Maximum Fighting Championship: Vindication
Edmonton Expo Center
Edmonton, Alberta
May 7, 2010
HDNet
This is the 25th show for the MFC promotion. The Main Event tonight is former UFC Middleweight Contender Thales Leites against TUF alum Jesse Taylor. Ryan Jimmo will also fight former UFC fighter Wilson Gouveia on the show. Michael Schiavello is joined by Guy Metzger and former WWE Diva Maria is the backstage interviewer.
Heavyweight Fight- Chase Gormley (6-2) vs. Ryan Fortin (4-2)
Gormley is fresh off of a run in the UFC where he fell to Brenden Schaub and Stefan Struve. Neither fight made it out of the first round. Fortin has dropped 2 of his last 3 fights and lost his last fight to Nick Penner in December of 2009. Somebody will be leaving this fight on a one fight win streak. Fortin has a 5" reach and 4" height advantage.
R1- Gormely immediately went for the take down but was denied and then he ate a combination. Gormley completed his second take down attempt. Gormley took side control and then Fortin turtled up and Gormley was able to land some strikes until Fortin got back to his feet with one minute left in the round. Fortin landed some strikes standing but then got taken down again. Gormley 10-9. Gormley landed 48 strikes in the first round.
R2- Gormley got a take down in the first thirty seconds of this round. The ref stood the fight back up with two minutes left in the round and Gormley promptly took it back to the mat. Not a real exciting fight. Gormley 20-18. Gormley landed 46 strikes in this round.
R3- Fortin landed some knees early in the round. Gormley got a take down with three minutes left in the fight and this one looks like it's all over. This one is officially a snoozer. But for Gormley it's a snoozer that he is going to win. Ref stands up the fight with 40 seconds left. And Gormley gets a take down. zzzzzzzzzzz. Gormley will win this fight 30-27 as he just out wrestled Fortin.
Judges score cards: 29-28 on all score cards. I guess Fortin's 3 knee strikes got him the 3rd round. Metzger and Schiavello are a bit perplexed as well but at least the right guy won.
Winner: Chase Gormley by Decision (Unanimous)
Lightweight Fight- Richie Hightower (8-3) vs. Gavin Neil (7-1)
Hightower was a member of Team Serra on TUF 6. He beat Blake Bowman in his first fight in the house and then fell to current UFC fighter George Sotiropoulos. Hightower won his last fight but is 2-2-1 in his last 5 fights with a loss to Troy Mandaloniz. Gavin Neil comes out to some Weird Al Yankovic. Neil has won 3 in a row and 4 of his last 5 fights. Neil has a 3" height and 4.5" reach advantage.
R1- Neil started off in a defensive stance but clipped Hightower with a left hand. Neil jumped on top and tried to finish but Hightower recovered. Neil took Hightower's back and clamped in a Rear Naked Choke for the submission victory. Good win for Neil.
Winner: Gavin Neil by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 2:52
Welterweight Fight- Luigi Fioravanti (17-6) vs. Pete Spratt (20-17)
Fioravanti is a former UFC fighter who trains at American Top Team. At MFC 22 Fioravanti was finished by John Alessio in the third round. Since the loss to Alessio, Fioravanti has two straight wins including one over TUF alum Shane Primm by decision. Pete Spratt was on that same card and he finished Nathan Gunn in the second round. Spratt also lost to Alessio in 2008 and is coming off of a loss in his last fight. Spratt has a 3.5" reach advantage.
R1- Not much action early. Spratt lands some leg kicks half way through the round. Spratt went to the well one too many times and Luigi took him down and imediately got side control but Spratt got right to his feet. Spratt got a take down at the end of the round and then tried a guillotine but Luigi popped his head out. Spratt 10-9.
R2- Luigi got a quick take down in the first thirty seconds of the round but Spratt got back to his feet. Luigi got another take down. Spratt got back to his feet mid-way through the round. They exchanged strikes and Spratt threw a high kick that was blocked. Spratt landed a kick to the body. Spratt hit a good kick to the stomach. Spratt took Luigi down with a kick at the end of the round. Spratt stole this round and is up 20-18 on my score card.
R3- Spratt landed another kick to the body in the first minute that hurt Luigi. Luigi got a take down a minute and a half into the round but again could not hold Spratt on the mat. Spratt landed another kick. Spratt caught Luigi coming in and then landed some good Ground and Pound and the ref stepped in. Good win for Pete Spratt.
Winner: Pete Spratt by TKO (Strikes) R3 4:02
Light Heavyweight Fight- Dwayne Lewis (11-4) vs. Emanuel Newton (12-6)
Lewis fought on MFC 23 and knocked out Marvin Eastman in the first round of their fight and is currently on a 5 fight win streak. Newton has lost 3 consecutive fights including losses to Ryan Jimmo and Trevor Prangley (both by decision).
R1- Newton got an early take down. Lewis used the rubber guard to tie up Newton's arms and landed some strikes before the fight went back to the feet. Newton got another take down after they exchanged strikes against the ropes. Lewis grabbed a leg with 30 seconds left in the round but couldn't hold it. Lewis then tried for a guillotine but couldn't get it. Good round. Newton 10-9 as he controlled more of the round and landed more strikes.
R2- Newton landed an early kick but then got a take down stuffed. Newton got a take down one minute into the round. Newton stayed on top until the end of the round. Newton 20-18.
R3- Lewis stuffed a take down and then landed a couple of strikes. Lewis landed a couple more strikes and then Newton got a take down to save himself. Newton grinds this one out.
Judges score cards: 30-27 on all score cards
Winner: Emanuel Newton by Decision (Unanimous)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Ryan Jimmo (12-1) vs. Wilson Gouveia (12-7)
This is the Co Main Event. Gouveia came in at 208 lbs and will forfeit 20% of his purse tonight. At MFC 22 Jimmo beat Marvin Eastman by Split Decision and at MFC 23 he defeated Emanuel Newton by Unanimous Decision and he's 5-0 in his last 5 fights. Gouveia is 2-3 in his last five fights and has lost his last two fights (TKO losses to Alan Belcher and Nate Marquardt). Metzger points out that Gouveia usually fights at 185 pounds so not making weight at 205 really shows that his focus is not on this fight.
R1- They basically just exchange leg kicks for three and a half minutes. Gouveia charged in with strikes and Jimmo clinched him and took him down. Jimmo lays on top of him for the rest of the round. Jimmo 10-9.
R2- Not much action in the first half of the round. Gouveia again comes in to push the action and gets clinched and then kneed and then punched. Gouveia was in trouble and Jimmo moved him inot the corner and got him down and started landing Ground and Pound. Jimmo landed soe good elbows and forearms but couldn't finish the fight. Jimmo landed some good right hands. Good round for Jimmo. Jimmo 20-18.
R3- Jimmo landed a good strike that hurt Gouveia early in the round. Gouveia landed some counter strikes that hurt Jimmo but Jimmo grabbed him and took him down. Jimmo doesn't do much in the last half of the round but he did maintain top position and will win the fight.
Judges score cards: 30-27, 30-26, 30-26
Winner: Ryan Jimmo by Decision (Unanimous)
Middleweight Fight- Thales Leites (16-3) vs. Jesse Taylor (14-5)
Leities has a 3.5" reach advantage. The last time I saw TUF alum Jesse Taylor was on DREAM 10 where he defeated Dong Sik Yoon when Yoon could not continue due to injury in the first round. Taylor is 3-2 in his last 5 fights with the losses coming to Luke Rockhold and Jay Hieron. Leites fought at MFC 23 and defeated Dean Lister by Unanimous Decision. Leites is 3-2 in his last 5 fights with decision losses to Anderson Silva and Alessio Sakara. He's 2-0 since leaving the UFC. Taylor comes out to Danzig's "Mother".
