way through the round and immediately got a kimura and this one is over.
Winner: Josh Barnett by Submission (Kimura) R1
Featherweight Title Fight- Bibiano Fernandes (c) (7-2) vs. Joachim Hansen (19-8-1)
Hansen was the first DREAM Lightweight Champion as he was a replacement for Eddie Alvarez and defeated Shinya Aoki in the tournament final. Hansen then lost the title to Aoki by submission. Hansen is a former Pride fighter and is the first fighter to defeat Takanori Gomi. Fernandes has only 2 losses in his career and they were to Urijah Faber (2006 by cut) and Kid Yamamoto (2007). This is the first defense of his title by Fernandes. Hansen has gone 3-2 in his last 5 and Fernandes is 5-0 in his last 5. Hansen is the favorite based on what the odds-makers say. Hansen normally fights at Lightweight and this is the first time I've seen him fight at this weight limit. If Hansen had a good cut I definitely can see him taking the title tonight. Even though this is a title fight it's still just a two round fight (the first round 10 minutes and the second round 5 minutes).
R1- Fernandes got a double leg take down 45 seconds into the fight but lets Hansen up. Fernandes hit a good counter right that briefly staggered Hansen but he absorbed it. Hansen really hasn't done much offensively so far after 3 and a half minutes. Fernandes got another take down with four minutes gone from the round but Hansen scrambled back to his feet without taking any damage. Fernandes landed another take down with two and a half minutes left in the first round but Hansen again got up with minimal damage inflicted. After the first round Fernandes is definitely winning the fight but he hasn't inflicted a lot of damage so Hansen could easily come back and win this in the second and final round.
R2- Fernandes got a quick double leg take down right at the beginning of the round and tried to get a leg lock but couldn't. Hansen is starting to find a home for his jab in this round but Fernandes caught a kick and took Hansen down again. Hansen landed some kicks while Fernandes stood above him. Fernandes got a take down in the last minute of the fight but Hansen got back to his feet with half a minute left. Close fight but Fernandes keeps the belt in my book. Two judges gave the fight to Fernandes and one gave it to Hansen so Fernandes keeps the belt. I think Hansen is better served in the Lightweight division as his speed seemed a bit off tonight and it took him a while to find his rhythm.
Winner: Bibiano Fernandes by Decision (Split)
Yokohama Arena
Japan
March 22, 2010
What a busy two weeks for MMA. XFC on HDNet last Friday, UFC on Versus on Sunday night, DREAM on HDNet Monday morning, next Friday HDNet has another King of the Cage show and Showtime counters with a Strikeforce Challengers show and UFC has another PPV next weekend. Wow. That's a huge line-up. This DREAM line-up has Joachim Hansen dropping in weight to challenge Bibiano Fernandes for the Featherweight title in what should be a great fight. We also have the return of KJ Noons and the controversial Josh Barnett on this show. Michael Schiavello and Frank Trigg are the announcers. This is the first DREAM show of 2010.
Open Weight Fight- Minowaman vs. Jimmy Ambriz
Schiavello's man love for Minowaman knows no bounds. I love how enthusiastic Schiavello is when he calls MMA. I had never heard him call anything until last year but he's quickly become my favorite play by play guy. Ambriz comes in at 275 pounds and Minowa is only 196 pounds.
R1- Ambriz controls the first part of the match by smothering Minowa. Ambriz grabs an arm triangle but can't keep it. Ambriz is just controlling Minowa so far. Ambriz gassed and Minowa employed the stick and move for the rest of the round. Not a very compelling fight so far.
R2- Ambriz starts off this round like the last one as he attempts to smother Minowa. Ambriz mounted but Minowa reversed him and then tapped him with a heel hook.
Winner: Minowman by Submission (Heel Hook) R2
We are one hour into the telecast and we are now on Fight #2.
Lightweight Fight- Kuniyoshi Hironaka (16-6) vs. Katsunori Kikuno (12-2-2)
Kikuno comes out to "We Are the World". Only in Japan. Hironaka is a former UFC fighter who went 1-3 while in the UFC. Kikuno holds a win over Nick Diaz. Both fighters are 4-1 in their last 5 fights. This is being promoted as who is the 3rd strongest Japanese lightweight fighter behind Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri.
R1- Kikuno lands some good strikes at the beginning of the round. Kikuno landed a liver kick and then a big time right hand and Hironaka just folded to the mat and this one is all over. Really impressive victory for Katsunori Kikuno. He hit a kick, missed with a strike, hit a good solid left and a big right. Really good combination. This one lasted only a minute and a half.
Winner: Katsunori Kikuno by TKO (Strikes) R1
Featherweight Fight- Cole Escovedo (15-4) vs. Yoshiro Maeda (26-7-2)
Escovedo is a former WEC Featherweight Champion. He has lost fights to Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver in the past. He had to take 3 and a half years off after a really bad staph infection. He is known for his triangle choke. He comes out to some Metallica. 14 of Maeda's wins have come by TKO/KO. Escovedo is 4-1 in his last 5 fights, Maeda is 3-2 in his last 5.
R1- Maeda is the agressor early and is throwing a lot of strikes. Out of nowhere Escovedo landed a left head kick and this one is over. Two great finishes back to back. Maeda was looking really good until he ate that head kick. Big time KO by Escovedo.
Winner: Cole Escovedo by KO (Head Kick) R1
Welterweight Fight- Andrews Nakahara (2-1) vs. Ryo Chonan (16-10)
Nakahara comes out to Eminem. This is his one shot to seize everything. His palms are sweaty..... Chonan is a former Pride and UFC fighter and this is his debut in DREAM. He is only 1-3 in the UFC. Schiavello tells us that Chonan is the betting underdog in this fight.
R1- They exchanged two minutes into the round and Nakahara went down but I don't think he got hit solidly with anything. Chonan took top position but Nakahara did a good job of locking him up from the bottom. Chonan spends the majority of the round in top position. The referee hands out a yellow card to Nakahara for not working enough from the bottom and stands the fight back up. Chonan is definitely the aggressor on their feet after the stand up. Nakahara hit Chonan with a big kick to the balls which puts a stop to Chonan's control of the round. Chonan is well in control of this fight going into the final five minutes.
R2- Nakahara lands some good shots half way through the round and then both guys throw with Nakahara getting the better of the exchange. Chonan was able to stop Nakahara's onslaught with a take down. Chonan ends the fight on top of Nakahara as they go the distance. I think Chonan is going to win this one. Nakahara had a good onslaught in the 2nd round but it wasn't enough as Chonan controlled the majority of the fight.
Winner: Ryo Chonan by Decision (Unanimous)
Lightweight Fight- KJ Noons (7-2) vs. Andre Dida (6-3-1)
Andre Dida comes out wearing a Tiger Mask mask. Schiavello tells us that if Noons wins this fight that they will look to set him up against Tatsuya Kawajiri. Schiavello also tells us that Strikeforce big wig Scott Coker is in the house tonight. This is KJ's return to MMA after spending a lot of time boxing (he was 4-1 in his last 5 fights and won his last 3 fights). KJ has a 100% KO ratio in MMA. Dida is 2-3 in his last 5 fights. Noons is the favorite in this one.
