MMA recap – September: UFC on FOX Sports, Bellator, WSOF, fight announcements

I’ve been on holiday for a couple of weeks, so there’s a lot to catch up on from the world of MMA. Lets waste no time.

UFC Fight Night 28: Bader vs. Texixeira

FIrst up, I left just before the last UFC on FOX even in Brazil, where Glover Teixeira booked a title shot with a win against Ryan Bader.

It was the result pretty much everyone was expecting, but not the manner. Despite Glover getting the first round KO he did not look that impressive and his stock definitely dropped after the fight. He looked sluggish and was wobbled a couple of times by his opponent. He’s going to have to do a lot better against Jon Jones otherwise he’s toast.

The most impressive performance of the night came from Ronaldo Jacaré Souza, who pounded divisional top-five mainstay Yushin Okami. No-one has handled Okami like that and finished him so decisevely apart from Anderson SIlva in the last several years. It was a sure-fire statement that Jacaré is ready for a title shot. The only thing that could stop that is a SIlva win against Chris Weidman will change that, as the pair of Brazilians have shown a reluctance to square off against each other.

The other main attraction of the card also ended in predicatable fashion, as Joseph Benavidez showed of his Joe-jitsu (how cool was that Burce Buffer announcement?) and stomped Jussier ‘Formiga’ Da Silva with strikes in the first frame. The Duane Ludwig-inspired Team Alpha male freight train was in full effect once again.

The rest of the main card was fun, with exciting finishes from newcomers Piotr Hallmann and Ali Bagautinov, while Rafael Natal triumphed over Tor Troeng in typically ramshackle display of sloppy MMA.

Bellator

Bellator kicked off it’s ninth season with two events in a week.

Bellator 98 was headlined by Alexander Schlemenko defending his middleweight strap for the first time against Brett Cooper. The first real shock of the season came when Derek Anderson took a decision over Patricky ‘Pitbull’ Freire in the quarter finals of the lightweight tournament.

On Friday, the other Pitbull, Patricky’s brother Patricio Freire (confusing eh?) established himself as the clear favourite for the featherweight tournament and a rematch with Pat Curran as he finished Diego Nunes.

No UFC or WEC fighter was able to finish Nunes in the last five years, so this was both shocking and impressive.

World Series of Fighting

Not many people paid much attention to this fifth event from NBC Sports’ MMA promotion because it was on the same night as the biggest boxing fight of the decade.

The wasn’t too much to shout about. Dave Branch established himself as the favourite for the middleweight tournament, proving the WSOF middleweight division isn’t all that. Rolled Gracie also got knocked out, which wasn’t a huge shock.

In the main event Andrei Arlovski got back on the winning track despite taking a trip to the canvas courtesy of Mike Kyle’s hands. He’s never going to shake off his weak chin stigma, but he is beginning to show that he can get back up and fight after taking heavy blows to the dome.

UFC matchmaking

The big announcement came today when Josh Thomson was announced as Anthony Pettis’s first opponent as title holder. The prospect of this fight makes me so happy. Another two endlessly exciting fighters will face off in a five-round fight, and it’s another case of Pettis trying to find a way to finish one of the grittiest fighters around. I won;t bet against him though, because he’s managed it in successive fights against Donald Cerrone and Ben Henderson. As a side note, how crazy is it that another former Strikeforce champion will fight a former WEC champion for the UFC belt? Not many people would have predicted this a few years ago.

In the heavyweight division Joe SIlva had an easy job matching winners and losers from two recent big heavyweight fights. FIrsst up, it’s make or break for Frank Mir and Alistair Overeem, who will probably be fighting for their jobs against each other at UFC 167. Their conquerers will fight each other at the mega new year event: UFC 168. Josh Barnett and Travis Browne is an intriguing style match up that will put the winner in a lofty spot in the rankings.

In other UFC 167 news Rashad Evans will fight Chael Sonnen and Rory Macdonald will get the test everyone wants to see against Robbie Lawler. It looks like the UFC matchmakers are having an absurd competition with each other to see just how much they can stack the final two PPV events of the year. I’m happy to watch them try.

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UFC 164 results and gifs: Pettis taps Henderson

Another UFC in the books, and we have a new lightweight champion.

Anthony Pettis def. Benson Henderson via verbal submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:31 – wins UFC lightweight championship

I’d thought the most likely outcome for this fight would have involved Bruce Buffer keeping everyone on the edge of their seats as he read the judges close scorecards. Ben Henerson i snot generally the kind of man that get’s finished even if his opponent is Anthony Pettis and we saw evidence of that in their fist fight.

The round started with some control against the cage from the champion that Pettis was able to survive without taking too much punishment. No-one stamped their authority on the fight until the challenger rattled off four consecutive right kicks to the body. THese weren’t even on Henderson’s live side, but he was visibly affected by their thunderous impact. From there, it looked like Pettis made the first error of the fight bey truing a flashy cartwheel kick and ending straight on his back in guard.

However, he used this to his advantage very quickly, controlling Bendo’s position and switching his hips tight and quick to lock in an armbar. A few seconds later and a futile attempt by Henderson to escape and the verbal tap came.

In the post-fight interview the new champ was calling out José Aldo, but I think he’ll probably have to defend his new 155lb prize a couple of times before the Brazilian makes his way up to  challenge for the belt. I can;t see the UFC brass letting him drop to featherweight. I also see Pettis handling anyone the lightweight division has to offer. If I had to pick one man to give him problems it would be Gilbert Melendez, but considering how capably Showtime has handled his last four opponents I would say he will have a rough go at that.

Josh Barnett def. Frank Mir via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1:56

Josh Barnett got a win in his return to the UFC after nearly a decade with a TKO of the always TKO-able Frank Mir. He had a perfect gameplan, rushing Mir early and throwing a barrage odf strikes to the head and body. I honestly thought he was on the way to screwing everything up when knees started missing their mark, the face became the secondary target and Mir started firing back, but I need not have had any doubt as Barnett delivered a knee which crumpled the former champ to the mat and brought the stoppage.

I think the stoppage was a tad early, but not terrible. Mir should have been allowed the chance to recover (which he did seconds later), but if Barnett had been able to throw a couple more punches Mir would have had his lights out in short order. Where’s Dan Miragliotta when you need him.

Barnett has set himself up for some high-profile fights at heavyweight now, but I don;t think he’ll ever really be in for a title hunt with guys like Velasquez, Dos Santos and Cormier around. Mir has lost three straight but still has a place in the division. He’s a good fighter who’s lost to three top 10 fighters and he could still crush most heavyweights with ease. His title hunting days are over though.

Chad Mendes def. Clay Guida via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:30

Chad Mendes is a stone-cold killer, and really proved it by grabbing a fourth KO in a row against a notoriously impossible-to-KO fighter.

Clay Guida had nothing for Mendes in the grappling or striking departments, and when the Team Alpha Male prospect finally uncorked the kind of punches that had the potential to end the fight the fight was well and truly ended.

Mendes is ready for an Aldo rematch now. He might not win, but I don;t think he’ll get blown up like he did last time. He’s by far and away proved himself to be the number one contender and improved his skills enough that a rematch is still compelling. If he is given one more fight before he gets that chance you won;t find me complaining though. It will just be another chance for us to see hime flex his skills and blow up another 145 pounder.

Ben Rothwell def. Brandon Vera via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:54

This could finally be Brandon Vera’s ticket out of the UFC. He fought quite well at first, but he couldn’t stop Rothwell putting him up against the cage and when the big mid-westerner finally turned on the power Vera was helpless.

Big Ben might want to be careful what he asks for in his post-fight interviews though. A fight with Travis Browne is likely to nring one thing his way. A severe ass kicking.

Dustin Poirier def. Erik Koch via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)

This was the fight of the night for sure (despite what the official list of UFC bonuses might say). A back and forth battle with high offensive output in all areas of mixed martial arts. It looked like Poirier was done for when he was caught in a tight triangle early in the first and even when he finally managed to escape he looked like he was close to passing out. However, he gritted his teeth and swung the momentum back in his favour.

After this excellent punch ‘The Diamond’ rained down blows on ‘New Breed’ until the end of the round before following up with a second round of dominance. The punishment he dealt out in the first was so great in fact, that two judges gave him a 10-8 score despite the trouble he’d been in earlier on.

To his credit, Koch came back and won the third round, but unless he was about to score a finishing blow or hail-Mary submission the fight was Poirier’s.

Whatever the outcome of this fight my sentiments would have been the same as they are now. I can;t wait to see these young exciting fighters matched up with other high-quality featherweights for years to come. Boredom will never be an issue with these men fighting.

Prelim results

The official fight of the night was Hyun Gyu Lim’s destruction of Pascal Krausss. This was a hugely entertaining few minutes of violence, and striking to see how ENORMOUS Lim is at 170lbs. With reckless gameplanning like that he won’t be troubling the division’s elite any time soon, but he will definitely give some top-25 fighters some trouble and provide some outrageous excitement whether he’s delivering the damage or eating it.

The Jacaré award for upkick eating goes to Kyung Ho Kang, who pretty much lost his fight with Chico Camus as a result of taking this beauty.

The early contender for submission of the night was this nice guillotine from Magnus Cedenblad in the night’s opening contest.

Finally, I can’t not mention the slop-fest that was Soa Palelei win over Nikita Krylov in his return to the Octagon. The big Aussie was not impressive in his first UFC fight all those years ago, and broken rib or not, he was not impressive here. The blame can;t lie squarely at his door though. I’d herad Sherdog.com’s Jordan Breen describe how bad Krylov was on Friday, and the young Ukrainian scertyainly lived up to his billing. He played right into Paleelei’s limited abilities and deserveddly got beaten. I guess these horrorshow fight sare a bit of fun every once in a while, but I hope most of this sort of thing is reserved for the likes of Bellator and World Series of Fighting in future. It was BRUTAL to watch.