R1- Taylor went for an immediate take down and got it. Taylor got cut and he is bleeding near his eye. Leities has a very active guard and almost was able to grab an arm bar. Leites then grabbed a triangle choke and finished the fight. This was pretty much what I was expecting.
Winner: Thales Leites by Submission (Triangle Choke) R1 2:27
Showing posts with label Thales Leites. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thales Leites. Show all posts
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Sunday, December 27, 2009
MFC 23: Unstoppable 12/14/09 Re-Cap
Maximum Fighting Championships 23: Unstoppable
12/14/09
River Cree Casino
Enoch, Alberta
Kenny Rice and Guy Mezger are the announcers for this show.
Welterweight Fight: Joe Christopher (9-2) vs. Jesse Juarez (14-4-1)
Christopher is a BJJ fighter. The only time I’ve seen Juarez fight was on a Strikeforce show where he got stopped at the end of the first round via Submission by Luke Stewart. That fight was pretty even until Stewart got the fight to the ground. Christopher comes out to AC/DC. Juarez comes out to a rap song with a lot of expletives.
R1- Christopher rushed in early but got taken down by Juarez. Juarez is landing some strikes and Christopher has attempted a couple of submissions. Christopher did not throw a strike in the first round. Juarez 10-9.
R2- Christopher went for a quick take down but Juarez was able to stuff it and take top position. Juarez got a couple more take downs. Christopher was able to get a guillotine choke but Juarez picked him up in almost a fireman’s carry and slammed him down and took Christopher’s guard. Juarez 20-18.
R3- Overall this was a lackluster fight. I’ve got Juarez winning by decision.
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all cards.
Winner: Jesse Juarez by Decision (Unanimous)
Light Heavyweight Fight: Dwayne Lewis (9-4) vs. Marvin Eastman (17-11)
At MFC 22 Eastman lost a split decision to Ryan Jimmo in a very close fight that could have gone either way. Lewis has won his last 5 fights and has won them all by TKO/KO. He has a win over Marcus Hicks and a loss to Ryan Jimmo. Eastman is just 1-4 in his last 5 fights. Lewis has a 4” height advantage and a slight 2” reach advantage.
R1- Eastman got a quick slam/take down to start the fight and then stayed on top for the first three and a half minutes before getting stood up. Lewis got a quick KO almost right at the end of the round in surprising fashion. Eastman had him in a clinch and Lewis nailed him with a big right hand uppercut.
Winner: Dwayne Lewis by KO R1 4:58
Middleweight Fight- Art Santore (18-6) vs. Bryan Baker (11-1)
Santore is a Team Quest fighter and has won 4 straight fights. Baker has also won his last 4 fights and his only loss was to UFC Fighter Chael Sonnen. Thomas Denny is in Baker’s corner.
R1- Santore hit a good left early and then hit another good combo around the one minute mark. Brown hit a good left that knocked Santore down. Santoro grabbed a knee bar at the one minute mark but Baker broke free by pelting Santore with heels. A good bit of blood on the mat. Baker then went for an arm triangle and then an arm bar but could not finish with either. Baker finishes the round with some Ground and Pound. Baker 10-9. Good first round.
R2- Some good back and forth stand up in the first half of this round. Santore is wearing a crimson mask. Ref stops the fight with 30 seconds left in the round to check Santore’s cuts. This round was really even and could have gone either way. Baker landed 52 strikes to Santore’s 38 in that round and has done more physical damage in the fight so I’ve got Baker 20-18 right now.
R3- Even striking in the first part of the round. Baker slipped going for a kick and Santore jumped on top. Baker went for a triangle choke and started landing some good elbows to Santore’s head. Really good fight. I’ve got Baker 30-27 but rounds two and three were really close.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 30-27, 29-28
Winner: Bryan Baker by Decision (Unanimous)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Ryan Jimmo (11-1) vs. Emanuel Newton (18-5-1)
Jimmo has won 11 straight fights including a split decision victory over Marvin Eastman at MFC 22. He was a contestant on Season 8 of TUF but was eliminated in the entry round by Atwain Britt by Decision. Newton is a former MFC Light Heavyweight Champion but is 0-2 in 2009.
R1- Not a very exciting round. Kenny Rice tells me Jimmo landed 17 of 19 strikes. Newton got 2 take downs and landed 26 of 57 strikes. Guy says he give the round to Newton. I have to admit that I was too bored to have an opinion.
R2- Man this is tough to watch. Both fighters landed about the same amount of rounds. Guy says that Jimmo landed cleaner shots and thinks that he took that round making it 19-19. The first guy to make this remotely exciting should be declared the winner.
R3- Jimmo landed 72 of 90 strikes in the fight with Newton landing 67 of 152. Very close fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28
Winner: Ryan Jimmo by Decision (Unanimous)
Middleweight Fight- Jason MacDonald (21-13) vs. Soloman Hutcherson (11-5)
Hutcherson has won 4 of his last 5 fights. He was on The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 and lost to Rory Singer on Episode 5 by KO in the second round. MacDonald has a 4” height and a huge “11” reach advantage.
R1- Hutcherson came in swinging wildly and MacDonald got an easy take down. MacDonald mounted and then went for a triangle and Hutcherson picked him up and dropped him on his head to get out of the hold. MacDonald got another take down about a minute and a half into the round. MacDonald went for a Rear Naked Choke but Hutcherson was able to hold him off. MacDonald transitioned from a Rear Naked attempt to an arm bar attempt but the bell sounded. MacDonald clearly looks like the better fighter so far and took the round easily.
R2- Hutcherson got a take down and then laid on top of MacDonald for a couple of minutes. MacDonald was able to reverse position and take Hutcherson’s back. MacDonald tried to an arm triangle but Hutcherson was able to power out of it. MacDonald is up 20-18 as he did far more to try and finish the fight in this round then Hutcherson did.
R3- The stood up for the first thirty seconds of the round and Hutcherson followed MacDonald to the ground. Not sure if Hutcherson hit him or MacDonald baited him down. MacDonald quickly switched positions and took Hutcherson’s back and then moved to the mount position. MacDonald takes this fight 30-27. Not a great fight but MacDonald was easily in a class above Hutcherson.
Judges score cards say: 28-28, 29-28 Hutcherson and 29-28 MacDonald
All Three of these judges should be immediately fired and banned from ever judging Mixed Martial Arts again. Seriously, who the fuck is judging this stuff? Embarrassing.
Decision: Draw
After the first round of the Lister/Leites fight they go backstage and say that they have a change to the scoring of the MacDonald/Hutcherson fight. MacDonald actually got a split decision victory over Hutcherson. Amazing, they have judges that can’t even count to 30.
Winner: Jason MacDonald by Decision (Split)
Middleweight Fight: Dean Lister (11-6) vs. Thales Leites (14-3)
Lister has lost all of his 6 fights by decision and has lost to the likes of Yushin Okami, Nate Marquardt, and Ricardo Arona. Leites is 7-3 in his last 10 fights and has also lost all of his fights by decision. Both guys need this win.
R1- Lister went for an early take down but got stuffed and Leites took top position. They got back to their feet about half way through the round and Leites is the aggressor on their feet. Leites wins round one 10-9.
