UFC 111: Preliminaries
The Prudential Center
Newark, New Jersey
March 27, 2010
Spike TV
UFC 111 features Georges St. Pierre defending the Welterweight Championship against Dan Hardy and Frank Mir battling Shane Carwin for the Interim Heavyweight Championship on PPV. But first live on Spike TV will be Ricardo Almeida fighting TUF alum Matt Brown and TUF Winner Nate Diaz fighting Rory Markham.
Welterweight Fight- Ricardo Almeida (11-3) vs. Matt Brown (13-7)
This is the Welterweight debut for Almeida.
R1- Almeida got a take down at the end of the first minute of the fight but Brown got back to his feet without any damage. Lots of clinching in this round, Almeida started to throw some strikes at the end of the round. Almeida 10-9.
R2- Almeida got a take down in the first couple of seconds of the round but Brown moved back to the cage and got back to his feet very quickly. Almedia tripped Brown and took side control and landed some strikes before Brown could get back to his feet. Brown threw a kick and Almeida countered with a strike and a take down. Almeida opened up a cut on Brown. Almeida took Brown's back and clamped in the Rear Naked and finished the fight.
Winner: Ricardo Almeida by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 3:30
Joe Rogan interviews Georges St. Pierre about his title fight tonight against Dan Hardy.
A sneak preview of the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter featuring Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz is shown.
Middleweight Fight- Nate Diaz (11-5) vs. Rory Markham (16-5)
Diaz is moving up to Welterweight for this fight but Markham failed to make weight but Diaz agreed to take the fight anyway and it was moved up to a Middleweight fight. Markham is coming off of around a year long layoff due to injury and Mike Goldberg points that out as a reason he didn't make weight. Diaz has a 5" reach advantage.
R1- Markham looks like he's fighting in a completely different weight class than Diaz. he is just so thick compared to Diaz. Diaz is landing some jabs early. Diaz landed some good shots and Markham went to his knees. Diaz took Markham's back and landed some strikes to the head and body. Diaz started landing good strikes to the head and the ref stopped the fight. Great showing by Diaz.
Winner: Nate Diaz by TKO (Strikes) R1 2:47
Joe Rogan interviews Dan Hardy about his title fight tonight against GSP. Hardy has some freaky red contacts in.
Joe Rogan and Dana White hype the fights for the PPV.
Middleweight Fight- Rousimar Palhares vs. Tomasz Drwal
R1- Drwal went for a kick and slipped and Palhares jumped on him and immediately went for his leg and tapped him out with a leg lock. Wow, Palhares the pit bull. This is the same guy that took Dan Henderson to the distance in Atlanta. He could be a tough out in the Middleweight division.
Winner: Rousimar Palhares by Submission (Leg Lock) R1 0:45
Showing posts with label Nate Diaz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nate Diaz. Show all posts
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
UFC Fight Night 1/11/10 Re-Cap
UFC Fight Night
Patriot Center
Fairfax, Virginia
1/11/10
Top Lightweight contender Gray Maynard will take on Nate Diaz in the Main Event tonight in a re-match from The Ultimate Fighter TV show. TUF Winner Amir Sadollah face a tough fight against Brad Blackburn and TUF winner Efrain Escudero is also in action as is prospect Aaron Simpson.
Welterweight Fight- Amir Sadollah (3-1) vs. Brad Blackburn (15-9-1)
Amir is coming off of a UFC 106 win against Phil Baroni. Blackburn is coming off of a split decision victory over Edgar Garcia. Amir fights out of Richmond so he is a big fan favorite in this fight. Blackburn is yet to lose in the UFC.
R1- Both guys are landing shots early in this round. Amir hit a good right hand with one minute left to go in the round and it rocked Blackburn. Amir then hit and elbow and got a take down but Black burn was able to recover and push him off. Close round that Amir took with the push at the end. Amir 10-9 after one round.
R2- Blackburn hit a right hand and caught a kick at the same time and briefly knocked Amir down at the mid-way point of the round. Amir landed another right that briefly wobbled Blackburn right at the end of the round. Really close round that I give to Blackburn that makes the fight 19-19 on my score card.
R3- Amir landed a knee against the cage and Blackburn got rocked and taken down. Amir was able to land some good punches about half way through the round. Amir is going to take this round and will win via decision.
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all three score cards
Winner: Amir Sadollah by Decision (Unanimous)
Joe Rogan interviews Randy Couture ringside and they discuss his upcoming fight against Mark Coleman.
Middleweight Fight- Aaron Simpson (6-0) vs. Tom Lawlor (6-1)
Simpson has knockouts in all six of his fights. Simpson is coming off of a win at UFC 102 against Ed Herman and Lawlor is coming off of a 55 second submission victory over CB Dollaway at UFC 100. This is Lawlor’s 2nd fight at Middleweight in the UFC.
R1- Lawler landed a good uppercut in the first few moments of the fight. Lawler went for a take down and Simpson landed some punches and Lawlor gave up the take down attempt. Lawlor is looking good in the early going. Lawlor is landing some good punches in this fight. Lawlor hit a right hand counter punch and then came in with a barrage of punches and Simpson finally grabbed a clinch to stop the onslaught. Lawlor landed a good uppercut and continued to land good strikes. Lawlor looked really good in the first round and definitely took this round.
R2- Simpson landed some shots against the cage and then got a take down. Lawlor hit a good right hand that knocked Simpson into the cage and got a brief take down. Lawlor pulled guard at the end of the round but never really had it clamped in as the bell rung. Really close round, could have gone either way.
R3- Lawlor lands some good punches at the start of the round. Both guys are freely throwing leather at the beginning of the round. Simpson got a take down slam but Lawlor got back to his feet quickly and returned the favor. Lawlor tried to grab a kimura but couldn’t hold it and Simpson ended up on top. Simpson briefly mounted and then tried to take Lawlor’s back. Lawlor is worn out and Simpson is in totally control of this round. Simpson clearly took this round. This is going to be a close fight to call. Lawlor took round one and possibly could have squeaked out a 10-8 round, round two was a toss up and round three was Simpson 10-9. I think we could see a split or majority decision here. I’m calling Simpson via Split Decision. Really good fight.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Lawlor, 29-28 Simpson and 29-28 Simpson
Winner: Aaron Simpson by Decision (Split)
Lightweight Fight- Evan Dunham (9-0) vs. Efrain Escudero (13-0)
Both guys are coming into this fight undefeated. Efrain is coming off of a UFC 103 win against Cole Miller and Dunham is coming off a UFC 102 Split Decision win over Ricardo Almeida in a close fight that I had Almeida winning 29-28.
R1- Efrain landed a good jumping knee half-way through the round and then hit some strikes. Dunham went down but was able to defend on the ground and stay in the fight. Efrain grabs a guillotine choke but Dunham was able to escape back to his feet. Dunham pushed Escudero to the ground at the end of the round. Escudero 10-9.
R2- Dunham looks recovered and hits some strikes at the beginning of the round. Both guys are landing some decent strikes in this round. Dunham got a take down with two minutes left in the round. Dunham is landing some good strikes on the ground. Dunham takes Efrain’s back. Dunham won this round so it’s even at 19-19 going into the final round.
R3- Dunham went for a quick take down and Efrain tried to grab a guillotine and rolled over on top of Dunham trying to secure a choke but couldn’t not clamp it in and they scrambled back to their feet. Dunham stuck with it and got a take down about a minute into the fight. Dunham went for an arm bar and Efrain tapped out. Big win for Dunham.
Winner: Evan Dunham by Submission (Arm Bar) R3 1:59
Lightweight Fight- Gray Maynard (9-0) vs. Nate Diaz (11-4)
Nate Diaz is the only fighter that Maynard has lost to as Diaz beat Maynard on their season of TUF. Maynard is still officially unbeaten because the TUF fights (except for the finals) do not count on the fighters records. At UFC Fight Night 19 Gray Maynard beat Roger Huerta by Split Decision (I had the fight 30-27 for Maynard). Diaz is coming off a Guillotine Choke win over Melvin Guillard on the same show. Maynard is one of the top contenders for BJ Penn’s belt so this is a very important fight for him.
R1- Maynard is throwing some bombs early on. Diaz has opened up a cut on Maynard despite not landing any significant shots. Maynard is starting to land some decent shots. Both guys talk a little trash in the first round. Close round. I’ve got Maynard edging Diaz 10-9.
R2- Maynard hit a good overhand right about a minute and a half into the round but Diaz absorb the blow. Gray hit a good knee half way through the round that floored Diaz but Maynard let him back to his feet. Maynard hit a good left that sent Diaz to his knees before he quickly got back up. Maynard took this round and I’ve got him winning 20-18.
R3- Diaz hit a right hand about a minute and a half into the round that briefly floored Maynard but he popped back up. Diaz is landing some strikes this round and is looking much better than he did in the first two rounds. Maynard landed a good punch and then briefly got on top of Diaz but Diaz got up quickly. Maynard finished well in this round but I think Diaz still took this round. I’ve got Maynard taking this fight 29-28.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Diaz, 30-27 Maynard, 29-28 Maynard
Winner: Gray Maynard by Decision (Split)
Patriot Center
Fairfax, Virginia
1/11/10
Top Lightweight contender Gray Maynard will take on Nate Diaz in the Main Event tonight in a re-match from The Ultimate Fighter TV show. TUF Winner Amir Sadollah face a tough fight against Brad Blackburn and TUF winner Efrain Escudero is also in action as is prospect Aaron Simpson.
Welterweight Fight- Amir Sadollah (3-1) vs. Brad Blackburn (15-9-1)
Amir is coming off of a UFC 106 win against Phil Baroni. Blackburn is coming off of a split decision victory over Edgar Garcia. Amir fights out of Richmond so he is a big fan favorite in this fight. Blackburn is yet to lose in the UFC.
R1- Both guys are landing shots early in this round. Amir hit a good right hand with one minute left to go in the round and it rocked Blackburn. Amir then hit and elbow and got a take down but Black burn was able to recover and push him off. Close round that Amir took with the push at the end. Amir 10-9 after one round.
R2- Blackburn hit a right hand and caught a kick at the same time and briefly knocked Amir down at the mid-way point of the round. Amir landed another right that briefly wobbled Blackburn right at the end of the round. Really close round that I give to Blackburn that makes the fight 19-19 on my score card.
R3- Amir landed a knee against the cage and Blackburn got rocked and taken down. Amir was able to land some good punches about half way through the round. Amir is going to take this round and will win via decision.
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all three score cards
Winner: Amir Sadollah by Decision (Unanimous)
Joe Rogan interviews Randy Couture ringside and they discuss his upcoming fight against Mark Coleman.
Middleweight Fight- Aaron Simpson (6-0) vs. Tom Lawlor (6-1)
Simpson has knockouts in all six of his fights. Simpson is coming off of a win at UFC 102 against Ed Herman and Lawlor is coming off of a 55 second submission victory over CB Dollaway at UFC 100. This is Lawlor’s 2nd fight at Middleweight in the UFC.
R1- Lawler landed a good uppercut in the first few moments of the fight. Lawler went for a take down and Simpson landed some punches and Lawlor gave up the take down attempt. Lawlor is looking good in the early going. Lawlor is landing some good punches in this fight. Lawlor hit a right hand counter punch and then came in with a barrage of punches and Simpson finally grabbed a clinch to stop the onslaught. Lawlor landed a good uppercut and continued to land good strikes. Lawlor looked really good in the first round and definitely took this round.
R2- Simpson landed some shots against the cage and then got a take down. Lawlor hit a good right hand that knocked Simpson into the cage and got a brief take down. Lawlor pulled guard at the end of the round but never really had it clamped in as the bell rung. Really close round, could have gone either way.
R3- Lawlor lands some good punches at the start of the round. Both guys are freely throwing leather at the beginning of the round. Simpson got a take down slam but Lawlor got back to his feet quickly and returned the favor. Lawlor tried to grab a kimura but couldn’t hold it and Simpson ended up on top. Simpson briefly mounted and then tried to take Lawlor’s back. Lawlor is worn out and Simpson is in totally control of this round. Simpson clearly took this round. This is going to be a close fight to call. Lawlor took round one and possibly could have squeaked out a 10-8 round, round two was a toss up and round three was Simpson 10-9. I think we could see a split or majority decision here. I’m calling Simpson via Split Decision. Really good fight.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Lawlor, 29-28 Simpson and 29-28 Simpson
Winner: Aaron Simpson by Decision (Split)
Lightweight Fight- Evan Dunham (9-0) vs. Efrain Escudero (13-0)
Both guys are coming into this fight undefeated. Efrain is coming off of a UFC 103 win against Cole Miller and Dunham is coming off a UFC 102 Split Decision win over Ricardo Almeida in a close fight that I had Almeida winning 29-28.