Gleison Tibau def. Jamie Varner via split decision (29-28, 27-29, 29-28)
Tim Elliott def. Louis Gaudinot via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Hyun Gyu Lim def. Pascal Krauss via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:58
Chico Camus def. Kyung Ho Kang via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Soa Palelei def. Nikita Krylov via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:34
Al Iaquinta def. Ryan Couture via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Magnus Cedenblad def. Jared Hamman via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:57

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UFC Fight Night 27: Kampmann vs. Condit 2 post fight press conference video

Now with added production values.

Now that post-fight pressers are broadcast live on FOX Sports you can actually hear all of the questions, captions appear along with the fighters and the interviews are broken up with little highlight vignettes.

They’re nice new elements to add and hopefully they’ll continue through the rest of the UFC’s events from now on.

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UFC Fight Night 26 Results: Chael Sonnen submits Shogun

Some people are hailing last night’s UFC event as one of the cards of the year. It’s difficult to argue.

It had all the elements of a great event including flashy KOs, comebacks, wild brawls and some sneaky submissions.

Chael Sonnen def. Mauricio Rua via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 4:47

Poor Shogun. This is his second defeat in a row that has carried an air of sadness about it and it effectively ends his career as a legitimate contender in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.

The former PRIDE grand prix champion looked in good shape when he turned the fight around after Sonnen struck first with a powerful double-leg takedown, but he wasn’t able to offer much offence, or make much of a meaningful threat to take the fight on to the feet.

He defended one Sonnen guillotine attempt, but he was not ready for the second, and his army of fans were left to digest the uncomfortable reality that he was forced to tap out with a few seconds to go in round number one.

Sonnen doesn’t really flex his submission game too often. In fact, he’s famous for allowing his opponents to flex theirs. However, he has some decent chokes in his arsenal for anyone who’s slack on their submission defence, and it was a surprise for Shogun last night.

On a final note: Sonnen’s call out of Wanderlei Silva was wonderful. The absence of a Sonnen victory in the recent past led me to forget about his mic work, but he proved once again that he’s the best in the business in immediately setting the scene for his next encounter.

Travis Browne def. Alistair Overeem via KO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:08

Alistair Overeem really can’t take a shot, and that is bad news for him in the heavyweight division.

To his credit, he came out from the opening bell like a man with a point to prove and bludgeoned Travis Browne with knees to the body and punches, which would have killed any normal person, never mind knock them out.

Browne hung in there and deserves credit for intelligently defending himself (yes, covering up is good defence if your arms block all punches) and getting back to his feet. When the two giants were back on their feet, Overeem was giving it the ol’ crouch-and-drop-hands and was a sitting duck for a nice front kick that floored him. Browne’s reaction and coffin-nail hammerfists were also worthy of applause, as the Dutchman had no chance to recover and survive.

Browne should be paired up with another heavyweight coming off a win in his next fight. Overeem? Who knows.

Urijah Faber def. Yuri Alcantara via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)

These scorecards were absurd. Not because Faber didn’t win but because Alcantara definitively took the first round. It was a surprise to me and I think a surprise to The California Kid that his opponent was able to drop him so easily and take very dangerous dominant positions from the word go and maintain them for the majority of the first five minute period.

The following 10 minutes showed just how great of a fighter Faber is though, as he won the grappling battle and got in position to throw powerful elbows from the top and staying out of danger.

Not the most thrilling, blood and guts fight involving Urijah Faber ever, but an exciting affair that should have sent grappling heads spinning.

Matt Brown def. Mike Pyle via KO (punches) – Round 1, 0:29

I think Matt Brown’s handiwork speaks for itself, because pretty much nothing else happened in this fight.

Is he a title contender now? No

Is Mike Pyle practically a champion? Absolutely not.

But is Matt Brown deserving of a high quality fighter for his next contest, where a win could propel him legitimately towards that belt? Oh yes. A six fight win streak is not to be scoffed at, especially at welterweight and it deserves just that kind of reward.

John Howard def. Uriah Hall via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

Last night’s one real low point, and best forgotten. Uriah Hall has shat the bed in two UFC fights now, meaning he should probably be cut despite his stylish TUF heroics.

The fact that John Howard was a serviceable fighter, but a late replacement best suited to 170lbs is not going to help matters. Credit to Doomsday though. He got the job done and his foot back in the UFC door. Hopefully he’ll make thee trip back down to welterweight and put on some more entertaining fights.

Michael Johnson def. Joe Lauzon via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25)

For my money, the award for most impressive performance on the main card goes to Michael Johnson. Joe Lauzon was heavily favoured in this fight but he had no answer to Johnson’s forward pressure, punches and kicks in combinations, accuracy and power.

Johnson was unlucky not to stop the fight in the first round and can be forgiven for fading slightly in the second. He was still up against a legitimate, established top-20 lightweight.

Prelims

The award for most impressive performance of the night has to got to young Michael McDonald. Simply put, he kicked Brad Pickett’s ass all over the octagon for five minutes and only the Brit’s otherworldly chin saved him from a referee’s stoppage or even a trip out of the cage on a stretcher.

In the second round Pickett tried to turn the tables on the matt, but McDonald responded with a remarkably fast triangle attempt, which I wouldn’t have expected a fighter with the grappling ability of Pickett to be caught in. Then despite a decent effort to escape, the tap followed.