R2- Leites hit a good leg kick to start the round and then got a take down. Leites stood back up and then got another take down. Lister looks pretty gassed. Not a real exciting fight but Leites is clearly winning this fight so far. Leites 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Lister went for a quick take down but Leites stuffed him again. The last three fights on this show have been really lackluster. Leites is going to take this fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 30-27 and 30-27.
Winner: Thales Leites by Decision (Unanimous)
12/14/09
River Cree Casino
Enoch, Alberta
Kenny Rice and Guy Mezger are the announcers for this show.
Welterweight Fight: Joe Christopher (9-2) vs. Jesse Juarez (14-4-1)
Christopher is a BJJ fighter. The only time I’ve seen Juarez fight was on a Strikeforce show where he got stopped at the end of the first round via Submission by Luke Stewart. That fight was pretty even until Stewart got the fight to the ground. Christopher comes out to AC/DC. Juarez comes out to a rap song with a lot of expletives.
R1- Christopher rushed in early but got taken down by Juarez. Juarez is landing some strikes and Christopher has attempted a couple of submissions. Christopher did not throw a strike in the first round. Juarez 10-9.
R2- Christopher went for a quick take down but Juarez was able to stuff it and take top position. Juarez got a couple more take downs. Christopher was able to get a guillotine choke but Juarez picked him up in almost a fireman’s carry and slammed him down and took Christopher’s guard. Juarez 20-18.
R3- Overall this was a lackluster fight. I’ve got Juarez winning by decision.
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all cards.
Winner: Jesse Juarez by Decision (Unanimous)
Light Heavyweight Fight: Dwayne Lewis (9-4) vs. Marvin Eastman (17-11)
At MFC 22 Eastman lost a split decision to Ryan Jimmo in a very close fight that could have gone either way. Lewis has won his last 5 fights and has won them all by TKO/KO. He has a win over Marcus Hicks and a loss to Ryan Jimmo. Eastman is just 1-4 in his last 5 fights. Lewis has a 4” height advantage and a slight 2” reach advantage.
R1- Eastman got a quick slam/take down to start the fight and then stayed on top for the first three and a half minutes before getting stood up. Lewis got a quick KO almost right at the end of the round in surprising fashion. Eastman had him in a clinch and Lewis nailed him with a big right hand uppercut.
Winner: Dwayne Lewis by KO R1 4:58
Middleweight Fight- Art Santore (18-6) vs. Bryan Baker (11-1)
Santore is a Team Quest fighter and has won 4 straight fights. Baker has also won his last 4 fights and his only loss was to UFC Fighter Chael Sonnen. Thomas Denny is in Baker’s corner.
R1- Santore hit a good left early and then hit another good combo around the one minute mark. Brown hit a good left that knocked Santore down. Santoro grabbed a knee bar at the one minute mark but Baker broke free by pelting Santore with heels. A good bit of blood on the mat. Baker then went for an arm triangle and then an arm bar but could not finish with either. Baker finishes the round with some Ground and Pound. Baker 10-9. Good first round.
R2- Some good back and forth stand up in the first half of this round. Santore is wearing a crimson mask. Ref stops the fight with 30 seconds left in the round to check Santore’s cuts. This round was really even and could have gone either way. Baker landed 52 strikes to Santore’s 38 in that round and has done more physical damage in the fight so I’ve got Baker 20-18 right now.
R3- Even striking in the first part of the round. Baker slipped going for a kick and Santore jumped on top. Baker went for a triangle choke and started landing some good elbows to Santore’s head. Really good fight. I’ve got Baker 30-27 but rounds two and three were really close.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 30-27, 29-28
Winner: Bryan Baker by Decision (Unanimous)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Ryan Jimmo (11-1) vs. Emanuel Newton (18-5-1)
Jimmo has won 11 straight fights including a split decision victory over Marvin Eastman at MFC 22. He was a contestant on Season 8 of TUF but was eliminated in the entry round by Atwain Britt by Decision. Newton is a former MFC Light Heavyweight Champion but is 0-2 in 2009.
R1- Not a very exciting round. Kenny Rice tells me Jimmo landed 17 of 19 strikes. Newton got 2 take downs and landed 26 of 57 strikes. Guy says he give the round to Newton. I have to admit that I was too bored to have an opinion.
R2- Man this is tough to watch. Both fighters landed about the same amount of rounds. Guy says that Jimmo landed cleaner shots and thinks that he took that round making it 19-19. The first guy to make this remotely exciting should be declared the winner.
R3- Jimmo landed 72 of 90 strikes in the fight with Newton landing 67 of 152. Very close fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28
Winner: Ryan Jimmo by Decision (Unanimous)
Middleweight Fight- Jason MacDonald (21-13) vs. Soloman Hutcherson (11-5)
Hutcherson has won 4 of his last 5 fights. He was on The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 and lost to Rory Singer on Episode 5 by KO in the second round. MacDonald has a 4” height and a huge “11” reach advantage.
R1- Hutcherson came in swinging wildly and MacDonald got an easy take down. MacDonald mounted and then went for a triangle and Hutcherson picked him up and dropped him on his head to get out of the hold. MacDonald got another take down about a minute and a half into the round. MacDonald went for a Rear Naked Choke but Hutcherson was able to hold him off. MacDonald transitioned from a Rear Naked attempt to an arm bar attempt but the bell sounded. MacDonald clearly looks like the better fighter so far and took the round easily.
R2- Hutcherson got a take down and then laid on top of MacDonald for a couple of minutes. MacDonald was able to reverse position and take Hutcherson’s back. MacDonald tried to an arm triangle but Hutcherson was able to power out of it. MacDonald is up 20-18 as he did far more to try and finish the fight in this round then Hutcherson did.
R3- The stood up for the first thirty seconds of the round and Hutcherson followed MacDonald to the ground. Not sure if Hutcherson hit him or MacDonald baited him down. MacDonald quickly switched positions and took Hutcherson’s back and then moved to the mount position. MacDonald takes this fight 30-27. Not a great fight but MacDonald was easily in a class above Hutcherson.
Judges score cards say: 28-28, 29-28 Hutcherson and 29-28 MacDonald
All Three of these judges should be immediately fired and banned from ever judging Mixed Martial Arts again. Seriously, who the fuck is judging this stuff? Embarrassing.
Decision: Draw
After the first round of the Lister/Leites fight they go backstage and say that they have a change to the scoring of the MacDonald/Hutcherson fight. MacDonald actually got a split decision victory over Hutcherson. Amazing, they have judges that can’t even count to 30.
Winner: Jason MacDonald by Decision (Split)
Middleweight Fight: Dean Lister (11-6) vs. Thales Leites (14-3)
Lister has lost all of his 6 fights by decision and has lost to the likes of Yushin Okami, Nate Marquardt, and Ricardo Arona. Leites is 7-3 in his last 10 fights and has also lost all of his fights by decision. Both guys need this win.
R1- Lister went for an early take down but got stuffed and Leites took top position. They got back to their feet about half way through the round and Leites is the aggressor on their feet. Leites wins round one 10-9.
R2- Leites hit a good leg kick to start the round and then got a take down. Leites stood back up and then got another take down. Lister looks pretty gassed. Not a real exciting fight but Leites is clearly winning this fight so far. Leites 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Lister went for a quick take down but Leites stuffed him again. The last three fights on this show have been really lackluster. Leites is going to take this fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 30-27 and 30-27.
Winner: Thales Leites by Decision (Unanimous)
Monday, April 20, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
UFC 90 Re-Cap
[b]UFC 90: Silva vs Cote[/u]
[b]Lightweight Fight- Sean Sherk (36-3-1) vs. Tyson Griffin (12-1)[/b]
Griffin comes out to "Eye of the Tiger.". This is a huge fight for him as Sherk is basically playing gate-keeper of the lightweight division here.
R1- Sherk took Tyson down and took his back pretty quickly but Tyson went to his corner and got advice and got out. Sherk is bullying Tyson around a bit in the early parts of the first round. Sherk took his back again with bout 45 seconds left but got out again. Sherk controlled the first round and won 10-9. Good first round.
R2- A lot of good stand up action in this round with both guys landing some good shots. Sherk controlled the majority of this round. Griffin had a really good burst in the middle and towards the end of the round but seemed to be struggling with his cardio. Sherk 20-18 after two rounds.
WEC Bantamweight champion Miguel Torres is in the house.
R3- Griffin comes out firing and hit a nice shot to open the round but Sherk countered. This was a pretty even round but I think Sherk hit more clean shots. Really good fight that i've got Sherk winning 30-27. Good performance from Sherk.
Judges score cards are: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 in favor of Sherk.
Winner: Sean Sherk by Decision (Unanimous)
[b]Heavyweight Fight- Fabricio Werdum (11-3-1) vs. Junior Dos Santos (6-1)[/b]
Werdum is waiting in the wings for the winner of the mini-tournament involving Coture, Noguiera, Mir and Lesnar. Dos Santos is a newcomer to UFC and has Big Nog in his corner. Dos Santos is a Jiu-Jitsu guy, a solid striker and has a good chin. Rogan says that Werdum is bulking up due to "Giant Freaks like Brock Lesnar" being in the Heavyweight division now (Werdum is up to 256 lbs). Apparently Werdum was (or maybe still is) Cro Cop's jiu jitsu coach.
Dan Severn is in the crowd.
R1- Dos Santos caught Werdum with a big uppercut about 1:15 into the fight and then quickly finished Werdum. Wow, that was a shocker. Looks like the UFC Heavyweight Division might have a new player. Werdum just got caught and actually leaned into the uppercut.
Winner: Junior Dos Santos by KO R1 1:20
Georges St-Pierre is at the show tonight.
[b]Lightweight Fight- Rich Clementi (40-12-1) vs. Gray Maynard (6-0)[/b]
I think Rich has the advantage in experience but I'll have to go back and look at how many fights they've had to figure that out for sure.
R1- Maynard got a take down with about a minute and a half left in the round and got in some shots but not too much. First round was uneventful until the Maynard take down. Maynard takes round one 10-9 but this is anybody's fight.
Matt Hughes is in the crowd tonight, seems like there are a ton of guys at the show tonight. Hughes got a smattering of boos from the crowd.
R2- Maynard got a take down early into the round and clamped on a guillotine but Clementi stood up and got out of the hold. Maynard took Clementi down and avoided a triangle but Clementi grabbed his arm. Maynard avoided a submission and moved back to half guard. Clementi is doing a good job in keeping an active guard and constantly looking for submissions. Maynard takes this round, so i've got him up 20-18.
R3- Maynard gets an early slam/take down. Maynard took him down until about 2 minutes left when Clementi got up but Maynard took him down again. Clementi escaped out and tried to take Maynard's back but couldn't and Maynard took him down again. I've got Maynard 30-27.
Not a real exciting fight but Maynard controlled the fight and thus gets the victory.
Judges score cards are: 30-27 on all three score cards.
Winner: Gray Maynard by Decision (Unanimous)
Rashad Evans is at the fights tonight, he was a college team mate of Gray Maynard at Michigan State.
[b]Welterweight Fight- Thiago Alves (21-4) vs. Josh Koscheck (13-2)[/b]
Koscheck comes in to the RHCP "Higher Ground." Koscheck has better intro music and a 3" reach advantage. I really disliked Koscheck on TUF because he was a jerk and a boring fighter but you really have to respect him for stepping up to take Sanchez's spot on short notice. Plus, he's destruction of Chris Lytle a few months back was pretty great. That and he's fighting a guy that didn't make weight for his last fight. Someone Koscheck has become the fan favorite in this fight for me even though he still gets boo'd by the fans.
R1- Koscheck slipped early but got out of dodge before Alves could touch him. Alves popped Koshcheck about a minute in and Koscheck went down and Alves pounced on him. Koscheck grabbed onto a leg to avoid further pain but Alves stood up and then kicked Josh in the head. Somehow Koscheck holds on and recovers. Koscheck comes back with a couple of jabs. Koscheck starting to land some shots. Koscheck went for a take down but was denied. Really strong first round. Alves owned the beginning and Koscheck came back and controlled the second half of the round. Alves takes this 10-9 as he came close to finishing Koscheck early.
R2- Koscheck is throwing a lot of punches early and hits a head kick that looked to be partially deflected. Koscheck is really active here in the second round and is coming close to hitting a lot of big shots. Alves is hitting some leg kicks. Koscheck goes for a take down but Alves defends it well. Nobody really dominated this round but I think Koscheck controlled the majority of it while Alves mostly only got leg kicks. I've got it 19-19 right now.
R3- Alves comes out and rocks Koscheck against the cage. He hit a knee and then some punches. Koshcheck does a good job of holding onto Alves to avoid more punishment and wobbles to his feet and throws kicks to try and keep Alves at bay. Alves hits a left and then Koscheck clinches him. Alves hits a decent right and Koscheck clinches him again. Koscheck complains about an eye poke and the ref stops it for about 30 seconds. Koscheck has recovered from the shots earlier in the round and we've got two minutes and thirty seconds left in the fight with Alves in the lead. Koscheck pokes Alves in the eye and they stop the fight for recovery time. Alves hit a big leg kick that buckled Josh. Alves seems to be the agressor as the fight is coming to a close. Alves hits another good leg kick. They swing for the fences towards the end. Alves hits a big punch right at the end and then takes Koscheck down after the bell as Alves didn't hear the bell. Alves wins this round and the fight 29-28 in a good, entertaining fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27 in favor of Alves.
Winner: Thiago Alves by Decision (Unanimous)
Post-match interview sees Rogan calling for a title shot for Alves and Alves agreeing.
Jeff Samardzija, Cubs pitcher and former Notre Dame Wide Receiver, is at the show tonight. And Clay Guida is sitting right near him.
[b]Middleweight Title Fight- Anderson Silva (22-4) vs. Patrick Cote (14-4)[/b]
Silva has a 3" height advantage and a 2.5" reach advantage. We've already seen one big upset tonight in Werdum, let's see if we get another. I don't think we will but I don't think anybody expects Cote to win so you never know.
R1- Not much action in the first two minutes as Anderson is just kind of waiting for a spot and watching Cote. Anderson gets a few leg kicks in on Cote. Andrerson hit a kick and they mixed it up a little bit. Anderson then threw a knee that looked like it landed but he lost his balance and couldn't really follow up. Cote's forehead is cut. Not a great round but Anderson seemed to control the flow and tempo of the round and definitely hit the two best strikes of the round. I've got Anderson up 10-9 after round one.
