If you want to know the full results of the card, we’ll have them right here:
Preliminary Card
Neil Magny vs. Alex Garcia
Beneil Dariush vs. Tony Martin
Matt Hobar def. Aaron Phillips via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ben Saunders def. Chris Heatherly via submission (omoplata) at 2:18 of round one.
Wilson Reis def. Joby Sanchez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Main Card
James Vick vs. Walmir Lazaro
Chas Skelly vs. Tom Niinimaki
Max Holloway vs. Mirsad Bektic
(Alves and Martin Kampmann trade fisticuffs during their epic battle at UFC on FX 2. Photo via Getty.)
After nearly two years away from the game, Thiago Alves finally has his next fight booked. The one-time welterweight title challenger has been out of action since suffering a last-second submission loss to Martin Kampmann in their headlining bout at UFC on FX 2, subsequently pulling out of fights with Siyar Bahadurzadaand Matt Brown at UFC 149 and Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen, respectively.
However, it was revealed last month that Alves was finally healthy again and hoping to return at UFC 171 in March. Yesterday, word was passed along that Alves will actually be returning in April when he faces TUF 11 standout Seth Baczynski at UFC on FOX 11.
Baczynski has a had a rough run of things since putting together a six-fight win streak between 2010 and early 2012. “The Polish Pistola” was decisioned by Mike Pierce at UFC on FX 6 before getting KO’d by the now-retired Brian Melancon in the last second of the first round at UFC 162, and only recently returned to the win column with a unanimous decision over Neil Magny at Fight for the Troops 3 last November.
Also booked for UFC on FOX 11…
(Alves and Martin Kampmann trade fisticuffs during their epic battle at UFC on FX 2. Photo via Getty.)
After nearly two years away from the game, Thiago Alves finally has his next fight booked. The one-time welterweight title challenger has been out of action since suffering a last-second submission loss to Martin Kampmann in their headlining bout at UFC on FX 2, subsequently pulling out of fights with Siyar Bahadurzadaand Matt Brown at UFC 149 and Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen, respectively.
However, it was revealed last month that Alves was finally healthy again and hoping to return at UFC 171 in March. Yesterday, word was passed along that Alves will actually be returning in April when he faces TUF 11 standout Seth Baczynski at UFC on FOX 11.
Baczynski has a had a rough run of things since putting together a six-fight win streak between 2010 and early 2012. “The Polish Pistola” was decisioned by Mike Pierce at UFC on FX 6 before getting KO’d by the now-retired Brian Melancon in the last second of the first round at UFC 162, and only recently returned to the win column with a unanimous decision over Neil Magny at Fight for the Troops 3 last November.
Also booked for UFC on FOX 11…
Speaking of hype trains that came to a sudden halt, Jordan “Young Guns” Mein was flying high after becoming the only man to ever stop Dan Miller inside the distance (in the first round, no less) in his promotional debut at UFC 158. Unfortunately, the Strikeforce vet was paired with the beast that is Matt Brown in his next contest and saw his three-fight win streak broken via a hellstorm of elbows. Said Evangelista Santos while watching the fight from his couch, “Good, now he knows how it feels.”
In any case, Mein will also attempt to get back in the win column at UFC on FOX 11 when he faces Santiago “El Rasta” Ponzinibbio, an 18-2 TUF Brazil 2 alum who dropped a decision in his promotional debut against Ryan LaFlare at Fight Night 32. I have no clue who this Ponzinibbio fella is, but he did just remind me of how versatile and excellent ponzu sauce is, so perhaps the beatdown he will inevitably at the hands of Mein will not be completely in vain. Little victories, Nation.
Finally, TUF 17 vet Josh Samman will face Caio Magalhaes on the FOX 11 undercard as well. Please try and contain yourselves.
UFC on FOX 11 goes down on April 19th from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
At the UFC 165 post-fight presser last month, UFC president Dana White showered praise upon UFC interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao, calling him one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport and remarking that the media hadn’t given enough credit to his eight-year, 32-fight undefeated streak, which has remained pristine since May 2005.
Barao has only tasted defeat once, and it was in the first fight of his career. The fact that he’s rebounded with the longest current undefeated streak in mixed martial arts — despite the fact that his first loss could have ruined his confidence forever — is absolutely amazing to me, as many young would-be prospects have crashed and burned in their debuts, never to be heard of again.
It got me thinking: What other mixed martial artists lost their first fight but then went on to have great success? I expected to bang out a list of ten fighters, but once I started doing the research, it blew my mind that some of the best fighters to ever compete in the sport, and a number of currently top 10-ranked fighters, actually lost their very first fight.
And so, I compiled a list of the top 24 MMA fighters of all time who lost their first fight. The list is based on accomplishments in the sport, overall skill level, and potential. Enjoy, and if I somehow missed somebody notable, please leave a comment below and explain why he or she should be included.
On July 26, 1996, at the age of 19 years old, Travis Fulton fought Dave Strasser in his MMA debut at Gladiators 1 in Davenport, Iowa, losing the fight via first-round submission. He then went on to win 249 fights, the most wins in mixed martial arts history. Fulton also holds the record for most fights (309) and most knockout wins (91) in MMA history.
Mind = blown.
Was Fulton a can crusher? Yes, yes he was. Or, should I say, yes he is, as he beat some nobody in his native Iowa just this past March. But you don’t win 249 MMA fights by accident, and Fulton deserves a place on this list based on volume alone.
(Renan Barao: Started from the bottom, now he here. / Photo via Getty)
At the UFC 165 post-fight presser last month, UFC president Dana White showered praise upon UFC interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao, calling him one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport and remarking that the media hadn’t given enough credit to his eight-year, 32-fight undefeated streak, which has remained pristine since May 2005.
Barao has only tasted defeat once, and it was in the first fight of his career. The fact that he’s rebounded with the longest current undefeated streak in mixed martial arts — despite the fact that his first loss could have ruined his confidence forever — is absolutely amazing to me, as many young would-be prospects have crashed and burned in their debuts, never to be heard of again.
It got me thinking: What other mixed martial artists lost their first fight but then went on to have great success? I expected to bang out a list of ten fighters, but once I started doing the research, it blew my mind that some of the best fighters to ever compete in the sport, and a number of currently top 10-ranked fighters, actually lost their very first fight.
And so, I compiled a list of the top 24 MMA fighters of all time who lost their first fight. The list is based on accomplishments in the sport, overall skill level, and potential. Enjoy, and if I somehow missed somebody notable, please leave a comment below and explain why he or she should be included.
On July 26, 1996, at the age of 19 years old, Travis Fulton fought Dave Strasser in his MMA debut at Gladiators 1 in Davenport, Iowa, losing the fight via first-round submission. He then went on to win 249 fights, the most wins in mixed martial arts history. Fulton also holds the record for most fights (309) and most knockout wins (91) in MMA history.
Mind = blown.
Was Fulton a can crusher? Yes, yes he was. Or, should I say, yes he is, as he beat some nobody in his native Iowa just this past March. But you don’t win 249 MMA fights by accident, and Fulton deserves a place on this list based on volume alone.
Akihiro Gono was just 19 when the Japanese icon made his MMA debut in his home country against Yasunori Okuda in the first round of the Lumax Cup: Tournament of J’ 94, way back in April 1994. Like many of the fighters of the time, Gono wasn’t ready to defend submissions, and he tapped out to a first-round toe hold.
Gono may have lost the fight, but he would go on to have a very solid career that saw him compete in the UFC, PRIDE, Shooto, Pancrase, Sengoku, and finally Bellator, which would be his final stop.
In May 2012, after a solid 18-year run as a fan favorite, Gono fought for the last time against current Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler at Bellator 67, losing the fight via first-round KO.
Some will laugh that Minowaman is on this list, but he deserves to be after amassing a respectable 55-35-8 record during his cult-legendary career as a journeyman, where — like the great Fedor Emelianenko — he was notorious for fighting and beating larger opponents in the UFC, PRIDE, Dream and Pancrase, amongst other promotions.
However, he was also notorious for losing to some of them.
The first of his 35 losses came to Yuzo Tateishi via decision on March 30, 1996, at the Lumax Cup: Tournament of J ‘96 in Japan. It was the first of many career losses for Minowa, who started off his career 2-9-2 in his first 13 fights. To his credit though, he rebounded to eventually leave the sport with a winning record, and became a big star in PRIDE because he always put on exciting fights and feared no man.
The name “Minowaman” is always one that makes the hardcores’ hearts beat whenever anyone brings it up. Not bad for a guy who at first glance looked like he would contribute nothing in the sport.
(NOTE: The graphic in the video say his record was 3-1 but that tally likely referred to his amateur fights.)
Back on February 15, 1997 in – surprise, surprise – Iowa, a 24-year-old Shonie Carter got into his first professional MMA fight, the first of many for him.
It didn’t last long, however, as he was KO’ed by future five-time UFC vet Laverne Clark at Monte Cox’s Extreme Challenge 3, just nine seconds into the first round in what was the MMA debut of both men.
It became a classic KO in regional circuit MMA history.
Despite that early career loss, Carter then went on to have an unexpectedly awesome career where he attained 50 wins, including 26 by stoppage. He even made it to the Ultimate Fighting Championship and, in total, he fought six times in the UFC — one more than Clark, who knocked him out in that first battle.
One of those 26 aforementioned stoppage wins I mentioned — and one of the best KOs in UFC history — was his spinning back fist knockout of Matt Serra at UFC 31. Serra, who at the time was considered to be below Carter in the ranks, later defeated Georges St-Pierre at UFC 69 to win the UFC welterweight title. Carter, on the other hand, never quite made it to the top of the sport, to say the least, but at least he built a memorable persona as a stone-cold pimp.
Brian Ebersole’s first MMA bout took place on February 24, 2000 against Chris Albandia at TCC – Total Combat Challenge in Chicago. He lost the fight via decision.
He was just 18 years old.
However, despite the loss, Ebersole has gone on to have an awesome journeyman career that has seen him compile an excellent record of 50-15-1, 1 NC.
Ebersole finally made it to the UFC in 2012, upsetting Chris Lytle at UFC 127 and then winning three more in a row before a split decision loss to James Head at UFC 149 ended his win streak. He has sat out the past year with injuries.
But things are looking up for Ebersole, as he will finally make his return to the cage at UFC 167 against Rick Story. It’s a difficult matchup on paper, but it’s winnable. And even if he loses, the fans get to see the Hairrow — well hopefully, anyways — or at least one of those fancy cartwheel kicks. Make it happen, Brian.
On April 7, 2007, at UCW 7 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, two unknown Canadian women fought each other. One was Sarah Kaufman, who would later go on to win the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion and who will be making her UFC debut this Saturday at UFC 166, and the other was a 21-year-old Alexis Davis, who would eventually make it into the UFC as well.
On that night, Kaufman was the better woman, as she finished Davis via strikes in the third round. And Kaufman would demonstrate her superiority once again, defeating Davis via majority decision in March 2012 at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey.
However, Davis looks to be on the rise, and she certainly showed her potential in defeating Rosi Sexton in her Octagon debut at UFC 161. If her and Kaufman ever meet for a trilogy match, it’s possible Davis might finally get a win over her rival.
Since we can only post so many “U Mad?” GIFs in one day, this will have to suffice.
The UFC paid out a total of $1,518,000 in disclosed salaries and end of the night bonuses to the fighters on last night’s UFC on Fox 7, according to the California State Athletic Commission. Both former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir and current UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson took home $200,000 for their performances last night, making them the two highest paid fighters on the card. Former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez took home the evening’s third-highest disclosed salary at $175,000.
The entire disclosed payroll is below, via MMA Junkie. Keep in mind that the following figures account for neither sponsorships and undisclosed “locker room bonuses,” nor do they include deductions for taxes, insurance, and licensing fees. Also, since there were no submissions on the card, two fighters took home a Knockout of the Night bonus.
Daniel Cormier: $126,000 (includes $63,000 win bonus)
def. Frank Mir: $200,000
Josh Thomson: $145,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus and $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
def. Nate Diaz: $15,000
Matt Brown: $110,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus and $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
def. Jordan Mein: $66,000 (includes $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
Chad Mendes: $56,000 (includes $28,000 win bonus)
def. Darren Elkins: $24,000
Anthony Njorkuani: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus)
def. Roger Bowling: $12,000
Yoel Romero: $70,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus and $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
def. Clifford Starks: $8,000
Since we can only post so many “U Mad?” GIFs in one day, this will have to suffice.
The UFC paid out a total of $1,518,000 in disclosed salaries and end of the night bonuses to the fighters on last night’s UFC on Fox 7, according to the California State Athletic Commission. Both former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir and current UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson took home $200,000 for their performances last night, making them the two highest paid fighters on the card. Former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez took home the evening’s third-highest disclosed salary at $175,000.
The entire disclosed payroll is below, via MMA Junkie. Keep in mind that the following figures account for neither sponsorships and undisclosed “locker room bonuses,” nor do they include deductions for taxes, insurance, and licensing fees. Also, since there were no submissions on the card, two fighters took home a Knockout of the Night bonus.
Daniel Cormier: $126,000 (includes $63,000 win bonus)
def. Frank Mir: $200,000
Josh Thomson: $145,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus and $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
def. Nate Diaz: $15,000
Matt Brown: $110,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus and $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
def. Jordan Mein: $66,000 (includes $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
Chad Mendes: $56,000 (includes $28,000 win bonus)
def. Darren Elkins: $24,000
Anthony Njorkuani: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus)
def. Roger Bowling: $12,000
Yoel Romero: $70,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus and $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
def. Clifford Starks: $8,000
Underpaid: I’d like to believe that Nate Diaz only taking home $15,000 in show money was due to him looking out for teammate Gilbert Melendez. Melendez has been trapped in Strikeforce for the majority of his career, missing out on the exposure and big paydays that come along with being one of the UFC’s top fighters. I’m just going to assume that Diaz took a substantial pay-cut in order to ensure that Melendez made bank; a move that should put him the running for literally every one of these awards. If I’m wrong, then maybe Nate might want to send Cesar Gracie a fruit basket or something.
Overpaid: There’s something a bit off about Strikeforce prospect Jorge Masvidal being paid twice as much money as Nate Diaz to show last night, and three times as much as his opponent – who entered the bout 2-0 in the UFC. And of course, Frank Mir being paid twice as much show money as Benson Henderson in 2013 is preposterous. His age + his salary + his two fight losing streak = either a new “And Now He’s Fired” or an update to our handy “Will You Be Fired?” flowchart will be necessary by the end of the week.
UFC on Fox 7 was a violent and almost uniformly fought at a furious pace over the course of twelve preliminary and main card bouts. Eight bouts finished inside of the distance, and the main event was five close-fought, damaging rounds long.
Welterweights Matt Brown and Jordan Mein each got extra $50,000 bonus checks for putting on the fight of the night and Josh Thomson and Yoel Romero each got knockout of the night awards and 50k bonuses.
Thomson returned to the UFC in style by handing Nate Diaz his first ever stoppage loss – a second round TKO stoppage. Romero caught Clifford Starks with a flying knee and won a quick via quick TKO.
Neither Daniel Cormier nor Frank Mir won extra bonuses for their three-round heavyweight bout. Cormier did continue to show that he is a legitimate contender in the division, on the strength of his world-class wrestling skills and speed, despite being vastly undersized.
As they took the center of the Octagon, the smaller Cormier looked like he was facing his uncle in the large former two-time heavyweight champ Mir. Once Cormier got a hold of Mir, over and over again throughout the fight, it was the two-time Olympic wrestler that looked like a man fighting a child.
Cormier clinched with Mir, pressed him against the cage, let go and, on separation, unloaded nasty hooks and uppercuts to the head and body of Mir, along with elbows and knees before clinching back up and rinsing and repeating. As the fight wore on and Mir proved helpless against Cormier’s strategy, referee Herb Dean didn’t like Cormier’s dominance so he tried, as all refs disturbingly seem to be instructed to do, to give Mir more of a chance by breaking up the clinch work quickly but that couldn’t stop the wrestler from continuing to close the distance.
Mir would not be mentally broken despite eating big shots and being ground down, and he fought hard in the third round – throwing hard punches and knees. The ones that did connect, however, were absorbed by Cormier, and he just went back to pressing Mir against the cage and doing short striking work at will.
Cormier fought the smartest fight he could against a much larger, more experienced opponent. The cerebral fighter knew that the middle was his friend. Had he stayed out on the outside, Mir might have used his far superior reach to land big shots.
Had Cormier taken Mir down (he did so once, with a single leg, but did not follow Mir to the ground. Choosing instead, to let the Jiu Jitsu master stand up and eat an over hand right), he would have let the black belt do work where he was most comfortable and dangerous. So, Cormier did what he should have – control the clinch and then use his superior speed to land at will on separation.
I don’t know how long this lightweight/welterweight-heighted phenom will continue to be successful at heavyweight, but so far he can count two former UFC heavyweight champs as wins, as well as the #1 contender to the belt right now, Antonio Silva. It has been fun to watch Cormier figure out how to win fights at heavyweight.
UFC on Fox 7 was a violent and almost uniformly fought at a furious pace over the course of twelve preliminary and main card bouts. Eight bouts finished inside of the distance, and the main event was five close-fought, damaging rounds long.
Welterweights Matt Brown and Jordan Mein each got extra $50,000 bonus checks for putting on the fight of the night and Josh Thomson and Yoel Romero each got knockout of the night awards and 50k bonuses.
Thomson returned to the UFC in style by handing Nate Diaz his first ever stoppage loss – a second round TKO stoppage. Romero caught Clifford Starks with a flying knee and won a quick via quick TKO.
Neither Daniel Cormier nor Frank Mir won extra bonuses for their three-round heavyweight bout. Cormier did continue to show that he is a legitimate contender in the division, on the strength of his world-class wrestling skills and speed, despite being vastly undersized.
As they took the center of the Octagon, the smaller Cormier looked like he was facing his uncle in the large former two-time heavyweight champ Mir. Once Cormier got a hold of Mir, over and over again throughout the fight, it was the two-time Olympic wrestler that looked like a man fighting a child.
Cormier clinched with Mir, pressed him against the cage, let go and, on separation, unloaded nasty hooks and uppercuts to the head and body of Mir, along with elbows and knees before clinching back up and rinsing and repeating. As the fight wore on and Mir proved helpless against Cormier’s strategy, referee Herb Dean didn’t like Cormier’s dominance so he tried, as all refs disturbingly seem to be instructed to do, to give Mir more of a chance by breaking up the clinch work quickly but that couldn’t stop the wrestler from continuing to close the distance.
Mir would not be mentally broken despite eating big shots and being ground down, and he fought hard in the third round – throwing hard punches and knees. The ones that did connect, however, were absorbed by Cormier, and he just went back to pressing Mir against the cage and doing short striking work at will.
Cormier fought the smartest fight he could against a much larger, more experienced opponent. The cerebral fighter knew that the middle was his friend. Had he stayed out on the outside, Mir might have used his far superior reach to land big shots.
Had Cormier taken Mir down (he did so once, with a single leg, but did not follow Mir to the ground. Choosing instead, to let the Jiu Jitsu master stand up and eat an over hand right), he would have let the black belt do work where he was most comfortable and dangerous. So, Cormier did what he should have – control the clinch and then use his superior speed to land at will on separation.
I don’t know how long this lightweight/welterweight-heighted phenom will continue to be successful at heavyweight, but so far he can count two former UFC heavyweight champs as wins, as well as the #1 contender to the belt right now, Antonio Silva. It has been fun to watch Cormier figure out how to win fights at heavyweight.
But if his teammate Cain Velasquez stays champion of the division, maybe we’ll see him drop down at least one weight class and challenge there. He’ll either look even stronger there or will see his speed advantage over most opponents slip away.
Benson Wins Another Close Decision
At this point, UFC lightweight champion Ben Henderson probably feels confident that he appeals to a wide cross-section of judges. He’s won seven consecutive decision in the UFC, his biggest bouts being the most closely-contested.
His number one contender’s fight with Clay Guida in 2011 was close but his two title wins over Frankie Edgar were even closer. Henderson pretty much controlled his late 2012 title defense against Diaz so there was no controversy in his winning that decision.
“Smooth” Henderson’s split decision Saturday night over Gilbert Melendez is probably the closest and most controversial win of the champ’s career, however. I scored both his fights with Edgar for Henderson, as well as his win over Guida. But Saturday’s main event looked like Melendez’ fight.
This writer can see the fantastic, competitive fight conceivably and reasonably being judged in either man’s favor, but the way I saw it was Gilbert clearly winning rounds one and two, and making a good case for himself in rounds three and, especially, five.
Melendez said after the fight that he was, understandably, heart-broken by the decision loss. It is probably little consolation but at least he showed that what he and his teammates have been saying for years as he labored outside of the UFC – that Melendez is at the very top of the sport’s best division – is true.
I didn’t imagine that Melendez would be able to match Henderson’s strength or deal with his speed or kicks, but he did just that – countering sharply, catching most of the champ’s knees and kicks, taking him down and landing his own inside leg kick time and time again. Melendez fought the fight of his life but came away empty-handed.
He finally made it to the UFC and showed that if he’s not the best lightweight in the world, it is, in political election terms, at least a statistical tie between he and one or two other guys. Melendez may not have a strap to show for his winning effort Saturday night, but at least more than a handful of fans got to watch him do what he does this time.
Taking you through the action tonight is our good friend Elias Cepeda, who’s giving us round-by-round results from the UFC on FOX 7 main card broadcast after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and share your own thoughts in the comments section.
Taking you through the action tonight is our good friend Elias Cepeda, who’s giving us round-by-round results from the UFC on FOX 7 main card broadcast after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and share your own thoughts in the comments section.
Matt Brown vs. Jordan Mein
Rd 1
Matt Brown starts out feinting with the jab. Both men keep a respectful distance with one another. Jordan lands a standing elbow, Brown lands with two glancing punches, backing up Mein.
Brown pressing forward on Mein, hurting the kid. Mein shows good composure, slipping, ducking and circling away. Brown still follows, swinging wildly. Mein lands back with a right, then a left. Mein getes tagged, loses his balance and mouthpiece and falls. He is back up quickly.
Mein gets his mouth guard back in his mouth after referee John McCarthy stops the action. Brown gets back in Mein’s face with punches and a head kick. Most are dodged or blocked. Brown bleeding over his right eye. Brown with a right hand that hurts Mein. Mein waiting and swinging back once for every ten punches from Brown. Mein lands a big right hand!
Brown clinches up and lands several big knees to the body of Mein. Two minutes left in this wild fight. Mein lands a two punch combo. Mein lands a left to the liver of Brown and drops him!
Matt his face first on the floor in pain. Mein follows up with a choke attempt, then strikes on the ground. Brown is visibly pained and hurt from the body shot. He survives Mein’s onslaught of punches and elbows to the body and face on the ground. Brown slaps on a triangle choke!
Mein escapes! Brown with a knee to what looks to be Mein’s throat. He follows up with punches. Mein is hurt badly. Brown lands a nasty elbow to Mein’s head as the horn sounds.
Rd 2
Brown pushes forward again, lands a huge right hand, then a knee, then a right elbow. Mein falls to the ground. Brown looks for a front choke, lets it go. Mein is on his back, rolls up to all fours. Brown posts on Mein’s head and lands another pointed elbow to the kid’s head. He continues with elbows to the body. His onslaught continues until the referee calls it off.
Nate Diaz vs. Josh Thomson
Nate is the heavy crowd favorite here in this Bay area match up. Let’s get it on.
Rd 1
Nate trying to keep his distance with punches as Thomson gets to work with a lead roundhouse leg kick to compensate for his reach disadvantage. Josh switching his stances and keeping his head movement. Thomson punches Nate’s lead leg then goes high with a rear right head kick that lands flush on the side of Diaz’ dome!
Two minutes in, Nate begins the taunting and lands a long,lead left punch. Thomson fakes another leg punch and again goes high with a right head kick that lands flush again!
Thomson almost exclusively kicking. Thomson gets a clinch, Diaz forces Thomson against the cage. Diaz using his head until Thomson reverses positions and then separates. Thomson gets behind Diaz and unloads with punches to the back of Diaz’ head.
The two exchange punch flurries on the inside. Thomson moving calmly and looking to explode with his superior speed ont he ground. Diaz stalking. Thomson lands a big left and right punch, Diaz clinches up. With just over thirty seconds left, Thomson gets a take down and falls into Diaz’ full guard. Thomson gets busy right away, opening up the guard and landing elbows. Diaz turtles up and gets to his feet.
Rd 2
Diaz swarms with hooks and they clinch up. Diaz apparently lands a low knee to Thomson’s sack. He gets time to recover, doesn’t take much of it.
Diaz takes the center of the cage, taunting, while Thomson switches up his stance and initiates another clinch. Thomson works to the side of Diaz, pushing him against the cage, landing an elbow and knee. Diaz briefly reverses positions but Thomson takes control back and backs Diaz against the cage again.
Diaz separates. He is bleeding above his right eye. Nate lands a take down! Thomson sits up and cage walks back to his feet immediately. Diaz looks for a standing guillotine but Thomson gets out.
Diaz stalking in the center of the ring again, Thomson circling away from Diaz’ power. Thomson lands another right head kick! This one is full shin on head, as opposed to the first one which was all foot. This one hurt Diaz badly. He stumbles backwards, wobbly. Thomson lands a straight punch, then another that drops Nate.
Thomson jumps all over Diaz with punches and finishes the fight. Wow.
Going low and then finishing high really paid off for Thomson this fight. What a return to the UFC for ‘The Punk.’
Frank Mir. Vs. Daniel Cormier
Rd 1
Mir with an old school Jiu Jitsu push kick. Cormier staying on the outside. Mir kicking a lot, all air, fora guy facing an elite wrestler. Mir with a left knee to the body of Cormier. Cormier eats it and presses Mir against the clinch, using head position to control the much larger opponent.
Cormier with a front head lock into a knee. Cormier unloads with hooks that back up and hurt Mir. Cormier’s speed advantage is as evident as Mir’s size at this point. Cormier pressing Mir up against the cage, throwing in body shorts on separation, then clinching back up with a head and arm Thai plum type of control.
Cormier letting go of the clinch and lands more punches – upper cuts to the body and head. Cormier lands an elbow on separation and gets kneed accidentally in the groin. Referee Herb Dean doesn’t see it and they continue. Cormier gets the clinch again and presses Mir back up against the cage, unleashes another flurry.
Cormier swings and whiffs with a head kick and falls on his back. Mir pounces and goes for a front choke but Cormier stands and escapes. Mir says something to Cormier and smiles.
The horn sounds and Cormier touches gloves with Mir.
Rd 2
Mir lands a tepid read round house leg kick. Cormier does a standing, jumping kick thing that misses Mir completely. Cormier clinches up with Mir again and presses him against the cage. He works some dirty close shots and uses up more of the clock without Mir being able to mount any offense. Smart game plan.
Cormier separates and then quickly clinches up again. Cormier presses Mir against the cage, mixing in a left elbow and a right upper cut to the gut. Cormier separates. Mir thinks to pull guard and a guillotine choke but Cormier gets away.
Cormier clinches up and pushes Mir against the cage again. He separates and lands a big right uppercut to the jaw of Mir. Mir wades in with punches that miss. Cormier counters with one-two that hurts Mir. Cormier follows up with a right body shot.
Herb Dean breaks up Cormier’s next clinch up just two seconds into it; allowing either the crowd or misguided Athletic Commission mandates from above.
Rd 3
Mir comes out aggressive, gets Cormier against the cage but Cormier regains control and presses him against the cage. Mir gets free and comes back aggressively with kicks and knees, giving Cormier pause. Cormier looks stunned from the body shots but still gets control back and presses against the fence.
Mir gets free but Cormier slips under and behind and unloads with hooks. Cormier gets the clinch back and presses Mir against the cage again. Dean breaks them up.
Both men are justifiably fatigued and circle each other for a while. Cormier gets the clinch and gets a single leg take down. He does not follow the dangerous submission artist to the floor, choosing instead to stand up and let Mir back to his feet. Once Mir is back on his feet, Cormier throws a big over hand right.
Cormier gets the clinch again, working short shots. He slips under Frank’s left arm and gets to the back but Dean breaks them up again.
The two clinch up again and the fight ends there.
Decision time up next. Cormier wins a unanimous decision.
Cormier adds another former UFC heavyweight champion to his list of victories. Will he continue to campaign at heavyweight, where his friend and training partner Cain Velasquez is champion? Or will the guy with the welterweight height decide to drop down and dethrone Chael Sonnen as light heavyweight champion?
The main event up next, taters!
Benson Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez
Rd 1
Henderson begins the fight bouncing around, moving his head in his south paw stance. Gilbert lands a leg kick to Henderson’s lead leg. Melendez with a left hook, leg kick combo. The kick landed. Henderson lands a straight left.
Gilbert catches a kick from Benson and takes him down. Gilbert presses down, goes into Henderson’s guard. Bendo backs up on his but towards the cage and ultimately cage walks back up to his feet. As soon as he does, Melendez lands a knee to the head.
Henderson swings and misses with a jab-hook combo. Henderson throws another leg kick that Gilbert catches. He tries to take Henderson down again but Benson hops backwards and defends. As his back touches the cage, Gilbert lets loose a fling knee to the body.
Both are back in the center of the ring, shortly. Gilbert with another, missed-hook-leg kick landing combo. Henderson lands a knee to the body of Gilbert, Gilbert catches it and takes Henderson down. He follows up with a flying knee to the body of the downed Henderson! Henderson gets back to his feet.
Gilbert catches another leg kick from Henderson, fires a straight right down the pipe while holding the right leg and takes Henderson down again at the horn.
Rd 2
Benson comes out feinting a lot with his jab and hook. Gilbert lands with another leg kick after a left hook feint and follows with an over hand right that also lands. Gilbert catches another kick from Henderson but can’t take him down. Melendez follows up with more punches that back up and glance Henderson.
Another left hook feint into leg kick landed for Gilbert. Benson with a knee to the body landed. Benson initiates a clinch but Gilbert pushes away. Benson lands another knee to the body but Gilbert catches it afterwards. Henderson defends the ensuing take down attempt, however.
Henderson with a lead jab to the leg of Melendez. Nice straight two-one from Henderson that glances Melendez. Henderson with a head kick that glances on Melendez.
Henderson shoots for a double on Gilbert, who defends. Gilbert with another leg kick landed.
The two bounce around and measure one another until the horn. Gilbert may have stolen another round from the champion.
Rd 3
Night two-one punch combo from Henderson off the bat! Melendez fires right back and lands with a cross! Melendez with another landed inside leg kick off of the hook feint.
Henderson lowers his rear round house leg kick and knocks Gilbert down with it! Gilbert right back on his feet. Melendez connects with a right hand and stuns Henderson. Another right hand from Melendez!
Henderson gets off of the fence, fires a two-punch combo and then shoots for a double. He presses Gilbert against the cage, working for the double. Gilbert gets down to one knee but stands back up. They are standing and clinching, the champ with knees, Melendez with punches on separation.
Henderson comes up short on a front face kick. Henderson fires a straight, Melendez hooks and misses, Henderson ducks under and shoots for a double but is completely stuffed by Melendez! Henderson is on his ass but gets right back.
The two fire away at each other up along the fence after separating from a nasty clinch with Henderson working under hooks and Melendez pressing down on the champ’s face. Melendez lands a punch to the body.
With a few seconds left in the round, Henderson throws a leg kick that knocks both he and Melendez down. Henderson is quicker to his feet and cross-sides Melendez. The champ senses time running out and unloads with strikes on Melendez.
Time runs out and the champion is still punching! The ref lifts Henderson up and away from Melendez!
Rd 4
Both men get a warning for head butts. Melendez fires a straight, Henderson ducks under and shoots. Gilbert stuffs it.
Henderson lands a body kick, Gilbert catches it. The champ gets free. He throws a knee to the body, Gilbert catches it but again the champ gets free. Henderson with a slapping leg kick.
Another kick from Henderson, a body knee from the challenger. Gilbert sprawls out on a take down attempt and Henderson hustles up to his feet and swarms Gilbert with punches, none landing big.
Lead side kick to Gilbert’s leg from the champ. Another. Both men go for a leg kick, Henderson’s lands flusher and knocks Melendez down. Henderson jumps on him in a flash and takes his back with no hooks in!
Melendez defends the choke, stands and gets free. Gilbert stalks the champ and feints with jabs. Gilbert lands a hook to the body, then an upper cut to the body. He catches a kick from Henderson but the champ gets free. On separation, the champ lands a right hand.
Rd 5
Henderson takes the center of the cage and throws a body kick that Gilbert catches and releases. Rogan points out that Gilbert’s right shoulder looks jacked…is it the shoulder he was out injured with? I can’t remember. Regardless, he fights on.
Big over hand right lands for Gilbert. Benson circles away. Both men feinting, waiting to explode. Three minutes left.
Inside leg kick from the champ, then another after a short left elbow lands. Gilbert stalking Henderson but not able to land anything. Another short elbow from Henderson.
Henderson not landing much, but landing more in this round. Countering with speed and precision on occasion on his stalking challenger. Gilbert catches another knee from Henderson and follows up with a punch.
He stalks Henderson after the champ gets away and lands a flying knee to the body of the champ as he’s pressed against the cage. Henderson circling away, ducking under as Gilbert continues to stalk him. The crowd roars with under a minute left. Gilbert lands a left hook to the head of Henderson. Henderson with another elbow. Melendez with a body shot.
Melendez ends the final round appearing to have evened up the strike score in the stanza and as the man that pushed the action most of the period and fight. Horn sounds. Decision coming up next.
48-47 Melendez. 48-47 Henderson. The tie-breaking judge scores it 48-47 for Benson Henderson.
The defending champion stays undefeated and immediately deflects attention from any possible controversy by proposing to his girl friend. Who, despite thousands of booing fans surrounding them, says yes.
“It was a tough fight…I know how tough Gilbert Melendez is…I love those guys, the Skrap Pack. They bring it every single time,” the champion tells Rogan.
Thanks for partying with us, nation. What do you think of the decision? I think Gilbert clearly won the first two rounds and probably closed rounds three and/or five strong enough to get one more round and earn the win.
Chael Sonnen says that he feels Gilbert won the first three rounds and so does Brian Stann. So, there’s that.