McDonald doesn;t even train at a renowned gym, yet he’s already beaten several top contenders and given Renan Barao his toughest test in the UFC to date. He’s got power like no-one else in the lighter weight classes and a ferocious appetite for violence. He’s also still a baby in the sport. Sean Shelby. Please get this man back on our screens soon and as often as possible.

Also worth a mention are Conor McGregor’s unremarkable, but impressive (especially considering an apparent knee injury) win against tough as they come Hawaiian youngster Max Holloway, and Steve Siler’s KO of former featherweight champ Mike Brown. Siler was promised a bit of Uncle Dana’s backroom bonus action for this KO, and I certainly won’t begrudge him it.

Michael McDonald def. Brad Pickett via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:43
Conor McGregor def. Max Holloway via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Steven Siler def. Mike Brown via KO (punches) – Round 1, 0:50
Diego Brandao def. Daniel Pineda via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Manny Gamburyan def. Cole Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Ovince St. Preux def. Cody Donovan via KO (punches) – Round 1, 2:07
James Vick def. Ramsey Nijem via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:58

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UFC 160: Velasquez vs Bigfoot 2 results and gifs

Cain Velasquez surprised no-one, Junior Dos Santos made sure Mark Hunt didn’t surprise anyone, and most of the rest of the fighters on the UFC 160 did their best to surprise me by putting on a pretty solid top to bottom card.

Cain Velasquez def. Antonio Silva via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:21 – retains heavyweight title

Like I said, this came as a surprise to almost no-one.

Bigfoot defended Cain’s initial takedown attempts quite well to make sure this fight wasn’t a repeat of their first encounter. However, he was soon found out on the feet, and was caught with two punches while he attempted (in vain) to land a cumbersome strike of his own.

The champ followed up with punches while his opponent was turtled up, and that was a wrap. While I think the fight could have been left to run a little while longer, let’s be under no illusion, Silva was going nowhere.

Junior dos Santos def. Mark Hunt via knockout (strikes) – Round 3, 4:18

The dream is over, this is how #rallyformarkhunt ends, but what a fight it was. If anyone had said Hunt would have lasted until the thirs round with the world’s #2 heavyweight, and pushed him most of the way there, they would have been laughed at. THe fact that he was still even in with a chance going into the final frame was remarkable.

At first I thought JDS had not performed well because he did not put away Hunt, but it is only because because Hunt has raised his game so much in the last few years and was able to show off his granite chin that he lasted that long. If anyone else would have been hit with the punch that floored the Super Samoan in round one  they might have been killed, never mind knocked out.

Dos Santos used superior footwork and a equality jab to outclass Hunt, and then finished him with what must have been the only strike that could have put him down for good.

He’ll fight velasquez again, and that’s the only real choice.

Glover Teixeira def. James Te Huna via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:38

Teixeira was too experienced for Te Huna. The Kiwi held his own quite nicely on the feet against pretty steep odds, but as soon as the fight hit the mat it was clear he was out of his depth. Once the Brazilian pulled guard, it was obvious he was confident he had the guillotine locked in.

Glover needs a high-level fight next, and it could tip him over the edge into title contention. Lets see how the light heavyweight cluster turns out at 160. Whoever gets a good win there should be his next opponent.

T.J. Grant def. Gray Maynard via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:07

Wow. Gray Maynard came swinging oit of the gates and had no respect for Grant’s striking ability or power. Boy, was that a mistake.He got caught as he was lazily defending a combination, and never regained his senses to the point where he could defend the follow-up attack.

Is grant ready to defend a barrage of Ben Henderson leg kicks and ground and pound? Maybe not, But it should provide an exciting fight.

Donald Cerrone def. KJ Noons via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Cerrone would have clearly had too much for Noons on the ground, and it turned out he had too much on the feet too. Not to mention Noons’ apparent adrenaline dump after roud one that made proceedings even easier for Cowboy. Another top 10 match up awaits for the Jackson’s product.

Prelims recap

In an odd preliminary card featuring weird decisions, another Geoge Roop success at 135lbs and another grappling clinic from Khabib Nurmagomedov, the highlight for me was this KO from Rober Whittaker. Colton Smith was cruising into round two, looking good on the feet against Whittaker’s odd boxing guard, and with the potential to win the fight on the mat whenever he wanted. However, he was then tagged over and over again, and flattened in the opening stages of round three.

Mike Pyle def. Rick Story via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Dennis Bermudez def. Max Holloway via unanimous decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Robert Whittaker def. Colton Smith via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:41
Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Abel Trujillo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Stephen Thompson def. Nah-Shon Burrell via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
George Roop def. Brian Bowles via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:43
Jeremy Stephens def. Estevan Payan via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)

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UFC on FX: Belfort vs Rockhold results, gifs

A belated look at Saturday’s UFC, where Vitor Belfort endeared himself to everyone by courting controversy with his TRT use, getting a spectacular KO victory, and then threatening anyone who mentioned TRT at the post-fight presser.

