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UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez II — FX Prelims Results & Commentary

(I don’t care what they’re arguing about. I’m always going to side with the guy who’s not wearing bikini briefs. / Photo courtesy of Esther Lin’s UFC 155 weigh-in set on MMAFighting.com)

As an appetizer to tonight’s UFC 155 pay-per-view blowout, the UFC has slated four promising preliminary matchups on FX, featuring battle-tested sluggers (Melvin Guillard vs. Jamie Varner, Brad Pickett vs. Eddie Wineland) and streaking rising stars (Erik Perez vs. Byron Bloodworth, Michael Johnson vs. Myles Jury), all looking to close out 2012 with a bang, bro.

Handling the liveblog for this leg of our journey will be Anthony Gannon, who will be jotting down round-by-round results after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and if you’re watching along with us, shoot us your own thoughts in the comments section.

(I don’t care what they’re arguing about. I’m always going to side with the guy who’s not wearing bikini briefs. / Photo courtesy of Esther Lin’s UFC 155 weigh-in set on MMAFighting.com)

Sup, Potatoheads! Let’s start this New Year’s show off proper with some kick-ass undercard fights, and a little NYE nostalgia. Seems like just yesterday we were dreaming of partying like it was 1999. Remmeber 99? Gas was like a buck a gallon, Jessica Biel was really starting to fill out as Mary Camden on 7th Heaven, and the government was running budget surpluses.

Here we are about to enter 2013, gas is pushing $4, Jessica Biel just married one of the Backstreet Boys or something like that, and everyone’s taxes are going up. Happy Fuckin’ New Year.

In 1999 my friends and I went to Manhattan for NYE and had a night they make movies about. This year we’ll be in someone’s basement, avoiding the women, playing darts, and talking about mortgage rates and fiscal cliffs.

WTF happened?

This is why I so enjoy this MMA shit though. It gives me a chance to relive my misspent youth without the crap that comes with that: being broke, getting arrested for sticking your bare ass out of car windows, waking up next to women who’re only slightly more attractive than Butterbean, or worse yet, waking up nude in a field beside a South Carolina trailer park with little recollection of the horrific events that led to such a scenario.

But for the next five hours I’m free again, back to that wonderful, carefree existence. During this short mental vacation, my girlfriend is not allowed to harass me with unimportant tasks. She is permitted to sit and watch, and may speak, although phrases like, “Why doesn’t he just kick him in the head?” are banned, the consequences clearly defined and necessarily harsh. I can get piss drunk if I wish, and if I wanna take my ass out, dammit I’ll take my ass out, just in the house with the curtains down. And usually by the co-main event I’m engaged in a bitter struggle for household supremacy with the cat. It begins with a few innocuous leg-kicks and ends with me on the floor after missing one and bashing my shin against something very hard.

But Goddammit I love every minute of the foolishness. So let’s do this shit, and thoroughly enjoy the final event of 2012.

From the Facebook portion of the event:

John Moraga beat Chris Cariaso with a nasty ass hybrid guillotine/d’arce/front headlock choke.

Max Holloway took a split decision over Leonard Garcia.

And the Duffman knocked the shit out of Phil De Fries in the first round.

The FX broadcast kicks off sans Mike Goldberg, and for as much shit as I’ve talked about Goldy over the years, he’s missed. It’s just weird to see Jon Anik standing next to Rogan. He even looks like Rogan a little, just a dorky version. He’s a good commentator though, so I guess I’ll give him a break.

First up is Michael Johnson vs Myles Jury

Since dropping the TUF Finale to Jonathan Brookins a couple years back, Johnson has found some nice success in the Octagon, posting a 4-1 record with his only blemish being a loss to Paul Sass’ inverted heal hook, which was so awesome it gave Rogan a boner so massive rumor has it he ruptured his dorsal vein due to an overflow of blood. Johnson is coming off a sweet KO over Danny Castillo.

