If I were to have told you before this event that a FUEL TV caliber card will have seven out of nine fights go the distance, it is doubtful that many of you would have watched UFC on FUEL 6. If I were to have reminded you that because the fights were live from Macau, China, you’d have to wake up at 9 a.m. ET to watch said card, I’m willing to bet we would have had a pretty vacant liveblog this morning. It isn’t often that a card with so many decisions is worth waking up early for, but UFC on FUEL 6 proved to be an exception.
Expectations weren’t exactly high for the evening’s main event, a middleweight contest between Rich Franklin and Cung Le. With neither fighter in the title picture – or even near it – and forty year old Cung Le bloodletting his foot just one week before the fight, this fight had a very high bust-potential. Most of us assumed that Ace would exit the cage with his first victory at middleweight since 2008, and that we wouldn’t be missing much if we started our afternoon nap a little early.
Instead, Cung Le gave us a Knockout of the Year candidate, countering a leg kick with a devastating right hand that secured the victory just 2:17 into the fight. Being the only knockout on the card, Le took home the $40k Knockout of the Night award, but even if every other fight ended in a knockout it’d be hard not to award such a brutal finish the honor. If you happened to miss it, here it is in all of its animated GIF glory:
If I were to have told you before this event that a FUEL TV caliber card will have seven out of nine fights go the distance, it is doubtful that many of you would have watched UFC on FUEL 6. If I were to have reminded you that because the fights were live from Macau, China, you’d have to wake up at 9 a.m. ET to watch said card, I’m willing to bet we would have had a pretty vacant liveblog this morning. It isn’t often that a card with so many decisions is worth waking up early for, but UFC on FUEL 6 proved to be an exception.
Expectations weren’t exactly high for the evening’s main event, a middleweight contest between Rich Franklin and Cung Le. With neither fighter in the title picture – or even near it – and forty year old Cung Le bloodletting his foot just one week before the fight, this fight had a very high bust-potential. Most of us assumed that Ace would exit the cage with his first victory at middleweight since 2008, and that we wouldn’t be missing much if we started our afternoon nap a little early.
Instead, Cung Le gave us a Knockout of the Year candidate, countering a leg kick with a devastating right hand that secured the victory just 2:17 into the fight. Being the only knockout on the card, Le took home the $40k Knockout of the Night award, but even if every other fight ended in a knockout it’d be hard not to award such a brutal finish the honor. If you happened to miss it, here it is in all of its animated GIF glory:
As for what this fight means for the UFC middleweight division, I’m still tempted to say ”not too much.” Franklin was certainly a good middleweight champion and a great company man for the UFC, but he hasn’t been a serious title contender in years. As great of a victory as it was for Le, I’d say he’s at least two more victories away from being “in the mix” for a title shot (whatever that even means these days). May I be so bold as to suggest a fight against Brian Stann?
As for Rich Franklin, retirement seems like the most logical option. I know it’s easy to be pessimistic about a fighter’s career after watching him lose – especially the way he lost – but we’re looking at a thirty-eight year old former-champion who hasn’t won back-to-back fights in four years. There’s nothing left for Ace to do except ride his company man status into a vaguely-defined post-retirement corporate career with the UFC.
The co-main event produced a very surprising finish, as Blackzilian Thiago Silva handed Stanislav Nedkov his first career loss with a third round arm-triangle choke. Silva not only picked up his first victory in three years (drug test pending), but also his first submission victory (not counting his submission via punches over Antonio Mendes at UFC 84) since heel-hooking Dave Dalgliesh back in 2006. Being the only submission on the card, the win earned Silva the Submission of the Night bonus.
Although Silva was ahead 20-18 on all three scorecards heading into the third round, Nedkov arguably took the first round and nearly finished the Brazilian late in the second round. Despite barely making it to the third round, Thiago Silva overwhelmed Nedkov with an aggressive striking display before earning the takedown. From there, the BJJ blackbelt wasted little time locking in the fight ending choke.
Silva has never been a pushover, but he’s also never been a serious contender for the light-heavyweight championship, either. At twenty-nine years old, he still has a chance at putting together a run for the title. But if he’s going to make the most of this opportunity, he needs to get back to consistently stringing together victories, and start earning them over the deep end of the UFC’s roster.
Elsewhere on the card:
– Takanori Gomi’s split-decision over Mac Danzig took home Fight of the Night honors. Little surprise here, as this fight was a back-and-forth affair that saw both men come close to earning the stoppage. The PRIDE legend improves to 34-8 (1 NC) overall, and 3-3 in the UFC. Meanwhile, Mac Danzig drops to 21-10-1 – including a not-quite-worthy 5-6 in the UFC – but earns his fourth End of the Night bonus from the promotion.
– Dong Hyun Kim took home a unanimous decision victory over Paulo Thiago in a fight that was never exactly close. After the fight, Kim asked for a rematch against Demian Maia. Considering the fluke nature of their first meeting, I’m not surprised that he wants this fight but I doubt he gets it. Also, Thiago is now 1-4 in his last five fights and 4-5 in the UFC, so expect a Paulo Thiago-themed “And Now he’s Fired” soon.
– Speaking of “1-4 in his last five and probably about to be fired,” Tiequan Zhang actually lost to TUF alumnus Jon Tuck. Yes, the only Chinese fighter on the entire card actually lost to the softball opponent he was matched up against. And not by an indefensibly terrible decision, either: Tuck was controlling the entire fight until the third round, when he made the foolish decision to stand with the guy who desperately needed a knockout. Not to throw salt in the wound here, but Zhang’s lone victory in his last five fights came over Jason Reinhardt at UFC 127. Ouch.
– Takeya Mizugaki wasn’t exactly given a world-beater in Jeff Hougland, but he still managed to look pretty impressive while taking home a unanimous decision victory. Mizugaki ground Hougland’s face into a pulp over the course of three rounds, taking all three rounds on all three scorecards. That being said…30-25?! YOU CANNOT BE FOR SERIOUSLY, BRO!
– Attendance was 8,415, who paid $1.3 million USD. This makes UFC on FUEL 6 the second highest FUEL livegate (Only UFC on FUEL 2 was higher).
(Unfortunately, Bruce Lee’s ghost suffered a knee injury in training and will be unable to float above the fighters tonight. Hey, that’s why they say “card subject to change.” / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle.com. For more photos from this set, click here.)
It’s Saturday night in Macau, the special administrative region that never sleeps. While us North Americans are pouring cereal and rubbing crust out of our eyes, the UFC’s first-ever show in China is already in full swing at the CotaiArena. In the main event, a couple of middleweight battle-axes named Rich Franklin and Cung Le will be slugging it out, refusing to go gently into middle age. Supporting them on the main card is an array of international matchups, including Thiago Silva vs. Stanislav Nedkov, Dong Hyun Kim vs. Paulo Thiago, and Takanori Gomi vs. Mac Danzig.
Handling liveblog duties for us this morning is Jim Genia, who will be stacking round-by-round results from the UFC on FUEL 6 main card broadcast after the jump, beginning at 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT. Refresh the page for all the latest, and let your voice be heard in the comments section. Thanks for being here, guys. We can all take naps later.
(Unfortunately, Bruce Lee’s ghost suffered a knee injury in training and will be unable to float above the fighters tonight. Hey, that’s why they say “card subject to change.” / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle.com. For more photos from this set, click here.)
It’s Saturday night in Macau, the special administrative region that never sleeps. While us drowsy North Americans are pouring cereal and rubbing crust out of our eyes, the UFC’s first-ever show in China is already in full swing at the CotaiArena. In the main event, a couple of middleweight battle-axes named Rich Franklin and Cung Le will be slugging it out, refusing to go gently into middle age. Supporting them on the main card is an array of international matchups, including Thiago Silva vs. Stanislav Nedkov, Dong Hyun Kim vs. Paulo Thiago, and Takanori Gomi vs. Mac Danzig.
Handling liveblog duties for us this morning is Jim Genia, who will be stacking round-by-round results from the UFC on FUEL 6 main card broadcast after the jump, beginning at 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT. Refresh the page for all the latest, and let your voice be heard in the comments section. Thanks for being here, guys. We can all take naps later.
UFC on Fuel 6 Preliminary Results:
-Riki Fukuda def. Tom DeBlass via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Good morning! Are you ready for some UFC action at a time of the day when you’d normally be watching cartoons and drinking either a cup of coffee or a Redbull or both? I know am!
First up: Takeya Mizugaki vs. Jeff Hougland
Back in the day when the WEC was a real thing and we all watched it, Mizugaki was the man – or at least one of them. He’s had a rough time of it since, but his opponent today is regional-level dude Hougland, so we’ll see how it goes.
Round 1: They waste no time mixing it up on the feet, trading strikes early and often – Miz with his strong kicks and Hougland with his fists. The American shoots for a takedown about a minute in, gets stuffed and put on his back, and tries to swing into a armbar from the bottom that bears no fruit. I don’t know how to say “Been there, done that” in Japanese, but that’s what is probably running through Mizugaki’s head. For the next couple minutes Miz is beating on Hougland’s face like it offends him, while Hougland tries for triangles and a head-arm choke. The horn sounds and Hougland is no prettier.
Round 2: Miz continues banging his opponent up on the feet, so Hougland lumbers into a clinch and again gets taken down. Just like in the first, the Japanese veteran is dropping bombs from within the American’s guard as Hougland keeps going for armbars and triangles that seem straight off a Gracie instructional DVD. Referee Steve Perceval stands them up, which gives Miz the chance to blast Hougland in the grill, and again they’re back on the ground in their usual position.
Round 3: The third round begins and Hougland looks like he’s just run a marathon. Miz tags him with a hook that sends him face-first to the canvas, but when Mizugaki goes in for the kill Hougland scoops him up and slams him. The WEC vet scrambles on top, they get back to their feet, and Mizugaki easily hugs Hougland to the canvas to regain top position. Some inactivity sees the ref stand them up, but Hougland’s got nothing left in the tank and can’t stop Miz from putting him on his back and mushing him. The ground and pound onslaught opens up a cut on the American’s face, turning the waning seconds of the bout into a horror show, and when time runs out there’s no mystery as to who deserves the decision. When it comes to scrubs, nobody beats the Miz.
Takeya Mizugaki def. Jeff Hougland via Unanimous Decision (30-25, 30-27, 30-27)
Next: Tiequan Zhang vs. John Tuck
When last we saw Tuck, the Guam native was trying to fight his way into the TUF House against Al Iaquinta and his toe damn near fell off. Zhang is a mid-grade UFC vet who’s still trying to break out of the shadow of his reggae star brother, Zunga Zhang.
Round 1: Forty-five seconds of circling turns into Zhang nailing an explosive takedown, but the tide turns instantly when Tuck swing for an insanely tight armbar attempt. Zhang rolls and rolls like his life depends on it, escapes and finds himself in an inverted triangle (which only works in Bellator), and escapes that to end up on Tuck’s back. The Chinese fighter gets outmanuevered and suddenly Tuck is in mount, then affixed to his back, hunting for a choke. Zhang survives and makes it back to the feet, and the bell rings.
Round 2: The round begins and the two men play Rock ‘Em-Sock ‘Em Robots until Zhang gets the takedown forty-five seconds in. Tuck counters with another armbar attempt, and when Zhang dodges it, the Guam native reverses and gets on top. Tuck turns his dominant mount position into an even more dominant back-mount, and Zhang spends the rest of the round behind the Eightball, struggling to avoid a rear naked choke. Somewhere on the mainland, troops are surrounding Zhang’s village.
Round 3: Tuck inexplicably wants to stand with Zhang, and as the ancient Chinese saying goes, “Standing and trading with a desperate man is a fools errand.” Zhang spends the next few minutes chasing him down and feeding him knuckles like they come free with the meal. Tuck lands with his jab a few times, and manages a knee strike here and there, but Zhang dings him up. Time runs out with Tuck trying to roll into a Hail Mary kneebar.
John Tuck def. Tiequan Zhang via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Next: Takanori Gomi vs. Mac Danzig
Gomi vs. Danzig pits a former PRIDE superstar who sucked hard when he came to the Octagon against a TUF winner who sucked hard when he came to the Octagon post-TUF. Are you not intrigued?
Round 1: No surprises here as Danzig starts off circling and trying to avoid Gomi’s fistic power. The TUF winner grows more confident, and about two minutes in he grabs a Thai clinch and delivers some knees. Gomi responds with a takedown, and in about thirty seconds Danzig has worked back to his feet. Gomi begins mixing in some hard leg-kicks to add flavor to his offense, and with about twenty seconds left in the round Danzig hits a takedown and drops some leather.
Round 2: They continue picking and choosing their strikes in the third, with Danzig clinching and delivering knees and Gomi knocking his head back whenever the American’s defenses lapse. With a minute and a half left, Danzig gets the takedown, and when Gomi scrambles to get up his exposed neck is like a juicy Vegan meal that Danzig pounces on. For the rest of the round Gomi is stuck defending an arm-in guillotine.
Round 3: Gomi opens up the third round with a sweet right hand that puts Danzig on his butt. The PRIDE legend settles in on top, and alternates between feeding him punches and pulling Danzig back down whenever he tries to escape. But the TUF winner still has some tricks up his sleeve, and he threatens with a heelhook and a straight kneebar. Gomi defends, and Danzig works back to his feet. Gomi flubs a takedown and eats a few punches for his folly. They take turns blasting each other, and when Danzig lands a clean one, Gomi beckons him to give him more. When time runs out they’re swinging – they’re tired, but they’re swinging.
Takanori Gomi def. Mac Danzig via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Next: Dong Hyun Kim vs. Paulo Thiago
It’s South Korea vs. Brazil in this match-up, with Kim bringing judo, solid positional grappling and a ribcage that could give out at any minute, and Thiago bringings submissions, KO power, and the threat that the BOPA police force will kick down your door and shoot you at any time.
Round 1: Kim goes for a single-leg takedown almost immediately, and though Thiago manages to avoid it for about thirty seconds, he eventually succumbs to gravity. Acting as if the Brazilian’s jiu-jitsu background means nothing, Kim wastes no time getting on top then taking back-control. For the rest of the round, Thiago is pretty much his bitch, struggling to avoid the rear naked choke with Kim on him like a backpack. The round ends with “the Stun Gun” almost getting the submission.
Round 2: Thiago comes out in the second round trying “shoo!” his foe away with high-kicks, but then Kim gets his hands on him and judo’s him silly. Thiago goes down, yet manages to mitigate his plight with a kimura attempt that forces Kim to think. Soon Kim’s arm is free, and for the next couple minutes the South Korean has the Brazilian pressed into a ball against the fence. Thiago escapes with a minute left, and in the final seconds of the frame Kim is again going for a tight submission – this one a D’Arce choke.
Round 3: Kim waits about a minute and a half before latching onto Thiago, and once again Thiago has got nothing on the South Korean’s judo skills. Firmly glued to his opponent’s back, Kim spends the rest of the round making Thiago miserable, both with positional control and ground and pound – and, with only a few seconds left in the fight, a bunch of Captain Kirk double-punches from mount. Decision time again, and this one is a no-brainer.
Dong Hyun Kim def. Paulo Thiago via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Next: Thiago Silva vs. Stanislav Nedkov
Time for the light-heavyweights, and it’s Silva vs. Nedkov. Seriously, how the hell does Silva still have a job? The dude loses like it’s his specialty, and his most impressive recent win (against Brandon Vera) was rendered a “no contest” when he pissed hot for juice. Nedkov, send this guy packing, will you?
Round 1: The undefeated Bulgarian wrestles Silva to the fence and seems to want to push him through it like a hunk of cheddar through a cheese grater. They flurry wildly about a minute and a half in, and when Silva gets some space, he nearly buckles Nedkov’s leg with a kick – a reminder to Nedkov to keep up the cheese grater tactic. Silva manages a Thai clinch and feeds his opponent a knee, and Nedkov answers back with another flurry of fists. Once more they’re against the fence, and it becomes all too clear that Nedkov’s spirit animal is the fearless (and possibly mindless) ox.
Round 2: The Brazilian opens the round by kicking the Bulgarian in the junk. After a brief recovery period, they resume trying to impose their respective game plans, with Nedkov’s hugging efforts eliciting a ton of boos from the crowd. If anyone seems to be taking the lead on the scorecards, it’s probably Silva, who manages to nail Nedkov from the outside, but with about twenty seconds left in the round Nedkov clips Silva with an overhand right that sends the Brazilian to the ground. Silva survives to the bell.
Round 3: Silva comes out on fire, lighting Nedkov up like the Bulgarian is made of kindling, and about a minute in he shoots for the takedown, works to mount, slips on the arm-triangle choke, and gets the tap. Good win for Silva, who was dangling on the precipice only minutes before.
Thiago Silva def. Stanislav Nedkov via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) at 1:45, Round 3
Next: Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le
Former UFC champ Franklin and former Strikeforce champ Le will never see the vista from the top of the mountain again, but they’re still popular, and usually very capable of throwing down, so here we are with a main event featuring two guys with more name than upside. Regardless, it should be fun.
Round 1: In an exercise in the striking tenets of range and angles, Franklin and Le start off their bout flitting in and out, firing off kicks and punches, and stepping away and just out of range. And then… then comes Franklin’s kick and Le’s picture-perfect counter, which is a right hand that hits Franklin squarely on the button and puts him instantly to sleep. The former UFC champ collapses in a heap and is out, and Le is awarded the knockout victory at 2:17 of the first round while the crowd goes wild.
Cung Le def. Rich Franklin via KO (Punch) at 2:17, Round 1
Afterwards, Le thanks Franklin, the UFC, White and the Fertittas for the opportunity. He also labels his finish as a “lucky punch” – “Thank you, Lord,” he says.
(I don’t know if it’s the angle, the lighting, or the Kabuki makeup, but Gomi is looking freaky as shit these days.)
The UFC’s first trip to China has picked up its first lightweight bout, as Japanese legend Takanori Gomi and TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig are reportedly slated to meet at the November 10th event in Macau. Danzig revealed the matchup on twitter earlier today. Though both fighters have struggled in the Octagon in the past, both are coming off of victories. Gomi scored a second-round TKO of Eiji Mitsuoka at UFC 144 in February, while Danzig most recently won a decision against Efrain Escudero at UFC 145 in April.
In other UFC China booking news, light-heavyweight striker Thiago Silva will have one more chance to save his career at the event, where he’ll face undefeated Bulgarian prospect Stanislav Nedkov. Due to his no-contest against Brandon Vera and subsequent one-year suspension — which was sandwiched by a pair of decision losses to Rashad Evans and Alexander Gustafsson — Silva hasn’t officially won a fight in three years. Meanwhile, Nedkov has only competed once during his two years of being under UFC contract, due to injuries (both his own and his opponent’s) and visa issues. Nedkov’s sole Octagon appearance resulted in a first-round TKO of Luis Cane at UFC 134 last August.
UFC on Fuel TV 6 will be headlined by the (hopefully) crowd-pleasing battle between Rich Franklin and Cung Le. Check out the current lineup after the jump, and hit us with your predictions in the comments section.
(I don’t know if it’s the angle, the lighting, or the Kabuki makeup, but Gomi is looking freaky as shit these days.)
The UFC’s first trip to China has picked up its first lightweight bout, as Japanese legend Takanori Gomi and TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig are reportedly slated to meet at the November 10th event in Macau. Danzig revealed the matchup on twitter earlier today. Though both fighters have struggled in the Octagon in the past, both are coming off of victories. Gomi scored a second-round TKO of Eiji Mitsuoka at UFC 144 in February, while Danzig most recently won a decision against Efrain Escudero at UFC 145 in April.
In other UFC China booking news, light-heavyweight striker Thiago Silva will have one more chance to save his career at the event, where he’ll face undefeated Bulgarian prospect Stanislav Nedkov. Due to his no-contest against Brandon Vera and subsequent one-year suspension — which was sandwiched by a pair of decision losses to Rashad Evans and Alexander Gustafsson — Silva hasn’t officially won a fight in three years. Meanwhile, Nedkov has only competed once during his two years of being under UFC contract, due to injuries (both his own and his opponent’s) and visa issues. Nedkov’s sole Octagon appearance resulted in a first-round TKO of Luis Cane at UFC 134 last August.
UFC on Fuel TV 6 will be headlined by the (hopefully) crowd-pleasing battle between Rich Franklin and Cung Le. Check out the current lineup after the jump, and hit us with your predictions in the comments section.
Cung Le vs. Rich Franklin
Thiago Silva vs. Stanislav Nedkov Dong Hyun Kim vs. Paulo Thiago
Mac Danzig vs. Takanori Gomi
Alex Caceres vs. Kyung Ho Kang
Marcelo Guimaraes vs. Hyun Gyu Lim
Tom DeBlass vs. Riki Fukuda
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Jeff Hougland John Lineker vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani
(Was this photo taken with a fish eye lens? Get it?! A FISH EYE LENS!! *crickets*)
Yowza. As if we needed further proof, Rashad Evans sent out this tweet earlier today, confirming once and for all that Jon Jones does is fact have the nastiest elbows in the game. At least he took it in stride, stating the following:
I went 2 UFC 145 in Atlanta and I had the best seat in the house & all I came back with was this fat eye! Wth! I hope those of u that went came back with better souvenirs than I did! =)
Though Evans only received a week suspension, he might want to consider sitting out a little longer while he waits for that baby to deflate. ‘Shad was one of fourteen fighters from Saturday’s card to earn just a seven day suspension for cautionary reasons. Brendan Schaub and Che Mills received 45 day suspensions for their (T)KO losses, where Miguel Torres earned a 60 day suspension for his knockout loss to Michael McDonald. Torres must also undergo a CT scan before he is cleared to return to action.
But worse than Schaub, worse even than Torres, was the indefinite suspension Mac Danzig received for the gnarly ankle injury he suffered in his unanimous decision victory over Efrain Escudero as a result of a first round heel hook. Word has it that while this was occurring, Rousimar Palhares went on a bloodthirsty rampage through Brazil that resulted in the deaths of no less than 400 people.
Check out the photo of the damage, compliments of Danzig’s twitter, along with the full medical suspensions, after the jump.
(Was this photo taken with a fish eye lens? Get it?! A FISH EYE LENS!! *crickets*)
Yowza. As if we needed further proof, Rashad Evans sent out this tweet earlier today, confirming once and for all that Jon Jones does is fact have the nastiest elbows in the game. At least he took it in stride, stating the following:
I went 2 UFC 145 in Atlanta and I had the best seat in the house & all I came back with was this fat eye! Wth! I hope those of u that went came back with better souvenirs than I did! =)
Though Evans only received a week suspension, he might want to consider sitting out a little longer while he waits for that baby to deflate. ‘Shad was one of fourteen fighters from Saturday’s card to earn just a seven day suspension for cautionary reasons. Brendan Schaub and Che Mills received 45 day suspensions for their (T)KO losses, where Miguel Torres earned a 60 day suspension for his knockout loss to Michael McDonald. Torres must also undergo a CT scan before he is cleared to return to action.
But worse than Schaub, worse even than Torres, was the indefinite suspension Mac Danzig received for the gnarly ankle injury he suffered in his unanimous decision victory over Efrain Escudero as a result of a first round heel hook. Word has it that while this was occurring, Rousimar Palhares went on a bloodthirsty rampage through Brazil that resulted in the deaths of no less than 400 people.
Check out the photo of the damage, compliments of Danzig’s twitter, along with the full medical suspensions, below.
(Where does the calf fat end and the ankle fat begin?)
UFC 145 Medical Suspensions Mac Danzig: Suspended indefinitely pending results of right-ankle X-ray Miguel Torres: Suspended 60 days; needs CT scan Che Mills: Suspended 45 days for precautionary reasons Brendan Schaub: Suspended 45 days for precautionary reasons Eddie Yagin: Suspended 30 days, including 21 days with no contact Mark Hominick: Suspended 30 days, including 21 days with no contact Chad Griggs: Suspended 30 days, including 21 days with no contact Matt Brown: Suspended 14 days for precautionary reasons Stephen Thompson: Suspended 14 days for precautionary reasons Keith Wisniewski: Suspended 14 days for precautionary reasons Jon Jones: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Rashad Evans: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Rory MacDonald: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Ben Rothwell: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Michael McDonald: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Mark Bocek: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons John Alessio: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Travis Browne: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Anthony Njokuani: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons John Makdessi: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Efrain Escudero: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Chris Clements: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Marcus Brimage: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Maximo Blanco: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons
It’s finally almost time for UFC 145, which means we have some preliminary fights on FX to make snarky comments through. We have a fight between TUF champions turned gatekeepers Mac Danzig and Efrain Escudero, a matchup between Anthony Njokuani and John Makdessi, we find out if Matt Brown will live to fight another day against Stephen Thompson, and we get a heavyweight bout between Travis Browne and Chad Griggs to keep us entertained before the main card tonight. Grab a sammich and a bottle of the finest flavor of Night Train Express that the nearest gas station sells and join us for round-by-round results.
Live, round-by-round results from the UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans preliminary broadcast will be collecting after the jump starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, courtesy of CagePotato’s ultimate (weekend) warrior, Seth Falvo. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section. Please stand by.
It’s finally almost time for UFC 145, which means we have some preliminary fights on FX to make snarky comments through. We have a fight between TUF champions turned gatekeepers Mac Danzig and Efrain Escudero, a matchup between Anthony Njokuani and John Makdessi, we find out if Matt Brown will live to fight another day against Stephen Thompson, and we get a heavyweight bout between Travis Browne and Chad Griggs to keep us entertained before the main card tonight. Grab a sammich and a bottle of the finest flavor of Night Train Express that the nearest gas station sells and join us for round-by-round results.
Live, round-by-round results from the UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans preliminary broadcast will be collecting after the jump starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, courtesy of CagePotato’s ultimate (weekend) warrior, Seth Falvo. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section. Please stand by.
____________
Before we kick things off, does anyone want know why I chose a fan-made UFC 145 poster as the featured image for this liveblog? It’s because that poster took twice as much effort as the real poster and is about fifty times more terrifying. I chose to believe that it’s an indication of things to come tonight, be it devastating knockouts, arm-snapping submissions or just how badly I can misspell basic words of a language I’ve been speaking for my entire life while attempting to keep you all up to date on the action. Just thought I’d share that before we go live.
Cue the cheesy “This may be awesome” disclaimer, because WE ARE LIVE! Seriously though, FX, come up with something less terrible. And someone may want to tell Mike Goldberg how to pronounce “Hecho en Mexico” before the start of his fight against Mac Danzig.
Mac Danzig vs. Efrain Escudero
Too late.
Round One: They touch gloves, and we’re underway. They clinch up and exchange knees, with Danzig immediately pushing Escudero into the cage. Escudero reverses position and looks for a takedown, but Danzig reverses and earns a takedown of his own. Escudero works for a heel hook, and appears to have Danzig in trouble, but Mac escapes and takes Escudero’s back. Mac lets him back up, and Escudero lands a leg kick. Nice cross by Danzig. Danzig is landing some punches and doing a good job of avoiding Escudero’s, but Efrain doesn’t appear hurt by any of them. They clinch against the cage with Mac Danzig looking for a takedown. Danzig has Escudero’s back, but Efrain is doing a good job of staying on his feet. A “U-S-A! U-S-A!” chant breaks out as they separate and we’re back in the center of the cage. Escudero now rushes Danzig, trapping him against the cage looking for a takedown with twenty seconds left in the round. He is unsuccessful, and the round comes to an end.
Round Two: They touch gloves, and after aboutforty seconds of feeling each other out, Escudero lands a nice right hand. Danzig counters with a hard leg kick, and presses Escudero against the cage, kneeing Escudero in the thighs. Nice 1-2 from Escudero as he breaks free. The fans begin to boo the lack of action, as both guys are throwing heavy shots that are easily being avoided. Danzig has a much stronger clinch than Escudero, and has him back against the cage with ninety seconds left in the round. Escudero lands a knee from the clinch in the center of the cage, so naturally, Danzig pushes Escudero into the cage and works his wall-and-stall. Escudero unsuccessfully looks for another takedown as this round comes to an end.
Round Three: Danzig’s right ankle is jacked up, which explains his wall-and-stall heavy offense (if it can be called that). Nice leg kick from Danzig, followed by an attempted Superman punch. Escudero is back up against the cage, and lands a knee before Danzig works to take his back. He gives it up temporarily, and we’re back against the cage, with Danzig attempting to take Escudero’s back. You know what, I think I’ll just copy that sentence and paste it accordingly for the remainder of this one. Okay, now they’re free with ninety seconds left. Danzig is landing some nice punches to Escudero’s body, and doing a good job of avoiding Escudero’s wild striking. And we’re back against the cage, care to guess who has dominant position? This one mercifully comes to an end. It wasn’t pretty, but it looks like Mac Danzig has this one.
He does. Mac Danzig def. Efrain Escudero via unanimous decision, 30-27 x2, 29-28 x1. Let’s put this one behind us ASAP.
Anthony Njokuani vs. John Makdessi
Round One: They touch gloves and immediately exchange kicks. Njokuani is throwing a lot of head kicks to start this one off, and Makdessi throws a front leg side kick. And another. Nice leg kick by Njokuani. Makdessi returns with one of his own. Njokuani rushes in with a combo that doesn’t quite land, but the leg kick he punctuates it with does. Makdessi keeps throwing the front leg side kick, but it isn’t landing. Njokuani seems to have Makdessi wobbled by a left hook with two minutes left in the round, but doesn’t capitalize from it. Huge head kick attempted by Njokuani, but Makdessi blocks it. With one minute left in the round, Njokuani lands a head kick, but Makdessi doesn’t seem hurt. Makdessi throws the side kick again, as both men are playing it safe as this round comes to an end.
Round Two: Makdessi throws the side kick straight at Njokuani’s head, but it’s blocked. Nice body kick by Makdessi. Spinning back kick from Makdessi, but Njokuani avoids it. Njokuani throws a head kick, but it’s blocked. That’s pretty much the story of this fight so far, come to think of it. They clinch up with three minutes left, and Makdessi lands some good strikes. Nice leg kicks now from Njokuani. Makdessi checks a leg kick, and this crowd begins to boo. Another leg kick from Njokuani, and Makdessi’s left leg is bright red. Njokuani catches a kick and looks to rush Makdessi, but Makdessi lands a counter punch and Njokuani backs away. Makdessi attempts a takedown as this round comes to an end.
Round Three: Makdessi is told by his corner that he’s behind on the scorecards, but he isn’t being overly aggressive as the round begins. We’re one minute into this round, and the crowd begins to boo as Njokuani lands another leg kick. Njokuani jabs at Makdessi’s body, and Makdessi throws a leg kick. Makdessi lands a spinning backfist, but doesn’t capitalize on it. Joe Rogan sounds bored as Makdessi keeps attempting the front kick that isn’t landing at all, and lands a spinning back kick to Njokuani’s body that had zero power behind it. Body kick Njokuani. Only thirty seconds left, and Makdessi has to start trying to look for the knockout. He attempts a wheel kick that completely misses, the crowd boos loudly and this one comes to a close.
Sheesh, that disclaimer looks more ridiculous by the second. It’s tough to say that either fighter deserves a victory here, but Njokuani will probably win this one.
He does. Anthony Njokuani def. John Makdessi via unanimous decision, 30-27 x3.
Matt Brown vs. Stephen Thompson
Round One: They touch gloves, and Wonderboy immediately throws a kick. Brown attempts a takedown, which Thompson stuffs easily. Thompson stuffs another takedown, as Brown pushes Wonderboy into the cage looking for another takedown. He eventually gets it, and winds up in Thompson’s guard. Brown throws some heavy punches, but they miss Thompson entirely. Thompson’s corner yells for an upkick, as Brown attempts a leg lock. He gives up on it, as Thompson is back on his feet. Brown keeps Thompson against the cage, as Thompson reverses the position. Brown earns a takedown, and takes Thompson’s back. Wonderboy does a nice job of getting back to his feet, but Brown holds on and eventually drags him back down. Brown looks for a calf crank, and Thompson throws hammerfists in order to get out. Brown ends up in Thompson’s half guard, and throws punches to Wonderboy’s body as this round comes to an end.
I wasn’t expecting Thompson to have a great ground game or anything…but damn.
Round Two: They touch gloves, and Thompson begins throwing punches to keep Brown outside. Brown gets Thompson against the cage and earns a takedown, but Thompson gets up immediately. They clinch, and Brown attempts an extremely telegraphed takedown that actually gets Thompson down. They’re back up, and Thompson lands a head kick. Brown is hurt, with Thompson looking for the finish. Nice spinning back kick from Thompson. Brown is wobbled and tired, and desperately attempts a takedown that momentarily gets Wonderboy down. Joe Rogan wonders out loud “How does Thompson manage to get taken down by this?” as Thompson gets back up. Brown is badly hurt, and his counter kicks are coming at laughably slow speeds. Thompson is too tired to put him away though. Brown lands a HUGE counter elbow than drops Thompson, and Brown is now in Thompson’s guard dropping elbows. Thompson is cut and Brown is raining down punches from side control as this round comes to an end. Didn’t see that one coming.
The crowd gives a loud ovation for the only action they’ve seen so far tonight. Can’t wait to see how this one plays out.
Round Three: Brown comes out looking to finish Thompson, but Thompson breaks free. Wonderboy falls down after landing a leg kick, and both men are clearly exhausted. Another laughably slow head kick from Brown. Dare I call it a Brazilian kick attempt? It kind of looks like that’s what he just tried. Thompson now rocks Brown with a 1-2 combo, and Brown gets Wonderboy against the cage and immediately earns a takedown. They’re back up, and Brown lands a nice knee with 2:30 left. They clinch, and Brown earns a leg trip, elbowing Thompson in the head. Brown earns side control, looking for a crucifix. With one minute left, Brown gets the crucifix and works for a mounted triangle. He throws some punches to Thompson’s head, which is bleeding like crazy as this fight comes to an end.
Gutsy performance from Matt Brown. He easily takes this one.
Official Decision: Matt Brown def. Stephen Thompson by unanimous decision, 30-27 x2, 29-28 x1
Time for our last bout of the evening. At least our last preliminary bout.
Travis Browne vs. Chad Griggs
Round One: Leg kick Griggs. Browne with a huge flying knee, and throws some more knees to the body. Browne looks for a takedown, but Griggs shows good takedown defense. At least for a few seconds, as Browne slams Griggs and ends up in side control. Browne mounts Griggs, and works for an arm-triangle. Browne gets it, and Griggs throws some punches before going completely out. Total domination by Travis Browne.
Browne looks into the camera and asks us: “A submission? A SUBMISSION? THAT’S a submission.” Yes it is, Travis. Yes. It. Is.
Travis Browne def. Chad Griggs via submission (arm-triangle choke), 2:29 of Round One.
Looks like my work here is done. Enjoy the main card.
It goes without saying that contracts are on the line here. If Danzig loses, he might become the fifth Ultimate Fighter winner to be cut by the UFC, following Travis Lutter, Escudero (the first time), Kendall Grove, and Joe Stevenson. If Efrain Escudero loses, he might become the first Ultimate Fighter winner to be fired twice.
UFC 145 still lacks a main event; for more details on the supporting card, go here.
(“It kind of feels like my nose might be shoved into my brain. Oh God, is that bad? That’s bad, isn’t it.”)
It goes without saying that contracts are on the line here. If Danzig loses, he might become the fifth Ultimate Fighter winner to be cut by the UFC, following Travis Lutter, Escudero (the first time), Kendall Grove, and Joe Stevenson. If Efrain Escudero loses, he might become the first Ultimate Fighter winner to be fired twice.
UFC 145 still lacks a main event; for more details on the supporting card, go here.