R2- Anderson landed a good left to start the round and definitely looks more aggressive than the last round. Cote hit a spinning back fist and Anderson clinched him. Anderson with some leg kicks. Cote charged at him and Silva ducked him and landed in his guard. They are back tot heir feet now. Silva hit a low kick and Cote blocked it and then Silva tried it again and Cote caught it again and they clinched against the cage. Anderson starts to hit some knees to the body. Not a ton of offense but i've got Anderson taking this round as well so he's up 20-18. Anderson almost seems like he's playing with Cote in this fight just waiting for his spot to strike. This is Anderson's first time being taken to the third round in UFC and Cote seems proud of that fact as he holds up 3 fingers as the round starts.
R3- A few seconds into the round Cote blew out his knee without Anderson even touching him. Just a freak accident.
Winner: Anderson Silva TKO (Ref Stoppage) R3 0:39
[b]Middleweight Fight- Thales Leites (13-1) vs. Drew McFedries (7-4)[/b]
This was a pre-show fight. I'm thinking this is McFedries by KO since it looks like this will be a quick fight. Leites is coming off of his oddball win against Marquardt and has a 4 fight win streak. Leites has a 6" reach advantage.
R1- McFedries swings for the fences early and looked like he hit a strike but Leites held on and got McFedries to the ground. This one should be about over as McFedries only shot was on his feet. Leites gets the Rear Naked Choke and this one is over. Well I had that one wrong.
Winner: Thales Leites by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 1:18
This was a decent show that ended poorly due to the freak accident/injury of Patrick Cote. Alves/Koscheck was a very good fight. Dos Santos/Werdum was a huge upset. Sherk/Griffin was decent.
[b]Lightweight Fight- Sean Sherk (36-3-1) vs. Tyson Griffin (12-1)[/b]
Griffin comes out to "Eye of the Tiger.". This is a huge fight for him as Sherk is basically playing gate-keeper of the lightweight division here.
R1- Sherk took Tyson down and took his back pretty quickly but Tyson went to his corner and got advice and got out. Sherk is bullying Tyson around a bit in the early parts of the first round. Sherk took his back again with bout 45 seconds left but got out again. Sherk controlled the first round and won 10-9. Good first round.
R2- A lot of good stand up action in this round with both guys landing some good shots. Sherk controlled the majority of this round. Griffin had a really good burst in the middle and towards the end of the round but seemed to be struggling with his cardio. Sherk 20-18 after two rounds.
WEC Bantamweight champion Miguel Torres is in the house.
R3- Griffin comes out firing and hit a nice shot to open the round but Sherk countered. This was a pretty even round but I think Sherk hit more clean shots. Really good fight that i've got Sherk winning 30-27. Good performance from Sherk.
Judges score cards are: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 in favor of Sherk.
Winner: Sean Sherk by Decision (Unanimous)
[b]Heavyweight Fight- Fabricio Werdum (11-3-1) vs. Junior Dos Santos (6-1)[/b]
Werdum is waiting in the wings for the winner of the mini-tournament involving Coture, Noguiera, Mir and Lesnar. Dos Santos is a newcomer to UFC and has Big Nog in his corner. Dos Santos is a Jiu-Jitsu guy, a solid striker and has a good chin. Rogan says that Werdum is bulking up due to "Giant Freaks like Brock Lesnar" being in the Heavyweight division now (Werdum is up to 256 lbs). Apparently Werdum was (or maybe still is) Cro Cop's jiu jitsu coach.
Dan Severn is in the crowd.
R1- Dos Santos caught Werdum with a big uppercut about 1:15 into the fight and then quickly finished Werdum. Wow, that was a shocker. Looks like the UFC Heavyweight Division might have a new player. Werdum just got caught and actually leaned into the uppercut.
Winner: Junior Dos Santos by KO R1 1:20
Georges St-Pierre is at the show tonight.
[b]Lightweight Fight- Rich Clementi (40-12-1) vs. Gray Maynard (6-0)[/b]
I think Rich has the advantage in experience but I'll have to go back and look at how many fights they've had to figure that out for sure.
R1- Maynard got a take down with about a minute and a half left in the round and got in some shots but not too much. First round was uneventful until the Maynard take down. Maynard takes round one 10-9 but this is anybody's fight.
Matt Hughes is in the crowd tonight, seems like there are a ton of guys at the show tonight. Hughes got a smattering of boos from the crowd.
R2- Maynard got a take down early into the round and clamped on a guillotine but Clementi stood up and got out of the hold. Maynard took Clementi down and avoided a triangle but Clementi grabbed his arm. Maynard avoided a submission and moved back to half guard. Clementi is doing a good job in keeping an active guard and constantly looking for submissions. Maynard takes this round, so i've got him up 20-18.
R3- Maynard gets an early slam/take down. Maynard took him down until about 2 minutes left when Clementi got up but Maynard took him down again. Clementi escaped out and tried to take Maynard's back but couldn't and Maynard took him down again. I've got Maynard 30-27.
Not a real exciting fight but Maynard controlled the fight and thus gets the victory.
Judges score cards are: 30-27 on all three score cards.
Winner: Gray Maynard by Decision (Unanimous)
Rashad Evans is at the fights tonight, he was a college team mate of Gray Maynard at Michigan State.
[b]Welterweight Fight- Thiago Alves (21-4) vs. Josh Koscheck (13-2)[/b]
Koscheck comes in to the RHCP "Higher Ground." Koscheck has better intro music and a 3" reach advantage. I really disliked Koscheck on TUF because he was a jerk and a boring fighter but you really have to respect him for stepping up to take Sanchez's spot on short notice. Plus, he's destruction of Chris Lytle a few months back was pretty great. That and he's fighting a guy that didn't make weight for his last fight. Someone Koscheck has become the fan favorite in this fight for me even though he still gets boo'd by the fans.
R1- Koscheck slipped early but got out of dodge before Alves could touch him. Alves popped Koshcheck about a minute in and Koscheck went down and Alves pounced on him. Koscheck grabbed onto a leg to avoid further pain but Alves stood up and then kicked Josh in the head. Somehow Koscheck holds on and recovers. Koscheck comes back with a couple of jabs. Koscheck starting to land some shots. Koscheck went for a take down but was denied. Really strong first round. Alves owned the beginning and Koscheck came back and controlled the second half of the round. Alves takes this 10-9 as he came close to finishing Koscheck early.
R2- Koscheck is throwing a lot of punches early and hits a head kick that looked to be partially deflected. Koscheck is really active here in the second round and is coming close to hitting a lot of big shots. Alves is hitting some leg kicks. Koscheck goes for a take down but Alves defends it well. Nobody really dominated this round but I think Koscheck controlled the majority of it while Alves mostly only got leg kicks. I've got it 19-19 right now.
R3- Alves comes out and rocks Koscheck against the cage. He hit a knee and then some punches. Koshcheck does a good job of holding onto Alves to avoid more punishment and wobbles to his feet and throws kicks to try and keep Alves at bay. Alves hits a left and then Koscheck clinches him. Alves hits a decent right and Koscheck clinches him again. Koscheck complains about an eye poke and the ref stops it for about 30 seconds. Koscheck has recovered from the shots earlier in the round and we've got two minutes and thirty seconds left in the fight with Alves in the lead. Koscheck pokes Alves in the eye and they stop the fight for recovery time. Alves hit a big leg kick that buckled Josh. Alves seems to be the agressor as the fight is coming to a close. Alves hits another good leg kick. They swing for the fences towards the end. Alves hits a big punch right at the end and then takes Koscheck down after the bell as Alves didn't hear the bell. Alves wins this round and the fight 29-28 in a good, entertaining fight.
Judges score cards say: 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27 in favor of Alves.
Winner: Thiago Alves by Decision (Unanimous)
Post-match interview sees Rogan calling for a title shot for Alves and Alves agreeing.
Jeff Samardzija, Cubs pitcher and former Notre Dame Wide Receiver, is at the show tonight. And Clay Guida is sitting right near him.
[b]Middleweight Title Fight- Anderson Silva (22-4) vs. Patrick Cote (14-4)[/b]
Silva has a 3" height advantage and a 2.5" reach advantage. We've already seen one big upset tonight in Werdum, let's see if we get another. I don't think we will but I don't think anybody expects Cote to win so you never know.
R1- Not much action in the first two minutes as Anderson is just kind of waiting for a spot and watching Cote. Anderson gets a few leg kicks in on Cote. Andrerson hit a kick and they mixed it up a little bit. Anderson then threw a knee that looked like it landed but he lost his balance and couldn't really follow up. Cote's forehead is cut. Not a great round but Anderson seemed to control the flow and tempo of the round and definitely hit the two best strikes of the round. I've got Anderson up 10-9 after round one.
R2- Anderson landed a good left to start the round and definitely looks more aggressive than the last round. Cote hit a spinning back fist and Anderson clinched him. Anderson with some leg kicks. Cote charged at him and Silva ducked him and landed in his guard. They are back tot heir feet now. Silva hit a low kick and Cote blocked it and then Silva tried it again and Cote caught it again and they clinched against the cage. Anderson starts to hit some knees to the body. Not a ton of offense but i've got Anderson taking this round as well so he's up 20-18. Anderson almost seems like he's playing with Cote in this fight just waiting for his spot to strike. This is Anderson's first time being taken to the third round in UFC and Cote seems proud of that fact as he holds up 3 fingers as the round starts.
R3- A few seconds into the round Cote blew out his knee without Anderson even touching him. Just a freak accident.
Winner: Anderson Silva TKO (Ref Stoppage) R3 0:39
[b]Middleweight Fight- Thales Leites (13-1) vs. Drew McFedries (7-4)[/b]
This was a pre-show fight. I'm thinking this is McFedries by KO since it looks like this will be a quick fight. Leites is coming off of his oddball win against Marquardt and has a 4 fight win streak. Leites has a 6" reach advantage.
R1- McFedries swings for the fences early and looked like he hit a strike but Leites held on and got McFedries to the ground. This one should be about over as McFedries only shot was on his feet. Leites gets the Rear Naked Choke and this one is over. Well I had that one wrong.
Winner: Thales Leites by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 1:18
This was a decent show that ended poorly due to the freak accident/injury of Patrick Cote. Alves/Koscheck was a very good fight. Dos Santos/Werdum was a huge upset. Sherk/Griffin was decent.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
UFC 85 "Bedlam" Re-Cap/Thoughts
UFC 85: "Bedlam"
O2 Arena, London, England
Heavyweight Fight- Fabrico Werdum (10-3-1) vs. Brandon Vera (8-1)
The Heavyweight division is far and away UFC's weakest division right now so the winner of this match is gonna rise to right near the top of the division. This looks like it has the potential to be a good fight.
R1- A lot of clinching early. Werdum gets in a shot or two. Werdum again comes at Vera and hits a couple of shots and then they clinch. Vera hits a knee or two. Werdum takes him down. Werdum getting in some offense in Vera's guard. Vera kicks him off and then fights off another take down. Vera caught Werdum with a left hook but Werdum avoided further damage and they clinch against the cage. Werdum gets another take down. Werdum gets in the mount position and Vera is just covering up and the ref stops it. Brandon Vera disputes the stoppage as he was taking some shots but he popped right back up after the finish. Joe Rogan says the finish was pre-mature. I have to agree that this was a bad stoppage. Werdum may have gone on and won in about 15 or 20 seconds but the stoppage looked pre-mature as Vera just popped right back up at the finish.
Winner: Fabrico Werdum by TKO R1 4:40
Post-Match Vera basically says "there was only 15 seconds left in the round. Let me take my ass whipping and let's go to Round 2".
Just a quick note that the ref here, Dan Miragliotta, is also the guy who didn't stop the Kimbo fight when James Thompson had Kimbo and was just destroying him up against the cage and then on the other end stopped the Thompson/Kimbo fight when Thompson was ahead on the card but took a couple of shots and had his ear busted open. Stopping a fight is a tough call but it's odd that the same game had had two controversial stoppages within what I think is 8 days.
Guy Ritchie is in the house.
Middleweight Fight- Nate Marquardt (29-7-2) vs. Thales Leites (12-1)
I've never seen Leites fight before. Marquardt has only one loss in the UFC and it was to Anderson Silva. Leites has a 4" reach advantage.
R1- Leites gets a couple of shots in near the cage about a minute in. Leites gets in a shot on the cage and then Nate comes after him and Leites just sticks Nate with a shot and he slumps to the mat. Leites all over Nate trying to finish him. Leites has a mount on Nate but Nate works him back to half guard. Nate gets up and looks to be recovered. Leites hits him with a jab. Nate hits a shot and then they clinch against the cage. Nate with a combo on Leites and Leites looks like he's hurt but he survives. Pretty even round with Nate finishing strong but Leites got the big shot and take down and he wins the round 10-9. Still anybody's fight.
R2- Nate comes out almost immediately with a right hand but then has to retreat quickly as Leites comes after him. Nate hits a nice combo and then rushes Leites and takes him down and nails him with an ILLEGAL knee to the face when Leites was down. Herb Dean calls for the doctor. Doctor says he's okay and Dean is going to give the fighter time to recover. Herb Dean takes a point away from Nate and they restart. Nate takes Leites down and Dean warns him about shots to the back of the head. Nate is trying to make up that point. Leites is busted open. Nate hitting some elbows. Nate dominating at this point. Joe Rogan says he thinks Leites nose is broken. Nate slips and gets mounted late in the round and the bell rings with Leites on top. Nate dominated this round but also lost a point due to the illegal knee. I've got the fight Leites 19 Nate 18 so far.
R3- They exchange so decent shots early in the round and Nate takes Leites down. Leites gets a submission attempt and Nate slips out. Ref stops the fight again and takes another point away from Nate, this time for a shot to the back of the head. With two points being taken away Nate has to finish in this fight or he will lose. Rogan says he thinks the shot was to the side of the head and it was a mistake. They re-start and Nate hits a knee. Both guys are really tired with about 30 seconds left. Nate has dominated this fight since the illegal knee. Nate picks up Leites and basically pile drives him right near the end of the fight. Nate wins the final two rounds but since he lost a point in both of them then they are scored 9-9.
I've got this one Leites 28 Nate 27 with the 2 points deducted from Nate. Judges score the fight 28-27 Leites, 28-27 Nate, and 28-27 Leites.
Winner: Thales Leites by Decision (Split)
Interesting how both of the first fights have been controversial due to referee decisions.
Chuck Liddell is at the show.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Jason Lambert (23-7) vs. Luiz Cane (8-1-1)
This is from the pre-show.
R1- Cane landed some shots when they clinched and then when Lambert was coming at him Cane nailed him. Lambert slumped down when Cane caught him again. Lambert trying to stay in this fight but seems to be getting overwhelmed and he gets caught again and it's called. Lambert just left himself open too much when he was going for strikes and paid the price.
Winner: Luiz Cane by TKO (Strikes) R1
Welterweight Fight- Marcus Davis (19-4) vs. Mike Swick (11-2)
I've been really impressed with what I've seen from Marcus Davis. Davis is on an 11 fight win streak. Swick has a large 7" reach advantage. Davis is former pro boxer turned MMA fighter. Fans are solidly behind Davis in this fight.
