Filed under: UFCThere’s nothing like a free Sunday night fight card from the UFC to take your mind off the impending doom of Monday morning and the current lack of good TV dramas on HBO.
As we settle in to enjoy another event on Versus, which necessa…
There’s nothing like a free Sunday night fight card from the UFC to take your mind off the impending doom of Monday morning and the current lack of good TV dramas on HBO.
As we settle in to enjoy another event on Versus, which necessarily includes a confused few minutes of searching for Versus on the cable TV dial, let’s look at how oddsmakers see the action going down in Milwaukee.
In his role as the guy you fight when you want to throw them bungalows and forget about the existence of takedowns altogether, Lytle has been pretty dependable. That’s good news for Hardy, who, after three straight losses, needs a win so bad he can feel it in his mohawk. We know Hardy can be outwrestled, but we also know Lytle isn’t likely to take that route. He’ll stand there and fling blows for as long as Hardy wants, regardless of whether it’s a good idea or not. We know Lytle is a skilled striker. What we have to wonder at this point is if he can stand up to Hardy’s power. The 36-year-old vet started to look his age a little bit in his last fight. He’s been eyeing retirement and a potential political run recently, while Hardy has no choice but to win. Kind of makes you think that the Brit might want/need this more. My pick: Hardy. Based on past experience, Lytle will probably let him off the hook by ignoring the glaring weakness in his takedown defense. From there, youth and speed rule the day.
We’re still figuring out just how well the top WEC lightweights stack up against the UFC regulars, but Henderson’s decision win over Mark Bocek was enough to tell us that he deserves to be taken seriously. However, there’s a big difference between edging out Bocek and hanging with Miller, who’s as underappreciated as any fighter in the UFC right now. The last time he lost a fight was to current top contender Gray Maynard, and that was in 2009. Since then he’s won seven straight, against quality opponents, and he’s finished more than half of them. Henderson is a decent striker with good grappling, but it’s hard to see where he holds significant advantages over Miller. This seems like Miller’s time to shine, and oddsmakers know it. My pick: Miller. At -175 (meaning you’d need to wager $175 to win $100), you’re better off saving it for a parlay pick. Just don’t count on Henderson to be your underdog savior.
There’s a lot to like about Oliveira, even though, after his blatantly illegal knee on Nik Lentz, his understanding of the unified rules of MMA may not be one of them. But while he looked impressive right up to that point, just as he did against Efrain Escudero last September, he’s facing a different kind of opponent in Cerrone. “Cowboy” is just straight-up mean. He took a disturbing amount of joy in leg-kicking Vagner Rocha until he could no longer stand, and when forced to use it, he’s also got a pretty good submissions game. Oliveira had a strong start to his UFC career, but we have to face the fact that he’s seeing a big jump up in competition lately, especially with Miller and now Cerrone, and we don’t know for sure yet whether he’s ready for it. My pick: Cerrone. It’s going to be a close one, and quite possibly the best fight on this card, but I think his experience and crowd/judge-pleasing style will make the difference.
This is one where oddsmakers seem to have zeroed in on the right guy, but are perhaps a little overly optimistic. On paper, Sadollah should beat Ludwig. But when you’re looking at an experienced kickboxer like “Bang” going up against a still pretty inexperienced fighter like Sadollah, I’m not sure I’d have the faith to go all the way to 3-1 on it. Yes, Sadollah looked impressive against DaMarques Johnson (who took the fight on very short notice) in March. And yes, his weakness is his wrestling, where Ludwig isn’t likely to take it. But any time you’re trading kicks and punches with a guy who has as many kickboxing bouts as Ludwig does, there’s always a chance for things to go wrong. My pick: Sadollah, though I could never get on board with these odds. In fact, Ludwig might even be worth small action if you’re sick of playing the lottery, where you so rarely get a decent fight for your money.
Quick picks:
– Jim Hettes (-400) over Alex Caceras (+300). I know, you loved him as Bruce Leeroy on TUF, but Hettes appears to have the submission game that Caceras lacks, so don’t get suckered in here.
– Jacob Volkmann (+105) over Danny Castillo (-135). Volkmann is not terribly fun to watch, and his trash talk on Obama comes off like an ill-conceived Mr. Bean sketch, but he’s got this.