R1- Efrain landed a good jumping knee half-way through the round and then hit some strikes. Dunham went down but was able to defend on the ground and stay in the fight. Efrain grabs a guillotine choke but Dunham was able to escape back to his feet. Dunham pushed Escudero to the ground at the end of the round. Escudero 10-9.
R2- Dunham looks recovered and hits some strikes at the beginning of the round. Both guys are landing some decent strikes in this round. Dunham got a take down with two minutes left in the round. Dunham is landing some good strikes on the ground. Dunham takes Efrain’s back. Dunham won this round so it’s even at 19-19 going into the final round.
R3- Dunham went for a quick take down and Efrain tried to grab a guillotine and rolled over on top of Dunham trying to secure a choke but couldn’t not clamp it in and they scrambled back to their feet. Dunham stuck with it and got a take down about a minute into the fight. Dunham went for an arm bar and Efrain tapped out. Big win for Dunham.
Winner: Evan Dunham by Submission (Arm Bar) R3 1:59
Lightweight Fight- Gray Maynard (9-0) vs. Nate Diaz (11-4)
Nate Diaz is the only fighter that Maynard has lost to as Diaz beat Maynard on their season of TUF. Maynard is still officially unbeaten because the TUF fights (except for the finals) do not count on the fighters records. At UFC Fight Night 19 Gray Maynard beat Roger Huerta by Split Decision (I had the fight 30-27 for Maynard). Diaz is coming off a Guillotine Choke win over Melvin Guillard on the same show. Maynard is one of the top contenders for BJ Penn’s belt so this is a very important fight for him.
R1- Maynard is throwing some bombs early on. Diaz has opened up a cut on Maynard despite not landing any significant shots. Maynard is starting to land some decent shots. Both guys talk a little trash in the first round. Close round. I’ve got Maynard edging Diaz 10-9.
R2- Maynard hit a good overhand right about a minute and a half into the round but Diaz absorb the blow. Gray hit a good knee half way through the round that floored Diaz but Maynard let him back to his feet. Maynard hit a good left that sent Diaz to his knees before he quickly got back up. Maynard took this round and I’ve got him winning 20-18.
R3- Diaz hit a right hand about a minute and a half into the round that briefly floored Maynard but he popped back up. Diaz is landing some strikes this round and is looking much better than he did in the first two rounds. Maynard landed a good punch and then briefly got on top of Diaz but Diaz got up quickly. Maynard finished well in this round but I think Diaz still took this round. I’ve got Maynard taking this fight 29-28.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Diaz, 30-27 Maynard, 29-28 Maynard
Winner: Gray Maynard by Decision (Split)
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
UFC Fight Night 19 (9/16/09) Re-Cap
UFC Fight Night 19
Tulsa, OK (Cox Convention Center)
9/16/09
No Joe Rogan tonight so Kenny Florian will be replacing him on Color Commentary. Gray Maynard will take a big step tonight towards a Lightweight Title Fight if he can beat Roger Huerta. This is a risky fight for the UFC as Huerta plans on going Hollywood after the fight. Former WEC Champion Carlos Condit tries to get his first UFC win after a razor think loss to Martin Kampmann in his debut. TUF fighters fight it out tonight as Nate Diaz/Melvin Guillard and Nate Quarry/Tim Credeur collide. Hopefully Steve Cantwell/Brian Stann will make the main show and/or we can see Brock Larson/Mike Pierce. Phillipe Nover was pulled from his undercard fight with Sam Stout tonight when he suffered a seizure.
Middleweight Fight- Nate Quarry (17-3) vs. Tim Credeur (13-4)
Credeur is coming off a second round guillotine submission of Nick Catone at Fight Night 18. Credeur is 3-0 in the UFC and has really improved since his TUF days. Credeur has a 3” height and 2.5” reach advantage. Quarry has to be the favorite coming into this fight. Quarry’s only losses in the UFC have come to Rich Franklin and Demain Maia.
R1- Credeur is out striking Quarry early but doesn’t seem to be hurting him. Credeur caught Quarry with a solid left hand at the 1:20 mark and Quarry went down. Credeur jumped on top and grabbed a Rear Naked Choke with over a minute left in the round but Quarry rolled over and survived. Really great action. Credeur closed the round with some strikes and has bloodied Quarry’s nose. Impressive first round for Credeur as he’s up 10-9.
R2- Credeur opens up the round with strikes and has Quarry on the run early but he got popped by Quarry. Both guys go toe to toe swinging for the fences and Credeur went down. Credeur definitely doesn’t want to get into a shot for shot against Quarry. Quarry lands on top of Credeur and takes his guard. Quarry has done a good job of weathering the storm so far and turned the tide quickly in this round to tie it up 19-19 going into the third and final round.
R3- Credeur opens up this round landing some good strikes but Quarry unloaded on Credeur with a huge right hand. The punch looked so violent that Herb Dean rushed in and almost stopped the fight but Credeur was able to survive the strike. Quarry took Credeur’s guard. They get back to their feet but Credeur looks like he’s still really feeling the effects of that one punch. Credeur is taking some big shots and finally goes down with Quarry following him and taking his guard. Quarry takes this round and will take the fight 29-28. Good fight, Credeur showed a lot of heart but Quarry was just too big and too strong for him. Quarry finished the fight with a big mouse under his right eye.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 29-27 and 29-28 in favor of Quarry
Winner: Nate Quarry by Decision (Unanimous)
Welterweight Fight- Carlos Condit (23-5) vs. Jake Ellenberger (21-4)
This is Jake Ellenberger’s debut in the UFC as he is filling in for the injured Chris Lytle. Condit is a former WEC Welterweight Champion who lost in his debut to Martin Kampmann in a very close split decision. Condit has a 2” height and 3” reach advantage.
R1- Ellenberger grabbed a Condit kick early and punched him and took him down. Condit does a really good job in his guard and got back to his feet without taking any damage. Ellenberger again counters a kick with a punch and just drills Condit up against the cage and Condit goes down. Ellenberger jumps on top and Condit is in deep trouble. Ellenberger went for a choke but Condit was able to escape and get back to his feet. Condit hit Ellenberger with a big knee to the chin. Ellenberger absorbed two more knees and then fired a Hail Mary punch and looked like he grazed Condit right in the temple and Condit just crumpled. I thought for sure that was the end of the fight as Ellenberger jumped on top and reigned punches to the back of Condit’s head but Condit took Ellenberger down and took half guard. There is still two minutes left in this fight and so far it has been CRAZY. Condit was able to move to mount but Ellenberger kicked him off. Ellenberger grabbed a guillotine but Condit rolled out and ended up with Ellenberger in his guard. Condit has a very active guard and is hitting some elbows. Condit went for a triangle but Ellenberger slipped out quickly before it was even close and they stood back up. Ellenberger landed a head kick but it looked like it was just a glancing blow. Holy Crap, what a first round. Ellenberger is no joke and I can’t believe that Condit survived that first round. Condit clearly has to get this fight on the ground if he wants to win. You have to give that first round to Ellenberger 10-9.
R2- Ellenberger is swinging for the fences early but missed two big haymakers. Ellenberger got a double leg take down. Condit landed some elbows. Ellenberger is getting very little offense in despite being in an advantageous position. Condit got a kimura but could not submit Ellenberger because Ellenberger was holding onto the fence. Condit did however roll over Ellenberger and took mount. Condit was able to get in some shots but was moved to half guard. Condit re-mounts and tries to take Ellenberger’s back but he slips and Ellenberger takes his guard. Condit once again is active from his guard and Ellenberger is not really trying to improve his position. Back to their feet with 15 seconds left. Condit landed a couple of strikes before the land ended. Ellenberger got a take down and laid on top of Condit for a while but really didn’t get in any offense in this round. Condit had a near submission and was able to mount and score points from his guard. I think that’s enough as Condit controlled the striking and landed many more shots in this round than did Ellenberger. It will be interesting to see how judges score this round and I think many will give it to Ellenberger just for kind of laying on Condit and getting the take down. I’ve got it Condit 10-9 and that evens up the fight 19-19 on my score card.
R3- Condit threw a leg kick early but it was mostly deflected. Ellenberger got an early take down. Condit again worked strikes from the guard position. Ellenberger landed a big elbow but shortly thereafter Condit was able to slide out of his grasp and they stood back up with three and a half minutes remaining in the fight. Ellenberger threw a kick but it landed on Condit’s arm. Condit got a take down and Ellenberger grabbed a guillotine but Condit easily slipped out and moved to half guard. Condit controlled from the top and landed some good strikes. Condit went to take Ellenberger’s back and landed some more good strikes. Ellenberger spins out as Condit went for a submission and took Condit’s guard. Condit kicked him off and they stood back up. Ellenberger went for a single leg but Condit. The ref keeps warning Condit for striking to the back of Ellenberger’s head but I haven’t seen it as Carlos is not hitting him directly to the back of his head. Condit stuffed the take down and took Ellenberger’s back and flattened him out and continued to land strikes. I’ve got Condit taking this round 10-9 which gives him the fight 29-28 in a really good fight. I don’t know how Condit survived the first round but he really weathered that storm and wore out Ellenberger. It will be interesting to see how judges score this fight.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Condit, 29-28 Ellenberger and 29-28 Condit
So that’s 2 split decisions in his first two fights for Condit in the UFC. Ellenberger looked very game in the first round.
Winner: Carlos Condit by Decision (Split)
Mike Goldberg interviews Rich Franklin via Satellite.
Gray Maynard (8-0) vs. Roger Huerta (22-2-1)
Huerta is coming off of a lackluster loss to Kenny Florian by decision (30-27) back at UFC 87. Gray Maynard is coming off an impressive win over Jim Miller at UFC 96. Maynard is undefeated and is quickly moving up the Lightweight ladder. With another impressive win or two he could find himself as the #1 Contender to B.J. Penn. Huerta could be taking off to Hollywood after this fight so it will be interesting to see how prepared he is for this fight.
R1- Maynard came in at early and landed some good strikes. Huerta came in and Maynard landed a good counter punch that knocked Huerta off center. Maynard looks really quick so far early in this fight. Huerta got Maynard up against the fence and was able to land several strikes. Maynard was able to retreat and when Huerta came in again Maynard was able to pop him with a jab. Maynard went for a single leg but Huerta was able to sprawl out of the take down. Good first round that was pretty even. Huerta had the one flurry but overall Maynard landed more strikes and controlled more of the round. Maynard 10-9 after one round. Florian gave this round to Huerta.
R2- Maynard countered a Huerta kick with a good right hand and Huerta ducked and moved and slid in the Octagon to gain his balance and avoid Maynard. Maynard hit a good right that knocked Huerta off-balance and then Maynard landed another left but it appeared to just be a glancing blow. Huerta charged at Maynard and threw like 7 or 8 shots but Maynard ducked all of them and then Maynard landed a jab that took Huerta briefly off his feet as he lost his balance. Maynard is far from dominating this fight but he’s doing enough to win the rounds. I’ve got Maynard up 20-18 on my score card.
R3- Maynard landed a couple of strikes early. Maynard rushed in and took Huerta down. Huerta got back to his feet briefly but Maynard pulled him back down. Maynard’s nose is bleeding from a shot earlier in the fight. Maynard has a funky looking kimura locked in on Huerta and Maynard eventually let it go as Huerta was not going to tap and was able to twist out of the move. Huerta was briefly on top but then Maynard was able to grind him back down. Maynard takes this round and I’ve got him winning 30-27 on my score card. It was a close fight but I had Maynard winning all of the rounds. The only one that really seemed debatable was the first round. Maynard needs another quality win and then he could be a contender for the Lightweight Title.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Huerta, 30-27 Maynard and 30-27 Maynard.
29-28 Huerta? What was Chris Lee smoking?
Winner: Gray Maynard by Decision (Split)
Lightweight Fight- Nate Diaz (10-4) vs. Melvin Guillard (41-8-3)
In his last fight Melvin won a Split Decision over Gleison Tibau at the Ultimate Fight 9 Finale. I actually had the fight scored in favor of Tibau 29-28. On the same show Nate lost a close fight to Joe Stevenson by 29-28 decision on all score cards. Diaz has a 5” reach and 3” height advantage.
R1- Diaz threw a loopy right hand and Guillard stuck him with a quick right that knocked him down but Guillard let him back up. Diaz locked him up and got a take down but Guillard got back to his feet and hit Diaz with a judo throw and then let Diaz back to his feet. Diaz again got Guillard down but Guillard again quickly got to his feet without taking any damage. Diaz has some blood coming from near his eye. Fairly close round but Diaz really didn’t do anything to hurt Guillard and Guillard opened up a cut on Diaz and knocked him down early in the round. I’ve got Guillard taking a close round 10 to 9.
R2- Guillard went for another judo throw and was able to get Diaz down on the mat but he let Diaz back to his feet. Diaz is starting to land some strikes. Guillard fakes being hurt but then gets caught by Diaz as Diaz pulled guard and locked in a choke and Guillard submitted. What a huge mistake by Guillard and Diaz capitalized beautifully.
Winner: Nate Diaz by Guillotine Choke R2 2:13
Really good night of fights.
Tulsa, OK (Cox Convention Center)
9/16/09
No Joe Rogan tonight so Kenny Florian will be replacing him on Color Commentary. Gray Maynard will take a big step tonight towards a Lightweight Title Fight if he can beat Roger Huerta. This is a risky fight for the UFC as Huerta plans on going Hollywood after the fight. Former WEC Champion Carlos Condit tries to get his first UFC win after a razor think loss to Martin Kampmann in his debut. TUF fighters fight it out tonight as Nate Diaz/Melvin Guillard and Nate Quarry/Tim Credeur collide. Hopefully Steve Cantwell/Brian Stann will make the main show and/or we can see Brock Larson/Mike Pierce. Phillipe Nover was pulled from his undercard fight with Sam Stout tonight when he suffered a seizure.
Middleweight Fight- Nate Quarry (17-3) vs. Tim Credeur (13-4)
Credeur is coming off a second round guillotine submission of Nick Catone at Fight Night 18. Credeur is 3-0 in the UFC and has really improved since his TUF days. Credeur has a 3” height and 2.5” reach advantage. Quarry has to be the favorite coming into this fight. Quarry’s only losses in the UFC have come to Rich Franklin and Demain Maia.
R1- Credeur is out striking Quarry early but doesn’t seem to be hurting him. Credeur caught Quarry with a solid left hand at the 1:20 mark and Quarry went down. Credeur jumped on top and grabbed a Rear Naked Choke with over a minute left in the round but Quarry rolled over and survived. Really great action. Credeur closed the round with some strikes and has bloodied Quarry’s nose. Impressive first round for Credeur as he’s up 10-9.
R2- Credeur opens up the round with strikes and has Quarry on the run early but he got popped by Quarry. Both guys go toe to toe swinging for the fences and Credeur went down. Credeur definitely doesn’t want to get into a shot for shot against Quarry. Quarry lands on top of Credeur and takes his guard. Quarry has done a good job of weathering the storm so far and turned the tide quickly in this round to tie it up 19-19 going into the third and final round.
R3- Credeur opens up this round landing some good strikes but Quarry unloaded on Credeur with a huge right hand. The punch looked so violent that Herb Dean rushed in and almost stopped the fight but Credeur was able to survive the strike. Quarry took Credeur’s guard. They get back to their feet but Credeur looks like he’s still really feeling the effects of that one punch. Credeur is taking some big shots and finally goes down with Quarry following him and taking his guard. Quarry takes this round and will take the fight 29-28. Good fight, Credeur showed a lot of heart but Quarry was just too big and too strong for him. Quarry finished the fight with a big mouse under his right eye.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 29-27 and 29-28 in favor of Quarry
Winner: Nate Quarry by Decision (Unanimous)
Welterweight Fight- Carlos Condit (23-5) vs. Jake Ellenberger (21-4)
This is Jake Ellenberger’s debut in the UFC as he is filling in for the injured Chris Lytle. Condit is a former WEC Welterweight Champion who lost in his debut to Martin Kampmann in a very close split decision. Condit has a 2” height and 3” reach advantage.
R1- Ellenberger grabbed a Condit kick early and punched him and took him down. Condit does a really good job in his guard and got back to his feet without taking any damage. Ellenberger again counters a kick with a punch and just drills Condit up against the cage and Condit goes down. Ellenberger jumps on top and Condit is in deep trouble. Ellenberger went for a choke but Condit was able to escape and get back to his feet. Condit hit Ellenberger with a big knee to the chin. Ellenberger absorbed two more knees and then fired a Hail Mary punch and looked like he grazed Condit right in the temple and Condit just crumpled. I thought for sure that was the end of the fight as Ellenberger jumped on top and reigned punches to the back of Condit’s head but Condit took Ellenberger down and took half guard. There is still two minutes left in this fight and so far it has been CRAZY. Condit was able to move to mount but Ellenberger kicked him off. Ellenberger grabbed a guillotine but Condit rolled out and ended up with Ellenberger in his guard. Condit has a very active guard and is hitting some elbows. Condit went for a triangle but Ellenberger slipped out quickly before it was even close and they stood back up. Ellenberger landed a head kick but it looked like it was just a glancing blow. Holy Crap, what a first round. Ellenberger is no joke and I can’t believe that Condit survived that first round. Condit clearly has to get this fight on the ground if he wants to win. You have to give that first round to Ellenberger 10-9.
R2- Ellenberger is swinging for the fences early but missed two big haymakers. Ellenberger got a double leg take down. Condit landed some elbows. Ellenberger is getting very little offense in despite being in an advantageous position. Condit got a kimura but could not submit Ellenberger because Ellenberger was holding onto the fence. Condit did however roll over Ellenberger and took mount. Condit was able to get in some shots but was moved to half guard. Condit re-mounts and tries to take Ellenberger’s back but he slips and Ellenberger takes his guard. Condit once again is active from his guard and Ellenberger is not really trying to improve his position. Back to their feet with 15 seconds left. Condit landed a couple of strikes before the land ended. Ellenberger got a take down and laid on top of Condit for a while but really didn’t get in any offense in this round. Condit had a near submission and was able to mount and score points from his guard. I think that’s enough as Condit controlled the striking and landed many more shots in this round than did Ellenberger. It will be interesting to see how judges score this round and I think many will give it to Ellenberger just for kind of laying on Condit and getting the take down. I’ve got it Condit 10-9 and that evens up the fight 19-19 on my score card.
R3- Condit threw a leg kick early but it was mostly deflected. Ellenberger got an early take down. Condit again worked strikes from the guard position. Ellenberger landed a big elbow but shortly thereafter Condit was able to slide out of his grasp and they stood back up with three and a half minutes remaining in the fight. Ellenberger threw a kick but it landed on Condit’s arm. Condit got a take down and Ellenberger grabbed a guillotine but Condit easily slipped out and moved to half guard. Condit controlled from the top and landed some good strikes. Condit went to take Ellenberger’s back and landed some more good strikes. Ellenberger spins out as Condit went for a submission and took Condit’s guard. Condit kicked him off and they stood back up. Ellenberger went for a single leg but Condit. The ref keeps warning Condit for striking to the back of Ellenberger’s head but I haven’t seen it as Carlos is not hitting him directly to the back of his head. Condit stuffed the take down and took Ellenberger’s back and flattened him out and continued to land strikes. I’ve got Condit taking this round 10-9 which gives him the fight 29-28 in a really good fight. I don’t know how Condit survived the first round but he really weathered that storm and wore out Ellenberger. It will be interesting to see how judges score this fight.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Condit, 29-28 Ellenberger and 29-28 Condit
So that’s 2 split decisions in his first two fights for Condit in the UFC. Ellenberger looked very game in the first round.
Winner: Carlos Condit by Decision (Split)
Mike Goldberg interviews Rich Franklin via Satellite.
Gray Maynard (8-0) vs. Roger Huerta (22-2-1)
Huerta is coming off of a lackluster loss to Kenny Florian by decision (30-27) back at UFC 87. Gray Maynard is coming off an impressive win over Jim Miller at UFC 96. Maynard is undefeated and is quickly moving up the Lightweight ladder. With another impressive win or two he could find himself as the #1 Contender to B.J. Penn. Huerta could be taking off to Hollywood after this fight so it will be interesting to see how prepared he is for this fight.
R1- Maynard came in at early and landed some good strikes. Huerta came in and Maynard landed a good counter punch that knocked Huerta off center. Maynard looks really quick so far early in this fight. Huerta got Maynard up against the fence and was able to land several strikes. Maynard was able to retreat and when Huerta came in again Maynard was able to pop him with a jab. Maynard went for a single leg but Huerta was able to sprawl out of the take down. Good first round that was pretty even. Huerta had the one flurry but overall Maynard landed more strikes and controlled more of the round. Maynard 10-9 after one round. Florian gave this round to Huerta.
R2- Maynard countered a Huerta kick with a good right hand and Huerta ducked and moved and slid in the Octagon to gain his balance and avoid Maynard. Maynard hit a good right that knocked Huerta off-balance and then Maynard landed another left but it appeared to just be a glancing blow. Huerta charged at Maynard and threw like 7 or 8 shots but Maynard ducked all of them and then Maynard landed a jab that took Huerta briefly off his feet as he lost his balance. Maynard is far from dominating this fight but he’s doing enough to win the rounds. I’ve got Maynard up 20-18 on my score card.
R3- Maynard landed a couple of strikes early. Maynard rushed in and took Huerta down. Huerta got back to his feet briefly but Maynard pulled him back down. Maynard’s nose is bleeding from a shot earlier in the fight. Maynard has a funky looking kimura locked in on Huerta and Maynard eventually let it go as Huerta was not going to tap and was able to twist out of the move. Huerta was briefly on top but then Maynard was able to grind him back down. Maynard takes this round and I’ve got him winning 30-27 on my score card. It was a close fight but I had Maynard winning all of the rounds. The only one that really seemed debatable was the first round. Maynard needs another quality win and then he could be a contender for the Lightweight Title.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Huerta, 30-27 Maynard and 30-27 Maynard.
29-28 Huerta? What was Chris Lee smoking?
Winner: Gray Maynard by Decision (Split)
Lightweight Fight- Nate Diaz (10-4) vs. Melvin Guillard (41-8-3)
In his last fight Melvin won a Split Decision over Gleison Tibau at the Ultimate Fight 9 Finale. I actually had the fight scored in favor of Tibau 29-28. On the same show Nate lost a close fight to Joe Stevenson by 29-28 decision on all score cards. Diaz has a 5” reach and 3” height advantage.
R1- Diaz threw a loopy right hand and Guillard stuck him with a quick right that knocked him down but Guillard let him back up. Diaz locked him up and got a take down but Guillard got back to his feet and hit Diaz with a judo throw and then let Diaz back to his feet. Diaz again got Guillard down but Guillard again quickly got to his feet without taking any damage. Diaz has some blood coming from near his eye. Fairly close round but Diaz really didn’t do anything to hurt Guillard and Guillard opened up a cut on Diaz and knocked him down early in the round. I’ve got Guillard taking a close round 10 to 9.
R2- Guillard went for another judo throw and was able to get Diaz down on the mat but he let Diaz back to his feet. Diaz is starting to land some strikes. Guillard fakes being hurt but then gets caught by Diaz as Diaz pulled guard and locked in a choke and Guillard submitted. What a huge mistake by Guillard and Diaz capitalized beautifully.
Winner: Nate Diaz by Guillotine Choke R2 2:13
Really good night of fights.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale 6/20/09 Re-Cap
The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale 6/20/09
The Pearl at the Palms
Las Vegas, Nevada
This is a big show with two really good match-ups in Diego Sanchez/Clay Guida and Joe Stevenson/Nate Diaz. We also have a potential show stealer in Chris Lytle/Kevin. Plus, we have the two Ultimate Fighter 9 Finals that have Damarques Johnson facing James Wilks in the Welterweight Division and Andre Winner taking on Ross Pearson in the Lightweight Finals.
Lightweight Fight- Nate Diaz (10-3) vs. Joe Stevenson (34-10)
This is a battle of past ultimate fighter winners. Joe Stevenson is really in a must win situation as he is coming off of losses to Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian. Nate Diaz is coming off of a close decision loss to Clay Guida at UFC 94. Stevenson won his weight class in Season 2 and Diaz won Season 5. Diaz has a 6” reach and 5” height advantage. Stevenson spent 6 weeks in Greg Jackson’s camp before this fight.
R1- Stevenson goes to touch gloves and Diaz does not touch. Stevenson gets an early take down and Diaz grabs a guillotine but could not hold onto the move. Joe lands some shots and has Nate tied up. Nate turns into Joe’s guard and Joe grabs a guillotine but Diaz held on and got out of the submission. Joe lands some knees to end the round. Joe takes this round 10-9.
R2- Joe went for a take down and Nate went for a guillotine again and didn’t get it but did fend of the take down as they ended up against the cage. Joe landed some knees against the cage and Joe gets Diaz down on the mat. Joe is controlling the round but not landing a lot of damage. I’ve got Joe up 20-18 going into the third round.
R3- Diaz again does not touch hands with Joe. Joe worked hard for a take down early and Nate landed a nice judo throw to get in Joe’s guard. Nate went for a submission but couldn’t get it and then briefly tried a Rear Naked but Joe scrambled back to his feet. Joe lands some more knees against the cage. Nate landed some punches in the last minute of the round while avoiding Joe’s take down. This was a pretty decent fight. I give Nate the final round but I’ve got Joe winning this fight 29-28.
