WEC: Aldo vs. Faber PPV Re-Cap

WEC: Aldo vs. Faber PPV
Arco Arena
Sacramento, California
April 24, 2010

Tonight is the "biggest fight in Featherweight history" between current champion Jose Aldo and former champion Urijah Faber. Also on the card is a Lightweight title re-match between current champion Ben Henderson and top contender Donald Cerrone. The UFC has taken over the WEC duties as Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan are the announcers for this show. Bruce Buffer is also doing the ring announcing tonight. Rogan describes Faber/Aldo as the MMA version of Sugar Ray Leonard versus Roberto Duran.

Bantamweight Fight- Antonio Banuelos (18-5) vs. Scott Jorgensen (9-3)

This is a re-match from WEC 41 in June of 2009 in what I thought was a Fight of the Year contender. Banuelos won the fight by split decision. I had Jorgensen taking the fight 29-28 on my score card. Banuelos trains with Chuck Liddell and John Hackleman. Jorgensen has a 3" reach advantage.

R1- Pretty even fight early with Jorgensen taking the center of the octagon but Banuelos doing a decent job counter punching. Banuelos landed a left hook and Jorgensen went down. Banuelos jumped on top but Jorgensen was able to pull him into his guard and avoid the finish. Jorgensen went for an arm bar and then kicked him way back to his feet. Banuelos takes the first round with the knock down 10-9.

R2- Jorgensen lands some strikes in the first minute to open this round. Jorgensen is finding a home for his jab. Jorgensen has busted open Banuelos nose and Rogan says it might be broken. Jorgensen is really picking apart Banuelos in this round. Jorgensen landed a right hand that floored Banuelos with one minute left in the round. Jorgensen easily took this round and evens the fight up at 19-19 going into the final stanza.

"Banuelos is bleeding like a stuck pig"- Joe Rogan

R3- Jorgensen opened up the round with a good combination and once again opened up the nose of Banuelos. Jorgensen hit a right hand about half way through the round and Banuelos hit the deck. Jorgensen followed in and Banuelos tried to cover up. Jorgensen took his back and tried for a Rear Naked Choke but Banuelos spun out of it. Jorgensen remaining on the back of Banuelos and continues to land strikes from the back and then clamped on another Rear Naked Choke but couldn't lock it in. Good fight. Jorgensen will get his revenge as he takes this 29-28 (same score I had the last fight scored). This puts Jorgensen at the top of the WEC featherweight contenders right behind Joseph Benavidez.

"Joe Silva's got blood on his notebook"- Joe Rogan

Judges score cards: 29-28 on all three score cards.

Winner: Scott Jorgensen by Decision (Unanimous)

Lightweight Fight- Anthony Njokuani (13-2) vs. Shane Roller (7-2)

Roller is a former D1 wrestler. Njokuani is on a 3-fight win streak and is coming off of a quick victory over Chris Horodecki at WEC 45. Roller fought at WEC 44 and defeated Danny Castillo via Rear Naked Choke in the third round. Both fighters have losses on their record to current Lightweight kingpin Ben Henderson. Njokuani has a 3.5" reach advantage.

R1- Roller immediately went for a take down and after about thirty seconds was able to get Anthony down but Anthony popped right back up. Roller got him down again at the one minute mark of the round. Roller briefly mounted but was pushed off and then Roller took Anthony's back and looked for a Rear Naked. Roller finally was able to clamp in the Rear Naked after working for it for a while and finished the fight. Not a highlight reel win but a very effective one as Roller really executed his game plan to perfection and beat a very dangerous opponent.

Winner: Shane Roller by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 3:07

Jake Shields is ringside and Dana White is right next to him with a huge smile on his face. Wow. What a sight.

The Joe Rogan/Kimbo Slice interview from the Spike TV prelim show is shown again.

Featherweight Fight- Mike Brown (23-5) vs. Manvel Gamburyan (12-5)

Mike Brown is the former Featherweight champion who holds two victories over Urijah Faber. Brown lost to Aldo at WEC 44 and then jumped right back into the cage at WEC 46 to defeat Anthony Morrison. Gamburyan also fought at WEC 44 winning a unanimous decision over Leonard Garcia (Brown also fought Garcia recently finishing him in less than 2 minutes). Gamburyan is 2-0 in WEC since dropping down in weight. This is a top contender fight. Brown has a 3" reach advantage.

