(Ready? He was *born* ready. / Photo via @CowboyCerrone)
In an attempt to add a little more sizzle to the deflated UFC 178 lineup, a lightweight match between perennial crowd-pleaser Donald Cerrone and streaking contender Bobby Green has been booked as the new co-main event for the September 27th “Johnson vs. Cariaso” pay-per-view. UFC officials confirmed the match last night.
Green is a perfect 4-0 in the UFC since transferring from Strikeforce, and is riding an eight-fight win streak overall. The “hood” practitioner is coming off a split-decision victory against Josh Thomson at UFC on FOX 12, a fight we’ll mostly remember for how talkative he was.
Bobby Green was originally booked to face twitter-rival Jorge Masvidal at UFC 178, but in light of the new arrangement, Masvidal will face off against James Krause. I know, this is all getting confusing, so we’ve put the current UFC 178 lineup after the jump. It’s still pretty stacked, actually, even though the main event is only like the sixth-most interesting fight on the card.
(Ready? He was *born* ready. / Photo via @CowboyCerrone)
In an attempt to add a little more sizzle to the deflated UFC 178 lineup, a lightweight match between perennial crowd-pleaser Donald Cerrone and streaking contender Bobby Green has been booked as the new co-main event for the September 27th “Johnson vs. Cariaso” pay-per-view. UFC officials confirmed the match last night.
Green is a perfect 4-0 in the UFC since transferring from Strikeforce, and is riding an eight-fight win streak overall. The “hood” practitioner is coming off a split-decision victory against Josh Thomson at UFC on FOX 12, a fight we’ll mostly remember for how talkative he was.
Bobby Green was originally booked to face twitter-rival Jorge Masvidal at UFC 178, but in light of the new arrangement, Masvidal will face off against James Krause. I know, this is all getting confusing, so we’ve put the current UFC 178 lineup after the jump. It’s still pretty stacked, actually, even though the main event is only like the sixth-most interesting fight on the card.
UFC 178: Johnson vs. Cariaso (final lineup TBA)
September 27th, Las Vegas
Robbie Lawler and Matt Brown put on a show at UFC on FOX 12. It wasn’t the 5-star epic poem many were expecting, but it was still a fun, entertaining fight that made spending a night in front of the TV worth it.
But was it worth it for the fighters?
Heading into the card, media pundits discussed the potential paydays for the card’s fighters. They noted four fighters could earn six figures. Friend of CagePotato Trent Reinsmith summed up our thoughts on the issue:
Three fighters earned six figures. And only five fighters made fewer than $10,000 (this excludes “of the night” bonuses and the mythical locker room bonuses as well).
Lawler earned $210,000, the highest pay of the night. Matt Brown received $46,000.
Anthony Johnson made the easiest $106,000 of his life in a 44-second drubbing of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who took home $114,000 to act as a human punching bag–not bad!
Here are the figures for the entire card (all via MMAJunkie):
(Photo via Getty)
Robbie Lawler and Matt Brown put on a show at UFC on FOX 12. It wasn’t the 5-star epic poem many were expecting, but it was still a fun, entertaining fight that made spending a night in front of the TV worth it.
But was it worth it for the fighters?
Heading into the card, media pundits discussed the potential paydays for the card’s fighters. They noted four fighters could earn six figures. Friend of CagePotato Trent Reinsmith summed up our thoughts on the issue:
Three fighters earned six figures. And only five fighters made fewer than $10,000 (this excludes “of the night” bonuses and the mythical locker room bonuses as well).
Lawler earned $210,000, the highest pay of the night. Matt Brown received $46,000.
Anthony Johnson made the easiest $106,000 of his life in a 44-second drubbing of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who took home $114,000 to act as a human punching bag–not bad!
Noad Lahat: $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
Steven Siler: $15,000
And again: These numbers don’t account for magic locker room bonuses or “of the night” bonuses. Speaking of the latter: Lawler and Brown earned an extra $50,000 for “Fight of the Night.” Both Dennis Bermudez and Anthony Johnson got $50,000 for “Performance of the Night.”
The UFC is in San Jose tonight with a free fight card that can only be described as “legit man [expletive].” UFC on FOX 12 kicks off at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, and BG will be sticking round-by-round results after the jump; refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest.
The UFC is in San Jose tonight with a free fight card that can only be described as “legit man [expletive].” UFC on FOX 12 kicks off at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, and BG will be sticking round-by-round results after the jump; refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest.
Shoot your own thoughts in the comments section, or fling them at us on twitter. And as always, thanks for coming.
UFC on FOX 12 preliminary card results
– Daron Cruickshank def. Jorge Masvidal via unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 29-27)
– Patrick Cummins def. Kyle Kingsbury via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 30-24)
– Tim Means def. Hernani Perpetuo via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Brian Ortega def. Mike De La Torre via submission (rear-naked choke), 1:39 of round 1
– Tiago Trator def. Akbarh Arreola via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)
– Gilbert Burns def. Andreas Stahl via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Juliana Lima via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)
– Noad Lahat def. Steven Siler via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
Please stand by…
Curt Menefee starts off with a tortured Silicon Valley analogy, that has no place on any card that’s headlined by Matt Brown. Oh, and we’ve already got a Guardians of the Galaxy commercial *within* the broadcast. That took about 45 seconds. Good job, everybody.
Daniel Cormier is on the broadcast panel, plugging his upcoming title fight against Jon Jones, which leads into a trailer package for the bout. You know what, I’ll count that as a commercial too. Now they’re breaking down tonight’s fight card.
After a full 20 minutes of commercials, it’s time to begin…
Josh Thomson vs. Bobby Green
Round 1: Thomson starts out snapping kicks at Green’s ankles. Green returns a leg kick, and lands a solid right hand. Thomson with a pair of quick punches. Good body kick from Green. They trade punches and Thomson’s land harder. Bobby Green starts bouncing around, not even looking at Thomson. It’s Paulo Filho-esque. Thomson goes high with the left kick. Thomson gets thumbed in the eye pretty badly and there’s a break in the action. Herb Dean offers him some more time to recover, but Thomson is back in after about 30 seconds. Thomson grazes Green with a head kick; Green smiles and starts talking to him. Thomson tries a foot-sweep takedown and Green defends. Green going low with an oblique kick. He lands nicely with a leg kick. The round ends, and it was a close one.
Round 2: Green with a body kick. Thomson brushes Green back with another head kick and Green gives Thomson a wide smile and basically congratulates Thomson for the effort. “Talking back isn’t going to score you points,” Mike Goldberg says, after Green responds to Thomson’s attacks with more conversation. Leg kick Thomson. Now even Thomson can’t help but smile as Green continues to treat this fight like a bro-out session. Green with another oblique kick to Thomson’s knee. Thomson tries to shoot in, but Green avoids it. Thomson slugging as soon as Green gets close. Thomson tries the trip-takedown again and gets it. He pounces on Green, but Green escapes to his feet. The round ends; I’d call it a clear 10-9 for Thomson.
Round 3: Green comes out with some kung fu arm movements. Good punch to the body from Green. Thomson whiffs a spinning backfist. They clinch against the fence. Green whips a right hand to Thomson’s temple and spins out. A spinning knee from Green pushes Thomson against the fence. Green staying busy this round, keeping Thomson near the fence and attacking. Thomson slips in with some punches. He fails on the foot-sweep, but follows it with a hard body kick. Thomson is bleeding under his right eye. Green shoots, Thomson slugs him in a head a few times while defending against the fence. Green with a lead uppercut. Thomson goes over the top with a right hand. Green stalks in during the closing seconds of the round, Thomson fires back and tries a capoeira kick. There’s the bell. 10-9 for Green. This could go either way.
Bobby Green def. Josh Thomson via split decision. (29-28 x 2, 28-29). The crowd isn’t happy with it, but whaddya gonna do. Joe Rogan says that Green “belongs with the elite of the division.” Really? For grinnin’ his way through an incredibly close fight against Josh Thomson? I’m not convinced.
