To the sane, she’s a potential money opponent for Ronda Rousey in a sea of female fighters who simply aren’t up to snuff. Holm is closer to Rousey athletically than most other women in MMA.
To the delusional, she’s the Woman to Beat Rousey™. This sentiment is great for selling a PPV, but let’s not kid ourselves. While Holm is head and shoulders above the division, Rousey is mountains above it.
Still, MMA fans like to speculate about such matters. And whenever a fighter like Holm wins a fighter–or a fighter like Cris Cyborg loses one…in a different sport–this speculation reaches a fever pitch.
Holm fought this past Friday at Legacy FC 30. Holm outclassed her opponent, Juliana Werner, throughout the fight and finished her off with a devastating head kick in the fifth round (check out the GIF via @ZProphet_MMA).
This is good news, isn’t it? Cyborg losing a Muay Thai fight erases all her credibility (we don’t actually think this but Dana White probably does), so Holm winning in such a devastating way must’ve impressed White, right?
To the sane, she’s a potential money opponent for Ronda Rousey in a sea of female fighters who simply aren’t up to snuff. Holm is closer to Rousey athletically than most other women in MMA.
To the delusional, she’s the Woman to Beat Rousey™. This sentiment is great for selling a PPV, but let’s not kid ourselves. While Holm is head and shoulders above the division, Rousey is mountains above it.
Still, MMA fans like to speculate about such matters. And whenever a fighter like Holm wins a match–or a fighter like Cris Cyborg loses one…in a different sport–this speculation reaches a fever pitch.
Holm fought this past Friday at Legacy FC 30. Holm outclassed her opponent, Juliana Werner, throughout the fight and finished her off with a devastating head kick in the fifth round (check out the GIF via @ZProphet_MMA).
This is good news, isn’t it? Cyborg losing a Muay Thai fight erases all her credibility (we don’t actually think this but Dana White probably does), so Holm winning in such a devastating way must’ve impressed White, right?
Not necessarily. Rousey’s immediate future, and therefore the immediate future of the UFC women’s bantamweight division (and by extension, women’s MMA) is still up in the air.
Second, Holm broke her arm in the first round of her fight against Werner. A picture of Holm’s supposed X-ray has been circulating around the web, but we haven’t been able to verify it (websites are citing “Facebook” but not providing a link; Holm’s Facebook has no such picture on it) . So this might be Holly Holm’s broken left arm, or it might belong to some plebeian:
Cheick Kongo failed to capture Vitaly Minakov’s Bellator heavyweight title at Bellator 115. The main event was, essentially, the only noteworthy fight on the card. It didn’t start out this way though. A welterweight tournament semfinal was supposed to take place as well, but Andrey Koreshkovsuccumbed to the flu. His fight against Sam Oropeza will be rescheduled.
A middleweight tournament semifinal bout was canceled as well. Jeremy Kimball couldn’t make weight against Dan Cramer. Not surprisingly, Bellator wasn’t able to salvage the card on such short notice. What we got was a patchwork card filled with one-off “feature fights” that meant nothing. In case you’re still interested, we’ve recapped it for you:
Cheick Kongo failed to capture Vitaly Minakov’s Bellator heavyweight title at Bellator 115. The main event was, essentially, the only noteworthy fight on the card. It didn’t start out this way though. A welterweight tournament semfinal was supposed to take place as well, but Andrey Koreshkovsuccumbed to the flu. His fight against Sam Oropeza will be rescheduled.
A middleweight tournament semifinal bout was canceled as well. Jeremy Kimball couldn’t make weight against Dan Cramer. Not surprisingly, Bellator wasn’t able to salvage the card on such short notice. What we got was a patchwork card filled with one-off “feature fights” that meant nothing. In case you’re still interested, we’ve recapped it for you:
First off, this is a catchweight bout as Johnny Cisneros missed middleweight by quite a bit (he weighed in at 193.5 pounds).
The two clinched to start off the fight. Parlo managed to land a double leg but Cisneros sprung to his feet almost as soon as he hit the ground. The two remained clinched. Parlo started to land some nice uppercuts. Cisneros separated and landed a nice uppercut of his own. Parlo clinched, then landed a stiff hook. After 30 seconds of inactivity, the two started exchanging wildly, with several punches snapping Parlo’s head back. There was another pause to the action. Parlo landed an elbow to Cisneros’ head and then took him down. Cisneros got back up, and another insane slugfest ensued. We’re talking just throwing with their eyes closed. In the chaos, Parlo hit another takedown. They were on the ground longer this time, with Parlo chilling in Cisneros’ guard. The latter fighter rose to his feet, and the same pattern of clinch-separate-wild exchange-takedown-get up-clinch-etc. played out until the first round ended.