R1- Brown came in about half way through the round and got caught by Manny. Manny then jumped on top with a bunch of hammer fists and the ref quickly stepped in. Very impressive finish by Manny. He hit him with a right hand and Brown just fell to the mat as his leg buckled. Good stoppage. Looks like Manny is next in line for Jose Aldo...errr the winner of Aldo and Urijah Faber.

Winner: Manvel Gamburyan by TKO (Strikes) 2:22


Bantamweight Fight- Brad Pickett vs. Demetrious Johnson

This is from the pre-show.

R1- Pickett hit a good left hand early. Pickett got a take down with three minutes left in the round. Johnson got back to his feet but immediately got taken back down. Johnson came at Pickett with a flying knee but instead ate a slam. Pickett trapped him in a crucifix but lost the position. Johnson hit a flurry at the end of the round but overall the round went to Pickett. Pickett seems a lot stronger than Johnson.

R2- Pickett is doing a good job timing Johnson's kicks and is doing a good job grabbing his leg whenever he throws a kick. Pickett got a take down with three minutes left in the round. Pickett picked up Johnson and slammed him hard with fifteen seconds left in the round. Pickett 20-18.

"I think Johnson might be the fastest fighter I've ever commentated"- Joe Rogan

R3- Johnson got a take down right off the bat. Pickett got back to his feet but Johnson landed several knees. Pickett got a take down with four minutes left in the round. Johnson got a take down half way through the round. Johnson got another take down but Pickett flipped him over. This round is all about the take downs. This was a really close round and Pickett might have stolen it from the judges due to controlling for the last minute or two. I've got Johnson taking the round but Pickett winning the fight 29-28.

Judges score cards: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 in favor of Pickett

Winner: Brad Pickett by Decision (Unanimous)

Lightweight Title Fight- Ben Henderson (c) (11-1) vs. Donald Cerrone (11-2)

Ben Henderson is coming off of a third round Guillotine Choke victory over former champion Jamie Varner in January. Cerrone is coming off of a Rear Naked Choke submission victory over Ed Ratcliff in December. These two fighters fought for the interim Lightweight Title in October and all three judges scored the fight 48-47 in favor of Ben Henderson. I had the fight even at 38-38 going into the final round and I gave the final round to Cerrone and thought he won the fight 48-47. It was a really close fight. Cerrone has a 3" height and 3" reach advantage.

R1- Cerrone stuffed an early take down but Henderson took him to the cage and delivered some good knees and then completed the take down two minutes into the round. Henderson landed some Ground and Pound and then switched positions and shockingly pulled guard and tapped out Donald Cerrone with a guillotine choke. Ben SMOOTH Henderson with a fantastic fight. Cerrone has a huge bump on his right temple from a knee that Henderson landed. Very impressive performance by Henderson. He really served notice to the MMA world with this victory.

Winner: Ben Henderson by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 1:57

Featherweight Fight- Brandon Visher (13-0) vs. Tyler Toner (10-1)

This pre-show fight is brought to you by Ben SMOOTH Henderson and his early finish of Cowboy Cerrone. I've only seen Visher fight once, at WEC 45, where he KO'd Courtney Buck at the end of the first round. Tyler Toner I've also only seen once and it was on a Strikeforce on NBC 30-minute show where he beat Ricky Johnson by TKO in the 2nd round. Visher is undefeated.

R1- Toner landed a good combination that included a big left hand half way through the round that floored Visher. Toner landed some elbows to the side of the face and the ref stopped the fight. Not a great stoppage as Visher was still in the fight but on the other hand Toner was doing a lot of damage to Visher.

Winner: Tyler Toner by TKO (Ref Stoppage) R1 2:36

The Chad Mendes/Anthony Morrison fight from the Spike TV pre-show is re-shown.

Featherweight Title Fight- Jose Aldo (c) (16-1) vs. Urijah Faber (23-3)

Aldo's last fight was in November when he defeated Mike Brown in the second round by TKO. Aldo has not lost in 5 years and his last six fights have been finished by KO/TKO. Faber's last fight was a Rear Naked Choke victory over Raphael Assuncao. Urijah comes out to a big reaction from his hometown crowd. It was almost difficult to hear Bruce Buffer over the fans applause for Faber during the introductions. This is going to be a tough fight for Faber and I just don't see him winning this fight.

"I think this is the biggest ovation I've ever seen"- Joe Rogan

R1- Aldo threw a leg kick that tripped up Faber at the one and a half minute mark of the round. Aldo landed a good body punch. Not a ton of action as Faber is bouncing around and trying to close on Aldo but not having much luck. Faber jumped in twice and landed a couple of combinations. Faber went to the well one too many times and Aldo met him with a knee that briefly floored Faber as it caught him off-balance. Aldo landed a couple of kicks to close the round. Aldo 10-9 but fairly close as both guys are feeling each other out and Aldo really just letting the fight come to him.

R2- Aldo is landing some good leg kicks. Faber noticeably limps after an Aldo leg kick late in the round. Not a lot of action in this round but Aldo has hurt Faber's leg and put him at a disadvantage going into the next round. Aldo 20-18.

R3- Aldo continues the onslaught on Faber's legs early in this round. Aldo hit a good body kick. Aldo threw a kick and Faber tripped him up but Aldo quickly got to his feet. Aldo hit a good high kick and then started opening up on Faber with strikes and then backed off after Faber covered up and came out swinging. Aldo hit a good body punch at the end of the round and then chopped Faber down with a leg kick but didn't have enough time to go for the finish. As the round ended Faber had trouble getting to his feet and you could see one of his corner men pick him up to carry him back to the corner as the camera cut away. Faber is showing a lot of heart but Aldo is just picking him apart. Aldo 30-27.

R4- Aldo just continues to pepper Faber's legs and Faber goes down and almost invites Aldo to the ground so he doesn't have to take any more leg kicks. Aldo gets full mount and then takes Faber's back. Faber was able to spin out of the position and get back to his feet with three minutes left in the round. Aldo landed another leg kick and Faber went down and Aldo landed a couple of strikes before Faber clinched onto him on the ground. Aldo passed guard into a mounted crucifix position and landed some good punches and elbows to the face. Aldo just continually landing elbows to Faber's face. That's a 10-8 round for Aldo and I've got him up 40-35. Faber showing a ton of heart but Aldo is just on another level than Faber.

"If you look at Urijah's left knee it is unnaturally swollen"- Joe Rogan

R5- Aldo not even looking to strike in the first minute and a half of the final round as Urijah is the aggressor. Urijah went for a take down but was stuffed. Aldo landed a good body shot with about a minute left in the fight. Really tough round to score as neither guy really did anything but the score for this round is a moot point as Aldo dominated Faber tonight and wins this one in a runaway. Very impressive performance from Aldo. The only possible weakness is that he didn't do much in the 5th round so was he tired or just cautious due to him having a huge lead and his opponent being broken down from the leg kicks.

Judges score cards: 49-45, 49-45, 50-45 in favor of Aldo.

Winner: Jose Aldo by Decision (Unanimous)

The Leonard Garcia/Chan Sung Jung fight from the SpikeTV pre-show is shown next due to time left on the PPV.

WEC 44 "Brown vs. Aldo" Re-Cap

WEC 44 “Brown vs. Aldo”
The Pearl
Las Vegas, Nevada
November 19, 2009

Todd Harris and Frank Mir are the announcers for the show. Joe Martinez is the ring announcer. The Featherweight Championship is on the line as Mike Thomas Brown will face explosive challenger Jose Aldo. Former WEC Lightweight Champion Rob McCullough will face Karen Darabedyan. In a fight of former UFC fighters Leonard Garcia will face Manvel Gamburyan in a Featherweight Fight.

Lightweight Fight- Will Kerr (8-1) vs. Kamal Shalorus (4-0-1)

This is the WEC debut for both fighters.

R1- Kamal hit a big punch that floored Kerr early. Kamal lands some good strikes and Kerr falls to his knees and the ref stops the fight. Good showing by Kamal as he looked good in the striking face of MMA but didn’t really look like he was tested tonight.

Winner: Kamal Shalorus by TKO (Strikes) R1 1:26

Lightweight Fight- Shane Roller (6-2) vs. Danny Castillo (8-1)

Roller lost back in April to current Lightweight Interim Champ Ben Henderson.

R1- Castillo got the first take down about half way through the round but he couldn’t hold Roller down. Castillo got another take down but Roller reversed it and nearly got a guillotine. Castillo got another take down with a minute and a half left in the round. Castillo 10-9.

R2- Castillo landed some good shots against the cage and then got a take down. Roller landed a couple knees and then got a take down. Roller grabbed a guillotine. Castillo gave up his back and Roller landed some good shots to the side of the head and ear. One round a piece after two rounds.

R3- Roller shot in but Castillo sprawled and got top position. Roller got a take down with two minutes left in the round. Roller locks in a choke and Castillo taps out. Pretty even back and forth fight, nice job by Roller in finishing the fight.

Winner: Shane Roller by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R3 3:32

Donald Cerrone will fight Ed Ratcliffe on December 19th and they are interviewed ringside.

Tito Ortiz, Ben Henderson, and Urijah Faber are all ringside for the show.

Lightweight Fight- Rob McCullough (17-5) vs. Karen Darabedyan (8-1)

Karen is Judo and Taekwondo Black Belt who is on a 5 fight win streak. Karen is making his WEC debut.

R1- They are picking their spots early but are exchanging. McCullough looks a little tight and Karen more relaxed. Karen hit a good combo. McCullough landed a good body kick but Karen came back with a good punch that opened up a cut on McCullough. Karen landed some good shots at the end of the round and looks really good so far. Karen 10-9.

R2- Karen got a take down within the first minute of the round but couldn’t get anything before McCullough worked back to his feet. Both guys have small cuts near their eyes. Pretty even round other than the take down that could have been scored either way. Karen is up 20-18 on my score card.

R3- Pretty even and uneventful round to finish the fight. I’ve got Karen taking this fight by virtue of winning the first two rounds on my score card. Could be a split decision.

Judges score cards say: 30-27 Darabedyan, 30-27 McCullough, 29-28 Darabedyan

Wow. No way McCullough won that first round. It’s very rare that you see one judge score a fight 30-27 and another judge score a fight 30-27 in favor of the other fighter. Rounds 2 and 3 were very even.

Winner: Karen Darabedyan by Decision (Split)

Featherweight Fight- Leonard Garcia (17-4) vs. Manvel Gamburyan (11-5)

Garcia has a 5” height and 2” reach advantage. This is the Co-Main Event.

R1- Long feeling out process. Manvel came in for a take down and Garcia fed him a good right hand. Garcia is landing some strikes but nothing too bad. Manvel went for a take down but Garcia sprawled and then Manvel hit Garcia with two low blows. Manvel goes for a take down and Garcia did a good job of keeping the fight on the feet. Garcia hit a good kick but Manvel took it. Manvel shot again but Garcia landed a kick. Garcia 10-9.

R2- Garcia hit a couple strikes and then Manvel shot in for a take down but Garcia did a nice job of sprawling. Manvel missed an over hand right and slipped but because of it he was able to get a slam/take down on Garcia with a minute and a half left in the round. Manvel got in some shots on Garcia and stole this round so it’s even 19-19 after two rounds.

R3- Both guys are throwing punches with bad intentions to start the round. Garcia starts talking and wants a slugfest but it ends up with Manvel getting a take down. Manvel is going to take this round because he was in a dominant position for a lot of the round. I’ve got Manvel taking the fight 20-19 in a close fight.

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

Winner: Manvel Gamburyan by Decision (Unanimous)

Featherweight Title Fight- Mike Thomas Brown © (22-4) vs. Jose Aldo (15-1)

At WEC 41 Jose Aldo destroyed Cub Swanson in 8 seconds with a flying knee. On that same card Mike Brown successfully defended his championship in a 5 round unanimous decision against former champion Urijah Faber.

