Tag: Derek Brunson

UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez II — Main Card Results & Commentary


(What a crazy year it’s been. Just think, four weeks ago that bald guy in the middle was actually homeless. / Photo courtesy of Esther Lin’s UFC 155 weigh-in set on MMAFighting.com)

UFC 155 might not be as epic as some of the UFC’s previous end-of-year cards (you can blame the injury curse for that), but any time the Heavyweight Championship of the World is at stake, it’s must-see TV.

Tonight, defending champ Junior Dos Santos will try to keep the train a-rollin’ in a rematch with his old pal Cain Velasquez. Meanwhile in the co-main event, lightweights Joe Lauzon and Jim Miller will gobble up as many performance bonuses as they can get their little hands on. Plus, six middleweight contenders — including Tim Boetsch, Alan Belcher, and Chris Leben — will swing their ham-hock fists at each other, in the hopes that the most popular kid in school might notice them. Lotsa luck, ladies.

Running our final liveblog of the year (!) will be none other than Elias Cepeda, who will be updating you with round-by-round results after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and please share your New Year’s resolutions in the comments section.


(What a crazy year it’s been. Just think, four weeks ago that bald guy in the middle was actually homeless. / Photo courtesy of Esther Lin’s UFC 155 weigh-in set on MMAFighting.com)

UFC 155 might not be as epic as some of the UFC’s previous end-of-year cards (you can blame the injury curse for that), but any time the Heavyweight Championship of the World is at stake, it’s must-see TV.

Tonight, defending champ Junior Dos Santos will try to keep the train a-rollin’ in a rematch with his old pal Cain Velasquez. Meanwhile in the co-main event, lightweights Joe Lauzon and Jim Miller will gobble up as many performance bonuses as they can get their little hands on. Plus, six middleweight contenders — including Tim Boetsch, Alan Belcher, and Chris Leben — will swing their ham-hock fists at each other, in the hopes that the most popular kid in school might notice them. Lotsa luck, ladies.

Running our final liveblog of the year (!) will be none other than Elias Cepeda, who will be updating you with round-by-round results after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and please share your New Year’s resolutions in the comments section.

Chris Leben vs. Derek Brunson

Brunson rocking the classic private entrance song on the headphones walk to the cage. Leben using the Red Hot Chili Peppers to get amped as he walks to the UFC Octagon for the twentieth time.

 Rd 1

Brunson leads with left kicks that miss. Leben catches another, tries but fails to get a sweep take down. Brunson counters with his own take down slam.

They work from Leben’s full guard. Brunson stands and tries to pass the guard but is sucked back into the full guard. Leben working an arm bar, Brunson defends. Leben switches to a triangle choke attempt, then another arm bar and Brunson slams his way out of the hold.

Brunson works to the half guard of Leben but the Cat Smasher recovers his full guard. brunson standing and throwing short elbows to the head of Leben. Leben trying to control the wrists and head of Brunson. Brunson stands and passes Leben’s guard, then works into the mount and an arm triangle choke attempt.

Leben rolls and gets a weak half guard back. Brunson lands a big elbow from on top of Leben in his half guard. Minute and a half left. Brunson staying low, trying to keep pressure on Leben. The wrestler begins to get off pot shots again. Leben recomposes to full guard and shoots for an arm bar that is easily defended by Brunson.

Leben is backed up against the cage and tries to stand back up with under a minute left. Leben up to his feet with under thirty seconds left, Brunson briefly takes his back then presses Leben up against the cage. The two separate and the bell ends with them in the center of the ring.

Rd 2

Brunson leads with another high kick. Leben catches it and throws a straight right down the pipe that lands on Brunson’s chin. Brunson wobbled but steadies himself. He shoots in and drives Leben backwards into the fence.

Leben defends the take down attempt well as well as Brunson’s follow up attempts from the double under hooks. Brunson gets tagged on the feet but Brunson shoots in again and scores the take down.

Leben working little hammer shots from the bottom in his full guard. Leben throws up a weak arm bar attempt and Brunson stands up to try striking. Leben cage walks and gets back to his feet. Brunson tries a guillotine choke but Leben easily defends.

Leben lands a big uppercut but Brunson returns fire and stuns Leben with punches of his own. Both men are tired but Leben moves forward. Leben is beginning to score with the round house kick to the leg. Brunson with a one-two punch combination that lands.

Brunson with another straight shot down the pipe to Leben’s head. Leben lands a jab then another leg kick. Brunson closes the distance off of a Leben leg kick and presses Leben backwards against the cage.

Leben frees himself and they are back in the center of the ring. Leben is stalking Brunson and throwing more punches. Brunson looks unsteady on his feet. Leben with another leg kick. Brunson attempts another take down. Leben defends the shot but is working with his back to the cage. Leben circles away from the cage once more and goes back to walking down Brunson. Leben fires a wide looping left hook that misses and the horn sounds.

Rd 3

Brunson lands a glancing lead punch. Brunson lands the double leg take down and presses Leben against the cage. Leben cage walks and returns to his feet. Leben lands another leg kick. Brunson land another big straight punch, shoots for a take down and gets stuffed. Leben throws and misses a big upper cut.

Leben wading in on a tiring Brunson but doesn’t land much. He does land a left that appears to knock mouth guard out. brunson takes Leben down but stands back up after a few moments. Ten seconds left and Leben and Brunson are both swinging big.

The horn sounds and Brunson lets out a celebratory scream instead of accepting a hand shake offer from Leben. Brunson apparently believes that he’s down enough with take downs to win the fight.

Decision time coming up next.

Judges score the fight 29-28 for Derek Burnson. Brunson beats Chris Leben in his UFC debut.

Alan Belcher vs. Yushin Okami II

Belcher is back to avenge his father’s death against former title challenger Yushin Okami. Tough one to call. Belcher insists that Okami is scared of standing and banging with him, bro. Okami says that he’s improved more than Belcher has and that he’ll walk away with another win over the Southern boy.

Rd 1

Belcher’s horrible Johnny Cash tattoo is really distracting from this writer’s play by play blogging, not for nothing. Lots of feinting and big swings from Belcher. Belcher slips and falls after he kicks and Okami lands a jab.

Yushin presses Belcher against the cage, looking for a take down. Okami lands a knee ot the body of Belcher, then tries to land a knee to the head. Belcher doing a good job of defending, then all but asks the ref to separate them. Belcher lands a trip and ends up on top of Okami. He then pulls a guillotine choke and guard on Okami.