The second round played out almost exactly like the first, except both fighters were tired now. There was more clinching and eventually Cisneros lacked the energy to return to his feet. Parlo mounted him halfway through the round, though he couldn’t do much with the position. He smothered Cisneros and landed ineffective punches for the remainder of the round.
Parlo’s dominance on the ground continued in the third frame. A wild, overly-aggressive series of punches from Cisneros opened the door for a Parlo takedown. Parlos was content to control things from half guard and mount until the fight ended. Parlo was awarded with a unanimous decision victory.
Kelly Anundson vs. Volkan Oezdemir
Anundson got floored with a leg kick to start things off, but then he landed a clean overhand right. He shots a double leg. Oezdemir sprawled and got pushed all the way back to the cage. Anundson grabbed a body lock and scored a takedown. After some scrambling, the two wound up clinched against the cage again. Oezdemir got up, and then Anundson took him down again, this time slamming him. This was the story of the first round: Anundson landing lots of takedowns and sticking to Oezdemir like animal abuse allegations stick to Michael Vick.
The second round looked like the first, only slower and lazier. I could go into detail but really there’s not much to tell. Anundson controlled Oezdemir until he took his back and sunk in a rear naked choke turned neck crank, bringing this one to an end.
On a side not, Oezdemir wins CagePotato’s official “Most Annoying Surname to Spell Award.”
Herman Terrado vs. Justin Baesman
Terrado threw a right hand and then clinched. The two grappled against the cage. They traded short knees and elbows that didn’t amount to much. Terrado went for a big knee with lots of windup but fell on his ass instead. He jumped up and threw a huge flurry of punches, as if to help was away the shame of slipping. The two clinched again. A guillotine attempt by Baesman went nowhere. Terrado took Baesman down after a lengthy bout of stalling. He advanced to mount, and then Baesman turned to his back. After a failed rear naked choke attempt, Terrado turned back to mount, and then gave up his back a second time. Terrado slipped off Baesman’s back as the round ended.
The second round was uneventful until about halfway through. At that point, Baesman took Terrado to the mat after peppering him. Terrado was clearly exhausted and not capable of defending himself. Baesman landed a series of thunderous elbows. Too many, in fact. The fight really should’ve been stopped, but it continued into the third round, which featured numerous messy grappling exchanges and a plucky armbar escape by Baesman (or embarrassing armbar failure by Terrado, depending on your perspective). In the end, the judges declared it a draw.
The heavyweight title fight started with two karmic nut shots. Minakov landed both a kick and a knee to Kongo’s package. After the second offense, referee Herb Dean deducted a point. The most significant happening was late in the first round. Kongo landed two stiff jabs. Minakov countered with a straight right that floored Kongo. Minakov tried to capitalize by going for a leg lock and failed. Nevertheless, he managed to get on top of Kongo, and finish the round in Kongo’s half guard, reigning punches down on him.
Kongo dragged Minakov to the canvas at the start of the second round. He was unable to do anything with it though. Minakov rose to his feet after about thirty seconds. Minakov pushed Kongo against the fence and landed a clean kene to the gut. Kongo tried to claim it was a nut shot but Herb Dean had none of it, thankfully. Minakov landed a straight right. The Russian was clearly the aggressor, backing Kongo up throughout most of the round. He nailed Kongo with another right which wobbled him. But on the way in, Kongo landed a huge counter left. This didn’t phase Minakov though, who immediately threw Kongo down and quickly took his back. After a few punches, he slipped off and the round ended.
A visibly gassed Minakov managed to trip Kongo at the start of round three. The next two and a half minutes were lay and pray. Minakov eventually stood up, but Kongo stayed grounded to avoid knees to the head. In a reversal of fate, Kongo managed to take Minakov down on a lazy, lazy double leg. Kongo couldn’t take advantage of the takedown. He shot for another double leg, and after a sprawl that seemed like it lasted forever, Minakov pulled off an amazing reversal and wound up on top in north south. He switched to side control but by then the round was nearly over. He did land some pretty hard shots to the body, though.
Exhausted, Minakov was unable to stop Kongo’s takedown in the beginning of round 4. He summoned the energy to stand up, only to wind up on the canvas again after another takedown. Minakov was too tired to do anything except for complain about Kongo grabbing his shorts. Herb Dean warned him like 1,000 times but never deducted a point. After prolonged inactivity, Dean stood them up. Minakov successfully landed an inside trip as the round finished (or Kongo toppled over; I couldn’t tell).
Round 5 was literally five minutes of Minakov on top of Kongo in mount and half guard. Sometimes he threw punches. Sometimes he didn’t.
After the 25 minutes were over, the judges deemed Vitaly Minakov the winner.
Here are the complete results:
Main Card
Vitaly Minakov def. Cheick Kongo via unanimous decision (48-46, 48-46, 48-46)
Herman Terrado drew Justain Baesman (29-28, 28-28, 28-28)
Kelly Anundson def. Volkan Oezdemir via submission (neck crank), 3:19 of round 2
Mikkel Parlo def. Johnny Cisneros via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Preliminary Card
Rick Reeves def. James Terry via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Freddie Aquitania def. Josh Appelt via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Sinjen Smith def. Jason Powell via submission (arm bar), 1:52 of round 1
Benito Lopez def. Oscar Ramirez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Rousimar Palhares and Yushin Okami were the stars at last night’s World Series of Fighting 9. Both fighters crushed their respective cans, and got write-ups on MMA sites across the web because their “UFC veteran” status makes them more page view friendly.
This fight was a horrifically one-sided mismatch. Rettinghouse couldn’t compete with Moraes in any area of MMA. As the bout dragged on, Moraes’ leg kicks started to take their toll. Rettinghouse was reduced to hobbling and then Nick Serra-level buttscooting. Rettinghouse had little to no chance of victory by the time the “championship rounds” started. The media knew it. The referee knew it. Rettinghouse’s corner likely knew it as well. The fight went the full five rounds, but it was over long before the judges submitted scorecards. It shouldn’t have made it that far. It should’ve been stopped.
Unfortunately for Rettinghouse’s legs, such behavior is an anathema to MMA culture. MMA, the ultimate dude-bro sport, values a glamorized Spartan ethos that never considers the results of its “come back with your shield—or on it,” mantra. Fans, fighters, coaches, and everyone in between agree almost unanimously that getting knocked out is better than quitting on your stool between rounds, and that (s)napping is better than tapping. It’s better to let a fighter “go out on their shield” than stop a fight too early, robbing the winner of undisputed victory and the loser of honor in defeat.
Rousimar Palhares and Yushin Okami were the stars at last night’s World Series of Fighting 9. Both fighters crushed their respective cans, and got write-ups on MMA sites across the web because their “UFC veteran” status makes them more page view friendly.
This fight was a horrifically one-sided mismatch. Rettinghouse couldn’t compete with Moraes in any area of MMA. As the bout dragged on, Moraes’ leg kicks started to take their toll. Rettinghouse was reduced to hobbling and then Nick Serra-level buttscooting. Rettinghouse had little to no chance of victory by the time the “championship rounds” started. The media knew it. The referee knew it. Rettinghouse’s corner likely knew it as well. Nevertheless, the fight went the full five rounds. It shouldn’t have made it that far. It should’ve been stopped.
Unfortunately for Rettinghouse’s legs, such behavior is an anathema to MMA culture. MMA, the ultimate dude-bro sport, values a glamorized Spartan ethos that never considers the consequences of its “come back with your shield—or on it,” mantra. Fans, fighters, coaches, and everyone in between agree almost unanimously that getting knocked out is better than quitting on your stool between rounds, and that (s)napping is better than tapping. It’s better to let a fighter “go out on their shield” than stop a fight too early, robbing the winner of undisputed victory and the loser of honor in defeat. Josh Barnett once admitted that he’d rather die than let a fight end prematurely.
One could argue that such behavior is admirable, necessary, and worthwhile on the sport’s grandest stages. At the highest level of any physically taxing sport, sacrifices must be made. However, this attitude trickles down to the lower-levels, which is exceedingly dangerous for younger and less experienced fighters.
During the Moraes-Rettinghouse match, Bloody Elbow staff writer Zane Simon joked that there was “nothing like potentially destroying your career for a regional MMA title.” He was right, and CagePotato’s own George Shunick echoed this sentiment. The fight was no such thing; it was a beat down that the referee or Rettinghouse’s own corner should have ended. Rettinghouse gained nothing by continuing, and risked everything. We like to tout MMA’s safety, conveniently forgetting this sport can be lethal. Fortunately, Rettinghouse wasn’t in severe danger as it was only his legs that were being tenderized. But seeing a fighter continue despite being concussed (“rocked”) multiple times is common. We praise these fighters as modern-day warriors and worship their toughness. We deride those who realize fleeting glory isn’t worth forgetting your child’s name a few decades from now as cowards who don’t belong in the cage. We beg corners, referees, and doctors not to stop fights. Let them go out on their shield.
There is no honor in being knocked senseless or in not tapping. Bold displays of bravado demonstrate the innate foolishness of MMA’s culture, not mental and physical fortitude; we believe it’s better to prove toughness and risk permanent injury rather than concede defeat and convey weakness. Renzo Gracie ascended into legend when he let Kazushi Sakuraba snap his arm, but Chris Leben received no such praise for electing to avoid further head trauma and physical abuse against Uriah Hall at UFC 168.
MMA needs more behavior like Leben’s. The sport needs to dispel its culture of prizing punishment above precaution. Fighters have more courage than sense, and if we’re going to discourage cornermen, officials, and doctors from doing their jobs, we might as well take MMA back into the 1990′s.
Originally, Ellenberger was slated to fight Tarec Saffiedine at UFC 172 in Baltimore next month. However, an injury Saffiedine sustained in training changed all that. Not to diss Saffiedine, but Ellenberger-Lawler is a much more exciting fight to daydream about.
(Robbie Lawler storms the Octagon, refusing to leave until Joe Silva offers a sacrifice. / Photo via Getty)
Originally, Ellenberger was slated to fight Tarec Saffiedine at UFC 172 in Baltimore next month. However, an injury Saffiedine sustained in training changed all that. Not to diss Saffiedine, but Ellenberger-Lawler is a much more exciting fight to daydream about.
Lawler is coming off a decision loss to Johny Hendricks in what was basically the fight of his life. He had the title within his grasp, but couldn’t reach it. Watching him (try to) bounce back will be interesting. Ellenberger, too, is coming off a loss. His was to Rory MacDonald at UFC on FOX 8 last July. He looked disinterested and flat. He’ll likely be looking to erase that performance with his efforts against Lawler.
UFC 173 needed a match like this—one between two top fighters that actually matter and that has implications in the weight class. The card started off well enough, with Chris Weidman vs. Vitor BelfortLyoto Machida as the main event. Then Weidman hurt his knee, and the MMA fandom collectively breathed a sigh of woe as the main event became Renan Barao vs. TJ Dillashaw. But thanks to Ellenberger-Lawler, as well as Junior Dos Santos vs. Stipe Miocic, UFC 173 might actually be worth paying for now.
It’s Friday night, and that means Bellator! This was the promotion’s 114th outing, and it was a feisty one. It featured the semifinals of the season 10 featherweight tournament and one semifinal bout of the middleweight tournament. The Bellator middleweight title was also up for grabs.
The event opened with UFC vet Kendall Grove taking on Bellator mainstay Brett Cooper. This was a middleweight tournament semifinal bout, the only one of the night.
Early in the first round, Cooper landed a stiff leg kick that floored Grove. Cooper pounced on him, but Grove reversed his fortunes. He took Cooper’s back and maintained the position for the rest of the round. He was unable to secure a rear naked choke despite several attempts. Towards the end of the round he resorted to ground and pound. As he poured more on, Cooper wilted and turtled, but he was saved by the bell.
The second round was much closer. Both fighters managed to pepper each other. Grove worked his jab, and Cooper’s money combination was a left uppercut followed by a straight right. It was this same combo that sent Grove crashing to the mat late in the second frame. Some vicious follow-up ground and pound from Cooper starched Grove and Big John McCarthy stepped in, perhaps a little too late.
It’s Friday night, and that means Bellator! This was the promotion’s 114th outing, and it was a feisty one. It featured the semifinals of the season 10 featherweight tournament and one semifinal bout of the middleweight tournament. The Bellator middleweight title was also up for grabs.
The event opened with UFC vet Kendall Grove taking on Bellator mainstay Brett Cooper. This was a middleweight tournament semifinal bout, the only one of the night.
Early in the first round, Cooper landed a stiff leg kick that floored Grove. Cooper pounced on him, but Grove reversed his fortunes. He took Cooper’s back and maintained the position for the rest of the round. He was unable to secure a rear naked choke despite several attempts. Towards the end of the round he resorted to ground and pound. As he poured more on, Cooper wilted and turtled, but he was saved by the bell.
The second round was much closer. Both fighters managed to pepper each other. Grove worked his jab, and Cooper’s money combination was a left uppercut followed by a straight right. It was this same combo that sent Grove crashing to the mat late in the second frame. Some vicious follow-up ground and pound from Cooper starched Grove and Big John McCarthy stepped in, perhaps a little too late.
The next match was the first featherweight tournament semifinal. Des Green faced Will Martinez. After a minute or two of feeling out, Martinez landed a tremendous right hand that wobbled Green. Green managed to maintain his composure though, shooting for a double leg, driving Martinez completely across the cage and taking him down. Martinez stood back up shortly after hitting the mat. Some sloppy striking exchanges ensued, with both fighters missing big. Martinez hit Green with a wicked body kick, then clinched and started dirty boxing. He maintained dominance over the striking for the rest of the first round, scoring with right hands at will—that is until he was taken down with about a minute to go in the round. Green hit a couple of great right hands from inside Martinez’s guard, and Martinez landed a nice upkick. The rounded ended with a bit of blood coming from Martinez’s mouth.
Green started the second round aggressive. Martinez made him pay with a left hand that wobbled him. Nevertheless, Green pushed through it and clinched with Martinez, taking his back while standing and tenderizing Martinez’s thighs with knees. After about a minute or two of this, Green slammed Martinez with a stunning suplex. Repetition was the story for the rest of the round. Green sat in Martinez’s guard. Martinez went for a submission, and Green avoided it.
The third round began with Martinez rushing forwards, throwing three jabs and slipping. After that, Martinez intentionally parked himself against the fence. It appeared as though Martinez was attempting to bait Green. It worked, but not as Martinez intended. Green came in and nailed him with a right hand. Martinez recovered quickly. Very late in the round, Martinez rocked Green with a left hook, but it was too little, too late. Green ended the fight with a takedown, practically guaranteeing the round and the fight. The judges agreed with this assessment; Green won a unanimous decision victory.
The co-main event, and last featherweight tournament semifinal, pitted Daniel Weichel against Matt Bessette. Things started off poorly for Bessette. Weichel floored him with a straight right counter to a leg kick. Weichel followed it up with some ground and pound; Bessette’s rubber guard was ineffective. The first round stalled out at that point. Weichel didn’t pass into half guard until there was a minute left in the first round. Bessette managed to escape with about 30 seconds left, but received a stiff knee to the face for his efforts.
Weichel started round 2 by literally shoving Bessette to the canvas. He let Bessette return to his feet. The two exchanged knees. There were some more missed or otherwise meaningless strikes. Bessette was the more active fighter, which might’ve won him the round on the scorecards, though the same claim could be made for a takedown Weichel scored late in the round (but Bessette rose to his feet immediately afterwards).
Bessette tried to continue turning the pace up in the third frame but Weichel stymied him with a takedown. He spent much of the round in Bessette’s guard, easily shrugging off submission attempts and stalling until the end of the fight. Not surprisingly, the judges awarded Weichel with a unanimous decision win. He’ll be meeting Des Green in the finals.
The night’s main event featured a middleweight title fight between champion Alexander Shlemenko and challenger Brennan Ward. Ward frustrated Shlemenko early on, hitting the champ with a good uppercut as well as a stiff knee. He also managed to evade and block much of Shlemenko’s offense..that was until he ate a few punches and a knee. Shlemenko blocked a Ward takedown but wound up pressed against the fence. A low blow from Ward put a stop to the action for a minute. After the fight resumed, Ward took Shlemenko’s back. A neck crank failed to end the fight. A rare stand-up from the back occurred (we still don’t know what Big John was thinking) and the two started wildly exchanging. Shlemenko wobbled Ward with a hook, but he still had enough composure to drag the Russian to the mat and take his back a second time. He couldn’t sink in a choke before the round ended.
The two exchanged hooks to start the next round. Shlemenko hit a trio of knees to Ward’s body and missed an outside trip. He followed that up with a nasty round kick to the body. Ward tried to take Shlemenko down off a kick, but wound up in an extremely tight guillotine, so tight that Ward tapped before Shlemenko even dropped to guard. A good showing from Ward, though. He gave Shlemenko a tougher fight in the first round than most expected.
Here are the complete results:
Main Card
Alexander Shlemenko def. Brennan Ward via submission (guillotine), 1:22 of round 2
Daniel Weichel def. Matt Bessette via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Desmond Green def. Will Martinez via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Brett Cooper def. Kendall Grove via KO (punches), 3:33 of round 2
Preliminary Card
Justin Wilcox def. Jason Fischer via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Bubba Jenkins def. Sean Powers via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Linton Vassell def. Trevor Carlson via submission (rear naked choke), 1:54 of round 2
Gavin Sterritt def. Mike Estus via submission (guillotine choke), 3:29 of round 1
Joe Rodriguez def. Eric Wahlin via submission (arm triangle), 2:06 of round 2
UFC Fight Night 38 is a rare Sunday event. Despite the odd timing, free MMA is always worth the watch. But page view-wise, covering lower-level Fight Night cards isn’t always worth the investment of time (ring girl galleries have a much higher rate of return). Nevertheless, we’ll be live blogging UFC Fight Night 38’s main card. It starts at 7:00 PM EST and airs on Fox Sports 1. Stay tuned, and refresh for updates!
(Photo via Getty)
UFC Fight Night 38 is a rare Sunday event. Despite the odd timing, free MMA is always worth the watch. But page view-wise, covering lower-level Fight Night cards isn’t always worth the investment of time (ring girl galleries have a much higher rate of return). Nevertheless, we’ll be live blogging UFC Fight Night 38′s main card. It starts at 7:00 PM EST and airs on Fox Sports 1. Stay tuned, and refresh for updates!
Round 1: The fight opens after they pan to a guy in the audience with a styrofoam Jason mask. Siler hits a few leg kicks. Jason attempts a counter right and misses big. He tries another and lands. Siler hits another leg kick, and Jason hits another counter right. Siler lands a front kick but misses a 1-2. Jason hits Siler with a massive right hook on the way in, which stumbles Siler. Jason lands a left hook which floors Siler. After a couple follow-up punches it’s over. Siler immediately rises to his feet and he’s pissed. Lots of people on twitter are annoyed too. Looks like Jason won’t be destroying any walls this time.
Rony Jason def. Steven Siler via KO, 1:17 of round 1.
Round 1: It’s a battle of wiki-less fighters! They touch gloves and immediately Taisumov backs up Prazeres with a front kick. They feel each other out for a minute. Taisumov lands a leg kick and Prazeres lands one of his own. Prazeres connects with a right hand, then a left. They clinch. Prazeres hits a knee to the body, pushes Taisumov against the cage. He attempts to escape but gets taken down. Prazeres gets mount. Taisumov attempts to scramble away, but only manages to down grade Prazeres to side control. Prazeres attempts a north-south choke but Taisumov escapes and the fight returns to the feet. The two fighters stall in over-under position on the cage. There are some week knees. Prazeres finally out-powers Taisumov and drags him to the mat. Prazeres mounts Taisumov and lands some punches. He’s setting up an arm bar but does it lazily, allowing Taisumov to escape back to guard. Prazeres keeps landing punches and some really nice elbows to the body; he’s far too powerful for Taisumov. Prazeres gets mount for an instant, but Taisumove sweeps him. Taisumov lands a kick to Prazeres as he’s still grounded and Mario Yamasaki deducts a point as the round ends. We score it 10-8 Prazeres because of the deduction.
Round 2: Prazeres lands a stiff right to Taismov which wobbles him. Prazeres attempts a guillotine but immediately slips off. He’s not on his back with Taisumov in his guard. A triangle attempt fails. He backs off and Yamasaki stands them up. Prazeres hits a right and and a knee. Taisumov counters with a spinning back kick. Taismov hits Prazeres in the nose with a stiff jab. Yamasaki takes a point away from Taisumov for grabbing the cage on a Prazeres takedown attempt. Prazeres lands a right head kick but it was weak. Taisumov rushes in and eats a right hook for his trouble. Both fighters trade ineffective strikes for the remainder of the round.