Judges score cards say: all 3 judges score the fight 29-28 in favor of Stevenson.
Winner: Joe Stevenson by Decision (Unanimous)
Ultimate Fighter 9 Lightweight Finals: Andre Winner (10-2-1) vs. Ross Pearson (10-3)
Winner made it to the finals by defeating Gary Kelly, Santino Defranco and Cameron Dollar. Pearson made it to the finals by defeating A.J. Wenn, Richie Whitson and Jason Dent. Winner has a 4” reach and 3” height advantage.
R1- Really even start to the fight as they started out on their feet and then clinched battling for position. This round was a virtual tie. Winner hit a flurry at the end of the round and I’ve got him barely taking this round 10-9.
R2- Lots of clinching in this round. This was another very close round. Winner hit another flurry at the end of this round but this one was not as good as the last round. Scoring could be anywhere right now. I’ve got it 19-19.
R3- They stand up and throw some leather in the middle of this round but then quickly got back to the clinch. With under a minute left they throw some more leather. Pearson has thus far landed more shots in this round as Winner looks like he’s is tiring. Pearson landed a knee and an elbow at the end of the fight and Winner took a knee as the bell rung. I’ve got Pearson winning this round so I’ve got Pearson up on my score card 29-28 but I think this is going to be a split decision as I really don’t feel there was a clear winner in this fight. This was a good close fight but it didn’t really have that explosive action that most MMA fans enjoy. Both guys deserve a shot to see if they can make it in the UFC.
Judges score card: all judges score the fight 29-28 in favor of Ross Pearson.
Winner: Ross Pearson
Welterweight Fight- Chris Lytle (36-17-4) vs. Kevin Burns (8-2)
Chris Lytle is coming off of a split decision loss to Marcus Davis at UFC 93. Burns is coming off of a KO loss to Anthony Johnson back in December. Burns has a 6” reach advantage in this fight.
R1- This fight starts out how you thought it would with both guys throwing punches and some kicks. Lytle came in and Burns caught him with a short right uppercut and Lytle went down. Burns followed him to the ground but Lytle seemed to recover. Burns lands some good shots at the end of the round and Lytle is reeling. Burns took this round 10-9.
R2- Lytle came out and hit two good strikes right off the bat that sent Burns reeling. Burns went for a take down and got it but Lytle quickly got to his feet. Burns has hit Lytle with at least 3 low blows so far in this fight. He is the same guy that kept poking Anthony Johnson in the eye in a fight last year. Lytle evens this fight up at 19-19 after two rounds.
R3- Rashad Evans in the house, no doubt he’s still thinking about how Lyoto Machida just dismantled him. Lytle caught a kick and delivered a punch while holding onto Burns leg and Burns got cut bad by that strike. Lytle hit a big right hand half way through the round that rocked Burns. Lytle is throwing some heavy punches this round. This was a really good fight. Lytle takes the final round and wins the fight 29-28 on my score card.
Judges score cards say: all 3 judges score the fight 29-28 in favor of Lytle.
Winner: Chris Lytle by Decision (Unanimous)
Joe Rogan interviews Brock Lesnar via Satellite about the Frank Mir fight that is coming up in a few weeks.
Ultimate Fighter 9 Welterweight Finals: DaMarques Johnson (14-6) vs. James Wilks (6-2)
James Wilks got here by defeating Che Mills and Frank Lester twice. Damarques Johnson defeated Ray Elbe, Dean Amasinger, and Nick Osipczak. Wilks is from the UK but actually fights out of California now. Damarques trains with Jeremy Horn.
R1- Wilks hit a couple of nice shots to start off the fight. Wilks is landing some good knees against the cage. Wilks went for a leg lock but couldn’t lock it in. Damarques got a couple of shots in on Wilks. Wilks landed a triangle and Damarques got out but his arm looked like it was in a weird spot. Wilks went after a Rear Naked Choke and Damarques tapped with under 10 seconds left in the round. James Wilks just dominated this fight and looked very good.
Winner: James Wilks by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 4:54
Lightweight Fight- Diego Sanchez (22-2) vs. Clay Guida (25-6)
Diego won his debut at Lightweight against Joe Stevenson and is looking to move up in ranking as he’s looking for a title shot. Guida is coming off of a Split Decision victory over Nate Diaz at UFC 94 and he beat Mac Danzig by Unanimous Decision in his fight previous to that one. Diego looks incredibly intense getting into the cage and he and Guida are jawing at each other. Diego has a 4” reach and height advantage. They have a crazy looking stare down.
R1- They are throwing shots at each other like crazy as Diego came running across the ring. Diego is nailing Guida with strikes and hits him with a flying knee. Guida looks like his face or nose is busted open. Guida gets a take down. Lucky for him because he was just getting destroyed by Diego on their feet. Sanchez uses the rubber guard and is able to get back to his feet. Diego landed a big head kick on Guida and he fell to the ground. Diego hit another flying knee and continues to eat Guida’s lunch on their feet. Diego got a take down with thirty seconds left in the round. WOW, what a SICK first round. Probably the best round of fighting I’ve seen this year. This was reminiscent of some of Eddie Alvarez’s fights in DREAM last year. Sanchez took this one 10-9. It was a borderline 10-8 round but Guida got a take down and landed some elbows. Sanchez looked awesome in this round.
R2- Guida got a take down to start this round. Diego is throwing elbows from the bottom. Guida is dominating control but Diego is landing better strikes so far this round. Diego is a bloody mess and I think it’s from the top of Guida’s head (where Diego has been hitting the strikes) and from Guida’s nose (which was probably broken in the first round). I’ve got to give this round to Diego. Cage control only goes so far. Diego did more damage in this round than Guida did with the elbows to the top of the head. Diego is up 20-18.
R3- Guida is bleeding from the nose and the head as this round starts. Clay went for a take down and Diego tried to take his back but Guida slipped into guard. Sanchez got an arm triangle briefly but Guida again slipped out. Guida is on top but Sanchez is working a kimura. Sanchez tried for an arm bar and then Guida hit some Ground and Pound as the bell rung. GREAT FIGHT. I’ve got Sanchez taking this round also as he had 4 submission attempts and the stand up in the round was even. Sanchez 30-27 on my score card. It will be interesting to see how the judges score the fight. Fight of the Year so far?
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Guida, 29-27 Sanchez and 29-28 Sanchez. I just don’t see how you would score the fight for Guida. Lying on top of a guy doesn’t beat out damage inflicted in a round. I can see how someone would give Guida round three but no way he won round two.
Winner: Diego Sanchez by Decision (Split)
Solid night of fights capped by a FOTY candidate in Sanchez/Guida.
The Pearl at the Palms
Las Vegas, Nevada
This is a big show with two really good match-ups in Diego Sanchez/Clay Guida and Joe Stevenson/Nate Diaz. We also have a potential show stealer in Chris Lytle/Kevin. Plus, we have the two Ultimate Fighter 9 Finals that have Damarques Johnson facing James Wilks in the Welterweight Division and Andre Winner taking on Ross Pearson in the Lightweight Finals.
Lightweight Fight- Nate Diaz (10-3) vs. Joe Stevenson (34-10)
This is a battle of past ultimate fighter winners. Joe Stevenson is really in a must win situation as he is coming off of losses to Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian. Nate Diaz is coming off of a close decision loss to Clay Guida at UFC 94. Stevenson won his weight class in Season 2 and Diaz won Season 5. Diaz has a 6” reach and 5” height advantage. Stevenson spent 6 weeks in Greg Jackson’s camp before this fight.
R1- Stevenson goes to touch gloves and Diaz does not touch. Stevenson gets an early take down and Diaz grabs a guillotine but could not hold onto the move. Joe lands some shots and has Nate tied up. Nate turns into Joe’s guard and Joe grabs a guillotine but Diaz held on and got out of the submission. Joe lands some knees to end the round. Joe takes this round 10-9.
R2- Joe went for a take down and Nate went for a guillotine again and didn’t get it but did fend of the take down as they ended up against the cage. Joe landed some knees against the cage and Joe gets Diaz down on the mat. Joe is controlling the round but not landing a lot of damage. I’ve got Joe up 20-18 going into the third round.
R3- Diaz again does not touch hands with Joe. Joe worked hard for a take down early and Nate landed a nice judo throw to get in Joe’s guard. Nate went for a submission but couldn’t get it and then briefly tried a Rear Naked but Joe scrambled back to his feet. Joe lands some more knees against the cage. Nate landed some punches in the last minute of the round while avoiding Joe’s take down. This was a pretty decent fight. I give Nate the final round but I’ve got Joe winning this fight 29-28.
Judges score cards say: all 3 judges score the fight 29-28 in favor of Stevenson.
Winner: Joe Stevenson by Decision (Unanimous)
Ultimate Fighter 9 Lightweight Finals: Andre Winner (10-2-1) vs. Ross Pearson (10-3)
Winner made it to the finals by defeating Gary Kelly, Santino Defranco and Cameron Dollar. Pearson made it to the finals by defeating A.J. Wenn, Richie Whitson and Jason Dent. Winner has a 4” reach and 3” height advantage.
R1- Really even start to the fight as they started out on their feet and then clinched battling for position. This round was a virtual tie. Winner hit a flurry at the end of the round and I’ve got him barely taking this round 10-9.
R2- Lots of clinching in this round. This was another very close round. Winner hit another flurry at the end of this round but this one was not as good as the last round. Scoring could be anywhere right now. I’ve got it 19-19.
R3- They stand up and throw some leather in the middle of this round but then quickly got back to the clinch. With under a minute left they throw some more leather. Pearson has thus far landed more shots in this round as Winner looks like he’s is tiring. Pearson landed a knee and an elbow at the end of the fight and Winner took a knee as the bell rung. I’ve got Pearson winning this round so I’ve got Pearson up on my score card 29-28 but I think this is going to be a split decision as I really don’t feel there was a clear winner in this fight. This was a good close fight but it didn’t really have that explosive action that most MMA fans enjoy. Both guys deserve a shot to see if they can make it in the UFC.
Judges score card: all judges score the fight 29-28 in favor of Ross Pearson.
Winner: Ross Pearson
Welterweight Fight- Chris Lytle (36-17-4) vs. Kevin Burns (8-2)
Chris Lytle is coming off of a split decision loss to Marcus Davis at UFC 93. Burns is coming off of a KO loss to Anthony Johnson back in December. Burns has a 6” reach advantage in this fight.
R1- This fight starts out how you thought it would with both guys throwing punches and some kicks. Lytle came in and Burns caught him with a short right uppercut and Lytle went down. Burns followed him to the ground but Lytle seemed to recover. Burns lands some good shots at the end of the round and Lytle is reeling. Burns took this round 10-9.
R2- Lytle came out and hit two good strikes right off the bat that sent Burns reeling. Burns went for a take down and got it but Lytle quickly got to his feet. Burns has hit Lytle with at least 3 low blows so far in this fight. He is the same guy that kept poking Anthony Johnson in the eye in a fight last year. Lytle evens this fight up at 19-19 after two rounds.
R3- Rashad Evans in the house, no doubt he’s still thinking about how Lyoto Machida just dismantled him. Lytle caught a kick and delivered a punch while holding onto Burns leg and Burns got cut bad by that strike. Lytle hit a big right hand half way through the round that rocked Burns. Lytle is throwing some heavy punches this round. This was a really good fight. Lytle takes the final round and wins the fight 29-28 on my score card.
Judges score cards say: all 3 judges score the fight 29-28 in favor of Lytle.
Winner: Chris Lytle by Decision (Unanimous)
Joe Rogan interviews Brock Lesnar via Satellite about the Frank Mir fight that is coming up in a few weeks.
Ultimate Fighter 9 Welterweight Finals: DaMarques Johnson (14-6) vs. James Wilks (6-2)
James Wilks got here by defeating Che Mills and Frank Lester twice. Damarques Johnson defeated Ray Elbe, Dean Amasinger, and Nick Osipczak. Wilks is from the UK but actually fights out of California now. Damarques trains with Jeremy Horn.
R1- Wilks hit a couple of nice shots to start off the fight. Wilks is landing some good knees against the cage. Wilks went for a leg lock but couldn’t lock it in. Damarques got a couple of shots in on Wilks. Wilks landed a triangle and Damarques got out but his arm looked like it was in a weird spot. Wilks went after a Rear Naked Choke and Damarques tapped with under 10 seconds left in the round. James Wilks just dominated this fight and looked very good.