Aside from having a cool-ass name we don’t know much about Myles “Fury” Jury. Sure he competed on The Ultimate Fighter, but let’s be honest here, the show isn’t exactly the greatest barometer to measure talent anymore. On a positive note, Jury is 10-0 – all by violent stoppage. On the negative side, not one of those guys has a Wikipedia page, and that shit means something.

Round 1: Johnson opens with a missed leg kick. Jury with a front kick, off mark. Johnson lands a leg kick, then misses a left by a mile. They’re just kind of measuring each other, no one throwing much. Jury lands a takedown, in half guard trying to escape. And he does, but Johnson escapes, now Jury is working for Johnson’s back. He’s got one hook in, and is pounding Johnson in the side of the head. Oh, nice elbow. Johnson is doing absolutely nothing to escape. But now he does, well not escape, but he’s not getting blasted in the dome anymore. Now he’s on his back, Jury is in half guard working for a Kimura. He let it go, and goes back to blasting Johnson. And Jury moves to side control, and now full mount. Now he’s got the back, working for a choke. Johnson saved by the bell. Jury 10-9

Round 2: Jury with a leg kick to start things off. Johnson continues to miss just about everything he throws. Now he lands a decent left. Oh, Jury with a head kick, has little effect on Johnson. Jury with a kick, Johnson counters with a right hook. Jury goes in for a takedown, Johnson backs him up with a shot to the chops. Leg kick by Jury. Answered by Johnson, but jury catches it and scores another takedown. Not good for Johnson. He’s got nothing for jury down there. Jury is in full guard, working some elbows, nothing too devestating. Johnson is just holding on for dear life, not doing much to get up or escape, or anything for that matter. Rogan comments on how the guard is a weak spot in MMA, and Johnson is proof of that. Weak round, but an easy 10-9 for jury.

Round 3: Jury fails on a takedown. Johnson looking to be more aggressive, but Jury ties him up and pushes him against the cage, lands a trip takedown. Nice elbow to the side of the head. Johnson gets to half guard. Jury advances to side control, working some ground and pound. Back to half guard. Big elbow by Jury, and another. Jury is on top just pounding away at Johnson’s head. Johnson looks like he took a lude. Jury still on top working that ground and pound. He’s very active from top position, but isn’t able to do much damage. He is dominating though. The round ends, and easy decision win for Myles Jury.

The judges decision is in and it’s 30-27 across the board. Nice win for Jury.

Melvin “Fuck All That Jiu Jitsu” Guillard vs Jamie “Don’t Call It A Comeback” Varner is next

After a fairly brutal career deviation that saw him get cut from the WEC, then lose to former gay porn star (not that there’s anything wrong with that) Dakota Cochrane, Jamie Varner scored a couple of impressive wins on the regional circuit and was offered a contract by the UFC. He derailed the Edson Barboza hype train by first round ass-whoopin’, then partook in a thrilling battle with Joe Lauzon, and even though he lost due to an ill-conceived takedown, Varner was impressive, and showed that he is not to be taken lightly.

Mel is an interesting case. Long considered one of the most athletically gifted lightweights in the world, he’s always failed to get over that final rung to glory. The unfortunate recipient of three losses in his last four fights, Mel desperately needs a W here. He has the ability to knock any fool out, no doubt, but unlike himself, he’s facing an opponent who doesn’t wither and die when faced with the slightest tad of adversity.

Round 1: Hard leg kick by Mel. Varner missesd a left, eats two more leg kicks. Mel with a jab to the forehead of Varner. Mel is fighting a measured strategy. Varner is trying to figure out how to get inside without getting his head knocked off. Mel with another jab. And another hard leg kick. And another. Varner misses badly with an overhand right. Varner throws a three shot combo, and one looks like it connected pretty well. Mel thwarts a takedown attempt. Varner with a big right, then connected with a good body shot. Then blasts Mel with a good one to the head, takes Mel down but the round ends. Varner finished strong, probably stole the round 10-9