R1- Dida starts this one out with a low blow. Noons is landing some decent body shots. Both guys landed quality punches at around the four minute mark but both guys absorbed them well. Methodical first round with Noons walking down Dida for the majority of the round and landing more jabs. Noons drew some blood from Dida's nose at the end of the round.
R2- Noons is starting to be more aggressive in this round and going for bigger shots. Dida's nose is really starting to bleed now and Noons looks like he may have a cut on his face as well. Noons is a little frustrated at Dida's continually backing away. Noons is going to take this by decision. Not a great fight by Noons but he was clearly the winner here tonight.
Winner: KJ Noons by Decision (Unanimous)
Heavyweight Fight- Josh Barnett (24-5) vs. Mighty Mo (3-1)
Barnett is a very controversial figure in the world of MMA. It's no shock that Josh is fighting in Japan after everything that happened to him prior to his Affliction fight with Fedor that never came to be. I would be shocked if Barnett fights in the US again for a major MMA company. Barnett should have an easy time in this fight. Mo took this fight on short notice about 10 days ago. Apparently DREAM had a tough time finding an opponent for Barnett for this fight.
R1- Mo hit a good strike and floored Barnett but he quickly got back to his feet before Mo could capitalize. Barnett landed a kick flush to Mo's "junk" and we are going to be taking a break for a while in this one. This one might be all over as they are taking a look at his package to see if he can continue. Mo is down and in agony and Schiavello and Twinkle Toes are thinking this one might be over. They have spent more than 5 minutes giving Mo time to rest as they really don't want to call this fight. They are giving Mo 3 more minutes. Josh told Mo he can hit him in the balls to even it out if they want. Mo is ready to continue and the ref gives Barnett a yellow card. Barnett got a take down about half way through the round and immediately got a kimura and this one is over.
Winner: Josh Barnett by Submission (Kimura) R1
Featherweight Title Fight- Bibiano Fernandes (c) (7-2) vs. Joachim Hansen (19-8-1)
Hansen was the first DREAM Lightweight Champion as he was a replacement for Eddie Alvarez and defeated Shinya Aoki in the tournament final. Hansen then lost the title to Aoki by submission. Hansen is a former Pride fighter and is the first fighter to defeat Takanori Gomi. Fernandes has only 2 losses in his career and they were to Urijah Faber (2006 by cut) and Kid Yamamoto (2007). This is the first defense of his title by Fernandes. Hansen has gone 3-2 in his last 5 and Fernandes is 5-0 in his last 5. Hansen is the favorite based on what the odds-makers say. Hansen normally fights at Lightweight and this is the first time I've seen him fight at this weight limit. If Hansen had a good cut I definitely can see him taking the title tonight. Even though this is a title fight it's still just a two round fight (the first round 10 minutes and the second round 5 minutes).
R1- Fernandes got a double leg take down 45 seconds into the fight but lets Hansen up. Fernandes hit a good counter right that briefly staggered Hansen but he absorbed it. Hansen really hasn't done much offensively so far after 3 and a half minutes. Fernandes got another take down with four minutes gone from the round but Hansen scrambled back to his feet without taking any damage. Fernandes landed another take down with two and a half minutes left in the first round but Hansen again got up with minimal damage inflicted. After the first round Fernandes is definitely winning the fight but he hasn't inflicted a lot of damage so Hansen could easily come back and win this in the second and final round.
R2- Fernandes got a quick double leg take down right at the beginning of the round and tried to get a leg lock but couldn't. Hansen is starting to find a home for his jab in this round but Fernandes caught a kick and took Hansen down again. Hansen landed some kicks while Fernandes stood above him. Fernandes got a take down in the last minute of the fight but Hansen got back to his feet with half a minute left. Close fight but Fernandes keeps the belt in my book. Two judges gave the fight to Fernandes and one gave it to Hansen so Fernandes keeps the belt. I think Hansen is better served in the Lightweight division as his speed seemed a bit off tonight and it took him a while to find his rhythm.
Winner: Bibiano Fernandes by Decision (Split)
Monday, March 22, 2010
UFC Live on Versus: Vera vs. Jones
UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones
1ST Bank Arena
Broomfield, Colorado
March 21, 2010
Versus
Thank You Dana White and the UFC for getting Versus back on DirecTV just in time for this show. I know it was no coincidence. This is the UFC's debut show on Versus and it's a solid "free" TV card headlined by Jon "Bones" Jones versus Brandon Vera. Top 10 Heavyweight Junior dos Santos will also take on Gabriel Gonzaga in the Co-Main Event. Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan are the announcers for the show and Bruce Buffer is the ring announcer.
Middleweight Fight- James Irvin (14-5) vs. Alessio Sakara (18-7)
This is the Middleweight debut for James Irvin. Sakara has won 3 of his last 4 fights. Sakara is a former pro boxer and Irvin loves to stand up so we could see an explosive fight between these two guys. Irvin has a 3" reach and 2" height advantage. If I was a betting man I wouldn't bet on this fight but I'd go with Sakara if I had to make a choice. It's always interesting to watch a guys first performance when moving down in weight and seeing how their body adjusts to the move during the fight. Sakara is now training full time at American Top Team and is 3-1 since moving to that camp.
R1- Irvin clipped Sakara and he went down early but bounced right back up. Sakara is landing some good hard strikes and is doing a good job of changing levels. Sakara nailed Irvin with a punch to the eye but the ref stopped the fight when Irvin complained of an eye poke. Weird stoppage as it looked like Sakara was about to finish Irvin and the ref is going to award the win to Sakara by TKO. Weird finish and a quick stoppage but the right guy won the fight.
Winner: Alessio Sakara by TKO (Punches) R1 3:01
Urijah Faber is in the house and Mike Goldberg hypes the upcoming Faber/Jose Aldo WEC PPV.I think Urijah goes to every MMA event.
Shane Carwin fights Frank Mir on Saturday at UFC 111 for the UFC Interim Heavyweight Title with the winner facing Brock Lesnar. They show a pre-taped interview with Carwin and Joe Rogan. Carwin is 11-0 with 11 knockouts.
Heavyweight Fight- Cheick Kongo (24-6-1) vs. Paul Buentello (25-11)
This is another fight between two guys who like to stand and bang. Buentello is coming off of a loss to Stefan Struve in his return to the UFC. Kongo has a 2" height and 5" reach advantage. I'm taking Kongo in this one. Buentello has been training with Shane Carwin for tonight's fight.
R1- Kongo got a take down at the one minute mark. Buentello tried his best to illegally use the cage to save his fall but failed. Buentello got back up and Kongo took him back down with a slam. Buentello got to his feet and then it looked like he dislocated his finger and Herb Dean stopped the fight for a minute. Kongo got another take down with a minute left in the round. Kongo 10-9.
