UFC 113: Machida vs Shogun 2 Re-Cap

UFC 113: Machida vs Shogun 2
Bell Centre
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
May 8, 2010

The Main Event tonight is a re-match for the Light Heavyweight Title between Lyoto Machida and Shogun Rua. It is a re-match from their controversial decision last year in which the judges unanimously declared Machida the winner but most of the popular opinion said Rua should have won the fight. Josh Koscheck will fight Paul Daley in a #1 Contenders match with the winner going on to face champion Georges St-Pierre at a later date and also coach against him in the next version of The Ultimate Fighter. Kimbo Slice is in action tonight and Patrick Cote makes his return from an injury.

Middleweight Fight- Patrick Cote (14-5) vs. Alan Belcher (14-5)

Belcher's last fight was at UFC 107 in December where he disposed of Wilson Gouveia in the first round. This is Cote's first fight since getting injured in a freak accident in his title shot against Anderson Silva. The fans are solidly behind Canadian Cote in this one. I picked Belcher in this one but only because of the lay-off that Cote had. It will be interesting to see how Cote does after 18 months of not fighting.

R1- Belcher is throwing kicks early and then catches Cote with a low blow. Both guys are very active early and are landing strikes. Cote grabbed a Belcher kick and took him down. Cote went for a kimura but Belcher pulled out and was able to take top position. Belcher landed a couple of elbows and stayed on top until the end of the round. Cote sustained a small cut near his eye near the end of the round. Belcher 10-9.

"The inside leg kick. The enemy of cups all around the world."- Joe Rogan

R2- Belcher came out for the round without his mouthpiece and the ref briefly had to stop the fight. Cote landed some good punches to start the round. Belcher had to clinch to stop the onslaught. They traded some strikes against the cage and Cote got a take down at the mid-way point of the round. Belcher got back to his feet and basically did what in pro wrestling would be called a front piledriver as he picked up Cote and a pile driver type position and dropped him face first onto the mat. Belcher took Cote's back and Cote had to tap. Great win for Belcher. It looked like Cote was turning the tide until that pile driver.

"It is illegal to spike somebody on their head. To pick them up and drop them down purposely on the top of their head. It didn't seem like he spiked him. He went face first and that is legal. He just dropped him on his face"- Joe Rogan

Winner: Alan Belcher by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 3:25

Post fight Alan Belcher calls out Anderson Silva.

Heavyweight Fight- Kimbo Slice (4-1) vs. Matt Mitrione (1-0)

Both guys won fights on The Ultimate Fighter Finale back in December. Kimbo defeated Houston Alexander by decision in an ugly fight and Mitrione knocked out Marcus Jones ten seconds into the second round. Mitrione comes out to Simple Man from Lynyrd Skynyrd. Mitrione trains with Pat Berry, Eric Schafer, Jake O'Brien and Ben Rothwell. Kimbo gets a huge reaction. He should come out to Street Fighting Man by the Rolling Stones but he doesn't. Kimbo is training with American Top Team. Mitrione has a 5" reach advantage.

"There's something cool about watching a guy fight on Youtube in a backyard trying to avoid a satellite dish and a barbecue and then next thing you know he's in the Octagon"- Joe Rogan
"Kimbo might be the only guy who fights with an assumed name"- Joe Rogan

R1- Kimbo hit a right hand early and then Mitrione missed a kick and Kimbo tackle slammed him to the ground and then picked up Mitrione again and slammed him another time. Fans are going nuts. Mitrione grabs a quick triangle choke and Kimbo picks him up and tried to drop him down again. Kimbo broke free of the move and we've only fought for a minute and fifteen seconds. Kimbo had side control but is just doing nothing on the ground and Mitrione got back to his feet. Kimbo picked Mitrione up and Mitrione grabbed onto the top of the cage briefly to minimize the impact of Kimbo's slam. Mitrione goes for an triangle choke but didn't get it. Kimbo finally just backs off and let's Mitrione up with about a minute left in the round. Mitrione hit Kimbo with a knee and then grabbed him in a clinch and landed another knee to the head. Kimbo came in for a right hand and Mitrione kicked Kimbo's leg out from under him. Mitrione grabbed a choke on the ground. Kimbo looked like he was going to tap but Mitrione let the hold go to try and get a better grip on it. Fun first round. Mitrione 10-9.