Round 2: Mel opens with a jab, Varner answers with another shot. Varner sticks a takedown, Mel looking to cage walk back up, but Varner is controlling him nicely, lands a few good ones too. Now Mel flips Varner’s ass to the ground. Both are back up. They trade shots. Mel with another leg kick, follows with a high kick that lands. Mel sticks a jab, Varner misses a left, then lands a very nice combo. Mel has his high kick blocked. Varner with another takedown. Mel is back up, and they separate. Mel goes hard to the body. Varner lands a big right. Oh nasty body kick by Mel, eats a serious one to the pills. Mel’s looking pretty miserable down there. He’s okay and they’re ready to go again. Varner charges forward, Mel gets out of the way, and lands a knee to the guts. Jumping knee to end the round for Mel. Tough round to score, I’ll give it to Guillard 10-9

Round 3: Varner shoots, Mel defends. Mel with a hard kick to the body. Varner blocks, but that shit looked liek it hurt. Varner gets the takedown, but Mel is against the cage looking to get up. Varner goes for a Pruvian necktie, but Mel escapes and reverses. He’s on top looking to work some ground and pound. Varner’s shin is bleeding. Yuck. Mel goes to the body, Varner responds with a another takedown. He can’t figure out a way to keep Mel down. And he’s up. Varner ducks a punch and lands a takedown, this time nowhere near the cage. Oh shit, Mel goes for an armbar, and now he’s on top. Wow, a sit out, and now Varner is on top again. He’s got a minute to do some damage. He’s doing nothing. Mel kicks him off and gets up. Mel with a left hook. Varner picks him up and slams Mel backward on his head. Crazy ending. I’ll give that last one to Varner 10-9

The decision is in, and it’s 30-27 (Varner), 30-27 (Guillard), and 30-27 for a bizarre split decision to Jamie Varner.

Erik Perez vs Byron Bloodworth is next

In his first fight outside the south-eastern MMA scene, Bloodworth was decimated by Mike Easton after missing weight by three pounds. So not only did he get his ass whooped, but he had to pay the guy who provided said whooping 20% of his earnings, which considering his meager purse of $4000 amounted to $800. Then he was forced from a second fight due to injury. Bloodworth hasn’t fought in over a year, and earned only $3200 in that time (from fighting anyway). By comparison, the official poverty line for a single person in America is a little over $11,000 a year. So this pitiable bastard earned about $8000 less than the poorest person you know. DAYUM! For that alone I have to root for him to not only win, but get the Fight of the Night, Submission of the Night, Knockout of the Night, and “locker room” bonuses. What, it’s possible.

However, not probable. Bloodworth is facing Erik Perez, who earned a verbal submission victory in his UFC debut, and a 0:17 knockout in his encore. Yep, it’s safe to say this guy is a stone cold killer.

But never underestimate a guy who’s fighting to avoid literal starvation. Hey, it worked for Pat Barry when he was living on ketchup and rice. I know what you’re thinking. Ketchup aint cheap, right, how the hell can Bloodworth afford ketchup? Damn straight it aint cheap, especially any brand that isn’t spelled ‘catsup,’ but Burger King was foolish enough years back to provide those do-it-yourself dispensers. All you gotta do is roll in there to take a piss, and when no one’s looking squirt a bunch of that crimson gold into the baggy you found on the street. And shit, you can even use the free soap provided by a BK bathroom to wash that jammy out. See, who says fast food restaurants are public health hazards/slave mills that provide no public worth whatsoever? Then you got ketchup and rice for the week, and that’s some good livin’.

Round 1: Byron opens with a huge overhand right. Perez ties him up against the cage, Byron reverses, and now Perez reverses, delivering some body shots. Perez with a knee. And another one that drops Byron, damn! Perez descends, and is on top pounding away, but Byron is surviving, and he establishes guard. Perez goes to the head, then to the body, now he’s dropping elbows. Byron defending well. Perez working that body nicely with punches and elbows. Now he’s dropping them to the head. Perez is relentless. He just landed a good one, Byron turns to his side, and Perez finishes him. This kid is a killer, man.

The official decison is in, and it’s a TKO at 03:50 of round one. That’s three fights in the UFC for Perez, three first round stoppages. Not bad. Perez has that stupid mask on for his interview, and so does his entire corner.

Brad Pickett and Eddie Wineland are up

Serious tussle here. Don’t let the stupid hat fool you, Pickett is an animal. His only UFC loss was to Renan Barao, and there aint no shame in that game. Barao has forgotten more about dispensing pain that you or I will ever know. Pickett likes to bang it out, but he’s got a pretty underrated submission game as well. And to hell with you if you missed my Lethal Weapon reference.

Wineland is also a savage. He followed up two tough UFC opening losses to Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez with a spectacular knockout of Scott Jorgensen. Let’s see what he’s got here.

Round 1: Pickett with a leg kick to start. Wineland responds in kind. Pickett charges in with a left hook. Wineland misses a big uppercut, but then lands a good right, and another. Pickett responds with a right of his own. Rogan comments that Wineland is doing everything they tell you not to do in a boxing class. But then he drops Pickett. He’s up though, and looks okay. Wineland goes to the body, Pickett misses a hook. Wineland is throwing bombs. Aint gotta have much technique if one of those lands. Damn, he drops Pickett again, twice, but he’s back up. Pickett shoots, fails. Pickett with a left, then a leg kick. Wineland throws a few, good head movement by Pickett. He needs a little more of that. Wineland lands two more than stun Pickett, then he goes to the body. Pickett jumps forward with a big Rocky type hook, missed badly. The round ends, gotta say 10-9 for Wineland

Round 2: Wineland tags Pickett with a left, Pickett answers with a good shot of his own. Wineland tags him again, and again with a left hook. Pickett with a leg kick, he’s having a hard time finding Wineland’s face. But he goes to the body, nice. Wineland with a jab, blocks Pickett’s counter right. Huge exchange, both just skim the other. Good left hook by Wineland. And a short right. Non stop kickboxing match and the fans are booing. Big hook by Pickett, and Wineland is bleeding from his eye. Wineland lands a nice straight right to close out the round. 10-9 Wineland

Round 3: Pickett with a jab, then a knee that maybe brushes Wineland’s gut. Pickett is charging forward, Wineland moving very well, getting out of the way of mostly everything. Oh nice one two combo from Wineland. Pickett lands a very solid right, doesn’t seem to faze Wineland much. Nice leg kick by Pickett. Wineland lands like three jabs in a row. And a jab by Pickett. Wineland lands a solid right, then misses a left. Pickett misses an uppercut, then sticks a low kick. They trade straight shots. Oh hard to the body by Pickett, then whiffs a big left. Wineland to the body. Pickett staying aggressive, but Wineland is countering him nicely. The bell sounds, and this one goes to Eddie Wineland.

The decision is in, and it’s 30-27 (Wineland), 29-28 (Pickett), and 30-27 for Wineland.

That’s it for me, folks. Let the tomfoolery commence. Thanks for chillin’, and stick around for the main card.

Booking Roundup: Koch vs. Lamas, Pickett vs. Wineland, + More Paired for UFC 155

(A bit of insider info: The tattoo on Koch’s right arm stands for Zeitgeist, while the one on the left stands for Honey Boo Boo child. True story.)

It may not come as a shock to any of you, but needless to say, UFC 155 a.k.a the UFC’s annual New Year’s Eve card is looking pretty stacked at this point. Sure, we will lose at least half of these fights to injury, but for the time being we are going to revel in these awesome matchups God damn it and there’s nothing you can do to stop us la la la la we can’t hear you!

Just last week, we announced that Phil Davis would be stepping in to replace Chael Sonnen against Forrest Griffin in the night’s co-main event, and today, a whole slew of interesting matchups were announced, starting with Erik Koch vs Ricardo Lamas.

If you recall, Koch has spent roughly ten years on the shelf due to injury, yet despite this, was in line to receive the next shot at Jose Aldo. Then Jose got injured, then the bout was rescheduled, then Koch injured himself again, then Jose got injured again. My God, that was as depressing an assessment of the current UFC landscape as I’ve ever written. In any case, it appears that Koch will finally return to action on New Year’s against fellow top contender Ricardo Lamas, who is fresh off a victory over Hatsu Hioki at UFC on FX 4. Koch and Lamas find themselves in a very similar position coming into this fight — both are relatively unknown by casual fans yet will likely earn the next featherweight title shot with a win — so expect both guys to try and make a statement with this fight, or at the minimum, talk a lot of shit to Jose Aldo afterward.

In other UFC 155 news…

(A bit of insider info: The tattoo on Koch’s right arm stands for Zeitgeist, while the one on the left stands for Honey Boo Boo child. True story.)

In other UFC 155 news…

Hard-hitting bantamweights Brad Pickett and Eddie Wineland have been booked to throw down at the UFC’s year-end event as well. In his last appearance at UFC on FX 3, Wineland became the first man to ever knock out perennial bantamweight contender Scott Jorgensen, an impressive fact made all the more impressive when you consider that Jorgensen has shared the octagon with such names as current bantamweight interim champ Renan Barao and current actual champ Dominick Cruz among others.

Speaking of Barao, since dropping a first round submission loss to the Nova Uniao product, Pickett has scored two straight victories over Damacio Page via submission (obviously) and Yves Jabouin via uppercut of death. As is the case for Lamas/Koch, either man could find themselves on the short line of contenders with an impressive win. That is, if the respective champions of their division can ever make it to the ring to defend their titles.

And finally, a pair of relatively unknown bantamweights in Byron Bloodworth and Erik Perez are also scheduled to throw down at UFC 155. With a name that sounds like every Scooby-Doo villan ever, Bloodworth has not fought since last October, where he was defeated via late second round TKO at the hands of Mike Easton in his UFC debut. Perez, on the other hand, has been absolutely lights out since entering the UFC back in June. Ironically, Perez actually replaced Bloodworth against John Albert at the TUF 15 Finale, where he scored a first round armbar submission over the tough-nosed castmember. When we last saw him at UFC 150, Perez added to Ken Stone’s brutal lowlight reel by knocking the WEC veteran out cold in only 17 seconds. Fun fact: The knockout currently holds the record for fastest UFC/WEC bantamweight KO of all time.

And here you were all complaining that the little guys couldn’t finish. Shame on you all.

–J. Jones

UFC on Versus 6 Undercard Live Blog: Edwards vs. Oliveira, Johnson vs. Sass, More

Filed under: UFC

This is the UFC on Versus 6 live blog for all six preliminary bouts on tonight’s UFC Live card from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. This is the UFC’s debut in the nation’s capital city.

On the Facebook-streamed undercard are Yves Edwards vs. Rafaello Oliveira, Michael Johnson vs. Paul Sass, Byron Bloodworth vs. Mike Easton, T.J. Grant vs. Shane Roller, Josh Neer vs. Keith Wisniewski and Joseph Sandoval vs. Walel Watson.

Sass tries to stay unbeaten in his career when he meets Johnson, who won his first UFC fight in June after losing to Jonathan Brookins in the TUF 12 finals. Edwards and Oliveira had winning streaks snapped over the summer and are looking to rebound. And Neer and Wisniewski return after long stints outside the UFC, Neer more than two years and Wisniewski nearly six years.

The live blog is below.

More Coverage: UFC on Versus 6 Results | Latest UFC News

Walel Watson vs. Joseph Sandoval

Round 1: We open up with a bout between a pair of debuting bantamweights. Watson trains at the San Diego Combat Academy with Team Hurricane Awesome, including Strikeforce women’s fighter Liz Carmouche. Sandoval is unbeaten at 6-0. Sandoval is channeling Dan Hardy, walking out with a bandana-mask covering his face, as well as a reddish-orange mohawk. Mario Yamasaki gets things rolling. Sandoval opens in southpaw stance and ducks away from two right head kicks from Watson. Then he checks one, then eats one to the mommy-daddy parts. Sandoval gets a few seconds to recover, and Yamasaki warns Watson. Watson comes back with a big head kick and he lands it big time, right under the chin. Sandoval hits the canvas, but bounces up quickly. But Watson is there to land a right kick to the side of the head, and a couple punches before Yamasaki can get in and stop it. It looks like Sandoval could’ve continued, but had he, he just would’ve eaten more shots. “I’ve been working on my striking. I just measured my distance, threw my head kick – same thing I’ve been practicing all day,” Watson tells Joe Rogan.

Result: Walel Watson def. Joseph Sandoval, TKO, 1:17 Round 1

Josh Neer vs. Keith Wisniewski

Round 1: Both men returning for the first time in a while. Neer has been out of the UFC more than two years. Wisniewski for nearly six. They start out striking with Wisniewski getting a few short jabs in before clinching up and throwing a few knees. Wisniewski eats a right, then they clinch up again but not much comes from it. Wisniewski has a pretty good height advantage, and as Neer comes inside he lands repeated body blows until Wisniewski pushes him away. They clinch again and trade position against the fence. Neer’s mouthpiece falls out, and we take a second to put it back in. Nice low leg kick from Neer. Wisniewski throws on a Thai clinch, but there’s not much there. Wisniewski lands a left, then eats an uppercut from Neer. Wisniewski may be bloodied over his eye. Neer gets the better of a dirty boxing exchange, then eats a couple shots. Neer goes after Wisniewski’s cut with elbows trying to open it up some more. It’s a pretty interesting round, but it looks like Neer landed a few more shots and we’ll give it to him 10-9.

Round 2: Neer apparently told his corner that Wisniewski has broken his ribs with some body shots. So let’s see how that affects Neer here in Round 2. Big right from Neer backs Wisniewski up. Then a pair of jabs as Wisniewski moves in. Wisniewski told MMA Fighting on Friday he planned to get the better of exchanges and take the fight to the ground in each round. He never did that in the first. Will he look for a takedown in this round? They trade elbows along the fence in some more dirty boxing exchanges. Wisniewski goes back to the body. Wisniewski eats several elbows to the face, and then lands one of his own. Neer getting the better of all these standing elbwos, and Wisniewski looks very battered on his face and is starting to bleed pretty good. Neer lands uppercuts as Wisniewski clinches. Dan Miragliotta calls time to have a doctor look at Wisniewski’s cuts. Wisniewski says he’s fine, he can see and he wants to continue. But he is absolutely a bloody mess. Now we are looking for Wisniewski’s mouthpiece, which has fallen out against the cage and is now apparently lost under the cage! Never seen this before! They send someone under the cage to find it, and they do! Wisniewski probably will come forward with a new strategy now, and he comes forward quickly and looks for a takedown. It’s not there, and he eats some more elbows. With a minute left, Wisniewski is going to need to find some serious offense. But he eats some more elbows, then four straight left jabs. Neer goes for a standing guillotine at the end of the round, and it’s a bloodbath all over the cage. Miragliotta looks closely at the cut that was leaking all over the place as Neer squeezed the guillotine. It’s an easy 10-9 round for Neer, and it very well could be a 10-8. But it won’t matter. The doctor will stop the fight, and it’s a TKO victory for Neer, who landed probably nowhere short of 10,000 elbows.

Result: Josh Neer def. Keith Wisniewski, TKO (doctor’s stoppage), 5:00 Round 3
“I’m happy. I work on my elbows all the time. I have a lot of respect for (Keith). I wasn’t surprised the fight was stopped. It was getting hard to do anything in there, it was so bloody. I didn’t break my ribs. He definitely hurt me,” Neer tells Rogan afterward.

Shane Roller vs. T.J. Grant

Round 1: Grant walks first, and walks to “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake, conjuring up memories of Mark Wahlberg in “The Fighter” playing boxer “Irish” Micky Ward. This is Grant’s debut at lightweight, moving down from welterweight. Grant in the middle and stalking. Roller misses a looping left, then eats a couple short jabs. Big right uppercut from Roller, and Grant takes him to the ground. But Roller gets a guillotine. They flip-flop position a couple times, and Grant winds up on top looking for a side choke, then an armbar. Roller is an Oklahoma State wrestling product, though, and pretty quickly rolls Grant over and gets on top – and nearly gets a guillotine himself. Good scramble from Grant, though, and he gets up out of the bad position and stands up looking to throw punches from standing. He dives back in and Roller stays back in full guard. Grant looks to land some body shots as Roller looks for a guillotine. Grant moves around and gets to side control, and Rogan mentions the rare “Von Flue” choke that Grant apparently doesn’t know about. Grant traps Roller’s right arm, and proceeds to land some good shots from the top as Roller covers up. It’s a 10-9 round for Grant on the unofficial MMA Fighting card.

Round 2: Head kick from Grant 20 seconds in is partially blocked. Grant then times a nice inside leg kick. Some big knees from Grant lead Roller to shoot for a takedown. Roller tries to control an arm, but as they come back up he settles for some good shots on the feet. Roller starts throwing some bombs. Grant goes for a big takedown and lands it – and lands right into a guillotine. But Grant is able to pop his head out and winds up in side control. Grant changes position, giving up a pretty good spot, and after a short scramble Grant again looks for a crucifix position. But he loses his good spot going for the back, and Roller winds up on top. Roller tries to pass, but a bizarre scramble sees Grant pull off a beautiful transition to an armbar – and Roller just barely survives the round. We’re scoring it for Grant again, 10-9.

Round 3: A little slower pace to start the third round. Both guys trade jabs until Grant lands a big right hand that cuts Roller. Roller looks like he’s having some trouble seeing, blinking a lot. Roller shoots 90 seconds in, but Grant doesn’t have much trouble sprawling to defend. Roller continues to look for the takedown and gets a single, but Grant locks on a guillotine. Roller pops his head out, but Grant throws on an armbar, and it’s a good one. Suddenly, the ref stops the fight. But Roller didn’t tap. Roller is extremely upset. The crowd boos the perceived bad stoppage from Mario Yamasaki’s brother, Fernando.

Result: T.J. Grant def. Shane Roller, TKO (verbal submission), 2:12 Round 3
“He was in there and he yelled out in pain. You’re told before the fight you can’t do that. He gave me a helluva a fight, and that’s what I expected,” Grant said. “I knew I had a short window there (with the armbar).” Roller was less than pleased, talking to Rogan: “We were getting in a scramble, and I ended up an the armbar. It got locked up tight. I moaned, but I didn’t yell. I was trying to get out.”

Mike Easton vs. Byron Bloodworth

Round 1: Both fighters are making their UFC debuts. Bloodworth takes this fight on very short notice, filling in for Doug Hougland. He couldn’t hit the bantamweight limit, though, so this is a 138-pound catchweight fight and Bloodworth is giving up 20 percent of his purse. Easton is a big fan favorite as a D.C. native. Easton is buddy-buddy with Dominick Cruz, and he moves just like him. Easton isn’t doing anything in the way of attacking yet, though. Bloodworth lands an inside leg kick. Nice high kick from Bloodworth is checked. A couple nice inside leg kicks from Easton. Bloodworth shoots for a takedown, but Easton stops it. They clinch up and move to the fence and trade knees. With about 2 minutes left in the round, the ref breaks them for a lack of action. Good spinning back kick from Easton lands to Bloodworth’s gut with 90 seconds left in the round. Bloodworth misses a 1-2 with a spinning back elbow. Easton lands a knee to the midsection, then backs up and re-sets. Bloodworth shoots, but Easton easily sprawls out of it. It’s a pretty close first round, but Easton probably takes it 10-9.

Round 2: Easton has a little more pep in his step, if that’s even possible. Or at least he’s looking more offensive minded than the first, which had a lot of time spent bouncing but not throwing much offense out there. Nice kick from Easton, and then a lazy shot from Bloodworth is pushed away. Left hook from Easton, and a beautiful right kick from Easton to Bloodworth’s left leg. Then another shot to the lead leg, and Bloodworth appears to be feelin’ it for sure. Bloodworth toggles back and forth in his stances hoping to keep Easton away from that left leg, and he’s circling all over the place. Easton throws a kick, but it lands low and Bloodworth gets some time. Easton says, “Dude, totally sorry. My bad.” (Not literally.) But we get back going, and a Bloodworth kick combined with an Easton slip has Easton briefly with a knee on the mat. They clinch with a minute left, then trade position on the fence. Easton throws some big right knees to Bloodworth’s face, then lands a big knee to the body that instantly crumples Bloodworth. Easton gets in four lefts on the ground before Kevin Mulhall steps in to shut things down.

Result: Mike Easton def. Byron Bloodworth, TKO, 4:52 Round 2

Michael Johnson vs. Paul Sass

Round 1: Flying knee-kick thing from Sass starts the fight, and Johnson moves out of the way. It gets a nice “Ooooh!” from the D.C. crowd, though. Sass is the triangle master with eight of his 11 wins by the choke finish, including seven straight at one point. Johnson lands a nice right, then a left, then a knee that sends Sass to the ground. But instead of moving to the ground to try and finish, Johnson stays well away from Sass’ strength. They stay standing. Spinning elbow from Sass misses. A scramble sees the fight hit the ground, and Sass looks for a heel hook. He loses it, but then locks it up again. He turns it over and looks for leverage. He keeps working the hold, and then he rolls Johnson over and the TUF 12 runner-up has to tap. Sass is truly a submission specialist, and he gets yet another one. Sass, from England, moves to 12-0 – with 11 submissions, and is line for a possible second straight Submission of the Night bonus to start his UFC career.

Result: Paul Sass def. Michael Johnson, submission (heel hook), 3:00 Round 1
“I was trying to go for a triangle today, but any submission I’m going for. He’s hard to tap. I didn’t hear (his knee pop), but I didn’t want to let go,” Sass says after the fight.

Yves Edwards vs. Rafaello Oliveira

Round 1: Oliveira opens with a head kick that is blocked. Then a big flurry that is followed by a press against the fence. Edwards survives the flurry and ties Oliveira up. Edwards looks for a Thai clinch, but it’s not there. Oliveira comes back with another flurry. Another high kick from Oliveira is blocked. Edwards throws a right kick of his own, but it misses. Inside leg kick from Oliveira. Nice combo from Edwards, including a high kick. Nice kick to the body from Edwards now, then a high kick that is blocked. Edwards has stayed patient, and he looks to be in a better rhythm. Edwards ducks under a left, then lands a left of his own. Another good combo from Edwards is on the mark. Oliveira shoots for a takedown, but Edwards defends it nicely and lands a shot on the way back up, then a couple more. Oliveira started fast, but Edwards was more consistent and he gets the round 10-9 on our card.

Round 2: Traded kicks in the first 30 seconds. Good scramble that Edwards defends well. On the standup, he lands a nice inside leg kick. Each guy dodges away from some combos. But Edwards lands a big right that drops Oliveira. He pounces and lands some big shots on the ground as Mario Yamasaki moves in. It looks close to being stopped, but Yamasaki gives Oliveira the chance to recover. And somehow he does. But Edwards continues to land some shots – though Oliveira fights back. But then an Edwards kick to the head drops Oliveira again, and he pounces and lands repeated shots to the head. Yamasaki probably lets it go a little too long this time, but when Edwards takes Oliveira’s back and flattens him out, it’s quickly, and mercifully at this point, over.

Result: Yves Edwards def. Rafaello Oliveira, TKO, 2:44 Round 2
“I know Rafaello’s a really tough guy and would come out hard. I just had to get my timing down. I’m faster than just about everyone out there, so I just had to figure that part out. Ultimately I’m just a guy fighting in front of a crowd, asking them to love him,” Edwards said.

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