The Japanese fighter defends and is inside of Belcher’s guard. Okami presses Belcher against the cage and works for the pass but runs out of real estate as the cage stops him. Okami eventually does pass to side control and looks to have very heavy pressure with his shoudler on Belcher’s neck.

Belcher gets his heels close to his butt and tries to bridge out and escape but Okami’s pressure is too much. Belcher does get to his knees and then tries to get to his feet. Okami locks on a front head lock then transitions to Belcher’s back as the horn sounds.

Rd 2

Okami swings and misses with a big left straight. Okami then presses Belcher against the cage, Belcher lands another take down but then pulls guard working for another failed guillotine attempt. Okami working strikes from on top of Belcher from inside of The Talent’s half guard. Belcher works for a deep half guard sweep but there’s nothing there as Okami’s base is too strong.

Okami now in cross side and the referee makes a malpractice-level decision by standing them up. Horrible. The Nevada State Athletic Commission needs to reconsider the referee’s competence.

Okami quickly brings Belcher back down to the ground, working from on top in half guard again against the cage. Half a minute left with Okami in control from on top on the ground, despite the referee’s attempt to dictate the fight.

The referee stands them up again with twenty seconds left. Okami’s right eye is swollen. the horn sounds.

Rd 3

Okami rushes in looking to clinch right away. Belcher defends and then drops Okami with a big punch following the sage advice of his coach, kick boxing great Duke Roufus. Okami has his legs back under him, stalking Belcher and then rushing him and pressing him against the cage.

For a third time, Belcher gets the better of an Okami take down attempt and lands in mount. Belcher transitions to his back. Okami defends the choke, stands and then frees himself and shoots for another takedown against the cage.

Belcher grabs Okami’s neck and goes for another guillotine choke. Belcher pulls guard and loses the choke. Okami in Belcher’s half guard against the cage with two and a half minutes left. Okami moves to mount but is choosing pressure over being very busy with strikes.

Okami, having established his mount positions, begins to rain down unanswered punches down on Belcher. Belcher turns and gives up his back. Okami gets both hooks in on Belcher, who is face down, and the horn sounds with Okami landing punch after punch from the back.

Decision time coming up.

All three judges score it 30-27 for Okami. Belcher’s four fight win streak is snapped and Okami gets his second straight.

Costa Philippou vs. Tim Boetsch

Rd 1

Few moments of feinting before Boetsch works for a take down. After about thirty seconds of work against the cage, Tim gets the take down. Costa quickly gets back to his feet but Tim stays connected, landing big knees to the body. Costa lands his own and separates.

They are back in teh center of the ring. Tim with a nice rear push kick. Nice inside leg kick from Boetsch. Costa witha left to the body, right to the head, punch combo. Boetsch pushing the pace, lands another leg kick. Tim pushes Costa against the fence but Costa catches Tim with a big upper cut counter.

Tim gets another take down and is inside of Costa’s full guard. Costa controlling Tim’s posture and referee Kim Winslow continues the embarassing pattern of the night with a quick stand up.

Costa takes advantage and lands a nasty body-head punch combo, flush to Tim. Boetsch, unfazed, lands a nasty front kick to the face of Costa. The round ends.

Rd 3

Rogan points out that he has heard Tim’s corner man Matt Hume talking about some injury that the fighter has sustained. As the round begins and Tim shakes out his hand, it appears that he may have broken his hand. Tim lands a big knee to the head of Costa from the clinch.

Tim is cut from an accidental head butt on his forehead. It looks like his right hand is the hurt one. Boetsch looks for and misses a take down. Tim lands another front kick to the body. Tim gets an accidental eye poke.

Jon Anik correctly points out that it has been a rough few minutes for Boetsch. Goodness gracious, ain’t that true.

Boetsch gets right back in with minimal rest time. Tim misses with a front kick. Tim now shooting in with minimal set-up and gets stuffed by Costa. Now Costa is on top from the half guard. Tim continues to bleed. Vosta throwing punches and elbows from on top. Costa throwing more strikes, then stands and walks away at the horn.

Rd 3

Tim tells his coach Matt Hume that he can’t see. Hume asks him if he wants to stop. “Fuck no,” is Tim’s reply. They get things started for the final round.

Tim with another shot from Kansas. He’s shooting from too far away with no set ups because of his hand and his blurred vision, it appears. Tim may have gotten another cut. Boetsch is butt scooting, then forced to stand up. Tim tries another failed take down and is again in half guard with three and a half minutes.

Boetsch is hurt and cannot see. He is back on his feet. Tim shoots in again, gets stuffed and is back in his own half guard. Tim eats some big shots and the ref steps in and calls the fight off.

Costa Philppou gets the win and stops Tim Boetsch’s frate trane run. Both men are impressive in their own ways in this one. Nasty fight. Good fight.

Joe Lauzon vs. Jim Miller

Both men come out swinging hard with punches in spurts. Miller tries to set up a big upper cut but misses. Miller with a hard leg kick and a hard shot to the body of Lauzon. Miller with another hard body knee that hurts Joe.

Miller follows up with punches. Lauzon gets free then eats a high kick. Miller landing big with more punches to the body and head then another big knee. Lauzon lands his own then gets free. Miller with another buckling leg kick.

Miller with nasty dirty boxing and elbows from the clinch. Miller tries a standing arm triangle hold, Joe defends and frees himself. Lauzon is cut badly and referee Yves Lavigne stops the fight for him to be checked out by the doctor. The cut is over the right eye.

The fight continues with two minutes and fifteen seconds left. Miller lands a head kick and now more short punches and elbows from Miller. Lauzon returns fire with an upper cut. Miller with an upper cut. Lauzon lands a big knee to the head of Miller. Miller follows up with another left short cross.

Both men fall after a kick from Miller. Lauzon with a straight jab but he’s bleeding badly. Under a minute left. Miller misses with a big over hand left. Lauzon with a right hand, Miller lands a one, two and another inside leg kick. Miller backs Lauzon up against the cage again. Lauzon returns with a jab. Ten seconds left. Miller lands a body kick. Lauzon ends the round with a flying knee to the body.

Rd 2

Lauzon wants the fight to continue badly. The crowd is going nuts. Round two starts. Miller immediately back on the attack with punches. Lauzon eats them but returns fire. Miller with a double leg take down. Lauzon in butterfly guard. Miller attacking the cuts on Lauzon’s face and head. Lauzon in his closed guard.

Lauzon’s cuts are bleeding badly again. Lauzon working to get to his feet instead of going for submissions. Miller in Lauzon’s half guard now, working to pass with heavy pressure on Lauzon’s neck. Lauzon tries to bridge out but Miller bases out and takes the mount.

Lauzon immediately takes back half guard. Miller postures up and throws a nasty elbow and punch to Lauzon’s head. Lauzon working for a deep half guard sweep but getting stuck under Miller’s base. Miller goes for a D’Arce choke but loses it and Lauzon is on top against the cage!

Lauzon is pressing Miller against the cage. Lavigne stops the fight because Lauzon’s hand tape is loose. They re-start from the same position. Good job by Lavigne.

Miller working his mission control rubber guard position to control Lauzon’s right arm. Lauzon picks Miller up and slams up, steps over Miller’s right leg to pass. Miller gets his right knee up into a half butterfly guard. Lauzon clears it again but Miller fights for it again. Lauzon dives for a heel hook, switches to a knee bar, Miller frees himself but Lauzon goes for a front choke. Time runs out with Miller face down on all fours, defending a front head lock from Lauzon.

Rd 3

Miller kicks out Lauzon’s leg again and drops JLau. Lauzon is right back up on his feet. Nice right punch from Lauzon. Miller looks spent from the beating he put on Lauzon in the first. Miller drops Lauzon with another inside leg kick again.

Lauzon chooses to stay down to try and goad Miller to the ground. Miller backs up and the ref stands them up. Lauzon pressing forward on Miller. Miller huffing and punching but returning fire. Stiff jab from Lauzon. Inside leg kick from Lauzon. Miller presses forward trying to land nasty dirty boxing shots again but Joe pushes him off and lands an inside leg kick. Miller with his own.

Knee to the body from Lauzon. miller backs up Short elbow from Lauzon followed up by a left hand. Miller lands his own, softer, knee to the body. Miller cut under his left eye. Lauzon appears to have another cut over his own left eye as well. miller swinging to the body, the, throws an uppercut to Lauzon’s head. Lauzon covers up. Lauzon parries a jab and lands his own. Minute and ah alf left. both men exhausted from this fight of the night. Lauzon swings big and misses.

Miller presses Lauzon against the fence. Lauzon circles out. Under a minute left. Lauzon with a right hand, Miller with a right hook. Lauzon lands a scissor leg take down, working fora  heel hook with fifteen seconds left. Miller gets up but Lauzon locks in a guillotine choke. Miller is saved by the horn!

Lauzon looks to have stolen the the final two rounds at the end with submission attempts. Decision time coming up.

All three judges score the fight 29-28 for Jim Miller. Amazing fight.

Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos II

Dos Santos gets the MGM Grand Garden Arena hyped with his energetic entrance to the Rocky theme.

Rd 1

Cain presses forward early shoots for and gets a single leg take down. Junior gets up and then lands on top. Cain reverses and they are back on their feet. Cain shoots from too far away and gets stuffed. Cain lands a left hook. Cain with a jab. Cain gets hit then Cain returns fire with a punch.

Body jab from Junior leg kick from Cain. Stiff jab from Cain. Cain dives for a single leg, Junior slips away. Cain stuns Junior with a right.

Cain with an over hand right that lands on the chin of Dos Santos. Cain dives for another single leg that gets stopped. Junior lands an over hand right.

Junior with a jab, Cain with two jabs and a knee to the body. Cain with a jab. Cain pressing Junior against the cage. Cain with with a big shot. Cain drops Dos Santos with a right. Cain lands a lot of shots on the downed Dos Santos. Junior to his feet, Cain takes him down, has Dos Santos on his knees against the cage again, raining down punches.

Junior back to his feet. Cain drags him down again. Junior tries to get up, Cain controls him and keeps him down. Junior back up, Cain drags him down again! Cain on the side of Junior, landing punches with seconds left in the round. The hor sounds with Dos Santos rising to his feet, but wobbled.

Rd 2

Cain slams Dos Santos with a double leg take down. He is behind Dos Santos, landing punches, now on top inside of Junior’s half guard. Junior up to his feet but eating big shots. Cain drags him back down with a double leg take down.

Cain on top of a flattened out Dos Santos. Cain doesn’t throw many more shots and Junior gets up but he is out on his feet, wobbling around. Cain backs him against the cage and takes Junior down again. Junior will not give up or give in and tries to stand again but Cain rides him and keeping the pressure on Dos Santos. Junior back up to his feet, presses Cain against the cage, Cain turns around and lands an inside left hand.

Cain hits an inside leg trip and brings Junior down to the ground. Dos Santos in half guard, Cain landing elbows and punches. Junior reverses positions, Cain goes for an arm bar from the bottom, Junior defends, escapes and gets on top. Cain scrambles up immediately and presses Junior against the cage with under a minute to go.

Cain picking Junior apart with punches upon separation, landing right on the chin to Dos Santos. Junior refuses to go down. The horn sounds.

Rd 3

Cain all but smiling as he prepares to get going in the third. Junior’s face is bruised and swollen. Dos Santos lands a big uppercut that hurts Cain. Dos Santos throws a hard body shot. Cain presses Junior against the cage again.

Cain goes for a single leg take down but Junior defends it. Cain going to the body and throwing an uppercut from the clinch. They are back in the center of the ring. Cain throws an over hand right hand and a left hook that lands. Cain pressing Dos santos against the cage again, looking for space in spots to punch. Cain goes for and misses a single leg take down.

Cain gets inside once more with an uppercut. They work in the clinch, hitting the body. On separation, Junior lands his own left body shot. Cain pressing against the cage again. Junior with a big knee to the body. Cain lands three big shots to the chin of Junior as the champ as his hands completely down at his waist.

Cain pressing again against the cage. Junior circles out and presses Cain against the cage. Cain tries to take Junior down but Junior defends and gets back to his feet. With under a minute left, Cain is once more pressing Junior against the cage and landing punches on separation.

Junior lands a big upper cut on Cain and Cain looks wobbled. Cain continues to stalk Junior though and the horn sounds.

Rd 4

Junior lands a stiff left hook after defending a Cain take down. Velasquez presses Dos Santos into the fence after eating a left. Junior circles out and rips a left to the body of Cain. Junior swings big and misses with a right hand. Cain lands a double leg take down but Dos Santos gets back up. Cain lands another flush shot to the chin of Dos Santos but the champ stays up.

Junior presses Cain against the cage and works for a take down. Cain defends and goes for and lands a take down. Dos Santos on his back, trying to get to his feet. Junior gets back up to his feet and Cain presses him agains the cage, landing a nasty left upper cut to the body. Cain now walking down Junior with punches along the cage. Junior with his hands down.

Cain shooting in weakly for take downs now, obviously spent from beating down on Junior and Dos Santos refusing to quit. One minute left and Cain is landing little shots to the head of Junior against the fence. Junior lands a left knee to the body of Cain. Junior lands a big right elbow and then right uppercut to the face of Cain.

Cain shoots for a single leg and Junior expertly defends before landing a stiff jab to the mid section of Cain. The round ends with Cain pressing Junior against the cage.

Rd 5

Cain with a jab a left hook and shoots in for a take down. Junior defends and lets rip another upper cut to the right side of Cain’s body. Junior now looking lighter on his feet as he moves around the cage. Both men are looking for one shot at a time given how fatigued they are. Cain shoots for another single leg take down but Junior defends. Junior swings and misses with a right hand. Cain shoots for and drives on another take down attempt that Junior defends. Cain with a left uppercut to the body and Junior answers with a right uppercut to the head.

Cain pressing the champ against the cage in an over under clinch. With three minutes left they separate and Junior lands another punch. Junior pressing Cain against the cage now. They separate and Cain lands a trip take down in the center of the ring with two and a half minutes left. Cain mounted on Junior briefly before Dos Santos gets to half guard. Cain landing punch after punch, followed with short elbows and then more punches. Junior gets to all fours in an attempt to get to his feet. Junior is up.

Cain presses him against the cage again before dropping down for a single leg take down that Junior dedends. Junior lands two more punches and Cain sticks to him like glue.

One minute left. Junior frees himself and throws an uppercut. Cain lands a kick to the head, but with his foot, to the left side of Junior’s head. Cain follows up with punches and presses Junior against the cage. fifteeen seconds left.

The fight ends with Cain pressing Junior against the cage. Cain falls to his knees in the center of the ring in celebration as Junior did one year ago.

Decision time up next.

Cain Velasquez wins a dominant unanimous decision to reclaim the UFC heavyweight title. “This fight was the hardest fight I’ve been through,” the now two-time champ tells Joe Rogan.

“Why are you guys doing that? Why?” Junior asked the crowd as they inexplicably booed him. Dos Santos sounds as if his jaw is broken. Multiple refs and this idiotic crowd dissapointed tonight. Thankfully the fighters, as always, delivered.

Velasquez acknowledged that he’d have to fight Dos Santos again in a rubber match at some point. Dos Santos, though, swollen and beaten, retained his fighting spirit.

“Like you said. I’m going to come back and I’m going to take my belt again,” Dos Santos promised.

Thanks for hanging out with us tonight, guys. Check back with us tomorrow for our UFC 155 Aftermath and post-event coverage.

– Elias Cepeda

Cody McKenzie, Karlos Vemola Out of UFC 155 With Injuries; Leonard Garcia and Chris Leben Get New Opponents [UPDATED]


(“Aw thanks bro, these chips are so clutch. Say, you’re not an undercover cop, are you?”/ Props: CombatLifestyle)

Already smacked down by injuries to Forrest Griffin, Chris Weidman, and Gray Maynard, December 29th’s once-epic UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2 card just got hit with another pair of withdrawals, less than two weeks before showtime.

First up: Cody McKenzie, the affable guillotine-choker who got gut-shot KO’d by Chad Mendes in his last appearance in July, has pulled out of his preliminary card bout with Leonard Garcia due to an undisclosed training injury. The UFC is currently searching for a replacement opponent for Garcia, who is looking to rescue his career after losing his last three matches. We’ll update you if/when Bad Boy gets a new booking. Update: Garcia will be fighting Max Holloway, who has won his last two fights against Pat Schilling and Justin Lawrence.

Speaking of undisclosed injuries, Czech wrestler Karlos Vemola is out of his main card match against Chris Leben, and will be replaced by Strikeforce vet Derek Brunson. After winning his first nine pro fights, Brunson has dropped his last two, a knockout loss to Ronaldo Souza and a decision loss to Kendall Grove. Leben vs. Brunson will remain on the UFC 155 main card, and will mark Leben’s first UFC appearance since his TKO loss to Mark Munoz in November 2011, and subsequent one-year suspension for oxycodone and oxymorphone. The Crippler is currently taking it one day at a time.

UFC 155’s bruised lineup is after the jump. Check it out, and ponder what could have been…


(“Aw thanks bro, these chips are so clutch. Say, you’re not an undercover cop, are you?”/ Props: CombatLifestyle)

Already smacked down by injuries to Forrest Griffin, Chris Weidman, and Gray Maynard, December 29th’s once-epic UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2 card just got hit with another pair of withdrawals, less than two weeks before showtime.

First up: Cody McKenzie, the affable guillotine-choker who got gut-shot KO’d by Chad Mendes in his last appearance in July, has pulled out of his preliminary card bout with Leonard Garcia due to an undisclosed training injury. The UFC is currently searching for a replacement opponent for Garcia, who is looking to rescue his career after losing his last three matches. We’ll update you if/when Bad Boy gets a new booking. Update: Garcia will be fighting Max Holloway, who has won his last two fights against Pat Schilling and Justin Lawrence.

Speaking of undisclosed injuries, Czech wrestler Karlos Vemola is out of his main card match against Chris Leben, and will be replaced by Strikeforce vet Derek Brunson. After winning his first nine pro fights, Brunson has dropped his last two, a knockout loss to Ronaldo Souza and a decision loss to Kendall Grove. Leben vs. Brunson will remain on the UFC 155 main card, and will mark Leben’s first UFC appearance since his TKO loss to Mark Munoz in November 2011, and subsequent one-year suspension for oxycodone and oxymorphone. The Crippler is currently taking it one day at a time.

UFC 155′s bruised lineup is after the jump. Check it out, and ponder what could have been…

MAIN CARD (PPV)
Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez (for HW title)
Joe Lauzon vs. Jim Miller (LW)
Tim Boetsch vs. Constantinos Philippou (MW)
Yushin Okami vs. Alan Belcher (MW)
Chris Leben vs. Derek Brunson (MW)

PRELIMINARY CARD (FX)
Melvin Guillard vs. Jamie Varner (LW; reported, but not officially confirmed)
Brad Pickett vs. Eddie Wineland (BW)
Erik Perez vs. Byron Bloodworth (BW)
Michael Johnson vs. Myles Jury (LW)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
Philip De Fries vs. Todd Duffee (HW)
Chris Cariaso vs. John Moraga (FlyW)

Strikeforce: Kaufman vs. Rousey GIF Party — Referee Mike Beltran’s Epistache, Knockouts Aplenty + More


(Beltran, as re-imagined by Sega.)

Last weekend’s Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman card was easily one of the most entertaining top-to-bottom cards in recent memory, providing us with a lightning quick (also, completely predictable) finish in the main event and an even quicker knockout in the co-main. But as is typical for a Strikeforce event, the night was not without controversy and a few judgmental errors. Herb Dean went completely against character when he botched the call in the Adlan Amagov/Keith Barry fight, and the decision to place former title challenger Meisha Tate’s comeback bout against Julie Kedzie on the prelims was nothing short of baffling.

But greater than witnessing Ronda Rousey‘s sixth straight first round armbar, greater even than OSP’s one-punch knockout of T.J. Cook, was that of referee Mike Beltran’s epic mustache. An “epistache” if you will. Why Beltran decided to become a referee instead of claiming his place atop the Whisker Wars podium is beyond us, but his hard work and dedication can not and will not be overlooked by us here at CagePotato. So join us after the jump for a brief GIF tribute to Beltran’s glorious stache, along with several gifs from the night’s fights, courtesy of the UG.


(Beltran, as re-imagined by Sega.)

Last weekend’s Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman card was easily one of the most entertaining top-to-bottom cards in recent memory, providing us with a lightning quick (also, completely predictable) finish in the main event and an even quicker knockout in the co-main. But as is typical for a Strikeforce event, the night was not without controversy and a few judgmental errors. Herb Dean went completely against character when he botched the call in the Adlan Amagov/Keith Barry fight, and the decision to place former title challenger Meisha Tate’s comeback bout against Julie Kedzie on the prelims was nothing short of baffling.

But greater than witnessing Ronda Rousey‘s sixth straight first round armbar, greater even than OSP’s one-punch knockout of T.J. Cook, was that of referee Mike Beltran’s epic mustache. An “epistache” if you will. Why Beltran decided to become a referee instead of claiming his place atop the Whisker Wars podium is beyond us, but his hard work and dedication can not and will not be overlooked by us here at CagePotato. So join us after the jump for a brief GIF tribute to Beltran’s glorious stache, along with several gifs from the night’s fights, courtesy of the UG.


(Oddly enough, Beltran gave Germaine de Randamie more time to recover from a groin shot than he did T.J. Cook. DO NOT QUESTION THE STACHE!) 

In Case You Missed It: Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza Floors Derek Brunson in 41 Seconds [VIDEO]

(Props: AllTheBestFights)

Ronaldo Souza‘s recent fights have proven that his standup skills are catching up with his tremendous ability on the mat — and his striking improvement reached an important milestone on Saturday night, when he scored the first lights-out K.O. of his nine-year fight career.

“Jacare” faced 9-1 Jackson’s MMA product Derek Brunson on the main card of Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman, and in Liddell-esque fashion, Souza found his chin with a back-pedaling counter-right that dumped Brunson on his face. A few more follow-up shots, and it was all over. Even more impressive than Souza’s finishing power was the fact that he stopped throwing as soon as he saw that Brunson was unconscious — even if referee Mike “Stache God” Beltran clearly wanted the fight to keep going.

But Souza vs. Brunson wasn’t the only great knockout from this weekend’s Strikeforce card. After the jump: Ovince St. Preux’s one-punch shutoff of T.J. Cook.


(Props: AllTheBestFights)

Ronaldo Souza‘s recent fights have proven that his standup skills are catching up with his tremendous ability on the mat — and his striking improvement reached an important milestone on Saturday night, when he scored the first lights-out K.O. of his nine-year fight career.

“Jacare” faced 9-1 Jackson’s MMA product Derek Brunson on the main card of Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman, and in Liddell-esque fashion, Souza found his chin with a back-pedaling counter-right that dumped Brunson on his face. A few more follow-up shots, and it was all over. Even more impressive than Souza’s finishing power was the fact that he stopped throwing as soon as he saw that Brunson was unconscious — even if referee Mike “Stache God” Beltran clearly wanted the fight to keep going.

But Souza vs. Brunson wasn’t the only great knockout from this weekend’s Strikeforce card. After the jump: Ovince St. Preux’s one-punch shutoff of T.J. Cook.


(OSP dummys up Cook at the 11:52 mark.)

Strikeforce Rousey vs. Kaufman: Post-Fight Breakdown

Ronda Rousey vs. Sarah Kaufman Ronda Rousey continued to steamroll through the 135 lb division in exactly the same fashion as her previous fights. She used a less than technical flurry of strikes to bull.

Ronda Rousey vs. Sarah Kaufman

Ronda Rousey continued to steamroll through the 135 lb division in exactly the same fashion as her previous fights. She used a less than technical flurry of strikes to bull rush Sarah Kaufman and close the distance. From there, she used her fundamental Judo to get Kaufman to the mat. She landed in the mount position and immediately attacked an arm. Kaufman managed to defend for about thirty seconds but had to tap once Rousey get her arm extended. Rousey erased any doubts as she completely overwhelmed another former champion and at the moment, I don’t know who else is out there for Rousey to fight at 135 lbs. Obviously, a fight with Christiane “Cyborg” Santos looms as the super fight of women’s MMA. But considering that Santos has struggled to make 145 lbs in the past and was just busted for PEDs, I’m not sure how realistic that fight would be. Rousey seems unlikely to back down from anyone but even she would have to consider the ramifications of going into a fight at that much of a size disadvantage against a known PED user. Meisha Tate’s performance against Julie Kedzie earlier in the night was unbelievable and it may have been enough to earn her a rematch with Rousey but I’m not sure that fight would go any different than it did the first time. Whatever happens, Rousey is at the top of the food chain in women’s MMA and that can only mean good things for the future of the sport. Unfortunately for Kaufman, this fight drops her out of title contention for the moment. But she’s still one of the best in the world and I’m sure she will continue to get big fights in Strikeforce.

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Derek Brunson

Derek Brunson is a promising prospect but he really should not have been fighting Jacare at this point in his career. Jacare made quick work of the relatively inexperienced fighter dropping him with a counter right hand in the first thirty seconds and following up with a few more punches for the finish. Brunson obviously needs to focus on his striking defense to make sure he doesn’t leave such huge openings when he throws. He still has a chance to develop into a contender and a loss like this to Jacare should not be seen as establishing his ceiling. For Jacare, this was the best striking he has ever shown. He landed a deadly accurate counter and followed up with two more that landed directly on the chin. He used the minimum amount of energy to do the maximum amount of damage. This performance should earn him a rematch against Luke Rockhold to regain the middleweight belt he lost to Rockhold last year. Strikeforce has no one else to offer at 185 lbs and they might as well make the best fights available for as long as the organization lasts.

Tarec Saffiedine vs. Roger Bowling

Roger Bowling came to the cage with improved cardio and a better overall approach but it wasn’t enough to defeat Tarec Saffiedine who is beginning to look like a contender in the welterweight division. Saffiedine won the first round by controlling the distance and counter striking effectively. He landed several solid knees to the head and body of Bowling. Although Bowling was the aggressor throughout the fight, Saffiedine was actually the one in control and never allowed Bowling to do any real damage. The second round was similar to the first. Bowling continued to be the aggressor throwing boxing combinations and mixing in kicks to the legs and body. Saffiedine was less effective with his counterstriking in the second round, which made it a more difficult round to score. Saffiedine was still the more accurate and technical striker but because Bowling pushed the action and threw a higher volume of strikes, I scored the round in favor of him. The third round was progressing similarly to the second until Bowling decided to try to shoot for a takedown to win the round. Instead, Saffiedine stuffed the takedown and immediately climbed onto Bowling’s back securing the round and fight for himself. Even in a loss, Bowling showed a huge improvement in cardio. He still has dangerous power but he was overmatched technically against Saffiedine. I expect to see him in more fights against similar minded strikers and hopefully, he will continue the approach that he brought to this fight. With this win, Saffiedine likely earns a shot at Strikeforce champion Nate Marquardt in the depleted welterweight division. I’m not sure Saffiedine has much to offer a fighter of Marquardt’s caliber but it seems like the only logical fight for the promotion to make.

Anthony Smith vs. Lumumba Sayers

One-dimensional fighters can no longer survive in MMA and while Lumumba Sayers has heavy hands, he doesn’t have a ground game and it showed in this fight. In the first scramble of the opening round, Smith moved into full mount easily. From there, he landed ground and pound cutting Sayers before he was eventually able to escape and get back to his feet. But soon after, Smith slipped while throwing a punch and Sayers followed him to the ground. Within a few seconds of climbing into Smith’s guard, Sayers was tapping to a triangle choke. Smith showed near technical perfection in locking up the submission but Sayers offered almost no resistance. For Sayers, this establishes him as a fighter who is basically only capable of engaging in striking matches. Anyone with a ground game will dominate him. Smith’s performance was difficult to gauge because of the little resistance offered by his opponent but he did show some strong technique on the ground and deserves a step up in competition for his next fight.

Ovince St. Preux vs. T.J. Cook

The opening fight of Strikeforce Rousey vs. Kaufman played out exactly the way the promotion planned with Ovince St. Preux earning a scary one punch KO victory over T.J. Cook. To Cook’s credit, he managed to survive until the third round but doing so only set him up for a highlight reel loss. The fight started with Cook landing a couple big power shots to the body and legs but St. Preux quickly returned fire and dropped Cook with a left hand. He pounced for the finish but was unable to get it as Cook recovered and came back throwing big punches. Both fighters showed an excellent chin in the first round but St. Preux won it relatively easily. The pace slowed in the second round as St. Preux recovered some of the energy he expended in the first but he eventually landed an explosive double leg takedown and controlled the round from that point. He passed to side control and then moved into full mount. Cook gave his back and St. Preux ended the round in a dominant position. Before the start of the third round, Cook waited until the last second to insert his mouth piece and was visibly tired. St. Preux’s first punch of the round was a huge left hand that shut Cook down completely. Thankfully, St. Preux realized what happened and didn’t try to land any more strikes. Cook was out for a while but did recover and leave the cage under his own power. And unfortunately, this fight probably means he won’t be in Strikeforce much longer. By his own admission, he is not training full time and part time training just isn’t enough to compete at this level. St. Preux will likely get a second chance against a high level fighter in his next fight after losing to Gegard Mousasi in his previous fight. He obviously has the athleticism to compete in the light heavyweight division but he needs to continue to improve his technique if he hopes to challenge for a belt in the future.

Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman — Live Results & Commentary


(“You want to go somewhere else? That creepy fat guy has been staring at us all night.” / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle. For more pics from this set, click here.)

Tonight, we’re gonna have ourselves a real good time, we feel ali-hi-hi-hiiiive. Ronda Rousey — the lightning-rod heel-champion of women’s MMA — will attempt to defend her Strikeforce 135-pound title against former champ Sarah Kaufman, most likely by first-round armbar. (The winner will face Cris Cyborg immediately afterwards in the parking lot.) Before that, we’ve got a bunch of men’s fights that seem way less interesting by comparison. For instance, former Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza is in the co-main event spot against 9-1 middleweight Derek “The Human Blanket (!)” Brunson, while Tarec Saffiedine, Roger Bowling, Lumumba Sayers, and Ovince St. Preux round out the crew of featured fighters who you might have heard of before.

Handling the thankless job of spelling out all these names in tonight’s liveblog is CagePotato weekend warrior Anthony Gannon, who will be providing round-by-round results from the Showtime main card broadcast after the jump, beginning at 10 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest and please make your presence known in the comments section.


(“You want to go somewhere else? That creepy fat guy has been staring at us all night.” / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle. For more pics from this set, click here.)

Tonight, we’re gonna have ourselves a real good time, we feel ali-hi-hi-hiiiive. Ronda Rousey — the lightning-rod heel-champion of women’s MMA — will attempt to defend her Strikeforce 135-pound title against former champ Sarah Kaufman, most likely by first-round armbar. (The winner will face Cris Cyborg immediately afterwards in the parking lot.) Before that, we’ve got a bunch of men’s fights that seem way less interesting by comparison. For instance, former Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza is in the co-main event spot against 9-1 middleweight Derek “The Human Blanket (!)” Brunson, while Tarec Saffiedine, Roger Bowling, Lumumba Sayers, and Ovince St. Preux round out the crew of featured fighters who you might have heard of before.

Handling the thankless job of spelling out all these names in tonight’s liveblog is CagePotato weekend warrior Anthony Gannon, who will be providing round-by-round results from the Showtime main card broadcast after the jump, beginning at 10 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest and please make your presence known in the comments section.

Sup, taters. It’s liveblog time again. Break out the wings, the pretzel nubs, and unscrew the cap off that fine Merlot because this could be a big night for women’s MMA.

The evolution of mixed martial arts in North America has been an amazing thing. In just under two decades we’ve seen the sport expand from BJJ to wrestling, to striking, to all-around athletes who can beat your punk ass down while maintaining the sensitivity to cook you a nice tomato and feta omelet, and with the educational background to prepare your taxes.

We witnessed the mastery of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu when Art “One-Glove” Jimmerson entered the Octagon against Royce Gracie and tapped out the second he got mounted. We marveled at the rise of wrestling when Ken Shamrock fought to a draw with the seemingly invincible Gracie by taking him down and lying on top of him for 36 excruciating minutes.  And we saw the devastation of elite striking when Anderson Silva came along and blatantly violated every Geneva Convention with what he did to poor Rich Franklin. The ascent of our beloved sport has been truly awe-inspiring.

Evolution is infinite though, so that begs the question: What’s next for MMA? How can it possibly get any better? I thought I had found the answer in slap boxing after witnessing two menacing looking yoots smack the ever-loving shit out of each other for four glorious minutes, but it lacked technique and was more comedy than skill. Now I believe the true answer is in women’s MMA.

Yep, Ronda Rousey has made me see the light. Not only do I have sick fantasies of her loving me long time, which is really just the immature jerk in me, but I have this weird feeling about her, and I’m thinking it may actually be ~gasp~ respect. Ronda can carry women’s MMA into the Octagon. If you saw her brutal YouTube video impersonating a Sarah Kaufman fan you know we no longer have to worry about some Hollywood asshole stealing her away. The sad state of cinema today doesn’t exactly demand solid acting skills, but that video closes the door on even the “C” level Indy flicks, which are only a slight step above snuff porn. Nope, Ronda is here to stay, and I will proudly swing from her floral-scented taint for the entire journey.

Gotta hand it to Strikeforce. They opted to put Meisha Tate and Julie Kedzie on the undercard and it turned out to be a great fight, which ironically Meisha won by armbar. Could have been a nice appetizer for the main course.

Here’s the rest of the undercard results, if you even care.

Bobby Green beat Matt Rice by unanimous decision.

Germaine de Randamie beat Hiroko Yamanaka by unanimous decision.

And Adlan Amagov beat Keith by TKO at 0:48 of round one, weird scene though, Herb Dean stopped the fight for no apparent reason.

For some strange reason the main card doesn’t start until 10:07 so I’d like to take advantage of this break to pour out a slug of my ole E to my boy Mayhem for losing his shit and getting arrested nude. In a church. Nothing good ever came from someone getting arrested nude. Could have been worse, I suppose. He could have been arrested in a sundress. When I was in the Marines, one day I was on duty and I got a call from some Podunk police department in some Podunk North Carolina town. Turns out my buddy, for the sake of anonymity we’ll just call him “Dry Tongue,” well he went and got himself arrested for waking up in a woman’s closet wearing a sundress. Turns out Dry Tongue got a little liquored up, broke into a woman’s home, disrobed, then decided to try on one of her sundresses, and concluded his lurid evening by passing out in her closet. A series of unfortunate events followed: gender identification mockery, mandatory rehab, etc, but let’s just say Dry Tongue’s place in the annals of Marine Corps lore is firmly ensconced. If he’s reading right now, hey man I did not use your name, so keep the fuck away from my daughter. Anyway, Mayhem, keep your head up brother. Could happen to anybody.

God, Mauro looks creepy with his buzz cut. Shamrock is looking dapper since losing the braces, now he just has to do something about that fucked up nose.

First up is Ovince St. Preux vs T.J. Cook

TJ rolls up old school with a hoody. OSP comes out looking about as relaxed as a man can be when he’s about to get into a cage and fight another man.

RD 1: The ref has the coolest beard ever. It looks like drapes. He must pull some serious trim at Sturgis with that. OSP with a high kick. TJ whiffs a huge right. OSP looks like he’s four weight divisions bigger than TJ. Huge left kick by OSP, countered by TJ. They clinch and they’re free. OSP misses another kick. Nice body hook by TJ. OSP lands big, and is swarming him. He’s rocked! And TJ comes back, slugging the shit out of OSP. Damn no one got knocked out there. Nice exchange though. Overhand right misses by TJ. Big kick from OSP, then rocks TJ. They clinch up again, OSP going for a takedown. He lands it, and is in half guard. He’s going for a Kimura, let it go. OSP finally throws a strike down there, misses. Cook escapes, and he’s up. Close round, probbaly goes to OSP.

Rd 2: OSP misses a left. Lands a body kick. The pace has slowed considerably. OSP misses another head kick, TJ lands a right. Jab by OSP misses. TJ lands a couple nice shots, stuns OSP momentarily. OSP answers back with a straight left, then a kick to the nads. Oh damn, replay shows a nasty kick to the nads. He’s ok, and they’re set to go again. OSP misses a HUGE head kick, TJ counters with a left. OSP shoots and gets TJ down. He’s in guard dropping some lefts. OSP passes to side control. Lands an elbow. Going for a north/south choke, lets it go. Back in side control. OSP mounts, way too easily too. He’s got his right hand on TJ’s throat and is slamming him with lefts. TJ survives, but loses that round.

Rd 3:OSP opens with a straight left, then a huge overhand left that drops TJ and KNOCKS HIM THE FUCK OUT! Damn!

That was like a movie punch, it was perfect. OSP scores the third round KO.

Heidi interviews Sarah Kaufman, and it’s actually a little less brutal than her interviews usually are. She’s getting better. Now it’s Ronda’s turn, and damn she’s looking fine. The champion is in no mood for talk, she looks perturbed at the questions.

Lumumba Sayers and Anthony Smith are next.

Lumumba has that lunatic look. Sometimes you can just tell when someone is not to be trifled with, like not even in a bustin’ nuts kinda way. They just look, or act like they will misread playful kidding as an act of war and cut your fucking tongue out, put it on a roll and consume it with a creepy smile on their face. I used to work directly next to a fellow who would sing Christmas songs in the summer. And not even the classics, but like the Mariah Carey type shit. Had it been Rudolph or Frosty, I could have convinced myself this was just some weird guy who loved Christmas, but that pop Christmas shit? Oh no, this was clearly a man unhinged. And the one time a co-worker tried to joke with him his response was,” Oh yeah, buddy.” That’s when I knew for sure this guy probably had some sort of secluded hideaway where no one could hear the screams and was not to be fucked with in any way, shape, or form.

Rd 1: Herb Dean gets booed for a bad stoppage earlier. Sayers charges forward, takes Smith down, but Smith ends up in full mount! Sayers trying to control the posture, but this is early on to be in such a shitty position. Smith with an elbow. And a punch. He needs to start dropping down some hell here, take advantage of this position. Sayers lands a decent shot from the bottom. Sayers escapes, but Smith goes for a choke, now Sayers has Smith’s back. Smith gets out, now Sayers has a choke, Smith gets out and lands a big shot on the exit. This is nuts. Smith misses a left, Sayers misses an uppercut. Sayers lands to the body, Smith falls down, but locks on a triangle. He gets the tap!

Anthony Smith wins via triangle.

Lumumba declares Jesus his personal savior, doesn’t seem fazed by the loss whatsoever.

Smith talks about being older and more mature as he wears his hat sideways like a teenager.

Roger Bowling and Tarec Saffiedine are on deck.This should be a good scrap.

Bowling looks like the popular guy in a cheesy teen movie. Tarec looks like a Russian gangster.

Rd 1: Bowling opens with a hook to the body, then a leg kick. Charges forward again, connects to the body. Tarec with a hard leg kick. Damn, hard to the body again by Bowling. And again. Tarec with another leg kickm misses a right. Clinches Bowling, lands a knee. Bowling with another nice hook to the body. Tarec has Bowling against the cage, Bowling looks for a takedown. They separate. Tarec goes for another clinch, settles for a leg kick. High kick by Bowling, blocked. Bowling going for a takedown, Tarec defending well. And they’re against the cage battling for position. They separate. Bowling with a nice left hook to the head. Bowling ties up again looking for a takedown, not happening. They’re trading knees in the clinch. Tarec lands an elbow on the exit, Bowling responds with a punch to the dome. Close round, I’d give it to Bowling.

The camera catches Meisha Tate eating a cupcake, and there’s some icing in her hair.

Rd 2: Tarec with a leg kick, Bowling with another body shot. Eye poke by Tarec halts the action. Ready to roll. They trade shots cenetr cage to start up again. Then they trade kicks. Nice exchange, both guys get cracked. Tarec with a front kick, and a leg kick, answered by Bowling. Tarec with a nice combination. He’s taking control of the stand up. Clinch, Tarec looking for a knee, pushes Bowling against the cage, delivering some knees to the thigh, which don;t get the credit they deserve. Those suck. Bowling going for another takedown, Tarec has excellent takedown defense. Fails again on an attempt. Tarec with a body kick, Bowling lands a counter right. Leg kick by Tarec. They both miss with hooks, then Tarec lands a right. Leg kick by Bowling checked. Tarec took that round.

Rd 3: They trade body kicks. Bowling throws hard overhand, partially lands. Tarec with another clinch, knee just misses. Big body shot by Bowling, eats a knee. Huge leg kicks by Tarec. And another. Bowling leans in, eats another knee. Body kick by Bowling, not much on it. Tarec goes for a spinning kick, Bowling catches it and goes for the takedown, still can’t get it. They’re against the cage trading knees again. Tarec goes upstairs and lands one to the forehead. Tarec unloads in the clinch with body shots. Nice jab by Tarec, Bowling keeps hooking to the body. They hit the mat, Tarec takes his back, pounding the side of Bowling’s head, now going for a rear naked choke, won’t get it but finishes in great form. Tarec should take this one.

The decision is in and it’s unanimous, 30-27 across the board for Tarec Saffiedine.

Mauro interviews Gil Melendez, and Gil is pretty busted up in the face. Musta been sparring with Nick Diaz. Gil tries to convince us, and himself, that’s he’s actually excited to defend his title against Pat Healy.

Up next is Jacare Souza vs Derek Brunson

Jacare rolls up in a gi and flip flops, and he’s getting his swerve on.

Rd 1: The ref with the awesome beard is back. Brunson goes high, misses by a mile. Throws another kick, blocked by Jacare. Jacare drops Brunson, lets him up, then busts him up again to score the finish. Nice.

That didn’t take long. It was a counter right hook that dropped Brunson. Always the gentleman, Jacare thought the fight was over and stopped, but Brunson got back up, so Jacare tagged him again and finished him off.

The main event is next, Ronda Rousey vs Sarah Kaufman.

Ok, so let’s go through this by the numbers. Five professional fights, five first round armbars. Three amateur fights, three first round armbars. Ronda is good at armbars. It just doesn’t get any simpler than that. Kaufman needs to avoid the ground like that fresh fish on the yard needs to avoid the Tossed Salad Guy.

Ronda has been training with the 209. Don’t knock that shit, bitch. The 209 is no joke, and Ronda has taken a liking to that crew. When the Diaz Brothers come on our front porch mama just chase em off with a broom, but some people don’t. Some people invite them in and offer them a cold drink. Ronda is one of them.

Rd 1: Rousey charges forward, ties her up, gets the takedown. uh-oh! Rousey mounts, going for an armbar already. Oh Jesus! Kaufman is putting up a good fight, but she’s in a real shitty position. That’s it, she gets the tap by armbar. AMAZING!

This chick is for real man. They need to make that Cyborg fight happen.

Sweet, Ronda calls out Cyborg.

Well that’s that, folks. We’ll analyze this shit tomorrow.