R2- Kongo threw some good strikes against the cage and then took Buentello down again in the first minute of the round. Kongo landed some good knees to the body but then hit Buentello in the head with a knee while Buentello still had one knee on the ground and was in the process of getting up so Herb Dean steps in and gives Buentello a minute to recover. Herb Dean takes one point away from Kongo for the illegal knee to a downed opponent. Kongo got another take down shortly after the fight was re-started. Kongo landing some knees to the body. Kongo landed some knees to Buentello's head. Kongo landed some good strikes and got another take down. This is a borderline 10-8 round in favor of Kongo. Depending on how this round was scored Kongo is up 29-28 or 29-27 after his one point deduction.
"He's getting molested"- Joe Rogan
R3- Kongo got a quick take down at the start of the final round. Kongo hit some elbows to Buentello's side and Buentello tapped out. Really strong showing for Kongo.
Winner: Cheick Kongo by Submission (Strikes) R3 1:16
GSP is interviewed by Joe Rogan via satellite to discuss his title defense on Saturday against Dan Hardy.
Heavyweight Fight- Junior Dos Santos (10-1) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (11-4)
If Dos Santos can keep winning he is one or two fights away from fighting for the title. Santos trains with Big Nog, Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva. Gonzaga is a former jiu-jitsu world champion. Dos Santos is a jiu-jitsu purple wins. Neither fighter has ever been to a decision. Gonzaga out weighs Dos Santos by 17 pounds but Dos Santos says he will make that up with his speed. Dos Santos is my pick in this one.
R1- Gonzaga got a take down but Dos Santos did a good job on getting right back to his feet. Dos Santos is doing a good job in changing levels and is starting to land some strikes. Dos Santos landed a big left and Gonzaga went down. Dos Santos was able to get through with some Ground and Pound shots and this one is all over. Really impressive win for Dos Santos. The Heavyweight Division is just stacked right now with young guys like Dos Santos, Velasquez, Brock, Shane Carwin and Todd Duffee. And that's not even mentioning guys like Mir and Big Nog.
Winner: Junior Dos Santos by KO (Strikes) R1 3:53
Welterweight Fight- John Howard vs. Daniel Roberts
This is from the pre-show so this one is going to be a quick one. This is Roberts UFC debut.
R1- Roberts got a take down but Howard got back to his feet. Roberts grabbed a kimura and used it to sweep Howard back to the ground. Roberts landed some Ground and Pound. Howard picked up Roberts and slammed him and took top position. Roberts went for an omaplata but Howard got out of the submission and then delivered a huge left hand that knocked Roberts out while Roberts was still on the mat. Fantastic punch by Howard. Roberts looked pretty good early in the fight but he just got tagged. Howard is now 4-0 in the UFC and has won 7 straight fights.
Winner: John Howard by KO (Punch) R1 2:01
Light Heavyweight Fight- Jon Jones (9-1) vs. Brandon Vera (11-4)
Jones is coming off of a demolition of Matt Hamill where he got DQ'd due to downward elbows but he just blew out Hamill and destroyed him. The Hamill DQ loss is the only loss on Jones's record. This is the 2nd fight for Jones since he's joined Greg Jackson's camp. Jones has a background as a JUCO wrestling champion and comes at his opponent with a lot of different angles and does moves that aren't commonly used in MMA. He's a very unique talent. Brandon Vera is a Muay Thai fighter who also has a brown belt in bjj. Vera is a very good fighter but has honestly looked lackluster in the last year or two. Jones has a 6.5" reach advantage in this fight. I see this as a very even fight. I'm going to take Jones via decision as most of Vera's recent fights seem to have gone to decision if my memory is correct.
R1- Jones immediately got a take down on a judo type throw. Vera did a good job of kicking Jones off. Jones landed a knee and then got another take down. Vera hit an illegal up kick on Jones (it was illegal because Jones had a knee on the mat). Herb Dean takes a point away from Brandon Vera which could be huge with Vera's recent history of decisions. Dean restarts the fight with Jones in full guard. Vera tries another up kick but this time it brushed off Jones's shoulder. Rogan is commenting that Vera is looking for an arm bar. Jones hits some good Ground and Pound and Vera covers up and turns his back and Dean stops the fight. Jones landed some good shots and Vera looked like he got hurt bad. Good stoppage by Dean as Vera is still down on his knees with his hands on his face. In the replay Jones hit a crushing elbow strike to the side of Vera's face. Rogan says he may have done something to Vera's orbital socket. Great win for Jon Jones. Jon Jones is the real deal.
Winner: Jon Jones by TKO (Strikes) R1 3:19
1ST Bank Arena
Broomfield, Colorado
March 21, 2010
Versus
Thank You Dana White and the UFC for getting Versus back on DirecTV just in time for this show. I know it was no coincidence. This is the UFC's debut show on Versus and it's a solid "free" TV card headlined by Jon "Bones" Jones versus Brandon Vera. Top 10 Heavyweight Junior dos Santos will also take on Gabriel Gonzaga in the Co-Main Event. Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan are the announcers for the show and Bruce Buffer is the ring announcer.
Middleweight Fight- James Irvin (14-5) vs. Alessio Sakara (18-7)
This is the Middleweight debut for James Irvin. Sakara has won 3 of his last 4 fights. Sakara is a former pro boxer and Irvin loves to stand up so we could see an explosive fight between these two guys. Irvin has a 3" reach and 2" height advantage. If I was a betting man I wouldn't bet on this fight but I'd go with Sakara if I had to make a choice. It's always interesting to watch a guys first performance when moving down in weight and seeing how their body adjusts to the move during the fight. Sakara is now training full time at American Top Team and is 3-1 since moving to that camp.
R1- Irvin clipped Sakara and he went down early but bounced right back up. Sakara is landing some good hard strikes and is doing a good job of changing levels. Sakara nailed Irvin with a punch to the eye but the ref stopped the fight when Irvin complained of an eye poke. Weird stoppage as it looked like Sakara was about to finish Irvin and the ref is going to award the win to Sakara by TKO. Weird finish and a quick stoppage but the right guy won the fight.
Winner: Alessio Sakara by TKO (Punches) R1 3:01
Urijah Faber is in the house and Mike Goldberg hypes the upcoming Faber/Jose Aldo WEC PPV.I think Urijah goes to every MMA event.
Shane Carwin fights Frank Mir on Saturday at UFC 111 for the UFC Interim Heavyweight Title with the winner facing Brock Lesnar. They show a pre-taped interview with Carwin and Joe Rogan. Carwin is 11-0 with 11 knockouts.
Heavyweight Fight- Cheick Kongo (24-6-1) vs. Paul Buentello (25-11)
This is another fight between two guys who like to stand and bang. Buentello is coming off of a loss to Stefan Struve in his return to the UFC. Kongo has a 2" height and 5" reach advantage. I'm taking Kongo in this one. Buentello has been training with Shane Carwin for tonight's fight.
