UFC on FOX 2 Live Blog: Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis Updates

Filed under:

Rashad Evans faces Phil Davis at UFC on FOX 2 in Chicago.CHICAGO — This is the UFC on FOX live blog for Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis, the main event of tonight’s event from the United Center.

Ex-champ Evans (16-6-1) is on a three-fight win streak (Thiago Silva, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Tito Ortiz) since losing his belt to Lyoto Machida at UFC 98 in May 2009. Davis (9-0) last fought in March 2011, outpointing Antonio Rogerio Nogueira on a UFC Fight Night card. Evans-Davis was originally scheduled for UFC 133, but Davis pulled out due to a knee injury.

The live blog is below.



Phil Davis enters first wearing his pink mouthpiece to a radio edit of KanYe West’s All of the Lights. Rashad Evans makes his way out to Mobb Deep’s Survival of the Fittest. Herb Dean is the referee for tonight’s main event.

Round 1: Davis measures his range with his left hand. Davis lands a loud leg kick. Davis lands another and tries to spin for the takedown. Davis’ offense has been kicks but Evans oessont not seem to be respecting Davis’ standup. Davis shoots and Evans stuffs it. Evans appears to be waiting to counter. Davis dives for a takedown and Evans blocks it. Evans catches a kick and scores the trip takedown into Davis’ halfguard. Evans advances to side mount with 49 seconds remaining. Evans steps over Davis’ right arm and gets the crucifx position at 42 seconds. Evans rains down left hands as the crowd erupts. Big first round goes to Evans. MMAFighting scores the first round in favor of Evans 10-9.

Round 2: Davis misses on a head kick that draws an “oooh” from the audience. Davis pumps out kicks while Evans patiently looks for his next move. A takedown attempt by Davis is stuffed. Evans crowds Davis and clinches with him. They trade hands and Evans backs Davis. Evans catches a kick and scores the takedown with 29 seconds left. Evans quickly claims side mount, but Davis eventually scissors Evans’ right leg for a partial halfguard. MMA Fighting scores the second round 10-9 for Evans.

Round 3: Davis stays active on his feet with leg kicks, knees to the body and front kicks. Davis shoots and Evans sprawls. Davis holds onto Evans’ right leg and sits him down against the cage. Evans gets back to his feet and reverses position, putting Davis on his back. Evans takes Davis’ back momentarily. Davis stands up and they battle in clinch for control. Evans throws an uppercut in clinch. Evans with a right hand to the body. Davis finally gets the takedown with 1:03 remaining. Evans pushes Davis’ head and escapes to his feet. Davis’ best round so far, but he’s still looking less confident as the fight progresses. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Evans.

Round 4: Davis lands a hard kick to Evans’ body. Evans controls the pace standing with jabs. They take turns with jabs and one-twos. Evans grabs a front headlock and pulls Davis to the floor. However, Davis swings around and ends up getting double underhooks, standing. Davis lands knees to the body in clinch. Evans throws a right hand that backs Davis against fence. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Evans.

Round 5: Evans startles Davis with a left hook. Evans lands a jab. Evans catches a kick and punches Davis with right hands until Davis falls to his back. Evans stays on top and eventually frees his left leg to take side control. Evans briefly takes crucifix, but this time Davis rolls and gives up his back. Evans connects on a right uppercut. Evans stuffs a takedown with 1:36 remaining in the fight. Evans turns Davis against the fence into clinch. Evans lands jabs. Way ahead on scores, Evans pushes forward anyway to close the round. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 and the fight 50-45 for Evans.

Evans wins via unanimous decision (50-45 3x)

Evans wins the five-round decision, positioning himself to face Jon Jones on April 21 in Atlanta.

%VIRTUAL-Gallery-145874%

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under:

Rashad Evans faces Phil Davis at UFC on FOX 2 in Chicago.CHICAGO — This is the UFC on FOX live blog for Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis, the main event of tonight’s event from the United Center.

Ex-champ Evans (16-6-1) is on a three-fight win streak (Thiago Silva, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Tito Ortiz) since losing his belt to Lyoto Machida at UFC 98 in May 2009. Davis (9-0) last fought in March 2011, outpointing Antonio Rogerio Nogueira on a UFC Fight Night card. Evans-Davis was originally scheduled for UFC 133, but Davis pulled out due to a knee injury.

The live blog is below.



Phil Davis enters first wearing his pink mouthpiece to a radio edit of KanYe West’s All of the Lights. Rashad Evans makes his way out to Mobb Deep’s Survival of the Fittest. Herb Dean is the referee for tonight’s main event.

