Author: Luke Thomas

UFC and Bellator veteran Clifford Starks has replaced fellow UFC veteran Thiago Silva for this Saturday’s WSOF 22 in a bout opposite Strikeforce alumnus Mike Kyle, the promotion announced Tuesday. Silva was ruled ineligible to compete by the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) this week due to a previous suspension he served in the state following a bout with Brandon Vera at UFC 125 where the Brazilian turned in a falsified urine sample.

Silva will follow up with the NAC at a hearing in August.

“We hope that Thiago will take the steps necessary to be in compliance with the state athletic commission so that he can make a quick return to action,” said WSOF President Ray Sefo in a press release on Tuesday.  “In the meantime, we appreciate Clifford Starks’ willingness to take the fight against Mike Kyle on just a few days’ notice, and look forward to having him compete for us again after putting on a great show in the WSOF cage in March.”

Starks, 34, last competed at WSOF 19 in March where he submitted Jake Heun via arm triangle at 4:11 of the second round. His professional record stands at 11-2.

WSOF 22 takes place Agust 1 and is headlined by a welterweight title bout between champion Rousimar Palhares and top contender Jake Shields. The event will air on NBC Sports Network and is set to take place at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

We review the technical action from UFC on FOX 16, including T.J. Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao 2, Miesha Tate vs. Jessica Eye, Edson Barboza vs. Paul Felder, Joe Lauzon vs. Takanori Gomi, Jim Miller vs. Danny Castillo and more.

UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon was victorious at UFC on FOX 16, besting Takanori Gomi by TKO via punches from back mount at just 2:37 of the first round, but it wasn’t without a bit of controversy. That’s not because the fight was stopped too early, but perhaps too late.

Lauzon pounded on a flattened Gomi from back mount, but walked away when the Japanese fighter stopped resisting. Referee Herb Dean, however, did not call the contest until Gomi rose to his feet and was inspected, prompting Lauzon to almost reengage the fight.

It was like a walk-off knockout, only from the ground.

“I think I kinda jumped the gun a little bit,” Lauzon said at the post-fight press conference. “I hit him good a couple of times. When I had his back, I spread him out and I think he tore something in his groin or something because he was fighting pretty hard and then he let out kinda of a squeal. Then he completely went flat. I felt like I had taken the life out of him.

“Hit him a couple of times,” Lauzon continued. “I thought he was unconscious. I thought he was out. He looked out. Herb Dean was right there, so I figured he was unconscious. I thought I beat him to him putting hands on me and I walked away. Then he’s kinda looking at him and checking him out. I’m like, ‘He’s not going to stop this.’ Then I started to kinda run over and then before I got there he waved me off.”

As Lauzon explained, he wasn’t getting up for show or to change the direction of the fight. He sincerely believed it had come to an end, albeit an end he later acknowledged he wasn’t fully committed to before he acted.

“I thought [Dean] was stopping the fight,” Lauzon said. “I really did. He was right on top of me. He didn’t put his hands on me, which I guess that’s what I should’ve waited for, but Gomi was clearly unconscious. He’s face down. I’m hitting him in the head a couple of times. He’s not moving at all.

“There was no doubt in my mind at that moment the fight was over, but then I got up and walked away and then Herb is looking at him,” Lauzon noted. “It looked like he was trying to make a decision, so then I started kinda coming back, but I thought it was over. I normally wouldn’t stop unless I was 100 percent sure.”

This is the UFC on FOX 16 live blog for T.J. Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao 2, a bantamweight bout at Saturday night’s UFC event at the United Center in Chicago.

Dillashaw, who has won four of his past five fights, will face Barao, who has also won four of his past five fights, in the main event.

Check out the UFC on FOX 16 live blog below.

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Round 4:

Round 5:

This is the UFC on FOX 16 live blog for Miesha Tate vs. Jessica Eye, a bantamweight bout at Saturday night’s UFC event at the United Center in Chicago.

Tate, who has won three of her past five fights, will face Eye, who is 3-1 (with one no-contest) in her past five fights, on the main card.

Check out the UFC on FOX 16 live blog below.

Round 1: Both fighters opend orthodox. Yves Lavigne is the referee. Tate throws a huge overhand right and misses, eats punches and backs out. Eye working behind a very successful jab right now. Tate misses with a front kick, but eats a barrage of punches after it. Tate eats a big right as a counter, but seems to be hanging on. Tate shoots, is stuffed, but fires another right twice, the second one drops Eye hard to the canvas. Tate is on top in Eye’s half guard. Tate isn’t able to do much with it.

MMA Fighting scores this round 10-9 Tate

Round 2: Tate just grazes Eye’s chin with a right to open the frame. Tate is faking the takedown and trying to land the overhand. Tate drives Eye into the fence, but Eye escapes. Eye catches a kick from Tate, but eats another big right. Both fighters exchange as Tate presses forward. Tate fakes a level change and drops Eye AGAIN with the same shot. Now Tate works from a high side control, but weirdly puts her own leg into half guard. Tate is elbowing Eye’s right side and as Eye tries to recover, Tate locks in a one-arm guillotine. Eye lasts the round.

MMA Fighting scores this round 10-9 Tate

Round 3: Eye opens with two small inside leg kicks. Tate counters with a hard left hook. Tate pushes back a double, but Eye stuffs it easily. Tate slowly pushing forward, but Eye is steady with outside leg kicks. Another big right hand scores with Tate, but Eye is ok. Tate, however, times a nice double. Eye tries to stand, but Tate whizzers hard and drives her forward, taking the back. Eye locks down on Tate’s gloves, yet somehow referee Lavigne stands them up. Unforgivable. Tate burrows into another takedown attempt before the final bell.

MMA Fighting scores this round 10-9 Tate and the fight 30-27 Tate

Miesha Tate def. Jessica Eye via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

This is the UFC on FOX 16 live blog for Edson Barboza vs. Paul Felder, a lightweight bout at Saturday night’s UFC event at the United Center in Chicago.

Barboza, who has won three of his past five fights, will face Felder, who is 10-0 in his career, on the main card.

Check out the UFC on FOX 16 live blog below.

Round 1: Both fighters open orthodox. Felder lands first, with an outside leg kick. He also joins it with a left hook. Barboza throws two body kick and throws a high kick, too. Felder misses on a spinning back kick and fist, but lands a low kick. Now they exchange leg kicks, but Felder checked it. Barboza recovers, though and drives home a kick to the body. Barboza tries a spinning back fist and it’s blocked, but Felder takes a spinning back kick right to the groin and the fight is temporarily halted. The fight resumes. Felder throws a spinning wheel kick, but doesn’t land and Barboza responds with a left hook that lands. Step-through knee scores for Felder. Barboza lands an outside leg kick, but has to block a spinning back fist at the same time. Extremely close round.

MMA Fighting scores this round 10-9 Barboza

Round 2: The two open exchanging hands this time, both landing, but neither getting the best of the other. Felder throws a high kick, and turns it into a spinning back fist, which almost lands. Both fighters throw spinning attacks at the same time, both wildly missing. Felder lands an outside leg kick and isn’t walking Barboza down as much, but throws a spinning back fist and nearly lands clean. Barboza attempts a shot, but is easily stuffed. Right hand and a jumping switch knee land for Felder. Barboza responds with a crushing leg kick.

MMA Fighting scores this round 10-9 Felder

Round 3: