Brazilian fans are credited with being the most raucous audience in the world, and last night’s fighters gave them plenty to cheer about. Six of the nine bouts ended via knock out or submission*, with five of those stoppages coming in the first round.
Chokes, knees, and even a spinning wheel kick punctuated last night’s fights (*as did a controversial referee stoppage). Pop on in for a motion picture tribute to UFC 142.
Brazilian fans are credited with being the most raucous audience in the world, and last night’s fighters gave them plenty to cheer about. Six of the nine bouts ended via knock out or submission*, with five of those stoppages coming in the first round.
Chokes, knees, and even a spinning wheel kick punctuated last night’s fights (*as did a controversial referee stoppage). Pop on in for a motion picture tribute to UFC 142.
There was very little Anthony Johnson could have done last night to preserve his job in the UFC, and “losing” wasn’t on the short list. Every facet of Johnson’s battle with gravity has been a spectacle. On Friday night, he missed weight for the third time in his UFC career—that’s a first for the promotion. And when he stepped on the scales, he didn’t miss by a slim margin, either. He was closer to the light heavyweight limit than he was the middleweight. The eleven extra pounds he was sporting? That sets a UFC record as well.
Now we’ve already belabored Johnson’s lack of professionalism over the last two days, and whether it’s through a dinner invitation or a dismissive laugh, “Rumble” has made it clear that he doesn’t care what we the fans think. One person that does matter, however, is his boss. Here’s what Dana White had to say on the issue.
“And if you think *I’m* upset, young man, you just WAIT until your father gets home!” (Pic: MMAMania.com)
There was very little Anthony Johnson could have done last night to preserve his job in the UFC, and “losing” wasn’t on the short list. Every facet of Johnson’s battle with gravity has been a spectacle. On Friday night, he missed weight for the third time in his UFC career—that’s a first for the promotion. And when he stepped on the scales, he didn’t miss by a slim margin, either. He was closer to the light heavyweight limit than he was the middleweight. The eleven extra pounds he was sporting? That sets a UFC record as well.
Now we’ve already belabored Johnson’s lack of professionalism over the last two days, and whether it’s through a dinner invitation or a dismissive laugh, “Rumble” has made it clear that he doesn’t care what we the fans think. One person that does matter, however, is his boss. Here’s what Dana White had to say on the issue.
In an post-fight interview with MMAJunkie.com, the UFC President shared his unbridled thoughts on Johnson’s future:
“This is his third time. Three strikes and you’re gone.”
“That was one of the most unprofessional things I’ve ever seen. The guy was at 170 pounds. He moved up to 185 pounds so this wouldn’t happen anymore, and this is the worst weight cutting disaster he’s ever had. He almost ruined the co-main event here in Brazil. I don’t know what else to say about that one. I’m not happy about it.”
“I knew what the decision was when I talked to you on Friday,” White told MMAjunkie.com. “This is his third time. Listen, the guy was having problems making 170 pounds. He wanted to stay at 170 or whatever his deal was. You go to 185, and you blow it as bad as he blew it? That’s bad, man.”
“I don’t know who you blame in this one. Do you blame him? Do you blame his team? Do you blame his camp? I mean who takes the blame in this one? Ultimately, you’re a grown man. You’re responsible for your own actions.”
Johnson is a great fighter and it sucks to see him leave the promotion, but at the end of the day if you can’t be counted on to play by the rules, you don’t belong in a cage with the best. I’d expect Bellator and other organizations to pursue “Rumble” immediately, but don’t be surprised if we see him in Strikeforce or back in the Octagon soon enough. Dana’s been known to change his mind about this sort of thing.
The People’s Champion, showing Chael Sonnen how it’s done. Props: @CopperHeartCT
With the UFC’s quick return to Rio de Janeiro, the promotion had high expectations to live up to. Their last visit saw a nearly perfect performance from one of the sport’s most dominant champions, a local favorite earning a quick finish, and (most) Brazilian fighters outmatching their foreign opponents on their ways to victory. It was going to be difficult to entertain the local fans the same way that UFC 134 did, yet the UFC’s return to Brazil netted nearly identical results.
Heading into his title defense against Chad Mendes last night, critics were starting to say that Jose Aldo was beginning to coast his way through fights. That the fight finisher fans grew to love in the WEC had been replaced by a fighter content to go through the motions en route to a decision victory. In front of his home country, Aldo made an impressive statement by finishing “Money” Mendes in the first round.
Mendes displayed improved striking, but that means little when facing the lethal limbs of Jose Aldo. To win this fight–or even stay competitive–Mendes needed to put the champion on his back, yet time and time again his best efforts were thwarted. Though Aldo blatantly grabbed the fence to prevent one takedown, a follow-up attempt from the same position seconds later barely took his feet off the ground. Had he been deducted one point- or ten- it’s hard to imagine the fight going any other way. The brilliant takedown defense and impeccable timing he showed throughout the bout were on full display in the closing seconds of round one. Aldo’s transition to the fight ending knee was nothing short of perfection, something only a dominant striker of his caliber could dream of pulling off.
With the UFC’s quick return to Rio de Janeiro, the promotion had high expectations to live up to. Their last visit saw a nearly perfect performance from one of the sport’s most dominant champions, a local favorite earning a quick finish, and (most) Brazilian fighters outmatching their foreign opponents on their ways to victory. It was going to be difficult to entertain the local fans the same way that UFC 134 did, yet the UFC’s return to Brazil netted nearly identical results.
Heading into his title defense against Chad Mendes last night, critics were starting to say that Jose Aldo was beginning to coast his way through fights. That the fight finisher fans grew to love in the WEC had been replaced by a fighter content to go through the motions en route to a decision victory. In front of his home country, Aldo made an impressive statement by finishing “Money” Mendes in the first round.
Mendes displayed improved striking, but that means little when facing the lethal limbs of Jose Aldo. To win this fight–or even stay competitive–Mendes needed to put the champion on his back, yet time and time again his best efforts were thwarted. Though Aldo blatantly grabbed the fence to prevent one takedown, a follow-up attempt from the same position seconds later barely took his feet off the ground. Had he been deducted one point- or ten- it’s hard to imagine the fight going any other way. The brilliant takedown defense and impeccable timing he showed throughout the bout were on full display in the closing seconds of round one. Aldo’s transition to the fight ending knee was nothing short of perfection, something only a dominant striker of his caliber could dream of pulling off.
There is very little that can possibly be said about the co-main event at this point. To call it “Win big or go home” for Anthony Johnson would not only be a lazy, clichéd thing to do, but it would also be misleading. “Win big” would imply some type of reward for an impressive victory for Rumble, be it a title shot, an end of the night bonus or even a title eliminator fight against another top tier middleweight. When Anthony Johnson botched his weight cut as recklessly as he did, all of those options were taken off of the table. Replacing them was the best case scenario of adding a “W” to his record that would have an asterisk next to it in the minds of both fans and his employer.
As expected, Johnson was able to use his size advantage to handle Belfort early on. Also as expected, his medical issues that caused him to miss weight were brought on by a last minute weight cut led him to quickly gas out. Once Johnson began lunging at Belfort with desperate takedown attempts, Vitor Belfort was able to quickly take Rumble’s back and sink in the choke. The Phenom won’t be getting a title shot after a victory like that, but he’s earned coveted job security with the UFC. Likewise, an Anthony Johnson themed “And Now he’s Fired” will be published soon, as Dana White all but fired him Vince McMahon style during the post-event press conference.
While there were plenty of questionable decisions made by the referees last night, none were more cringe-worthy than the way Mario Yamasaki handled Prater vs. Silva. There’s really nothing to say about the fight other than “do over”. Silva looked to be en route to an early victory, landed some shots to the back of Prater’s head, kept fighting, as Yamasaki didn’t stop the fight to deduct points, and found himself disqualified when Prater was unable to continue. Unfortunately, a rematch is the only thing that makes sense for either fighter, although the UFC is still giving Silva his win bonus for his performance.
Last time Edson Barboza fought (coincidentally, in Rio), he predictably defeated a handpicked Ross Pearson in a surprisingly close fight. This time around, Barboza thoroughly outgunned Terry Etim on the feet and kept the fight off of the mat on his way to a flawless wheel kick knockout in the third round. The impressive showing from Barboza not only earned him a step up in competition, but also earned him $130,000- $65k for Knockout of the Night and Fight of the Night with Terry Etim. The Submission of the Night honors went to Rousimar Palhares, who predictably added Mike Massenzio’s leg to his collection with a first round heel hook. Paul Harris has now won three straight fights, and should find himself back in the mix at middleweight.
And if there’s one in every crowd, the “one” from last night is Ricardo Funch. Much like Luiz Cane before him, Funch was the only Brazilian to lose to a foreign opponent in Rio de Janeiro, getting knocked out in the first round by Mike Pyle. Pyle improves to 5-3 in the UFC.
Full Results:
Main card
Jose Aldo def. Chad Mendes via first-round KO
Vitor Belfort def. Anthony Johnson via submission (rear-naked choke)
Rousimar Palhares def. Mike Massenzio via submission (heel hook)
Carlo Prater wins via disqualification vs. Erick Silva (illegal head blows)
Edson Barboza def. Terry Etim via third-round KO
Preliminary card
Thiago Tavares def. Sam Stout via unanimous decision Gabriel Gonzaga def. Ednaldo Oliveira via submission (rear-naked choke)
Yuri Alcantara def. Michihiro Omigawa via unanimous decision
Mike Pyle def. Ricardo Funch via first-round TKO
Felipe Arantes def. Antonio Carvalho via unanimous decision
Come join me, Chris Colemon, inside for the answers to these questions and more.
I thought the FOX era was supposed to signal the end of the Gladiator intro, but I guess that only counts for FOX broadcasts. That’s a shame.
And we aren’t wasting much time. It’s been a strong showing for Brazil thus far. Let’s see if Etim can turn the tides.
Edson Barboza, Jr. vs. Terry Etim
I don’t speak Portuguese, but I had an easier time understanding Barboza’s prefight interview than I did Etim’s. Bruce Buffer, man of the world, caters to the home crowd in his introduction.
R1: If you forget who is who, the Brazilian is the one with the tan. Big Dan is in control of things. Both men swing awahy and Etim gets the early takedown, but they quickly pop back up. Barboza blocks a head kick. Etim fakes a punch and shoots for another takedown, but Barboza sweeps and gets back up. They’re feeling each other out, and Barboza misses with a wild punch before finding his mark with a pair of leg kicks. Barboza’s thrown quite a few shots to the break basket. Barboza sees the takedown coming and stuffs the Brit. The crowd is chanting something–it undoubtedly involves Etim meeting his maker. Barboza charges in and connects with a combination. Woo, powerful spinning back kick from Barboza to shut out the round.
R2: Etim comes out much more active, but he’s still eating leg kicks. Etim lands a leg kick and follows up with another to the head but it’s blocked. Etim gets stuffed on a takedown and eats a knee to the gut. If he can’t land these takedowns, he needs to get more aggressive in the standup, and he’s making the effort. Barboza’s been landing heavy kicks to Etim’s lead leg throughout the bout, and he’s sticking with the formula. Etim with a head kick and spinning back kick of his own. Etim with a takedown from across the cage. He lands it but it’s as short lived as the others. Barboza digs in with a body shot and follows it up top. Strong switch kick to the body by the Brazilian to close out the round.
R3: Really wish they would have secured local talent for the ring card girls. Am I alone in that? They’re trading early in round three. Etim with a failed flying knee, or “jumping knee” as Goldy called it earlier. Both men are sticking to their plan: Barboza lands a leg kick and Etim fails a takedown. Annnnd Barboza whips around with a magnificent spinning wheel kick! Tiiiiimbeeer! He catches Etim square in the face and this is a wrap!
Edson Barboza def. Terry Etim by Knock Out (2:02 R3)
Rogan calls this the first ever spinning heel kick knock out in UFC history. He’d probably know. A nice finish to kick off the PPV card, and the Brazilians are rolling tonight.
Before the UFC 142 pay-per-view card kicks off from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, FX will be airing four fights from the preliminary card, featuring the return of veteran lightweight striker Sam Stout as well as formerly-retired heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga. Follow us after the jump for round-by-round results from the live prelims broadcast starting at 8 p.m., courtesy of rookie CagePotato liveblogger Anthony Gannon. Porra, you guys!
Before the UFC 142 pay-per-view card kicks off from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, FX will be airing four fights from the preliminary card, featuring the return of veteran lightweight striker Sam Stout as well as formerly-retired heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga. Follow us after the jump for round-by-round results from the live prelims broadcast starting at 8 p.m., courtesy of rookie CagePotato liveblogger Anthony Gannon. Porra, you guys!
Sup, Potatoheads. I’m known around these parts as Gan. I look sort of like a mini Butterbean, just without the shorts pulled up to my jugs and the toughness. I enjoy sophomoric humor, ridiculously large burritos, and Friday night bubble baths with a nice Chardonnay, except if it’s a 2004 of course, which everyone knows was simply an appalling year for subtle, buttery whites. That aside, I’m here for you tonight. So let’s do this.
This one is basically Brazil vs. The World, and if it’s anything like the last Brazil card, then the home field advantage will be immense. At UFC 134, with the exception of Luis Cane – who lost by blitzkrieg to Stanislav Nedkov – all of the other seven Brazilians who faced foreigners won their fights. Luis brought shame onto his country and has subsequently been exiled to Nepal. They play for keeps in Brazil. Somewhere out there at this very moment, the Nog Brothers, Anderson Silva, and Steven Seagal are sitting around a fire pit making final preparations for world subjugation by forcing us to change the way we pronounce our R’s.
First up is Ricardo Funch vs. Mike Pyle. Pyle is reppin’ the USA as the lone American on the undercard.
Round 1: They touch gloves and it’s on. Pyle throws knuckles, Funch blocks. Funch with a nice leg kick. They clinch and trade knees. Pyle is winging hooks, but it’s a straight right that finds its way in. Oof, a beautiful knee to the beard drops Funch and Pyle swarms in with punches. Mario Yamasaki steps in and saves Funch from further damage.
Mike Pyle wins by TKO at 1:22 of Round 1. The crowd is not pleased.
Next up is Yuri Alcantara vs. Michihiro Omigawa. And luckily we are treated to more commercials. Hot Hooter’s girls are advising us to beware of bad wings. Pretty ironic.
Round 1: Leon Roberts is our ref, and here we go. They come out hard, Omigawa walks into a heavy knee. Yuri lands another nasty knee to the midsection. Omigawa looks miserable already. Yuri lands a big left. Omigawa is getting his freak on in there, and he lands a left. Spinning back fist misses. “A” for effort. Yuri lands a nice combo. Head kick by Yuri misses. Yuri lands another big left. Huge knee to the body by Yuri, then a huge left has Omigawa rocked. Yuri takes his back and is dropping bombs. But Omigawa reverses ends up on top in Yuri’s guard. Omigawa moves to half guard and is landing a few pitter-patter shots. Yuri with a quick armbar, but Omigawa is saved by the bell.
Round 2: Yuri with a head kick, blocked by Omigawa. Omigawa lands a left. Uppercut whiffed by Yuri. Big left drops Omigawa, and Yuri is in butterfly guard. He moves to half guard, but Omigawa is looking for a leg. Yuri is having none of it. He takes Omigawa’s back, one hook in, and is punching him in the side of the head. Yuri going for a choke, looks good,but Omigawa escapes. Omigawa gets back to guard. Yuri lands a couple of shots, but this is a positional battle right now. Yuri escapes guard, is in half guard, but Omigawa is slippery. Yuri lands a couple shots, Omigawa is bleeding from the ear. Good round for Yuri.
Round 3: Yuri misses a knee while Omigawa lands a short left. Omigawa is still getting his freak on, Yuri looks a little fatigued. Omigawa lands, Yuri whiffs a big hook. Omigawa tries another spinning backfist, it grazes Yuri. Yuri lands a couple big lefts. Yuri punches Omigawa right in his bloody ear. Yuck. Yuri throws a head kick, Omigawa blocks. Both guys are winging punches. Omigawa lands an elbow to the temple, then takes Yuri down. He’s stuck in guard. Omigawa with some ground and pound, but he’s got to know he’s down 2 rounds to 1. He needs to do something dramatic. The ref stand sthem up with 15 seconds to go. Yuri with a throw, lands in full mount, and the bell sounds.
Charles Barkley pimps Weight Watchers. WTF?
Yuri Alcantara scores a unanimous decision victory. He also has one of the nastiest cauliflower ears I’ve ever seen. Even still, he has the gratitude to thank the Almighty.
Rogan and Goldy are selling the main event. Hopefully now that we’re on FX we won’t have to watch Rogan and Dana White close out the broadcast by screaming at the top of their lungs over “Teenage Wasteland” while Rogan’s neck veins explode.
Next we have Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ednaldo Oliveira. Gonzaga, best known for knocking out Crop Cop with one of the greatest head kicks ever, and for grossly spitting a bloody loogey onto Randy Couture’s back, was retired, but came back to fight Parker Porter a couple of months ago. Now he makes his Octagon return. And thankfully, it appears that finally he has someone in his camp who realizes the importance of Nairing the shoulders.
Round 1: They touch, and it’s a go. They’re feeling each other out. Ednaldo is utilizing the jab, trying to gauge the distance. Gabe misses with a right, but lands a body punch. Ednaldo lands to the head. Gabe with a big takedown. Ednaldo gets to his feet, and Gabe plants him again. He’s in half guard, and looking to land. Gabe takes the back and secures a rear naked choke.
Gabriel Gonzaga wins by rear naked choke at 3:22 of Round 1. Gabe acts as his own interpreter, much respect for that.
Felipe Arantes vs. Antonio Carvalho
Round 1: Antonio with a takedown. In half guard. He’s dropping hammerfists to the body. Moves to side control. They roll and Antonio ends up on top. Now they’re up. Antonio has a headlock on and is throwing knees. Antonio moves to full mount. He’s winging shots, but Felipe escapes and lands a knee. Felipe sticks a nice jab. And another. Spinning back kick missed by Felipe. Antonio tosses a high kick and it’s blocked. And again, but it completely misses. Felipe with a high kick of his won, blocked. They’re trading bones, and Felipe looks to be the more fluid striker. Jumping knee by Felipe, but Antonio absorbs it and grabs a leg, cannot get the takedown. Close round.
Round 2: Felipe misses a kick. Then lands one to the ribs. Oh he’s chucking now. Antonio doing a good job of covering up though, he avoids most of the onslaught. Head kick by Antonio blocked. Nice leg kick by Antonio. High kick returned by Felipe, blocked. Felipe lands a body kick, and they clinch. Antonio has Felipe against the cage, trying for a takedown. Felipe defends well, and is free. Felipe lands a front kick. Takedown attempt by Antonio, defended. Felipe lands a nice straight right. Antonio misses on his combination. Felipe grabs a clinch, knee to the body. Nice leg kick by Felipe too. And another. The round ends with mutual shots.
Round 3: They touch to start the final frame. Antonio lands a leg kick after missing a hook. Felipe responds in kind. They trade leg kicks. Jumping knee by Felipe, grazes. Snapping high kick misses by Antonio. Antonio wanted this fight on the ground and pulled guard to get it there. He’s using the rubber guard, but lets it go. Felipe lands a couple of elbows, and Antonio is cut. Felipe landing some good shots on the ground, including another elbow right to the cut. Antonio working a high guard, but cannot keep it. Felipe goes body, head with punches. Antonio is up but eats a knee. He’s tossing hard, looking for some payback. Spinning kick misses, badly. Knee by Felipe. Felipe lands a huge right. Antonio charges forward but is missing everything he tosses. The clock sounds, and it looks like Felipe has this one locked down. We’ll see.
Felipe Arantes scores himself a unanimous decision victory.
Sam Stout vs. Thiago Tavares up next.
Round 1: Thiago charges forward, they clinch. He scores an easy takedown, not good for Stout. He’s gotten very good on the ground, but the key for him lies in takedown defense in this one. He’s posted, and looking to stand up. Thiago is working the back, but Stout gets free. Stout catches a kick, tosses Thiago off. Thiago clinches up and scores another takedown. Stout is trying to wall walk and eats one to the chops forit. Now he’s up, but Thiago scoops him up and slams him. Stout back against the cage, trying to get up. Thiago relentless with the takedown. Sam is up, but Thiago grabs his neck and pulls guard for a guillotine. Stout escapes and is up. They roll, and Thiago goes for a leg, nothing happening with that. Stout lands right hand. They both chuck, and miss. Thiago lands a hook to the head, and another. Good round for Thaigo.
Round 2: Stout changes, Thiago lands. Stout with a short right. Thiago with a jab. Stout misses an uppercut. Thiago closes the distance and wants a takedown, not happening. Thiago lands a nice right, then a body kick. He shoots but gets shrugged off. Thiago throws a bomb and misses badly. Nice combination by Thiago. And he’s going for a takedown, Stout defends. Stout plods forward but cannot seem to get anything going. Then he lands a body shot. Thaigo grazes a head kick. Stout to the body, and he’s bleeding from behind his ear. Thiago misses a kick, and Stout goes to the body. Stout lands a job while Thiago misses an overhand. Stout lands a nice body kick, then a body punch. Nice leg kick by Thiago, and that’s the round. Close round.
Round 3: Thiago wings one, misses. Then he lands a good one to the chops. Stout with a low kick. Whoops, there’s a boot to the pills. Thiago is down and in pain. He’s up, and trying to walk it off. He lays back down. Now he’s up, and looks ready to go. Stout apologizes,and we’re back on. Thiago throws two kicks, both blocked, misses another overhand. Thiago shoots, Stout defends. Thaigo then lands a hard leg kick. Stout pushing forward, Thiago goes for a takedown, Stout defends again. Stout lands. Another leg kick by Thiago, as Stout lands a hook. Thiago lands a jab. Stout lands two jabs in a row, pretty sweet. Thiago lands a big right. Body kick by Thiago, caught by Stout. Stout with an inside leg kick of his own. Stout with a jab. Leg kick by Stout. Stout drops thiago with a right, and again. And yet again. Stout finished strong, but it may too little too late.
Thiago Tavares wins the unanimous decision.
Well that’s it for me, people. Thanks for getting your live blog on with me. I’m outty. Enjoy the main card.
Dana White’s latest vlog walks us through the behind the scenes drama at yesterday’s weigh-ins. Before the action unfolds we get to tag along with the multimillionaire fight baron as he soars over the slums of Rio in a private helicopter. Poetry.
Things get interesting when Vitor Belfort checks in at the arena. Watching “The Phenom” gnaw away on a towel of crushed ice like a starved animal as he learns that “Rumble” is nowhere in the vicinity of 185lbs makes Johnson’s massive failure all the more unforgivable. Vitor had the option of stopping his cut and fighting at a catchweight, but ultimately chose the path of the professional and made the contracted weight. That 20% of Johnson’s purse probably didn’t hurt his decision.
Join us back here this evening as we kick off our Liveblog with the prelims on FX!
Dana White’s latest vlog walks us through the behind the scenes drama at yesterday’s weigh-ins. Before the action unfolds we get to tag along with the multimillionaire fight baron as he soars over the slums of Rio in a private helicopter. Poetry.
Things get interesting when Vitor Belfort checks in at the arena. Watching “The Phenom” gnaw away on a towel of crushed ice like a starved animal as he learns that “Rumble” is nowhere in the vicinity of 185lbs makes Johnson’s massive failure all the more unforgivable. Vitor had the option of stopping his cut and fighting at a catchweight, but ultimately chose the path of the professional and made the contracted weight. That 20% of Johnson’s purse probably didn’t hurt his decision.
Join us back here this evening as we kick off our Liveblog with the prelims on FX!