Vitor Belfort def. Luke Rockhold via knockout (strikes) – Round 1, 2:32

I’ll be honest, I didn’t see this coming, and neither did Luke Rockhold apparently.

I thought Rockhold would be able to survive the traditional ‘Phenom’ first round assault, but I hadn’t anticipated such a dynamic kicking attack. Belfort didn’t give the lastStrikeforce middleweight champion any chance to get going at all.

To be fair to Rockhold, he has a hell of a chin. Almost anybody else would have been knocked out cold, but it took a few more coffin nails to finally put him away and even then, he wasn’t completely unconscious.

This win should set Belfort up for either a #1 contenders fight or a rematch with Anderson Silva. However, there are a couple of problems with that. First, Keith Kizer, head of the NSAC has stated that TRT use in the wake of a previous positive drug test will probably equal a serious road block for fighting in Vegas again. So Belfort is screwed there. Second, Anderson Silva is hardly one for giving rematches to opponent he iced in the first round.

Rockhold, on the other hand, will be back, and back into contention soon enough. He is young, with dynamic, well rounded skills, and a match on paper for most fighters at middleweight not named Anderson Silva.

Ronaldo Souza def. Chris Camozzi via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:37

This was the most thrilling fight of the night for me, and the chance to watch a true BJJ master at work.

Jacaré repeatedly passed through Camozzi’s guard like a hot knife through butter, and locked up the arm-triangle choke so tight that the tap came within seconds.

Caamozzi was a solid fighter on a good win streak, but his wins were against fighters that were far from the summit of the division, and he had never even attempted a takedown in his entire UFC run before this fight. That should have made it abundantly clear – if it wasn’t already – that Camozzi was going to want no part of the former Strikeforce champ’s ground game.

Jacaré is unrivalled on the mat at 185lbs, and I would love to see him take on the division’s elite now that he is in the UFC. Fights against Weidman, Boetch, Lombard, Philippou, Okami and Belfort are tantalising, to say the absolute least, and it will be interesting to see where he goes from here.

Rafael dos Anjos def. Evan Dunham via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

This was a fairly controversial one, which is a shame because it was an entertaining, high quality back-and forth fight. Dunham probably should have got the nod, but hey ho, this fight will probably all be forgotten as soon as Dos Anjos loses a fight against a top-10 lightweight and Dunham starts picking up wins again.

Rafael Natal def. Joao Zeferino via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

A tepid way to start the maid card, though not entirely unexpected seeing as it was contested by two late replacements. This fight literally sent me to sleep.

Prelim results

The preliminary card was pretty great, more than compensating for the lacklustre main card curtain jerker. Here are clips of the pick of the bunch

Gleison Tibau finished an opponent (!) to get himself back on the winning track, and solidify his place on the UFC roster.

If it wasn’t for the main event, John Linkeker would probably have secured the KO of the night bonus for this fantastic TKO. It began with a right kick to the body, got serious with a devastating hook to the same spot, and finished with the formality of ground and pound.

The fight of the night was the frankly absurd war between Lucas Martins and Jeremy Larsen. Defence didn’t really seem to be a part of either man’s gameplan, as they blasted each other in the face for two rounds, with Larsen gaining the upper hand. Martins turned things around early in the third, dropping his opponent like a sack of spuds within seconds of the restart, and sending the crowd completely wild.

Nik Lentz def. Hacran Dias via unanimous decision (28-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Francisco Trinaldo def. Mike Rio via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:08
Gleison Tibau def. John Cholish via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 2:34
Paulo Thiago def. Michel Prazeres via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Yuri Alcantara def. Iliarde Santos via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:31
Fabio Maldonado def. Roger Hollett via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-27)
John Lineker def. Azamat Gashimov via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:07
Jussier Formiga def. Chris Cariaso via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Lucas Martins def. Jeremy Larsen via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 0:13

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UFC 159 Results, Gifs

UFC 159 played out with only a couple of genuine surprises, and the fights with top billing played out more or less how most people predicted. However, there were a few things that caught the eye (and not just wayward fingers).

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship – Jon Jones def. Chael Sonnen via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:33 

Everyone expected Jon Jones to win this fight handily, but perhaps not quite with such completely ruthless efficiency.

Sonnen came out and took the fight to Jones right out of the gate, but the champion tackled that by countering fire with fire, and taking the fight to the mat.

The challenger put up a spirited fight for a short time, but once Jones really let loose with ground and pound the fight was always going to be moments from its climax. Some observers complained that the stoppage was a little swift, but Sonnen was going nowhere and he was only going to eat more and more devastating shots.

As a little caveat to the fight, Jones fought with this nasty little injury, only realising his toe was hanging off once Jo Rogan stepped in to interview him. Then, he even went and completed his post-fight press conference obligations. He has stones for sure, and I could be wrong, but I think fans are finally starting to warm to him. Not before time too.

Jones is the greatest light heavyweight of all time, and is surely not far away from building a resume that compares to Anderson Silva’s or Georges St-Pierre’s.

Michael Bisping def. Alan Belcher via technical unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Again, the way this fight played out was entirely expected with Bisping out-landing Belcher on the feet.