Winner: James Wilks by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 4:54
Lightweight Fight- Diego Sanchez (22-2) vs. Clay Guida (25-6)
Diego won his debut at Lightweight against Joe Stevenson and is looking to move up in ranking as he’s looking for a title shot. Guida is coming off of a Split Decision victory over Nate Diaz at UFC 94 and he beat Mac Danzig by Unanimous Decision in his fight previous to that one. Diego looks incredibly intense getting into the cage and he and Guida are jawing at each other. Diego has a 4” reach and height advantage. They have a crazy looking stare down.
R1- They are throwing shots at each other like crazy as Diego came running across the ring. Diego is nailing Guida with strikes and hits him with a flying knee. Guida looks like his face or nose is busted open. Guida gets a take down. Lucky for him because he was just getting destroyed by Diego on their feet. Sanchez uses the rubber guard and is able to get back to his feet. Diego landed a big head kick on Guida and he fell to the ground. Diego hit another flying knee and continues to eat Guida’s lunch on their feet. Diego got a take down with thirty seconds left in the round. WOW, what a SICK first round. Probably the best round of fighting I’ve seen this year. This was reminiscent of some of Eddie Alvarez’s fights in DREAM last year. Sanchez took this one 10-9. It was a borderline 10-8 round but Guida got a take down and landed some elbows. Sanchez looked awesome in this round.
R2- Guida got a take down to start this round. Diego is throwing elbows from the bottom. Guida is dominating control but Diego is landing better strikes so far this round. Diego is a bloody mess and I think it’s from the top of Guida’s head (where Diego has been hitting the strikes) and from Guida’s nose (which was probably broken in the first round). I’ve got to give this round to Diego. Cage control only goes so far. Diego did more damage in this round than Guida did with the elbows to the top of the head. Diego is up 20-18.
R3- Guida is bleeding from the nose and the head as this round starts. Clay went for a take down and Diego tried to take his back but Guida slipped into guard. Sanchez got an arm triangle briefly but Guida again slipped out. Guida is on top but Sanchez is working a kimura. Sanchez tried for an arm bar and then Guida hit some Ground and Pound as the bell rung. GREAT FIGHT. I’ve got Sanchez taking this round also as he had 4 submission attempts and the stand up in the round was even. Sanchez 30-27 on my score card. It will be interesting to see how the judges score the fight. Fight of the Year so far?
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Guida, 29-27 Sanchez and 29-28 Sanchez. I just don’t see how you would score the fight for Guida. Lying on top of a guy doesn’t beat out damage inflicted in a round. I can see how someone would give Guida round three but no way he won round two.
Winner: Diego Sanchez by Decision (Split)
Solid night of fights capped by a FOTY candidate in Sanchez/Guida.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
UFC 94: "St-Pierre vs. Penn 2" Re-Cap
UFC 94: St-Pierre vs. Penn 2
January 31st, 2009
MGM Grand Garden Arena - Las Vegas, NV
This is one of the most anticipated and hyped shows for UFC. The Penn/St Pierre champion vs. champion re-match is the main draw. We also have what is basically a #1 Contenders fight between Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva. A potential FOTN on any card is the lightweight fight between Nate Diaz and Clay Guida.
Lightweight Fight- Nate Diaz (10-2) vs. Clay Guida (24-6)
Clay Guida comes out to “Hero” by the Foo Fighters. Jason Guida is in Clay’s corner and Nick Diaz is in Nate’s corner. Maybe we can make this a 4-way brawl! Diaz has a big 5” height advantage and a huge 8” reach advantage. Diaz is undefeated in the UFC.
R1- Nate is doing a good job early with light jabs and keeping Guida at bay. Nate pulled guard and Clay put him in a full nelson after he took his back. Clay really controlled the second half of the round. Diaz stood up and landed a couple of shots as the round ended. About as even a round as there is but probably went to Guida.
“That might be the first full nelson in UFC history”- Joe Rogan
R2- Guida basically just clinched and held Diaz a lot in this round while trying to get better position. Not much damage done in this round. Diaz tried a triangle at the end of the round but couldn’t get it. I’ve got Guida up 20-18 although he’s done very little damage to Diaz at this point. Realistically this fight is either 20-18 Guida or 19-19 at this point. It smells like a split decision to me unless Diaz can get a submission.
R3- Diaz starts this round like the first round by picking apart Guida with jabs. Diaz is hitting some good shots in this round and is mocking Guida. Guida got a clinch and tries to hold on for a win. Diaz definitely won this round.
This was a close fight. If you are judging based on an entire fight (which UFC doesn’t) then Diaz won this fight. But if you are judging each round separately then I think Guida squeaks this one out 29-28.
The judges score the fight: 29-28 Diaz, 29-28 Guida and 29-28 Guida.
Winner: Clay Guida by Decision (Split)
Welterweight Fight- Karo Parisyan (26-5) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (11-0-1)
Both guys are Black Belts in Judo. Parisyan has been battling a panic disorder, a hamstring injury and a back injury. Parisyan has Greg Jackson in his corner and that’s a good thing. Parisyan is coming off a loss to Top Contender Thiago Alves and Kim’s last fight was at UFC 88 where he won a split decision against Matt Brown. Kim has a 3” height advantage and a 4” reach advantage. Frank Mir is in Kim’s corner.
R1- Kim got an early take down and then took Karo’s back. Karo flipped and tried to knock him off but Kim is just latched on like Shinya Aoki. Kim went for an arm bar but Karo slipped out. Karo then almost got caught in a triangle. Kim took this round 10-9. He didn’t do a lot of damage but he really controlled and wore down Karo.
R2- Kim got an early take down and Karo got a kimura on Kim but couldn’t finish. Karo hit a beautiful judo throw half through the round and landed in side control. Karo’s mouthpiece has come out twice and the ref warns him that if it happens again that he is deducting a point. Karo lands strikes towards the end of the round. Karo wins this round and we are at 19-19 after two rounds. Karo still seems like he is having a lot of trouble with the mouth piece.
“Dude, you are kicking his ass now”- Karo’s corner after Round Two
R3- Kim gets an early take down and Karo pushes him off and the ref warns him about up kicks to the face. A minute and a half left in the fight and this is anybody’s fight. Really tough finally round to judge. It was very even. This one is a toss up.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Karo, 29-28 Kim and 29-28 Karo.
Winner: Karo Parisyan by Decision (Split)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Stephan Bonnar (14-4) vs. Jon Jones (7-0)
Jones is undefeated and looked good in his only UFC fight and win against Andre Gusmao at UFC 87. Bonnar’s last fight was a win against Eric Schaefer at UFC 77. Jones is a JUCO National Wrestling Champion but has most of his wins by KO. On paper this should be a fun fight. Bonnar has moved his camp to Vegas and is now training with Forrest Griffin. Jones has a 4.5” reach advantage. Jones is the 3rd youngest fighter in the UFC.
R1- Jones got a good judo throw take down early in the round but couldn’t hold position. Jones got another take down and Bonnar again got to his feet. Jones hit Bonnar with a belly to back suplex and when Bonnar got up he hit him with a spinning back fist and then jumped on top of Bonnar. Bonnar is cut on his forehead. Jones landed a good knee. Jones ended the round with a take down. Jones looked great in this round. 10-9 in favor of Jones.
R2- This round was a lot closer but Jones landed 3 take downs and the stand up was relatively even. Jones 20-18.
R3- Bonnar is the aggressor in this round and Jones looks to be tiring. Bonnar tried for a take down and got it reversed. Jones almost got caught in a triangle. Bonnar took this round but Jones will win this fight 29-28. The 3rd decision of the night but the first unanimous one. Jones definitely has a lot of talent, I look forward to his next fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 in favor of Jones.
Winner: Jon Jones by Decision (Unanimous)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Lyoto Machida (13-0) vs. Thiago Silva (13-0)
If Machida wins this he is next in line for a shot at Rashad Evans. If Silva wins then he probably needs 1 more quality win to get a shot. Machida was last seen taking apart Tito Ortiz in a unanimous decision victory and Silva got a Round One TKO victory over Antonio Mendes. Both fights were at UFC 84. Silva has finished all but one of his opponents. Silva looks like he came to fight. Machida is called the “most elusive fighter in UFC history.”
R1- Machida hits some strikes early then they clinch and Machida hits a low blow. Machida got a quick take down after they re-started but he gave up his spot. Lyoto hit a big left hand and Silva went down. Lyoto caught Silva with a big right and knocked him down again. Great counter punching so far for Machida. In the closing seconds of the round Machida pushes Silva down and then jumps on top of him very quickly for a couple of strikes and the bell rings for time and then Silva just lays there and doesn’t get up to go back to his corner. It looked like the first punch from Machida knocked his head back into the canvas and knocked him out. Looks like he was knocked out more from the punch then from his head hitting the mat.
Machida looked great in this fight. He just earned himself a shot at Rashad Evans. Who would have thought that we would have 3 decisions and 1 KO so far and the KO would be for Machida?
Post-match Joe Rogan introduces Machida and his interpreter and then Machida speaks in English for his interview.
Winner: Lyoto Machida by KO R1 4:59
Welterweight Title Fight- Georges St Pierre © (17-2) vs. BJ Penn (13-4-1)
Champion versus Champion. UFC stats say Penn has never been knocked down and that he lands 61% of his lead jabs (UFC average is around 30%). GSP lands 75% of his take down attempts (UFC average is 45%) and he defends 85% of his opponents take downs (UFC average is 55%). BJ is looking to be the first UFC fighter to hold belts at the same time in different weight divisions. Penn gets a big reaction from the crowd as he comes to the ring. GSP gets more of a mixed reaction from the crowd. GSP won their first match-up by Decision after getting dominated in the first round by BJ Penn. GSP has a 6” reach advantage.
R1- Very even as GSP works the first couple of minutes trying to get a take down but BJ continues to deny him. GSP takes the first round by controlling where the fight went and landing a few more strikes. 10-9 GSP but not much damage done on either guy.
R2- Penn hit a good left hand in the first 30 seconds of round two. GSP finally got a take down one minute into the round after struggling the entire first round to try and get one but failing. GSP lands some Ground and Pound and passes guard and lands some more G&P. GSP is hitting some good elbows and the crowd rewards him with a “GSP” chant. GSP dominated this round and is up 20-18 so far.
R3- GSP lands some strikes to start the round and BJs nose is bloodied. GSP powers through another take down. BJ took some offense and some hammer fists and then got back to his feet but GSP got another take down. GSP lands some good strikes towards the end of the round. GSP is in control at 30-27. Penn is going to need a knockout or submission if he wants to win this one.
R4- GSP landed some early strikes and then got another take down. Starting in the second round GSP has done what he wanted to do. GSP is landing some good Ground and Pound. GSP was just all over BJ in this round. This was a 10-8 round for GSP. I’ve got GSP up 40-35 right now with one round left. Herb Dean wants the doctor to look at BJ and Dean stops the fight. It looks like in the replay that BJ’s corner stopped the fight.
What a dominate performance by GSP. This victory quickly catapults GSP into same stratosphere as Fedor and Anderson as the top Pound for Pound fighters in the world right now.
Winner and still Welterweight Champion: Georges St Pierre by TKO R4
Post-fight they interview GSP and bring in Thiago Alves and interview him as well.
The show started out kind of surprisingly with 3 straight decisions but 2 of them were entertaining fights in Diaz/Guida and Jones/Bonner. Lyoto and GSP both looked fantastic. Rashad vs. Lyoto and GSP vs. Alves should both be really good fights. Good show by UFC.
January 31st, 2009
MGM Grand Garden Arena - Las Vegas, NV
This is one of the most anticipated and hyped shows for UFC. The Penn/St Pierre champion vs. champion re-match is the main draw. We also have what is basically a #1 Contenders fight between Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva. A potential FOTN on any card is the lightweight fight between Nate Diaz and Clay Guida.
Lightweight Fight- Nate Diaz (10-2) vs. Clay Guida (24-6)
Clay Guida comes out to “Hero” by the Foo Fighters. Jason Guida is in Clay’s corner and Nick Diaz is in Nate’s corner. Maybe we can make this a 4-way brawl! Diaz has a big 5” height advantage and a huge 8” reach advantage. Diaz is undefeated in the UFC.
R1- Nate is doing a good job early with light jabs and keeping Guida at bay. Nate pulled guard and Clay put him in a full nelson after he took his back. Clay really controlled the second half of the round. Diaz stood up and landed a couple of shots as the round ended. About as even a round as there is but probably went to Guida.
“That might be the first full nelson in UFC history”- Joe Rogan
R2- Guida basically just clinched and held Diaz a lot in this round while trying to get better position. Not much damage done in this round. Diaz tried a triangle at the end of the round but couldn’t get it. I’ve got Guida up 20-18 although he’s done very little damage to Diaz at this point. Realistically this fight is either 20-18 Guida or 19-19 at this point. It smells like a split decision to me unless Diaz can get a submission.