R1- Kongo got a take down at the one minute mark. Buentello tried his best to illegally use the cage to save his fall but failed. Buentello got back up and Kongo took him back down with a slam. Buentello got to his feet and then it looked like he dislocated his finger and Herb Dean stopped the fight for a minute. Kongo got another take down with a minute left in the round. Kongo 10-9.
R2- Kongo threw some good strikes against the cage and then took Buentello down again in the first minute of the round. Kongo landed some good knees to the body but then hit Buentello in the head with a knee while Buentello still had one knee on the ground and was in the process of getting up so Herb Dean steps in and gives Buentello a minute to recover. Herb Dean takes one point away from Kongo for the illegal knee to a downed opponent. Kongo got another take down shortly after the fight was re-started. Kongo landing some knees to the body. Kongo landed some knees to Buentello's head. Kongo landed some good strikes and got another take down. This is a borderline 10-8 round in favor of Kongo. Depending on how this round was scored Kongo is up 29-28 or 29-27 after his one point deduction.
"He's getting molested"- Joe Rogan
R3- Kongo got a quick take down at the start of the final round. Kongo hit some elbows to Buentello's side and Buentello tapped out. Really strong showing for Kongo.
Winner: Cheick Kongo by Submission (Strikes) R3 1:16
GSP is interviewed by Joe Rogan via satellite to discuss his title defense on Saturday against Dan Hardy.
Heavyweight Fight- Junior Dos Santos (10-1) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (11-4)
If Dos Santos can keep winning he is one or two fights away from fighting for the title. Santos trains with Big Nog, Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva. Gonzaga is a former jiu-jitsu world champion. Dos Santos is a jiu-jitsu purple wins. Neither fighter has ever been to a decision. Gonzaga out weighs Dos Santos by 17 pounds but Dos Santos says he will make that up with his speed. Dos Santos is my pick in this one.
R1- Gonzaga got a take down but Dos Santos did a good job on getting right back to his feet. Dos Santos is doing a good job in changing levels and is starting to land some strikes. Dos Santos landed a big left and Gonzaga went down. Dos Santos was able to get through with some Ground and Pound shots and this one is all over. Really impressive win for Dos Santos. The Heavyweight Division is just stacked right now with young guys like Dos Santos, Velasquez, Brock, Shane Carwin and Todd Duffee. And that's not even mentioning guys like Mir and Big Nog.
Winner: Junior Dos Santos by KO (Strikes) R1 3:53
Welterweight Fight- John Howard vs. Daniel Roberts
This is from the pre-show so this one is going to be a quick one. This is Roberts UFC debut.
R1- Roberts got a take down but Howard got back to his feet. Roberts grabbed a kimura and used it to sweep Howard back to the ground. Roberts landed some Ground and Pound. Howard picked up Roberts and slammed him and took top position. Roberts went for an omaplata but Howard got out of the submission and then delivered a huge left hand that knocked Roberts out while Roberts was still on the mat. Fantastic punch by Howard. Roberts looked pretty good early in the fight but he just got tagged. Howard is now 4-0 in the UFC and has won 7 straight fights.
Winner: John Howard by KO (Punch) R1 2:01
Light Heavyweight Fight- Jon Jones (9-1) vs. Brandon Vera (11-4)
Jones is coming off of a demolition of Matt Hamill where he got DQ'd due to downward elbows but he just blew out Hamill and destroyed him. The Hamill DQ loss is the only loss on Jones's record. This is the 2nd fight for Jones since he's joined Greg Jackson's camp. Jones has a background as a JUCO wrestling champion and comes at his opponent with a lot of different angles and does moves that aren't commonly used in MMA. He's a very unique talent. Brandon Vera is a Muay Thai fighter who also has a brown belt in bjj. Vera is a very good fighter but has honestly looked lackluster in the last year or two. Jones has a 6.5" reach advantage in this fight. I see this as a very even fight. I'm going to take Jones via decision as most of Vera's recent fights seem to have gone to decision if my memory is correct.
R1- Jones immediately got a take down on a judo type throw. Vera did a good job of kicking Jones off. Jones landed a knee and then got another take down. Vera hit an illegal up kick on Jones (it was illegal because Jones had a knee on the mat). Herb Dean takes a point away from Brandon Vera which could be huge with Vera's recent history of decisions. Dean restarts the fight with Jones in full guard. Vera tries another up kick but this time it brushed off Jones's shoulder. Rogan is commenting that Vera is looking for an arm bar. Jones hits some good Ground and Pound and Vera covers up and turns his back and Dean stops the fight. Jones landed some good shots and Vera looked like he got hurt bad. Good stoppage by Dean as Vera is still down on his knees with his hands on his face. In the replay Jones hit a crushing elbow strike to the side of Vera's face. Rogan says he may have done something to Vera's orbital socket. Great win for Jon Jones. Jon Jones is the real deal.
Winner: Jon Jones by TKO (Strikes) R1 3:19
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Sengoku Raiden Championship 12 3/7/10 Re-Cap
Sengoku Raiden Championship 12
Rygoku Kokugikan
Tokyo, Japan
March 7, 2010
HDNet
Last year Mamed Khalidov beat Sengoku Middleweight Champion Jorge Santiago in a non-title fight. Khalidov will get his re-match at this show. Michael Schiavello is joined by Frank Trigg for commentary at this event. Marlon Sandro and former UFC fighter Akihiro Gono are also on the card tonight.
Shigeki Osawa (4-1) vs. Kyung Ho Kang (4-2)
Kang is a Korean fighter who has won 2 of his last 3 fights. He is making his Sengoku debut tonight. Osawa has won 4 of his 5 fights but his last fight was a loss to Ronnie Mann by decision. Both fighters are very young (22 & 23). Osawa has a background as an amateur wrestler. Osawa is the favorite in this fight.
R1- Osawa got a quick take down and then took Kang's back and hit a back suplex on him. Kang went for a triangle and Osawa picked him up and dropped him on his head with a nasty power bomb type slam. Osawa stayed on top of Kang for the majority of the round and took the round 10-9.
R2- Osawa quickly got the fight to the ground again in this round. Kang was able to take Osawa's back at the half way point of the round but couldn't do anything with the position. Not much damage done so far in this fight as it's been mostly a battle of positioning. This round could have gone either way but I'll give it to Osawa.
R3- Osawa landed a couple of punches and wobbled Kang early in the round. Osawa hit back to back to back suplexes mid-way through the round. Osawa will take this fight 30-27.
Winner: Shigeki Osawa by Decision (Unanimous)
Lightweight Fight- Leonardo Santos (6-3) vs. Kiuma Kunioku (34-22-9)
Santos lost his last fight but has won 4 of his last 5 with 3 of those wins coming by way of submission. Kunioku is on a 3 fight win streak. Santos has a 5" height advantage.
R1- Santos scored a take down two minutes into the round and moved to the mount position. Santos transitioned to a Rear Naked Choke and finished the fight. Not flashy, but very effective.