R2- Mitrione is hurting Kimbo early in this round with leg kicks. Mitrione landed some good strikes with three minutes left. Kimbo tried to get a take down but couldn't and Mitrione landed a knee to Kimbo's side and Kimbo is looking like he's wilting. Mitrione is landing knees to Kimbo's side and legs. Mitrione has the mount and is landing strikes. Mitrione tried for a kimura but let it go after cranking back on it. Mitrione continued landing strikes and the ref stepped in. Mitrione really controlled Kimbo. Kimbo's grappling and wrestling is still just so rudimentary. I'm interested to see where Mitrione goes from here. He has some talent but both of his wins are against guys that really have no MMA experience.

Winner: Matt Mitrione by TKO (Strikes) R2 4:24

Lightweight Fight- Sam Stout (16-5-1) vs. Jeremy Stephens (17-5)

Stephens took out Justin Buchholz at UFC Fight Night 19 by TKO in the first round. Stout beat Joe Lauzon by Unanimous Decision in January (with one judge scoring the fight 30-26). Both guys say they are going to stand and bang. This looks like a fun fight on paper. Stout is from Ontario so he is the crowd favorite in this one. Shawn Thompkins is in Stout's corner.

R1- Stephens landed an early strike and caught a leg kick and got a take down. So much for standing and banging. Stout quickly got back to his feet. Stephens hit a good left that landed right in the eye of Stout and looked like it cut him. Stephens landed a good right hand. Stephens looks really good early. Stout landed a couple of body punches but Stephens retaliated with a big right hand that briefly floored Stout and Stephens then landed a knee. Stout lands some leg kicks and Stephens threw a big spinning back fist that was partially deflected. Good first round and they did stand and bang after that initial take down. Stephens 10-9.

R2- Stout lands some leg kicks to start the round and then got one caught and Stephens landed a punch as he held his leg which briefly floored Stout. Stout grabbed a kimura as they clinched on the cage but could not get it and the fight returned to the feet. Stout is very active this round and throwing a lot of strikes. Stout continues to land leg kicks and has slowed Stephens down. Stephens landed a couple of good strikes toward the end of the round. Really close round. Stephens might have stolen the round with the strikes he landed late but I scored it for Stout making it 19-19 going into the final frame on my score card.

R3- Stephens lands some strikes early in the round. Stephens grabbed a quick clinch and landed a knee. Stout looked like he landed a kick to the calf of Stephens and Stephens bent over in pain. Stout was able to land some strikes and got on top of Stephens and landed some elbows. Stephens got a take down in the last twenty seconds but Stout popped right back up. Good fight. I've got Stout winning the final round thus taking the fight 29-28 on my score card. I could see this fight going either way.

Judges score card: 30-27, 29-28, 28-29

Winner: Jeremy Stephens by Decision (Split)

Joe Doerkson vs. Tom Lawlor

After the Stephens/Stout fight they cut right into this one with no warning. Lawlor's hair is black and he has a Dan Severn mustache.

R1- Lawlor hit a left and knocked Doerkson down. Lawlor hurting Doerkson with strikes. Both guys swinging away and bloody. Lawler landed a punch that wobbled Doerkson but came in with another wild punch and missed. Crazy round. Doerkson started to go to the wrong corner after the round ended. Lawlor 10-9.

R2- Doerkson is the aggressor early in this round. Lawlor looks like he punched himself out in the first round. Doerkson took Lawlor's back and tapped him out with a Rear Naked Choke. Good comeback win for Doerkson.

Winner: Joe Doerkson by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 2:10

Welterweight Fight- Josh Koscheck (16-4) vs. Paul Daley (23-8-2)

Daley has defeated Martin Kampmann and Dustin Hazelett since entering the UFC. Both fights were stopped in the first round via TKO (strikes). Koscheck is coming off of back to back wins against Frank Trigg and Anthony Johnson. Koscheck comes out to Higher Ground by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Daley has a 3" reach advantage. The winner of this fight will coach against Georges St-Pierre on the next edition of The Ultimate Fighter and will then receive a title shot. They don't touch gloves. Koscheck looks like he has a bigger height advantage then what was listed. From an entertainment stand point I would like to see Koscheck as a TUF coach.

R1- Koscheck got a take down after a minute of feeling each other out. Daley got back to his feet and Koscheck slammed him back down. Koscheck staying on top but not really doing any damage. Koscheck took Daley's back and tried to grab a Rear Naked but Daley got back to his feet and hit an illegal knee to Koscheck. They ended clinched up against the cage. Koscheck took the round 10-9. No point was deducted, so a good piece of referring.

"Let's take a look at it here. Oh, wait a minute. He didn't even hit him. He looked like he toed him in the eye. Uh oh. We might want to show this re-play to Josh Koscheck. Josh Koscheck might want to take a look at that and stand up."- Joe Rogan
"Maybe it was a foot to the eye. Maybe it was a toe. He's saying it barely hit him so let's see what happened. The knee kind of grazed him. No. hmmm. And the Oscar goes to."- Joe Rogan

R2- Koscheck got a take down early in the round. Koscheck not doing much on top but is maintaining position. Koscheck again took Daley's back. Koscheck 20-18.

R3- Daley landed a couple of strikes and then Koscheck clinched him up against the cage. Koscheck got the take down with three and a half minutes left in the round. Looks like Koscheck is going to grind this one out in unspectacular fashion. Well I think it's obvious that if you are learning MMA don't go to Dan Hardy and Paul Daley's camp to learn wrestling and jiu jitsu. Koscheck 30-27 in a boring fight. Smart game plan by Koscheck.

Post-Fight Paul Daley punched Josh Koscheck after the fight. Daley just turned Koscheck into a sympathetic figure. What a disgrace.

"That was the best shot he landed in the whole fight"- Joe Rogan

Judges score cards: 30-27 on all score cards

Winner: Josh Koscheck by Decision (Unanimous)

Koscheck gets on the microphone and heels the crowd about hockey and GSP and then invites them to an after party.

Light Heavyweight Title Fight- Lyoto Machida (c) (16-0) vs. Shogun Rua (18-4)

Goldberg brings up a good stat. Shogun hit Machida more times in their last fight then the last 7 opponents did in Machida's other UFC fights. Machida broke his hand in the last fight and Rogan brings up the point that the hand hasn't been tested. In the 28 re-matches in UFC history the winner has won 13 times, the loser has won 13 times and twice it was a draw.

R1- Shogun the more aggressive fighter out of the gate but got taken down by Machida. Shogun quickly got back to his feet. Shogun pushed forward and landed a strike or two but got taken down again. Shogun again quickly got to his feet but did eat a knee to the body. Machida landed a knee but Shogun hit a strike and quickly mounted Machida and finished the fight. Wow. Fantastic finish by Shogun and it came out of nowhere. Shogun knocked him out on the ground and was already getting up to celebrate before the ref stepped in to call for the finish.

Winner and new Light Heavyweight Champion: Shogun Rua by KO R1 3:35

Welterweight Fight- Marcus Davis vs. Jonathan Goulet

This is from the pre-show. This fight is brought to you by Shogun Rua and his quick finish of Lyoto Machida. This is a fight I want to see so Thank You to Shogun despite him making me wrong on my prediction. Goulet has some crazy stuff going on in his hair.

R1- Goulet landed a quick head kick and then got a take down but Davis bounced right back to his feet. Goulet landed a knee to the body but in doing so he also ate a punch that wobbled him. Goulet went for a take down and Davis grabbed a guillotine and pulled guard. Goulet fought hard and finally popped his head out of the submission. Davis threw a leg and got taken down. Goulet landed a couple strikes. Davis got back to his feet but Goulet took him back down. Goulet probably stole that round despite Davis having a sub attempt and landing the best strike of the round.

R2- Davis hit a good right hand that knocked Goulet to his knees. Davis jumped on top and landed a couple of strikes but Goulet got back to his feet. Goulet is busted open. Davis landed something and Goulet just dropped like a ton of bricks. He landed a right and then a big left hook.

Winner: Marcus Davis by TKO (Strikes) R2 1:23

UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva 1/02/10 Re-Cap

UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva
1/02/10
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada

Heavyweight Fight- Junior Dos Santos (9-1) vs. Gilbert Yvel (36-13-1)

Dos Santos is 3-0 in the UFC and is a Top 10 Heavyweight. This is Yvel’s return to the UFC. This is an important fight for both guys. Dos Santos comes out to the theme to Rocky with his ear looking similar to James Thompson’s did when he fought Kimbo in Elite XC.

R1- Both guys throwing freely in the early going of this fight. Dos Santos floored Yvel with a huge left hand two minutes into the round and then started peppering him with punches on the ground and Herb Dean stepped in and stopped the fight. Dos Santos is no joke.

Winner: Junior Dos Santos by TKO (Strikes) R1 2:07

Lightweight Fight- Jim Miller (15-2) vs. Duane Ludwig (27-9)

This is Duane Ludwig’s return to the UFC but he was 2-0 in his previous UFC fights. Ludwig is taking this fight on 2 weeks notice and Joe Rogan points out that he cut down from the 180s. Jim Miller comes out to CCR’s “Bad Moon Rising”.