Round 3: Prazeres lands yet another right hand to start things off, then presses Taisumov against the cage. He briefly escapes, but winds up there again. Prazeres botches a takedown. Yamasaki warns Taisumov for grabbing the cage again. We thought he might get disqualified with the way Yamasaki has been behaving. Taisumov hits a nasty uppercut on Prazeres which stumbled him. Prazeres eats a big right hand after an atrocious, tired shot. His next takedown attempt is better though, he wrests Taisumov to the ground and gets mount for a split second. Taisumov regains guard and then rises to his feet. A minute left to go now, and miracles aren’t looking likely. Taisumov manages to take Prazeres’ back but he escapes. They reset, and the fight ends. Not surprisingly, Prazeres gets the unanimous decision win.
Michel Prazeres def. Mairbek Taisumov via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-35).
Round 1: Expect this entire fight to be a brawl devoid of technique. Villante lands a leg kick to start the fight. Maldonado rushes in and gets taken down. Villante is in side control landing short elbows. He’s flailing around ineffectively on the bottom, and manages to get to his knees. Villante scrambles quicker though, and is on his back. Maldonado puts his side to the cage and gets to his feet, but Villante is still on him like glue. Villante landing lots of knees to the ass and thighs, and then hits a trip. He remains in side control for about 30 seconds. Maldonado gains half guard for a moment and loses it. Villante can’t seem to do much with his dominant side control save for some short elbows and punches. Maldonado gets back to half guard again and the rounds end after a handful of soft punches.
Round 2: Maldonado lands two jabs and a cross. Villante looks tired and has his hands low. Maldonado lands another two crisp jabs, but Villante lands one of his own. Villante rushes for a messy takedown and gets it. Maldonado gets to his feet quickly but gets his back taken. He escapes but eats an incredible, massive knee at the same time. “Crimson mask” doesn’t quite cover how bloody Maldonado’s face is right now. Villante breathing heavy now. Villante lands a hook, but Maldonado lands two counter hooks to the body. He then lands a jab to the head and two hooks to the head. Villante’s hands are at his waist now, but he lands a very good leg kick. Maldonado lands two body shots and clinches, which is probably a bad idea. Maldonado hits a jab-cross-uppercut combo that snaps Villante’s head back a mile. The round ends.
Round 3: Maldonado lands a triple jab. Villante shoots from across the cage and, predictably, misses. Maldonado is the fresher fighter and seems to be picking Villante apart now. Villante attempts another takedown from a mile away. He follows that up with a leg kick. He goes for a third awful takedown. Maldonado lands a left hook that stuns Villante, and then another. Villante is breathing very heavily and has his hands completely down. Maldonado is pouring on the body shots now, and Villante decides to get on his bicycle. Villante lands a big counter-right but Maldonado eats it and moves forward, landing a jab and a hook. Maldonado is pouring it on it. Villante manages to grab a hold of Maldonado with a body lock. His takedown fails. Maldonado lands three brutal uppercuts. Both fighters are exhausted now and are reaching on their punches. Villante attemps a millionth awful takedown. He’s stumbling around like a drunk at this point, eating massive shots to the face and not blocking any of them. He turtles but the fight ends before it can be stopped. Maldonado gets the nod from the judges.
Fabio Maldonado def. Gian Villante via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Round 1: Santos lands a strong leg kick. Park attempts a high kick and misses. Santos lands a second leg kick which sends Parke’s leg flying back. A third leg kick lands. Santos switches it up and lands a kick to the body, then he hits an uppercut. Parke misses with another high kick. We get an accidental eye poke from Santos and the referee pauses the fight. The action resumes with some wild but ineffective exchanges. Santos lands a stiff uppercut, prompting Parke to clinch. They’re both against the fence, but Parke decides to separate. Parke misses with a leg kick. Santos returns to his leg kicks from earlier in the round. Parke hits a right hand and clinches. The ref separates the two after some inaction. After a few even exchanges, the fighters clinch against the cage again with just as much inactivity. We get another separation. Santos lands a right. Parke throws two more head kicks but Santos blocks each time. Parke clinches and their on the fence again. The round ends as Parke goes for a single leg takedown.