R1- The first couple minutes they spend going back and forth with both guys landing some offense but nothing damaging. Aldo hits a good punch/kick/knee combo that hurts Brown but Brown clinched Aldo to give himself time to recover. Brown tried to get the fight to the ground but Aldo did a great job of sprawling. Aldo 10-9.

R2- Aldo hit some good strikes on Brown to open the round and Brown again clinched to stop the barrage. Brown went for a take down but Aldo shoved him down and jumped on top. Aldo hit some strikes and then took Brown’s back and just started leveling him with punches and the ref stopped the fight. New Champion and Jose Aldo is the truth.

Winner and new WEC Featherweight Champion: Jose Aldo by TKO (Strikes) R2 1:20

UFC 94 Preliminary Fights Re-Cap

UFC 94: Penn vs. St Pierre 2 Prelims

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: Dan Cramer by Decision (Split)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: John Howard by Decision (Split)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: Thiago Tavares by Decision (Unanimous)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: Jake O’Brien by Decision (Unanimous)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: Jon Fitch by Decision (Unanimous)

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

UFC 87: "Seek and Destroy" Re-Cap

UFC 87: Seek and Destroy

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

MacDonald has an 8" reach advantage.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: Kenny Florian by Decision (Unanimous)

BJ Penn is in attendance tonight.

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

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

Winner: Rob Emerson by KO R1 0:12

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: Brock Lesnar by Decision (Unanimous)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: Georges St. Pierre by Decision (Unanimous)

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

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

UFC Unleashed 6/11 Re-Cap

UFC Unleashed 6/11 Re-Cap

Lightweight Fight- Jeffrey Cox (9-4) vs. Manvel Gamburyan (7-2)- UFC Fight Night 13- 4/2/08

R1- Manny hits a side kick at the beginning when it looked like they were going to tap gloves. Gamburyan is Karo Parisyan’s cousin. They clinch for a while and Manny flips Cox over with s judo throw and then chokes him out with a guillotine.

Winner: Manvel Gamburyan by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 1:41

Welterweight Fight- Kyle Bradley(13-4-1) vs. Chris Lytle (34-15-4)- UFC 81- 2/2/08

R1- Lytle opens up on him early and is just pounding Bradley and this one is over very quickly. Lytle just overwhelms Bradley. The ref stops the fight and then Bradley pulls guard on the ref. Great stand up by Lytle.

Winner: Chris Lytle by TKO (punches) R1 0:33

Welterweight Fight- Josh Koshcheck (11-2) vs. Dustin Hazelett (12-3)- UFC 82- 3/1/08

This is from the UFC 82 show.

R1- Haslett takes it right to Koscheck at the beginning and back him up to the cage and then Koscheck comes back after him in an exciting exchange to start the fight. Koscheck looking good early and is throwing a lot of punches and looking to be the aggressor but then Hazelett comes back and gets some good attempts in. Koscheck comes at him and pins him up against the cage. Hazelett goes for the guillotine and looks like he might be able to finish here but Koscheck gets out of it. Hazelett throws a big knee. Koscheck with a good combo. Koscheck takes him down but Hazelett goes for the triangle with 20 seconds left as the round ends. Really good first round with both guys looking real good. This was really even IMO, not sure who really won the fight. If I had to choose I would pick Koscheck because even though he ended the round at a disadvantage he had the most control of the fight throughout and seemed to me to get in more shots on his opponent and also got the only takedown of the round. Really close round, really a toss up.

R2- They are fighting for while pretty evenly but then Koscheck hits a real nice head kick and quickly follows it up with some punches and the ref stops the fight. Really nice finish from Koscheck who has really improved his stand up game since the Ultimate Fighter Season 1.

Winner: Josh Koscheck by TKO (punches) R2 1:24

This is also from UFC 82.

Middleweight Championship- Anderson Silva (c) (20-4) vs. Dan Henderson (22-6)- UFC 82- 3/1/08

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

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

Good fight. Silva really dominated the second round

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