R1- Miller hit a right that floored Ludwig and Miller quickly jumped on top and mounted. Ludwig tried to get out and Miller clamped on an arm bar and got the submission victory.

Winner: Jim Miller by Submission (Arm Bar) R1 2:31

Takanori Gomi is in the crowd and they show some of his highlights from Pride and they announce that he has signed with the UFC.

Lightweight Fight- Joe Lauzon (17-4) vs. Sam Stout (15-5-1)

R1- Lauzon got a quick take down in the opening moments of the round. Lauzon opened up a cut on Stout’s head and then grabbed a kimura but Stout was able to slip out and get back to his feet. Stout came back in the second half of the round and landed some good shots. Lauzon 10-9 but Stout almost stole that round.

R2- Stout got a take down about one minute into the round but Stout got to his feet without any damage. Stout is getting the better of the stand up in this round. This round definitely went to Stout as he ended the round in Lauzon’s guard.

R3- Stout controls the early part of the round by avoiding take downs and continually throwing strikes. Lauzon got a take down with two minutes left in the fight. Lauzon mounted and then tried for a guillotine but couldn’t clamp it in and Stout got back to his feet with one minute left in the fight. Stout really attacked at the finish and I’ve got him taking this round and the fight.

Judges score cards say: 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27

Winner: Sam Stout by Decision (Unanimous)

Welterweight Fight- Paul Daley (22-8-2) vs. Dustin Hazelett (14-4)

Daley came in overweight at 172 but Hazelett agreed to take the fight. This is Daley’s second fight in the UFC, with his first being a victory over Martin Kampmann.

R1- Both fighters felt each other out for the first half of the round mostly throwing leg and front kicks. At the half way point of the round Daley exploded with a big left hand and then jumped on top and finished the fight as Herb Dean stepped in. Very impressive finish by Daley.

Winner: Paul Daley by TKO (Strikes) R1 2:24

Light Heavyweight Fight- Rashad Evans (18-1-1) vs. Thiago Silva (14-1)

The UFC tells us that Rashad lands 58% of his take down attempts, has won 4 of his last 5 by knockout and holds the UFC record for most take downs without being swept. Thiago has won 12 of 13 fights by strike stoppage, his average UFC fight length is 3:48 and he has a 77% take down defense rate. Both fighters only have one loss on their record and it’s to the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida.

R1- Rashad quickly came at Thiago and clinched and then got a slam at the one minute mark. Rashad mounted but Thiago didn’t take any damage and got back to his feet. They threw some strikes and then Rashad got another take down about half way through the round. Silva again got to his feet without taking any damage. Rashad hit some good strikes against the cage and then got another brief take down. Rashad looks like he’s wearing Thiago down and is up 10-9 after one round.

R2- Rashad got a take down in the second minute of the round. Silva got up again but Rashad slammed him back down. Thiago landed a couple of strikes but then got taken down again. Rashad 20-18.

R3- Rashad got a quick take down but couldn’t hold it. Rashad missed a big swing and then Thiago put his gloves down and leaned his chin in and he and Rashad hammed it up for the fans for a minute. Thiago landed a big time right hand that wobbled Rashad’s knees. Thiago got Rashad down but Rashad clamped onto a leg. One minute and forty five seconds left in the round and Thiago got Rashad back to his feet and Rashad is looking at the clock. Thiago is landing some good shots but he looks like he’s running out of steam. Rashad clinched Thiago against the cage and held on to win this one by decision on my score card 29-28.

Judges score cards say: 29-28 on all score cards

Winner: Rashad Evans by Decision (Unanimous)

UFC 97: "Redemption" Re-Cap

UFC 97: Redemption
4/18/09

This show is highlighted by Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva defending against Thales Leites and Chuck Liddell taking on Shogun Rua. The Shogun/Liddell fight will be particularly interesting because whoever losses that fight is pretty much finished in the Light Heavyweight Division for the near future. Silva is looking to break the tie for most consecutive wins inside the Octagon (he is currently sitting at 8 straight wins). Cheick Kongo will also fight Antoni Hardonk in Heavyweight Fight.

Light Heavyweight Fight- Steve Cantwell (7-1) vs. Luiz Cane (10-1)

Cantwell is a former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion. Cantwell fought on the “Fight for the Troops” show in November and destroyed Razak Al-Hassan. His previous fight was an August 2008 win over Brian Stann by TKO for the WEC Title. Cane is coming off a win over Sokoudjou in which Sokoudjou gassed and then Cane finished him off. Both of these guys are borderline Top 10 Light Heavyweight Fighters. Cane is a Muay Thai specialist and Jiu Jitsu Black Belt. Cantwell is a Jiu Jitsu Brown Belt with Kick Boxing experience. This should be an explosive fight.

R1- Cane looks good early as he landing some strikes and stalking Cantwell early. As the round went on Cantwell seemed to become more confident but Cane definitely looks like the stronger fighter in this fight. Cane is leading 10-9 after one round on my score card.

R2- Cane controlled the early part of the round but Cantwell really started to score points in the middle of the round. Really close round that I’m giving to Cantwell so it’s 19-19 going into the final round.

R3- Cane landed a good combo in the first minute. Cane hit another good combo around the 4 minute mark of the round. Cane takes round three in a fairly close fight 29-28. Not a great fight for either guy, both guys fought hard and looked pretty good but both will really need to elevate their games to get up to the next level in UFC.

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

Winner: Luiz Cane by Decision (Unanimous)

Heavyweight Fight- Cheick Kongo (23-4-1) vs. Antoni Hardonk (8-4)

Kongo is coming off of an impressive first round win over Mostapha Al Turk at UFC 92. Hardonk also fought at UFC 92 and won in the second round against Mike Wessel and is currently on a 3 fight win streak. Ernesto Hoost is in Hardonk’s corner for the fight. Kongo has a 4” reach advantage.

R1- Kongo grabbed Hardonk’s leg and pushed him down halfway through the round but the fight was stood back up. After they stood back up Kongo got in some good shots and then got a take down with about a minute left in the round. Kongo is up 10 to 9 after the first round.

R2- Kongo got Hardonk down quickly in this round and jumped on top for some Ground and Pound. Hardonk is bloodied up and the ref steps in to stop the fight. Really good showing by Kongo. It took him a while to get started but he looked impressive after he got the fight to the ground just like he did in his last outing.

Winner: Cheick Kongo by TKO (Strikes) R2 2:29

Light Heavyweight Fight- Krzysztof Soszynski (17-9-1) vs. Brian Stann (6-1)

Stann is a former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion. He lost the belt to Steven Cantwell in August of 2008. Soszynski is from TUF Season 8. These guys are former training partners at Team Quest. Stann is currently training with Greg Jackson. If I was a betting man I would put my money on Stann in this fight. Soszynski has a 3.5” reach advantage.

R1- Soszynski got a take down at the two minute mark of the round. Soszynski laid on top of Stann for a minute and a half. Stann got up and Soszynski got another take down. Soszynski went for a kimura and couldn’t get it but went for it again and got it and Stann tapped out. And this is why I’m not a betting man. Nice win for Soszynski. Stann obviously needs some work on his ground game.

Winner: Krzysztof Soszynski by Submission (Kimura) R1 3:53

Light Heavyweight Fight- Chuck Liddell (21-6) vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (17-3)

This is a feast or famine fight for these guys. The winner is in line for a title shot with another victory and the loser is all but done in the UFC as a legit title contender. Shogun is coming off a lackluster victory over Mark Coleman in what may have been the worst fight of the year. Chuck is coming off of a KO at the hands of current Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans. Chuck Liddell is 39 years old, is this one of the last times we see him in the Octagon?

R1- Shogun got a take down about two and a half minutes into the round and went for a leg lock but couldn’t lock in the submission. Chuck got a take down with a minute left but immediately stood back up. Shogun landed a left hand and jumped on top and the ref stopped the fight! Shogun is back. Chuck looked really old in this fight as once Shogun hit a couple of leg kicks Chuck’s mobility looked slower and more limited. Maybe one more “money” fight for Chuck but besides that I don’t really think he should be fighting anymore.

Winner: Shogun Rua by TKO (Strikes) R1 4:28

Lightweight Fight- Sam Stout (14-5-1) vs. Matt Wiman (10-4)

Wiman is coming off of a Unanimous Decision loss to Jim Miller in December. Stout has a 3” reach advantage in this fight.

R1- Wiman starts off by landing some good strikes and then gets a take down but can’t land anything on the ground. Both guys are swinging freely in this fight. Wiman grabbed a guillotine and tried to pull guard but Stout slipped out and landed in Wiman’s guard. Wiman went for a take down with 30 seconds left in the round but Stout flipped him over. Good first round that was very close.

R2- Wiman tried to take Stout’s back but Stout was able to move into Wiman’s guard. Stout hurt Wiman towards the end of the round but Stout could not finish him and Wiman almost landed an arm bar. Stout really started to pull away here and took this round. I’ve got the fight 19-19 after two rounds.

R3- Wiman took Stout’s back and got him down onto the ground just a minute and a half into the round. Stout eventually rolls out of it and into Wiman’s guard with half the round remaining and Stout lands some Ground and Pound. They stood up and Wiman got another take down with a minute and a half left in the fight. Wiman drew some blood, got another take down and then both guys ended up swinging on their feet. This one is a toss up. I think Wiman’s going to take it as he looked better in the 1st and 2nd. Stout looked better overall but the fight is judges round by round not on the fight as a whole.

Judges score cards say: 29-28 on all score cards in favor of Sam Stout.

I can’t say that I disagree with the decision but it was a very close fight.

Winner: Sam Stout by Decision (Unanimous)

Channing Tatum and Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Cung Le join Mike Goldberg to hype their movie “Fighting”.


UFC Middleweight Title Fight: Anderson Silva © (23-4) vs. Thales Leites (14-1)

Thales is the next contender to try and take away Anderson’s belt. Thales has earned the title shot by winning a controversial decision over Nate Marquardt and by stopping Drew McFedries a little over a minute into the first round on the under card of Silva/Cote. Leites has won 5 straight fights and has won 27% of his fights by arm triangle. Leites is a Jiu Jitsu black belt. Anderson has 8 straight wins which is tied for the most in UFC history but is coming off of a disappointing fight against Patrick Cote. In UFC Anderson has landed 80% of his strikes. Leites comes out to “Welcome to the Jungle”. You have to like that.

R1- One minute into the fight and neither guy has thrown a strike. Two minutes into the fight and not much is going on. Anderson tries to stalk Leites down but he’s more comfortable staying away from Anderson. Leites throws a high kick at the two minute mark that is blocked. Anderson sweeps Leites to the ground with a leg kick. Leites tries to take Anderson down but he’s denied and they clinch. Really slow first round. Anderson takes it 10-9 to the boos of the crowd as he landed the best two shots of the round. Both guys are fighting more of a counter style. Anderson finally started to stalk Leites towards the end of the round when it became apparent that Leites was not going to let Anderson be the counter puncher in this fight.

R2- Leites got a take down early into the round. Anderson got back to his feet at the two minute mark without really taking any damage from Leites. They basically stand around and do nothing for a minute as Leites wants nothing to do with Anderson on his feet. Anderson basically chases Leites around the ring and lands a couple of strikes. Leites got a take down but didn’t do anything with it. Anderson at least landed some strikes. I’ve got Anderson up 20-18 in a very unimpressive fight so far. Leites wants nothing to do with Anderson on his feet and Anderson is being very wary of Leites.

R3- Anderson caught a Leites leg kick early in the round and then avoided a take down. Anderson stuffed another take down and then Leites laid on his back. Fans chant “GSP” during the fight. Anderson starts to land some strikes and Leites dives onto the ground to avoid them. Anderson landed a good side kick. Anderson went for a punch and Leites dove onto the ground again to avoid him. Anderson starts to work Leites over with some jabs. Anderson takes this round so he’s up 30-27. Unless Leites somehow wins this fight he might be dropped by UFC after this performance. He’s almost going out of his way to be “unexciting”.

R4- Anderson is landing some front kicks and leg kicks to start this round. Anderson is dancing around this round since Leites doesn’t want to exchange with him. Leites went for a take down and got stuffed. Anderson is winning this fight 40-36. I think Leites would just lay on the ground and sleep if the ref would let him.

R5- Leites actually comes out to fight in this round and Anderson gets on top and gets in a couple of shots. Leites has blood coming from his nose. Anderson hits a couple of strikes and Leites dives to the ground to avoid Anderson. Fans chant “GSP” again during this round. This is probably the most boring title fight I’ve ever seen. Leites just did not want any part of Anderson Silva in this fight. Anderson wins this fight 50-45 in a boring, dominant route. I would be surprised if Thales Leites fights for UFC again after this debacle.

Judges score cards say: 49-46, 48-47 and 50-46 in favor of Anderson.

Winner and still Middleweight Champion: Anderson Silva by Decision (Unanimous)

Not a real good show from UFC. The under card was pretty decent but the Main Event just flat out did not deliver.