Round 2: A messy exchange leads into another clinch with not much happening. The two start firing punches, with Santos landing more than Parke, though Parke did land a good straight right. He grabs a body lock on Santos. More stalling. The referee takes a point from Parke for grabbing the shorts. That cuold be fight changing. Santos throws a head kick, which Parke blocks. They clinch but separate quickly. On the separation, Parke lands a big right hook. They get into a slugfest and both land big punches. Another clinch occurs. Parke lands a short elbow. Some more good dirty boxing, namely uppercuts, from Parke. The round ends with both fighters clinched and Parke controlling the action. Santos appears to be fading.
Round 3:
Both fighters going insane with strikes at the start of the round, but the awesomeness leads to another clinch with little action in terms of takedowns or advancing position. There’s some strikes from Parke–light knees and punches, but that’s about it. Parke landing more uppercuts from the clinch, but the referee separates them…only for them to go right back into the same position. Great. They get separated again, and a wild slugfest ensues. Santos initiates a clinch this time, only to be backed up against the fence. That’s where the round ends. And guess what? The fight ends in a majority draw!
Leonardo Santos vs. Norman Parke ends in majority Draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28).
Round 1: Ferreira hits with a left. Dolloway lands an overhand right which hurts Ferreira and backs him off. There’s a wild exchange and Dolloway lands a huge hook. Ferreira falls to the mat. Dolloway lands several more follow-up strikes and Ferreira is out cold. This one is over as soon as it started.
C.B. Dolloway def. Cezar Ferreira via TKO, 0:39 of round 1.
Both fighters start of tentative. The “you will die” chants start. Henderson counters a leg kick with an overhand right but misses. Henderson throws a weak leg kick. Shogun lands a strong leg kick. Henderson answers with his own. Henderson tries another “H-bomb” but Shogun blocks it with ease. Henderson wrestles Shogun to the mat briefly but he rises to his feet in a scramble. Both fighters are still tentative. This isn’t shaping up to be anything like their last match, sadly. Hendo lunges for a right hook and misses big. Shogun grabs a thai clinch and lands a knee to the body. The fighters reset. Both throw big right hands and miss. Hendo clips Shogun with a right hook and he’s hurt. Hendo lets his guard down trying to finish, and Shogun lands a brutal counter. Hendo is floored and nearly done. Shogun gets mount and starts landing some punches. Hendo covers up and the round ends. Maybe this will be exciting after all.
Round 2:
The two square off and Shogun lands a big right. Hendo is dazed. Shogun clinches, letting Henderson recover. Henderson hits a couple of knees from the clinch. Stalling. Shogun manages to separate. Shogun reaches with a jab. A wild exchange leads to nothing. Shogun lands a body shot that sends Henderson reeling. Shogun attempts a terrible single leg. An uppercut from Shogun floors Henderson but he doesn’t capitalize. Instead he sits in Henderson’s guard for the next few minutes. Not much activity. Herb Dean finally stands them up. Henderson throws the world’s slowest right hand. The round is over.
Round 3: Henderson moves forwards and flails his arms. Shogun can’t land a counter. Shogun misses a leg kick and twirls around. Henderson shoots. Shogun sprawls and as he rises to his feet Henderson nails him with a picture-perfect H-bomb. Shogun crumples to the mat. Henderson lands some punches and this fight is over.
Here are the card’s complete results:
Main Card
Dan Henderson def. Shogun Rua via TKO (punches), 1:31 of round 3
C.B. Dolloway def. Cezar Ferreira via TKO (punches), 0:39 of round 1
Leonardo Santos vs. Norman Parke ends in majority Draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
Fabio Maldonado def. Gian Villante via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Michel Prazeres def. Mairbek Taisumov via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-35)
Rony Jason def. Steven Siler via TKO (punches), 1:17 of round 1
Preliminary Card
Thiago Santos def. Ronny Markes via TKO (body kick and punches), 0:53 of round 1
Jussier Formiga def. Scott Jorgensen via submission (rear naked choke), 3:07 of round 1
Kenny Roberston def. Thiago Perpetuo via submission (rear naked choke), 1:45 of round 1
Hans Stringer def. Francimar Barroso via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Godofredo Castro def. Noad Lahat via KO (flying knee), 2:39 of round 1