R3- Diaz starts this round like the first round by picking apart Guida with jabs. Diaz is hitting some good shots in this round and is mocking Guida. Guida got a clinch and tries to hold on for a win. Diaz definitely won this round.
This was a close fight. If you are judging based on an entire fight (which UFC doesn’t) then Diaz won this fight. But if you are judging each round separately then I think Guida squeaks this one out 29-28.
The judges score the fight: 29-28 Diaz, 29-28 Guida and 29-28 Guida.
Winner: Clay Guida by Decision (Split)
Welterweight Fight- Karo Parisyan (26-5) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (11-0-1)
Both guys are Black Belts in Judo. Parisyan has been battling a panic disorder, a hamstring injury and a back injury. Parisyan has Greg Jackson in his corner and that’s a good thing. Parisyan is coming off a loss to Top Contender Thiago Alves and Kim’s last fight was at UFC 88 where he won a split decision against Matt Brown. Kim has a 3” height advantage and a 4” reach advantage. Frank Mir is in Kim’s corner.
R1- Kim got an early take down and then took Karo’s back. Karo flipped and tried to knock him off but Kim is just latched on like Shinya Aoki. Kim went for an arm bar but Karo slipped out. Karo then almost got caught in a triangle. Kim took this round 10-9. He didn’t do a lot of damage but he really controlled and wore down Karo.
R2- Kim got an early take down and Karo got a kimura on Kim but couldn’t finish. Karo hit a beautiful judo throw half through the round and landed in side control. Karo’s mouthpiece has come out twice and the ref warns him that if it happens again that he is deducting a point. Karo lands strikes towards the end of the round. Karo wins this round and we are at 19-19 after two rounds. Karo still seems like he is having a lot of trouble with the mouth piece.
“Dude, you are kicking his ass now”- Karo’s corner after Round Two
R3- Kim gets an early take down and Karo pushes him off and the ref warns him about up kicks to the face. A minute and a half left in the fight and this is anybody’s fight. Really tough finally round to judge. It was very even. This one is a toss up.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Karo, 29-28 Kim and 29-28 Karo.
Winner: Karo Parisyan by Decision (Split)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Stephan Bonnar (14-4) vs. Jon Jones (7-0)
Jones is undefeated and looked good in his only UFC fight and win against Andre Gusmao at UFC 87. Bonnar’s last fight was a win against Eric Schaefer at UFC 77. Jones is a JUCO National Wrestling Champion but has most of his wins by KO. On paper this should be a fun fight. Bonnar has moved his camp to Vegas and is now training with Forrest Griffin. Jones has a 4.5” reach advantage. Jones is the 3rd youngest fighter in the UFC.
R1- Jones got a good judo throw take down early in the round but couldn’t hold position. Jones got another take down and Bonnar again got to his feet. Jones hit Bonnar with a belly to back suplex and when Bonnar got up he hit him with a spinning back fist and then jumped on top of Bonnar. Bonnar is cut on his forehead. Jones landed a good knee. Jones ended the round with a take down. Jones looked great in this round. 10-9 in favor of Jones.
R2- This round was a lot closer but Jones landed 3 take downs and the stand up was relatively even. Jones 20-18.
R3- Bonnar is the aggressor in this round and Jones looks to be tiring. Bonnar tried for a take down and got it reversed. Jones almost got caught in a triangle. Bonnar took this round but Jones will win this fight 29-28. The 3rd decision of the night but the first unanimous one. Jones definitely has a lot of talent, I look forward to his next fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 in favor of Jones.
Winner: Jon Jones by Decision (Unanimous)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Lyoto Machida (13-0) vs. Thiago Silva (13-0)
If Machida wins this he is next in line for a shot at Rashad Evans. If Silva wins then he probably needs 1 more quality win to get a shot. Machida was last seen taking apart Tito Ortiz in a unanimous decision victory and Silva got a Round One TKO victory over Antonio Mendes. Both fights were at UFC 84. Silva has finished all but one of his opponents. Silva looks like he came to fight. Machida is called the “most elusive fighter in UFC history.”
R1- Machida hits some strikes early then they clinch and Machida hits a low blow. Machida got a quick take down after they re-started but he gave up his spot. Lyoto hit a big left hand and Silva went down. Lyoto caught Silva with a big right and knocked him down again. Great counter punching so far for Machida. In the closing seconds of the round Machida pushes Silva down and then jumps on top of him very quickly for a couple of strikes and the bell rings for time and then Silva just lays there and doesn’t get up to go back to his corner. It looked like the first punch from Machida knocked his head back into the canvas and knocked him out. Looks like he was knocked out more from the punch then from his head hitting the mat.
Machida looked great in this fight. He just earned himself a shot at Rashad Evans. Who would have thought that we would have 3 decisions and 1 KO so far and the KO would be for Machida?
Post-match Joe Rogan introduces Machida and his interpreter and then Machida speaks in English for his interview.
Winner: Lyoto Machida by KO R1 4:59
Welterweight Title Fight- Georges St Pierre © (17-2) vs. BJ Penn (13-4-1)
Champion versus Champion. UFC stats say Penn has never been knocked down and that he lands 61% of his lead jabs (UFC average is around 30%). GSP lands 75% of his take down attempts (UFC average is 45%) and he defends 85% of his opponents take downs (UFC average is 55%). BJ is looking to be the first UFC fighter to hold belts at the same time in different weight divisions. Penn gets a big reaction from the crowd as he comes to the ring. GSP gets more of a mixed reaction from the crowd. GSP won their first match-up by Decision after getting dominated in the first round by BJ Penn. GSP has a 6” reach advantage.
R1- Very even as GSP works the first couple of minutes trying to get a take down but BJ continues to deny him. GSP takes the first round by controlling where the fight went and landing a few more strikes. 10-9 GSP but not much damage done on either guy.
R2- Penn hit a good left hand in the first 30 seconds of round two. GSP finally got a take down one minute into the round after struggling the entire first round to try and get one but failing. GSP lands some Ground and Pound and passes guard and lands some more G&P. GSP is hitting some good elbows and the crowd rewards him with a “GSP” chant. GSP dominated this round and is up 20-18 so far.
R3- GSP lands some strikes to start the round and BJs nose is bloodied. GSP powers through another take down. BJ took some offense and some hammer fists and then got back to his feet but GSP got another take down. GSP lands some good strikes towards the end of the round. GSP is in control at 30-27. Penn is going to need a knockout or submission if he wants to win this one.
R4- GSP landed some early strikes and then got another take down. Starting in the second round GSP has done what he wanted to do. GSP is landing some good Ground and Pound. GSP was just all over BJ in this round. This was a 10-8 round for GSP. I’ve got GSP up 40-35 right now with one round left. Herb Dean wants the doctor to look at BJ and Dean stops the fight. It looks like in the replay that BJ’s corner stopped the fight.
What a dominate performance by GSP. This victory quickly catapults GSP into same stratosphere as Fedor and Anderson as the top Pound for Pound fighters in the world right now.
Winner and still Welterweight Champion: Georges St Pierre by TKO R4
Post-fight they interview GSP and bring in Thiago Alves and interview him as well.
The show started out kind of surprisingly with 3 straight decisions but 2 of them were entertaining fights in Diaz/Guida and Jones/Bonner. Lyoto and GSP both looked fantastic. Rashad vs. Lyoto and GSP vs. Alves should both be really good fights. Good show by UFC.
Monday, September 22, 2008
UFC Fight Night 15 9/17/08 Re-Cap
UFC Fight Night 9/17/08
Light Heavyweight Fight- Houston Alexander (8-3) vs. Eric Schafer (11-3-2)
Schafer has a 3 inch height and 4 inch reach advantage. Alexander is the hometown fighter in this one and he gets a huge reaction. Alexander usually has short fights so this one could be quick.
R1- Alexander gets a clinch early and hits Schafer with a knee and then really rocks him with another. Alexander is trying to finish and Schafer is trying to survive and gets Alexander into his guard but Alexander gets back up as he wants the fight to remain standing. Alexander with some leg kicks and then gets driven into the cage. Schafer going for take downs but Alexander is denying him. Schafer finally gets a take down and gets side control. Schafer going for short elbows. Alexander gets out of the position but then gets turned over and mounted by Schafer. Schafer hitting some strikes. Schafer with some elbows and punches. One minute left in the round. Schafer landing punches and Alexander gives up his back but Schafer doesn’t take it and continues with Ground & Pound. Schafer goes for an arm triangle and Alexander taps out. Good, exciting opening fight. Schafer did a good job weathering the early storm and after several take down attempts he stayed with it and finally got one and then ended the fight.
This is Alexander’s third straight loss in the UFC. Eric Schafer has won three straight fights but had lost his last two in UFC to Stephan Bonnar and Michael Bisping.
Winner: Eric Schafer by Submission (Arm Triangle) R1 4:53
Middleweight Fight- Ed Herman (16-5) vs. Alan Belcher (11-4)
R1- Lots of action early and then they clinch and are separated. Both guys hitting some strikes. Pretty even fight through the first half of the round. Herman hit a good combo and tried a take down but it was stopped and they clinched again. Herman picked Belcher up with a double-leg and got the take down. Herman is trying for what Rogan is calling a “Darth Choke” but Belcher gets to his feet. Herman gets another take down with half a minute left and is going for the same choke again. Pretty even round when they stood up but Herman took Belcher down twice and had two submission attempts. Herman is up 10-9 after Round One.
R2- Belcher hit a big left hand to start out the round. Herman hits a good combo after a couple of counter punches. Belcher with a couple of body punches and then hit a big punch that rocked Herman back into the cage. Belcher hit a kick to the midsection but got caught and taken down by Herman. Belcher got back to his feet with minimal damage from Herman. 45 seconds left in the round. Close round. Belcher controlled the first 2 and a half minutes and rocked Herman. Herman then got a take down and control for about a minute and the rest was even. Overall, I give Belcher this round which makes it 19-19.
R3- Herman went for a quick take down but got stuffed. Belcher landing some jabs. Herman went for another take down but Belcher stopped it again and they clinch against the cage and then get separated. Belcher showing good hands in this fight. Belcher goes for a spinning back fist and Herman goes for a take down but doesn’t get it. Herman stays with it and gets the take down. Herman gets some strikes in but Belcher gets back to his feet. One minute and fifteen seconds remain in the fight. It’s very even to this point so this will probably decide the fight. Herman gets another take down with 45 seconds left and lands some good punches. Herman continuing to hit some punches. Herman ends the fight in a dominate position. Belcher won the stand up part of the fight but Herman dominated in take downs and on the ground. Very, very close fight but I’ve got to give it to Herman as I think he won rounds 1 and 3 with a strong finish. Herman 29-28 on my score card. Not a dominate win but a good win and a good fight.
Judges score the fight: 29-28 Belcher, 29-28 Herman, and 29-28 Belcher.
Interesting decision, not sure that I agree with it though.
Winner: Alan Belcher by Decision (Split)
Lightweight Fight- Mac Danzig (19-4-1) vs. Clay Guida (23-6)
This should be a really fun fight.
R1- Danzig seems to be the aggressor early as he backs down Guida twice but doesn’t land anything substantial. Guida went for a take down on a Danzig kick but couldn’t get it. Danzig landed a couple of shots about two minutes into the round. Danzig rushes Guida and hits a big combo but Guida grabs him and takes him down. Great sequence of events. Danzig goes for a kimura from the bottom but Guida backs him up against the cage and Danzig gets back to his feet with no damage from Guida but Guida picks up Danzig and slams him down. Danzig once again has his back to the cage and stands up again and Guida slams him down again. Guida gets a couple of shots in but Danzig works his way back to his feet at the end of the round. Interesting round as Danzig won the first part of the round by winning the stand up game but Guida got several take downs and slams although not much actually offense on the ground. Almost an even round. Probably have to give it to Guida due to the slams but based on the way the judges scored the Belcher fight I would say that they would probably give it to Danzig. Guida 10-9. Good round.
R2- Guida looks to be more aggressive early in this round as he backs down Danzig and pushes forward. Danzig hits a good punch and then a front kick but Guida fights back and runs him down and gets a take down but Danzig goes right for his arm again and stands right up. Guida shoots in again about half way through the round and gets a take partial take down but Danzig doesn’t go all the way down and doesn’t take any damage. Danzig lands a couple of good shots with about a minute left but Guida grabs him and clinches and then takes Danzig’s back with 30 seconds left and takes him down and goes for a Rear Naked. Danzig rolls over and Guida finishes the fight in a dominate position but without landing much damage. I think Guida stole this round at the end with the big take down. I had Danzig winning based on strikes but Guida put himself in a position to finish the fight. I’ve got Guida winning a very close 20-18 so far.