What was unexpected was Belcher’s strategy of holding his hands down and just allowing Bisping to punch him repeatedly in the face.

The Brit was unlikely to get the KO, but that did not matter as he racked up punch after punch.

Of course it was unfortunate the fight had to end with that gruesome eye poke. I hope that Belcher can recover soon, because for all of his flaws, he is still an exciting fighter, and belongs just outside the middleweight top 10.

Roy Nelson def. Cheick Kongo via KO (punch) – Round 1, 2:03

Cheick Kongo doesn not have the best chin. Roy Nelson is good at stepping inside and connecting his hayeymakers with people’s chins.

Combine those two ingredients and you get this fight, entirely predictable.

Big Country will never win the UFC belt, but he’s going to knock out all but the division’s elite and remain a beloved and entertaining figure while he’s at it.

Phil Davis def. Vinny Magalhaes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Another disappointingly predictable fight. Phil Davis kept the fight standing for the most part and used his superior (though still far from outstanding) striking to out-point the BJJ ace.

Pat Healy def. Jim Miller via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:02

Now this was a shock. Jim Miller was the hot favourite, a top-10 ranked lightweight with an outstanding record and level of consistency.

He came out of the gate as you might have expected, taking control of the fight and winning the first round.

The second round started, and it was like a switch had been flicked. Miller had no answer for the striking and grappling of Healy, and the New Jersey crowd was silenced as the new arrival from Strikeforce controlled position, and battered his opponent from bell to bell. There was no let up in round number three, and all chance of a turn in the tide were suffocated by ‘Bam Bam’.

He closed the show with a submission that Miller was powerless to stop, and secured himself a nice double fight and submission of the night bonus.

Prelims

The  preliminary fights didn’t provide too many highlights, but there were a couple bright spots in a series of bouts marred injury weirdness dull MMA.

Sara McMann suggested she could be a major player in the women’s 135lb division with dynamite wrestling and a impressive killer instinct. Once she had Sheila Gaff locked in that mounted crucifix she rained down a barrage of punches that forced the finish.

The other extremely impressive performance on the undercard was that of Bryan Caraway. I didn’t give him much of a chance against Johnny Bedford, who had lived up to his ‘Brutal’ moniker very nicely so far in his UFC appearances. I was shocked to find that the shy, retiring, often nervous wreck of a fighter that had often appeared when Caraway stepped into the octagon was nowhere to be seen as he completely dominated his opponent, and secured the finish with seconds to spare.

Rustam Khabilov def. Yancy Medeiros via TKO (thumb injury) – Round 1, 2:32
Ovince St. Preux def. Gian Villante via majority technical decision (30-28, 30-29, 29-29)
Sara McMann def. Sheila Gaff via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:06
Bryan Caraway def. Johnny Bedford via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 3, 4:44
Cody McKenzie def. Leonard Garcia via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Steven Siler def. Kurt Holobaugh via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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UFC on FOX 7: Belated post-fight thoughts

Josh Thomson, apparently rather pleased after his UFC on FOX 7 win

As I’m so late with this thanks to so many work/life commitments, I had planned to keep this short.

However, UFC on FOX 7 was so great, I think I’ve really got to comment on just about every fight. I’ll try to keep it as pithy as I can though.

Benson Henderson def. Gilbert Melendez via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) 

This was a great, great fight, by two of the best pound for pound fighters in the world in my opinion. It was so, so close as well. I can’t bring myself to cry foul over the decision, but there was definately a valid argument from everyone who felt that Melendez deserved the win.

This was the kind of title fight that the 155lb division breeds in spades thanks to its extraordinary depth of talent. Both fighters locked horns in the closest way to the literal sense as you can get. They were constantly moving forward and exchanging with each other on the feet in ferocious clashes, mixed up with some of the highest level, most evenly matched grappling you are likely to see.

The two warriors clash. This could have been at any point in the fight

My only quibble with the fight was Melendez’s corners insistence that he was ahead in the fight. Unless GSP is fighting, you can pretty much NEVER be sure that you’re ahead on points, and sadly this is largely because of suspect judging. I actually thought the judging wasn’t too bad here, but perhaps if Melendez thought he needed to win this round emphatically then he might have pulled it out of the bag.

I hope Melendez gets another shot at the belt. He belongs at the very top of this division. In the mean time, I can’t wait to see who he fights next, though it will be bizarre to see him fight in a three-round fight.

Daniel Cormier def. Frank Mir via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

I was surprised that this fight ended up being the lull in action on the main card.

Dan Cormier admitted nerves got to him, and he largely won this fight in the clinch, happy to stay out of danger on the ground, but hesitent to throw the wild strikes that felled Barnett and Silva.

I have no doubt that if he had, Mir would have crumbled, but maybe he just needed to get this fight out of the way before he comes back and reaches his full potential in his next outing.

Josh Thomson def. Nate Diaz via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 3:44

Wow, just wow.

The Diaz brothers simply do not get stopped under normal circumstances, but Josh Thomson absolutely flattened Nate Diaz.

