The Indiana Gaming Commission handed seven UFC Fight Night 27 fighters medical suspensions. Two of these fighters, Court McGee and Dylan Andrews, fared worse than the others. They both received indefinite medical suspensions, meaning they’ll need to be cleared by a physician before they can do anything meaningful.
Court McGee won a grueling split decision over TUF: Smashes winner Robert Whittaker. And Dylan Andrews, after getting thrown around for two rounds, knocked out Papy Abedi in the third round but claimed in the post-fight interview to have damaged his shoulder. Attentive viewers might have noticed that Andrews couldn’t put his arm through the sleeve of his shirt after the fight— never a good sign. But, officially, the Commission has yet to disclose any specific injuries he may have suffered.
There were other medical suspensions, though they were not as severe:
(Remember winning matches in Mortal Kombat when your guy has one sliver of health left? That’s what happened here. Photo via Getty Images.)
The Indiana Gaming Commission handed seven UFC Fight Night 27 fighters medical suspensions. Two of these fighters, Court McGee and Dylan Andrews, fared worse than the others. They both received indefinite medical suspensions, meaning they’ll need to be cleared by a physician before they can do anything meaningful.
Court McGee won a grueling split decision over TUF: Smashes winner Robert Whittaker. And Dylan Andrews, after getting thrown around for two rounds, knocked out Papy Abedi in the third round but claimed in the post-fight interview to have damaged his shoulder. Attentive viewers might have noticed that Andrews couldn’t put his arm through the sleeve of his shirt after the fight— never a good sign. But, officially, the Commission has yet to disclose any specific injuries he may have suffered.
There were other medical suspensions, though they were not as severe:
Getting his face run through the deli slicer that is Carlos Condit earned Martin Kampmann a 30-day suspension with no contact during training for 14 days.
Papy Abedi will have a 60-day suspension (with no contact during 30 of those days) to contemplate his knockout loss to Dylan Andrews. Ironically, Abedi lost the fight but received a shorter suspension than Andrews.
Justin Edwards got a 30-day suspension with no contact for the entire duration of the suspension, which is remarkably short for the ass-kicking Brandon Thatch inflicted on him.
Hatsu Hioki received a two week suspension with no contact for two weeks. Fortunately, the myth of Hioki ever being a top-echelon fighter has received an indefinite suspension with his loss to Darren Elkins.
Finishing out the medical suspensions, Roger Bowling was suspended for 60 days on account of those totally legal knees he ate. Something tells me that he won’t be receiving a win bonus like his opponent Abel Trujillo did.
(The Fight Night 27 post-fight press conference via the UFC’s Youtube channel.)
We’ll admit to skipping over the very first fight on yesterday’s Fight Night 27: Condit vs. Kampmann card — a lightweight scrap between Abel “Killa” Trujillo and Roger “Fuck it, Dude, Let’s Go” Bowling — in our aftermath piece this morning, but not because we missed the fight and not because we planned on using it as a prime example for another article about potential rule changes in MMA. In my eyes (and therefore all of CP’s because BG is out of town. MWAHAHAHAHA!!!), there was simply no controversy to be had.
Trujillo threw two knees. The first was legal; to the chest. The second was not; it hit Bowling square in the jaw. In fact, the second was about as blatantly illegal a strike as you could ask for. When Bowling was deemed unable to continue, we assumed he would be awarded the victory via DQ, as was the case when Luiz Cane illegally kneed James Irvin’s eyeball through the back of his skull at UFC 79. When the ref informed Trujillo that the fight would be declared a NC because the knee wasn’t “blatant,” we scratched our heads a little, but knew that intention behind a foul is determined by the referee alone.
So what should have been a DQ win for Roger Bowling was now a NC. Fine. But to say that Trujillo should have not only won the fight but will be receiving a win bonus as well? Surely you’d have to be f*cking insane to utter such insanity.
Those shots were not illegal. The first one hit him in the chest, and the second hit him in the shoulder. That kid should’ve won that fight, and I’m going to pay him his win bonus.
Yup, that’s Dana White at the Fight Night 27 post-fight press conference (approximately 20 minutes into the above video), clearly high as f*ck. But here’s the thing: Dana is right.
Join us after the jump to see why.
(The Fight Night 27 post-fight press conference via the UFC’s Youtube channel.)
We’ll admit to skipping over the very first fight on yesterday’s Fight Night 27: Condit vs. Kampmann card — a lightweight scrap between Abel “Killa” Trujillo and Roger “Fuck it, Dude, Let’s Go” Bowling — in our aftermath piece this morning, but not because we missed the fight and not because we planned on using it as a prime example for another article about potential rule changes in MMA. In my eyes (and therefore all of CP’s because BG is out of town. MWAHAHAHAHA!!!), there was simply no controversy to be had.
Trujillo threw two knees. The first was legal; to the chest. The second was not; it hit Bowling square in the jaw. In fact, the second was about as blatantly illegal a strike as you could ask for. When Bowling was deemed unable to continue, we assumed he would be awarded the victory via DQ, as was the case when Luiz Cane illegally kneed James Irvin’s eyeball through the back of his skull at UFC 79. When the ref informed Trujillo that the fight would be declared a NC because the knee wasn’t “blatant,” we scratched our heads a little but knew that intention behind a foul is determined by the referee alone.
So what should have been a DQ win for Roger Bowling was now a NC. Fine. But to say that Trujillo should have not only won the fight but will be receiving a win bonus as well? Surely you’d have to be f*cking insane to utter such insanity.
Those shots were not illegal. The first one hit him in the chest, and the second hit him in the shoulder. That kid should’ve won that fight, and I’m going to pay him his win bonus.
Yup, that’s Dana White at the Fight Night 27 post-fight press conference (approximately 20 minutes into the above video), clearly high as f*ck. But here’s the thing: Dana is right.
Join us after the jump to see why.
As I said, when I first caught the fight, I would have told you within a shadow of a doubt that Trujillo’s second knee was illegal. I would have said the same after watching the replay and I was fully prepared to end this article with a facepalm photo to shame DW for making such an erroneous statement. Let’s watch said replay in gif form, shall we?
I know. STILL TOTALLY ILLEGAL, right?
Now let’s watch a slowed down version of the gif, compliments of UGer epwar:
As we can now see, Trujillo’s second knee also hits Bowling in the chest, but gradually slides up and catches him in the face on its way out. So at worst, Trujillo hit Bowling with an unintentional knee to the face that was meant for (as the ref determined) and did in fact land on Bowling’s chest. Problem is, neither of Bowling’s knees were on the ground at the moment of Trujillo’s second strike, let alone when it reached his face:
This screengrab was published in the comments section of an MMAFighting article earlier today. In it, you can CLEARLY see that both of Bowling’s knees are hovering above the canvas. Therefore, it didn’t matter where Trujillo’s shot landed, because Bowling was technically not a downed opponent.
I should inform you that I have no dog in this fight. This article, believe it or not, was originally titled “Dana White Declares Knees to the Head of a Downed Opponent Legal, Gives Abel Trujillo His Bonus Money.” I am also a staunch believer that all knees should be legal in MMA, downed opponent or otherwise. You know this. But upon looking at the evidence and taking the current rules into context, it’s hard not to agree with The Baldfather’s assessment that Trujillo got screwed here.
In any case, the ruling in this fight, which was made by referee Rob Hinds, only enforces the belief that instant replay is being shamefully underutilized in MMA. We know we’ve published articles stating the contrary before, but the basis of their arguments was that instant replay would create more questions than it would solve. Yet here we have the President of the UFC not only questioning a call that (to our knowledge) was not based on any replay, but essentially reversing it. Tell me again how instant replay would somehow add to the confusion of this scenario; I’m all ears.
(“Hey Mike, do you ever think that we could all just be, like, figments of some retarded kid’s imagination?” *Pwaaaaahhh* Photo via Getty.)
It seems that former WEC bantamweight kingpin Miguel Torres is the latest fighter to strap on his goofy boots, eat the Devil’s lettuce and store it in his Prince Albert in the left-handed can. Those are euphemisms for marijuana, which the UFC and WSOF veteran didn’t test positive for during a pre or post-fight exam but rather was allegedly caught with in his home state of Indiana over the weekend. Sherdog reports:
Former World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight champion and UFC veteran Miguel Torreswas arrested in his home state of Indiana this past weekend for alleged possession of marijuana.
Torres’ mugshot was recently posted on the Facebook page of the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department as part of the Marshall County Jail bookings from Aug. 24 to Aug. 25. Torres’ exact time of arrest was not revealed in the report. However, it was indicated that the fighter posted a $1,500 bond.
The thirty two year-old is perhaps the most accomplished bantamweight in MMA history but has unfortunately lost three out of his last four bouts. After the UFC absorbed the WEC, Torres fought in the organization, compiling a record of 2-2 before being released in 2012. Torres’ last fight was a November 2012 decision loss to Marlon Moraes in the World Series of Fighting’s first event.
We’ll keep you posted on updates in this case.
(“Hey Mike, do you ever think that we could all just be, like, figments of some retarded kid’s imagination?” *Pwaaaaahhh* Photo via Getty.)
It seems that former WEC bantamweight kingpin Miguel Torres is the latest fighter to strap on his goofy boots, eat the Devil’s lettuce and store it in his Prince Albert in the left-handed can. Those are euphemisms for marijuana, which the UFC and WSOF veteran didn’t test positive for during a pre or post-fight exam but rather was allegedly caught with in his home state of Indiana over the weekend. Sherdog reports:
Former World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight champion and UFC veteran Miguel Torreswas arrested in his home state of Indiana this past weekend for alleged possession of marijuana.
Torres’ mugshot was recently posted on the Facebook page of the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department as part of the Marshall County Jail bookings from Aug. 24 to Aug. 25. Torres’ exact time of arrest was not revealed in the report. However, it was indicated that the fighter posted a $1,500 bond.
The thirty two year-old is perhaps the most accomplished bantamweight in MMA history but has unfortunately lost three out of his last four bouts. After the UFC absorbed the WEC, Torres fought in the organization, compiling a record of 2-2 before being released in 2012. Torres’ last fight was a November 2012 decision loss to Marlon Moraes in the World Series of Fighting’s first event.
(“Listen up, old man. You’re *going* to give me those Six Flags tickets, whether you want to or not.” Photo via Getty.)
Despite the fact that he was defeated via a close split decision in the pair’s first meeting, former interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit was the odds-on favorite heading into his rematch with Martin Kampmann at Fight Night 27 last night. It wasn’t hard to see why — Condit had dropped his past two contests, sure, but they were close decision losses to the the division’s long-standing champion and its current number one contender. Kampmann was also coming off a loss to said contender, but let’s just say that his loss was a little more…demoralizing.
In the early going, it looked as if Kampmann would attempt to mirror the strategy that led him to victory in the pair’s first meeting. Understandably hoping to avoid being shot out of a cannon by another left hand, “The Hitman” constantly pressured his lengthier foe and mixed up a few takedowns to keep Condit off balance. It’s a credit to Condit’s otherworldly cardio that he seemed to only grow fresher as the fight progressed, especially considering the amount of energy he expended defending Kampmann’s grappling-based attack in the first.
But there Condit was in the second and third, utilizing his reach to slowly pick Kampmann — who I’m convinced is only so pasty because he loses roughly 2 pints of blood per fight — apart before finishing him with a brutal series of knees and punches in the fourth. Even in defeat, the Dane once again proved that unless you have a fist made of granite, you are not putting him away easily.
With the victory, Condit claimed not only redemption but a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus. With four FOTN and two KOTN awards in his last seven bouts, it’s safe to say that Condit is not only one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC, but a perennial contender for the welterweight title. The ridiculous myth that the former WEC welterweight champ is a “Natural Born Runner” has been officially debunked — just don’t tell that to the hardcore Nick Diaz fans still struggling to cope with his loss to Condit at UFC 143. Unbridled ignorance is truly the hamster that keeps their wheels spinning, if ever so slowly.
(“Listen up, old man. You’re *going* to give me those Six Flags tickets, whether you want to or not.” Photo via Getty.)
Despite the fact that he was defeated via a close split decision in the pair’s first meeting, former interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit was the odds-on favorite heading into his rematch with Martin Kampmann at Fight Night 27 last night. It wasn’t hard to see why — Condit had dropped his past two contests, sure, but they were close decision losses to the the division’s long-standing champion and its current number one contender. Kampmann was also coming off a loss to said contender, but let’s just say that his loss was a little more…demoralizing.
In the early going, it looked as if Kampmann would attempt to mirror the strategy that led him to victory in the pair’s first meeting. Understandably hoping to avoid being shot out of a cannon by another left hand, “The Hitman” constantly pressured his lengthier foe and mixed up a few takedowns to keep Condit off balance. It’s a credit to Condit’s otherworldly cardio that he seemed to only grow fresher as the fight progressed, especially considering the amount of energy he expended defending Kampmann’s grappling-based attack in the first.
But there Condit was in the second and third, utilizing his reach to slowly pick Kampmann — who I’m convinced is only so pasty because he loses roughly 2 pints of blood per fight — apart before finishing him with a brutal series of knees and punches in the fourth. Even in defeat, the Dane once again proved that unless you have a fist made of granite, you are not putting him away easily.
With the victory, Condit claimed not only redemption but a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus. With four FOTN and two KOTN awards in his last seven bouts, it’s safe to say that Condit is not only one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC, but a perennial contender for the welterweight title. The ridiculous myth that the former WEC welterweight champ is a “Natural Born Runner” has been officially debunked — just don’t tell that to the hardcore Nick Diaz fans still struggling to cope with his loss to Condit at UFC 143. Unbridled ignorance is truly the hamster that keeps their wheels spinning, if ever so slowly.
In the night’s co-main event, a somewhat sluggish Donald Cerrone saw himself similarly outgunned by moderate underdog Rafael Dos Anjos. The Brazilian not only accomplished what few have done by dropping “Cowboy” in the first, but surprisingly managed to outwork Cerrone in both the stand up and the grappling department as the fight progressed. This was no doubt thanks to the fact that Dos Anjos is more machine than he is man these days, but a win’s a win and with five straight, it’s time to give Dos Anjos a #1 contender fight. When T.J. Grant is healthy again, expect to see these two mix it up. Not bad for a dude who was best known for eating Jeremy Stephens’ uppercut from Hell in his UFC debut.
Elsewhere on the main card, TUF 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum made short work of late replacement opponent Brian Melancon, stunning the Texan with some B-E-A-utiful inside boxing before snatching up a fight-ending rear naked choke just two and a half minutes into the contest. Gastelum’s improbable run in the UFC can perhaps best be summed up by Derek Brunson:
Gastelum’s quick submission was not enough to earn him a SOTN bonus, however. That award went to fellow TUF 17 contestant and alien in poorly-fitting human skin suit, Zak Cummings, who collected his first UFC victory by way of an incredibly slick Brabo choke over Ben Alloway in the first round (gif here via Zombie Prophet).
Twas an exciting night of fights, for sure. The closely contested slugfests that were Takeya Mizugaki vs. Erik Perez and Court McGee vs. Robert Whittaker would have arguably secured a FOTN bonus on a lesser card (UFC 163, for instance). In the former, Mizugaki’s unbreakable chin held up against the early and often furious onslaught of Perez, who seemed to fade as the two continued to trade heavy leather for three straight rounds. With the win, Mizugaki improved to 5-2 in the UFC; here’s hoping he continues to get main card fights because the man is entertaining as hell to watch.
In the latter meeting between TUF winners, McGee — who overdosed on heroin once, just in case you guys didn’t know — improved his welterweight record to 2-0 by outgunning Whittaker en route to a split decision victory. While Whittaker may have landed the harder shots, it was McGee’s octagon control and feverish pace that earned him the judges’ nod. However, the fact that the final scores were 30-27, 27-30 and 29-28 furthers the theory that MMA judges have either given up entirely or are handing out sympathy points these days. Of course, it really didn’t help that the judge who scored it for Whittaker wrote in crayon.
What’s left? Ahhh yes, the KOTN award, which went to newcomer Brandon Thatch for his first round destruction of Justin Edwards. The finish was Thatch’s ninthstraight victory to come in the first round and a performance that will likely give Brittney Palmer nightmares for weeks to come. Standing at 6’2″, Thatch towers above most of the welterweight division and could pose some legitimate threats down the line. That being said, he might want to start keeping his hands a little higher when he kicks or he is going to get plastered by a better striker.
The full results for Fight Night 27 are below.
UFC Fight Night 27 Main Card on Fox Sports 1 (8 p.m. ET)
-Carlos Condit def. Martin Kampmann, TKO (Round 4, 0:54)
-Rafael dos Anjos def. Donald Cerrone, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
-Kelvin Gastelum def. Melancon, submission (Round 1, 2:26)
-Court McGee def. Robert Whittaker, split-decision (27-30, 30-27, 29-28)
-Takeya Mizugaki def. Erik Perez, split-decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
-Brad Tavares def. Bubba McDaniel, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Fox Sports 2 Prelims (6 p.m. ET)
-Dylan Andrews def. Papy Abedi, TKO (Round 3, 1:32)
-Brandon Thatch def. Justin Edwards, TKO (Round 1, 1:23)
-Darren Elkins def. Hatsu Hioki, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
-Jason High def. James Head, submission (Round 1, 1:41)
Facebook Prelims (5 p.m. ET)
-Zak Cummings def. Ben Alloway, submission (Round 1, 4:19)
-Roger Bowling vs. Abel Trujillo: No contest (Bowling KO’d by illegal knee in Round 2)
(Sounds like a good plan, but wait until you’re married for a year, and your wife’s all like, “Bensonnnn why do you spend all your time defending your title, what about meeeeeeeee, we never go anywhere anymorrrrrrre.” Ugh. Am I right? Back me up here, married guys. / Photo via MMAFighting)
It seems like one of MMA’s most untouchable records, but Benson Henderson is convinced that he will beat former middleweight champion Anderson Silva‘s consecutive title defense streak of ten.
“I’m going to break it in 2016,” the ever-confident UFC lightweight champion told MMA Fighting.
I should be able to break it by 2015, but because I’m getting married I’m going to take some time off for my honeymoon. That’s going to set me back by about three to four months. But I have it down exactly. I know when I’m going to break it. It’s going to be early 2016. I know what number I need to get. I know the amount of hard work it’s going to take for me to get there. I know how much I’ve got to get beat up, I know how much I’ve got to practice. I’m aware of it. I know it. Now my goal is to go out there and go do it.
Well, alright. We can’t hate on Henderson. The kid has earned what he has, to say the least, and by all accounts works crazy hard. He’s also just a flat-out incredible fighter and looks better each time out.
That said, considering that he has just three consecutive successful title-defenses right now, with an attempt at a fourth coming Saturday at UFC 164, and that two of those bouts were incredibly close — against Frankie Edgar and his last against Gilbert Melendez — predicting ten straight seems a bit outlandish.
It’s not that Henderson isn’t capable of winning seven more straight, it’s just that he’ll probably continue to fight to close decisions a lot considering the parity of the lightweight division. One of these days, the judges might not see things his way; you’re rolling the dice every time you let the scorecards decide the fight, and you can’t always expect the judges to behave rationally.
(Sounds like a good plan, but wait until you’re married for a year, and your wife’s all like, “Bensonnnn why do you spend all your time defending your title, what about meeeeeeeee, we never go anywhere anymorrrrrrre.” Ugh. Am I right? Back me up here, married guys. / Photo via MMAFighting)
It seems like one of MMA’s most untouchable records, but Benson Henderson is convinced that he will beat former middleweight champion Anderson Silva‘s consecutive title defense streak of ten.
“I’m going to break it in 2016,” the ever-confident UFC lightweight champion told MMA Fighting.
I should be able to break it by 2015, but because I’m getting married I’m going to take some time off for my honeymoon. That’s going to set me back by about three to four months. But I have it down exactly. I know when I’m going to break it. It’s going to be early 2016. I know what number I need to get. I know the amount of hard work it’s going to take for me to get there. I know how much I’ve got to get beat up, I know how much I’ve got to practice. I’m aware of it. I know it. Now my goal is to go out there and go do it.
Well, alright. We can’t hate on Henderson. The kid has earned what he has, to say the least, and by all accounts works crazy hard. He’s also just a flat-out incredible fighter and looks better each time out.
That said, considering that he has just three consecutive successful title-defenses right now, with an attempt at a fourth coming Saturday at UFC 164, and that two of those bouts were incredibly close — against Frankie Edgar and his last against Gilbert Melendez — predicting ten straight seems a bit outlandish.
It’s not that Henderson isn’t capable of winning seven more straight, it’s just that he’ll probably continue to fight to close decisions a lot considering the parity of the lightweight division. One of these days, the judges might not see things his way; you’re rolling the dice every time you let the scorecards decide the fight, and you can’t always expect the judges to behave rationally.
That said, fighting professionally is pretty irrational itself, and a great deal of confidence (as well as dedication and hard work) is required to step into the cage year after year. If Henderson didn’t believe he could win ten in a row — or fifty, for that matter — he should probably find another line of work.
What do you think, Nation? Is Henderson the guy you would pick as the favorite to break Anderson’s record? If not him, who?
As for his rematch with Anthony Pettis in Milwaukee this Saturday, to whom Henderson lost his WEC title to in 2010, the champ is positive he will use his wrestling to dominate. “St-Pierre says it. If I’m going against somebody, and I know his weakness is this place, yeah, I’m going to exploit it,” he said.
“I’m going to find out every weakness and then go pick on that area.”
Handling the play-by-play for the FOX Sports 1 main card is George Shunick, who will be providing live results after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and toss your own thoughts into our comments section. Thanks for coming.
Handling the play-by-play for the FOX Sports 1 main card is George Shunick, who will be providing live results after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and toss your own thoughts into our comments section. Thanks for coming.
Welcome to the live-blog, Potato Nation. We’ve got a solid card for your viewing (err, reading) pleasure tonight, headlined by a rematch between Martin Kampmann and “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit. Both fighters are strong offensively, both on the feet and on the ground. Condit’s probably got better striking defense while Kampmann has the edge in wrestling. The last fight was pretty close, and while the potential for a finish is rather high, this one should be equally well-contested. In addition, we have Donald Cerrone taking on Rafael Dos Anjos, and TUF 17 champion Kelvin Gastelum sees his first action at 170. Suffice it to say, this card shouldn’t lack on action.
Brad Tavares vs. Bubba McDaniel
For all the crap McDaniel – perhaps justifiably – got for his personality on TUF 17, he’s still a decent fighter. He’s not nearly the underdog he’s been made out to be in this fight. Doesn’t mean I think he’ll win. But hey, don’t be surprised if he does. As for Brad Tavares… well, the man has the best takedown defense in UFC middleweight history, so that counts for something.
Round 1
Fighters touch gloves. Low kick from Tavares. And another. They’re in opposite stances. Tavares goes high, then goes for an inside leg kick. McDaniel circles and Tavares lands yet another outside leg kick. 1-2 from McDaniel who clinches Tavares against the fence. But Tavares maintains his excellent takedown defense and escapes from the clinch. McDaniel lands a cross as he backs Tavares up. Tavares lands another low kick, McDaniel attempts to counter with a cross as Tavares throws another kick, and McDaniel briefly ends up on his back. Tavares lets him up. They exchange and both land. Tavares almost takes McDaniel down but McDaniel grabs a double leg and gets tavares against the fence. McDaniel lands an accidental low blow and they are separated by Dan Miragliotta. McDaniel’s leg is looking red and rather tender. Tavares slips a cross and clinches McDaniel against the fence. Tavares gets underhooks but can’t do much with them. They separate. Tavares lands a nice body kick before the bell. 10-9 Tavares.
Round 2
Another low kick from Tavares to McDaniel’s lead leg to start. Tavares lands a nice hook to the body after a jab-cross combo. A hook drops McDaniel, but mostly because he was off-balance. He stands and eats another kick to his lead leg. Tavares with a cross counter that lands. McDaniel seems befuddled, but he lands a takedown as Tavares rushes in with sloppy punches. Tavares has butterfly guard and uses it to stand. McDaniel has a front headlock but loses it quickly. They separate. Low kick Tavares. Counter jab drops McDaniel as he was kicking. He stands. More kicks from Tavares. McDaniel simply isn’t doing anything to deter Tavares from abusing his legs. McDaniel lands a left hand lead and almost lands a takedown but Tavares reverses. Tavares stands and kicks McDaniel’s legs as he stands. McDaniel is stood up. Round ends, 10-9 Tavares.
Round 3
Turns out McDaniel’s lone knockdown in the last round came from a headbutt. It’s that kind of night for him. But he tags Tavares with a left that wobbles him! However, he immediately clinches and Tavares quickly has him pinned against the cage. Not terribly smart. They break. McDaniel eats a shot to the groin and goes down. They pause the action but soon resume. McDaniel beginning to push forward now. He finally manages to land a double in the middle of the ring. McDaniel passes to half guard almost immediately. Tavares works from the open half guard and regains half-butterfly guard. McDaniel passes back to half-guard as Tavares half-heartedly pursues a kimura from the bottom. There’s a scramble, and Tavares ultimately regains guard. Tavares looks for a triangle to no avail. McDaniel passes to half-guard, and he needs a submission quickly. He’s not looking for one, though. He passes to side control, but he’s put back in half guard. McDaniel simply can’t get separation as the round ends. 10-9 for McDaniel, but it comes too late to save him. Should be 29-28 Tavares.
The judges concur. Brad Tavares is your victor by way of unanimous decision. No surprises there.
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Erik Perez
Mizugaki is coming off a justly deserved split-decision over Bryan Caraway. (Just savor that for a moment, will you?) Perez is coming off a victory of Byron Bloodworth, who has unfortunately never managed to quite live up to how epic his name is. Who wins this fight? In a year, I’d definitely say “Goyito.” Right now? Who can say. Mizugaki is a legitimately tough human. It’s a sizeable step up for the Mexican prospect. Should be interesting to see how he responds.
Round 1
They touch gloves. Both men land hard shots in the center of the ring. Big left hook from Perez following a leaping Mizugaki cross. These guys are throwing heat, if not necessarily connecting most of the time. Big right from Mizugaki lands. Flying knee from Perez. His nose is already bleeding. Counter hook from Perez lands. Big right from Mizugaki as Perez goes from a flying knee. After an exchange, Perez runs through Mizugaki with a takedown. Mizugaki tries to wall-walk with his shoulders against the cage, but Perez is keeping him down. Goyito lands a knee to the body as Mizugaki stands. Perez quickly lands another takedown and they’re in the same position. Mizugaki stands again and reverses position. Perez catches a low kick and pushes Mizugaki back into the fence. He’s able to land a takedown, again in the same position. Again Mizugaki stands. Big double leg from Mizugaki, who finds himself in side control. Goyito looks to stand, but Mizugaki sinks one hook in and looks to take Perez’ back. Now he lets him up against the cage, and Perez reverses position. He lands a knee and works for a single. Mizugaki goes to a knee, then stands as the round ends. 10-9 Perez in an excellent round.
Round 2
Mizugaki counters a kick with a cross. Then a flying knee with a hook. He lands a cross-hook ombo on Perez. Another hook lands. Perez misses a spinning back kick. Mizugaki misses a big overhand, but he lands a counter right off a kick attempt from Perez. Mizugaki stuffs a double leg attempt. Mizugaki lands a knee as Perez shoots for another. Mizugaki escapes and they reset. Perez is beginning to slow. Mizugaki lands two counter left hooks in quick succession. He shoots for a double, but lands a shot as he returns to his feet after being stuffed. Perez returns with an overhand of his own. Big counter left hooks from Mizugaki. That’s been his money punch this round. He stuffs another Perez takedown against the fence. Mizugaki is down to his knees, but he’s still not down. Perez lands a nice knee to the body as Mizugaki stands. Big counter cross to Perez’ teep. Uppercut from Mizugaki as Perez shoots. Mizugaki sprawls as the round ends. 10-9 Mizugaki, who’s beginning to take over this fight.
Round 3
Low kick from Perez. Mizugaki lands a counter overhand. He’s dominating these exchanges. Perez lands a teep. Mizugaki slips a Perez cross and lands a big counter hook. He uses the momentum to land a takedown, before they stand again. Perez goes for a takedown, but Mizugaki quickly stands. Perez grabs a guillotine, Mizugaki drops to the ground before returning to his feet. They alternate positions on the fence before Mizugaki lands a takedown off double underhooks. He tries to pass, but only ends up in half-butterfly guard. Mizugaki looks to take Perez’ back after Perez tries to stand. Mizugaki looks to secure an RNC, but Goyito somehow manages to position himself out of harm’s way. They exchange as Perez stands, and then attempts a takedown of his own. Mizugaki is trapped on the fence, and manages to stand again. Mizugaki achieves the dominant position on the fence. They swing to the bell. Close round, but I’d go 10-9 Mizugaki.
Split decision, all 29-28′s, for Takeya Mizugaki. He deserved it. Perez has plenty of time to improve, though. And if both men keep fighting like this, they won’t have to worry about their jobs any time soon.
Court McGee vs. Robert Whittaker
Court “Matt Brown 2.0″ McGee (don’t worry Matt Brown fans; Matt Brown is something like “Matt Brown 7.0″ right now) looks to get some momentum going after ending a losing streak in his last fight. That said, I’m too impressed with Whittaker’s recent finish of Colton Smith to think that’s gonna be the case. I’ve got Whittaker by decision.
Round 1
McGee comes out firing kicks. He lands a low kick and shoots for a clinch. Whittaker separates. McGee clearly looking to push the pace early. McGee lands a right and then a body kick. McGee lands two hard leg kicks. Counter jab from Whittaker lands. Then a lead jab lands. Lead right lands. Whittaker beginning to loosen up. He lands a short counter left hook. McGee lands a cross, thena low kick. Whittaker lands a lead right. Whittaker drops McGee with a counter left hook as McGee shoots for a takedown! But McGee quickly recovers. But Whittaker really beginning to land his jab. McGee answering with kicks, most of which are blocked. McGee lands a takedown, but Whittaker easily stands and separates. McGee is cut on the side of his head. Whittaker with a teep. Whittaker lands an over the top elbow as McGee enters to land a combination. Whittaker with a coutner left hook. McGee’s shot is stuffed, but he lands a nice body kick. 10-9 Whittaker, who landed the cleaner shots.
Round 2
McGee again sets the pace. He looks for a spinning backfist, but it’s blocked. Whittaker goes down from a McGee counter, but it’s just a slip. BUT NOT THE SECOND TIME! McGee lands a straight right that drops Whittaker. Whittaker stands, but McGee is constantly pressuring him and lands a nice uppercut. Now McGee clinches and lands a nice upward elbow as they separate. McGee lands a takedown and goes to take Whittaker’s back. Whittaker escapes. He lands a nice elbow in an exchange. Jab from McGee. Inside elbow from Whittaker. McGee shoots for another takedown, but its stuffed on the fence. McGee lands some uppercuts as they separate. Whittaker is slowing. Nice counter left from Whittaker. Now a counter elbow. Then a counter hook. Whittaker’s lead hand is his best weapon. Whittaker doubles up on his elbow. Whittaker making up for lost ground in this round. They exchange jabs. Whittaker checks a low kick and follows up with a cross-jab combo. They exchange. 10-9 McGee for the knockdown, but Whittaker closed in the end of the round.
Round 3
Right-left from Whittaker. He lands a jab. Doubles up on the right with an elbow then a backhand. McGee lands a nice hook. Spinning back kick to the body from McGee. A jab stuns Whittaker as the latter rushes in. Cross lands from McGee. Both men land jabs. Whittaker lands another one, more forcefully. Whittaker rushes in with hooks and crosses that land. But by and large, the pace has slowed. McGee’s takedown attempt is stuffed. Whittaker lands a hook and uppercut. Both men are throwing, but not landing as much. Whittaker lands two solid counter hooks, though.Both men throw inside elbows. McGee really bringing the pressure, but he’s not landing much. Whittaker lands a nice inside elbow. Low kick and jab from McGee. Another elbow from Whittaker. Cross lands for McGee. Big exchange by both men at the end. Much like the fight, Whittaker seemed to land the cleaner strikes, at the expense of McGee’s sheer output. I favor the former. 10-9 Whittaker.
30-27, 29-28, and 27-30 (ugh), for the winner, Court McGee. I disagree, but not with any significant amount of vehemence. Let’s move on…
Brian Melancon can strike! Kelvin Gastelum can wrestle! Which will win?! If I had to hazard a guess… I’m going with Gastelum here. But Melancon’s Fedor-esque finish of Seth Baczynski should be fresh in Gastelum’s mind here.
Round 1
Touch of gloves. Melancon flashes leather. He lands a cross as Gastelum enters his personal space. But the second time, Gastelum lands the takedown. Melancon uses the fences to stand. He escapes. Cross to the body from Melancon. Gastelum lands a double leg, but Melancon stands immediately. Right hook lands for Kelvin. Left hook misses for Melancon. Knee to the body from gastelum. BIG COMBO from Gastelum! He drops Melancon, takes his back and gets the RNC. Takes about one second for Melancon to tap. It’s over. Gastelum rushes him with straights before dropping a dazed Melancon with a left uppercut. He smelled blood and finished instantly. An impressive performance from Kelvin Gastelum.
Oh look, it’s a Matt Brown – aka Matt Brown 7.0 – sighting! Clearly, he was unimpressed with Court McGee’s performance.
Donald Cerrone vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
This one should be “Cowboy” Cerrone’s to lose. He’s got the advantage in striking, wrestling, and quite possibly submissions as well. Rafael Dos Anjos has a shot if he gets on top and passes Cerrone’s guard. That’s no easy feat. Frankly, I think Cerrone manages to either garner a finish or a dominant decision. Either way, Dos Anjos’ face won’t look too pretty in the morning.
Round 1
NO GLOVE TOUCH! Low kick from Cerrone. He goes high but Dos Anjos evades. Dos Anjos returns with one of his own, which is blocked. Cerrone misses a knee. nice jab from Dos Anjos. Body kick from Anjos, then an overhand. Cerrone with a knee. Front kick from Cerrone. Then a teep. (Yes, there’s a difference.) Body kick from Dos Anjos. Knee from Cerrone. Dos Anjos with a hookk as they break. Cerrone catches a kick and returns with a low one. Body-head combo from Dos Anjos. Dos Anjos’ kick is blocked. Teep from Cerrone. BIG HOOK DROPS CERRONE! Dos Anjos lands a takedown. Cerrone goes for a triangle, but Dos Anjos escapes, scrambles, and ends up in half-guard. Cerrone regains guard and works for submissions. Dos Anjos tries to pass, but ends up in guard. He lands some nice elbows from the top. Now he works some punches. BIG ELBOW to the head. He is tooling Cerrone with those. Round, 10-9 Dos Anjos.
Round 2
Low kick checked by Dos Anjos. he lands a body kick. Another body kick. Cerrone lands a leg kick. Then a jab. Dos Anjos barely misses a right hook. He lands a low kick. Cerrone returns with one of his own. Knee lands from Dos Anjos. Then another body kick. He’s working those. Thena nother. Front kick to the body from Cerrone. Cerrone shoots for a takedown! He lands it and sets up in half-guard. Dos Anjos controls his posture though, and looks to sweep. Cerrone survives the scramble, however, but Dos Anjos manages to stand. Now Dos Anjos shoots for a double. Cerrone defends against the cage, and they exchange knees as they break. Jab lands from Cerrone. Body kick from Dos Anjos is blocked. Elbow from Dos Anjos. Dos Anjos lands a double off the fence. Cerrone has butterfly guard, now full guard. Dos Anjos doesn’t land the same type of ground and pound as he did at the end of the last round, but he still takes this one. 10-9 Dos Anjos.
Round 3
They touch gloves. Dos Anjos kick sails over Cerrone’s head. A leg kick drops Dos Anjos. That sounded hard. He stands. Cerrone’s takedown attempt is stuffed. He misses a knee as Dos Anjos looks to counter with that right hook. Cerrone with a straight to the body. Front kick to the body again. Body kick from Cerrone. Another one lands, but Dos Anjos catches it and looks to land a double. Cerrone defends, however, and is positioned against the cage. He escapes. Cerrone has two minutes to finish. He lands a low kick, but subsequently eats a right hook. Low kick from Cerrone. Then a switch head kick that lands. Dos Anjos looks for a single but nothing comes of it. Cerrone lands a knee to the body. Cerrone mocing forward. He lands a straight to the body. Another low kick lands. Dos Anjos lands a big right hook. Dos Anjos circles away as the round ends. 10-9 Cerrone, but it won’t be enough. Rafael Dos Anjos should take this fight.
Well, I look stupid. Dos Anjos took advantage of Cerrone’s upright posture and capitalized by hitting Cerrone with body kicks and turning the stand up into boxing exchanges when possible. The judges concur that Dos Anjos was the superior fighter, awarding him an unanimous decision with 29-28′s across the board. Alright; time for the main event.
Martin Kampmann vs. Carlos Condit
There’s no way this fight will suck. No way. I don’t care that I just jinxed it. It’s jinx-proof. I’ve got Condit here. Dude’s improved in the years since he’s faced Kampmann. Kampmann hasn’t. That said, I’m wary of Kampmann’s takedowns and submission ability. Condit’s got great submissions and submission defense, but Kampmann’s guillotine is a weapon that Condit doesn’t really have a comparable answer for. Condit survived a few of those in the first fight, but it only takes one. That said, I think Condit will be able to wear Kampmann down and finish him late, in the fourth or fifth round.
Round 1
Kampmann immediately shoots for a double. Condit resists, but Kampmann lands a trip. Condit working high guard, looking for submissions. Now he’s going for a leglock. Kampmann escapes. We’re back in Condit’s guard. Kampmann stands and lands some middling ground and pound. Condit’s guard is dictating the action, though. Condit attempts to stand, but gets tossed back to the ground. Kampmann looking for Kampmann’s back. But Condit escapes and ends up in Kampmann’s half-guard. Kampmann stands but eats an elbow. Kampmann turns him around and pushes Condit into the fence. He lands yet another takedown and Condit immediately works for a kimura. Condit working from open guard, but there’s not much going on. Kampmann considered a leglock, but Condit uses this opportunity to stand. He lands a few elbows and they separate. Condit misses a spinning back kick, but lands a left hook. Kampmann answers with a single leg, however. Condit works for a triangle as the round ends. 10-9 Kampmann.
Round 2
Jab from Kampmann lands. High kick from Condit is blocked. Kampmann misses a single leg, and Condit misses a spinning back kick. Both land jabs. Jab from Kampmann. The jab is landing for him consistently. Condit can’t close the distance. Condit lands some punches, but Kampmann clinches and looks for the takedown. It’s unsuccessful, but he lands some shots as they separate. Condit lands a 1-2-3 however. Now Condit clinches and tries to take Kampmann down. It doesn’t work. Still, he’s beginning to find his range. He lands a hook and an uppercut. Kampmann lands a hook of his own. Then a cross. Kampmann is bloodied. Wading in, Kampmann eats a big right. Jab from Condit. Then a cross lands. He’s taking angles, while Kampmann is fighting strictly linearly. A high kick is barely blocked by Kampmann. Kampmann lands a cross. Then another. Spinning back fist from Condit. Kampmann shoots for a double. He can’t get it, and Condit almost takes his back. They separate. Low-high kick combo from Condit. Condit stuffs a takedown and lands a knee. Bell sounds, 10-9 Condit.
Round 3
Jab from Kampmann. Front kick to the face from Condit, but it doesn’t faze Kampmann. Kampmann wades forward with strikes, clinches, but Condit escapes and lands a right. High kick from Condit blocked. Kampmann shooting for a single and he gets it. Condit immediately postures up from bottom, though. He uses the cage to stand. Condit with a flurry as they separate. Switch low-high kick combo. Condit tees off on Kampmann against the fence. He stuffs a Kampmann takedown. Jab lands for Condit. Low kick Condit. Then a jab-cross combo. Condit is taking over. Left hook lands on the bloody Kampmann. Jab lands. Uppercut. Kampmann misses a high kick. 1-2 from Condit. Condit’s brining the pressure. He’s landing at will. Kampmann is beginning to wobble. Flying knee lands from Condit. Kampmann clinches and looks for the takedown. Condit almost has a front headlock choke! But Kampmann somehow spins out! But Condit takes his back and sinks in an RNC! But Kampmann escapes! Condit maintains position, though. Now he mounts him. He lights Kampmann up as they stand. 10-9, perhaps even 10-8 for Condit even without a knockdown.
Round 4
Kampmann lands a brief takedown, but Condit immediately stands and escapes. Left hook rocks Kampmann! Condit unloads on him against the fence! The muay thai clinch spells Kampmann’s doom, as knees drop him and Herb Dean steps in. Carlos Condit takes his revenge in brutal fashion.
Carlos Condit proves he’s still just short of the best in the welterweight division. He’ll get another title shot eventually. On a more personal note, I’d just like to thank him for finishing Kampmann when I predicted, saving my fragile ego from my previous terrible prediction. Anyway, that’s that for tonight. Fox Sports 1 gets another excellent card, the fans get another excellent card, Martin Kampmann gets another migraine. Enjoy your Wedesday nights, Potato Nation.
Preliminary card results:
– Dylan Andrews def. Papy Abedi via KO, 1:32 of round 3
– Brandon Thatch def. Justin Edwards via TKO, 1:24 of round 1
– Darren Elkins def. Hatsu Hioki via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Jason High def. James Head via submission (guillotine choke), 1:41 of round 1
– Zak Cummings def. Ben Alloway via submission (D’Arce choke), 4:19 of round 1
– Roger Bowling vs. Abel Trujillo ended in a no-contest at 4:59 of round 2. Trujillo landed an illegal knee and Bowling was unable to continue.