R3- They sprawl early as Danzig missed a kick and then stopped a Guida take down. They both got some good shots in during a dirty boxing clinch. Danzig then got his first take down of the fight and attempted a kimura. Guida escaped and briefly took Danzig’s back. Guida with some knees against the cage. Danzig looks really tired and Guida is smothering him against the cage. Danzig got to his feet but got taken down again. Guida isn’t doing much damage but he’s controlling the fight. Danzig back to his feet but Guida is still holding him. Guida ends the fight with a flurry of punches on the ground. I’ve got Guida taking this fight 30-27. Not a dominate performance as far as damage but Guida controlled the fight with his wrestling.
Judges score cards are: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 for Guida.
This is Guida’s second win a row after a loss to Roger Huerta. This is Danzig’s first loss after two consecutive wins.
Winner: Clay Guida by Decision (Unanimous)
Joe Rogan is joined by Dana White. Dana announces a fight on December 10th live from Ft Bragg a 3-Hour event called “UFC Fights for the Troops” to benefit the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.
Lightweight Fight- Nate Diaz (9-2) vs. Josh Neer (24-6-1)
This is the first fight that we get the ring walk and entrance music. Josh Neer is from nearby Des Moines, Iowa. Jens Pulver is in his corner for the fight. Neer comes out to some soft rock that sounds like something from Nickelback. Diaz comes out to some rap with his brother Nick by his side. Diaz has a four inch reach advantage.
R1- They clinch early and Neer gets an immediate take down. Neer goes for a choke but lets it go. Neer takes his back and Diaz stands up and Neer takes him down but Diaz back to his feet again with Neer still on his back. Nate gets turned around and they sprawl and are back to their feet with a clinch. Diaz gets some shots in on Neer to the corner. Diaz is landing some good jabs and then gets a great looking judo throw and ends in side control but Neer gets him to half guard. Neer gets out but gets puched. Diaz fights his way back to full guard and then steps over and transitions to the back in a great move but can’t get anything. Diaz ends the fight on top of Neer. Neer controlled early but Diaz looked great late first hitting jabs, then a judo throw and then some good ground work. I’ve got Diaz taking this round 10-9.
R2- They exchange to start the round. Neer gets a take down but Diaz scrambles and reverses it so he’s in full guard. Neer gets back to his feet and gets a take down and has Nate’s back. Neer goes for a choke but Nate turns out of it. Lots of action as Neer goes for an arm bar and Nate for a triangle and both come up short. Neer gets some shots in and continues to be at and advantage but Diaz gets to his feet and they clinch. Diaz peppers him with jabs. Close round, I think Neer took this one so I’ve got it 19-19 going into the final round.
R3- They come out with Nate as the aggressor and they clinch against the cage. Nate gets a take down and is in half guard. Neer gets out but Diaz gets back to full guard and then stands up and then gets full guard again. Neer to his feet and they clinch. Diaz winning the final round half way through. Diaz takes Neer’s back and then turns to full mount. Nate with some strikes. They stand up with 20 seconds left and Diaz gets another judo throw and ends with some strikes. Diaz wins round three and will win this fight 29-28.
Judges scorecards are: 29-28 Neer, 29-28 Diaz and 29-28 Diaz.
Winner: Nate Diaz by Decision (Split)
I thought this was a real solid show with 4 good fights. The only real disappointing thing I could see was that only 1 fight went to a finish. 2 really close fights as they were judged as split decision.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Houston Alexander (8-3) vs. Eric Schafer (11-3-2)
Schafer has a 3 inch height and 4 inch reach advantage. Alexander is the hometown fighter in this one and he gets a huge reaction. Alexander usually has short fights so this one could be quick.
R1- Alexander gets a clinch early and hits Schafer with a knee and then really rocks him with another. Alexander is trying to finish and Schafer is trying to survive and gets Alexander into his guard but Alexander gets back up as he wants the fight to remain standing. Alexander with some leg kicks and then gets driven into the cage. Schafer going for take downs but Alexander is denying him. Schafer finally gets a take down and gets side control. Schafer going for short elbows. Alexander gets out of the position but then gets turned over and mounted by Schafer. Schafer hitting some strikes. Schafer with some elbows and punches. One minute left in the round. Schafer landing punches and Alexander gives up his back but Schafer doesn’t take it and continues with Ground & Pound. Schafer goes for an arm triangle and Alexander taps out. Good, exciting opening fight. Schafer did a good job weathering the early storm and after several take down attempts he stayed with it and finally got one and then ended the fight.
This is Alexander’s third straight loss in the UFC. Eric Schafer has won three straight fights but had lost his last two in UFC to Stephan Bonnar and Michael Bisping.
Winner: Eric Schafer by Submission (Arm Triangle) R1 4:53
Middleweight Fight- Ed Herman (16-5) vs. Alan Belcher (11-4)
R1- Lots of action early and then they clinch and are separated. Both guys hitting some strikes. Pretty even fight through the first half of the round. Herman hit a good combo and tried a take down but it was stopped and they clinched again. Herman picked Belcher up with a double-leg and got the take down. Herman is trying for what Rogan is calling a “Darth Choke” but Belcher gets to his feet. Herman gets another take down with half a minute left and is going for the same choke again. Pretty even round when they stood up but Herman took Belcher down twice and had two submission attempts. Herman is up 10-9 after Round One.
R2- Belcher hit a big left hand to start out the round. Herman hits a good combo after a couple of counter punches. Belcher with a couple of body punches and then hit a big punch that rocked Herman back into the cage. Belcher hit a kick to the midsection but got caught and taken down by Herman. Belcher got back to his feet with minimal damage from Herman. 45 seconds left in the round. Close round. Belcher controlled the first 2 and a half minutes and rocked Herman. Herman then got a take down and control for about a minute and the rest was even. Overall, I give Belcher this round which makes it 19-19.
R3- Herman went for a quick take down but got stuffed. Belcher landing some jabs. Herman went for another take down but Belcher stopped it again and they clinch against the cage and then get separated. Belcher showing good hands in this fight. Belcher goes for a spinning back fist and Herman goes for a take down but doesn’t get it. Herman stays with it and gets the take down. Herman gets some strikes in but Belcher gets back to his feet. One minute and fifteen seconds remain in the fight. It’s very even to this point so this will probably decide the fight. Herman gets another take down with 45 seconds left and lands some good punches. Herman continuing to hit some punches. Herman ends the fight in a dominate position. Belcher won the stand up part of the fight but Herman dominated in take downs and on the ground. Very, very close fight but I’ve got to give it to Herman as I think he won rounds 1 and 3 with a strong finish. Herman 29-28 on my score card. Not a dominate win but a good win and a good fight.
Judges score the fight: 29-28 Belcher, 29-28 Herman, and 29-28 Belcher.
Interesting decision, not sure that I agree with it though.
Winner: Alan Belcher by Decision (Split)
Lightweight Fight- Mac Danzig (19-4-1) vs. Clay Guida (23-6)
This should be a really fun fight.
R1- Danzig seems to be the aggressor early as he backs down Guida twice but doesn’t land anything substantial. Guida went for a take down on a Danzig kick but couldn’t get it. Danzig landed a couple of shots about two minutes into the round. Danzig rushes Guida and hits a big combo but Guida grabs him and takes him down. Great sequence of events. Danzig goes for a kimura from the bottom but Guida backs him up against the cage and Danzig gets back to his feet with no damage from Guida but Guida picks up Danzig and slams him down. Danzig once again has his back to the cage and stands up again and Guida slams him down again. Guida gets a couple of shots in but Danzig works his way back to his feet at the end of the round. Interesting round as Danzig won the first part of the round by winning the stand up game but Guida got several take downs and slams although not much actually offense on the ground. Almost an even round. Probably have to give it to Guida due to the slams but based on the way the judges scored the Belcher fight I would say that they would probably give it to Danzig. Guida 10-9. Good round.
R2- Guida looks to be more aggressive early in this round as he backs down Danzig and pushes forward. Danzig hits a good punch and then a front kick but Guida fights back and runs him down and gets a take down but Danzig goes right for his arm again and stands right up. Guida shoots in again about half way through the round and gets a take partial take down but Danzig doesn’t go all the way down and doesn’t take any damage. Danzig lands a couple of good shots with about a minute left but Guida grabs him and clinches and then takes Danzig’s back with 30 seconds left and takes him down and goes for a Rear Naked. Danzig rolls over and Guida finishes the fight in a dominate position but without landing much damage. I think Guida stole this round at the end with the big take down. I had Danzig winning based on strikes but Guida put himself in a position to finish the fight. I’ve got Guida winning a very close 20-18 so far.
R3- They sprawl early as Danzig missed a kick and then stopped a Guida take down. They both got some good shots in during a dirty boxing clinch. Danzig then got his first take down of the fight and attempted a kimura. Guida escaped and briefly took Danzig’s back. Guida with some knees against the cage. Danzig looks really tired and Guida is smothering him against the cage. Danzig got to his feet but got taken down again. Guida isn’t doing much damage but he’s controlling the fight. Danzig back to his feet but Guida is still holding him. Guida ends the fight with a flurry of punches on the ground. I’ve got Guida taking this fight 30-27. Not a dominate performance as far as damage but Guida controlled the fight with his wrestling.
Judges score cards are: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 for Guida.
This is Guida’s second win a row after a loss to Roger Huerta. This is Danzig’s first loss after two consecutive wins.
Winner: Clay Guida by Decision (Unanimous)
Joe Rogan is joined by Dana White. Dana announces a fight on December 10th live from Ft Bragg a 3-Hour event called “UFC Fights for the Troops” to benefit the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.
Lightweight Fight- Nate Diaz (9-2) vs. Josh Neer (24-6-1)
This is the first fight that we get the ring walk and entrance music. Josh Neer is from nearby Des Moines, Iowa. Jens Pulver is in his corner for the fight. Neer comes out to some soft rock that sounds like something from Nickelback. Diaz comes out to some rap with his brother Nick by his side. Diaz has a four inch reach advantage.
R1- They clinch early and Neer gets an immediate take down. Neer goes for a choke but lets it go. Neer takes his back and Diaz stands up and Neer takes him down but Diaz back to his feet again with Neer still on his back. Nate gets turned around and they sprawl and are back to their feet with a clinch. Diaz gets some shots in on Neer to the corner. Diaz is landing some good jabs and then gets a great looking judo throw and ends in side control but Neer gets him to half guard. Neer gets out but gets puched. Diaz fights his way back to full guard and then steps over and transitions to the back in a great move but can’t get anything. Diaz ends the fight on top of Neer. Neer controlled early but Diaz looked great late first hitting jabs, then a judo throw and then some good ground work. I’ve got Diaz taking this round 10-9.
R2- They exchange to start the round. Neer gets a take down but Diaz scrambles and reverses it so he’s in full guard. Neer gets back to his feet and gets a take down and has Nate’s back. Neer goes for a choke but Nate turns out of it. Lots of action as Neer goes for an arm bar and Nate for a triangle and both come up short. Neer gets some shots in and continues to be at and advantage but Diaz gets to his feet and they clinch. Diaz peppers him with jabs. Close round, I think Neer took this one so I’ve got it 19-19 going into the final round.
R3- They come out with Nate as the aggressor and they clinch against the cage. Nate gets a take down and is in half guard. Neer gets out but Diaz gets back to full guard and then stands up and then gets full guard again. Neer to his feet and they clinch. Diaz winning the final round half way through. Diaz takes Neer’s back and then turns to full mount. Nate with some strikes. They stand up with 20 seconds left and Diaz gets another judo throw and ends with some strikes. Diaz wins round three and will win this fight 29-28.
Judges scorecards are: 29-28 Neer, 29-28 Diaz and 29-28 Diaz.
Winner: Nate Diaz by Decision (Split)
I thought this was a real solid show with 4 good fights. The only real disappointing thing I could see was that only 1 fight went to a finish. 2 really close fights as they were judged as split decision.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
UFC Fight Night 4/2/08 Thoughts
UFC Fight Night Live
Light Heavyweight- Houston Alexander (8-2) vs James Irvin (13-4)
This was pretty shocking and a great way to start the show. I’ve never seen Irvin before and I was pretty much expecting Alexander to take this one but Alexander just ate a huge punch right off the bat and the ref stopped the fight. This tied the record for fastest knockout in UFC history at 8 seconds.
Lightweight- Kurt Pellegrino (17-3) vs Nate Diaz (8-2)
Pellegrino is sporting brown hair instead of his normal colored looks- almost didn’t recognize him. Pellegrino seems to be controlling on the ground early. Pellegrino got side control and peppered Diaz with several quick punches. Diaz is busted open and Pellegrino dominating so far 3 minuts into the fight as he hits a big elbow. Diaz looks like he’s out and Pellegrino has his back. Diaz back to his feet as he is trying to get in some offense. Pellegrino just dominated the first round with Diaz holding on. It will be interesting to see if Diaz can come back. Pellegrino had 2 or 3 chances to really finish off Diaz in the first Round but didn’t get it done.