Clay Guida vs. Dennis Bermudez
And there’s Jason Guida doing his “slap Clay in the face before the fight” thing, again. He’s carved out quite a little niche for himself. Indeed, Jason Guida is the white Antonio Inoki.
Round 1: Bermudez rushing forward like a bull. He lands a leg kick. He’s throwing some serious punches too, but missing most of them. Clay Guida kicks Bermudez in the knee, then lands a big right hand. Guida shoots for a single leg, but Bermudez pulls out of it. They clinch against the fence. Bermudez sneaks in a good knee, and another. Guida shoots, Bermudez grabs him in a headlock and punches Guida when he pulls away. Guida tries to take Bermudez’s back in a scramble, but Bermudez shakes him off. Another knee from Bermudez, and Clay is cut near his right eye. Bermudez dashes forward with a leg kick, a punch, a knee. Bermudez grabs a clinch and starts smashing Guida with knees. Guida tries to escape and Bermudez takes his back, looking for a choke. Guida defends it, sticks his tongue out at the camera and the crowd loves it. The round ends. Dominant first round for Bermudez, but we’re still in 10-9 territory. Guida burps loudly on the stool.
Round 2: Bermudez storming forward trying to grab onto Guida, Guida landing punches while backpedaling. Punches and a sharp leg kick from Bermudez. Guida lands an inside leg kick. Bermudez lands in a punching exchange. A stiff left hand from Bermudez gets Guida stumbling backwards. Bermudez land a teep to the belly. Bermudez stalking Guida down. Guida lands a big overhand right again, but Bermudez doesn’t seem phased. Heck of a chin on that guy. Bermudez bullrushes Guida to the mat and takes his back. He goes for the rear-naked choke again, and sinks it almost immediately. Guida taps. He gets up and starts running laps around the cage.
That’s seven straight wins for Bermudez, and honestly, he looks like a killer now.
Dennis Bermudez def. Clay Guida via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:57 of round 2. Bermudez is “super-stoked.” He says Guida will be in the Hall of Fame one day. He’d like a title shot, but he’d be happy to fight anybody in the top 5.
Anthony Johnson vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Welp, it’s public execution time.
Round 1: Johnson moving forward slowly, cautiously. Johnson tags Nogueira with a punch, and Lil’ Nog is on his heels. Johnson lands another power punch, as Nog hits the fence. Johnson enters the kill sequence. A barrage of heavy punches from Rumble, ending with a right uppercut that sends Nogueira to the mat. It’s over. “And the lights go out in San Jose,” Joe Rogan says, somberly.
Bottom line, that fight shouldn’t have been made. And yet…isn’t this why we watch Rumble Johnson?
Anthony Johnson def. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via TKO, 0:44 of round 1. “Hopefully I keep puttin’ fear in everybody’s hearts,” Johnson says, before thanking the crowd. “I just wanted to destroy him, that was it.” After his rocky competitive history is brought up by Rogan, Johnson says “yeah, don’t cut so much weight, everybody.”
Again, it should be noted that Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is held together by duct tape, and didn’t really come to fight. The man has no more tread left on the tires, and should retire (like Kyle Kingsbury didearlier, by the way). Still: Who should Rumble beat up next?
Robbie Lawler vs. Matt Brown
Round 1: Brown comes out jabbing and Lawler immediately brushes him back with hard punches. Brown testing range with kicks. Lawler lands a nice uppercut. Brown on his heels, as Lawler lands sharp punches at will. Brown doing these really slow leg kicks that make me nervous for him. But Brown lands a big right hand. Lawler returns fire. Now Brown grabs his clinch, lands some knees. He lands a standing elbow. Brown waking up now. He flips Lawler to the mat, and looks for a D’arce choke, but Lawler defends and stands. Lawler pushes Brown against the fence, lands a hard uppercut. Brown is cut near the top of his nose. Brown lands knees to Lawler’s legs from the clinch, and an elbow in close. Another elbow from Brown, but Lawler bashes his way out, and nails Brown with heavy punches. Nice body kick from Lawler. Brown lands one of his own. Brown dashes in with a long punch and Lawler fires back an uppercut as the round ends. I’d say 10-9 Lawler, who looked very dangerous throughout.