R1- Swick trying some kicks early and misses a knee. Davis connecting on more stuff early but nothing really damaging. They tie up and Davis gets a take down but can't control it and then Swick takes Davis down. Swick is getting in some good shots and has Davis pinned against the cage. Swick with some elbows. Davis is busted open, announcers think it's mostly old scar tissue. Swick wins this round as he took Davis down and Davis could not get back to his feet. Swick 10 Davis 9.
R2- Swick went for a kick and got popped with a right hand. Swick retaliates with akick and then hits a knee and floors Davis and is now down on top fo Davis in his guard. Swick looks surprisingly good tonight. They get back to their feet. Davis hits some combos up against the cage. Davis hitting some uppercuts and shots while they clinch and they are exchanging knees. Davis takes Swick down. Davis gets up but Swick takes him right down and has side control but not enough time to do anything with it. Swick control the beginning of this round, Davis the middle and Swick the end. Davis showed some life this round but I think Swick took this round although Davis may have done more damage so he could have gotten the nod in this round.
R3- They are exchanging shots throughout the first minute. Yamasaki deducts a point from Mike Swick for holding the fence- he had previously been warned. This could be huge if Davis were to win this round. Swick sees this and gets real aggressive and takes Davis down and is hitting him with shots. Davis is busted open. I think Swick takes this round as well. After the point deducted I've got Swick 29-27. Swick was really impressive here and Davis just never got going. Judges score the contest 29-27.
Winner: Mike Swick by Decision (Unanimous)
Middleweight Fight- Michael Bisping (16-1) vs. Jason Day (17-5)
This is announced as the "Co-Main Event". Bisping gets a big reaction, of course he's from England.
R1- Bisping gets Day to the ground about a minute in and a half in and lands some really good shots. Day is holding his head. Bisping continues to get some shots in on Day. Day gets back to his feet but gets taken down again. Bisping has his back and is hitting him with lots of punches. The ref finally steps in and stops the fight (Miragliotta's got to be real gun shy by now but this was a perfect stoppage). Bisping was very impressive in this fight and just dominated.
Winner: Michael Bisping by TKO (strikes)
Catchweight Fight- Matt Hughes (43-6) vs. Thiago Alves (20-4)
Alves did not make weight so they are fighting this as a "catchweight" fight. Hughes has a 3" reach advantage. Alves is only 24 years old.
R1- Thiago denies Hughes an early take down. Hughes goes for another one but it gets stuffed. Hughes pulls guard on Thiago. Thiago lands a couple of nice punches and then they stand up. Thiago hits a knee but Hughes is able to take Thiago down. Matt not really doing any damage to Thiago and Thiago gets up to his feet. Thiago takes Hughes down after a sprawl and Thiago lands some nice punches. Hughes controlled a lot of the middle portion of this round but Thiago did more damage. Alves 10 Hughes 9.
R2- Thiago hits a knee early and he's on top on the mat. Hughes is busted open. Alves hits Hughes with a flying knee and Hughes is a bloody mess and slumps to the mat. Herb Dean steps in to stop this fight and it's over. Alves looked really impressive here. When Hughes ate that knee Hughes felt right on his knee.
Winner: Thiago Alves by TKO (Knee Strike) R2 1:02
Post-match Matt Hughes says he's got at least one fight left in him and that's with Matt Serra.
Some more prelim fights:
Lightweight Fight- Matt Wiman vs. Thiago Tavares
R1- Wiman charges at Tavares throwing punches but Tavares grabs him in a guillotine and then grabs him in a triangle type move and then hits Wiman with a couple of upkicks. Wiman does a roll through into a leg lock but Tavares escapes. Tavares now with a heel hook but Wiman escapes. Really good fight so far and only two minutes in. Tavares on top and hitting some punches. Wiman catches him in a triangle but Tavares escapes and throws some punches. Good fight so far.
R2- Both guys come out swining in the second round and Tavares pops Wiman right in the face but Wiman takes it and comes back. Really good stuff early in this round. Wiman connects with a good punch. Tavares gets in a kick but then gets taken down. Wiman takes his back. Wiman peppers Tavares with some shots on the cage and Tavares just slumps to the mat and this one is over. Really good fight, great finish by Wiman.
Winner: Matt Wiman KO R2 1:57
Middleweight Fight- Jorge Rivera (15-6) vs. Martin Kampmann (12-1)
R1- Kampmann gets Rivera down and is in his guard about a minute in. Kampmann picks him up and slams him down on his back. Rivera went for an armbar but missed. Kampmann attempts to take the back of Rivera. Kampmann now with a guillotine and Rivera submits. Good showing by Kampmann as he dominated this one.
Winner: Martin Kampmann by Submission (Guillotine) R1 2:44
Overall Thoughts:
This was a good show that started out with 2 controversial finishes. Michael Bisping and Mike Swick really impressed me with their showings tonight. Thiago Alves looked great but he didn't make weight so he has that looming over him. The UFC doesn't seem to care too much though as he was one of the fighters that was awarded a bonus for his performance.
O2 Arena, London, England
Heavyweight Fight- Fabrico Werdum (10-3-1) vs. Brandon Vera (8-1)
The Heavyweight division is far and away UFC's weakest division right now so the winner of this match is gonna rise to right near the top of the division. This looks like it has the potential to be a good fight.
R1- A lot of clinching early. Werdum gets in a shot or two. Werdum again comes at Vera and hits a couple of shots and then they clinch. Vera hits a knee or two. Werdum takes him down. Werdum getting in some offense in Vera's guard. Vera kicks him off and then fights off another take down. Vera caught Werdum with a left hook but Werdum avoided further damage and they clinch against the cage. Werdum gets another take down. Werdum gets in the mount position and Vera is just covering up and the ref stops it. Brandon Vera disputes the stoppage as he was taking some shots but he popped right back up after the finish. Joe Rogan says the finish was pre-mature. I have to agree that this was a bad stoppage. Werdum may have gone on and won in about 15 or 20 seconds but the stoppage looked pre-mature as Vera just popped right back up at the finish.
Winner: Fabrico Werdum by TKO R1 4:40
Post-Match Vera basically says "there was only 15 seconds left in the round. Let me take my ass whipping and let's go to Round 2".
Just a quick note that the ref here, Dan Miragliotta, is also the guy who didn't stop the Kimbo fight when James Thompson had Kimbo and was just destroying him up against the cage and then on the other end stopped the Thompson/Kimbo fight when Thompson was ahead on the card but took a couple of shots and had his ear busted open. Stopping a fight is a tough call but it's odd that the same game had had two controversial stoppages within what I think is 8 days.
Guy Ritchie is in the house.
Middleweight Fight- Nate Marquardt (29-7-2) vs. Thales Leites (12-1)
I've never seen Leites fight before. Marquardt has only one loss in the UFC and it was to Anderson Silva. Leites has a 4" reach advantage.
R1- Leites gets a couple of shots in near the cage about a minute in. Leites gets in a shot on the cage and then Nate comes after him and Leites just sticks Nate with a shot and he slumps to the mat. Leites all over Nate trying to finish him. Leites has a mount on Nate but Nate works him back to half guard. Nate gets up and looks to be recovered. Leites hits him with a jab. Nate hits a shot and then they clinch against the cage. Nate with a combo on Leites and Leites looks like he's hurt but he survives. Pretty even round with Nate finishing strong but Leites got the big shot and take down and he wins the round 10-9. Still anybody's fight.
