WSOF 14: “Shields vs. Ford” came and went last night from Edmonton’s Expo Centre in Alberta, Canada, with the majority of the focus on a former UFC and Strikeforce combatant looking to regain his flair.
In a card billed as USA vs. Canada (borrowed from pro wrestling, of course), a welterweight title shot was on the line, as Jake Shields took on Ryan Ford in the main event. The co-main event featured the inaugural heavyweight championship bout between Derrick Mehmen and Smealinho Rama, and also on the main card, Canadian MMA veteran Chris Horodecki battled Luis Huete and Jared Hamman took on Luke Harris.
Check out the GIF highlights and the complete results below (all via Zombie Prophet):
WSOF 14: “Shields vs. Ford” came and went last night from Edmonton’s Expo Centre in Alberta, Canada, with the majority of the focus on a former UFC and Strikeforce combatant looking to regain his flair.
In a card billed as USA vs. Canada (borrowed from pro wrestling, of course), a welterweight title shot was on the line, as Jake Shields took on Ryan Ford in the main event. The co-main event featured the inaugural heavyweight championship bout between Derrick Mehmen and Smealinho Rama, and also on the main card, Canadian MMA veteran Chris Horodecki battled Luis Huete and Jared Hamman took on Luke Harris.
Check out the GIF highlights and the complete results below (all via Zombie Prophet):
Hakeem Dawodu vs. Mike Malott
The prelims were nothing to boast about, but we got this highlight of Hakeem Dawodu blasting Mike Malott, just because.
Jared Hamman vs. Luke Harris
The main card opened up with UFC veteran Jared Hamman against TUF:Nations alumnus Luke Harris, and it’s safe to say the former was a tad too much to handle. Hamman was treating Harris like a punching bag until his eventual death, but thank God the official stepped in when the Albertan’s knees his the mat.
Chris Horodecki vs. Luis Huete
This one was by far the card’s snoozer of the night, as the “Polish Hammer” used his wrestling abilities to best his opponent. He took Huete down at will, sometimes inactive and forced to stand up through the course of their bout.
Derrick Mehmen vs. Smealinho Rama
This fight would crown the promotion’s first heavyweight champion, with the 22-year-old prospect seizing the opportunity and finishing Mehmen in brutal fashion. It only took him 51 seconds to capture the gold, rocking and dropping “Caveman” multiple times.
Jake Shields vs. Ryan Ford
The Skrap Pack member acquired his first stoppage victory since 2009 (!), submitting Ryan Ford in the first round. The former Strikeforce champ hit the ground after Ford threw his first punch (a jab), but Shields recovered and eventually brought the “Real Deal” to the mat and sunk in a rear-naked choke. Successful in his first fight since his UFC release, Shields will take on the winner of Rousimar Palhares vs. Jon Fitch for the WSOF welterweight strap. Call me a masochist, but I’ve been waiting years for Shields vs. Fitch, and goodness gracious, I hope it happens.
Here are the complete WSOF 14 results:
Main Card
Jake Shields def. Ryan Ford via submission (rear naked choke), 4:29 of round 1.
Smealinho Rama def. Derrick Mehmen via TKO (punches), 0:51 of round 1.
Chris Horodecki def. Luis Huete via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
Jared Hamman def. Luke Harris via TKO (punches), 2:27 of round 1.
Preliminary Card
Tim Hague def. Craig Hudson via TKO (punches), 2:55 of round 3.
Hakeem Dawodu def. Mike Malott via TKO (punches and elbows), 4:13 of round 1.
Matt Baker def. Cody Krahn via submission (armbar), 2:28 of round 1.
Roger Alves def. David Swanson via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
(NOW we get why Kyle’s friends often refer to him as “The Poke” Noke.)
After collecting three straight stoppage victories in as many UFC contests, EliteXC and TUF 11 veteran Kyle Noke was quickly building up a reputation as one of the top up-and-comers in the middleweight division. Being one of the few successful Australian fighters to grace the UFC (sorry, Elvis), Noke carried a bit more pressure on his shoulders than the average TUF alum, especially when heading into his UFC Live 5 match against resurgent TUF 3 veteran Ed Herman. Unfortunately Noke (and therefore the Australian MMA community), would fall to a first round heel hook in that fight, placing all Aussie UFC hopes in the hands of a man nicknamed after an animal relative to Africa.