The ‘For Entertainment Purposes Only’ Parlay: Hardy + Miller + Cerrone + Volkmann
Filed under: UFCDonald Cerrone’s 2011 will continue to stay busy. “Cowboy” will step in for an injured John Makdessi to fight Paul Taylor at UFC on Versus 5 in August in Milwaukee.
The UFC announced Monday night that Makdessi had pulled out of the fi…
The UFC announced Monday night that Makdessi had pulled out of the fight with Taylor, of England, due to an injury. And Cerrone, already 2-0 this year and fresh off a unanimous decision win over Vagner Rocha at UFC 131 just over two weeks ago, will step in.
The fight could prove to be a standup battle – both fighters are renowned kickboxers. But Cerrone has 80 percent of his career victories by submission.
Cerrone (15-3, 1 NC, 2-0 UFC), one of the WEC’s standout and most popular fighters before the merger with the UFC, went 6-3 with one no contest as a lightweight in that promotion. His three losses all came with the WEC lightweight title on the line – once in a controversial split decision loss to Jamie Varner, and twice to Ben Henderson.
Cerrone, a Greg Jackson-trained fighter, won five Fight of the Night bonuses in the WEC and started his UFC career with a submission win over Paul Kelly that also won a Fight of the Night award at UFC 126 in February. That win gave Cerrone four straight.
Taylor (11-6-1, 1 NC, 4-5 UFC) is coming off a head kick knockout of Gabe Ruediger at UFC 126, which snapped a two-fight skid that saw him drop decisions to Sam Stout and John Hathaway.
Taylor has been with the UFC since UFC 70 in April 2007, a win over Edilberto de Oliveira. After that TKO victory, Taylor won Fight of the Night bonuses in three of his next four fights – though all three of those came in losses to renowned bonus hounds Chris Lytle and Marcus Davis, and one to fellow Englishman Paul Kelly.
UFC on Versus 5 will be the promotion’s debut in Wisconsin after MMA sanctioning was passed there recently. The show will take place at the Bradley Center, home to the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.
The card will feature a main event between Lytle and former welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy, who has lost three straight. The show also will feature a lightweight bout between Jim Miller and Henderson – with Miller looking for his eighth straight victory and a likely title shot if he gets past the former WEC lightweight champ.
Ariel is *still* asking fighters about beefs. Some guys never learn. VidProps: Ariel Helwani
Donald Cerrone is one of those guys that will apologize for not kicking a guy’s ass thoroughly enough, even when no drunk frat guys are booing in the crowd. After failing to put away a one-legged Vagner Rocha, Cerrone was visibly disappointed with his performance. Knowing Cowboy, though, no one is in a hurry to give him a hard time about it, including our boy Ariel Helwani.
Helwani caught up with Cerrone to ask him about the fight, his feuds with Mac Danzig and Cole Miller, and who he’d like to fight next. Pretty standard stuff that we’ve covered before, until they start talking matchups. Cerrone hasn’t forgotten about Danzig, whom Cowboy had previously insinuated faked an injury to get out of fighting him. “I’m just talking shit, that’s what I do.” Cerrone says of Danzig. “I hope he’s not injured, I hope he can fight.”
Ariel is *still* asking fighters about beefs. Some guys never learn. VidProps: Ariel Helwani
Donald Cerrone is one of those guys that will apologize for not kicking a guy’s ass thoroughly enough, even when no drunk frat guys are booing in the crowd. After failing to put away a one-legged Vagner Rocha, Cerrone was visibly disappointed with his performance. Knowing Cowboy, though, no one is in a hurry to give him a hard time about it, including our boy Ariel Helwani.
Helwani caught up with Cerrone to ask him about the fight, his feuds with Mac Danzig and Cole Miller, and who he’d like to fight next. Pretty standard stuff that we’ve covered before, until they start talking matchups. Cerrone hasn’t forgotten about Danzig, whom Cowboy had previously insinuated faked an injury to get out of fighting him. “I’m just talking shit, that’s what I do.” Cerrone says of Danzig. “I hope he’s not injured, I hope he can fight.”
If the vegan/shutterbug/fighter Danzig can’t accept a date for Muay Thai foreplay and a consummating chokehold, ol’ Cowboy here will be stoked to fight that Sam Stout fella. You can see how excited he gets talking about a possible Stout fight. While we fully believe that Cerrone enjoys a good scrap and is looking forward to the possibility of a crowd-pleasing stand-and-bang with the Hands of Stone, you gotta think that Cerrone is probably counting his FotN bonus in his head as he talks about it, and mentally calculating how many tractor tires and heavy bags he can buy for the ranch with 70 grand. (We’re guessing A LOT.)
What do you think, Nation? Who should Cowboy get next?
If you’ve ever wondered how Cage Potato sneaks into UFC events, let’s just say it involves matching black baseball hats. Props: MMAConnected.com
Look, I get it. Vancouver fans are extremely excited about their Canucks winning 1-0 at home on Friday, putting the team one win away from taking the Stanley Cup. I’m more than willing to forgive those in attendance for being less than excited about UFC 131, an MMA event absent of title fights, or even some fellow Canadians on the main card. I’ll forgive the chants of “Go Canucks Go” and “We Want The Cup” that broke out throughout the evening. I’ll even forgive them for being won over by Jon Olav Einemo’s Canucks flag. But not watching the fights you’re supposed to be judging? That’s unacceptable.
There were some downright awful decisions made by the judges last night, causing some to wonder if they even watched the fights. Fortunately for Junior Dos Santos, his beating of Shane Carwin was too lopsided to possibly mess up. No doubt, Dos Santos looked impressive against Shane Carwin. Not only did he survive some of Shane’s hardest punches, but he also displayed some improved wrestling. He even managed to make Carwin look gun-shy, which seemed unthinkable. There were numerous times throughout the fight where it seemed crazy that Junior Dos Santos was fighting the same guy that almost dethroned Brock Lesnar. Before we get too excited though, remember that Shane Carwin managed to survive all three rounds, despite being a late replacement coming off of surgery. Time will tell how Dos Santos holds up against Cain Valesquez.
If you’ve ever wondered how Cage Potato sneaks into UFC events, let’s just say it involves matching black baseball hats. Props: MMAConnected.com
Look, I get it. Vancouver fans are extremely excited about their Canucks winning 1-0 at home on Friday, putting the team one win away from taking the Stanley Cup. I’m more than willing to forgive those in attendance for being less than excited about UFC 131, an MMA event absent of title fights, or even some fellow Canadians on the main card. I’ll forgive the chants of “Go Canucks Go” and “We Want The Cup” that broke out throughout the evening. I’ll even forgive them for being won over by Jon Olav Einemo’s Canucks flag. But not watching the fights you’re supposed to be judging? That’s unacceptable.
There were some downright awful decisions made by the judges last night, causing some to wonder if they even watched the fights. Fortunately for Junior Dos Santos, his beating of Shane Carwin was too lopsided to possibly mess up. No doubt, Dos Santos looked impressive against Shane Carwin. Not only did he survive some of Shane’s hardest punches, but he also displayed some improved wrestling. He even managed to make Carwin look gun-shy, which seemed unthinkable. There were numerous times throughout the fight where it seemed crazy that Junior Dos Santos was fighting the same guy that almost dethroned Brock Lesnar. Before we get too excited though, remember that Shane Carwin managed to survive all three rounds, despite being a late replacement coming off of surgery. Time will tell how Dos Santos holds up against Cain Valesquez.
Perhaps our expectations of Kenny Florian were a bit too high for a guy who once fought at middleweight making his featherweight debut. Florian, who began his cut to featherweight weighing 180 pounds, coasted to a decision victory against Diego Nunes. Even though his cardio was still as good as ever, Florian looked too slow against Nunes to be a threat to the top featherweights. In all fairness to Florian, however, he may have been slow simply because this was his first fight at featherweight. Even though he is more than likely next in line for a title shot, he should probably be given one more fight at featherweight to adjust his weight cut before being offered up to Jose Aldo.
With his victory against Demian Maia, Mark Munoz becomes a contender at middleweight. He looked impressive last night by avoiding submissions from Demian Maia on his way to a unanimous decision victory. However, he also managed to get rocked on numerous occasions by the mediocre kickboxer. Munoz will need to spend more time on his striking in order to survive the deep end of the middleweight division.
Speaking of spending more time on striking, Vagner Rocha and Jon Olav Einemo should probably do that as well. Rocha was never given a chance to utilize his jiu jitsu against Donald Cerrone. Cerrone, who leg kicked his way to the victory, was never in any real danger of being caught by Rocha’s desperate haymakers. Then again, perhaps it is a bit unfair to be so hard on Jon Olav Einemo. Despite the time spent at Golden Glory, Einemo was coming off of a five year layoff against a dangerous striker, Dave Herman. What else were we to expect? If anything, it’s an accomplishment that he had Herman in trouble a few times during the fight, which is no easy task. Another fight in the UFC will see whether or not Einemo can still be a competitor in today’s MMA scene. Just not against Shane Carwin.
Junior Dos Santos defeats Shane Carwin via Unanimous Decision
Donald Cerrone defeats Vagner Rocha via Unanimous Decision
Dave Herman defeats Jon Olav Einemo via TKO (Strikes) Round 2
Mark Munoz defeats Demian Maia via Unanimous Decision
Kenny Florian defeats Diego Nunes via Unanimous Decision
Sam Stout defeats Yves Edwards via TKO (Strikes) Round 1
Chris Weidman defeats Jesse Bongfeldt via Submission (Standing Guillotine Choke) Round 1
Krzysztof Soszynski def. Mike Massenzio via unanimous decision
Nick Ring def. James Head via submission (rear-naked choke) in round 3
Darren Elkins def. Michihiro Omigawa via unanimous decision
Dustin Poirier def. Jason Young via unanimous decision
Joey Beltran def. Aaron Rosa via technical knockout in round 3
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — MMA Fighting spoke to Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone about his UFC 131 win over Vagner Rocha, why he wasn’t happy with the decision and the names he wants to fight next in the UFC lightweight division.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — MMA Fighting spoke to Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone about his UFC 131 win over Vagner Rocha, why he wasn’t happy with the decision and the names he wants to fight next in the UFC lightweight division.
At that exact moment, as he stepped on the scales, he was haunted by the thought that he’d left his oven on. And that was the beginning of the end for Shane Carwin. (Pic: UFC.com)
This card was dealt a serious blow when PPV kingpin Brock Lesnar dropped out due to his ongoing battle with diverticulitis, and the hits just keptcoming. Despite the constant deck shuffling, Joe Silva’s cooked up a decent batch of chicken salad, setting up a headlining bout that in many ways is more compelling than the original and a few match-ups that pose some interesting questions. How will a Jenny Craig’d Carwin perform in his first fight back after undergoing surgery? Will Florian finally find a stable home at 145lbs? Can you even call it “ring rust” after a five year layoff?
A lot of tonight’s fights are tough to call, but we’ll call them just the same. If you tuned in to YouTube or Facebook for the pre-prelims, you were treated to copious amounts of leather (and some questionable judging). We’ll hold off on the results of those fights and the Spike undercard in case they make it to the PPV broadcast. As always, your witty and insightful comments are more than welcome. Your shitty ones, not so much.
At that exact moment, as he stepped on the scales, he was haunted by the thought that he’d left his oven on. And that was the beginning of the end for Shane Carwin. (Pic: UFC.com)
This card was dealt a serious blow when PPV kingpin Brock Lesnar dropped out due to his ongoing battle with diverticulitis, and the hits just keptcoming. Despite the constant deck shuffling, Joe Silva’s cooked up a decent batch of chicken salad, setting up a headlining bout that in many ways is more compelling than the original and a few match-ups that pose some interesting questions. How will a Jenny Craig’d Carwin perform in his first fight back after undergoing surgery? Will Florian finally find a stable home at 145lbs? Can you even call it “ring rust” after a five year layoff?
A lot of tonight’s fights are tough to call, but we’ll call them just the same. If you tuned in to YouTube or Facebook for the pre-prelims, you were treated to copious amounts of leather (and some questionable judging). We’ll hold off on the results of those fights and the Spike undercard in case they make it to the PPV broadcast. As always, your witty and insightful comments are more than welcome. Your shitty ones, not so much.
I hear poor quality opera singing and see some dude putting on a gladiator costume, so that can only mean one thing…We…Are..LIVE!!!!
We aren’t wasting much time here on video game commercials and Jason Statham previews…yet. The first fighters are already making their way to the Octagon.
Vagner Rocha vs. Donald Cerrone
Round 1: Cerrone opens up with a pair of hard leg kicks, but the second one clips Rocha’s junk. No real delay and we’re back to action. Nice knee by Cerrone. The two are feeling things out, exchanging a few leg kicks back and forth. Double leg to Rocha. Cerrone tries an oma plata or armbar, but Rocha shakes him off and they’re back on their feet. No secret where Rocha wants this as he fails in another takedown attempt. Both men reserved, picking their strikes. Rocha fails in a half-hearted takedown. Cerrone faceplants Rocha as he dives for another fruitless takedown. And another. Meanwhile Rocha’s eating some heavy leg kicks. Does he know how to check them? Pretty easy 10-9 for Cowboy.
Round 2: Rocha’s corner advises that he doesn’t get kicked so much. Sage advice, let’s see if he listens. Cerrone with a nice kick, shocker. Rocha snags Cerrone’s ankles and nearly completes the takedown, but Cerrone stays up and Rocha presses him against the cage. Cerrone shakes off another takedown and they’re back in the Bud Light logo. Another kick from Cerrone. Rocha needs to shoot, shoot, and shoot again until this fight is on the ground. Rocha with a leg kick but he eats a straight left counter. Rocha dives in again, but is easily rebuffed. Cerrone drops him with a jab and briefly follows him down before standing back up. Cerrone with more chopping kicks and a front kick. Rocha with another desperate takedown attempt, but he’s no closer on this try or the subsequent one than he has been all night.
Round 3: Rocha needs a stoppage here. How he’ll get it is anyone’s guess. Front kick from Cerrone to open things up. Cerrone’s holding back, considering he’s tooling Rocha as he pleases. Rocha with an obligatory failed takedown. No urgency from either man, just sporadic leg kicks and failed takedowns. Whoa, a three bitch slap combo from Rocha. Unprecedented. Rocha doesn’t look like he’ll be standing if he eats more kicks, and he will. Another shot, another easy sprawl for Cerrone. And a shot/buttscoot from Rocha. A few more leisurely kicks, but if Cerrone turned on the kicks this would be over. Hard kicks and a knee from Cerrone, and he drops Rocha with less than ten seconds on the clock. Should be a cut and dry decision for Cerrone.
Donald Cerrone def. Vagner Rocha: Unanimous Decision (30-27 x 2, 30-26)
Cerrone thanks “the Vancouver people” and “the Vancouver customs” before apologizing for holding back and fighting not to lose rather than fighting to win.
Jon Olav Einemo vs. Dave Herman
Herman comes out to Culture Club, “Do you really want to hurt me”. Classic. Shit, Einemo comes out to G ‘N F’n Roses. Well done, boys.
Round 1: Herman opens with a push kick and inside leg kick. Einemo clinches and forces him to the cage as he works for the takedown. Herman defending well, and lands a few knees as he gets away. Big right by Einemo, lets see how that Golden Glory time has been spent. Einemo with an uppercut as he pushes things to the cage, but Herman spins out and lands a few shots of his own. Herman landing some decent kicks. Einemo really charging in with his shots, but not really landing anything too serious. Herman lands a few punches and a knee before Einemo lands the double with two minutes left. Einemo works his way out of guard and into side control against the cage. Herman spins out and kicks him off and they’re back on their feet. The two trade knees and Einemo scores with a right hand. More knees exchanged as they clinch against the cage. Einemo with another right, and scores a takedown at the last second.
Round 2: Herman’s corner chastised him for standing still and not moving. Let’s see if he adjusts in the second. Einemo forces Herman to the cage, but Pee Wee escapes. Herman does just as his coaches told him not to, and eats a couple of punches. Herman fires back and lands a light axe kick. Big knee from Einemo in the clinch. Herman is in trouble. Einemo hunting him down with punches. Einemo slips and hits the ground, but Herman can’t take advantage. Pause for mouthpiece… Big knee and punches have Herman in trouble, but he responds with some big shots of his own and drops Einemo! Herman landing elbows on from half guard. Herman lets him stand, and he does, very slowly. These guys both looked rocked and exhausted. Now it’s Herman with big knees again. Einemo drops from the blows (and it looked like fatigue as well), and the ref calls an end to the bout.
Both men were in trouble in that round, on more than one occasion.
Dave Herman def. Jon Olav Einemo: TKO (R2- 3:19)
Demian Maia vs. Mark Munoz
Round 1: Slow start as they feel each other out. Munoz got tagged with something and looked wobbled, but he seems to have recovered. Maia lands a big right and clinches Munoz against the cage. Stalling against the cage prompts a break from the ref. Maia is coming after Munoz on the feet with kicks and punches. Again, he’s charging after him. Not what anyone, including Munoz, probably expected. Maia with a body kick. Munoz tries for a head kick and eats a big punch. Maia crowds Munoz toward the cage, threatening to launch some strikes. Maia is not intimidated at all. Both men trading strkes as the round ends with Munoz shooting for a takedown. That was Maia’s round.
Round 2: Let’s see if Munoz regroups now that he knows what to expect. Munoz tags Maia and follows him down with some power shots to the body- dozens of them. Action has slowed, and Maia turns into guard briefly before they stand up. Now it’s Maia looking to tee off, but Munoz answers with a punch of his own. Maia gets stuffed on a takedown and Munoz locks up a D’Arce, but lets go and Maia’s on top. They’re back up, and Maia shoots again but Munoz sprawls and lands more of those whalloping shots to Maia’s ass. Munoz is in half guard, but Maia gets full guard. This is right where Maia wants to be, but Munoz gets back up. Now it’s Munoz working for a single, and he’s on top of Maia in half guard against the cage and scores a couple of short elbows. With 10 seconds left, they’re stood up to close the round.
Round 3: Awkward hug to start things off. Munoz lets loose some head kicks, but Maia blocks. Munz gets the takedown, but Maia’s right back up. Munoz working a single with Maia clenched against the cage, but Maia slips around to Munoz’s back and comes close to securing a crucifix. They’re back on their feet and back against the cage with Munoz working toward another takedown. Wall & Stall prompts a restart, and Munoz is launching body kicks and gets the takedown, but once again Maia pops right back up. Both men trade body kicks. Maia shoots and is stuffed once more before they close the round throwing punches.
Mark Munoz def. Demian Maia: Unanimous Decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27)
Munoz admits he was surprised and caught off guard by Maia’s improved standup, and says Maia had him doing the ‘Stanky Leg’, undoubtedly a tribute to boxing coach Al Stankie.
Up next is the incredible shrinking Florian. Can he finish fights at 145? Rogan lists the many kicks Nunes brings to the fight. Noticeably absent is the side-check kick. The Canadian fans did not take kindly to Florians Boston Bruins get-up at yesterday’s weigh-ins, judging from the boos.
Kenny Florian vs. Diego Nunes
Round 1: Florian launches two head kicks, and Nunes responds in kind. Both men kicking and striking, but so far most of what’s thrown is being slipped. Florian looks for a takedown and succeeds for half a second before Nunes springs up and presses Kenny against the cage. Nunes scores his own takedown against the cage, but Florian is back to his feet. Florian catches a kick, but can’t get Nunes down. This hockey crowd is tearing Florian up. Nunes drops KenFlo momentarily with a low kick, but he pops right back up. Nunes lands a spinning back fist, but Kenny hangs in there. Now Nunes lands a high kick, but Florian is ok. Nunes is showing off those kicks Rogan told us about. With 40 seconds left, Florian gets the takedown but does little with it before Nunes works his way up. Another spinning elbow and Nunes drops him with a combo and follows him to the ground as the horn sounds.
Round 2: Nunes is putting all of his power into his punches, but isn’t connecting. Florian works him to the cage and gets a leg up over his head, but Nunes maintains his balance and doesn’t go down. Great takedown defense from Nunes, and now HE lands a takedown. Florian throws up his legs looking for a triangle, but Nunes works free. Nunes standing over Florian, and dives in to administer some ground and pound. Nunes gets up and the ref brings Kenny to his feet. Kenny scoops up Nunes in his best takedown yet, and the crowd lets the boos flow. Nunes is bleeding from the back of his head, leaving pools of blood on the mat. Florian dropping bombs from the guard. Nunes throws his legs up and stops any more punches from coming before the round ends.
Round 3: Nunes was looking good until the end of that round, but he’s looking a little tired now. Florian looks fresh, chopping away at Nunes with some kicks. Kenny with a knee to the body from the clinch, and scores an easy takedown. Florian passes into half guard, landing some elbows from the top. Kenny passes into side control, but after a stalemate Nunes spins free and clinches Florian against the cage. Nunes looking to end this with a big kick, but it isn’t coming. Nunes swinging away, but Florian evades. Nunes is exhausted, but he’s not hiding. Big knee by Florian. The two trade shots in the clinch, and Nunes drops Florian to a knee with seconds left in the fight. This one goes to the judges.
Kenny Florian def. Diego Nunes: Unanimous Decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27)
Predictably, the crowd is displeased. Florian says the cut was very, very difficult, “the hardest thing [he’s] ever done in his life”. KenFlo says he’s at Featherweight to stay, and that he wants to chase down the belt.
Time for the main event. Carwin has maniac eyes in his staredown graphic.
Junior Dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin
Round 1: Here we go! Carwin shoots for a single after circling for a bit, but Junior stays upright. Junior with a body shot and Carwin with a straight right. Right from Dos Santos. Junior with a combo, Carwin with a jab. Junior with a quick jab; speed is certainly on his side. Both men feeling each other out, but Junior’s loosing up. Carwin with a single, but Junior right back up. Carwin’s face is a little red from these jabs. Junior connecting with combos and carwin is in big trouble. Junior has his back and is hammering away. Thirty seconds left. This has to be almost over as Junior fires away with a look to Herb Dean. Carwin is up, but his face is crimsoned. He’s a bloody mess.
Round 2: Carwin’s nose is probably broken, and his expression looks like he’s a beaten man. Dos Santos with a head kick. Carwin charges in, but there’s nothing there. Junior tries to connect with an uppercut. Junior with a jab and hook to the body. Carwin misses with a left, but lands a nice pair of leg kicks. Junior with a stiff jab, but Carwin stalks him down and lands a nice punch. Junior goes to the body and Carwin gets him with a right hand. Both men are cautious here. Junior throwing out those jabs. Big head kick by Junior, but Carwin blocks some of it and eats the rest looking no worse for wear. Junior lets off a combo and two digging body shots to end the round.
Round 3: Carwin’s face is a mess, but he’s ready for round 3. Carwin shoots right in for a single as Junior swings. He has Junior down for a moment, but Dos Santos stands back up without absorbing any damage. Carwin missing with a big left. Misses with another. Not much action going on as both men wait for their shot. Carwin stalks Junior, but he evades. Dos Santos lands a stiff jab and a nice left hook. Junior is starting to fire off combos and he’s finding his mark. Carwin looks tired with 90 seconds left. Junior’s hands are finding their home as Herb Dean halts the bout so doctors can check out Carwin’s face. Carwin’s busted up, but he’s game to continue and they allow it. This is it- one minute left. Junior with a big takedown, and he tees off with body shots until Carwin pops up. Carwin needs to go berserk here, but Junior puts him on his back once more as the horn sounds to end the fight.
Unless there’s a judging catastrophe, Junior will face Cain Velasquez for the Heavyweight title.
Junior Dos Santos def. Shane Carwin: Unanimous Decision (30-27 x 2, 30-26)
Velasquez is brought in to exchange a few complimentary words with the challenger to his throne. Up next is the Stout-Edwards bout from Spike, so I’ll leave you to that. Full results from the evening are below:
Undercard Results:
Darren Elkins def. Michihiro Omigawa: unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
There’s nothing like a free Sunday night fight card from the UFC to take your mind off the impending doom of Monday morning and the current lack of good TV dramas on HBO. 
Donald Cerrone