Winner: Leonardo Santos by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1
Featherweight Fight- Nick Denis (9-1) vs. Yuji Hoshino (16-7-7)
Denis is on a 2-fight win streak and has won 4 of his last 5. He has finished 8 of his 9 fights by TKO/KO. His only loss came at the hands of top contender Marlon Sandro. Hoshino is a former Pancrase fighter who has also lost to Marlon Sandro (in his last fight) but has won 4 of his last 5.
R1- Hoshino got a quick take down but Denis was able to get to his feet without taking any damage. Denis landed some good strikes to the body and some knees to the legs. Hoshino got another take down with about two minutes left in the round but Denis tried a triangle choke and Hoshino countered with an ankle lock and then ended up on top in Denis's guard. Denis grabbed an omaplata attempt but Hoshino slipped out and then took Denis's guard again. Good round, I gave it to Denis 10-9 due to his striking and his submission attempts.
R2- Hoshino pulled guard on a guillotine choke early in the round and Denis tapped.
Winner: Yuji Hoshino by Submission (Guillotine) R2
Heavyweight Fight- Henry "Sentoryu" Miller (6-9) vs. Yoshihiro Nakao (8-2)
Miller is a former Sumo wrestler who has won 2 of his last 5 fights (one was ruled a no contest). Nakao has won 3 of his last 5 fights. Miller has Nakao out weighed by 23 pounds.
R1- Nakao hit a high left head kick but Miller fought it off and Miller threw some wild punches and ended up on his back. Nakao trapped him in a crucifix position and hit him with repeated punches to the head. Nakao went for an arm bar and then turned it into a kimura attempt but he couldn't quite lock it in and Miller escaped. Nakao with a borderline 10-8 round.
R2- Nakao got a take down one minute into the round. Nakao put Miller in the crucifix position again and pelted him with strikes to the head. The ref finally stepped in and stopped the fight.
Winner: Yoshihiro Nakao by TKO (Strikes) R2
Featherweight Fight- Marlon Sandro (15-1) vs. Tomonari Kanomata (15-4-5)
Kanomata is undefeated in his last 5 fights but two of them were draws. All of his last 5 fights have gone the distance. Sandro has won 4 of his last fights including wins over Nick Denis and Yuji Hoshino. His only loss was a controversial split decision loss to Michihiro Omigawa.
R1- Kanomata tried to push the pace early but he ate a left hook that stunned him and then Sandro threw a right uppercut that knocked Kanomata out. Dominant performance from Sandro. This one might have lasted 10 seconds. They took Kanomata out on a stretcher after this fight.
Winner: Marlon Sandro by KO (Punch) R1 0:09
Featherweight Fight- Maximo Blanco (4-2-1) vs. Armbar Kim (15-5)
They didn't say Kim's real name but said he was known as "ArmBar Kim" because he finished 8 of his 10 submission victories with Arm Bars. Kim is 5-0 in his last 5 fights. Blanco is 3-1-1 in his last 5 with the loss being a DQ due to an illegal soccer kick.
R1- Blanco caught Kim in the corner and knocked him out with a kick to the face and then landed a couple of punches on Kim's way down to the mat. Two straight big time knockouts.
Winner: Maximo Blanco by KO (Kick) R1
Welterweight Fight- Akihiro Gono (31-15-7) vs. Diego Gonzalez (13-3)
Gonzalez is on an 8 fight winning streak and went 3-0 in 2009. Gono is 2-3 in his last fights but those fights were against high level competition (1 win against Hayato Sakurai and 2 of the losses in the UFC to Jon Fitch and Dan Hardy). Gonzalez also has a loss to Dan Hardy on his record.
R1- The first round was all stand up. Gono landed more strikes but Gonzalez landed the better combos. This was a really close round.
R2- All stand up this round as well but this one has turned into a bit of a snoozer. Trigg has Gono 19-18 of far.
R3- Gono opened up a cut near Gonzalez's eye. Not a real exciting fight but Gono distanced himself as the fight continued and he will take this one via decision.
Winner: Akihiro Gono by Decision (Unanimous)
Sengoku Middleweight Title Fight- Jorge Santiago (c) (21-8) vs. Mamed Khalidov (20-3-1)
Khalidov is 4-0-1 in his last 5 fights including a TKO win over Jorge Santiago in his last fight on 11/7/2009. Santiago trains at American Top Team and is 4-1 in his last five fights with the only loss being to Khalidov. JZ Calvancante is in Santiago's corner for the fight. Khalidov's last loss was in 2005 and has only won decision victory in his 20 wins.
R1- Santiago clamped on an early guillotine but Mamed got out of the submission. Santiago ended the first round on top of Mamed and he took the first round 10-9. Frank Trigg agreed with me on the scoring.
R2- Santiago attempt a take down two minutes into the round but Mamed ended up in top position. Mamed landed a couple of shots from the top but nothing substantial. Santiago was able to get Mamed in a funky submission and then Mamed rolled out and both guys went back to their feet. Close round, probably went to Mamed due to the take down and his domination of ring position. I've got 19-19 after two rounds. Twinkle Toes has it scored 20-18 Santiago after two.
R3- Mamed got a take down about a minute and a half into the round. Not much action until the one minute mark when Mamed started to throw some Ground and Pound strikes. I've got Mamed 29-28, Twinkle Toes has it Santiago 29-28.
R4- Santiago got a take down in the first minute of the round but Mamed reversed a submission into top position for himself but Santiago got back to his feet without taking any damage. Santiago landed a good combination and then landed some knees. Mamed got a take down with two minutes left in the round. Mamed landed some Ground and Pound near the end of the round. Really close round. I've got Mamed 39-37, Twinkle Toes has it 38-38.
R5- Santiago landed a good strike and then avoided a take down. Mamed looks really tired and Santiago is bringing it to him. Mamed goes to the mat looking for some rest and Santiago takes top position. Mamed was able to take top position but then ate an up kick. Mamed got cut open and the ref stopped the fight to look at the cut and they continued the fight. Santiago landed a good right towards the end of the fight and I've got him taking this round. Trigg says he could argue this fight for either fighter. I've got Mamed taking this fight 48-47 but I honestly don't think he did enough to win the title so I'd be satisfied with Santiago winning this one by decision. Not a great fight. All three judges gave the fight to Santiago 48-47.
Winner: Jorge Santiago by Decision (Unanimous)
Rygoku Kokugikan
Tokyo, Japan
March 7, 2010
HDNet
Last year Mamed Khalidov beat Sengoku Middleweight Champion Jorge Santiago in a non-title fight. Khalidov will get his re-match at this show. Michael Schiavello is joined by Frank Trigg for commentary at this event. Marlon Sandro and former UFC fighter Akihiro Gono are also on the card tonight.
Shigeki Osawa (4-1) vs. Kyung Ho Kang (4-2)
Kang is a Korean fighter who has won 2 of his last 3 fights. He is making his Sengoku debut tonight. Osawa has won 4 of his 5 fights but his last fight was a loss to Ronnie Mann by decision. Both fighters are very young (22 & 23). Osawa has a background as an amateur wrestler. Osawa is the favorite in this fight.
R1- Osawa got a quick take down and then took Kang's back and hit a back suplex on him. Kang went for a triangle and Osawa picked him up and dropped him on his head with a nasty power bomb type slam. Osawa stayed on top of Kang for the majority of the round and took the round 10-9.
R2- Osawa quickly got the fight to the ground again in this round. Kang was able to take Osawa's back at the half way point of the round but couldn't do anything with the position. Not much damage done so far in this fight as it's been mostly a battle of positioning. This round could have gone either way but I'll give it to Osawa.
R3- Osawa landed a couple of punches and wobbled Kang early in the round. Osawa hit back to back to back suplexes mid-way through the round. Osawa will take this fight 30-27.
Winner: Shigeki Osawa by Decision (Unanimous)
Lightweight Fight- Leonardo Santos (6-3) vs. Kiuma Kunioku (34-22-9)
Santos lost his last fight but has won 4 of his last 5 with 3 of those wins coming by way of submission. Kunioku is on a 3 fight win streak. Santos has a 5" height advantage.
R1- Santos scored a take down two minutes into the round and moved to the mount position. Santos transitioned to a Rear Naked Choke and finished the fight. Not flashy, but very effective.
Winner: Leonardo Santos by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1
Featherweight Fight- Nick Denis (9-1) vs. Yuji Hoshino (16-7-7)
Denis is on a 2-fight win streak and has won 4 of his last 5. He has finished 8 of his 9 fights by TKO/KO. His only loss came at the hands of top contender Marlon Sandro. Hoshino is a former Pancrase fighter who has also lost to Marlon Sandro (in his last fight) but has won 4 of his last 5.
R1- Hoshino got a quick take down but Denis was able to get to his feet without taking any damage. Denis landed some good strikes to the body and some knees to the legs. Hoshino got another take down with about two minutes left in the round but Denis tried a triangle choke and Hoshino countered with an ankle lock and then ended up on top in Denis's guard. Denis grabbed an omaplata attempt but Hoshino slipped out and then took Denis's guard again. Good round, I gave it to Denis 10-9 due to his striking and his submission attempts.
R2- Hoshino pulled guard on a guillotine choke early in the round and Denis tapped.
Winner: Yuji Hoshino by Submission (Guillotine) R2
Heavyweight Fight- Henry "Sentoryu" Miller (6-9) vs. Yoshihiro Nakao (8-2)
Miller is a former Sumo wrestler who has won 2 of his last 5 fights (one was ruled a no contest). Nakao has won 3 of his last 5 fights. Miller has Nakao out weighed by 23 pounds.
R1- Nakao hit a high left head kick but Miller fought it off and Miller threw some wild punches and ended up on his back. Nakao trapped him in a crucifix position and hit him with repeated punches to the head. Nakao went for an arm bar and then turned it into a kimura attempt but he couldn't quite lock it in and Miller escaped. Nakao with a borderline 10-8 round.
R2- Nakao got a take down one minute into the round. Nakao put Miller in the crucifix position again and pelted him with strikes to the head. The ref finally stepped in and stopped the fight.
Winner: Yoshihiro Nakao by TKO (Strikes) R2
Featherweight Fight- Marlon Sandro (15-1) vs. Tomonari Kanomata (15-4-5)
Kanomata is undefeated in his last 5 fights but two of them were draws. All of his last 5 fights have gone the distance. Sandro has won 4 of his last fights including wins over Nick Denis and Yuji Hoshino. His only loss was a controversial split decision loss to Michihiro Omigawa.
R1- Kanomata tried to push the pace early but he ate a left hook that stunned him and then Sandro threw a right uppercut that knocked Kanomata out. Dominant performance from Sandro. This one might have lasted 10 seconds. They took Kanomata out on a stretcher after this fight.
Winner: Marlon Sandro by KO (Punch) R1 0:09
Featherweight Fight- Maximo Blanco (4-2-1) vs. Armbar Kim (15-5)
They didn't say Kim's real name but said he was known as "ArmBar Kim" because he finished 8 of his 10 submission victories with Arm Bars. Kim is 5-0 in his last 5 fights. Blanco is 3-1-1 in his last 5 with the loss being a DQ due to an illegal soccer kick.
R1- Blanco caught Kim in the corner and knocked him out with a kick to the face and then landed a couple of punches on Kim's way down to the mat. Two straight big time knockouts.
Winner: Maximo Blanco by KO (Kick) R1
Welterweight Fight- Akihiro Gono (31-15-7) vs. Diego Gonzalez (13-3)
Gonzalez is on an 8 fight winning streak and went 3-0 in 2009. Gono is 2-3 in his last fights but those fights were against high level competition (1 win against Hayato Sakurai and 2 of the losses in the UFC to Jon Fitch and Dan Hardy). Gonzalez also has a loss to Dan Hardy on his record.
R1- The first round was all stand up. Gono landed more strikes but Gonzalez landed the better combos. This was a really close round.
R2- All stand up this round as well but this one has turned into a bit of a snoozer. Trigg has Gono 19-18 of far.
R3- Gono opened up a cut near Gonzalez's eye. Not a real exciting fight but Gono distanced himself as the fight continued and he will take this one via decision.
Winner: Akihiro Gono by Decision (Unanimous)
Sengoku Middleweight Title Fight- Jorge Santiago (c) (21-8) vs. Mamed Khalidov (20-3-1)
Khalidov is 4-0-1 in his last 5 fights including a TKO win over Jorge Santiago in his last fight on 11/7/2009. Santiago trains at American Top Team and is 4-1 in his last five fights with the only loss being to Khalidov. JZ Calvancante is in Santiago's corner for the fight. Khalidov's last loss was in 2005 and has only won decision victory in his 20 wins.
R1- Santiago clamped on an early guillotine but Mamed got out of the submission. Santiago ended the first round on top of Mamed and he took the first round 10-9. Frank Trigg agreed with me on the scoring.
R2- Santiago attempt a take down two minutes into the round but Mamed ended up in top position. Mamed landed a couple of shots from the top but nothing substantial. Santiago was able to get Mamed in a funky submission and then Mamed rolled out and both guys went back to their feet. Close round, probably went to Mamed due to the take down and his domination of ring position. I've got 19-19 after two rounds. Twinkle Toes has it scored 20-18 Santiago after two.
R3- Mamed got a take down about a minute and a half into the round. Not much action until the one minute mark when Mamed started to throw some Ground and Pound strikes. I've got Mamed 29-28, Twinkle Toes has it Santiago 29-28.
R4- Santiago got a take down in the first minute of the round but Mamed reversed a submission into top position for himself but Santiago got back to his feet without taking any damage. Santiago landed a good combination and then landed some knees. Mamed got a take down with two minutes left in the round. Mamed landed some Ground and Pound near the end of the round. Really close round. I've got Mamed 39-37, Twinkle Toes has it 38-38.