His strategy in this fight was perfect. He stayed well out of danger in all areas, and landed punishing shots whenever he stepped up to mount some offence.

He won;t get the next title shot, but after his razor-close loss to Gil Melendez, and a performance of this magnitude, he has to be in the running with one more high profile win.

Matt Brown def. Jordan Mein via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:00

Matt Brown is the FOX king after winning this war. The action in this was absolutely relentless and I was on the edge of my seat for the full six minutes.

Lesser fighters would have been finished multiple times under the weight of the heavy leather that was being thrown, but Brown and young-gun Mein stayed in there thorough the opening frame. I was sure Mein’s body shot would have finished Brown, but he is a hard bastard, and made it to his stool, ready to fire back after a minutes respite.

And fire back he did. He threw punches to kill, and once Mein’s nose was smashed I guess the pain just became too much and he crumbled under the immense pressure.

Mein will be back, and he has a long career ahead for sure. Brown has now won five on the spin, and could have a top-10 opponent in his future. I’d guess he’d lose, but on this role, who knows. Stranger things have happened

Chad Mendes def. Darren Elkins via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:08
Joseph Benavidez def. Darren Uyenoyama via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:50
TJ Dillashaw def. Hugo Viana via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:22

Team Alpha Male crushed their opposition.

Noone looks like they have a prayer at the moment with these guys, particularly Chad Mendes, who has now demolished three opponents in less than four minutes.

TJ Dillashaw is still on his way up, but Joseph Benavidez and Mendes have firmly established themselves as the #1 contenders at flyweight and featherweight respectively  It might be a tricky sell to grant them rematches no, given the recency of their defeats to their divisions’ champions, but if they keep performing like this Sean Shelby will have no option.

Benavidez particularly has every chance of beating Demitrious Johnson (Mendes will probably get iced by José Aldo again, but hey).

Myles Jury def. Ramsey Nijem via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:02
Anthony Njokuani def. Roger Bowling via TKO (punch) – Round 2, 2:52
Yoel Romero def. Clifford Starks via knockout (strikes) – Round 1, 1:32

Three more fun knockouts. I was particularly impressed by Myles Jury, who continues to impress improbably after coming of a fairly unspectacular series of TUF. It’s not every day you see TUFfers come off the show and begin solid win streaks, but he is doing just that.

That Yoel Romero knee though. Damn

Francis Carmont def. Lorenz Larkin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

An effort needs to be made to make sure this guy loses a fight by decision. Once again he won on points when he did not deserve to. It’s enough to make you weep for Lorenz Larkin.

Jorge Masvidal def. Tim Means via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Decent performance from Masvidal in his UFC debut. However, I DEMAND VIOLENCE FROM THIS MAN. Watch this space though. If he has the fight style match up sparks will fly

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The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale results, gifs

Urijah Faber def. Scott Jorgensen via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 4, 3:16

‘The California Kid’ should have finally made it apparent by now that he is going to beat all but the absolute best in the bantamweight division.

Scott Jorgensen is a very good fighter, and worthy of his top-10 status, but despite being able to stay fairly competitive with Faber, he ended up falling victim to Faber’s outstanding offensive grappling in the fourth round.

Faber is probably going to occupy a similar position at 135lbs that Jon Fitch occupied at welterweight until recently. However, Faber is probably not as far away as Fitch was from actually being able to win a title, and there will certainly be an appetite to see Faber challenge for the belt in a few victories time, especially if it is against Dominick Cruz.

Kelvin Gastelum def. Uriah Hall via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Hall was the overwhelming favourite going into this fight, but after Gastelum’s performances in the TUF house, particularly in the semi final  it would have been foolish to completely write him off.

As it turned out, Hall made his life much easier by deciding against mounting much effective offence in the first round, allowing his opponent a head start that two of the three judges decided he could not make up.

Cat Zingano def. Miesha Tate via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 2:55

This fight was sloppy as hell at times, and it seemed that the clearly bigger and stronger Cat Zingano allowed herself to give up position against the more experienced and disciplined former Strikeforce champion, Miesha Tate.

Tate was 20-18 up on the scorecards going into the final round, but Zingano took over in the final stanza, doing some serious damage from the top, and then finishing things off with a barrage of knees and a final elbow.

As violent as this assault was, I think Tate should have been afforded a little more time to recover. Kim Wilmslow is a notoriously terrible referee, and stepping in as soon as Tate hit the floor seemed a little over eager to me.

However, with her exciting fights and history with Ronda Rousey, Tate should be a fixture in the UFC women’s 135lb division for some time to come.

Travis Browne def. Gabriel Gonzaga via knockout (elbows) – Round 1, 1:11

Gabriel Gonzaga is not very durable, and he seems to have finally twigged that sticking to his grappling is the recipe for success for his MMA career.

Unfortunately for him Travis Brown was still able to hail down elbows and put him out after just 61 seconds.

There have been plenty of observers that have decided that Gonzaga was out before any elbows started getting buried into the back of his head, but I beg to difffer. I actually think ‘Napao’ has a case in appealing against this loss.