But fret not, ye Fosters enthusiasts, for Noke’s path to redemption will begin in the land from which he was birthed. Yes, “KO” recently announced that he will be taking on Jared Hamman at UFC on FX 2, which goes down at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia. Hamman, whom we will forever be in debt to for knocking CB Dolloway out of the UFC, will also be looking to build up a win streak; he was most recently flattened in the first round by Constantinos Philippou at UFC 140. This match has yet to be confirmed by the UFC.
Join us after the jump for some juicy featherweight and bantamweight gossip…
(NOW we get why Kyle’s friends often refer to him as “The Poke” Noke.)
After collecting three straight stoppage victories in as many UFC contests, EliteXC and TUF 11 veteran Kyle Noke was quickly building up a reputation as one of the top up-and-comers in the middleweight division. Being one of the few successful Australian fighters to grace the UFC (sorry, Elvis), Noke carried a bit more pressure on his shoulders than the average TUF alum, especially when heading into his UFC Live 5 match against resurgent TUF 3 veteran Ed Herman. Unfortunately Noke (and therefore the Australian MMA community), would fall to a first round heel hook in that fight, placing all Aussie UFC hopes in the hands of a man nicknamed after an animal relative to Africa.
But fret not, ye Fosters enthusiasts, for Noke’s path to redemption will begin in the land from which he was birthed. Yes, “KO” recently announced that he will be taking on Jared Hamman at UFC on FX 2, which goes down at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia. Hamman, whom we will forever be in debt to for knocking CB Dolloway out of the UFC, will also be looking to build up a win streak; he was most recently flattened in the first round by Constantinos Philippou at UFC 140. This match has yet to be confirmed by the UFC.
Also rumored for the UFC’s return to Australia will be TUF 5 alum Cole Miller’s featherweight debut, which will pair him against seasoned TUF 14 vet Steve Siler. Fresh off a second round submission of T.J. O’Brien, the 6’1”, Miller was already lanky for a lightweight, but will now be entering Corey Hill territory at 145 pounds. Stay away from the leg kicks is all were saying, Cole. After getting eliminated via a Diego Brandao steamrolling in his run on The Ultimate Fighter 14, Siler rebounded at the TUF 14 Finale with a decision win over Josh Clopton.
And in UFC on FX 1 news, bantamweight prospect Mike Easton will be looking to improve upon his second round TKO over Byron Bloodworth when he takes on WEC vet Ken Stone. Stone, who suffered brutal back-to-back knockouts at the hands of Eddie Wineland (via slam) and Scott Jorgensen (via punches), finally learned what it was like to be the one standingover an unconscious body when he choked out Donny Walker back at UFN 25.
UFC on FX is set to go down on January 20th from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Yours truly will be handling the liveblog duties, so make sure to stop by and inform me of how poor a job I am doing.
Round 1: They exchange feints in the early seconds, then Cholish jumps into a short left hook from Clarke. Cholish seems to be looking for the takedown, but Clarke is fending him off well early on. Stiff jab from Cholish. Clarke jabs in from too far out and eats a counter right. Cholish manages a foot sweep, but Clarke is up in a hurry and looking for a suplex. Cholish defends and rolls, putting Clarke on his back and going to work from his guard. Cholish stands up out of the guard and thinks about attacking from there, but settles for letting Clarke up with less than two minutes left in the round. Clarke is the busier man on the feet, but he’s not landing much. He misses with two punches and Cholish stings him with a right. Clarke stuffs a Cholish takedown in the final ten seconds, but it’s still likely Cholish’s round. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Cholish.
Round 1: They exchange feints in the early seconds, then Cholish jumps into a short left hook from Clarke. Cholish seems to be looking for the takedown, but Clarke is fending him off well early on. Stiff jab from Cholish. Clarke jabs in from too far out and eats a counter right. Cholish manages a foot sweep, but Clarke is up in a hurry and looking for a suplex. Cholish defends and rolls, putting Clarke on his back and going to work from his guard. Cholish stands up out of the guard and thinks about attacking from there, but settles for letting Clarke up with less than two minutes left in the round. Clarke is the busier man on the feet, but he’s not landing much. He misses with two punches and Cholish stings him with a right. Clarke stuffs a Cholish takedown in the final ten seconds, but it’s still likely Cholish’s round. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Cholish.
The MMA Hour is back in your life on Monday. Here’s what we have planned for our 101st episode.
* MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta, MMAConvert.com’s Jim Genia and TapouT’s Mike Straka will return for another edition of the MMA Media Roundtable. We’ll discuss the fallout from UFC 135, UFC on Versus 6 and much more.
* And Jared Hamman will talk about his move down to 185 pounds and his new wine label.
Of course, we’ll be taking your calls. Give us a shout at: 212-254-0193, 212-254-0237 or 212-254-0714.
*** You can also stream the show live on your iPhone or iPad by clicking here.
Watch the show live below beginning at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. Subscribe to The MMA Hour on iTunes: audio feed here; video feed here. Download previous episodes here. Listen to the show via Stitcher here.
The MMA Hour is back in your life on Monday. Here’s what we have planned for our 101st episode.
* MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta, MMAConvert.com’s Jim Genia and TapouT’s Mike Straka will return for another edition of the MMA Media Roundtable. We’ll discuss the fallout from UFC 135, UFC on Versus 6 and much more.
* And Jared Hamman will talk about his move down to 185 pounds and his new wine label.
Of course, we’ll be taking your calls. Give us a shout at: 212-254-0193, 212-254-0237 or 212-254-0714.
*** You can also stream the show live on your iPhone or iPad by clicking here.
Watch the show live below beginning at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. Subscribe to The MMA Hour on iTunes: audio feed here; video feed here. Download previous episodes here. Listen to the show via Stitcher here.
Filed under: UFCUFC on Versus: Hardy vs. Lytle could have been the rarest of events that saw both main event fighters exit the UFC right after competing. Instead, it saw Chris Lytle walk away on a glorious note, retiring after his submission win, while…
UFC on Versus: Hardy vs. Lytle could have been the rarest of events that saw both main event fighters exit the UFC right after competing. Instead, it saw Chris Lytle walk away on a glorious note, retiring after his submission win, while Dan Hardy was given one more chance from UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta despite losing his fourth straight bout.
In reality, it was a fair conclusion for both fighters, who fought a hard-nosed battle for nearly 15 minutes before the ending. Lytle gets the distinction of walking away on a high while Hardy is afforded the opportunity to decompress, clear his mind and determine a new course of action going forward. While any thoughts of returning back to contender status are for off into the future, he has a pulse, and for now, that will have to do.
With that, we take a look at what might be next for Hardy and the rest of UFC on Versus 5‘s key participants, in this edition of The Forward Roll.
Dan Hardy
It’s been a brutal 17-month stretch for Hardy, who lost bouts to Georges St-Pierre, Carlos Condit, Anthony Johnson and now Lytle. Afterward, he mentioned wanting to take some time off, and that’s a request that should be granted. Losing is often harder on the mind than the body, and Hardy should get the chance to heal both.
Hopefully, we don’t see him back in the octagon until spring is breaking. Given a lengthy layoff, it’s tough to project who he might face — a lot will happen in the next six or seven months — but someone like TJ Grant or Amir Sadollah sounds about right.
Ben Henderson
Casting aside Lytle’s emotional goodbye, Henderson was the star of the show, with a spectacular performance against Jim Miller in a high-stakes bout.
The fact that Miller was riding a seven-fight win streak made it impressive enough as it was, but having seen Miller throughout his career, we can say that he just doesn’t get dominated like that. Not even current champ Frank Edgar or current No. 1 contender Gray Maynard handled him the way Henderson did. Impressively, he continues to improve his standup game, but does his best work with wrestling and ferocious ground and pound. He also keeps a ridiculous pace, even for a lightweight.
The performance should quiet all doubters about Henderson’s ability and just how far he can go. It also rockets him up the contenders list, and he gets stars from here onward.
The next man on his list should be Clay Guida, who is riding a four-fight win streak and has nothing scheduled. The winner should next fight for the title.
Jim Miller
Sure he gets knocked down a couple of pegs, but given his recent run, there’s no reason to write Miller off as a future No. 1 contender.
The good news for him is that there is such a glut of top lightweights that there should be no problems in finding him a good matchup. The two best possibilities may be Dennis Siver, who is currently riding a four-fight win streak, or Sam Stout, who is coming off a fantastic knockout over Yves Edwards. Another possibility is Anthony Pettis, who lost to Guida in June.
Donald Cerrone
Previously considered an uneven performer, Cerrone seems to have figured out the issues that led to slow starts in the past. His first-round TKO win over the promising Charles Oliveira was his third victory of 2011 and fifth straight overall.
A good next step for him would be Jeremy Stephens, who has captured four of his last five, with his only loss coming in a close split-decision.
Charles Oliveira
For the first time in his career, Oliveira looked outmatched in the loss to Cerrone, who easily handled him in the striking and overwhelmed him on the ground. After losses in two of his last three, he has a decision to make as far as if he wants to stay in the 155-pound division or move to featherweight.
The UFC usually doesn’t force their hand in these matters, but they could cut Oliveira if they wanted to, so they have the leverage to ask him to reconsider a move. I think he will try 145. Let’s throw him in with a ground shark like Javier Vazquez and see if he sinks or swins.
Duane Ludwig
After a long welterweight run, Ludwig returned to welterweight and has now won two straight after throttling Amir Sadollah. The knock on Ludwig has always been grappling troubles, and his last two matchups have been favorable as he’s faced a pair of strikers.
That should change in his next match, but it probably won’t. Instead, the UFC will likely match him up in another bout that will guarantee good standup action. Let’s slot him in to face Matt Brown.
Jared Hamman
The wiry Hamman always seemed out of place among the UFC’s massive light-heavyweights. In his middleweight debut, he looked to be in the right class.
As a relative newcomer to the division, he shouldn’t be rushed along. Rafael Natal is about right.
EdHerman
It’s hard to be believe, but Herman and Michael Bisping are the only two fighters remaining in the UFC from season three of The Ultimate Fighter. Unfortunately, he’s had terrible luck with injuries, missing nearly two years of action before returning with back-to-back wins.
He was fighting Aaron Simpson when he first injured his knee. It would be nice to give him another crack at Simpson, but the “A-Train” already has a fight scheduled in October, so we’ll have to go to plan B, Constantinos Philippou.
Joseph Benavidez
Benavidez is in a terrible position right now, stuck between a rock and a hard place. The rock is Dominick Cruz, who has beaten him twice, yet is standing in front of him as the champion, meaning no rematch is likely anytime soon. The hard place is the lack of a flyweight division, which he will likely relocate to as soon as the UFC institutes it. So he is left to continue on with little chance of fighting for a belt until either Cruz loses or the UFC makes the move for 125-pounders.
There really aren’t many compelling fights for him right now. One possibility is a Miguel Torres rematch. The other is surging 20-year-old Michael McDonald.
Filed under: UFCThe UFC is back on Versus Sunday night with a five-fight televised card that will answer some big questions: Can Dan Hardy snap his losing streak and save his job in the UFC? Can Jim Miller prove that he’s worthy of a lightweight title …
The UFC is back on Versus Sunday night with a five-fight televised card that will answer some big questions: Can Dan Hardy snap his losing streak and save his job in the UFC? Can Jim Miller prove that he’s worthy of a lightweight title shot? Can Charles Oliveira get back on track and show that he’s one of the sport’s most promising young fighters? We’ll weigh in with some answers below.
What: UFC Live on Versus 5: Hardy vs. Lytle
When: Sunday, the Facebook fights begin at 5:45 PM ET and the Versus fights start at 9.
Where: Milwaukee
Predictions on the four televised fights and the top two Facebook fights below.
Dan Hardy vs. Chris Lytle Hardly anything has gone right for Hardy in the nearly two years since he beat Mike Swick to earn a shot at the welterweight title. He was completely outclassed by Georges St. Pierre, knocked out by Carlos Condit and then controlled for 15 minutes by Anthony Johnson. Now Hardy says he’s shaking up his training and getting back into form, and he better be, if he wants to keep his spot on the UFC roster: Fighters rarely keep their jobs if they lose four in a row.
The good news for Hardy is that Lytle is liable to play right into his strengths and turn it into a slugfest. The 36-year-old Lytle is always exciting, but he has looked like he’s slowing down in his last couple fights, and Hardy should be able to out-slug him and win what should be an entertaining fight. Pick: Hardy
Jim Miller vs. Ben Henderson Although Hardy vs. Lytle is officially the main event, Miller vs. Henderson is the best fight on the card. Miller has a great resume: He’s 20-2, and the losses are to the two best lightweights in the world, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. If he wins this one, you have to think he’s next in line for a shot at the winner of the upcoming Edgar-Maynard fight.
But Henderson, the former WEC lightweight champion, is an opponent who could give Miller some problems. Henderson isn’t as good on the ground as Miller, but he’s savvy enough to avoid getting tapped and maybe even put Miller in some trouble on the ground. And Henderson is a good enough striker that if he’s willing to take some chances and let his hands go, he could put Miller in some trouble on his feet.
However, that’s looking at the best-case scenario for Henderson if things go right. More likely, Miller takes Henderson down repeatedly, controls him on the ground, and grinds out a decision for his eighth consecutive win — the third-longest active winning streak in the UFC, behind only Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre. Pick: Miller
Charles Oliveira vs. Donald Cerrone A year ago, Oliveira burst onto the scene in his UFC debut, forcing Darren Elkins to tap to an armbar and winning the Submission of the Night award. At the time, he was 20 years old and 13-0 in his MMA career, and things were looking great. But 2011 hasn’t been as kind to Oliveira: He suffered the first loss of his career, against Jim Miller, and then had his victory over Nik Lentz turned into a no-contest because he used an illegal knee strike.
Now Oliveira gets another tough draw in Donald Cerrone, who’s riding high on a four-fight winning streak. These are two of the best jiu jitsu practitioners in the lightweight division, and I expect 15 minutes of fast-paced action on the ground. Cerrone winning wouldn’t surprise me, but I think Oliveira’s relentless style will be impressive enough to the judges for him to earn the decision. Pick: Oliveira
Amir Sadollah vs. Duane Ludwig Sadollah was extremely inexperienced when he won Season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter, and as a result the UFC has brought him on carefully, picking just the right opponents. Ludwig is another example of that: A name fans know because he’s been around for years, but not a fighter who at this stage in his career is just barely fighting at a UFC level. Sadollah should be able to beat Ludwig comfortably. Pick: Sadollah
C.B. Dollaway vs. Jared Hamman Dollaway is the guy Sadollah beat to win The Ultimate Fighter, and he, like Sadollah, has progressed in fits and starts. Mark Munoz made short work of Dollaway in his last fight, knocking him out in less than a minute, and that could mean trouble for Dollaway, as Hamman has knockout power, too. But I think Dollaway’s superior wrestling will rule the day, and he’ll win a decision. Pick: Dollaway
Joseph Benavidez vs. Eddie Wineland
This fight really ought to be on the Versus card instead of Sadollah vs. Ludwig, but you can think of it as a nice reward for the hard-core fans who seek out the Facebook preliminaries. Wineland was the WEC’s first bantamweight champion, and he put up a good fight against Urijah Faber in his UFC debut in March. Benavidez, however, should be able to frustrate Wineland by coming at him at unusual angles and win a decision. Pick: Benavidez
TORONTO — This is the 
UFC on Versus: Hardy vs. Lytle could have been the rarest of events that saw both main event fighters exit the 
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