R5- Santiago landed a good strike and then avoided a take down. Mamed looks really tired and Santiago is bringing it to him. Mamed goes to the mat looking for some rest and Santiago takes top position. Mamed was able to take top position but then ate an up kick. Mamed got cut open and the ref stopped the fight to look at the cut and they continued the fight. Santiago landed a good right towards the end of the fight and I've got him taking this round. Trigg says he could argue this fight for either fighter. I've got Mamed taking this fight 48-47 but I honestly don't think he did enough to win the title so I'd be satisfied with Santiago winning this one by decision. Not a great fight. All three judges gave the fight to Santiago 48-47.
Winner: Jorge Santiago by Decision (Unanimous)
Monday, March 08, 2010
WEC 47 Re-Cap
WEC 47
Nationwide Arena
Columbus, Ohio
March 6, 2009
Frank Mir is deep in training so Stephen Bonnar joins Todd Harris tonight to call the action. Bantamweight Champion Brian Bowles defends his title for the first time tonight and former champion Miguel Torres is also back in action. Stephan is wearing a wicked button down purple shirt that doesn't agree with my HD. Joe Martinez is the ring announcer.
Lightweight Fight- Karen Darabedyan (9-1) vs. Bart Palaszewski (32-13)
Karen is coming off of a good decision win over Rob McCullough in his WEC debut. Bart has a 2" height and 2" reach advantage. Bart is only 26 years old and has 45 fights on his record.
R1- Karen lands some really good punches against the cage and then got a take down and landed some Ground and Pound. Bart went for a submission and Karen landed a couple of really good shots. Bart caught Karen in an arm bar in the last 30 seconds of the round and got the submission victory. Tough loss for Darabedyan as he dominated this fight until he got caught.
Winner: Bart Palaszewski by Submission (Arm Bar) R1 4:40
Sunday March 21st the UFC debuts on Versus with Jon Jones versus Brandon Vera and Gabriel Gonzaga versus Junior dos Santos.
Featherweight Fight- LC Davis (15-2) vs. Deividas Taurosevicius (12-3)
R1-Lots of clinching in the first round with LC landing the better strikes. LC 10-9.
R2- Deividas got a take down one and a half minutes into the round but couldn't take advantage of the take down. Deividas looked like he landed a low blow or two that was not acknowledged by the ref. Really close round. I've got it 19-19 right now.
R3- Davis got a take down with two minutes left in the fight. The ref stood the fighters up with 45 seconds left and the fight is in the balance. LC stuffed a take down and the ended in a clinch. Very close fight. I've got LC Davis taking the fight 29-28 but it could go either way.
Judges score cards say: 29-29, 29-28, 29-28 in favor of Davis
Winner: LC Davis by Decision (Majority)
Todd Harris interviews Donald Cerrone and Urijah Faber. On the first WEC PPV on April 24th Donald Cerrone will challenge Ben Henderson for the Lightweight Title and Urijah Faber will challenge Jose Aldo for the Featherweight Title. Also on the card will be Mike Brown versus Manvel Gamburyan, Anthony Njokuani vs. Shane Roller and Damacio Page vs. Antonio Banuelos.
Some stars at ringside for this show are Randy Couture, Boxer Miguel Cotto, the TapouT crew, Mike Brown and Forrest Griffin.
Featherweight Fight- Jens Pulver (22-12-1) vs. Javier Vasquez (13-4)
R1- Vasquez got a take down but Pulver grabbed a guillotine choke. Vasquez got another take down but Pulver again reversed, this time into Vasquez's guard until he let him up. Vasquez quickly got his third take down of the round with only two minutes gone from the round. Vasquez trapped Pulver in a crucifix position and landed some strikes. Vasquez grabbed an arm bar and Pulver tapped out. Really fun but short fight.
Winner: Javier Vasquez by Submission (Arm Bar) R1 3:41
Post fight Jens Pulver does another "retirement type speech" but doesn't say he's retiring.
Bantamweight Fight- Scott Jorgensen (8-3) vs. Chad George
This fight is from the pre-show. Should be fun as Jorgensen is a high-octane guy. Jorgensen is 4-2 in WEC.
R1- Chad George shoots in and Jorgensen grabs him in a guillotine and George taps out. Jorgensen with a very impressive win.
Winner: Scott Jorgensen by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 0:31
Bantamweight Fight- Miguel Angel Torres (36-2) vs. Joseph Benavidez (11-1)
This is a huge fight for both guys. Both guys lost to the one of the fighters in the Main Event tonight (Torres to Bowles and Benavidez to Cruz) but a win tonight can go a long way to erasing those losses. The winner of this fight jumps right to the top of the Bantamweight Title Contenders list. Benavidez trains with Urijah Faber and Faber is in his corner tonight. Torres has a huge 5" height and 11" reach advantage so that could be key but it also means that Benavidez should have the strength advantage if he can close the distance in this fight.
R1- Benavidez caught a Torres kick and briefly floored the former champ. Banavidez got a take down against the cage with two minutes left in the round. Torres went for an arm bar and Benavidez passed his guard to side control. Benavidez really didn't do anything while on top of Torres but took the round 10-9.
R2- Torres started to find the rang with his jab but Benavidez got a take down half way through the round. Benavidez cut Torres with an elbow and then clamped on a guillotine and a bloody Torres tapped out. Big upset. Really good fight from Benavidez and a tough loss for Torres as he has gone from one of the Top P4P ranked fighters to losing two fights in a row.
Winner: Joseph Benavidez by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R2 2:57
Lightweight Fight- Anthony Pettis (7-1) vs. Danny Castillo
This fight is from the pre-show.
R1- Castillo got a take down in the first minute of the fight but couldn't do anything with the take down. Pettis destroyed Pettis with a huge head kick and then nailed him with a barrage of punches before the ref could stop the fight. Big time highlight reel win for Pettis.
Winner: Anthony Pettis by KO (Head Kick) R1
Bantamweight Title Fight- Brian Bowles (c) (8-0) vs. Dominick Cruz (14-1)
Cruz has not lost a fight since losing a title fight to Urijah Faber three years ago. Since dropping to the Bantamweight division in 2008 he is undefeated. Cruz has recently been training up in Big Bear with Brandon Vera. This is Bowles first defense of the Bantamweight Title that he won from Miguel Angel Torres. Bowles is 5-0 in WEC fights. Bowles has Rory Singer in his corner. Bowles has a 2" reach advantage in this fight.
R1- Cruz is using his quickness to dance around Bowles and move in quickly to try for strikes. Bowles landed a really good strike around the two minute mark of the round but Cruz absorbed it and stayed on his feet. Cruz retaliated with a good strike of his own that hurt Bowles. Bowles tried to pull guard with a guillotine but Cruz ended up on top in the dominant position. Cruz took the first round 10-9.
R2- Bowles hit a good right to the face at the one minute mark. Cruz landed a good combo at the two minute mark and swept Bowles leg with a low kick. Bowles nose has been busted open and he seems to be slowing down as the round continues. Cruz got a take down with fifteen seconds left in the round. I've got Cruz up 20-18. He's really frustrating Bowles with his quickness.
During the break in action the doctor came in a examined Bowles and Bowles was not able to continue due to injury. Bowles broke his right hand during the fight. Bowles said he broke his hand on the first punch that he threw and that threw off his game plan.
Winner and new Bantamweight Champion: Dominic Cruz by TKO (Injury) R2 5:00
Nationwide Arena
Columbus, Ohio
March 6, 2009
Frank Mir is deep in training so Stephen Bonnar joins Todd Harris tonight to call the action. Bantamweight Champion Brian Bowles defends his title for the first time tonight and former champion Miguel Torres is also back in action. Stephan is wearing a wicked button down purple shirt that doesn't agree with my HD. Joe Martinez is the ring announcer.
Lightweight Fight- Karen Darabedyan (9-1) vs. Bart Palaszewski (32-13)
Karen is coming off of a good decision win over Rob McCullough in his WEC debut. Bart has a 2" height and 2" reach advantage. Bart is only 26 years old and has 45 fights on his record.
R1- Karen lands some really good punches against the cage and then got a take down and landed some Ground and Pound. Bart went for a submission and Karen landed a couple of really good shots. Bart caught Karen in an arm bar in the last 30 seconds of the round and got the submission victory. Tough loss for Darabedyan as he dominated this fight until he got caught.
Winner: Bart Palaszewski by Submission (Arm Bar) R1 4:40
Sunday March 21st the UFC debuts on Versus with Jon Jones versus Brandon Vera and Gabriel Gonzaga versus Junior dos Santos.
Featherweight Fight- LC Davis (15-2) vs. Deividas Taurosevicius (12-3)
R1-Lots of clinching in the first round with LC landing the better strikes. LC 10-9.
R2- Deividas got a take down one and a half minutes into the round but couldn't take advantage of the take down. Deividas looked like he landed a low blow or two that was not acknowledged by the ref. Really close round. I've got it 19-19 right now.
R3- Davis got a take down with two minutes left in the fight. The ref stood the fighters up with 45 seconds left and the fight is in the balance. LC stuffed a take down and the ended in a clinch. Very close fight. I've got LC Davis taking the fight 29-28 but it could go either way.
Judges score cards say: 29-29, 29-28, 29-28 in favor of Davis
Winner: LC Davis by Decision (Majority)
Todd Harris interviews Donald Cerrone and Urijah Faber. On the first WEC PPV on April 24th Donald Cerrone will challenge Ben Henderson for the Lightweight Title and Urijah Faber will challenge Jose Aldo for the Featherweight Title. Also on the card will be Mike Brown versus Manvel Gamburyan, Anthony Njokuani vs. Shane Roller and Damacio Page vs. Antonio Banuelos.
Some stars at ringside for this show are Randy Couture, Boxer Miguel Cotto, the TapouT crew, Mike Brown and Forrest Griffin.
Featherweight Fight- Jens Pulver (22-12-1) vs. Javier Vasquez (13-4)
R1- Vasquez got a take down but Pulver grabbed a guillotine choke. Vasquez got another take down but Pulver again reversed, this time into Vasquez's guard until he let him up. Vasquez quickly got his third take down of the round with only two minutes gone from the round. Vasquez trapped Pulver in a crucifix position and landed some strikes. Vasquez grabbed an arm bar and Pulver tapped out. Really fun but short fight.
Winner: Javier Vasquez by Submission (Arm Bar) R1 3:41
Post fight Jens Pulver does another "retirement type speech" but doesn't say he's retiring.
Bantamweight Fight- Scott Jorgensen (8-3) vs. Chad George
This fight is from the pre-show. Should be fun as Jorgensen is a high-octane guy. Jorgensen is 4-2 in WEC.
R1- Chad George shoots in and Jorgensen grabs him in a guillotine and George taps out. Jorgensen with a very impressive win.
Winner: Scott Jorgensen by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 0:31
Bantamweight Fight- Miguel Angel Torres (36-2) vs. Joseph Benavidez (11-1)
This is a huge fight for both guys. Both guys lost to the one of the fighters in the Main Event tonight (Torres to Bowles and Benavidez to Cruz) but a win tonight can go a long way to erasing those losses. The winner of this fight jumps right to the top of the Bantamweight Title Contenders list. Benavidez trains with Urijah Faber and Faber is in his corner tonight. Torres has a huge 5" height and 11" reach advantage so that could be key but it also means that Benavidez should have the strength advantage if he can close the distance in this fight.
R1- Benavidez caught a Torres kick and briefly floored the former champ. Banavidez got a take down against the cage with two minutes left in the round. Torres went for an arm bar and Benavidez passed his guard to side control. Benavidez really didn't do anything while on top of Torres but took the round 10-9.
R2- Torres started to find the rang with his jab but Benavidez got a take down half way through the round. Benavidez cut Torres with an elbow and then clamped on a guillotine and a bloody Torres tapped out. Big upset. Really good fight from Benavidez and a tough loss for Torres as he has gone from one of the Top P4P ranked fighters to losing two fights in a row.
Winner: Joseph Benavidez by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R2 2:57
Lightweight Fight- Anthony Pettis (7-1) vs. Danny Castillo
This fight is from the pre-show.
R1- Castillo got a take down in the first minute of the fight but couldn't do anything with the take down. Pettis destroyed Pettis with a huge head kick and then nailed him with a barrage of punches before the ref could stop the fight. Big time highlight reel win for Pettis.
Winner: Anthony Pettis by KO (Head Kick) R1
Bantamweight Title Fight- Brian Bowles (c) (8-0) vs. Dominick Cruz (14-1)
Cruz has not lost a fight since losing a title fight to Urijah Faber three years ago. Since dropping to the Bantamweight division in 2008 he is undefeated. Cruz has recently been training up in Big Bear with Brandon Vera. This is Bowles first defense of the Bantamweight Title that he won from Miguel Angel Torres. Bowles is 5-0 in WEC fights. Bowles has Rory Singer in his corner. Bowles has a 2" reach advantage in this fight.
R1- Cruz is using his quickness to dance around Bowles and move in quickly to try for strikes. Bowles landed a really good strike around the two minute mark of the round but Cruz absorbed it and stayed on his feet. Cruz retaliated with a good strike of his own that hurt Bowles. Bowles tried to pull guard with a guillotine but Cruz ended up on top in the dominant position. Cruz took the first round 10-9.
R2- Bowles hit a good right to the face at the one minute mark. Cruz landed a good combo at the two minute mark and swept Bowles leg with a low kick. Bowles nose has been busted open and he seems to be slowing down as the round continues. Cruz got a take down with fifteen seconds left in the round. I've got Cruz up 20-18. He's really frustrating Bowles with his quickness.
During the break in action the doctor came in a examined Bowles and Bowles was not able to continue due to injury. Bowles broke his right hand during the fight. Bowles said he broke his hand on the first punch that he threw and that threw off his game plan.
Winner and new Bantamweight Champion: Dominic Cruz by TKO (Injury) R2 5:00
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