Round 1: Davis measures his range with his left hand. Davis lands a loud leg kick. Davis lands another and tries to spin for the takedown. Davis’ offense has been kicks but Evans oessont not seem to be respecting Davis’ standup. Davis shoots and Evans stuffs it. Evans appears to be waiting to counter. Davis dives for a takedown and Evans blocks it. Evans catches a kick and scores the trip takedown into Davis’ halfguard. Evans advances to side mount with 49 seconds remaining. Evans steps over Davis’ right arm and gets the crucifx position at 42 seconds. Evans rains down left hands as the crowd erupts. Big first round goes to Evans. MMAFighting scores the first round in favor of Evans 10-9.

Round 2: Davis misses on a head kick that draws an “oooh” from the audience. Davis pumps out kicks while Evans patiently looks for his next move. A takedown attempt by Davis is stuffed. Evans crowds Davis and clinches with him. They trade hands and Evans backs Davis. Evans catches a kick and scores the takedown with 29 seconds left. Evans quickly claims side mount, but Davis eventually scissors Evans’ right leg for a partial halfguard. MMA Fighting scores the second round 10-9 for Evans.

Round 3: Davis stays active on his feet with leg kicks, knees to the body and front kicks. Davis shoots and Evans sprawls. Davis holds onto Evans’ right leg and sits him down against the cage. Evans gets back to his feet and reverses position, putting Davis on his back. Evans takes Davis’ back momentarily. Davis stands up and they battle in clinch for control. Evans throws an uppercut in clinch. Evans with a right hand to the body. Davis finally gets the takedown with 1:03 remaining. Evans pushes Davis’ head and escapes to his feet. Davis’ best round so far, but he’s still looking less confident as the fight progresses. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Evans.

Round 4: Davis lands a hard kick to Evans’ body. Evans controls the pace standing with jabs. They take turns with jabs and one-twos. Evans grabs a front headlock and pulls Davis to the floor. However, Davis swings around and ends up getting double underhooks, standing. Davis lands knees to the body in clinch. Evans throws a right hand that backs Davis against fence. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Evans.

Round 5: Evans startles Davis with a left hook. Evans lands a jab. Evans catches a kick and punches Davis with right hands until Davis falls to his back. Evans stays on top and eventually frees his left leg to take side control. Evans briefly takes crucifix, but this time Davis rolls and gives up his back. Evans connects on a right uppercut. Evans stuffs a takedown with 1:36 remaining in the fight. Evans turns Davis against the fence into clinch. Evans lands jabs. Way ahead on scores, Evans pushes forward anyway to close the round. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 and the fight 50-45 for Evans.

Evans wins via unanimous decision (50-45 3x)

Evans wins the five-round decision, positioning himself to face Jon Jones on April 21 in Atlanta.

%VIRTUAL-Gallery-145874%

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Chris Weidman’s BJJ Coach Wouldn’t Be Shocked if Weidman Submits Maia

Filed under: UFC, NewsConsidering Chris Weidman’s wrestling prowess and Demian Maia’s jiu-jitsu mastery, there’s a strong chance their middleweight bout at UFC on FOX 2 will be decided on the ground.

Now Maia has already shown he’s one of the most da…

Filed under: ,

Considering Chris Weidman‘s wrestling prowess and Demian Maia‘s jiu-jitsu mastery, there’s a strong chance their middleweight bout at UFC on FOX 2 will be decided on the ground.

Now Maia has already shown he’s one of the most dangerous submission artists at 185. But what about Weidman? Coming off back-to-back submission wins, can the prospect make it three-in-a-row against one of the best jiu-jitsu artists in MMA?

John Danaher, one of Weidman’s jiu-jitsu trainers, says he “wouldn’t be completely shocked.”

“[Weidman]’s a formidable opponent on the floor,” Danaher tells MMAFighting.com. “Trust me, you cannot fall asleep on him for a second. If you do, don’t be surprised if you see an unexpected result.”

Danaher agrees there will likely be many exchanges on the floor. And when asked if Weidman as the superior wrestler can dictate where the fight goes, Danaher argues Maia is tricky enough that he can pull guard.

“He’s very effective from bottom position,” Danaher said of Maia. “I do think there will be a lot of groundplay even if Demian can’t get the conventional takedown on Chris, I still think he could bring the fight to the ground.”

Joining Danaher in Weidman’s corner on Saturday night will be head trainer Ray Longo and training partner Gian Villante. They’ve all had only about just over a week to help Weidman prepare for Maia.

For Villante’s part, he’s been channeling his inner-Demian Maia to assist in Weidman’s preparations. As someone who has trained with Weidman day in and day out, Villante also thinks Weidman’s workman-style could open up the possibility of recording a submission over the former BJJ world champion.

“I’m no Demian Maia in jiu-jitsu-wise, not even close,” the Strikeforce light heavyweight Villante said with a laugh. “But I’ve seen him do some crazy, incredible tapouts to some high-level jiu-jitsu guys. You add in striking and a 15-minute fight, the relentless of it … I’m not saying his jiu-jitsu is better than Demian Maia’s but his jiu-jitsu is relentless. He’s going to keep coming after him, move to move to move to move until he finally gets something.”

On Thursday, Weidman spoke about his willingness to accept the risk of battling Maia for the submission.

“I have a lot of respect for Demian Maia’s jiu-jitsu,” Weidman said at the pre-fight press conference. “I think he’s amazing. But ever since I got into MMA, my jiu-jitsu has been one of my main focal points. I’m competed in Abu Dhabi against the top-level grapplers in the world and I’ve done pretty well. I also train with some of the top guys in the world and I do pretty well. Based on that is what leads me to have the confidence to go on the ground and be confident there.”

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

UFC on FOX 2 Weigh-In Results

Filed under: UFC, NewsCHICAGO — Rashad Evans, Phil Davis and the rest of the UFC on FOX 2 fighters made weight Friday at the Chicago Theater to make official Saturday’s 10-fight card.

Evans and Davis both registered at 205 pounds for their five-round…

Filed under: ,

UFC on FOX 2 weigh-in results from the Chicago Theater.CHICAGO — Rashad Evans, Phil Davis and the rest of the UFC on FOX 2 fighters made weight Friday at the Chicago Theater to make official Saturday’s 10-fight card.

Evans and Davis both registered at 205 pounds for their five-round, light heavyweight showdown to determine the next challenger for champion Jon Jones.

“I can’t wait to test my skills against another great fighter. This is definitely something I’m going to build my career off of,” Davis said after making weight.

The former champ Evans will look to hand Davis his first MMA loss and get the final word on the rising prospect.

“We both said a lot, and it’s time to what’s going and see who back up their words,” Evans said.

Check out the results below.

FOX Bouts – 8 p.m. ET

Rashad Evans (205) vs. Phil Davis (205)
Chael Sonnen (185) vs. Michael Bisping (185)
Chris Weidman (185) vs. Demian Maia (186)

FUEL TV Preliminary Bouts – 5 p.m. ET
Evan Dunham (155) vs. Nik Lentz (155)
John-Olav Einemo (253) vs. Mike Russow (251)
Cub Swanson (145) vs. George Roop (145)
Eric Wisely (145) vs. Charles Oliveira (144)
Michael Johnson (156) vs. Shane Roller (156)
Joey Beltran (228) vs. Lavar Johnson (252)

Facebook Preliminary Bout – 4:30 p.m. ET

Chris Camozzi (185) vs. Dustin Jacoby (185)

%VIRTUAL-Gallery-145858%

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Dana White Thinks Revealing Fighters’ Actual Salaries Would Be Harmful

Filed under: UFC, NewsUFC president Dana White believes revealing his fighters’ actual salaries would be damaging to their lives.

On the same day first baseman Prince Fielder finalized a nine-year deal with the Detroit Tigers worth $214 million, White…

Filed under: ,

UFC president Dana White believes revealing his fighters’ actual salaries would be damaging to their lives.

On the same day first baseman Prince Fielder finalized a nine-year deal with the Detroit Tigers worth $214 million, White says people should not be envious of Fielder’s seemingly magnificent position.

“You don’t want to be Prince Fielder over the next three years,” White told reporters on Thursday. “When people know — his life is going to be horrible. His whole life is going to change. He thought is was bad before? With the s–t he had going in his life? Everyone and their mother is coming after that 214.”

Since the UFC is a privately-owned company, they are not required to make their numbers public. They have to report the fighter purses to the commission, but those numbers don’t tell the actual story of a fighter’s final earnings once bonuses and possible pay-per-view cuts are factored in.

White recalled meeting FOX executives for the first time and telling them how much fighters actually make. FOX executives were blown away and questioned why White wouldn’t discuss the salaries in public for good press.

“The FOX guys were like, ‘Holy s–t, these guys make this much money? Why don’t you plaster this everywhere? This is the thing that will put you guys over the top. This is the thing people love to see and talk about and all.'”

As the saying goes, “Mo’ money, mo’ problems” and White is refusing to put fighters in a position where they could attract negative attention.

“I’ve had these conversations with Mike Tyson,” White said. “Mike said when his money was reported, his f–kin’ life was miserable. I’m not doing it. So just because you don’t know everything. You don’t have to know everything. And to be honest with you, it’s not your f–kin’ business. They’re making a lot of money.”