R2- Nate comes out almost immediately with a right hand but then has to retreat quickly as Leites comes after him. Nate hits a nice combo and then rushes Leites and takes him down and nails him with an ILLEGAL knee to the face when Leites was down. Herb Dean calls for the doctor. Doctor says he's okay and Dean is going to give the fighter time to recover. Herb Dean takes a point away from Nate and they restart. Nate takes Leites down and Dean warns him about shots to the back of the head. Nate is trying to make up that point. Leites is busted open. Nate hitting some elbows. Nate dominating at this point. Joe Rogan says he thinks Leites nose is broken. Nate slips and gets mounted late in the round and the bell rings with Leites on top. Nate dominated this round but also lost a point due to the illegal knee. I've got the fight Leites 19 Nate 18 so far.
R3- They exchange so decent shots early in the round and Nate takes Leites down. Leites gets a submission attempt and Nate slips out. Ref stops the fight again and takes another point away from Nate, this time for a shot to the back of the head. With two points being taken away Nate has to finish in this fight or he will lose. Rogan says he thinks the shot was to the side of the head and it was a mistake. They re-start and Nate hits a knee. Both guys are really tired with about 30 seconds left. Nate has dominated this fight since the illegal knee. Nate picks up Leites and basically pile drives him right near the end of the fight. Nate wins the final two rounds but since he lost a point in both of them then they are scored 9-9.
I've got this one Leites 28 Nate 27 with the 2 points deducted from Nate. Judges score the fight 28-27 Leites, 28-27 Nate, and 28-27 Leites.
Winner: Thales Leites by Decision (Split)
Interesting how both of the first fights have been controversial due to referee decisions.
Chuck Liddell is at the show.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Jason Lambert (23-7) vs. Luiz Cane (8-1-1)
This is from the pre-show.
R1- Cane landed some shots when they clinched and then when Lambert was coming at him Cane nailed him. Lambert slumped down when Cane caught him again. Lambert trying to stay in this fight but seems to be getting overwhelmed and he gets caught again and it's called. Lambert just left himself open too much when he was going for strikes and paid the price.
Winner: Luiz Cane by TKO (Strikes) R1
Welterweight Fight- Marcus Davis (19-4) vs. Mike Swick (11-2)
I've been really impressed with what I've seen from Marcus Davis. Davis is on an 11 fight win streak. Swick has a large 7" reach advantage. Davis is former pro boxer turned MMA fighter. Fans are solidly behind Davis in this fight.
R1- Swick trying some kicks early and misses a knee. Davis connecting on more stuff early but nothing really damaging. They tie up and Davis gets a take down but can't control it and then Swick takes Davis down. Swick is getting in some good shots and has Davis pinned against the cage. Swick with some elbows. Davis is busted open, announcers think it's mostly old scar tissue. Swick wins this round as he took Davis down and Davis could not get back to his feet. Swick 10 Davis 9.
R2- Swick went for a kick and got popped with a right hand. Swick retaliates with akick and then hits a knee and floors Davis and is now down on top fo Davis in his guard. Swick looks surprisingly good tonight. They get back to their feet. Davis hits some combos up against the cage. Davis hitting some uppercuts and shots while they clinch and they are exchanging knees. Davis takes Swick down. Davis gets up but Swick takes him right down and has side control but not enough time to do anything with it. Swick control the beginning of this round, Davis the middle and Swick the end. Davis showed some life this round but I think Swick took this round although Davis may have done more damage so he could have gotten the nod in this round.
R3- They are exchanging shots throughout the first minute. Yamasaki deducts a point from Mike Swick for holding the fence- he had previously been warned. This could be huge if Davis were to win this round. Swick sees this and gets real aggressive and takes Davis down and is hitting him with shots. Davis is busted open. I think Swick takes this round as well. After the point deducted I've got Swick 29-27. Swick was really impressive here and Davis just never got going. Judges score the contest 29-27.
Winner: Mike Swick by Decision (Unanimous)
Middleweight Fight- Michael Bisping (16-1) vs. Jason Day (17-5)
This is announced as the "Co-Main Event". Bisping gets a big reaction, of course he's from England.
R1- Bisping gets Day to the ground about a minute in and a half in and lands some really good shots. Day is holding his head. Bisping continues to get some shots in on Day. Day gets back to his feet but gets taken down again. Bisping has his back and is hitting him with lots of punches. The ref finally steps in and stops the fight (Miragliotta's got to be real gun shy by now but this was a perfect stoppage). Bisping was very impressive in this fight and just dominated.
Winner: Michael Bisping by TKO (strikes)
Catchweight Fight- Matt Hughes (43-6) vs. Thiago Alves (20-4)
Alves did not make weight so they are fighting this as a "catchweight" fight. Hughes has a 3" reach advantage. Alves is only 24 years old.
R1- Thiago denies Hughes an early take down. Hughes goes for another one but it gets stuffed. Hughes pulls guard on Thiago. Thiago lands a couple of nice punches and then they stand up. Thiago hits a knee but Hughes is able to take Thiago down. Matt not really doing any damage to Thiago and Thiago gets up to his feet. Thiago takes Hughes down after a sprawl and Thiago lands some nice punches. Hughes controlled a lot of the middle portion of this round but Thiago did more damage. Alves 10 Hughes 9.
R2- Thiago hits a knee early and he's on top on the mat. Hughes is busted open. Alves hits Hughes with a flying knee and Hughes is a bloody mess and slumps to the mat. Herb Dean steps in to stop this fight and it's over. Alves looked really impressive here. When Hughes ate that knee Hughes felt right on his knee.
Winner: Thiago Alves by TKO (Knee Strike) R2 1:02
Post-match Matt Hughes says he's got at least one fight left in him and that's with Matt Serra.
Some more prelim fights:
Lightweight Fight- Matt Wiman vs. Thiago Tavares
R1- Wiman charges at Tavares throwing punches but Tavares grabs him in a guillotine and then grabs him in a triangle type move and then hits Wiman with a couple of upkicks. Wiman does a roll through into a leg lock but Tavares escapes. Tavares now with a heel hook but Wiman escapes. Really good fight so far and only two minutes in. Tavares on top and hitting some punches. Wiman catches him in a triangle but Tavares escapes and throws some punches. Good fight so far.
R2- Both guys come out swining in the second round and Tavares pops Wiman right in the face but Wiman takes it and comes back. Really good stuff early in this round. Wiman connects with a good punch. Tavares gets in a kick but then gets taken down. Wiman takes his back. Wiman peppers Tavares with some shots on the cage and Tavares just slumps to the mat and this one is over. Really good fight, great finish by Wiman.
Winner: Matt Wiman KO R2 1:57
Middleweight Fight- Jorge Rivera (15-6) vs. Martin Kampmann (12-1)
R1- Kampmann gets Rivera down and is in his guard about a minute in. Kampmann picks him up and slams him down on his back. Rivera went for an armbar but missed. Kampmann attempts to take the back of Rivera. Kampmann now with a guillotine and Rivera submits. Good showing by Kampmann as he dominated this one.
Winner: Martin Kampmann by Submission (Guillotine) R1 2:44
Overall Thoughts:
This was a good show that started out with 2 controversial finishes. Michael Bisping and Mike Swick really impressed me with their showings tonight. Thiago Alves looked great but he didn't make weight so he has that looming over him. The UFC doesn't seem to care too much though as he was one of the fighters that was awarded a bonus for his performance.
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