Robert McDaniel def. Gilbert Smith via submission (triangle choke) – Round 3, 2:49

This fight did not belong on the main card and it was pretty painful to watch. Thankfully McDaniel was able to finish the fight with a nice triangle/armbar to save viewers from two more minutes of frustration.

UFC on FUEL TV 9: Mousasi vs. Latifi results

Despite a lacklustre main event, the UFC’s return to Sweden was refreshingly entertaining. Fights that had me shifting in my seat were few and far between, and the occasion brought some pretty impressive performances out of some fighters that I had not expected

Gegard Mousasi def. Ilir Latifi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

As previously mentioned, this was a bit of a let down. It was apparent before the fight began that Latifi, and unranked, late replacement had no business being in the cage with the former Dream and Strikeforce champion, and that was confirmed in pretty short order once things got under way.

Latifi threw some heavy strikes that hit fresh air pretty much every time, while he was slowly jabbed to death. Mousasi didn’t show his usual killer instinct, although that could be down to the multitude of injuries and illnesses that have been reported ever since the klaxon to signal the end of the third round sounded. It’s probably for the best that he didn’t end up fighting Gustaffson after all.

This whole affair should probably just be forgotten, and we can all look forward to a healthy Mousasi putting himself to the test against the best the UFC has to offer very soon.

Ross Pearson def. Ryan Couture via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:45

Rather unwisely, I though Ross Pearson was throwing this fight away for a round and a half. I thought that he was competitive, and Ryan Couture was doing nothing to make a statement, but knowing these MMA judges, I feared if this went the distance we could have been looking at a nightmare scenario for the TUF 9 winner.

I need not have worried though, as ‘The Real Deal’ was really just taking all the time he needed to find his range and rhythm, because as soon as he pulled the trigger the fight ended in spectacular fashion.

Ryan Couture is a decent fighter, and could probably carve out a niche fighting on undercards in entertaining back-and-forth battles, but he is no match for the kind of skills that  fighter like Pearsin brings. Once again his striking was precise, economic and powerful. As soon as he landed clean for the first time, you knew the end was in sight for Randy’s son.

Matt Mitrione def. Philip De Fries via KO (punches) – Round 1, 0:19

Not much to say for this one, De Fries ran straight into a big punch from Mitrione, which clipped him in the dreaded spot behind the ear, opening him up for a swift and devastating ground and pound finish. Unfortunately for the big Brit, I fear that may be the last chance he gets in the UFC, while ‘Meathead’ gets back on track after two straight defeats.

Brad Pickett def. Mike Easton via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)

Another fight which went as expected. Pickett attacked with a variety of strikes, takedowns and grappling to win at least two rounds and take home a decision.

Once again, Mike Easton simply did not attack enough. You can’t win fights by being passive.

Diego Brandao def. Pablo Garza via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:27

I think this may have been the most underrated performance of the night. Pablo Garza is no slouch, but Diego Brandao came out, went straight for the jugular (almost literally) and forced him to tap quickly in the first frame. The speed in which Brandao transitioned into the arm-triangle position was so fast that Garza hardly seemed to realise how much trouble he was in until it was too late. He tried to fight the submission off, but his efforts we futile, as the Brazilian had that locked up tight.

There is a plethora of interesting and exciting match-ups to make for Brandao, and so long as he has taken care of some of thee cardio issues that blighted him for his octagon losses, his aggression and dynamism should make him a match for almost anyone in the division

Akira Corassani def. Robbie Peralta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

This took me by surprise.

After a less than convincing performance in the TUF house, and against Andy Ogle last year in Birmingham, I had pretty much written Akira Corassani off. However, whether he has stepped up his training or the Swedish crowd really pushed him on to reach new heights, he raised his game to take out a highly touted prospect in Robbie Peralta.

He won’t be frightening the UFC’s 145 elite any time soon, but it was nice to see such a big improvement and gutsy performance from a fighter, which led to a great fight to kick off the main card

Prelim highlights

Only one place to start here, Conor McGregor’s beautiful series of uppercuts to take out Marcus Brimage.

Brimage came out aggressively and looked like he didn;t know what had hit him when the first uppercut landed. He couldn’t adjust, and they just kept coming.

McGregor looks set to be a star for the UFC now. Dana White has already committed to adding him to the Boston card later this year, and he got the Ko of the night bonus in his first octagon appearance. Exciting stuff.

The best fight of the night was Reza Madadi’s submission victory over Michael Johnson. Johnson hurt Madadi bad in the first round, and the horn for the end of the frame could not have come quickly enough for the Swede. He had composed himself 60 seconds later though, and took over the fight in the next round, increasing his dominance in the third and locking up the choke.

A fantastic performance (another good one form a Swede on the night), and a richly deserved fight of the night bonus.

Prelim results

Reza Madadi def. Michael Johnson via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 1:33
Tor Troeng def. Adam Cella via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:11
Adlan Amagov def. Chris Spang via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Conor McGregor def. Marcus Brimage via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1:07
Ryan LaFlare def. Ben Alloway via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Tom Lawlor def. Michael Kuiper via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 1:05
Papy Abedi def. Besam Yousef via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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