Round 2: Brown missing punches and running out of the way to avoid Robbie’s counters. Brown tries a high right kick that’s mostly blocked. I just noticed that Brown is sponsored by Dude Wipes. Brown lands a kick to the body. Brown shoots in for a takedown. It’s telegraphed and Lawler is ready for it; Brown briefly gets Lawler to the mat, but Lawler is quickly on his feet. Brown whiffs a punch. Lawler lands a straight left. Brown lands a spinning back to the body. He storms forward with punches. Brown stick a right hand. He briefly grabs a clinch and sneaks in an elbow. Brown throws a high kick, then thumps one to the body. Lawler with a hard body kick of his own. Brown chases Lawler and fires a kick at the bell. Brown did much better in that round, and may have edged out a 10-9.
Round 3: Brown shoots in for a single-leg, and is tenaciously trying to convert it against the fence, but Lawler doesn’t budge. He drops down an elbow, drawing more blood from Brown’s face. Lawler with a hard body kick and Brown winces. Lawler throws it again. Lawler goes high with the kick. Lawler sneaks in a right hook. Brown gets busy firing punches. Lawler kicks Brown in the belly and Brown is hurt, stumbling backwards…but Big John thinks it was a low blow, and stops the action. Damn it. The replay shows that it was as clean as you can get. But Brown gets a break. They’re back in. Brown lands a body kick. They trade high kicks. There’s the bell. Lawler, 10-9. Brown was in trouble there for a while.
Round 4: Lawler runs out to the center of the Octagon, throwing punches. He takes Brown to the mat and starts working from half-guard. Some douche-bro in the crowd starts booing immediately. Brown grabs a headlock, but loses it. He scoots back to the fence. Brown tries to turn and stand, but Lawler slams him back to the mat and takes his back. Brown escapes to his feet. Good lead uppercut from Lawler. Brown shoots, Lawler defends. Good right hand from Lawler. Lawler lands a left high kick. Brown lands a pair of kicks to Lawler’s right leg. Lawler snaps Brown’s head back with a left. The round ends; another 10-9 for Lawler. Brown looking pretty tired as he walks back to his corner.
Round 5: And here we go. Both guys spend the first 20 seconds slugging the shit out of each other. Brown knows he needs a finish here. Brown working some standing elbows with good success. Body kick from Lawler, followed by a left hand. They clinch against the fence, briefly. Lawler is cut now, too. Good knee to the body from Brown, and Lawler responds with a right hand. Brown lands a kick to the ribs. Lawler lands a left high kick. Brown with a left hook to the body. Powerful body kick from Brown. But Lawler lands one of his own and Brown is hurt. More back and forth, with both guys tearing into each other. Lawler with a kick, Brown catches it, Lawler spins around with a backfist. Lawler with another kick to the body. What a dogfight. Brown is tough as nails, but he must be in agony. Lawler smashes Brown to the mat, but Brown is quickly on his feet. The last horn sounds. Brown smiles at Lawler. The Immortal must know he lost, but hey, it was a hell of a show.
Robbie Lawler def. Matt Brown via unanimous decision (49-46 x 2, 48-47). “There’s two champions in this ring tonight,” Lawler says to Brown. The post-fight interview is a quick one, as the broadcast is completely out of time, but Lawler’s not much of a talker anyway. The important thing is, the win secures Lawler a rematch against Johny Hendricks for the welterweight title, as soon as Hendricks is healthy again. Can’t wait for that one.
For an event that was initially much better on paper and seemed certain to disappoint, UFC on FOX 9 came through. The card was entertaining and ended in one of the best knockouts in recent memory.
Zach Makovsky defeated Scott Jorgensen via decision. Interestingly enough, Makovsky—a former Bellator champ—didn’t have to prove himself in WSOF to get a shot in the UFC. Funny how things work out like that, isn’t it?
Pat Healy dropped a unanimous decision to Bobby Green. The crowd booed the announcement (or maybe they were saying boo-urns). The decision wasn’t horrible although it was pretty clear Green didn’t win all three rounds (but somehow 2/3 judges thought he did).
Edson Barboza vs. Danny Castillo elevated the card’s energy level. In the first round, Castillo ran over Barboza like a freight train. He floored the Brazilian striker, unleashed vicious ground-and-pound, and nearly choked him out. Somehow, Barboza survived the torrent of offense and even managed to reverse his fortunes in the second round. In that frame, Barboza made use of leg and body kicks to stymie Castillo and nearly finish him. The third round was a little closer and slower-paced. Barboza walked away with a majority decision.
In the last preliminary fight, rising star and late replacement Ryan LaFlare carved up Court McGee‘s face with pinpoint striking. The Long Islander outworked McGee until the third round, where he started to gas a little bit. But LaFlare’s work in the first two rounds was enough to secure a unanimous decision.
For an event that was initially much better on paper and seemed certain to disappoint, UFC on FOX 9 came through. The card was entertaining and ended in one of the best knockouts in recent memory.
Zach Makovsky defeated Scott Jorgensen via decision. Interestingly enough, Makovsky—a former Bellator champ—didn’t have to prove himself in WSOF to get a shot in the UFC. Funny how things work out like that, isn’t it?
Pat Healy dropped a unanimous decision to Bobby Green. The crowd booed the announcement (or maybe they were saying boo-urns). The decision wasn’t horrible although it was pretty clear Green didn’t win all three rounds (but somehow 2/3 judges thought he did).
Edson Barboza vs. Danny Castillo elevated the card’s energy level. In the first round, Castillo ran over Barboza like a freight train. He floored the Brazilian striker, unleashed vicious ground-and-pound, and nearly choked him out. Somehow, Barboza survived the torrent of offense and even managed to reverse his fortunes in the second round. In that frame, Barboza made use of leg and body kicks to stymie Castillo and nearly finish him. The third round was a little closer and slower-paced. Barboza walked away with a majority decision.
In the last preliminary fight, rising star and late replacement Ryan LaFlare carved up Court McGee‘s face with pinpoint striking. The Long Islander outworked McGee until the third round, where he started to gas a little bit. But LaFlare’s work in the first two rounds was enough to secure a unanimous decision.
The once-much-better main card began with a mismatch (though it was fun to watch). Joe Lauzon brutalized the hopelessly outmatched Mac Danzig for 15 minutes en route to a unanimous decision victory. It was a bloody affair. Lauzon tempered his intensity with caution, not over-pursuing any finishes. Instead, he remained content with control and moderate amounts of damage that snowballed into the end result: Danzig’s face looking like it had gone through a wood chipper.
Chad Mendes and Nik Lentz faced off next. Mendes was his normal studly self early on, but succumbed to the fight’s pace. He won the fight via UD. It wasn’t the prettiest performance though. During a post-fight news blurb on FOX, Ariel Helwani claimed Mendes had a sinus infection (I think that’s the first time we’ve heard that excuse), so maybe that explains it.
The co-main event of the evening pitted Urijah Faber vs. Michael McDonald. The 22-year-old McDonald was out of his depth. Faber took the first round easily enough. In the second, “The California Kid” stunned McDonald and swarmed him. After a few punches against the staggered McDonald, Faber scored a guillotine finish. It was an excellent display of killer instinct. Faber became an animal when he saw McDonald was hurt.
The main event ended in unbelievable fashion. Demetrious Johnson landed a right hook that lawnchair’dJoseph Benavidez in the first round. It’s undoubtedly the most incredible KO in flyweight history and will likely stay that way for quite some time.
TL;DR – UFC on FOX 9 was supposed to be an incredible free card that demanded our attention. It was still fun due to the performances on the main card, but it could’ve been so much more had the plague of injuries never happened.
Complete Results:
Main Card
Demetrious Johnson def. Joseph Benavidez via KO (punch), 2:08 of Round 1
Urijah Faber def. Michael McDonald via submission (guillotine), 3:22 of Round 2
Chad Mendes def. Nik Lentz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Joe Lauzon def. Mac Danzig via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Preliminary Card
Ryan LaFlare def. Court McGee via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Edson Barboza def. Danny Castillo via majority decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Bobby Green def. Pat Healy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Zach Makovsky def. Scott Jorgensen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Sam Stout def. Cody McKenzie via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Abel Trujillo def. Roger Bowling via TKO (strikes), 1:35 of Round 2
Alptekin Ozkilic def. Daren Uyenoyama via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
(Liz Carmouche pounds out Jessica Andrade | Photo via MMAFighting.com)
Two new bouts were just added to the November 6th UFC Fight for the Troops 3 in Kentucky. Lightweights James Krause and Bobby Green will square up and Marine Veteran Liz Carmouche and Alexis Davis will lock up in a women’s bantamweight contest.
Yahoo! Sports broke the news on Carmouche vs. Davis Friday. The UFC announced the Green/Krause bout on twitter.
Carmouche has fought twice this year already. First, she challenged 135lb champ Ronda Rousey last February, losing by arm bar. In July, however, Carmouche got back in the win column with a second round TKO win over Jessica Andrade. Davis last won a decision over Rosi Sexton at UFC 161
Krause and Green are both riding high heading into their bout. Krause has an eight fight win streak and won his last by submission over Sam Stout. Green came from Strikeforce and submitted Jacob Volkmann in his organization debut at UFC 156. The win was Green’s fifth straight.
The Fight for the Troops card will be headlined by former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida making his middleweight debut against veteran Army Ranger Tim Kennedy.
(Liz Carmouche pounds out Jessica Andrade | Photo via MMAFighting.com)
Two new bouts were just added to the November 6th UFC Fight for the Troops 3 in Kentucky. Lightweights James Krause and Bobby Green will square up and Marine Veteran Liz Carmouche and Alexis Davis will lock up in a women’s bantamweight contest.
Yahoo! Sports broke the news on Carmouche vs. Davis Friday. The UFC announced the Green/Krause bout on twitter.
Carmouche has fought twice this year already. First, she challenged 135lb champ Ronda Rousey last February, losing by arm bar. In July, however, Carmouche got back in the win column with a second round TKO win over Jessica Andrade. Davis last won a decision over Rosi Sexton at UFC 161
Krause and Green are both riding high heading into their bout. Krause has an eight fight win streak and won his last by submission over Sam Stout. Green came from Strikeforce and submitted Jacob Volkmann in his organization debut at UFC 156. The win was Green’s fifth straight.
The Fight for the Troops card will be headlined by former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida making his middleweight debut against veteran Army Ranger Tim Kennedy.
In one of the greater upsets of 2013 thus far, Robbie Lawler returned to the UFC last February and successfully smashed former top contender Josh Koscheck in the opening round of their UFC 157 main card scrap. Although the fight was not without its share of controversy (because it is physically impossible to fully knockout a Fraggle), the UFC quickly took notice nonetheless and has now booked “Ruthless” against the final Strikeforce welterweight champion, Tarec Saffiedine, at UFC on FOX 8.
In one of the greater upsets of 2013 thus far, Robbie Lawler returned to the UFC last February and successfully smashed former top contender Josh Koscheck in the opening round of their UFC 157 main card scrap. Although the fight was not without its share of controversy (because it is physically impossible to fully knockout a Fraggle), the UFC quickly took notice nonetheless and has now booked “Ruthless” against the final Strikeforce welterweight champion, Tarec Saffiedine, at UFC on FOX 8.
Also set for UFC on FOX 8 is a battle of exciting lightweights when Team Alpha Male’s Danny Castillo takes on Strikeforce import Bobby Green. Currently 5-2 in the UFC (4-1 in his last 5), “Last Call” recently rebounded from a second round KO loss to Michael Johnson at UFC on FX 5 with a unanimous decision victory over Paul Sass at UFC on FUEL 7. God dammit, we are less than 10 FXs and FUELs in and I am already getting confused by this bullshit. When UFC on Fox Sports 1 1 rolls around, I am out of this bitch. Anyways, Bobby Green will be looking to improve upon a successful SOTN victory over Jacob Volkmann in his UFC debut that earned the seal-of-approval from DW himself. Expect some fireworks in this one.