Round 2- Pellegrino takes Diaz down about 45 seconds into the round after some stand up with little contact. Diaz is going for a kimura but Pellegrino slips out and still is on top of Diaz. They get to their feet and Pellegrino has Diaz’s back but Diaz does a nice flip but Pellegrino still has control. Diaz with a brief control but Pellegrino lifts him up and takes him down but now Diaz is going for a triangle and he’s got it and Pellegrino taps.
Good fight. Pellegrino really dominated but Diaz got that one move and got the submission. Diaz showed a lot of guts cause he was almost gone several times in the first round.
Light Heavyweight- Matt Hamill (5-1)vs Tim Boetsch (7-1)
Hamill takes him down about 20 seconds into the fight. Hamill is controlling the fight but not much going on and the ref stands them up. Boetsch looks like the better striker as he’s definitely the aggressor when they are on their feet. Boetsch is really swinging for the fences. Matt Hamill is bleeding slightly from his mouth. Boetsch hits a big knee but Hamill comes back with some punches and lands a nice one. Really even first round. Hamill controlled early but really didn’t get in any offense and then they went back and forth on their feet and I think Boetsch landed more damage in those exchanges. Both guys looked a little winded after Round 1.
Round 2- Hamill goes for a high sidekick and falls but gets back up. Boetsch goes for a takedown but Hamill is landed a bunch of punches. Repeated punches and this might be over real soon and the ref stops it. Huge mistake by Boetsch in going for the takedown on a better wrestler. Hamill took advantage and won the fight by capitalizing on Boetsch’s mistake.
Welterweight- Karo Parisyan (26-4) vs Thiago Alves (19-4)
Karo grabs the clinch early and takes down Thiago quickly. Thiago gets back to his feet with little damage and they are back on their feet now. Karo is controlling the fight early but not dominating. Karo goes in for a takedown but Thiago fights it as they are up against the cage. They separate and are on their feet again. Thiago seems to be getting a little more comfortable and is throwing more punches and kicks as the round continues. They end the round with Karo at an advantage against the cage. Round goes to Karo but no real damage was landed by either fighter.
Round 2- Thiago just destroys Karo with a vicious knee about 20 seconds into R2 and wins via ref stoppage. Karo is the second guy tonight who is upset about stoppage but he just got destroyed by that knee.
Welterweight- Tommy Speer vs Anthony Johnson (4-1)
I’m actually in the process of watching The Ultimate Fighter Season 6 (Hughes vs Serra) from the marathon that came on last week (got 2 episodes left) so this should be interesting to see how Speer does and see how he has improved. Speer seems to have slimmed down a bit. Johnson nailed him with a left hook early and then destroyed him with a kick and is nailing him with punches and then just destroys him with a HUGE knockout punch. Great showing for Anthony Johnson. This one only last 51 seconds.
Lightweight- Frank Edgar (8-0) vs Gray Maynard (5-0-1)
Maynard seems to be a tad of the aggressor so far as he’s throwing more punches and throwing them with more force and Edgar just seems to be trying to measure Maynard and feel him out. Edgar starts to get some shots in and Maynard takes him down. Close Round- I’ve got to give it to Maynard due to him having the only takedown and maintaining control for the majority of the round. Little damage done in Round 1 by either guy. Both guys may have small cuts.
Round 2- Maynard comes out swinging and then Edgar does as well. Much more action in this round as both guys feel a sense of urgency. Edgar goes for a takedown but Maynard blocks. Instead Maynard gets the takedown. Edgar gets to his feet and gets in 2 decent shots. Edgar looking much more aggressive in this round and is landing more shots. Edgar gets a great takedown on a throw but Maynard quickly escapes. Edgar seemed to be controlling the game on the feet but Maynard took him down. Edgar battling trying to get a kimura. That takedown may have saved the round for Maynard but Edgar is trying to submit him from the bottom. This was real close and this one really could have gone either way.
Round 3- Both guys come out swinging and Maynard shoots in for a takedown and they are really going back and forth on the mat until they stand up. Edgar with a combo. Maynard with another takedown and then with a big slam. Maynard has been controlling the wrestling in this match. Maynard with another big slam and he’s still controlling the wrestling. Back to the feet and Edgar throws some elbows. Edgar’s got to do something here or he’s gonna lose via decision. Maynard with another takedown and throw. Maynard remains on top as the match is coming to a close. I’ve got this one Maynard 30-27 but I guess we’ll see what the judges think.
Winner by Unanimous decision 30-27 on all card Gray Maynard. Definitely the right decision. Maynard looked real impressive in his wrestling and control of the fight. Maynard really has to work on his submissions and/or killer instinct because even though he dominated the fight at no point was he even close to finishing Edgar.
Lightweight- Kenny Florian (10-3) vs Joe Lauzon (15-3)
Lauzon shoots in early and takes down Florian but gets nailed with several elbows to the head that busts Lauzon upon. The ref breaks it up. Florian lands a nice kick. Florian on top with some nice strikes. Lauzon takes down Florian and goes for a heel hook but never really gets any damage in. Lauzon goes for another leg hold but Florian gets out again and hits Lauzon with a couple of shots. Really close first round, I’d give it to Florian just based on damage inflicted as he got in more.
Round 2- They stand up for about a minute and then Florain gets a take down and gets Full Mount and is swinging on Lauzon as Lauzon is just trying to cover up right now. Florian with some elbows and now punching more in side control. Florian still just controlling Lauzon. Lauzon trying to squirm out. Florian just continuing to pound on Lauzon and the ref finally stops it.
Florian looked really good here. I haven’t seen much of him but he looks like a totally different fighter than when he was in The Ultimate Fighter Season 1.
Overall this was a good show and very enjoyable. Several good fights- Florian/Lauzon, Pellegrino/Diaz, Edgar/Maynard and Karo/Alves. I think my favorite fight was the Nate Diaz fight just due to the beating he took and then came back to win.
Light Heavyweight- Houston Alexander (8-2) vs James Irvin (13-4)
This was pretty shocking and a great way to start the show. I’ve never seen Irvin before and I was pretty much expecting Alexander to take this one but Alexander just ate a huge punch right off the bat and the ref stopped the fight. This tied the record for fastest knockout in UFC history at 8 seconds.
Lightweight- Kurt Pellegrino (17-3) vs Nate Diaz (8-2)
Pellegrino is sporting brown hair instead of his normal colored looks- almost didn’t recognize him. Pellegrino seems to be controlling on the ground early. Pellegrino got side control and peppered Diaz with several quick punches. Diaz is busted open and Pellegrino dominating so far 3 minuts into the fight as he hits a big elbow. Diaz looks like he’s out and Pellegrino has his back. Diaz back to his feet as he is trying to get in some offense. Pellegrino just dominated the first round with Diaz holding on. It will be interesting to see if Diaz can come back. Pellegrino had 2 or 3 chances to really finish off Diaz in the first Round but didn’t get it done.
Round 2- Pellegrino takes Diaz down about 45 seconds into the round after some stand up with little contact. Diaz is going for a kimura but Pellegrino slips out and still is on top of Diaz. They get to their feet and Pellegrino has Diaz’s back but Diaz does a nice flip but Pellegrino still has control. Diaz with a brief control but Pellegrino lifts him up and takes him down but now Diaz is going for a triangle and he’s got it and Pellegrino taps.
Good fight. Pellegrino really dominated but Diaz got that one move and got the submission. Diaz showed a lot of guts cause he was almost gone several times in the first round.
Light Heavyweight- Matt Hamill (5-1)vs Tim Boetsch (7-1)
Hamill takes him down about 20 seconds into the fight. Hamill is controlling the fight but not much going on and the ref stands them up. Boetsch looks like the better striker as he’s definitely the aggressor when they are on their feet. Boetsch is really swinging for the fences. Matt Hamill is bleeding slightly from his mouth. Boetsch hits a big knee but Hamill comes back with some punches and lands a nice one. Really even first round. Hamill controlled early but really didn’t get in any offense and then they went back and forth on their feet and I think Boetsch landed more damage in those exchanges. Both guys looked a little winded after Round 1.
Round 2- Hamill goes for a high sidekick and falls but gets back up. Boetsch goes for a takedown but Hamill is landed a bunch of punches. Repeated punches and this might be over real soon and the ref stops it. Huge mistake by Boetsch in going for the takedown on a better wrestler. Hamill took advantage and won the fight by capitalizing on Boetsch’s mistake.
Welterweight- Karo Parisyan (26-4) vs Thiago Alves (19-4)
Karo grabs the clinch early and takes down Thiago quickly. Thiago gets back to his feet with little damage and they are back on their feet now. Karo is controlling the fight early but not dominating. Karo goes in for a takedown but Thiago fights it as they are up against the cage. They separate and are on their feet again. Thiago seems to be getting a little more comfortable and is throwing more punches and kicks as the round continues. They end the round with Karo at an advantage against the cage. Round goes to Karo but no real damage was landed by either fighter.
Round 2- Thiago just destroys Karo with a vicious knee about 20 seconds into R2 and wins via ref stoppage. Karo is the second guy tonight who is upset about stoppage but he just got destroyed by that knee.
Welterweight- Tommy Speer vs Anthony Johnson (4-1)
I’m actually in the process of watching The Ultimate Fighter Season 6 (Hughes vs Serra) from the marathon that came on last week (got 2 episodes left) so this should be interesting to see how Speer does and see how he has improved. Speer seems to have slimmed down a bit. Johnson nailed him with a left hook early and then destroyed him with a kick and is nailing him with punches and then just destroys him with a HUGE knockout punch. Great showing for Anthony Johnson. This one only last 51 seconds.
Lightweight- Frank Edgar (8-0) vs Gray Maynard (5-0-1)
Maynard seems to be a tad of the aggressor so far as he’s throwing more punches and throwing them with more force and Edgar just seems to be trying to measure Maynard and feel him out. Edgar starts to get some shots in and Maynard takes him down. Close Round- I’ve got to give it to Maynard due to him having the only takedown and maintaining control for the majority of the round. Little damage done in Round 1 by either guy. Both guys may have small cuts.
Round 2- Maynard comes out swinging and then Edgar does as well. Much more action in this round as both guys feel a sense of urgency. Edgar goes for a takedown but Maynard blocks. Instead Maynard gets the takedown. Edgar gets to his feet and gets in 2 decent shots. Edgar looking much more aggressive in this round and is landing more shots. Edgar gets a great takedown on a throw but Maynard quickly escapes. Edgar seemed to be controlling the game on the feet but Maynard took him down. Edgar battling trying to get a kimura. That takedown may have saved the round for Maynard but Edgar is trying to submit him from the bottom. This was real close and this one really could have gone either way.
Round 3- Both guys come out swinging and Maynard shoots in for a takedown and they are really going back and forth on the mat until they stand up. Edgar with a combo. Maynard with another takedown and then with a big slam. Maynard has been controlling the wrestling in this match. Maynard with another big slam and he’s still controlling the wrestling. Back to the feet and Edgar throws some elbows. Edgar’s got to do something here or he’s gonna lose via decision. Maynard with another takedown and throw. Maynard remains on top as the match is coming to a close. I’ve got this one Maynard 30-27 but I guess we’ll see what the judges think.
Winner by Unanimous decision 30-27 on all card Gray Maynard. Definitely the right decision. Maynard looked real impressive in his wrestling and control of the fight. Maynard really has to work on his submissions and/or killer instinct because even though he dominated the fight at no point was he even close to finishing Edgar.
Lightweight- Kenny Florian (10-3) vs Joe Lauzon (15-3)
Lauzon shoots in early and takes down Florian but gets nailed with several elbows to the head that busts Lauzon upon. The ref breaks it up. Florian lands a nice kick. Florian on top with some nice strikes. Lauzon takes down Florian and goes for a heel hook but never really gets any damage in. Lauzon goes for another leg hold but Florian gets out again and hits Lauzon with a couple of shots. Really close first round, I’d give it to Florian just based on damage inflicted as he got in more.
Round 2- They stand up for about a minute and then Florain gets a take down and gets Full Mount and is swinging on Lauzon as Lauzon is just trying to cover up right now. Florian with some elbows and now punching more in side control. Florian still just controlling Lauzon. Lauzon trying to squirm out. Florian just continuing to pound on Lauzon and the ref finally stops it.
Florian looked really good here. I haven’t seen much of him but he looks like a totally different fighter than when he was in The Ultimate Fighter Season 1.
Overall this was a good show and very enjoyable. Several good fights- Florian/Lauzon, Pellegrino/Diaz, Edgar/Maynard and Karo/Alves. I think my favorite fight was the Nate Diaz fight just due to the beating he took and then came back to win.
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