Jimi Manuwa | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

So What Exactly Did Jimi Manuwa Do to Ryan Jimmo’s Leg?

(Photo via Getty. Go here for a gif of the ending.)

This might be old news by now, but if you recall, Ryan Jimmo‘s left leg seemed to implode in the second round of his Fight Night 30 scrap with Jimi Manuwa last weekend. Being that something similar happened in Manuwa’s previous scrap with Cyrille Diabate, I immediately speculated that Manuwa must be some sort of demonic scanner (obviously). All three of the man’s fights have ended with either a doctor’s intervention, a freak injury, or some combination of the two.

The point is, when the list of medical suspensions for Fight Night 30 were released earlier today, one would expect Jimmo’s name to appear right near the top. Possible reasons: torn hamstring, blown ACL, touch of the Plague, etc. In any case, one would be wrong (via The UG):

Ryan Jimmo: 7 days no contact

Jimi Manuwa: 180 days no fighting, needs x-ray and ultrasound

I’m not saying this supports my “Jimi Manuwa is physically capable of shooting mind bullets” theory, but it basically supports my “Jimi Manuwa is physically capable of shooting mind bullets” theory. In fact, it appears that Manuwa’s mind has become extraordinary to his own detriment, as he somehow walked away from Fight Night 30 with a 180 day suspension. A telekinesis-induced brain aneurysm, perhaps? Perhaps, you guys.

The full list of suspensions are after the jump.

(Photo via Getty. Go here for a gif of the ending.)

Ryan Jimmo: 7 days no contact

Jimi Manuwa: 180 days no fighting, needs x-ray and ultrasound

I’m not saying this supports my “Jimi Manuwa is physically capable of shooting mind bullets” theory, but it basically supports my ”Jimi Manuwa is physically capable of shooting mind bullets” theory. In fact, it appears that Manuwa’s mind has become extraordinary to his own detriment, as he somehow walked away from Fight Night 30 with a 180 day suspension. A telekinesis-induced brain aneurysm, perhaps? Perhaps, you guys.

The full list of suspensions are after the jump.

Michael Kuiper: 7 days no contact
Bradley Scott: 7 days no contact
Jim Hettes: 7 days no contact
Robert Whiteford: 7 days no contact
Cole Miller: 21 days no contact, 30 days no fighting
Andy Ogle: 21 days no contact, 30 days no fighting
Jessica Andrade: 21 days no contact, 30 days no fighting
Rosemary Sexton: 60 days no contact, 90 days no fighting
Andrew Craig: 21 days no contact, 30 days no fighting
Luke Barnatt: 21 days no contact, 30 days no fighting
Piotr Hallman: 7 days no contact
Al Iaquinta: 21 days no contact, 30 days no fighting
John Lineker: 7 days no contact
Phil Harris: 21 days no contact, 30 days no fighting
Nicholas Musoke: 21 days no contact, 30 days no fighting
Alessio Sakara: 21 days no contact, 30 days no fighting
Jonathan Tuck: 7 days no contact
Norman Parke: 21 days no contact, 30 days no fighting
Melvin Guillard: 7 days no contact
Ross Pearson: 21 days no contact, 30 days no fighting
Mark Munoz: 21 days no contact, 30 days no fighting
Lyoto Machida: 7 days no contact

Is anyone else disappointed that it wasn’t Manuwa who Mayhem Miller started trash-talking in that bar? We’d have to rewrite our comeuppance Roundtable (and probably a eulogy for Miller), but it’d be so worth it.

–J. Jones

UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Munoz — Live Results & Commentary

(An elusive striker who throws punches like they cost him money vs. a former All-American wrestler. Yeah, baby. This is the matchup the Brits have been *begging* for. / Photo via Getty)

Today’s UFC Fight Night 30 card in Manchester is clearly one of those European events that we Americans aren’t really supposed to care about. But we’re here, and if you’re reading this, you’re here too. So let’s make the most of it.

In the main event, the impressively-shredded Lyoto Machida makes his 185-pound debut against Mark Munoz, while Ross Pearson will do his best not to win Fight of the Night in his meeting with Melvin Guillard. Plus: Undefeated Nigerian destroyer Jimi Manuwa slugs it out with Ryan Jimmo, and TUF Smashes winner Norman Parke will look for his third UFC win in a row against Jon Tuck.

Handling the play-by-play for us today will be George Shunick, who will be stacking results from the FOX Sports 2 main card broadcast after the jump beginning at 3 p.m. ET / noon PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest updates, and fire off your own observational witticisms in the comments section.

(An elusive striker who throws punches like they cost him money vs. a former All-American wrestler. Yeah, baby. This is the matchup the Brits have been *begging* for. / Photo via Getty)

Preliminary Card Results
– Al Iaquinta def. Piotr Hallmann via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)
– Luke Barnatt def. Andrew Craig via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:12 of round 2
– Jessica Andrade def. Rosi Sexton via unanimous decision (30-26 x 2, 30-27)
– Cole Miller def. Andy Ogle via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Jimy Hettes def. Robert Whiteford via technical submission (triangle choke), 2:17 of round 2
– Brad Scott def. Michael Kuiper via submission (front choke), 4:17 of round 1

Welcome Potato Nation, to this Saturday presentation of the prestigious UFC liveblog. I know plenty of you are probably surfing between watching the fights and college football – not that any of you went to college, you degenerates – so this should keep you up-to-date on today’s happenings while you attempt to filter the sheer amount of sanctioned violence you will bear witness to. The main event today will be Lyoto Machida making his debut in the middleweight division against wrestler and power striker Mark Muñoz. I’m taking Machida, but don’t discount Muñoz’ knockout power or the judges’ ability to utterly fail to understand the most basic precepts of MMA. With that said, on to the fights!

Phil Harris vs. John Lineker

Like Lineker here; dude packs serious power and manages to be an exceptionally exciting fighter in an exciting division to begin with. Harris will be a test, but one he should pass.

Round 1

Harris misses an overhand. Lineker lands a low kick that spins Harris around. Overhand from Harris grazes Lineker. Low kick from Lineker spins Harris around again. Another lands. Harris’ leg is already reddened. Harris lands a 1-2 combo. Another right from Harris. Linker drops him with a right, but it’s as much a slip as the power. Body shot from Lineker. Left hook rocks Harris! He’s wobbly but fires back. Right hand drops Harris. Harris stands but he’s wobbly and eating shots. Body shots followed by a left hook to the head. Harris is in big trouble. Left hook the liver drops Harris, Lineker swarms and it’s all over. Beautiful liver shot from Lineker ends the fight. John Lineker def. Phil Harris via TKO, 2:51 of round 1.

Replay shows the punch landed on Harris’ solar plexus. As Rogan notes, Lineker didn’t make weight for the fight; still, it’s an impressive win. Lineker is still relatively raw and isn’t remotely ready to hang with John Dodson or Demetrious Johnson, but it will be interesting to see him develop over the next year or two.

Alessio Sakara vs. Nicholas Musoke

Musoke is from Sweden. Sakara is from Italy. Ummmm… that’s the extent of my analysis here.

Round 1

Musoke moving forward, but Sakara hurts him and tosses him to the ground. Sakara lands a left inside Musoke’s guard. Sakara gets caught! Musoke lands knees from the clinch! Both men are swinging in the middle of the octagon now! Musoke clinches against the fence and takes Sakara down. Sakara went for a triangle, but Musoke uses this to pass to half-guard. Now side control. Knee to the body from Musoke. Sakara regains half-guard. Sakara explodes from the bottom and starts throwing bombs from the top! Now in Musoke’s guard. WHOA! Musoke with an armbar out of nowhere wins it for the Swede! Nicholas Musoke def. Alessio Sakara via verbal submission (armbar), 3:07 of round 1.

If you blinked, you missed that armbar. Damn. Excellent debut for Musoke. Gustafsson, in the crowd, applauds his countryman’s accomplishments. In the polite, reserved Swedish manner, of course.

Norman Parke vs. Jon Tuck

Norman Parke is a TUF Smashes winner. Jon Tuck is a former competitor on TUF Live. In other words, none of you know who either fighter is.

Round 1

Jon Tuck’s nickname is “The Super Saiyan.” Well I know who I’m rooting for. Tuck opens with a headkick. He lands a low kick. Body kick from Tuck. Parke answers with one of his own. Right lands from Tuck. Parke lands a low kick. High kick from Tuck blocked. Nice left hand from Parke. Tuck unloads with three straight rights. They exchange crosses. Parke wiffs on a 1-2. Parke says he got poked but Tuck goes after him anyway; the ref doesn’t intervene. Rogan claims there was no eye poke according to replays. Both exchange crosses again; Tuck’s right against Parke’s left. Teep from Tuck. Low kick Tuck. Tuck barely misses a high kick. Parke lands a nice counter left. Right to the body from Tuck. Parke goes for a takedown at the end of the round and gets it just as time expires. Close round. 10-10.

Round 2

Left to the body from Parke, who’s gaining the momentum. Now he works the jab.Tuck is slowing down but lands a nice body kick. Parke lands a counter left, the a shot to the body. Nice right from Tuck. Uppercut from Parke. Right hook, left cross from Parke. Parke is putting the pressure on now. He’s beginning to land more and more. Left to the body followed by a kick from Parke. Uppercut Parke. Three punch combo for Parke. Nice body shot from Tuck, but immediately countered with a cross. Another cross lands for Parke. Parke isn’t letting Tuck breathe. He’s continuing to land combinations at will. Tuck is tired, and it’s really showing right now. He tries for a flying knee, but it’s blocked. Uppercut-cross combo from Parke. Tuck misses a superman punch off the cage. Parke lands another left. Round ends, 10-9 Parke.

Round 3

jab lands from Parke. Parke misses a capoeira kick. Body shot from Parke. Tuck needs to get the fight to the ground, but he’s not making any effort to do so. They exchange in the center of the ring, smiling at each other. Tuck’s mouthpiece is knocked out, and he’s hit with a barrage as he picks it up and pops it back in his mouth. now he’s getting tagged repeatedly by Parke. Tuck is simply exhausted. Tuck lands a body shot and a knee from the clinch. Parke with a big combo, though. Uppercut from Parke. Then an overhand. Park with a body kick. Tuck is on fumes as the last minute approaches. Left over the top from Parke. 3 punch combo lands from Parke. Two big overhands from Park. They’re exchanging until the end of the round, with Parke almost landing that capoeira kick. He should win this fight handily though.

Norman Parke def. Jon Tuck via unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27). Tuck should’ve eaten a senzu bean between rounds. That’s just poor planning on his part.

Jimi Manuwa vs. Ryan Jimmo

On one hand, Jimi Manuwa is a terrifying striker. On the other, he’s got a terrible ground game. He last beat Cyrille Diabate when the latter injured his calf. In other words, I’m not sold on the hype. Jimmo by submission or decision.

Round 1

Jimmo comes forward. Manuwa lands a left. Jimmo with a low kick. He reutns with a kick that Manuwa catches. Jimmo uses this to initiate a clinch and bring the fight to the fence. Manuwa lands a knee. Jimmo focusing on positioning. The ref separates them, and Manuwa lands two knees and pushes Jimmo into the fence. Jimmo lands a knee to the face, but it lacks the impact of Manuwa’s. Manuwa landing knees to the thighs of Jimmo. Jimmo winces and turns them around against the cage. Manuwa switches now, but the ref separates them. Jimmo’s in obvious pain, and Manuwa accentuates his point with a low kick. Body kick from Jimmo. Low kick from Manuwa. Hook kick almost lands from Manuwa. Jimmo answers a low kick with a body kick. Manuwa seems like he’s beginning to slow.Jimmo has more energy, but he’s currently refusing to engage. Manuwa tries to chase him down. Jimmo lands a counter right on a hard kick from Manuwa. 10-9 Manuwa.

Round 2

Manuwa rushes in and lands a right, only to get turned around and put against the cage. Jimmo can’t land anything from this position, though. Nice knee to the face, though. The ref breaks them. BIG body kick from Manuwa. Jimmo lands a low kick. High kicked from Manuwa blocked, but vicious low kick lands. Another lands. Manuwa rushes Jimmo into the fence, and begins to land short knees until he’s quickly reversed. Still, Jimmo can’t manage to do much with this position. Jimmo is hit with a low blow, and the fight is briefly stopped. Low kick from Manuwa. Jimmo almost lands a takedown, but they’re back against the fence, neither man doing anything. They’re separated again. Manuwa pushes Jimmo into the fence. They separate and Manuwa lands a big knee! Suddenly Jimmo goes down; it doesn’t appear to have been caused by the knee. The fight is over. The Curse of Manuwa strikes again. Jimi Manuwa def. Ryan Jimmo via TKO (injury), 4:41 of round 2.

Rogan asks Manuwa what sorcerer he trained with prior to this fight. Or he would if he was a responsible broadcaster! Alas, we will never know what dark magics played a role in his triumph. In the meantime, we get a shot of Michael Bisping firing up the crowd with something other than vitriol. Only in Britain.

Ross Pearson vs. Melvin Guillard

This fight isn’t as one-sided as some of you might think. Yes, Guillard has the speed and power, but on the other hand… he’s Melvin Guillard. He can be dominating the fight, but the instant something goes wrong he loses. His misfortunes metastasize as a single slipping rock may set off an avalanche. Should he win? Yes. Will he? I’m not so sure.

Round 1

They touch gloves. Guillard moving on the outside. Pearson with an inside leg kick. Guillard lands a left. Kick checked by Pearson. Inside kick from Pearson. Guillard misses an uppercut. Guillard lands a right to Pearson’s temple. And another. Guillard is loose now. Pearson still pushing forward. Knee from the clinch by Guillard. Flying knee from Pearson, who lands on the canvas! As he tries to return to his feet, Guillard knees him in the temple. The fight is stopped; the first knee is barely legal. However, the second knee is technically illegal — Pearson’s hand was on the ground. All in all, an unsatisfying conclusion to this business.

The fight is declared a no-contest due to an accidental illegal knee (1:57 of round 1). The audio keeps cutting out, presumably due to audience profanity, as Rogan tries to interview Pearson. Pearson has a nasty cut on his forehead; even if the fight wasn’t stopped for an illegal blow, it wouldn’t have lasted much longer. That cut would’ve been a fight-ender.

Lyoto Machida vs. Mark Muñoz

Machida’s movement, striking and takedown defense should prove too much here. Most people forget that Muñoz’ takedowns aren’t that exceptional; he was an accomplished collegiate wrestler largely on the strength of his scrambling and positional abilities. However, should Muñoz succeed in taking Machida down, he’s more than capable of finishing him. His ground and pound is extraordinarily powerful, and possesses more power from the guard than anyone since Fedor. But I suspect it won’t factor into this fight. Machida via decision.

Round 1

They touch gloves. Lots of distance between the two fighters so far. Machida looking for oblique kicks. Machida showing some weird movement right now. Over a minute in, no strikes landed. Muñoz misses a kick. Then he misses a takedown. Body kick from Machida lands! That’s our first strike, two minutes in. Hard body kick from Machida. Low kick Machida. HEAD KICK KNOCKOUT FOR MACHIDA! WOW! Fight’s over, ladies and gentlemen. Lyoto Machida def. Mark Munoz via KO, 3:10 of round 1.

So, Machida just won KO of the Night with that. He leaped on Muñoz when he fell, but restrained himself from following through, seeing Muñoz was out. Then they embraced when Muñoz came to. Lyoto Machida is that dude who will take you out and give you a hug after. Like a hyper-violent teddy bear. Nothing special in the post-fight interview. That’s all for today, heathens!

Four Hidden Storylines For ‘UFC Fight Night 30: Machida vs. Munoz’

By Adam Martin

UFC Fight Night 30: Machida vs. Munoz is really flying under the radar as an overall card (thanks in no small part to the truly epic evening that was UFC 166), but if you take a closer look at it, there are actually quite a few intriguing matchups with important questions to answer.

I’ve combed the card up and down and I’ve come up with four hidden storylines that viewers should be aware of going into UFC Fight Night 30. Let me know what you think in the comments section, and be sure to come back to CagePotato on Saturday for our liveblog of the broadcast.

1) Can Lyoto Machida Make a Run at the Middleweight Title?

The most important question that UFC Fight Night 30 will answer, in my opinion, is whether or not Lyoto Machida is going to make a run for the UFC middleweight title. The former light heavyweight champion dropped down to 185 pounds after a controversial decision loss to Phil Davis at UFC 163 and now faces Mark Munoz in Saturday’s main event.

With a win over Munoz, one of the top 10 fighters in the division, Machida will instantly prove that he has what it takes to make a run for the belt at 185 pounds and become just the third fighter in UFC history to win titles in two separate weight classes (the other two fighters who have accomplished this feat being Randy Couture and BJ Penn).

By Adam Martin

1) Can Lyoto Machida Make a Run at the Middleweight Title?

Simply put, Munoz is an incredibly talented mixed martial artist who looked amazing against Tim Boetsch in his last fight, but he’s shown that he can be KO’d and if there’s anything Machida has it’s power. Power and accuracy. Power and accuracy and halitosis. Aside from having all that, Machida also uses his wrestling in reverse better than almost anyone on the planet. He was able to consistently stuff the takedowns of Rashad Evans and Phil Davis at 205 pounds, which leads me to believe that he should have no trouble stuffing Munoz’s, as well. Add in the fact that the fight is five rounds and its makes me lean towards a Machida finish even more, especially considering the result of his last fight.

This weekend, look for Machida to knock Munoz out and emerge as a legit threat to the middleweight championship. And if Chris Weidman beats Anderson Silva in their rematch at UFC 168, you better believe that Machida will be the next guy in line against “The All American” in a fight that could end up being one of the most anticipated of 2014.

2) Will Jimi Manuwa emerge as a dark horse contender at 205 pounds?

There aren’t many undefeated fighters in the UFC light heavyweight division, but one of them is Britain’s Jimi Manuwa, who puts his 13-0 record on the line against Canadian Ryan Jimmo in a main-card matchup at UFC Fight Night 30.

After emerging as a knockout artist on the British regional circuit, Manuwa has come into the UFC and absolutely brutalized Kyle Kingsbury and Cyrille Diabate to the point where both men could no longer fight in his first two fights. In fact, Manuwa iss the only fighter in UFC history to have two fights stopped in between rounds, which shows you just how much power this man is packing in his limbs.

Still, while Manuwa has owned everyone in his path so far, Jimmo does represent a significant step up in competition. It’ll be Manuwa’s toughest test to date, in my opinion, if only because of Jimmo’s ability to get fights to the ground and grind them out. And if Kingsbury was able to get Manuwa down, I think Jimmo can as well, although I’m sure Manuwa’s wrestling has improved a lot in the last year.

At the same time, if Manuwa can stop the takedowns and keep this fight on the feet and land shots on Jimmo, then he should be able to score his 14^th career stoppage in his 14^th career fight. If he can knock Jimmo out cold, I fully expect the UFC to start pushing him into top 10 territory — his fighting style is too marketable not to.

I believe that Manuwa will beat Jimmo this weekend and emerge as a dark horse contender at 205 pounds. I just wish he wasn’t 33 years old, but hey, this is MMA: Fighters in their 30′s can be called prospects. It happens all the time.

3) Alessio Sakara‘s Last Stand

This may come as a surprise to many of you, but middleweight Alessio Sakara is still on the UFC roster, and this Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 30 the Italian striker returns to the cage to face off against Sweden’s Nicholas Musoke in a main card bout that absolutely no one is talking about.

And it’s for good reason that no one is talking about it, as Sakara has lost his last three fights in the UFC and looks to be on the final legs of his career, while Musoke is a total unknown who took this fight on short notice. Yet for some reason the UFC put it on the main card while a good matchup like Andrew Craig vs. Luke Barnatt gets relegated to the prelims. (Who puts together these bout orders, anyways? I just don’t understand it.)

Sakara has been employed by the UFC since 2005, but he’s put up a mediocre 6-7, 1 NC record during that time and only one of those victories is over a current UFC fighter. That would be Thales Leites, who Sakara beat due to a bad judges’ decision at UFC 101. We just passed UFC 166. You get the point.

I think the only reason that Sakara is still in the UFC is because he has cool-looking tattoos and because he is the only Italian fighter on the entire roster. Because if you look at his last batch of fights, he just isn’t UFC caliber, and when the promotion goes and fires a guy like Yushin Okami and keeps Sakara on the roster, it really makes me scratch my head.

To be fair to Sakara, he is generally involved in exciting fights, but at some point winning has to become the priority, and if Sakara loses his fourth straight against Musoke this weekend, the UFC is going to hard a very hard time justifying his roster spot. And that’s why I believe it’s Sakara’s last stand at UFC Fight Night 30.

4) Why Did Jimy Hettes Fall so Far?

UFC 141 was nearly two years ago, but I still remember the night very clearly.

That was the Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem card, and while that match and the Nate Diaz vs. Donald Cerrone fight overshadowed almost everything else on that card, one other fight remains very vivid in my mind to this very day.

That was the performance of Jimy Hettes, who schooled Nam Phan on the ground for 15 minutes in the opening PPV fight of the night. It was the first time I had seen Hettes fight, and I remember being absolutely blown away by the performance of “The Kid” that night, as he displayed an absolutely brilliant BJJ game that left UFC commentator Joe Rogan at a loss for words.

After that incredible performance on one of the biggest cards of 2011, I was really excited for Hettes’ return to the Octagon, and at UFC 152 he came back to take on Marcus Brimage in an undercard fight that everyone expected him to dominate. Unfortunately for Hettes, he couldn’t take Brimage down and got exposed on the feet en route to a unanimous decision loss – the first defeat of his career.

It’s over a year later now, and Hettes finally returns to the cage and this weekend he takes on UFC newcomer Robert Whiteford on the Facebook prelims of UFC Fight Night 30, a huge fall from being in the opening fight of a Brock Lesnar card. It makes one wonder: Why did “The Kid” fall so far? It’s a fair question, but in my opinion, I think it was a combination of injuries, the short-term memory of MMA fans, and just how disappointed everyone was in his performance against Brimage.

This weekend, however, Hettes has a chance to bounce back and prove to everyone that he’s still a capable featherweight. If he can take out Whiteford in impressive fashion like I think he can, I expect a lot of people to get back aboard the Hettes bandwagon.

UFC Booking Update: Lineker vs. Harris, Manuwa vs. Jimmo Added to Fight Night 30 in Manchester

(Clearly, Kingsbu zigged when he should have zagged. / Image via Getty)

The UFC’s return to Manchester on October 26th (aka UFC Fight Night 30) is continuing its “UK vs. the World” theme with two more interesting matchups. In addition to the Bisping vs. Munoz headliner and Guillard vs. Pearson co-main, UFC officials have confirmed that Brazilian flyweight contender John Lineker will compete on the card against England’s own Phil Harris.

Lineker and Harris were originally supposed to meet at UFC 163 last weekend, but Harris had to withdraw due to a training injury, and was replaced by Jose Maria. Lineker beat Maria by second-round TKO, bumping his UFC record to 3-0. Now, the Lineker/Harris matchup has been rescheduled on the Brit’s home turf. Assuming he actually makes weight this time, an impressive win for Lineker here could clinch him a flyweight title shot.

Also on the UFC Fight Night 30 card, a light-heavyweight matchup between undefeated Nigerian-English juggernaut Jimi Manuwa and breakdancing-Canadian Ryan Jimmo is also being targeted for the event. In 13 professional fights, Manuawa has never let an opponent see the third round; his two UFC appearances resulted in a TKO win due to doctor’s stoppage against Kyle Kingsbury and a TKO win due to injury against Cyrille Diabaté.

Jimmo recently bounced back to the win column with a decision win against Igor Pokrajac at UFC 161. He’ll surely be the underdog in this fight, but he might be able to slow Manauwa’s pace with his wrestling long enough to land one big shot. If you’ve got predictions, let ’em rip…

(Clearly, Kingsbu zigged when he should have zagged. / Image via Getty)

UFC on FUEL 7: Barao vs. McDonald — Main Card Results & Commentary

(It’s kind of offensive that the UFC promos keep referring to Barao as a “monster.” He’s a human being, okay? An aggressive, scary human being whose mother just happens to be half-cthulhu / Photo via MMAJunkie.)

Today at the Wembley Arena in London, UFC interim bantamweight champ Renan Barao and 22-year-old phenom Michael McDonald will do battle to determine who’s truly the greatest 135-pound fighter in the world, at least until Dominick Cruz finally heals up and puts an end to this ridiculous charade. Alright, so an interim title might not mean much in the grand scheme of things, but it’s still a damn good fight, and the rest of the card features a crowd-pleasing assortment of slugfests and future stars.

Leading us through today’s UFC on FUEL 7 liveblog is Alex Giardini, who will be laying down round-by-round results from the main card broadcast after the jump beginning at 3 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and please share your own thoughts in the comments section.

Cheerio, my lovely Po-ta-toes…glad to be sharing this sunny afternoon with you all and I am hopeful for a couple of hours filled with ultra-violence. A lot of questions will be answered today live from Wembley Arena – will Renan Barao enter the pool of “Brazilian champions that clean out their entire division” for years to come? Will Michael McDonald prove he isn’t the only up-and-coming star McDonald even if the other MacDonald spells his name MacDonald? Will Dustin Poirier and Cub Swanson provide us with an early fight of the year nomination? Will Jorge Santiago continue the curse of “Big in Japan, small in UFC”? Will Matt Riddle get spit on again? Don’t touch the remote/mouse/track pad (or finger if you’re using an iPad/iPhone or something but who in the blue hell watches fights on those?)

Intro video begins….McDonald says he is not here to make predictions but win fights…Barao says it is his belt, and nobody will take it away….bring on the afternoon.

Anik and Florian get us going…they mention this is the first title fight in the UK since 2008 and both main event competitors have not yet lost in the Octagon.

Che Mills vs. Matt Riddle

Round 1: Riddle has got me wondering if that hairstyle is new. Riddle taunts the crowds a bit; giving England the Bret Hart pose. Guest Octagon girl Carly Baker gets the up-and-down and the main card is underway. Both touch gloves…both trying to establish the jab. Riddle goes for a single-leg. He pushes Mills against the fence. He lets go, and both men clinch. Mills trying to break loose but Riddle grinds him further. Riddle throwing some knees, none of them too hurtful. Riddle going for the single again. Riddle scores the takedown. Mills successfully gets up. Both clinched against the fence once more. Riddle working the wrist. Mills separate, and both men on their feet. Front-left kick by Mills. Riddle scores another single-leg takedown. Mills gets up and both men now at the centre. Inside leg-kick by Mills. Nice hook by Riddle. Riddle clinches Mills once more against the fence. Mills gets in a nice knee. Riddle looking for a double-takedown…gets his hips up…and gets it. Riddle on top of Mills. Mills has got Riddle’s right leg trapped and Riddle works on top of him, closing the round with a short elbow. 10-9 Riddle.

Round 2: Riddle catches Mills with a nice right after the glove touch. Riddle scores a big takedown after a crazy Che Mills kick. Riddle gets a North-South choke. Working on it…but Mills isn’t in trouble yet. Riddle trying to clench his hands together. Riddle bails on it, goes into side control. Riddle throwing some knees to the ribs. Riddle trying to mount. Riddle gets an underhook, giving Mills some shots to the dome. Working with his knees and fists, Riddle still in side control. Nice shot by Riddle as he is almost mounted. Riddle in half-guard. Riddle trying to bridge and now he gets mount. Mills give him his back. Mills switches but Riddle stays on the back and tries for a rear-naked. Both are against the cage and Riddle transitions to mount. The round closes with not much damage to Mills. 10-9 Riddle.

Round 3: Both men hug instead of glove-touching. Nice jab by Mills. He goes for a head-kick, Riddle blocks. Riddle missing most of his jabs. Riddle working a single-leg once again. Crowd boos (obviously). Mills won’t go down. Riddle sends him back to the clinch. Mills sprawls against the cage trying to prevent the takedown. Riddle goes for a takedown and Mills ends up on top of Riddle’s back but Riddle is back up. Riddle scores another takedown. Riddle in Mills’ guard, with some light punches to the ear. Solid elbow from Riddle. Riddle moves into half-guard. Mills has the right-leg trapped. Mills reverses, and is on top. He needs to do something huge. He gets up and rains down some punches. Riddle is on the floor asking him to come down. Mills stays up, and the referee stands them up. Riddle works the single-leg yet again as the round closes. 10-9 Riddle.

Riddle should get the nod. Very effective takedowns. Scorecards in a minute…

Matthew Riddle def. Che Mills by Split Decision (29-28 Riddle, 29-28 Mills, 30-27 Riddle)

Nick The Tooth is sitting where the girls sit tonight?! With that babe Baker?! Hey, is that Bloodstain Lane fight still happening?

Anyhow….yeaaaah, don’t think this one is going to a decision.

James Te Huna vs. Ryan Jimmo

Round 1: Leon Roberts gets them going…. Te Huna locks Jimmo up against the fence with double-underhooks…Te Huna trying to throw some knees in there…referee warns them, wants more action. They get separated. Jimmo with a crazy headkick and drops Te Huna! Jimmo raining down elbows and fists but Te Huna is surviving. Jimmo in the guard, Te Huna is split open. Hard to see if its coming from the eyes or the forehead. Cut is around the right eye. Both men on their feet. Te Huna tries a choke but to no avail. Jimmo now trying to secure a choke. Jimmo trying to get some punches on the inside. Te Huna raining down some twelve-to-six elbows to the cranium. Nothing is putting Jimmo in trouble yet. Nice elbows by Te Huna. Still working the elbows but now gets warned by Roberts is Te Huna. Jimmon ends the round in the guard. 10-9 Jimmo.

Round 2: Replay of that menacing flush kick. Both men bouncing around, no strikes yet. Jimmo switches stance, goes for the kick again but misses. Te Huna trying for inside leg-kicks but gets nothing. Te Huna looking for a single-leg up against the cage. Both men clinched against the fence, another warning for not doing much. Big swiping, side takedown by Te Huna, now in side control. Throwing some elbows to Jimmo’s face. Still in side control, chipping away with punches. Jimmo squirming. Te Huna now in full mount. Te Huna trying to get his right leg loose, which is trapped. Nice short elbows by Te Huna. Some big ground and pound by Te Huna. Nice big rights by Te Huna. Hammerfists raining down, Jimmo surviving. Te Huna continues with some short elbows, and Te Huna gets up as the round closes. All square. 10-9 Te Huna.

Round 3: Both men touch’em. One round a piece. Jimmo misses a kick. Jimmo escapes a takedown attempt. Jimmo works Te Huna up against the fence. Jimmo pressuring and working a takedown. Te Huna still postured up. Roberts getting impatient again. Te Huna will a knee and a big elbow. Both at the centre of the Octagon now. Te Huna pits Jimmo up against the cage. Jimmo reverses, now has control. Back and forth fight. Te Huna gets another takedown from the bodylock and has Jimmo against the cage on his back. Te Huna working the hammerfists and elbows. Jimmo looks to be cut, hard to tell where the blood is coming from. It is in fact Te Huna’s cut. A minute to go, more elbows from Te Huna. Jimmo’s corner yelling at the fighter to get back to his feet. Jimmo in butterfly guard underneath Te Huna. Jimmo and Te Huna seem to be talking to each other. Te Huna on his feet, trying to make it rain but the round closes. Big comeback from Te Huna. 10-9 Te Huna.

Well, this liveblogger should shut it with his predictions. Was Round 1 a 10-8 for Jimmo? You never know with these crazy judges…

James Te Huna def. Ryan Jimmo by Unanimous Decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Big win by Te Huna…great composure in Round 1, he was in a boatload of trouble.

They show a little clip from UFC Primetime: Rousey vs. Carmouche…you may think this is a squash fight for the ages but the past two episodes have been quite good.

Gunnar Nelson vs. Jorge Santiago

Round 1: Both welterweights touch gloves. Nelson with his awkwardly-funny karate stance. Santiago throwing some wild rights, nothing landing. Big knee by Santiago. Nice switch-kick by Nelson. Nelson tries a side-kick to the body, lands. Nelson switching stances often. Big headkick by Santiago, doesn’t fully connect. Front-kick by Nelson. Santiago blocks a body-kick. Double-leg by Nelson, in half-guard. Nelson on his feet…splits open Santiago’s legs and eats a punch. Both back to their feet. Jab-catches by Nelson as Santiago tries to find a home for them. Not much action from both men back on their feet thus far. Kick to the body by Nelson, keeps Santiago on the outside. Santiago rushing in, catches Nelson with a good punch. Nelson looking for a takedown, doesn’t get it…back to the center, and the round closes. Close one. 10-9 Nelson.

Round 2: Santiago misses a headkick. Nice strikes by Nelson, good left hand. Santiago throwing some wild ones, none landing. Nelson catches him with a big right hand, and goes for the takedown. Level-change and a double from Nelson. Gunnar in side control. Good short elbows by Gunnar. Nelson trying to get a significant position. Nelson now in the closed guard. Nelson trying to slam for a second, but lets it go. Nelson controlling the posture. Big elbow from Nelson to Santiago’s face. Another elbow by Nelson. Nelson gets up, tries to move around and gets right back down. Nelson passes guard, in side control now. Nelson mounted. Nelson continues to throw elbows. 10-9 Nelson.

Round 3: Santiago trying to land a combo. Nelson’s feet planted. Nelson goes for a sidekick. Santiago fights off the takedown attempt. Santiago lands a right hand. Headkick blocked by Santiago. Right hand by Nelson, catches Santiago off-guard. Santiago now has Nelson against the fence. Elbow and knees by Santiago. Another right by Santiago who is throwing some wild ones. Nice straight right by Nelson. Both men shuffling around the cage. Nice right by Santiago. Good uppercut by Santiago. Another uppercut from Nelson and immediate right hand by Santiago who looks pretty wobbly. Knee by Nelson, clinched up against the fence. Big uppercut from Nelson once more. Goes for a takedown, Santiago fights it off. Santiago with a hook but misses…Nelson catches him with a right hand. Santiago misses an uppercut and Santiago pouring it on…Santiago with a nasty right at the end of the fight. Saved by the bell? 10-9 Nelson

Gunnar Nelson def. Jorge Santiago by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Decision heavy but good fights thus far…this one’s is a sleeper…

Jimi Manuwa vs. Cyrille Diabate

Round 1: Both touch gloves…. Manuwa with a tight stance. Diabate misses a combo. Manuwa with a good lowkick. Manuwa pushes Diabate against the fence, reversal. Manuwa gets superior position and gets the takedown. Manuwa in side control. Manuwa trying to work. Back on their feet. Diabate eats a stiff, short elbow. Manuwa grinding Diabate against the fence. Highkick from Manuwa. Stiff right from Manuwa and takes him down again. Manuwa lets him up. Right hook by Manuwa. Misses a left hook, Manuwa. Side kick by Manuwa. Both men in the clinch, delivering short elbows. Diabate hits him with a knee and Manuwa follows immediately with a left-hook. Big knee to the midsection by Diabate. Manuwa takes him down again. Manuwa stands up and the round closes. 10-9 Manuwa.

Fight is over?! Diabate is unable to continue. Something’s up with his leg….

Yep, that’s it…looks like Diabate’s calf muscle is messed up. Disappointing.

Jimi Manuwa def. Cyrille Diabate by TKO (Corner Stoppage), Round 1, 5:00.

I guess that’s the stoppage we *weren’t* looking for…but it did put an end to those decisions. “Party Up” by DMX blazing through the arena and that is fitting because our co-main event should be one hell of a barnburner.

Anik announces that the fighter rankings with be updated thirty-six hours after UFC events. They also show up next to the fighter’s names on fight intros and upcoming cards…whatever.

Cub Swanson vs. Dustin Poirier

Round 1: Both men exchanging glares. They touch gloves. Both men block each others’ lowkicks. Swanson with a wild right, misses. Poirier with a nice lowkick. Swanson pouring it on, with two hooks followed by a body shot. Swanson with a right hand. Poirier tries to take him down but unsuccessful. Swanson leading in with a lowkick then a right hook, misses. Big right by Poirier followed by another lowkick. Swanson with a hook then body shot. Counter-right from Poirier. Swanson with a lowkick. Poirier continues with the lowkicks. Swanson keeps charging in. Highkick checked by Poirier. Poirier clinches Swanson against the cage. Both men break out. Body shot by Swanson. Big uppercut rocks Poirier. Both exchange and Swanson is throwing them wildly. Swanson pouring it on but Poirier catches his heel and takes him down. Poirier in the guard. Tries to rain down some elbows but Swanson covers up effectively. Flying knee from Swanson misses. So does a frontkick by Poirier. 10-9 Swanson.

Round 2: Swanson tries to work a jab. Poirier working with those lowkicks. Body shot by Swanson. Left hook misses by Swanson. Nice combo from Poirier. Nice shot to Swanson’s body by Poirier. Poirier with another kick to the leg. Right misses from Poirier. Big kick to the body by Swanson. Poirier goes for the takedown. Clinches Swanson against the fence. Swanson escapes. Front-kick misses by Poirier. Kick checked by Swanson but he lands a big right hand. Big double-leg takedown by Poirier. Swanson going for the arm. Poirier stands with a shoulder lock on Swanson but Swanson breaks free. Swanson eats a good three-hit combo by Poirier. Poirier looking for a takedown as he has Swanson against the fence. Both men back at the center. Poirier with a good right hand. Another lowkick by Poirier. Good technical fight thus far. 10-9 Poirier.

Round 3: Swanson hits him with a left hook. Poirier pushing him against the fence. Tries a double. Poirier cannot secure the hips just yet. Instead he clinches with Swanson and throws some big shots towards Swanson. Left hand connects. Huge left hand by Poirier as they get back to the center. Another left by Poirier. Nice jab from Poirier backs up Cub. Swanson gets a big takedown and is in Poirier’s guard. Poirier going for some elbows but Swanson returns the favor with some hammerfists too. Swanson gets his back. Gets the hooks in. Goes for the choke but nothing secured yet. Swanson still working the back. Poirier trying to stand up. Swanson has the back still. Poirier tries to stand up, may look for a slam while Cub is on his back. Swanson gets mount as Poirier tries to shuffle. Swanson on his feet pouring it on. Both men on their feet. Poirier gets a short elbow in. Swanson sweeps and throws Poirier down. Swanson has an arm trapped and works the back once more. Both fighters talking to each other. Swanson looking for an armbar. Poirier is out and rains down but the fight finishes in Swanson’s guard. 10-9 Swanson.

We needed that…hope the judges get this one right…

Cub Swanson def. Dustin Poirier by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Judges get it right…Swanson looks like a fighter reborn – not the same dude that got slaughtered by Aldo. Main event time, brothers and sisters.

Renan Barao (c) vs. Michael McDonald

McDonald comes out to some indie Barenaked Ladies stuff…you know, the kind of song that would take the world by storm if it was on The OC last night. Barao comes out to a reggaeton banger. I’ll have to Shazam this when I rewatch…

Round 1: They touch gloves and were underway. Both start with the feeling out process. McDonald misses with the right, Barao misses with a highkick. Both grapple and Barao gets a takedown early. In side control now is Barao. He hops into McDonald’s guard. McDonald looks to setup a triangle. Barao keeping him locked. Both men back on their feet. Both guys have their hands up high, lots of respect thus far. McDonald with a nice left hand that finds its way through. Barao and McDonald exchange wild rights, nothing too harmful. Barao with a nice left hand. Barao with a nice lowkick. Barao goes for the takedown, stuffed. Barao catches him with a right in a short exchange. McDonald pouring it on, big right hand! Barao is hurt, and gets a body-lock. He hits McDonald with some nice rights against the cage. Barao gets a takedown and looks fully recovered. Barao in the guard as the round closes. 10-9 Barao.

Round 2: Both guys hesitant at first. Barao with a right that slips through in an exchange. McDonald with a good left hand. McDonald with an uppercut. Barao goes for a spinning axe-kick, misses though. McDonald with left. Both men keeping it cool on their feet, looking for an opening. McDonald gets a right in, Barao goes for the takedown and stuffed. Barao gets another takedown, secures it and McDonald gets back up by delivering an upkick from his back. Barao unable to land a combo. McDonald misses with a left and right. Referee steps in as Barao accidently pokes the challenger. McDonald rocks Barao back with a good combo, but McDonald took some hits too. Uppercut by McDonald misses and Barao swings a wild right. Both men trying to capitalize as they get on the inside. Big front-kick to the face by Barao. Counter-right by McDonald, Barao pushes back. Barao lands a nice right in an exchange but has a cut over his right eye. Tries for a spinning kick as the round ends. 10-9 Barao.

Round 3: Both men are shuffling again at the beginning. Barao catches McDonald with a good combination. Barao goes for a kick, doesn’t throw it. Barao blitzes in with a combination into a body lock and has McDonald against the cage. Takes him down, Barao now in side control. McDonald escapes. McDonald lands a right hand. Barao goes for the front-kick again. McDonald with an uppercut, doesn’t quite catch Barao. Barao with a left hook followed by a solid right hand. McDonald looking for that uppercut quite often. Barao keeping tight. McDonald connects with an uppercut. Both men starting to tire but just a bit. Barao catches him with a spinning kick to the chin, McDonald not in too much trouble. Another front-kick by Barao but doesn’t make it through. Championship rounds, a first for the challenger. 10-9 Barao.

Round 4: Both men circling again. Some smiles back and forth from both dudes. Left hand by Barao. McDonald gets a right in. McDonald stuffs the takedown. Barao with a wild right, misses. Barao throwing a headkick and flying knee but doesn’t catch McDonald. Challenger is bleeding from the nose. McDonald stays upright against the fence, doesn’t allow Barao to follow-up on a takedown. Very technical fight so far. Barao gets another spinning kick to connect with McDonald’s face. Barao misses with a jab. McDonald keeping his head moving. Barao gets McDonald down and has an arm triangle in. McDonald gives the thumbs up. Barao trying to sink it in. Barao keeps position. McDonald trying to stay alive. McDonald in trouble….the challenger taps.

A bloody Barao dances and McDonald congratulates the champion. Good fight; something tells me these two will have a great rivalry in the near future.

Renan Barao def. Michael McDonald by Submission (Arm Triangle), Round 4, 3:57.

So…Barao says “Dominick Cruz, I am waiting for you…come back quick”. Triple threat match, with these three, I’m down. It was a decent afternoon of fights. Poirier-Swanson may not have been the fight of the year (unless 2013 utterly sucks), although it was the best one on the main card alongside the main event. Jimi Manuwa *finishes* Diabate, Te Huna scores an impressive comeback victory, Riddle stays clear of saliva, Nelson wins over Santiago (he lost five straight during three separate UFC stints) and this guest Octagon girl is saucy as hell. That’s it for me, Potato Nation…until next time.

Four Reasons to Be Completely Psyched About UFC on FUEL 7: Barao vs. McDonald

(Fan-made poster via NixsonMmaPosters. Let’s just pretend that Siver isn’t there.)

We wouldn’t expect a FUEL card in London to be “stacked” in the traditional sense. But although this coming Saturday’s UFC on FUEL 7: Barao vs. McDonald event is low on star-power, it’s actually loaded with great matchups. Here’s why these fights are worth paying attention to…

1. The main card is a hot mess of blue-chip prospects.
Even more so than UFC on FUEL 7’s headliners, I’m excited to see the return of three guys who looked like juggernauts in their UFC debuts. First, we’ve got our old pal Ryan Jimmo, who entered the Octagon on a 16-fight win streak at UFC 149 and proceeded to sleep Anthony Perosh in just seven seconds, then gave fans their money’s worth by busting out a celebratory robot. Can he possibly repeat that performance this weekend against James Te-Huna?

Also in the light-heavyweight division, 12-0 Nigerian-English mauler Jimi Manuwa — who has never been to the third round in his entire career, by the way — will face Cyrille Diabaté, five months after Manuwa whipped Kyle Kingsbury to a doctor’s stoppage TKO after ten minutes of action. And finally, Icelandic grappling master Gunnar Nelson will follow up his swift choke-out of Damarques Johnson with a fight against Jorge Santiago, in a welterweight bout that will probably go very badly for Santiago.

The prelims also feature a few more guys who almost fit in the same “hot-prospect” category, including Stanislav Nedkov — who’s still technically undefeated after his loss to Thiago Silva was overturned in November — and Paul Sass, the submission wiz who took the first loss of his career against Matt Wiman in September.

2. Michael McDonald could become the youngest UFC champion ever* — and by a fairly wide margin.

(Fan-made poster via NixsonMmaPosters. Let’s just pretend that Siver isn’t there.)

1. The main card is a hot mess of blue-chip prospects.
Even more so than UFC on FUEL 7′s headliners, I’m excited to see the return of three guys who looked like juggernauts in their UFC debuts. First, we’ve got our old pal Ryan Jimmo, who entered the Octagon on a 16-fight win streak at UFC 149 and proceeded to sleep Anthony Perosh in just seven seconds, then gave fans their money’s worth by busting out a celebratory robot. Can he possibly repeat that performance this weekend against James Te-Huna?

2. Michael McDonald could become the youngest UFC champion ever* — and by a fairly wide margin.
When Jon Jones TKO’d Mauricio Rua to win the UFC light-heavyweight title at UFC 128, he was 23 years and nine months old. If Michael McDonald defeats Renan Barao for the interim bantamweight title in the UFC on FUEL 7 headliner, he’ll become a UFC champion at just 22 years and one month old. And make no mistake — “Mayday” McDonald has legitimately paid his dues for the opportunity. McDonald began competing professionally at the age of 16, and his current eight-fight win streak dates back to October 2009, when he was smashing everyone in his path as an 18-year-old in Tachi Palace Fights. Now 4-0 in the UFC and coming off first-round knockouts of Alex Soto and Miguel Torres, McDonald is a truly prodigious talent, and could give Barao the toughest test of his own phenomenal career.

3. Will Josh Grispi suffer the most dramatic career-implosion in UFC history?
Okay, this is more of a “reason to be morbidly curious” than a “reason to be completely psyched,” but it’s still worth mentioning. In 2010, Josh Grispi was one of the hottest featherweights on Earth, following an explosive 4-0 run in the WEC where he scored first-round stoppages of Mark Hominick, Micah Miller, Jens Pulver, and LC Davis. Grispi was booked to face Jose Aldo in the UFC’s first-ever featherweight title fight at UFC 125, but Aldo was forced to withdraw due to injury. Instead, Grispi faced newcomer Dustin Poirier in a non-title bout on the card, losing a unanimous decision and his title shot.

Later that year, Grispi took a rebound fight against George Roop, and wound up getting TKO’d in the third round. Finally, a bout against Brazilian journeyman Rani Yahya ended in another loss last August, this time by first-round submission. Now, “The Fluke” is facing TUF Live castmember Andy Ogle, who is officially 0-1 in the UFC. If Grispi manages to lose this one, he’ll almost certainly find himself released from the organization — the final chapter in a stunning reversal-of-fortune for his fight career.

4. Cub Swanson vs. Dustin Poirier is a great f*cking fight.
Like Cowboy vs. Pettis at UFC on FOX 6, this is the one matchup on the card that is virtually guaranteed to produce something spectacular. Swanson is on the hottest run of his career with consecutive knockouts of George Roop, Ross Pearson, and Charles Oliveira — and is usually the first guy that Greg Jackson-defenders point to as evidence that Yoda is not ruining the sport. Meanwhile, Poirier’s last four fights ended in three submission victories and an incredible Fight of Night performance against Chan Sung Jung. Swanson vs. Poirier could end in a swift and savage knockout, or it could turn out to be an unforgettable three-round war, but there’s no way it’ll be boring.

* Yes, I know Vitor Belfort was 19 years old when he won the UFC 12 tournament, so you don’t have to mention it in the comments section.

(BG)