(And remember folks, this is a UFC main event, so the fight will be scheduled for five rounds, and both fighters will be allowed to receive injections of synthetic testosterone during training. Wait, what’s that? Only *one* of them can do that? Well how the fuck does that make any sense? / Photo via Getty Images)
Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to go live from Jaraguá do Sul — known to many* as the Kansas City of Brazil — for UFC on FX 8: Belfort vs. Rockhold. Once again, the Phenom has home-country advantage and the Lord’s blessing. Will that be enough to stave off the invasion of a young, hungry, and very amped-up former Strikeforce champ? Plus: Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza makes his UFC debut against Chris Camozzi, and Rafael Dos Anjos clashes with Evan Dunham in the lightweight division.
Taking us through the play-by-play tonight will be Matt Kaplan, who will be stacking live results after the jump beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and toss in your own thoughts in the comments section — or just holler at us on twitter @CagePotatoMMA.
* Or perhaps, nobody?
(And remember folks, this is a UFC main event, so the fight will be scheduled for five rounds, and both fighters will be allowed to receive injections of synthetic testosterone during training. Wait, what’s that? Only *one* of them can do that? Well how the fuck does that make any sense? / Photo via Getty Images)
Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to go live from Jaraguá do Sul — known to many* as the Kansas City of Brazil — for UFC on FX 8: Belfort vs. Rockhold. Once again, the Phenom has home-country advantage and the Lord’s blessing. Will that be enough to stave off the invasion of a young, hungry, and very amped-up former Strikeforce champ? Plus: Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza makes his UFC debut against Chris Camozzi, and Rafael Dos Anjos clashes with Evan Dunham in the lightweight division.
Taking us through the play-by-play tonight will be Matt Kaplan, who will be stacking live results after the jump beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and toss in your own thoughts in the comments section — or just holler at us on twitter @CagePotatoMMA.
* Or perhaps, nobody?
MK here, live in Jaraguá do Sul and very excited for tonight’s Belfort-Rockhold main event. If Belfort is nearly as fired up by his countrymen tonight as he was at the weigh-ins yesterday, this fight will be the mutt’s nuts.
Man, I forgot how good watching Belfort drop Bisping felt. Great highlight. I also liked when Hendo dropped Bisping. And when Wanderlei dropped Bisping.
Rafael Natal vs. Joao Zeferino
Rd. 1 – Both men test the waters early, and Zeferino opens things up with a bight right overhand that connects. Zeferino kicks Natal in the right cheek. Wow, that was fast. Natal seems less sure with his striking than Zeferino and is feeling the pressure of Zeferino’s straight-ahead charge. Zeferino lands on top of Natal after a clinch against the fence. 50/50 guard, and Zeferino is working on a heel. Natal is chopping away on Zeferino’s left arm with his heel, but nah. The crowd is starting to boo as both men fight for position in 50-50 guard. Again Natal kicks at Zeferino’s left arm. Zeferino still wants that heel, dammit. The ref stands them up with 20 seconds left, but the crowd is still annoyed. I’d give that round to Zeferino, I guess.
Rd. 2 -Zeferino ignores Natal’s jabs and wings another overhand right. Natal stuffs a double, but Zeferino scores a takedown. Natal is right back up, though, and has Zeferino pressed against the cage. Zeferino reverses and has Natal against the fence. Both men separate and are back in the center of the cage. Things have slowed. The crowd again boos. Zeferino’s double is stuffed, and Natal has a front headlock on a downed Zeferino. Zeferino’s hands are real low. Natal charges in with a 1-2, but Zeferino counters. He looks gassed. Natal is producing at a higher rate now. Zeferino drops to his back, and Natal enters it behind a flying right hand. Natal finishes the round by dropping shots from Zeferino’s half guard.
Rd. 3 -Oh boy, they’re hugging. Natal is fresher and letting his hands and feet go. Natal slugs away at Zeferino against the fence, but Zeferino escapes and lands a big right that got Natal’s attention. Close fight. Zeferino just threw a slow motion right cross and then another looping right overhand. Zeferino nearly catches the side kick from Natal, but is taken down in the ensuing scramble. Natal is in half guard now. Natal is droping punches and is back in full guard with 1:30 to go. Zeferino is stopping the submission attempt, but is eating forearms to the ribs. And now he’s mounted. Natal is slamming away from the mount. Zeferino is survivng, but not much else. Strong finish from Natal.
Natal earns the unanimous decision victory.
Anyone ever try this Sailor Jerry spiced rum? The commercial features a bunch of people who look a lot like me, so I feel like I should maybe get on this.
I think Bigfoot is gonna get that work from Cain Velazquez.
Evan Dunham vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
Rd. 1 -Dunham has not been tanning down in Brazil. Huge leg kick from Dos Anjos. DosAnjos kicks upstairs now, but Dunham blocks. Dos Anjos is firing punch-kick combos fast and hard, while Dunham is sluggis out the gate. Dos Anjos is kicking and avoiding the counter punches from the pasty American. Good head movement too. Dos Anjos keeps firing, but Dunham is picking things up. Dunham counters a Dos Anjos kick and lands a takedown. Dunham in full guard and going to work with his closed fists. Ref stands them up with 13 seconds left, and Dos Anjos lands a wide left after missing with a right uppercut.
Rd. 2 – Dos Anjos lands an early left jab. Dunham lands the double. Dos Anjos is back up, then down, then back up again.Dunham is looking to clinch. Dos Anjos lands a hard right to the body. Dos Anjos looks for a single against the fence, but settles for a right hand to the side of Dunham’s head as both men retreat to the center of the cage. Dunham is finding his range, but Don Anjos is landing the harder, faster punches. Borth men are working, and Dos Anjos has blood from his right eye. Dos Anjos is starting to throw wildly, whereas Dunham is picking up the pace and punching with more accuracy. Dos Anjos unleashes the power with a kick-punch combo, and Dunham ends the round with a last-second takedown. Close fight so far.
Rd. 3 – Both men are letting the hands fly. Don Anjos has blood from hisn nose and right eye brow, and Dunham looks very sure of himself. Dos Anjos stuffs a double against the cage and lands a knee. Back in the center of the cage, Dunham eats a thunderous kick to his left side and a hook to the same side of his head. Both are bloody, both are firing away with straight punches and baaaad intentions. Dunham goes in for the single, but Dos Anjos keeps hismelf up. Dunham wants to do work in the clinch, but it’s Dos Anjos who locks in the Thai clinch for a bit. 30 seconds left and we’re swinging away in the center of the octagon. Hooks to the body and head until the final bell. Great final frame.
Rafael Dos Anjos takes the unanimous decision.
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Chris Camozzi
Rd. 1 – Camozzi isn’t afraid. He’s come out with 1-2s and kicks, but now Jacare’s got him against the cage. Biiig overhand right from Jacare. A trip from Jacare. Camozzi upkicks as Jacare descends into his guard. Over to half guard. Jacare is punching the body of Camozzi, who lands an upkick to Jarace’s face. And Jacare gets side control. Scramble. Omaplata? Yup. Camozzi is safe, but Jacare is back in side control. Make that a full mount. Head and arm choke time. Got it. Night night.
Jacare wins by Rd. 1 sub.
Luke Rockhold vs. Vitor Belfort
Rd. 1 – Referee Leon Roberts gives the instructions and we’re under way. Rockhold misses a head kick and falls, but Vitor lets him up. Vitor fires a spin kick – just off. Rockhold shoots. Vitor hits Rockhold with a fast right, but Rockhold ties him up. In the center of the cage, Vitor shows his hand speed, just missing with punches, but scoring with low kicks that delight the crowd. Rockhold lands a left. Spinning heel kick. Rockhold is down. He’s out. Shit. I just saw the replay: wow. It was a tight, precise, spinning heel kick to the left side of Rockhold’s jaw that dropped him, and then Vitor connected with four monster punches to an already dazed young former Strikeforce champion.
Handling liveblog duties for this evening is Alex Giardini, who will be delivering round-by-round results from the “Jones vs. Sonnen” main card after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and let us know what’s on your mind in the comments section.
(Good. Now that Chael knows what it feels like to make contact with Jon Jones, let’s get this execution over with. / Photo via MMAJunkie)
Handling liveblog duties for this evening is Alex Giardini, who will be delivering round-by-round results from the “Jones vs. Sonnen” main card after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and let us know what’s on your mind in the comments section.
Alright, Potato Nation…we are set for a main event less relevant than any season of Survivor past the year 2002. Since everyone is counting out the possibility of a competitive fight tonight, what will the post-fight interviews sound like? Will Jones gain or make most fans nauseous with the holier-than-though approach? Will Sonnen take his ball and go home or call out Evander Holyfield and Lorenzo Fertitta at the same time?
The co-main event features the fan-favorite Michael Bisping takes on possible Union Jack recipient Alan Belcher. After the Brit insulted Belcher’s skills as well as his Kim Jong-il tattoo, we’re pretty much looking forward to a first-round finish for either man.
Also on the card is Weight Watchers’ own Roy Nelson against the Mortal Kombat-built Cheick Kongo as well as a grudge match between Phil Davis and Vinny Magalhaes. Opening our evening in a fun-little-lightweight-scrap is Jim Miller and Pat Healy. We will, we will rock you, guys.
Intro-hype videos – Bisping and Belcher do a nice job of building the feud. Chael says he’s not old and slow, rather the king of the middleweight division and presumably the light heavyweight one too because who else fights there honestly. Jones vows to teach Tha Gansta some respect.
I swear to Christ I’m going to buy those shitty 20th Century Masters greatest hits of CCR and cruise down these streets thinking I’m Jim Miller.
Jim Miller vs. Pat Healy
Round 1: Miller sporting the shaved head tonight. The Herbster gets them going. No touch. Healy comes forward…both feeling out thus far. Miller with a body shot. Inside leg followed by a left by Miller. Miller with a good straight left. Healy misses a combo. Miller clinches and lets go. Miller with a low legkick. Crowd getting behind Miller. Nice slam by Miller and he finds himself on top. Miller with an elbow to the body, trying to work. Healy controlling Miller’s left arm. Healy looking for an armbar but he is unsuccessful. Healy goes for an omoplata but to no avail. Miller has a double-wrist lock, looking for an armbar. Miller successfully transitioning to get good positioning but Healy breaks free and they are on their feet. Healy with a good punch and knee to the body. Healy goes for a takedown and ends up on top of Miller. Healy postures up and gets Miller’s back. Healy has a hook in but Miller is back on his feet. Big takedown from Healy. Miller spins and winds up on top. The round closes as Healy goes for an armbar but Miller punches Healy a few times in the eye which looks pretty damaged. Miller 10-9.
Round 2: Mad swelling in Healy’s right eye. Healy with a nice left but Miller responds with a left hook. Healy initiates the clinch and trips Miller. Both are quick to get up and Miller clinches him against the fence. Healy with a big swing and a miss. Miller clinches Healy against the fence once more. Miller with a solid elbow but Healy ducks under afterwards and gets the takedown. Healy on top in half-guard position. Miller going for an armbar. Miller loses it and Healy trying to work ground and pound. Healy with some nice shots from the top. Miller keeps looking for a submission but allows Healy in side control. Miller trying to stand up and Healy takes his back. Healy continues by punching and is looking to better his position. Healy has a choke in and Miller looks to be in trouble. Miller escapes but Healy mounts him. Miller escapes and elbows Healy. Miller crouching but Healy grabs on to his ankle. Miller gets up but is taken down again. Both men stand up against the fence and Healy follows up with some shots. Miller looks hurt from a knee thrown by Healy. 10-9 Healy.
Round 3: It’s one a piece. Swelling under both men’s eyes. Healy with some uppercuts as they both clinch. Big right hook by Miller. Miller going for a takedown, scramble and they’re back up. Miller with a hook to the body. Miller has got Healy clinched against the fence and lets go. Healy tags him with a right. Healy throws a knee that lands low and Miller grimaces as it goes unnoticed. Healy relentlessly going for a takedown and ends up on top. Healy looking for an arm-triangle but switches his positioning. Miller trying to utilize the rubber-guard but it isn’t working. Healy takes his back and starts punching. Healy now looking for a choke. Rogan insinuating the last round should follow Pride rules. Healy on top with a full-rear naked choke and Miller is stopped. My goodness, talk about irony.
Miller was out for a split second and wakes back up angrily. Gosh, this Pat Healy.
Pat Healy def. Jim Miller by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), Round 3, 4:02.
Big LOL. Buffer screws up and declares Miller the winner…excuses himself and decalares Healy the winner. Hey, it was inevitable.
Dudes who aren’t supposed to win, 1-0.
Pretty excited about this fight, definitely could be the darkhorse of the card. It could also be worse than meeting your girlfriend’s parents for the first time as her father shows you how good he is on the stock market.
Phil Davis vs. Vinny Magalhaes
Round 1: No touch, obviously. Headkick misses by Vinny. Vinny goes for a frontkick and misses that too. Vinny throwing some wild kicks. Davis gets a right hand in. Both men clinched up against the fence. Vinny breaks through and they’re back in the center. Vinny throws a low leg-kick. Davis with a big high-kick and rocks Vinny. He tags Vinny with a big left hand. Davis not pursuing just yet – Vinny was hurt. Left jab by Davis but Vinny gets him down and takes his back. Davis escapes and Vinny stands back up too. Davis throws a one-two combo that misses. Vinny rushes in and misses with a left hook. Nice uppercut by Vinny and Davis gets a right-hand in as well. Davis with a nice combination and Vinny gets poked. Big Dan tells him to keep going and Vinny protests. They keep going and Vinny misses a big kick to the body. Davis with a right hand and the round closes. Hard to judge but I’ll go with 10-9 Davis.
Round 2: Rogan tells Mirgliotta to pay attention but Big Dan probably doesn’t hear it. Big right hand by Vinny. Frontkick by Davis but it doesn’t connect. Both men in a technical striking battle thus far. Davis reaches for his back and goes for the takedown. Davis decides not to enter the guard and lets Vinny back up. Nice right hand by Davis followed by a left that connects. Left hook by Davis hits Vinny right in the chin. Vinny with a high-kick that just misses. Vinny missing most of his kicks as Davis continues to throw his one-two’s. Jab connects for Davis. Vinny looking tired as Davis fakes the takedown and follows up with a big right hand. Davis secures the takedown but lets Vinny up immediately, staying away from his guard. Jab by Davis rocks Vinny’s head back. Highkick and another stiff jab by Davis. Body shot by Davis. Vinny looking rather zombified. Both men exchange jabs as the round closes. 10-9 Davis.
Round 3: Vinny looking a little busier. He’s trying to take Davis down (as his corner wanted him to) but it’s just not working. He connects with good left but Davis is doing a good job of defending. Davis checks a legkick. Nice left jab by Vinny. Davis goes for a takedown and lets Vinny back up again – which is clearly frustrating the hell out of Vinny. Davis with a big right hand that connects. Davis carefully picking his shots. The crowd is getting a bit restless. Headkick by Vinny but it does not trouble Phil who blocks it. Davis is doing a great job of setting up the jab and getting the shots he wants. Neither man really looking to finish the fight. Vinny tries to clinch with him but it’s not working. Vinny throws himself on the ground after a failed takedown attempt and is told to get back up. Davis a few solid jabs and the fight comes to a close. Slow third round but a good striking display from Davis. 10-9 Davis.
Both men hug after talking a whole lot about each other, good to see.
Phil Davis def. Vinny Magalhaes by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
Davis salutes Vinny and throws out a “Save Olympic Wrestling”.
This shitstorm of a card sort of needs a knockout right now so….OMG WAKA! Anyhow, Arianny promotes the UFC Magazine and obviously puts it right in front of her breasts, promoting what she feels really matters. Nice PR move there.
Like I was saying, we sort of need what my paysans would call an “espresso fight”…time for Big Country vs. Napoleon.
Kongo comes out to an atrocious version on what sounds like that Run DMC vs. Jason Nevins track but I have no freaking clue.
Nelson out to “Born In The USA”, by Jersey’s own homeboy and the only man who makes me cry at night.
Roy Nelson vs. Cheick Kongo
Round 1: Mulhall gets them going. Kongo throws a kick but Nelson catches it and initiates the clinch. We certainly don’t need a wall and stall fight right now but that’s what’s up thus far. Ref warns them to work. Kongo tries to escape but Nelson pits him back against the cage. Nelson goes for the suplex but Mulhall breaks them, to the dismay of let-them-work enthusiast Rogain. Roy clocks him with a humungous right hand as Kongo goes backwards and he is out. Okay.
That is exactly what this crowd and MMA media all over the world needed. A big, overhead right.
Roy Nelson def. Cheick Kongo by Knockout, Round 1, 2:03.
Nelson wants the gold. Calls out UFC 160. Third-straight, first-round knockout for Roy, who is making a serious case for a title fight right now.
Rogan looking over the middleweight rankings and declares the division “a murderous row”, instead of declaring the rankings “a murderous row”.
Now if someone goes out in the first and we don’t get a tattoo, how will you feel about Sonnen then?
Belcher out to “Little Wing”. I’ll be assembling a UFC 159: Walkout Songs from The American Fighters OST on iTunes later on, hit me up for a copy.
Kevin Mulhall checks Belcher’s wrap before Belcher gets in the cage. Easily the worst night of this referee’s life. Bisping comes out to the most obnoxious, 2:30am drunk white-girl singalong in the history of DJ failures, Blur’s “Song 2″.
Michael Bisping vs. Alan Belcher
Round 1: Solid staredown and Bisping bumps Belcher’s chest. Belcher’s wraps get cut off because they’re signed. Belcher comes out southpaw. Good movement from Belcher so far. Bisping with a low legkick but it gets checked. Bisping misses a right hand. Dean temporarily stops the fight for a low-blow but Bisping shrugs it off. Belcher’s hands fairly low. A lot of movement from both men while the “USA” chants start. Inside legkick by Bisping. Bisping with a kick to the body. Both men circling and missing most of their strikes. Bisping certainly pressing the action. Nice right hand by Bisping. Big right hand by Belcher, Bisping shrugs it off. Legkick checked by Belcher. Bisping gets a left jab in. Bisping catches Belcher with a right hand. Nothing seriously damaging both fighters right now. Eyepoke by Belcher and they stop the fight temporarily. Both men circling in the center and Belcher slips. Not much going on here. Big right hand by Bisping as the horn sounds. 10-9 Bisping.
Round 2: Belcher comes out swinging right away.Belcher throws a combination but misses it. Bisping looks to strike on the inside but Belcher pushes him away. Highkick by Bisping just misses. Nice uppercut by Bisping. Bisping tags him again with a left and then a solid right hand. Big left hand by Bisping gets through in an exchange. Belcher misses a low legkick. Belcher not respecting Bisping’s hands. Bisping connects with the right hand again. Bisping tags him with a jab followed by a right hand and Belcher isn’t blocking anything. Bisping leading with his left hand and is successful with another combination. Both men exchange right hands. Huge left hand by Bisping. Bisping goes for a highkick but misses. Left hand by Belcher followed by a right. Belcher connects with another right but Bisping connects with a nice combination. 10-9 Bisping.
Round 3: Bisping opens up with a big right hand. Belcher starts working his combinations better. Belcher throws and Bisping laughs at Belcher and says, “What was that?” Hilarious. Bisping with a solid overhead right. Bisping successfully circling around his opponent and getting some jabs in. Belcher is slowing down and his hands are staying besides his hips. Another solid right hand by Bisping. Headkick connects by Bisping, doesn’t trouble Belcher though. Bisping with an inside legkick. Bisping really finding a home for that right hand and Belcher does not look like he’s being that urgent right now. Bisping with another right hand, followed by another (not too powerful, though). Bisping picks up the pace and tags Belcher with a left hook. Belcher shoots for the takedown but it is easily stuffed. Action is a little slow in the final minute. Major eyepoke and Belcher crumbles. Keep those surgeries in mind. Belcher has blood coming out of his eye, unless his eyebrow is bleeding. Nope, it’s the eye. The fight is over and Belcher cannot continue. Both men congratulate each other. Nasty, nasty night. Bisping apologizes and both men seem cool.
Michael Bisping def. Alan Belcher by Technical Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Ok, so the bet was off? Rogan makes the case for the changing of gloves once more, which has more merit than it ever has. Bisping congratulates Belcher and apologizes for the unintentional blow. Main event time and to be honest, let’s get this shitshow over with.
Goldie says this is a highly-anticipated matchup and no, it’s not…but at this point I’ll take whatever I can after spending fifty Canadian bones on this thing instead of spending the rent money on The Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream reissue.
Sonnen comes out in a blue Paulie Malignaggi boxing robe. Might as well go out like a gangster. And the boos reign down for God’s son, although he comes out to 50 which is cool but immediately switches to Jammin’ by Bob. I mean, ok cool, pick one though. This isn’t sponsored by David Guetta.
Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen
Round 1: Sonnen takes the center quickly and Jones gets the takedown (!). Sonnen is back up landing some punches from the clinch. Jones goes for another takedown and clinches Sonnen against the fence. Hmm, interesting. Sonnen gets a big takedown again. Big elbow from the top from Jones. Sonnen back up but Jones is still hanging on. Sonnen has his back against the cage and is trying to fight the champion off. Jones is basically using Sonnen’s strategy. Jones is working a single-leg and lands a big uppercut. Spinning elbow by Jones, followed by uppercuts to the body as Sonnen hasn’t moved with his back against the cage. Massive takedown by Jones. The champ is in top position as Chael doesn’t have an answer yet. Nice elbow by Jones from top position. Jones grabs Sonnen’s arms and Jones swarms on Sonnen with some massive elbows. Jones relentless and the referee steps in. Chael protests the stoppage, bloodied.
Jones hit him with a knee to the body and swarmed him with elbows. Early stoppage? Not sure, I think Sonnen would have melted in there.
Jon Jones def. Chael Sonnen by TKO (Strikes), Round 1, 4:33.
Jones has a broken foot that looks utterly gross. Blood spewing from the toes. Rogan gives us the first post-fight stool interview. Jones says he was supposed to go to Jamaica but can’t now. I want to turn this off now. This fight felt like waiting in line for that rollercoaster that you know is going to suck and a soccer mom pukes on the back of your neck twelve seconds in. Sonnen confirms it was a justified stoppage. Sonnen is disappointed (duh) and says he will think it through. Sonnen unofficially retires in the cage, I’m guessing.
Man, that fight felt forced down our throats and it totally was. Glad this card is over; it wasn’t a memorable one to say the least. Y’all think the eyepoke could have been on purpose but I’m not surprised with the Bisping hate. It’s hard to say – like 22% of Kongo’s nut shots. That’s it for me tonight. Thankfully I’ve got the luxury of a PVR in front of me and since I’ve got an on-again, off-again hatred for Canadian nightlife, I’ll be watching the handful of boxing fights from earlier tonight (sin to the moronic MMA fan, I know). Also, these Killer Mike and Motorhead tapes aren’t going to download themselves. Goodnight.
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.
Handling play-by-play duties for our TUF 17 Finale liveblog is Alex Giardini, who will stack up results from the FX main card broadcast after the jump beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and please share your own thoughts in the comments section.
(“Nice hair, douchebag.” — Both of them. / Image via MMAFighting.com)
Handling play-by-play duties for our TUF 17 Finale liveblog is Alex Giardini, who will stack up results from the FX main card broadcast after the jump beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and please share your own thoughts in the comments section.
Hello there, tasty ones…welcome to The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale. Tonight’s main event features title shot alumni Urijah Faber against Miami Ink’s own, Scott Jorgensen. A win for Faber means “The California Kid” could be next in line for a light heavyweight or middleweight title shot (his choice, really) and a win for Jorgensen means…well, a two-fight win streak.
The Ultimate Fighter middleweight tournament winner will be crown as Uriah Hall takes on Kelvin Gastelum, who at this point probably has three people in this world who thinks he’s going to leave Las Vegas the winner. In all seriousness, this fight should be a lot closer than most people think.
A salivating (creep alert) matchup between Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano will also take place on this card and I’m warning you now, updates may take a little longer during this one. Technically, you are all ‘Taters…but tonight I’m sure there will be some ‘Zingers in the house too. Anyway, the winner of this one gets a title shot and coaches alongside Ronda Rousey in next season’s Big Brother.
A heavyweight scrap between Gabriel Gonzaga and Travis Browne should be thoroughly entertaining and opening the night is a scrap between TUF 17 castoffs Bubba McDaniel and Gilbert Smith. Also on the card tonight are former Strikeforce ring card girls Chrissy Blair and Vanessa Hanson. Good God, those bangs-ba-bangs-bangs-bangs….let’s do the damn thang.
Intro video begins and I must say Tate and Zingano are by far the prettiest fighters ever to take part in this montage. Yeah, you’re going to have to deal with this all night. Gastelum declares himself as the underdog once again – hard not to root for guys like that. Faber says he’s basically getting another title shot with this win. Hmm, would have never thought…
I’m also expecting a .gif of that blonde in the crowd wearing the white tanktop by tomorrow morning, courtesy of the MMA community (a.k.a. sick freaks).
Bubba McDaniel vs. Gilbert Smith
Round 1: They do not touch gloves. Smith with a miss to the body. Bubba with a left that misses but pushes Smith towards the fence. Smith with a good knee, could have been a groin. Bubba with a nice combo, left and rights. Smith gets a takedown by pulling Bubba’s foot from underneath of him and sets up his guard. Bubba reverses and ends up in half-guard. Good elbow from the position by Bubba. Bubba with some jabs and Smith gets up, setting up a double-leg takedown. Smith attempts a triangle but fails. Smith in Bubba’s guard, not staying very busy. Bubba with a few elbows from the bottom. Bubba works his way to the cage and posts his back against the fence. Smith still grinding as Bubba is attempting to standup. Bubba on his knees, firing elbows to the side of Smith’s head. He gets up shortly but Smith takes him back down. Bubba working a guillotine. It looks quite deep but doesn’t commit and switches to a sweep. Bubba now in side control, works and gets Smith’s back. A big knee to the ribs by Bubba at the end of the round. Close, but Bubba did more damage. 10-9 Bubba.
Round 2: Both men clinch at the center. Smith charges Bubba all the way to the fence and is working another takedown. Bubba pressures him and ends up reversing Smith against the fence. Smith attempts a kimura but no success. Smith working a single, Bubba defending with his back against the cage and laying down some hammerfists. Knee to the head by Bubba. Both men now exchanging, Bubba using effective legkicks. Smith misses a wild left. Bubba attempts the takedown and Smith gets him in a guillotine. It looks very tight. Bubba gets out of it and is now in side control. Bubba moves to the back, gets double-underhooks and rains down punches. Bubba in half-guard and clips Smith with a good elbow. Smith gets up and they are both on their feet. Jab misses by Smith. Bubba with a nice right hook. Smith jabs but Bubba shuffles away. 10-9 Bubba.
Round 3: They touch gloves and Bubba knocks him down with a left shortly after. Bubba gets another left hook in but Smith responds with the same. Smith goes for a takedown but Bubba reverses it into a takedown of his own. Bubba in side control, passes guard and mounts. Bubba back in half-guard after Smith postures effectively. Bubba takes the back after a crossface. Bubba looking for underhooks, secures one. Bubba attempting to stretch Smith out for a rear-naked choke. Smith countering very well, and reverses Bubba. However Bubba gets a triangle-armbar in. Smith tries to escape but Bubba locks it in and Smith eventually taps.
Bubba McDaniel def. Gilbert Smith by Submission (Triangle choke), Round 3, 2:49.
Decent fight to start the main card. Nice promo video for next week’s card, featuring Mir, Cormier, Nate, Melendez and etc.
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Travis Browne
Round 1: Browne with a wild overhead kick that misses and Gonzaga nearly turns it into a takedown. Gonzaga has Browne clinched up against the fence. Gonzaga working a single-leg, Browne defending with a left-underhook. Ref warns Browne not to grab fence. Browne hits Gonzaga with four or five elbows and my goodness, Gonzaga falls flat, out cold.
Travis Brown def. Gabriel Gonzaga by KO (Elbows), Round 1, 1:11.
Those elbows were brutal. Some hit the temple, some hit the ear, one definitely hit the back of his head. More or less inevitable when you’re trying to pound someone’s lights out. Anik interviews Browne, who says he’s got to show these young bucks how to get bonuses. Fair enough.
Crowd shots of both CM Punk, promoting straight-edgery with an “X” in the air and IBF Light Middleweight champ Ishe Smith.
Anik joined by Jones and Sonnen. Jones says the final should be a great fight. Sonnen hits a promo on the final, business as usual. Anik asks Jones a question in which Jones shrugs off and says the work is done. Sonnen says if he goes down, he will go down as a gangster. Jones does not even look at Sonnen. Jones said it’s not about hate, it’s about love. Yeah, honestly I’m as confused as you are. Whatever, second-women’s-fight-in-UFC-history time and aww, shot of Rousey in the crowd.
Miesha Tate vs. Cat Zingano
Zingano stares at Tate intensely before “Cupcake” can even get into the cage. Tate dancing in her corner and rapping alongside Nicki Minaj before Buffer spews their names. Cuuuuuute.
Round 1: Lurdge Winslow gets them going. Tate comes out blazing and gets the takedown. Cat escapes and now Tate securing in a choke. Tate digs Cat into the fence and Cat working a guillotine of her own. Cat relaxed against the fence. Cat has a guillotine in tight, trips Cat and now they’re back on their feet. Tate rocks Cat with a number of punches and Cat drags Tate to the bottom, getting in another choke. Cat now in side control. Cat on top, trying to work an armlock. They both get up and Cat gets a nice highkick in. Tate rocks Cat back with a huge right. Big knee from Cat! Followed by a jab and big uppercut from Cat. Tate gets another takedown, aggressively trying to work. Tate now in side control and trying to mount. Tate has her leg caught in Cat’s half-guard. Big elbow from the top from Tate followed by one more. Tate trying to get her leg free. Tate with a big elbow from the top. Round ends with Miesha on top, raining down punches. As Tate gets up, she shoves her hand in Cat’s face who walks towards Tate but Winslow separates them. Oh my. 10-9 Tate.
Round 2: Cat comes forward with a flying knee, misses. They scramble for takedowns and Miesha now in side control against the fence. Tate trying to find an advantageous position but Cat still trapping that leg. Tate trying to mount. Big shots from the top, by Tate who transitions into armbar. Cat escapes and both are in an opposite north-south position, battling for supremacy. Cat in mount once more, raining down punches. Tate in side control once more, trying to mount. Now Cat reverses and is on top. Tate sets up a leglock. Cat trying to break her leg free and Tate gets her in a heel-hook. Cat patiently waiting for an opportunity. Cat with some punches to the legs of Tate and her face. Tate still working off her back. Tate trying to turn but Cat counters. Big shots from Cat on top. Cat raining down some ground and pound revenge. Cat still in top position. Tate gets up, Cat misses with a knee and both try for a takedown as the horn sounds. FOTN, easily. 10-9 Tate.
Round 3: Tate bleeding from the nose. Both circle, faking. Cat misses a highkick and falls but gets up. Cat works a takedown and charges Tate down. Warning from Winslow for Cat to watch the eyes. Big elbow from side control by Cat. Tate on her back and Cat drilling down punches. Good, short elbow from Cat from the top. Cat looking for a choke. Cat pounding away, with shots and elbows. Tate scrambling but Cat is relentless in side control. Tate’s nose looks messy. Cat really pounding away, Tate gets up and Cat drops her with a knee. Tate gets up and another knee from Tate. Cat with a few more big strikes, elbows, and the ref steps in.
Holy hell, that fight was intense. Shot of Rousey sitting by Chael, who is giving the champ some advice based on what he saw. Rousey looks intrigued by Cat.
Cat Zingano def. Miesha Tate by TKO (Strikes), Round 3, 2:55.
Rousey and Dana with Anik now. Rousey said she’s really able to perform under pressure and Dana said she looked amazing tonight. I wonder if The Baldfather told Rousey to wear that blazer to promote next season’s Big Brother. Dana announces next season will move to Fox Sports One. In other news, many of the commenters down below will masturbate to the replay of our last fight in approximately 53 minutes.
Pre-fight promo video shows Gastelum with his mother back at home. She talks about his trophies and triumphs. He says he owes his life to her. Screen shots of NY and footage of Uriah’s sister busting his chops. His mother tells him, “Mama says Knock him out”. Uriah says Kelvin does not possess what he has. Bring on the winner…
Uriah Hall vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Round 1: Herb Dean gets us going. They touch gloves and Gastelum takes the centre. Both very patient, feeling each other out. Hall working backwards. Gastelum lands with a left after missing a wild one. Gastelum clinching Hall against the fence, working with knees. Gastelum with a shoulder strike after his arms are being controlled by Hall. Both men still clinched against the fence. They separate and Gastelum gets a legkick in. Hall goes for a lead-in knee and misses his right hook. Hall connects with a short right. Gastelum with a superman punch and rocks Hall. Gastelum swinging for the fences. Gastelum misses a wild right and sets up a takedown. Throwing bombs from side control, Gastelum mounts. He ends up in half-guard and clips Hall with a short punch. Gastelum trying to ground and pound but Hall looks like he’s doing well from the bottom. Hall uses the fence to get up and Gastelum knees him. Hall gets in a beautiful inside legkick that nearly spins Gastelum around. Hall with a big takedown but Gastelum gets up and Hall ends the round by clinching him against the fence. Gastelum 10-9.
Round 2: Hall comes out blazing and misses a frontkick. Gastelum moving nicely, shuffling back and forth. Hall misses with a spinning strike but gets a straight right in. Big highkick by Hall. Hall misses with a few fancy highkicks and Gastelum secures another takedown. Gastelum trying to mount but Hall working nicely off his back. Gastelum secures and underhook but Hall reverses him and gets on top. Hall stands up and lays into Gastelum with a big knee, who also gets up seconds after Hall. Gastelum has Hall clinched up against the fence again. Trip by Hall and ends up on top of Gastelum on the ground. Short elbow by Hall on the ground. Dean urges Hall to work. Hall ends up getting Gastelum’s back as they both on their feet and a huge belly-to-back suplex by Hall. Gastelum quickly rises and turns Hall against the fence. Gastelum using his wrestling background effectively. Knee lands inside by Gastelum. Tough one to score. 10-9 Gastelum.
Round 3: Gastelum misses with a wild right hook and Hall hits him with a knee to the body. Gastelum points to the crotch and the fight stops. After a few seconds, Gastelum is ok. Hall misses with a patented karate kick. Hall trying to catch his opponent with those familiar spinning kicks. Hall with his hands down catches Gastelum with a big jab. Gastelum takes him down from the back and Hall escapes and gets a takedown of his own, dropping bombs from the top. Both men standup and Gastelum clinches Hall towards the fence once more. Hall misses with a jab. Hall gets a nice left jab in. Hall almost catches him with a highkick. Hall misses with a frontkick to the body. Gastelum catches Hall with an overhead left. Inside legkick by Gastelum. Big double-leg takedown by Gastelum and he transitions into an armbar. Hall going for a triangle off his back. Gastelum escapes and is mounted, trying to do damage from the top. Hall firing away from the bottom with wild, hard punches. Gastelum goes for an armlock and Hall reverses it, gets his back and the horn sounds. Sudden victory round could be looming. 10-9 Gastelum.
Kelvin Gastelum def. Uriah Hall by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Rocky Balboa never got tired of the underdog role, so why should Gastelum. Congrats to Kelvin, The Ultimate Fighter 17 Middleweight Winner.
Main event time…
Urijah Faber vs. Scott Jorgensen
Round 1: Both men come out aggressively. Faber lands with a few strikes and works on a front headlock. Faber clinches Jorgensen against the fence. Jorgensen gets a takedown and tries to work on the bottom. Faber attempts an armbar but no dice. Nice reversal by Faber and he takes down Jorgensen. Faber attempts a guillotine and takes his back instead. Both men get to their feet and both land a few jabs. Huge knee to the midsection by Faber. Jorgensen drops and Faber capitalizes on top of him. Faber takes his back and secures position for a rear-naked choke. Jorgensen tries to escape but Faber relentlessly continuing. Jorgensen escapes but Faber gets in a guillotine. Faber shuffles and continues to secure the choke. Faber switches position and gets Jorgensen’s back once more. Faber gets an underhook in as Jorgensen tries to get to his feet and the horn sounds. All Faber in the first. 10-9 Faber.
Round 2: Both fighters come to trade in the centre. Jorgensen misses a big left hook. Faber misses with a combo. Faber kicks Jorgensen in the groin by accident and Jorgensen drops. After about a minute, Jorgensen continues. Good jab by Jorgensen. Beautiful knee by Faber to the face. Straight right by Faber and a counter by Jorgensen. Uppercut by Faber and Jorgensen gets a takedown. Faber gets up quickly and clocks Jorgensen with another knee. Faber checks a highkick from Jorgensen. Nice left hook by Faber. Faber going to the body, using kicks and hits Jorgensen with a nice elbow. Faber with a nice left hook. Faber with a kick to the midsection. Jorgensen working his combinations effectively but Faber is so fast that nothing is landing. Takedown by Faber. Jorgensen trying to work a kimura from the bottom. Faber scrambles and both men stand up. Nice left by Jorgensen. Uppercut by Jorgensen. Faber lands a big right. Faber clinches Jorgensen against the fence. Jorgensen reverses and gets a bodylock against the cage. Both jockeying for position. Both men fight off to get to the center and Jorgensen closes the second round with a nice left hook. 10-9 Faber.
Round 3: Both men circle at the center. Nice straights by Jorgensen but he can’t catch Faber clean. Good knee by Faber. Jorgensen connecting with his lead jab. Nice right hand by Jorgensen. Knee to the body by Jorgensen. Faber misses with a right but lands a legkick. Good combo by Faber, closes with a left hook. Nice combination by Jorgensen that lands. Body shot by Faber. Faber with a good left hook. Faber again with a left hook as Jorgensen comes forward. Jorgensen has Faber against the fence and works double-underhooks. Jorgensen now has Faber’s back and misses with a big elbow. Faber escapes and catches him with a big right hand. Jorgensen gets a right in of his own and sneaks in a takedown. He has Faber’s back and Faber escapes but eats an elbow on the inside. Jorgensen connects with an uppercut and a few good punches. Legkick by Jorgensen. Jorgensen throws another kick but almost slips. Good counter punch by Faber. Faber gets a double-leg and now has Jorgensen’s back. Horn sounds and a big round for Jorgensen. 10-9 Jorgensen.
Round 4: Jorgensen opens the round with a right hook. Faber connects with a straight right. Jorgensen connecting with a string of punches. Faber catches him with a right hand. Jab by Faber. Jorgensen shoots for a takedown but ends up in a high-elbow guillotine. Jorgensen escapes and both exchanges punches. Faber stuffs a takedown. Jorgensen gets in a knee to the body as Faber went forward. Big elbow by Faber. Both men clinch at the center. They break apart and Faber clocks him with a right. Faber fainting successfully and jabs Jorgensen. Left hook by Faber. Big takedown by Faber. Faber gets his back and gets an arm in across Jorgensen’s face. Faber gets in a rear-naked choke and Jorgensen is an inch away from the fence, trying to escape. Faber sinks it in deep and Jorgensen taps. Another submission for “The California Kid”.
Urijah Faber def. Scott Jorgensen by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), Round 4, 3:16.
Fun card…these TUF Finales usually are. Faber praises his buddy and hopes they fight for the belt one day. Tate and Zingano definitely the highlight of the night. Hope y’all enjoyed the card. Take care homies.
Heading up today’s play-by-play is George Shunick, who will be sticking live results from the “Mousasi vs. Latifi” main card broadcast after the jump beginning at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT. Refresh the page for all the latest, and please throw down your own thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for being here. We definitely owe you one.
Heading up today’s play-by-play is George Shunick, who will be sticking live results from the “Mousasi vs. Latifi” main card broadcast after the jump beginning at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT. Refresh the page for all the latest, and please throw down your own thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for being here. We definitely owe you one.
Thanks to some technical difficulties, you’ve all be spared from an unnecessary snarky introduction paragraph. You lucky bastards. On that note, let’s get right into the action…
Akira Corassani vs. Robbie Peralta
Round 1
Both fighters come out tenatively. Corassani using feints and head movement, and lands a nice counter right. Corassani constantly moving, and lands a low kick. He evads a combo from Peralta. Low kick Corassani. Peralta rushes in and lands. As Goldie and Kenny Florian note, Corassani’s clearly benefited from training with Frankie Edgar. They exchange on the fence, and Peralta closes the distance. Lands a nice a uppercut and they clinch against the fence. They separate and Corassani lands a nice one-two. Peralta catches a kick and throws a nice knee. Big overhand right from Corassani. He looks for another, but it merely clips Peralta. Nice left from Peralta. Both land with strong punches. Corassani remains active with kicks. Now he rushes in for a takedown, but eats a knee for his efforts. They clinch along the fence. Peralta lands a solid knee and gains dominant position against the cage. They break and the round ends. 10-9 Corassani.
Round 2
Corassani circles, catches a kick and counters with a right hand. Peralta going for leg kicks now, and Corassani counters with his own. Corassani catches another kick and follows with the same counter. He defends a takedown from Peralta and grabs a Thai clinch. He lands a knee and they break. Corassani looks for an overhand right that grazes Peralta. Corassani lands a big left hook counter, but Peralta lands his own shortly after. He lands a HUGE left hook immediately after, and Corassani slowly drops. He returns to his feet, but Peralta clinches and lands some serious knees to the body. Corassani turns the tables, as he reverses position against the fence and works for a single leg. He almost lands a trip, but Peralta stands. Peralta lands a nice elbow in the clinch and begins to work the body. BIG SHOT from Corassani that leaves him out on his feet. It was the overhand right. They clinch, separate and Peralta lands a jab. Nice left hand from Corassani. Peralta lands a low kick at the bell. 10-9 Corassani in a close round.
Round 3
Corassani rushes forward and eats a counter left. He’s headhunting with that overhand now, and his movement has suffered. Peralta lands a leg kick. Then a right hand from Peralta followed by a big shot to the body. Corassani doesn’t like where this is heading and opts for the takedown. Peralta works for a kimura, to no avail. He manages to stand, but is immediately taken down via a trip. However, he stands, and they alternate position against the fence with nothing significant landing for either fighter. Corassani is cut, and works for a takedown, switching from double to single to double. It fails, but as Peralta tries to grab a Thai clinch and land a knee, he loses his balance and Corassani capitalizes with a takedown. He passes to half-guard and the round ends. 10-9 Corassani, who should take this unanimously.
30-27 on two scorecards and 29-28 on one for Akira Corassani. No surprise there, Corassani held an edge throughout most of the fight. What the hell is going on with Kenny Florian’s hair? It’s as if the front of his hair became self-aware and attempted to escape his scalp, only to be met with the cruel reality that it was unable to do so, though too stubborn to relinquish the hope of freedom. Which is a rather long-winded way of saying it looks really weird.
Diego Brandao vs. Pablo Garza
Not really sure what to think about this one. Brandao has the capability to finish, but he’s inconsistent. Garza’s getting on in mileage, but he’s got cardio, reach and skill on the ground. I suppose I’ll favor him.
Round 1
Brandao lands a solid low kick to start. Garza returns with a head kick, which is blocked. Brandao tries to close the distance with a leaping left hook, but it misses. He lands a solid left hook to right cross combo, though. Garza lands a solid low kick followed by a one-two. Brandao swarms, and eats a knee. Brandao grabs Garza and slams him to the ground with authority. Garza works from half-guard, but does not secure a sweep. Brandao passes to side control, landing short shots from the top. He sinks an arm triangle and Garza almost taps… and he does! Brandao secures the submission in arguably the most impressive performance of his career.
Brandao tells Kenny Florian’s Hair something about “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the blood.” Didn’t really understand anything beyond that. Moving on, we get to see Marcus Brimage get his ass handed to him by Irish phenom Connor McGregor via brutal uppercuts.
Brad Pickett vs. Mike Easton
Mike Easton can an extraordinarily frustrating fighter to watch. He over-utilizes head movement and throws punches too far away to connect and rarely initiates any serious action. Fortunately, Brad Pickett will handle that last part. The man is dynamite personified. Should be a barnburner, with Easton perhaps playing the role of the barn.
Round 1
Picket lands a low kick. They both exchange low kicks. Picket lands a nice counter left hook. Pickett pushing the pace so far. Easton lands a nice kick to the mid section, but gets tossed down. He grabs and leg and works for a takedown, and they end up against the fence. Easton lands a nice knee, and then lands a trip against the fence. Pickett manages to stand on one hand, though, and stands. He lands two solid elbows and reverses position. They separate. Nice low kick from Pickett, then a jab. Nice left hook from Easton, misses with a high kick. Now Pickett looks for a takedown. Easton stops it and lands a high kick. They exchange jabs. Easton lands a combo, but Pickett answers. Easton lands a takedown under a punch from Pickett, but Pickett quickly stands. Both men land. Now Pickett works for a takedown and lands it. The round ends, and it was competitive. Not entirely sure who I’d give that to, so I’ll say 10-10.
Round 2
Easton lands a left hook followed by a right hand. He shoots for a takedown, but Pickett counters with uppercuts. Nice high kick from Easton, followed by a takedown attempt. He grabs a Thai clinch and lands some knees. Pickett with a nice body shot. They constantly exchange in the center of the ring. Pickett has really brought out the best in Easton. Uppercut-hook from Pickett. Pickett lands a double, but Easton pops right back up. They’re against the fence, and Pickett is working for another takedown and lands it. Before this fight, no one had managed to take Easton down. Still, Easton just pops back up and lands a nice knee. Pickett answers with a powerful combination against the fence. Easton shoots for another takedown and lands it. He passes to half-guard and works for a kimura. Pickett manages to stand, though. Pickett attempts another takedown but it’s stuffed. They exchange in the middle of the Octagon, but Pickett, tiring, backs into the fence and Easton follows. Big spinning elbow from Easton, but Pickett answers with BIG punches. They swing against the fence, both men landing heavily but Pickett gets the best shots in. Another close round. I’m really not sure who’s winning this right now, but I’ll lean Pickett slightly.
Round 3
Both man land left hooks following slips Spinning back kick from Easton. Pickett remainging active with punches, while Easton lands a solid knee to the midsection. Easton now seems to be tiring as well. Overhand right from Pickett. Easton lands a takedown, but Pickett reverses and ends up in Easton’s guard. Huge moment in this fight. It’s the first time Pickett’s managed to keep Easton down. Easton is not terribly active from the bottom, and Pickett manages to pass to half-guard. Works short punches from the top, and begins to posture up. As Easton turns, Pickett gains a body lock and SLAMS him once Easton stands. Pickett working a front headlock now, as Easton turtles, waiting for an opportunity to stand. Easton stands and lands a solid left hook. Uppercut from Pickett. He pumps his jab again and lands a big right. Pickett lands a solid knee. They exchange for the final twenty seconds, each man landing big shots. Excellent fight. 10-9 Pickett in the final round, and I believe that will be enough to win him the fight. Still, let’s see what the judges have to say…
29-28 for Easton, 30-27 for Pickett and 30-27 Brad Pickett’s Hat tells Kenny Florian’s Hair that his coaches probably weren’t pleased with his hyper-aggressive style and shouts out to his fellow English pub regulars. Good on him. Weird scores, but in a way they’re understandable. Still, the right guy won.
Matt Mitrione vs. Philip De Fries
Can we take a minute to talk about how terrible Kid Rock’s Harley commercial is? “I can’t hear you over the rumble of my freedom”? Expect that to be the campaign slogan for a fringe Tea Party Republican Presidential candidate in 2016. You heard it here first. Anyway, heavyweights…
Round 1
De Fries shoots for a takedown, but it’s stuffed. De Fries inexplicably crumples on another takedown attempt and Mitrione swarms brutally. Fight’s over, but I have no idea what happened. Heavyweights, bro.
Philip De Fries appears to have KO’d himself by running into Matt Mitrione’s hipbone. Hopefully there won’t be a post-fight interview with Kenny Florian’s Hair after this one. Although it would be hilarious if this somehow won KO of the Night. (Connor McGregor would not find this nearly as amusing.)
They do an interview. Matt Mitrione pretends to speak through his translator, Chris Lytle. Groan. Then he says he almost got arrested last night. And he speaks really fast. Well, that’s that. Now we get treated to a solid fight between Michael Johnson and Reza Madadi to pass the time.
[CONSPIRACY INTERMISSION]
Vadim Finkelstein at a UFC event? Fedor vs. Anderson Silva at MSG in 2013. It’s happening. After all, it’s impossible that a wealthy Russian MMA promoter would be unable to obtain his own tickets to an MMA event on his own, just because he enjoys the sport.
Ross Pearson vs. Ryan Couture
Gotta feel bad for Ryan Couture. Has a legacy he can’t possibly live up to, and he’s probably going to get lamped by Ross Pearson. Hey, at least he’s in the co-main event!
Round 1
Couruew shoots for a takedown and gets a body lock. He pushes Pearson into the fence, and works some short knees. Pearson reverses position, but only momentarily. He is unable to extricate himself from the cage, as Couture continues to throw knees. Couture works for a double leg, but to no avail. Couture lands a nice elbow and some more knees, then switches for a single. He lands it, but Pearson stands immediately. They’re back on the fence, but finally separate. Right from Pearson is blocked. A high kick from Pearson is blocked. Couture answers with a front kick. A spinning back kick from Couture. (Never thought I’d type that.) Still, most of Couture’s stanup is ineffective. Pearson lands a flying knee, but as a result is back with his back on the fence. Big knee from Pearson from Pearson, though, causes a separation. He follows with a big left hook. He did the most damage, but I’d still favor Couture in that round. 10-9 Couture, but Pearson has the momentum.
Round 2
Pearson immediately takes the center of the Octagon and lands a jab. Nice right hand from Pearson. And another. Pearson is clearly more comfortable this round. Nice left hook from Pearson, but Couture lands a solid knee then initiates a clinch. They’re against the fence, and Couture lands a solid knee. Both men work to the body and Couture lands a solid combination punctuated by a left hook. Pearson uses an excellent slip land a body shot, then a strong right cross. Another body shot from Pearson. Couture shoots for a takedown, but it’s stuffed. Nice right from Couture. Nice left hook from Pearson. Right to the body from Pearson. Pearson catches a Couture kick and takes him down. As Couture stands, Pearson catches him with a right straight, and he rocks Couture! Pearson is unrelenting and brutalizes Couture, who drops, turtles and the referee steps in. Ross Pearson wins in emphatic fashion.
Pearson tells KFH he broke his foot prior to the fight when he kicked his coaches elbow. Which is a pretty miserable injury to have. Kudos to him. And now time for the main event…
Gegard Mousasi vs. Ilir Latifi
Personally, I favored Mousasi over Gustafsson when that fight was announced. Needless to say, the late minute replacement hasn’t done much to shake my confidence in “The Dreamcatcher.” (But that nickname… ugh.) Still, imagine if Latifi – a 20-1 underdog – could pull off the upset. Latifi enters to the “Rocky” theme, winning the Most Obvious Entrance of the Evening Award. KFH says Latifi could come out of nowhere, “like Daniel Cormier” before he beat Antonio Silva. I’m sorry, people knew who Daniel Cormier was before he beat “Bigfoot.” Let’s not pretend otherwise. Mousasi enters with the countenance of a man who just really, really wouldn’t mind if you would just let him grab 10 more minutes of sleep before he has to go about his day.
Round 1
Low kick from Mousasi. Jab from Mousasi. Another low kick. Latifi fires back, though, even if he doesn’t connect. Latifi goes for a takedown, but it’s stuffed and he finds himself against the fence. They break. not mch action, just Mousasi stalking Latifi. Low kick from Mousasi, followed by a one-two. Another jab snaps Latifi’s head back. Latifi looks for a huge overhand, but misses by a mile. He lands a nice counter left hook, though. Right hand from Mousasi, who’s beginning to loosen up. Another right lands. Left kick lands to Latifi’s leg. Mousasi doubles on his jab. He continues to push Latifi back. Another jab. Latifi goads him on, but Mousasi doesn’t care. He continues to jab away as the bell sounds. 10-9 Mousasi.
Round 2
Mousasi just goes back to throwing his jabs. And they’re still landing. Latifi lands a left, but it doesn’t faze Mousasi. Another jab from mousasi. It’s the story of the fight so far. Goes to the body with it now. Big right from Latifi. Again, Mousasi is unfazed. Mousasi lands a nice left hook, and Latifi thinks better of exchanging. Mousasi lands a right straight and sprawls on Latifi’s takedown attempt. Latifi’s face is getting bloodied now from these jabs. He is relentless. Nice low kick from Mousasi. More jabs. Unending jabs. Infinite jabs. Latifi may have injured his right hand somehow. 10-9 Mousasi.
Round 3
Jab. Low kick from Latifi. Jab. Right cross from Mousasi followed by a low kick. High kick misses from Latifi. Jab. Jab. Jab-cross. Low kick from Latifi. Jab. Jab to the body. Jab. Jab. Jab-cross. Jab. Low kick from Mousasi. And another. Jab. Latifi throws a nice right hand. Jab. Jab from Latifi! Jab. Jab. Jab. Jab. Jab. Low kick, Latifi. Jab. Mousasi walking aroun with his hands at his waist. Jab-cross. Jab. Jab. Cross. Jab. Latifi’s face is horrendous. Mousasi went for a low kick, Latifi catches it, and Mousasi just decidees to fall down. He has a conversation with his corner, but Latifi doesn’t take too kindly to that. He lands some solid shots, stands and eats a major upkick for his trouble. The round ends, 10-9 Mousasi. Apparently, this is only three rounds, so to the judges we go…
Mousasi wins 30-27 on all cards. He tells KFH he was injured and had a cold. He mentions he may have been guilty of the standup equivalent of lay-and-pray. Ilir Latifi’s face begs to differ. Anyway, that’s it for tonight today! Enjoy your evenings, Potato Nation.
Our man Oliver Chan is on the scene tonight at the Revel Casino, where he and photographer Rick Albrecht will be posting round-by-round updates, commentary, and visual aids after the jump, beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest from the NBC Sports Network main card broadcast, and let your voices be heard in the comments section.
Our man Oliver Chan is on the scene tonight at the Revel Casino, where he and photographer Rick Albrecht will be posting round-by-round updates, commentary, and visual aids after the jump, beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest from the NBC Sports Network main card broadcast, and let your voices be heard in the comments section.
Please stand by.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, I would like to wish myself a happy 32nd birthday on this lovely Saturday evening where I am sitting cage-side at the World Series of Fighting 2 coming at you LIVE on NBC Sports. We’ll be bringing some of the action to you live on CagePotato as well. But first, here are the prelims:
Frank Buenafuente vs. Bill Alego
Alego wins by Rear Naked Choke at 4:26 in the 2nd round
BrensonHansen vs. Tom Marcellino
Hansen wins by KO at 3:24 in the 2nd round
Chris Wade vs. Ozzie Dugulubgov
Ozzie (yeah, not attempting that name again) wins by Unanimous Decision
Igor Gracie vs. Rich Patishnock
Rich Patishnock wins after doctor stoppage (athough Igor clearly had won the round)
Waylon Lowe vs. Cameron Dollar
Waylon Lowe wins via 1st Round KO
Rick Glenn vs. Alexandre Pimentel
Rick Glenn wins via KO at 1:51 in the 3rd round
Danillo Villefort vs. Kris McCray
Villefort via split-decision
Main Event Coming Up!
JZ Calvalcante vs. Justin Gaethje
Well, for this fight, I will definitely be referring to these fighters by their first names.
Round 1
Justin comes in with a couple of leg-kicks. JZ shoots for the takedown, but Justin defends connects with some heavy fists. Justin gets JZ against the fence and hits with some more combos. JZ eats some knees from the clinch. Justin slips after some monster knees and a series of punches in bunches, JZ takes the action to the center of the ring. Justin gets JZ back against the fence and delivers some bone-crunching elbows to the face. JZ struggles to get off the fence as Justin continues to deliver powerful uppercuts to the face of JZ who is now bloody.
Ref halts the action to have the doctor examin JV’s face which has a rather large gash above the eye. Doctor comes in to check out the wound and calls the fight.
JZ is pretty pissed that the fight was stopped, understandably since he can still continue, however that giant gash above his eye will only get worse if they continue.
Justin Gaethje wins by Doctor’s Stoppate at 2:27 of the first round
Josh Burkman vs. Aaron Simpson
Simpson coming out to Quiet Riot.
Josh Burkman Twisted Sister. Lot of 80s hair-band music… We are SO in New Jersey right now.
Round 1
Simpson ties up Burkman against the fence. Burkman reverses. The two separate and square off again. Simpson is bleeding from the mouth. Burkman drops Simpson to one knee with a vicious right hook. The two square off again. Nasty leg-kick by Burkman. He unleashes on Simpson! Gets him against the fence KNEE TO THE HEAD! Simpson is down and the ref jumps in to end it.
The round started off pretty slow, but ended with a huge exclamation point.
Final decision coming up.
Burkman wins by KO 3:04 in the first
Burkman: “Jon Fitch needs to earn his title-shot”
Paulo Filho vs. David Branch
Branch channeling his inner Wandy with his entrance music.
Round 1
Branch pops Filho with a few jabs before taking hi down to the mat. He’s in Filho’s half-guard looking to ass. Branch works some GnP from the half-guard.
There’s certainly some Brooklyn fans here.
Branch is landing some hard shots to Filho’s mid-section. While in the half-guard.
And there’s a failed attempt to start a “U.S.A.” chant.
Branch passes the guard into the mount, but Filho is able to get Branch in his full guard before any damage can be done. Branch works some body shts from the guard. He has Filho up against the cage. Filo attempts some sweeps from the guard. Branch is able to defend and works some shots from the guard.
Yep… Here come the boo-birds… Like they can do better.
Branch lands some more shots now from the guard as the round ends.
Round goes to Branch 10-9.
Round 2
The two square off in the center. Branch drops FIlho with a kick to the midsection. Filho scrables up and Branch lands some strong combos. FIlho lands an overhand, but Branch drops him to the knees. Filho gets up, Branch lands the double leg and pins Filho to the cage. Filho stands up, but is tied up against the cage. Ref separates them.
Filho with a left hook. Branch ducks, double leg into side control. Branch in the mounted crucifix. ands some shots to Filho’s head a la Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn. Filho attempts to rll into Branch. Filho is looking tired. Branch flattens Filho out and keeps popping Filho in the head. Branch attempts to transition into the mount, but goes back to side control. Filho attempts to hip out, but Branch again flattens out his shoulders. Branch lands some elbows to the face and body from side control. Now adding knees into the mix. Branch gets the knee on belly, but moves back to side control. Branch goes to north-south and lands more body shots to Filho’s midsection. End of round 2.
Branch dominates the second round. Easily another 10-9 to the Renzo Gracie fighter.
Round 3
Filho attempts a spinning back kick, but it’s stuffed by branch who gts into th mount and lands some vicious ground and pound. Filho gets Branch into his half guard as Branch continues to land some powerful elbows. Filho can’t seem to get out of the bottom position as Branch continues to land some powerful body shots while in the half guard. Filho gets Branch into the full-guard and lands some elbows, but Branch continues to control Filho from inside the guard.
Ref stands the up and the crowd cheers.
Branch gets Filho into the clinch against the fence and lands some knees. The separate and a left kick by Branch. Branch gets Filho against the fence again, knees to the face and body. Branch gets the double leg and some more ground and pound and the round ends.
Branch easily takes the third once again 10-9.
Official decision: David Branch wins by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Tyson Nam vs. Marlon Moraes
Moraes coming out to some 90s Nirvana. I like.
Round 1
Tyson and Moraes feel each other out for a bit. Moraes starts to throw some heavy hands, but does not connect. He lands a strong leg kick on Nam. Nam comes in with a cross, Moraes steps away and lands a hard body kick. Morares and Nam exchange a few punches. Moraes with a nice combo. Moraes takes Nam down, but unable to capitalize as Nam quickly gets to his feet. Moraes lands a ROUND HOUSE Kick to the head and Nam is OUT!!!!
Official Decision: Moraes wins by KO 2:35 in the 1st Round
Andrei Arlovski vs. Anthony Johnson
Get ready for the main event. Quick note, thanks to CagePotato for this opportunity to come to the fights in person. Been here since 6 and been running on coffee and EBoost all night.
A quick shout-out to the comment section specifically “Thumblaster” for the comment that made me chuckle: “Rumble got his nickname because that’s what his stomach always used to do when he would fight welterweight”. Congrats. You win my approval.
Rumble Johnson coming out to some more Nirvana! This time it’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. I’m pumped! Looking at Rumble one must wonder how he once fought at 170!
Andrei is coming out to “Eye of the Tiger. The crowd here is definitely pumped now!
Round 1
Rumble comes in with some heavy hands and kicks. He is definitely pushing the pace and looking good. Rumble lands a nice combo. Andrei returns with a strong jab. Rumble throws to head-kicks, but fails to connect. Rumble with a nice body-kick. Andrei with a few body jabs and has Rumble backing up a bit. Rumble comes in with a combo, goes for a double leg and has Andrei against the cage. Andrei has the overhook, but Rubmle continues to press him against the cage. Rumble throws a few knees to Andrei’s legs. Ref separates.
Andrei with a nice combo. Rumble goes for the single-leg, but Andrei defends and now has Rumble against the cage. Andrei throws a few knees as the two pummel. Again, the Ref separates and the two are squaring off throwing punches in the center.
Rumble knocks Andrei down. Lands a few punches. He has Andrei against the cage as the bell rings.
Solid round by Rumble 10-9.
Round 2
Both fighters connect with some powerful shots to the head. Rumble has Andrei against the cage looking for a take-down.
Once again, the ref moves them to the center of the ring and they square off. Andrei lands some nice jabs.
Rumble comes in with a few overhands and connects. Andrei counters with a nice uppercut. Some front kicks to Rumble’s body. The two exchange some more. Rumble goes for the take-down, Andrei sprawls and the two press up against the cage. Andrei reverses and now has Rumble against the cage. The two exchanges some knees and continue to pummel. Andrei catches Rumble in the jewels with a knee and a Rumble is given some time to recover.
Rubmle is back up, they touch gloves and back at it. Rumble comes in with some strong overhands shoots in for the take-down and once again has Andrei against the cage. Rumble gets the take down. Andrei rolls out, Rumble has control of his back. Andrei is back up against the cage. Rumble going for the take-down as Andrei lands some hammer-fists. Andrei sprawls, defending the take-down and Rumble presses him against the cage. Round 2 over.
Bit closer round. I’m going to side with Andrei on this, but it could go either way. 10-9 the Pitbull.
Round 3
Rumble goes in for an overhand and Andrei counters. The two exchange punches and now Rumble has Andrei against the cage. Andrei lands some strikes to the boy. The Ref resets once again.
Rumble with a nice head-kick. Andrei answers with a front kick to the body. Rumble lands a nice cross to Andrei’s chin that definitely would kill a normal man. Rumble has Andrei pressed against the cage… Just waiting for another reset now. Andrei reverses and has Rumble pressed against the cage. The two exchange knees to the boy. The two make their way to the middle. Some hard hits are exchanged and Rumble has Andrei against the cage. Andrei reverses and the two make their way back to the center. More hard hits are exchanged. Andrei’s mouth is open ans he connects with some nice body shots and one to Rumble’s Chin. Rumble goes for the single-leg, but gives up on it. Goes for another one and the two are against the cage. Andrei with some body shots and that’s the third round.
A close round, but I think Andrei landed the better shots. Tough one for me to call, but I’m leaning to Andrei in a close 10-9 round. Official decision coming up now.
Official Decision: Anthony Johnson (29-28 all)… I was waaaaaaaaay off!
Well, folks, thank you for joining me on my birthday (although technically now it isn’t my birthday anymore). Great fights put together by the WSOF. Hopefully more to come. Thanks to Ben and the rest of the CP staff for giving me this opportunity. Thanks to my Rick Albrecht for his great photog work. Thanks to EBoost for keeping me going for 6 hours straight. Don’t forget to donate to Nick Newell’s favorite charity, Tap Cancer Out, by visiting my fundraiser page at www.stayclassy.org/oliverchan
