UFC 112: Invincible
Yas Island
Abu Dhabi
April 10, 2010
This show is highlighted by two of the top Pound for Pound fighters, Anderson Silva and B.J. Penn, defending their titles. Demian Maia and Frankie Edgar have a shot tonight to shock the world with major upsets. Matt Hughes takes on Renzo Gracie in the other feature fight on this show. As always Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan are your announcers for the show. At the outset of the show Rogan calls Anderson Silva the greatest fighter to ever fight in MMA and BJ Penn the greatest lightweight to ever walk the face of the earth. This show is outdoors!
Middleweight Fight- Kendall Grove (13-6) vs. Mark Munoz (7-1)
Grove has won 3 of his last 4 and had an impressive submission victory over Jake Rosholt at UFC 106. Munoz is still very young in this sport but was in WEC before he entered the octagon. Munoz was welcomed to the UFC by a Matt Hamill head kick but since has rallied to win two in a row. Munoz is considered the betting favorite in this fight. Grove has a 6″ height and 8″ reach advantage. I would be surprised if Munoz wasn’t significantly stronger.
R1- Munoz got a quick take down about half way through the round but Grove was able to get back to his feet. Grove caught Munoz coming in with a right and briefly floored him. Munoz clamped onto a leg to recover and Grove landed some strikes. Munoz went for a take down and Grove sprawled and briefly got a choke but lost it. Munoz landed a couple of strikes but then got taken down in a guillotine attempt and Munoz slipped out. Grove grabbed another guillotine towards the end of the round but couldn’t hold it. Good first round. Grove 10-9.
R2- Munoz ate a knee coming in for a take down and Kendall tried to get an arm bar but Munoz slipped out and took top position. Munoz lands some good strikes from the guard. Munoz opened up with a barrage of Ground and Pound strikes on Grove and got the ref stoppage. Really good come back by Munoz.
Winner: Mark Munoz by TKO (Strikes) R2 2:50
Lightweight Fight- Terry Etim (14-2) vs. Rafael dos Anjos (13-4)
Etim is on a 4-fight win streak but doesn’t have any wins that really stand out. dos Anjos is on a 2-fight win streak and also doesn’t have any big wins that stand out. The winner of this will be looking at a big step up in competition for their next fight. dos Anjos lost to Tyson Griffin and Jeremy Stephens when he stepped up in competition and since then has 2 decision victories over lesser opponents. Etim has finished 3 of his last 4 fights. Terry Etim is the favorite to win this fight. Etim has a 4″ height and 2″ reach advantage.
R1- Etim grabbed a guillotine and pulled guard on a take down attempt. Etim kept the move on for about two minutes but dos Anjos was able to get out of the submission. The referee warns dos Anjos for striking Etim in the spine and stands them up. Etim 10-9.
R2- Etim caught dos Anjos with a knee but dos Anjos got a quick take down. dos Anjos just controlled this round from the top position. dos Anjos worked hard and got an arm bar submission to win the fight. Good finish and win for dos Anjos.
Winner: Rafael dos Anjos by Submission (Arm Bar) R2 4:30
Phil Davis vs. Alexander Gustafsson
This is from the pre-show. Davis is wearing some sweet neon pink trunks. Rogan says Davis looks like “a giant GSP”.
R1- Lots of grappling in this first round. Davis finally got a take down with about a minute left in the round and dropped some elbows. Davis was able to grab a choke and finished the fight as the first round was coming to an end. Nice showing by Davis.
Winner: Phil Davis by Submission (Anaconda Choke) R1 4:55
Georges St-Pierre is at the show tonight and Rogan says GSP has an interesting eye on the Main Event because Anderson Silva has talked about dropping down to 170.
Welterweight Fight- Matt Hughes (44-7) vs. Renzo Gracie (13-6-1)
Hughes was last in the octagon in May of 2009 and struggled to a decision victory over Matt Serra. Before that he posted back-to-back losses to GSP and Thiago Alves but those are 2 of the top 3 guys in the division and Hughes took the Alves fight despite Alves missing weight by a wide margin. The last I saw of Renzo Gracie was a DQ victory against Frank Shamrock in a controversial fight.
R1- Renzo landed some strikes early. Surprising first round, not a ton of action and the entire round was spend standing. I’d give that round to Renzo 10-9.
R2- Hughes got double under hooks and tried a take down but Renzo denied it. Hughes is finding a home for some leg kicks. Hughes was more aggressive in this round and finished strong. After two rounds I’ve got the fight scored 19-19.
R3- Hughes grabbed Renzo in a Muay Thai clinch and then released and landed some good shots. Hughes backed off but when they came back together he landed some more shots that wobbled Renzo. Hughes kicks Renzo’s leg out from under him twice. Hughes is continuing to pepper the leg and lands a couple good strikes as well and then floors Renzo with another strike. Hughes just goes to town on Renzo at the end of the round and finishes the fight. Renzo showed heart but he was just no match for Hughes once the fight got into the final round.
Winner: Matt Hughes by TKO (Strikes) R3 4:40
UFC Lightweight Championship Fight: B.J. Penn (c) (15-5-1) vs. Frankie Edgar (11-1)
B.J. Penn recently dispatched of the #2 guy in the division (Kenny Florian) and also decimated Diego Sanchez in short order. Edgar’s signature win was over former champion Sean Sherk. His last win was over Matt Veach. Penn has a 3″ height advantage and Edgar has a 2″ reach advantage.
R1- Edgar is doing a good job moving around early. Edgar went for a take down and ate a couple of strikes. BJ started to find the range towards the end of the round. Fairly even first round. I’ve got Penn 10-9. Edgar opened a small cut under one of BJ’s eyes.
R2- Edgar continued to bounce around the cage as Penn took the middle. Edgar was able to get Penn to the ground for like half a second before Penn got up. Close round but Penn seemed to have landed more strikes. I’ve got Penn 20-18 but both have been close rounds.
R3- Penn landed a good combination early in the round when Edgar came in for a strike. Edgar still bouncing around just as much as he did in the first round. Really close round. I’ve got Penn up 30-27 but by the slimmest of margins. Penn’s corner tells him it’s “about 2 to 1″.
R4- Edgar pushed Penn back to the cage and landed a couple of strikes toward the end of the round. Another difficult round to score for the judges. This was probably Edgar’s best round as Penn looks to be tiring a bit. I’ve got it 39-37 Penn through 4 rounds. I wish the UFC used CompuStrike for fights like this that look so close.
R5- Edgar got a take down in the first thirty seconds of the round but Penn got up very quickly. Penn had not been taken down at Lightweight in over 6 years before that. Frankie landed a good right half way through the round. Penn stuffed a couple of take down attempts. Frankie’s cardio really helping him out in this round as he’s still bouncing around Penn. BJ came on with some strikes at the end of the fight. Good fight but neither guy came close to finishing. I’ve got Penn taking the fight in a close one 48 to 47. Really impressive performance by Frankie Edgar as he did much better than anybody anticipated.
Judges score cards: 50-45, 48-47 and 49-46 in favor of Frankie Edgar
Wow! Now that was a shocking decision. But I guess that’s why you don’t leave it in the judges hands. I’m partial to the saying “you have to beat the man to be the man” so on razor close rounds I tend to favor the champion. I guess these judges didn’t see it that way. 50-45 is more than a little shocking of a score card. Congrats to Frankie Edgar he definitely defied the odds. Now that B.J. is not the champ anymore I bet Gray Maynard starts campaigning for a title fight.
Winner and new champion: Frankie Edgar by Decision (Unanimous)
UFC Middleweight Championship Fight: Anderson Silva (c) (25-4) vs. Demian Maia (12-1)
Anderson Silva has certainly not wowed anybody with his last two title fights (Thales Leites and Patrick Cote) but he was amazing in his last fight against Forrest Griffin. Despite posting a record of 6-1 inside the Octagon there is no question that Demian Maia backed his way into this title fight. Maia is one of the best submission fighters on the planet but his stand-up game was brutally exposed when he lost to Nate Marquardt in 21 seconds in UFC 102 and his wrestling is nowhere near the level of his jiu jitsu. Maia is only getting this title fight because Marquardt was manhandled by Chael Sonnen (although Maia did easily beat Sonnen) at UFC 109 and Vitor Belfort is on the shelf recovering from an injury. Rogan says Anderson Silva was wearing a shirt today that said “Trust Me, I’m a Jedi”. Silva has a 2″ height and 5.5″ reach advantage. They show GSP while Silva is being introduced and he waves to the camera.
R1- Anderson just dancing around and throwing a strike here or there and basically daring Maia to come at him. Anderson is just playing with Maia and clowning with him. Anderson lands a flying knee and Maia stays on his back for a while. Anderson 10-9. It really seemed like Maia only survived that round because Anderson wanted him to.
R2- Anderson is coming at Maia with some crazy stances. Maia tries for a few take downs and gets swatted off. Anderson stands in the middle of the ring half way through the round and motions for Maia to “bring it”. Anderson looks like he is getting mad and talking trash to Maia. Anderson is landing strikes at will when he wants to. Anderson 20-18.
“This must be terrifying for Demian Maia”- Joe Rogan
R3- Maia’s face is busted up going into the round. Not much going on in this round. Anderson has one sequence where he really went after Maia. Other than that it was a bunch of leg kicks and Anderson waiting for Maia to engage. Anderson 30-27.
R4- The crowd is growing a little restless of Anderson’s antics as they have a small “Maia” chant and a bigger “GSP” chant. Anderson doing a lot of dancing around and landing an occasional strike. Big chant for “Maia” towards the end of the round. Maia holds up his hands questioning Silva at the end of the round. Rogan points out that Dana White walked up to Silva’s manager at the end of this round “upset”. Rogan laso points out that Maia’s left eye is almost completely shut. He says sometimes this can happen if you have a broken nose and you blow your nose. Interesting. Anderson 40-36.
“This is the kind of stuff that drives Dana White nuts”- Joe Rogan
R5- Maia came in and threw some strikes and got a huge pop from the crowd. Maia is swinging for the fences. Crowd is chanting “Maia”. Maia grabbed a hold of Anderson up against the cage but couldn’t hold onto him when he tried to get him to the mat. Dan Mirgliatta calls time and tells Anderson Silva that if he keeps running around that he will take a point away from him. Fans boo after the bell rings. Maia might have taken that round but it’s a no brainer as to who won the fight. The fans turned on Anderson in this fight and even chanted “Maia” after the fight. That’s one of the strangest fights you will see.
Judges score card: scores are not announced but it is announced as a unanimous decision for Anderson Silva.
Showing posts with label Rafael Dos Anjos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rafael Dos Anjos. Show all posts
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Saturday, September 26, 2009
UFC 103 "Franklin vs. Belfort" Re-Cap
UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort
9/19/09
Dallas, Texas
American Airlines Center
Vitor Belfort makes his return tonight against Rich Franklin in a 195 pound catch weight fight. Junior dos Santos will fight Mirko Cro Cop in an important fight in the Heavyweight Division. Josh Koscheck greats Frank Trigg in his return to the Octagon and top Welterweight contender Martin Kampmann will be in action.
Lightweight Fight- Tyson Griffin (13-2) vs. Hermes Franca (20-7)
Tyson Griffin is coming off of a Unanimous Decision win over Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 18. Hermes Franca comes out to the same music Chipper Jones does when he comes to bat (Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne). Franca came in over weight at 159 lbs. Griffin agreed to go ahead with the fight. Tyson Griffin comes out to the theme from Rocky, but it has nowhere near the impact of when Matt Serra used it in his fight against Matt Hughes (although Serra would go on to lose a close decision). Tyson Griffin has had “Fight of the Night” in 5 of his 8 UFC fights, that’s a pretty impressive statistic.
R1- Griffin is landing some strikes early. Griffin got Franca off his feet but he popped right back up. Franca really hasn’t brought any offense in this first round. Griffin wins this round with a comfortable 10-9 but Franca doesn’t look like he’s been hurt. Not sure why he didn’t make weight but he looks lethargic.
R2- Hermes comes out firing wildly to start the second round. Franca grabbed Griffin’s leg on a kick but Griffin was able to strike his way out. Just as I was thinking that Franca looked slow tonight Griffin popped him with a straight right hand. Franca hit the floor and Griffin jumped on top. Griffin landed a bunch of punches and Hermes hung in there for a while but Griffin ended up over powering him for the TKO victory. Good win by Griffin tonight as he came ready to fight and I’m not sure Hermes did.
Winner: Tyson Griffin by TKO (Punches) R1 3:26
Jon Fitch is in attendance at the fights tonight.
UFC 104 is Lyoto Machida defending the UFC Light Heavyweight Title against Shogun Rua on October 24th in Los Angeles. Ben Rothwell will also take on undefeated Cain Velasquez on the under card.
Welterweight Fight- Josh Koscheck (14-4) vs. Frank Trigg (19-6)
Koscheck is in need of a win after falling to Paulo Thiago in an upset and is only 1-2 in his last 3 fights. This is Trigg’s first fight since his return to the UFC. Trigg is fighting out of Xtreme Couture. Trigg comes out to LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out”. Koscheck counters with “Higher Ground” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Koscheck has had some time off since his last loss as he has been nursing a broken foot.
R1- Trigg landed a good right early but Josh absorbed the blow nicely. Koscheck caught Trigg with a looping right hand that looked like it may have caught him behind the ear and it knocked Trigg forward. Trigg then stood up and leaned on the cage and Koscheck blasted him with a right hand. Koscheck then started wailing on Trigg against the cage and the ref stopped the fight. Nice showing by Koscheck. Trigg was upset about the stoppage but he looked like he was getting tagged.
Winner: Josh Koscheck by TKO (strikes) R1 1:25
Post-Fight Koscheck says he would like to fight Matt Hughes.
Tito Ortiz is in the crowd.
Welterweight Fight- Martin Kampmann (15-2) vs. Paul Daley (21-8-2)
This fight was originally Kampmann versus Mike Swick but Swick got injured and Daley is filling in. Kampmann won a war at UFC Fight Night 18 in a close decision win versus Carlos Condit. If Kampmann wins he is the most likely next contender to the thrown of GSP. Kampmann is 2-0 in the Welterweight Division. The last time I saw Paul Daley fight was on an Elite XC CBS Show where he tapped out to Jake Shields. Kampmann has a 3” height advantage while Daley has a 4” reach advantage.
R1- Both guys are swinging a lot early and it looked like Daley connected on a couple of his. Kampmann went for a take down but was denied. Daley is looking pretty good so far. Kampmann presses Daley up against the cage and landed a nice knee. Daley landed a nice left and it staggered Kampmann. Daley got Kampmann up against the cage and landed some shots. Kampmann didn’t go down but Yves Lavigne stopped the fight as Kampmann looked like he was out on his feet. Very impressive showing by Daley. Kampmann really needed to get the fight to the ground and he never did. I guess Daley saved Kampmann from a worse beating at the hands of GSP. Looking at the re-play Rogan says that Lavigne should have probably let the fight go for another punch or two but it was a close call.
Winner: Paul Daley by TKO (Strikes) R1 2:31
Mike Swick is in the crowd. The door is open for him now in the Welterweight Division with Kampmann’s loss.
Lightweight Fight- Robert Emerson vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
R1- This fight starts off pretty even in the first round. Dos Anjos went for several take downs but Emerson was able to keep the fight standing until the very send of the round. Dos Anjos took this round 10-9 but it was close.
R2- Dos Anjos is landing some good leg kicks. Emerson is starting to land some punches. Dos Anjos got a take down about half way through the round but Emerson got right up. Dos Anjos continues to land kicks and Emerson is limping from the shots. Dos Anjos is up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Dos Anjos landed a good leg kick to start the round and then got a take down. Good fight by Dos Anjos as I’ve got him taking the fight 30-27.
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all three score cards.
Winner: Rafael Dos Anjos by Decision (Unanimous)
Heavyweight Fight- Mirko Cro Cop (25-6-2) vs. Junior dos Santos (8-1)
dos Santos UFC debut was an upset of Fabricio Werdum that knocked Werdum out of the UFC. I’ve got dos Santos as a Top 10 Heavyweight right now and Cro Cop on the outside looking in. I’m confident in saying that the winner of this fight is a tried and true Top 10 Heavyweight and would be a win away from a potential shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Now I’m doubting myself as to the theme song that Tyson Griffin came out to because dos Santos is coming out to one of the Rocky themes. dos Santos is a Jiu Jitsu purple belt, with good chins that has most of his wins by KO- at least that’s what the UFC graphic tells me. Cro Cop comes out to some Duran Duran. My sister loved that band back in the 80s. I wonder if Cro Cop was a Wild Boy like Simon LeBon when he was younger? dos Santos has a 10 lb and 4” reach advantage on Cro Cop. Cro Cop got the best ovation of the night so far when he was introduced.
R1- dos Santos quickly charged at Cro Cop but Cro Cop clinched him against the cage to avoid damage. Cro Cop threw a high kick but it was blocked. dos Santos landed some punches up against the cage but Cro Cop was able to get out of trouble. dos Santos ran Cro Cop down but Cro Cop clinched him again. dos Santos has sustained a couple of cuts over his eyes. dos Santos takes the first round 10-9 as he was much more aggressive but Cro Cop is definitely still in this fight. I think the longer this fight goes on the more it swings to Cro Cop.
R2- Cro Cop swings a high kick but it’s avoided. dos Santos went in with a flurry and both guys landed strikes during the exchange. Cro Cop missed with another head kick. dos Santos is landing some strikes. Cro Cop nailed dos Santos with a low blow. dos Santos landed a couple of good shots and opened up a cut over Cro Cop’s eye. I’ve got dos Santos up 20-18 after two rounds. This is dos Santos’s first fight that’s been over one round so I think Cro Cop still has a shot at this he just has to finish the fight if he wants to win.
R3- Cro Cop opened up the round more aggressive and landed a solid right hand. dos Santos landed some knees. Cro Cop slipped and dos Santos swung with a left and it might have grazed Cro Cop because he looked a little wobbly after the punch and dos Santos followed with a knee. dos Santos then hit another knee and a punch. dos Santos starting to take over this fight. dos Santos with a big knee and then a left and Cro Cop is in big trouble with three minutes left in the round. dos Santos is hitting knees at will. Cro Cops says he can’t see as his face and eyes are all red and this fight is over. Kind of an anti-climatic finish but a great win for dos Santos over a respected veteran. On the re-play dos Santos hit Cro Cop with a big punch to his eye and that was when Cro Cop verbally submitted.
dos Santos is probably one fight away from a title shot. He’s got victories know over Cro Cop and Fabricio Werdum and both of those guys are legit heavyweights.
Winner: Junior dos Santos by Submission (Verbal) R3 2:00
Catch weight Fight (195 lbs)- Rich Franklin (27-4) vs. Vitor Belfort (18-8)
Franklin is coming off of a close win over Wanderlei Silva in the Main Event of UFC 99. I actually had Wanderlei taking the fight by decision but what do I know as the decision was unanimous in favor of Franklin. Prior to that fight Franklin lost a split decision to Dan Henderson. Franklin is Main Eventing his 3rd event in a row which is very impressive for a guy without a belt. The last two fights of Belfort’s that I saw were both for Affliction. The first was a TKO over Terry Martin and the second was a quick destruction of Matt Lindland back in January. Franklin has landed the 2nd most strikes in UFC history behind GSP. Franklin also succeeds in 71% of his takedown attempts. Belfort won his first 3 UFC fights in under 3 minutes. He has also out struck his opponents 62-23 in his last 4 fights. Belfort has been training at Xtreme Couture and has Shawn Thompkins in his corner for the fight. This is Belfort’s first fight since 2005 when he lost a split decision to Tito Ortiz.
R1- Long feeling out process to start out the fight. So far two minutes gone and not much action. Franklin is trying to push the action but is being very cautious and Vitor is content to counter punch to start. Vitor hit Franklin with a big left uppercut after a right jab and Franklin hit the floor. Belfort jumped on top but the ref stopped the fight and Franklin was not quick to get back to his feet. Vitor made Franklin look really bad in that fight. I’m guessing Dana White is salivating over making a Belfort versus Anderson Silva fight.
Looking at the re-play Vitor actually missed with the big left uppercut and it looked like he hit Franklin on the top of the head with a punch afterwards. He really didn’t look like he connected solidly he just hit Franklin in the right spot.
Winner: Vitor Belfort by KO R1 3:02
Lightweight Fight- Nik Lentz vs. Rafaello Oliveira
Lentz is a training partner of Sean Sherk and this is his UFC debut.
R1- Oliveira went for a take down and Lentz tried for a guillotine but could not lock it in. Lentz quickly got back to his feet. Oliveira landed a goof right hand and then rushed in but Lentz grabbed a guillotine. Oliveira slammed him and Lentz lost the submission on the ground. Both guys threw some leather and then Oliveira got a big slam to take down Lentz. They went back to their feet and Lentz landed some good shots and hurt Oliveira but he survived. Lentz got a take down right at the end of the round. Good first round and Lentz may have stole the round with his performance in the last minute.
R2- Lentz grabbed another guillotine but let hit go. Oliveira spent the second part of the round on top of Lentz. Not a lot of action in this round as Oliveira has really tired since the first round. Looks like we could have a 19-19 fight going into the third round.
R3- Oliveira starts out this round much like he ended the last round by taking the top position. Lentz got a take down about half way through the round. Lentz stays on top and lands some Ground and Pound and rides this one out in top position. I’ve got Lentz as the 29-28 winner in this fight.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 for Nick Lentz
Winner: Nick Lentz by Decision (Unanimous)
9/19/09
Dallas, Texas
American Airlines Center
Vitor Belfort makes his return tonight against Rich Franklin in a 195 pound catch weight fight. Junior dos Santos will fight Mirko Cro Cop in an important fight in the Heavyweight Division. Josh Koscheck greats Frank Trigg in his return to the Octagon and top Welterweight contender Martin Kampmann will be in action.
Lightweight Fight- Tyson Griffin (13-2) vs. Hermes Franca (20-7)
Tyson Griffin is coming off of a Unanimous Decision win over Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 18. Hermes Franca comes out to the same music Chipper Jones does when he comes to bat (Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne). Franca came in over weight at 159 lbs. Griffin agreed to go ahead with the fight. Tyson Griffin comes out to the theme from Rocky, but it has nowhere near the impact of when Matt Serra used it in his fight against Matt Hughes (although Serra would go on to lose a close decision). Tyson Griffin has had “Fight of the Night” in 5 of his 8 UFC fights, that’s a pretty impressive statistic.
R1- Griffin is landing some strikes early. Griffin got Franca off his feet but he popped right back up. Franca really hasn’t brought any offense in this first round. Griffin wins this round with a comfortable 10-9 but Franca doesn’t look like he’s been hurt. Not sure why he didn’t make weight but he looks lethargic.
R2- Hermes comes out firing wildly to start the second round. Franca grabbed Griffin’s leg on a kick but Griffin was able to strike his way out. Just as I was thinking that Franca looked slow tonight Griffin popped him with a straight right hand. Franca hit the floor and Griffin jumped on top. Griffin landed a bunch of punches and Hermes hung in there for a while but Griffin ended up over powering him for the TKO victory. Good win by Griffin tonight as he came ready to fight and I’m not sure Hermes did.
Winner: Tyson Griffin by TKO (Punches) R1 3:26
Jon Fitch is in attendance at the fights tonight.
UFC 104 is Lyoto Machida defending the UFC Light Heavyweight Title against Shogun Rua on October 24th in Los Angeles. Ben Rothwell will also take on undefeated Cain Velasquez on the under card.
Welterweight Fight- Josh Koscheck (14-4) vs. Frank Trigg (19-6)
Koscheck is in need of a win after falling to Paulo Thiago in an upset and is only 1-2 in his last 3 fights. This is Trigg’s first fight since his return to the UFC. Trigg is fighting out of Xtreme Couture. Trigg comes out to LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out”. Koscheck counters with “Higher Ground” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Koscheck has had some time off since his last loss as he has been nursing a broken foot.
R1- Trigg landed a good right early but Josh absorbed the blow nicely. Koscheck caught Trigg with a looping right hand that looked like it may have caught him behind the ear and it knocked Trigg forward. Trigg then stood up and leaned on the cage and Koscheck blasted him with a right hand. Koscheck then started wailing on Trigg against the cage and the ref stopped the fight. Nice showing by Koscheck. Trigg was upset about the stoppage but he looked like he was getting tagged.
Winner: Josh Koscheck by TKO (strikes) R1 1:25
Post-Fight Koscheck says he would like to fight Matt Hughes.
Tito Ortiz is in the crowd.
Welterweight Fight- Martin Kampmann (15-2) vs. Paul Daley (21-8-2)
This fight was originally Kampmann versus Mike Swick but Swick got injured and Daley is filling in. Kampmann won a war at UFC Fight Night 18 in a close decision win versus Carlos Condit. If Kampmann wins he is the most likely next contender to the thrown of GSP. Kampmann is 2-0 in the Welterweight Division. The last time I saw Paul Daley fight was on an Elite XC CBS Show where he tapped out to Jake Shields. Kampmann has a 3” height advantage while Daley has a 4” reach advantage.
R1- Both guys are swinging a lot early and it looked like Daley connected on a couple of his. Kampmann went for a take down but was denied. Daley is looking pretty good so far. Kampmann presses Daley up against the cage and landed a nice knee. Daley landed a nice left and it staggered Kampmann. Daley got Kampmann up against the cage and landed some shots. Kampmann didn’t go down but Yves Lavigne stopped the fight as Kampmann looked like he was out on his feet. Very impressive showing by Daley. Kampmann really needed to get the fight to the ground and he never did. I guess Daley saved Kampmann from a worse beating at the hands of GSP. Looking at the re-play Rogan says that Lavigne should have probably let the fight go for another punch or two but it was a close call.
Winner: Paul Daley by TKO (Strikes) R1 2:31
Mike Swick is in the crowd. The door is open for him now in the Welterweight Division with Kampmann’s loss.
Lightweight Fight- Robert Emerson vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
R1- This fight starts off pretty even in the first round. Dos Anjos went for several take downs but Emerson was able to keep the fight standing until the very send of the round. Dos Anjos took this round 10-9 but it was close.
R2- Dos Anjos is landing some good leg kicks. Emerson is starting to land some punches. Dos Anjos got a take down about half way through the round but Emerson got right up. Dos Anjos continues to land kicks and Emerson is limping from the shots. Dos Anjos is up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Dos Anjos landed a good leg kick to start the round and then got a take down. Good fight by Dos Anjos as I’ve got him taking the fight 30-27.
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all three score cards.
Winner: Rafael Dos Anjos by Decision (Unanimous)
Heavyweight Fight- Mirko Cro Cop (25-6-2) vs. Junior dos Santos (8-1)
dos Santos UFC debut was an upset of Fabricio Werdum that knocked Werdum out of the UFC. I’ve got dos Santos as a Top 10 Heavyweight right now and Cro Cop on the outside looking in. I’m confident in saying that the winner of this fight is a tried and true Top 10 Heavyweight and would be a win away from a potential shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Now I’m doubting myself as to the theme song that Tyson Griffin came out to because dos Santos is coming out to one of the Rocky themes. dos Santos is a Jiu Jitsu purple belt, with good chins that has most of his wins by KO- at least that’s what the UFC graphic tells me. Cro Cop comes out to some Duran Duran. My sister loved that band back in the 80s. I wonder if Cro Cop was a Wild Boy like Simon LeBon when he was younger? dos Santos has a 10 lb and 4” reach advantage on Cro Cop. Cro Cop got the best ovation of the night so far when he was introduced.
R1- dos Santos quickly charged at Cro Cop but Cro Cop clinched him against the cage to avoid damage. Cro Cop threw a high kick but it was blocked. dos Santos landed some punches up against the cage but Cro Cop was able to get out of trouble. dos Santos ran Cro Cop down but Cro Cop clinched him again. dos Santos has sustained a couple of cuts over his eyes. dos Santos takes the first round 10-9 as he was much more aggressive but Cro Cop is definitely still in this fight. I think the longer this fight goes on the more it swings to Cro Cop.
R2- Cro Cop swings a high kick but it’s avoided. dos Santos went in with a flurry and both guys landed strikes during the exchange. Cro Cop missed with another head kick. dos Santos is landing some strikes. Cro Cop nailed dos Santos with a low blow. dos Santos landed a couple of good shots and opened up a cut over Cro Cop’s eye. I’ve got dos Santos up 20-18 after two rounds. This is dos Santos’s first fight that’s been over one round so I think Cro Cop still has a shot at this he just has to finish the fight if he wants to win.
R3- Cro Cop opened up the round more aggressive and landed a solid right hand. dos Santos landed some knees. Cro Cop slipped and dos Santos swung with a left and it might have grazed Cro Cop because he looked a little wobbly after the punch and dos Santos followed with a knee. dos Santos then hit another knee and a punch. dos Santos starting to take over this fight. dos Santos with a big knee and then a left and Cro Cop is in big trouble with three minutes left in the round. dos Santos is hitting knees at will. Cro Cops says he can’t see as his face and eyes are all red and this fight is over. Kind of an anti-climatic finish but a great win for dos Santos over a respected veteran. On the re-play dos Santos hit Cro Cop with a big punch to his eye and that was when Cro Cop verbally submitted.
dos Santos is probably one fight away from a title shot. He’s got victories know over Cro Cop and Fabricio Werdum and both of those guys are legit heavyweights.
Winner: Junior dos Santos by Submission (Verbal) R3 2:00
Catch weight Fight (195 lbs)- Rich Franklin (27-4) vs. Vitor Belfort (18-8)
Franklin is coming off of a close win over Wanderlei Silva in the Main Event of UFC 99. I actually had Wanderlei taking the fight by decision but what do I know as the decision was unanimous in favor of Franklin. Prior to that fight Franklin lost a split decision to Dan Henderson. Franklin is Main Eventing his 3rd event in a row which is very impressive for a guy without a belt. The last two fights of Belfort’s that I saw were both for Affliction. The first was a TKO over Terry Martin and the second was a quick destruction of Matt Lindland back in January. Franklin has landed the 2nd most strikes in UFC history behind GSP. Franklin also succeeds in 71% of his takedown attempts. Belfort won his first 3 UFC fights in under 3 minutes. He has also out struck his opponents 62-23 in his last 4 fights. Belfort has been training at Xtreme Couture and has Shawn Thompkins in his corner for the fight. This is Belfort’s first fight since 2005 when he lost a split decision to Tito Ortiz.
R1- Long feeling out process to start out the fight. So far two minutes gone and not much action. Franklin is trying to push the action but is being very cautious and Vitor is content to counter punch to start. Vitor hit Franklin with a big left uppercut after a right jab and Franklin hit the floor. Belfort jumped on top but the ref stopped the fight and Franklin was not quick to get back to his feet. Vitor made Franklin look really bad in that fight. I’m guessing Dana White is salivating over making a Belfort versus Anderson Silva fight.
Looking at the re-play Vitor actually missed with the big left uppercut and it looked like he hit Franklin on the top of the head with a punch afterwards. He really didn’t look like he connected solidly he just hit Franklin in the right spot.
Winner: Vitor Belfort by KO R1 3:02
Lightweight Fight- Nik Lentz vs. Rafaello Oliveira
Lentz is a training partner of Sean Sherk and this is his UFC debut.
R1- Oliveira went for a take down and Lentz tried for a guillotine but could not lock it in. Lentz quickly got back to his feet. Oliveira landed a goof right hand and then rushed in but Lentz grabbed a guillotine. Oliveira slammed him and Lentz lost the submission on the ground. Both guys threw some leather and then Oliveira got a big slam to take down Lentz. They went back to their feet and Lentz landed some good shots and hurt Oliveira but he survived. Lentz got a take down right at the end of the round. Good first round and Lentz may have stole the round with his performance in the last minute.
R2- Lentz grabbed another guillotine but let hit go. Oliveira spent the second part of the round on top of Lentz. Not a lot of action in this round as Oliveira has really tired since the first round. Looks like we could have a 19-19 fight going into the third round.
R3- Oliveira starts out this round much like he ended the last round by taking the top position. Lentz got a take down about half way through the round. Lentz stays on top and lands some Ground and Pound and rides this one out in top position. I’ve got Lentz as the 29-28 winner in this fight.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 for Nick Lentz
Winner: Nick Lentz by Decision (Unanimous)
Friday, July 17, 2009
UFC Fight Night 18 4/1/09 Re-Cap
UFC Fight Night 18
April 1, 2009
Nashville, Tn
Lightweight Fight- Cole Miller (14-3) vs. Junie Browning (3-1)
Both of these guys are TUF alums. Junie won his last fight against Dave Kaplan at the TUF 8 Finale by submission. Cole has won 3 of 4 fights in the UFC and beat Jorge Gurgel in his last fight on the Rampage/Forrest undercard. Cole has a 4” height advantage. Junie is our first Condom Depot fighter of the night! Junie has been training at Xtreme Couture.
R1- Junie took Cole’s back but couldn’t do anything as Cole escaped and landed a good right hand. Cole pulled guard and went for a guillotine and Junie quickly tapped and Cole talked some smack right onto Junie. Nice showing by Cole.
“Who’s overrated now”- Cole Miller
Post-fight interview Cole says he wants to fight the winner of Caol Uno/Spencer Fisher and dedicated the fight to the late Charles “Mask” Lewis.
Winner: Cole Miller by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 1:58
Jay Cutler is in the crowd for this fight.
Dan Henderson is also at this show as his TUF season is debuting after this event.
Lightweight Fight- Tyson Griffin (12-2) vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (11-3)
Griffin lost a decision in his last fight to Top 10 Lightweight Sean Sherk. Dos Anjos has a 3” height and reach advantage in this fight. Griffin trains with Xtreme Couture.
R1- The stood up for the first part of the round with both guys throwing a lot of shots. Tyson stunned Dos Anjos with a shot and then took him down. Dos Anjos traps him in a leg lock and Griffin is in an awkward position with about 90 seconds left in the round and Dos Anjos gives up the hold and they stand back up. Dos Anjos hit a good knee. Good first round that was pretty even. Dos Anjos came closer to finishing the fight with the leg lock that he put on Griffin so I’ve got him up 10-9 in this round as he also closed stronger.
R2- Dos Anjos hit Griffin with a left that knocked Griffin down but he popped back up. Tyson’s leg is definitely affecting him in this fight. Despite his leg, Griffin is the aggressor in the first half of the round. Griffin went for a single leg but Dos Anjos countered with a kimura attempt and Griffin let go of the single. Griffin hit a good right hand that stunned Dos Anjos. Fairly close round that goes to Griffin. Fight is even 19-19 after two rounds on my score card.
R3- Both guys are throwing the leather pretty good at the beginning of the round. Griffin landed a good right hand at the two minute mark of the round. This fight could be decided in the last minute. Both guys are swinging for the fences. Dos Anjos got a kimura but couldn’t hold it and Tyson ended up the fight on top with some Ground and Pound. Very close fight, I’ve got Griffin taking this round as he was the aggressor and landed more shots and better shots. Griffin 29-28 on my score card but I could see a possible split decision. Good fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all score cards for Griffin.
Winner: Tyson Griffin by Decision (Unanimous)
Brandon Vera is in the crowd for the fights tonight.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Ryan Bader (9-0) vs. Carmelo Marrero (10-2)
Bader is the winner of TUF 8 having defeated Vinny Magalhaes by knockout in the first round back in December. Marrero holds a victory over Cheick Kongo and is on a win streak.
R1- Bader got a quick take down. Bader moved nicely into an arm bar but Marrero adjusted and got out of the move and ended up in Marrero’s guard. Marrero got up but Bader took him down again. Bader is really controlling this fight and is up 10-9 after the first round.
R2- Bader got a take down after about a minute. Bader is smothering Marrero but not doing a lot of damage. The crowd is growing restless. Bader is up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Bader got a take down one minute into the round. Bader gets him in an arm triangle but Marrero popped out. Bader was really impressive. He transitioned nicely to two submission moves. He just needs to keep working and he’s going to be dangerous. This is a 30-27 win for Ryan Bader.
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all cards.
Winner: Ryan Bader by Decision (Unanimous)
Next up is a Joe Rogan interview with Chuck Liddell. He talks about his upcoming fight with Shogun Rua.
Welterweight Fight- Carlos Condit (23-4) vs. Martin Kampmann (14-2)
Condit was 5-0 in WEC fights and was the Welterweight Champion when the division was disbanded. Condit is on an 8 fight win streak. I’ve got Condit as a Top 5 Welterweight in the World Rankings. Condit is only 24 years old and fights out of Arizona Combat Sports (same camp as Jamie Varner, Ryan Bader and CB Dollaway). Kampmann got destroyed by Nate Marquardt at UFC 88 in a Middleweight fight and has since dropped down to the Welterweight division. Kampmann was undefeated in the UFC before that fight. Kampmann does hold a victory over Thales Leites, who is fighting Anderson Silva for the Middleweight Title later this month. Kampmann is training with Xtreme Couture. Condit comes out to Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name.” Condit has a 2” height and 4” reach advantage.
R1- Kampmann gets a take down in the first minute of the fight and gets a guillotine and Condit transitions out of the move. Condit got a sweep take down about two minutes into the fight but Kampmann does a good job reversing. Kampmann grabbed a leg lock but Condit switched out and took Kampmann’s guard. Kampmann looks like he’s got a cut and Condit lands a good knee as Kampmann stands up and then a good combo. Condit landed another knee near the end of the round but Kampmann finished the round with a take down and went for a guillotine but the bell rang. Good round that could have gone either way. Condit drew blood but Kampmann had 3 submission attempts. I’ve got Kampmann 10-9 in a close first round.
R2- Kampmann got a take down early in the first round. Condit is hitting some good stand up and gets a take down. Kampmann pulled guard on Condit with another guillotine attempt but Condit slipped out again and then took Kampmann’s back. Condit went for a Rear Naked but lost it and Kampmann took Condit’s guard. I’ve got Condit taking this round in another close round. I’ve got it 19-19 going into the final round.
R3- Kampmann starts the round with a take down. Condit has a very active guard. Kampmann is staying on top this round. He’s not necessarily doing more damage but he’s controlling where the fight goes. Condit went for a heel hook but couldn’t get it. They stood up briefly but Kampmann tripped Condit up and went back on top. Condit grabbed a guillotine with 10 seconds left and Kampmann held on. Very close fight, very close round. Condit actually came closer to finishing the fight this round than Kampmann did but Kampmann controlled where the fight went. This could be very close to a split decision. I think Kampmann is going to take it. Really good fight.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Kampmann, 29-28 Condit and 29-28 Kampmann
Tough loss for Condit as this was a really close fight. He looked like he was fighting a 5 round fight instead of a 3 round fight. Once he adjusts to the level of competition in the UFC versus WEC I think he will be fine. Good win for Kampmann even if it wasn’t a decisive win.
Winner: Martin Kampmann by Decision (Split)
April 1, 2009
Nashville, Tn
Lightweight Fight- Cole Miller (14-3) vs. Junie Browning (3-1)
Both of these guys are TUF alums. Junie won his last fight against Dave Kaplan at the TUF 8 Finale by submission. Cole has won 3 of 4 fights in the UFC and beat Jorge Gurgel in his last fight on the Rampage/Forrest undercard. Cole has a 4” height advantage. Junie is our first Condom Depot fighter of the night! Junie has been training at Xtreme Couture.
R1- Junie took Cole’s back but couldn’t do anything as Cole escaped and landed a good right hand. Cole pulled guard and went for a guillotine and Junie quickly tapped and Cole talked some smack right onto Junie. Nice showing by Cole.
“Who’s overrated now”- Cole Miller
Post-fight interview Cole says he wants to fight the winner of Caol Uno/Spencer Fisher and dedicated the fight to the late Charles “Mask” Lewis.
Winner: Cole Miller by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 1:58
Jay Cutler is in the crowd for this fight.
Dan Henderson is also at this show as his TUF season is debuting after this event.
Lightweight Fight- Tyson Griffin (12-2) vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (11-3)
Griffin lost a decision in his last fight to Top 10 Lightweight Sean Sherk. Dos Anjos has a 3” height and reach advantage in this fight. Griffin trains with Xtreme Couture.
R1- The stood up for the first part of the round with both guys throwing a lot of shots. Tyson stunned Dos Anjos with a shot and then took him down. Dos Anjos traps him in a leg lock and Griffin is in an awkward position with about 90 seconds left in the round and Dos Anjos gives up the hold and they stand back up. Dos Anjos hit a good knee. Good first round that was pretty even. Dos Anjos came closer to finishing the fight with the leg lock that he put on Griffin so I’ve got him up 10-9 in this round as he also closed stronger.
R2- Dos Anjos hit Griffin with a left that knocked Griffin down but he popped back up. Tyson’s leg is definitely affecting him in this fight. Despite his leg, Griffin is the aggressor in the first half of the round. Griffin went for a single leg but Dos Anjos countered with a kimura attempt and Griffin let go of the single. Griffin hit a good right hand that stunned Dos Anjos. Fairly close round that goes to Griffin. Fight is even 19-19 after two rounds on my score card.
R3- Both guys are throwing the leather pretty good at the beginning of the round. Griffin landed a good right hand at the two minute mark of the round. This fight could be decided in the last minute. Both guys are swinging for the fences. Dos Anjos got a kimura but couldn’t hold it and Tyson ended up the fight on top with some Ground and Pound. Very close fight, I’ve got Griffin taking this round as he was the aggressor and landed more shots and better shots. Griffin 29-28 on my score card but I could see a possible split decision. Good fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all score cards for Griffin.
Winner: Tyson Griffin by Decision (Unanimous)
Brandon Vera is in the crowd for the fights tonight.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Ryan Bader (9-0) vs. Carmelo Marrero (10-2)
Bader is the winner of TUF 8 having defeated Vinny Magalhaes by knockout in the first round back in December. Marrero holds a victory over Cheick Kongo and is on a win streak.
R1- Bader got a quick take down. Bader moved nicely into an arm bar but Marrero adjusted and got out of the move and ended up in Marrero’s guard. Marrero got up but Bader took him down again. Bader is really controlling this fight and is up 10-9 after the first round.
R2- Bader got a take down after about a minute. Bader is smothering Marrero but not doing a lot of damage. The crowd is growing restless. Bader is up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Bader got a take down one minute into the round. Bader gets him in an arm triangle but Marrero popped out. Bader was really impressive. He transitioned nicely to two submission moves. He just needs to keep working and he’s going to be dangerous. This is a 30-27 win for Ryan Bader.
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all cards.
Winner: Ryan Bader by Decision (Unanimous)
Next up is a Joe Rogan interview with Chuck Liddell. He talks about his upcoming fight with Shogun Rua.
Welterweight Fight- Carlos Condit (23-4) vs. Martin Kampmann (14-2)
Condit was 5-0 in WEC fights and was the Welterweight Champion when the division was disbanded. Condit is on an 8 fight win streak. I’ve got Condit as a Top 5 Welterweight in the World Rankings. Condit is only 24 years old and fights out of Arizona Combat Sports (same camp as Jamie Varner, Ryan Bader and CB Dollaway). Kampmann got destroyed by Nate Marquardt at UFC 88 in a Middleweight fight and has since dropped down to the Welterweight division. Kampmann was undefeated in the UFC before that fight. Kampmann does hold a victory over Thales Leites, who is fighting Anderson Silva for the Middleweight Title later this month. Kampmann is training with Xtreme Couture. Condit comes out to Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name.” Condit has a 2” height and 4” reach advantage.
R1- Kampmann gets a take down in the first minute of the fight and gets a guillotine and Condit transitions out of the move. Condit got a sweep take down about two minutes into the fight but Kampmann does a good job reversing. Kampmann grabbed a leg lock but Condit switched out and took Kampmann’s guard. Kampmann looks like he’s got a cut and Condit lands a good knee as Kampmann stands up and then a good combo. Condit landed another knee near the end of the round but Kampmann finished the round with a take down and went for a guillotine but the bell rang. Good round that could have gone either way. Condit drew blood but Kampmann had 3 submission attempts. I’ve got Kampmann 10-9 in a close first round.
R2- Kampmann got a take down early in the first round. Condit is hitting some good stand up and gets a take down. Kampmann pulled guard on Condit with another guillotine attempt but Condit slipped out again and then took Kampmann’s back. Condit went for a Rear Naked but lost it and Kampmann took Condit’s guard. I’ve got Condit taking this round in another close round. I’ve got it 19-19 going into the final round.
R3- Kampmann starts the round with a take down. Condit has a very active guard. Kampmann is staying on top this round. He’s not necessarily doing more damage but he’s controlling where the fight goes. Condit went for a heel hook but couldn’t get it. They stood up briefly but Kampmann tripped Condit up and went back on top. Condit grabbed a guillotine with 10 seconds left and Kampmann held on. Very close fight, very close round. Condit actually came closer to finishing the fight this round than Kampmann did but Kampmann controlled where the fight went. This could be very close to a split decision. I think Kampmann is going to take it. Really good fight.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 Kampmann, 29-28 Condit and 29-28 Kampmann
Tough loss for Condit as this was a really close fight. He looked like he was fighting a 5 round fight instead of a 3 round fight. Once he adjusts to the level of competition in the UFC versus WEC I think he will be fine. Good win for Kampmann even if it wasn’t a decisive win.
Winner: Martin Kampmann by Decision (Split)
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