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Dana White Responds to Hackers: ‘Do It Again, Do It Tonight’

Filed under: UFC, NewsUFC president Dana White doesn’t care that UFC.com was hacked on Sunday. In fact, he’s urging the parties responsible to “do it again.”

“Keep hacking our site,” White said Thursday. “Do it again. Do it tonight.”

Hackers on Sun…

Filed under: ,

UFC president Dana White doesn’t care that UFC.com was hacked on Sunday. In fact, he’s urging the parties responsible to “do it again.”

“Keep hacking our site,” White said Thursday. “Do it again. Do it tonight.”

Hackers on Sunday redirected the official UFC page to one of its own as a warning attack against the UFC for its support of the controversial SOPA anti-piracy bill.

Any downtime no matter how temporary is never good for business, but White’s position is that he’s in the fight business, not the website business.

“I’m not eBay. My website goes down for two days? Okay, our website goes down for two days. We’ll fix it,” White said. “You’re not hurting me by taking my website down.”



Since the majority of the UFC’s revenues is from pay-per-view, the UFC has long held an aggressive anti-piracy act. SOPA would allow the government to stop advertising networks from accepting copyright-infringing websites as publishers. Additionally, search engines and Internet Service Providers would not be allowed to lead users to the infringing pages.

Opponents are calling SOPA a threat against the freedom of expression. Meanwhile, White says he is simply looking out for his business.

“Is SOPA the perfect bill?” White said. “No, it’s not. The only thing that we’re focused on is piracy. Piracy is stealing. If you walk into a store and steal a f–kin’ gold watch, it’s the same as stealing a pay-per-view. I don’t care what your twisted, demented idea of stealing is.”

A draft for the bill ended up getting postponed on Jan. 20, but White said Thursday that the hackers could actually help resurrect the bill.

“These guys look like terrorists now,” said White, adding that hackers are only making government officials angry. ” … a bill that was about to die, it’s about to come back.”

The hacking was a web address redirect and the UFC says no confidential information belonging to the company or customers were compromised during the attack.

White made it a point that he loves the Internet, but for him, the Internet is also a camping ground for a select group of individuals he’s not particularly fond of.

“I’ve always said this about the Internet: It’s a place where cowards live,” White said. “It’s a place we’re cowards live. You don’t scare me. You don’t scare me.”

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Chael Sonnen Brings Title Belt to UFC on FOX 2 Press Conference

Filed under: UFC, NewsAlthough the UFC (as well as the rest of the world) recognizes Anderson Silva as the world middleweight champion, that’s not stopping contender Chael Sonnen from walking around with his own replica belt.

A day after wearing the b…

Filed under: ,

Although the UFC (as well as the rest of the world) recognizes Anderson Silva as the world middleweight champion, that’s not stopping contender Chael Sonnen from walking around with his own replica belt.

A day after wearing the belt over his shoulder for an ESPN2 interview, Sonnen brought the belt to Thursday’s UFC on FOX 2 press conference for everyone to take a closer look at the W Chicago City Center in Chicago.

“This is the world championship title of which I took from Anderson Silva,” Sonnen explained of the belt in front of him. “In this country, possession is nine-tenths of the law. Finders keepers, losers weepers, and if he wants it back, he knows where to find me.”



If Sonnen wants the real title, he’ll have to beat Michael Bisping on Saturday to earn a title shot against Silva. To make matters confusing, Sonnen for the past month-and-a-half has insisted a rematch with Silva will not happen, claiming he’s done chasing after a rematch with Silva. Instead, Sonnen said he would cash in his No. 1 contender voucher against a champion in another weight class.

On Thursday, White cleared up the situation, reiterating that the winner of Sonnen-Bisping will take on Silva for the belt in the summer.

“Chael’s nuts,” White said. “He says all kinds of crazy things. He’s [claims he’s] champion … Listen to me. Okay? Listen to me. He’s not the champion. He will fight Anderson Silva if he wins. He will not fight for the heavyweight championship or Jon Bones Jones.”

Interestingly, Sonnen has strayed from trashing Bisping or previous opponent Mark Munoz leading up to UFC on FOX 2, instead sticking to cutting pro wrestling promos about emerging victorious on Saturday. It’s clear as focused as Sonnen is on Bisping, there’s still business to be settled between himself and Silva.

“I believe that I am the true champion,” Sonnen said. “This is the true UFC belt. This was Anderson Silva’s belt. I took his belt like a gangster in the night … If he wants his belt back, he can come and get it. But as far as I’m concerned, he’s as irrelevant as Mike Tyson. The only thing he hasn’t done is announce his retirement. He sound paint his face, gain a hundred pounds, sit in the third row and hope somebody remembers who they are because neither of those guys matter anymore.”

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments