Despite the enthusiastic and supportive Fort Campbell crowd, last night’s Fight for the Troops 3 event began with some bitter defeats for the handful of UFC fighters with military backgrounds. Army Staff Sgt./TUF 16 winner Colton Smith kicked off the main card by tapping to a rear-naked choke from TUF 15 winner Michael Chiesa — which earned Chiesa a $50,000 Submission of the Night bonus — while former Marine Liz Carmouche ate her second UFC defeat in a decision loss to Alexis Davis.
Luckily, Tim Kennedy saved the operation. The Special Forces vet fed off the energy in the room and tagged Rafael Natal with a long left hook that put the Brazilian’s lights out near the end of round 1, and won Kennedy a $50,000 Knockout of the Night bump. As he explained after the fight:
“I had to wait for the crowd to stop cheering because I was afraid to emotionally commit to something and not do it for the right reasons,” he said. “They’re screaming, ‘Ranger up! Ranger up!’ And I want to start throwing overhands and blitz the guy. I was waiting for them to stop, and they didn’t stop. Then they started cheering ‘U-S-A!,’ and ‘Kennedy!,’ and I was like, ‘For the love of God.’
“It had a negative effect on me because I was waiting and apprehensive. If there was any amount of pressure that could be put on a single fighter for a fight, I can’t think of a situation that would be more stressful than this.”
By the way, Kennedy tore his quad in the last week of training camp, but as he told Ariel Helwani later, “There’s no way you’re getting me off this card. They would have had to shoot me. If they had to roll me up with a wheelchair, I would have got in that cage, I didn’t care.”
Check out video of Kennedy’s knockout above, check out full results from the fight card right here, and follow us after the jump for lots more UFC Fight for the Troops 3 video highlights…
Despite the enthusiastic and supportive Fort Campbell crowd, last night’s Fight for the Troops 3 event began with some bitter defeats for the handful of UFC fighters with military backgrounds. Army Staff Sgt./TUF 16 winner Colton Smith kicked off the main card by tapping to a rear-naked choke from TUF 15 winner Michael Chiesa — which earned Chiesa a $50,000 Submission of the Night bonus — while former Marine Liz Carmouche ate her second UFC defeat in a decision loss to Alexis Davis.
Luckily, Tim Kennedy saved the operation. The Special Forces vet fed off the energy in the room and tagged Rafael Natal with a long left hook that put the Brazilian’s lights out near the end of round 1, and won Kennedy a $50,000 Knockout of the Night bump. As he explained after the fight:
“I had to wait for the crowd to stop cheering because I was afraid to emotionally commit to something and not do it for the right reasons,” he said. “They’re screaming, ‘Ranger up! Ranger up!’ And I want to start throwing overhands and blitz the guy. I was waiting for them to stop, and they didn’t stop. Then they started cheering ‘U-S-A!,’ and ‘Kennedy!,’ and I was like, ‘For the love of God.’
“It had a negative effect on me because I was waiting and apprehensive. If there was any amount of pressure that could be put on a single fighter for a fight, I can’t think of a situation that would be more stressful than this.”
By the way, Kennedy tore his quad in the last week of training camp, but as he told Ariel Helwani later, “There’s no way you’re getting me off this card. They would have had to shoot me. If they had to roll me up with a wheelchair, I would have got in that cage, I didn’t care.”
Check out video of Kennedy’s knockout above, check out full results from the fight card right here, and follow us after the jump for lots more UFC Fight for the Troops 3 video highlights…
(Tim Kennedy bum-rushes Rogan and Goldie’s event recap in hilarious fashion. And please, Mike, stop trying to make “The Sniper” happen. It’s not happening.)
(Cuban middleweight Yoel Romero’s just-as-nasty KO of Ronny Markes, also from the main card.)
(Rustam Khabilov shows he’s more than just “that suplex guy,” landing a sweet spinning heel kick to Jorge Masvidal’s neck. Somehow Masvidal recovered and fought on, but Khabilov still won the fight by unanimous decision, pushing his UFC record to 3-0. Both men earned $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses for their efforts.)
It seems as though every time the UFC and the U.S. military get together, fireworks ensue.
Wednesday night’s Fight for the Troops 3 card from Fort Campbell, Ky. was no exception, as Tim Kennedy’s first-round knockout of Rafael Natal put an …
It seems as though every time the UFC and the U.S. military get together, fireworks ensue.
Wednesday night’s Fight for the Troops 3 card from Fort Campbell, Ky. was no exception, as Tim Kennedy’s first-round knockout of Rafael Natal put an exclamation point on an evening where eight of 13 bouts ended in stoppages.
Known throughout his career as more of a methodical technician than an explosive finisher, Kennedy floored Natal with a leaping left hook 22 seconds before the end of the first round of their main event fight and followed with a series of strikes on the ground that forced referee Herb Dean to stop the action. The sudden outburst cut short what had been a fairly competitive effort by the three-to-one underdog Natal and put the assembled crowd of American soldiers into hysterics.
It was a fitting end for a show that had been exciting from the jump and carried on a tradition where somehow, some way the UFC’s benefit shows for the non-profit Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and veterans with traumatic brain injuries deliver highlight after highlight.
And occasionally some cringe-worthy violence. There’s a certain level of irony in the fact these happenings aimed at helping victims of TBI occasionally turn out to themselves be such ferocious contests but, hey, it’s a charity fight show. What do you expect?
On this night, there was just something about the cramped quarters inside one of Fort Campbell’s aircraft hangars—not to mention the boisterous crowd—that gave this event a little extra zip. Clearly, the UFC and the military are an easy fit, but at this point, the Fight for the Troops shows have taken on an intangible quality, a kind of volatility that characterizes the series itself more than any single fight card.
Call it a mutual eagerness to please, perhaps.
The initial Fight for the Troops set the trend in 2008 with one of the more brutal collections of finishes in UFC history. That card included five TKOs and two submissions in 10 total fights, as well as a leg injury suffered by lightweight Corey Hill that still stands as perhaps the ugliest ever seen in the Octagon.
A bit more than two years later, the second FFTT show started more slowly—when six of the first eight fights went the distance—but eventually built to a fever pitch that saw the final three bouts all end via first-round TKO, all of them inside of three minutes.
This year’s midweek show was not to be outdone. The momentum began to build when Derek Brunson choked out Brian Houston 48 seconds into the first fight of the night and upstart Yancy Medeiros KOed veteran Yves Edwards in 2:47 two bouts later. By the time Lorenz Larkin and Chris Camozzi had themselves a bloody good time to close out the online prelims, it was clear this FFTT was going to be another doozy.
Among all the great bouts, Rustam Khabilov’s decision victory over Jorge Masvidal nabbed the hotly contested Fight of the Night honors, though Dennis Bermudez’s win over Steven Siler and Michael Chiesa’s back-and-forth battle with Colton Smith were arguably just as good.
Chiesa padded his pocket with a Submission of the Night award for managing to force a tap from Smith after the two exchanged dueling rear-naked chokes in the first fight of the main card.
Many analysts had Khabilov’s clash with Masvidal circled on their bout sheets prior to this one, and the two lightweights lived up to the hype. Their fast-paced fight climaxed early in the third, when Khabilov decked Masvidal with a spinning kick that by all rights probably should’ve knocked him out.
The replay showed Khabilov just missed, the kick connecting with the neck, and Masvidal survived, making things competitive to the end. Because it was that kind of night.
Even when things went bad, they were still fun enough to be interesting.
Alexis Davis’ unanimous decision over Liz Carmouche was the night’s most lackluster fight and even that wasn’t bad, considering Davis made meatloaf out of Carmouche’s lead leg with low kicks while peering out a dripping mask of her own blood.
What was shaping up as an entertaining scrap between Bobby Green and James Krause was cut short and Green declared the winner after referee John McCarthy missed Green’s third low blow of the first round.
Amanda Nunes’ TKO of Germaine de Randamie was the result of a questionable stoppage.
To borrow one of Gus Johnson’s most infamous verbal gaffes: These things happen in MMA. All of it was overshadowed by the stellar nature of the rest of the card.
By the time the main event culminated with Kennedy laying out Natal, it was clear that this show should be one we all remember for a long time. Sad to say, with UFC cards scheduled for two of the next three weekends and three more on tap next month, we probably won’t.
The UFC has worked closely with the United States military for the past decade to show their appreciation for the commitment and sacrifices made by the men and women in uniform who protect this country.
In addition to UFC fighters visiting America…
The UFC has worked closely with the United States military for the past decade to show their appreciation for the commitment and sacrifices made by the men and women in uniform who protect this country.
In addition to UFC fighters visiting American military bases around the globe for seminars and training programs, in 2008, the promotion rolled out Fight for the Troops events that seek to raise money and awareness for soldiers suffering from brain trauma suffered during combat.
On Wednesday night, the Octagon rolled through the Army base at Fort Campbell, Ky. for their third installment of Fight for the Troops series.
With the United States military being the focus of the night, the setting was perfect for Special Forces Weapons Sergeant and Green Beret Tim Kennedy to return to action. The former Strikeforce title challenger was coming off a unanimous decision victory over Roger Gracie at his official UFC debut at UFC 162 in July, and he was looking to build further momentum when he squared-off with Rafael Natal on Wednesday night.
The surging Brazilian stepped in on late notice for Lyoto Machida, who was tapped to face Mark Munoz at Fight Night 30 on Oct. 29, and with Kennedy having an established name in MMA, “Sapo” saw the fight as the perfect opportunity to take a huge step up the middleweight ladder. Yet, with Kennedy fighting in front of his brothers and sisters in arms, getting through the sniper was going to be a tough task. And one Natal ultimately wasn’t capable of accomplishing.
The 30-year-old Gracie Fusion fighter found early success by mixing up his striking attack, but a leaping left hook from Kennedy put him flat on the canvas and brought an end to the fight in impressive fashion.
Where the typical UFC event is open to the public, the card at Fight for the Troops 3 was specifically put on for the soldiers currently serving at the Army base. The intimate nature of the setting created a raucous environment for a solid night of fights. The action inside the small cage was as “in your face” as it gets with every punch, kick, knee and spinning elbow that landed echoed off the Army garrison walls in Fort Campbell.
From Derek Brunson kicking off the show and nearly Brian Houston’s head in the opening bout on the card, to Kennedy pinging Natal with a blazing left hand, Fight for the Troops 3 brought the noise.
Let’s take a look at the good, bad and strange from FFTT3.
The Good
Tim Kennedy has been on a mission for respect. Despite competing for the Strikeforce middleweight title on two occasions during his stint with the now-defunct San Jose-based promotion, the 34-year-old California native has been consistently overlooked in the 185-pound collective.
He set out to turn the tide on that issue when he faced Roger Gracie at UFC 162 in July. But once again, despite Kennedy earning the unanimous decision victory over the world-class grappler, there wasn’t much acclaim to be had in the aftermath.
On Wednesday night at FFTT3, Kennedy swung the momentum in his favor as he salted hard-nosed Brazilian Rafael Natal in the first round of their tilt in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Natal was able to keep the war veteran off balance with his striking in the early going, but a perfectly timed left hook put Sapo on the mat and staring up at the lights in the Army garrison.
While Natal was a late replacement for Lyoto Machida and didn’t carry a high ranking in the division coming into the fight, the fashion in which Kennedy put him away should serve to get the wheels moving on his push upward.
Of the group of women who became the first to officially sign with the UFC, Alexis Davis was on the low end of the name recognition scale. The scrappy Canadian was known by the hardcore portion of the MMA fanbase for putting on gritty, high-paced affairs, she but was overshadowed by the higher profiles carried by fighters like Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate.
This circumstance forced the “Ally-Gator” to take the hard road to a title opportunity. That said, judging by the way she’s handled the opposition inside the cage, it doesn’t appear Davis minds having to do some extra leg work to get to the top of the mountain.
After defeating Rosi Sexton in her debut at UFC 161 back in June, the 29-year-old added a big feather to her cap by outworking former title challenger Liz Carmouche during their co-main event scrap at FFTT3. Davis used a technical approach in her striking game to keep the former Marine out of rhythm as she picked apart Carmouche in route to a unanimous decision victory.
With two Octagon victories under her belt, Davis puts herself firmly on the title radar in the women’s bantamweight division. Rousey and Tate are two months away from settling their feud at UFC 168, and that timeline will most likely put Davis at least one win away from a title opportunity. With former No. 1 contender Cat Zingano still recovering from knee surgery, a bout with recent debutante Jessica Eye would make sense for Davis’ next fight.
Yoel Romero is a monster. The former Olympic silver medalist took another big step in establishing himself as a mixed martial artist as he brutalized Ronny Markes with a vicious overhand left that brought their tilt at FFTT3 to an abrupt halt. Twice he’s fought under the UFC banner and both times has violently separated his opposition from their consciousness.
The 36-year-old Cuban is simply a beast inside the cage, and with that established, let’s keep things moving.
Where the prospect label can create a unique amount of pressure, but Rustam Khabilov doesn’t seem to be affected in the slightest. The 27-year-old Russian has looked lights out in his two showings under the UFC banner and carried a five-fight winning streak into his bout with Jorge Masvidal.
There was some heat created in a pre-fight build up as Masvidal took shots at the Jackson’s MMA-trained fighter’s record, but Khabilov kept his cool throughout the fight. While Khabilov’s grappling is his primary strength, it was his striking that made the difference against the Floridian, as he got the better of “Gamebred” in the majority of their exchanges.
The fight took a big turn in the third when “The Tiger” landed a perfectly timed spinning heel kick that sent Masvidal crashing to the canvas. The American Top Team fighter was able to recover and finish the fight, but the damage had been done, and Khabilov took the unanimous decision victory on the judge’s scorecards.
The victory makes it three straight inside the Octagon for Khabilov and will put him closer to the next tier of the lightweight division.
Coming off the first loss of his professional career to Jorge Masivdal at UFC on Fox 7 in July, Michael Chiesa has had a bad taste in his mouth. Not only did he suffer his first setback under the UFC banner, but he basically did so in his own backyard of Seattle, Wash.
The 25-year-old came into his bout with Colton Smith at FFTT3 looking to get back into the win column, and after weathering some early adversity, he accomplished the task in impressive fashion. Chiesa hit a huge throw that put Smith on the mat. With the Army Ranger dazed, Chiesa locked in a rear naked choke where a Smith tap ended the fight.
The featherweight division has quickly become one of the most competitive weight classes under the UFC banner, and Dennis Bermudez continued his climb to the next tier by defeating Steven Siler at FFTT3. “The Menace” fought like an animal as he kept a high pace and non-stop pressure on Siler throughout the 15-minute affair, and he picked up a unanimous decision victory in the process.
The New York native has now collected five consecutive victories and his will guarantee his next opponent will come with an established name attached.
Staying with the theme of unleashed wild beats, Francisco Rivera certainly proved to be exactly that against George Roop. “Cisco” is known for his heavy hands, and he put them on the rangy bantamweight at will during their tilt on the preliminary portion of the card.
After a back-and-forth opening round, Rivera stung Roop with an uppercut in the second that spelled his demise. As the Tuscon native attempted to scramble to safety, the 32-year-old Californian poured on the violence as he swarmed in with a barrage of punches to secure the finish.
With the victory over Roop, Rivera’s record under the UFC banner moves to 3-0-1 under the UFC banner. The only blemish on his record during this run came when his knockout victory over Roland Delorme at UFC 149 in July of 2012 was overturned due to Rivera failing his post-fight drug test.
Fighters in MMA don’t get paid by the minute and Derek Brunson earned a lightning-quick payday at FFTT3 as he submitted newcomer Brian Houston 48 seconds into the bout. After landing a head kick that dropped Houston to the canvas, the South Carolina native pounced and sunk in the fight ending rear naked choke. The win over Houston makes it back-to-back victories for Brunson as he moves to 2-0 under the UFC banner.
Yancy Medeiros came into FFTT3 looking for his first win inside the Octagon, and he accomplished that task by defeating savvy veteran Yves Edwards. The 26-year-old Hawaiian starched the American Top Team fighter with a crisp counter uppercut to earn a first round knockout victory.
Amanda Nunes became the first woman to win two fights (chronologically speaking) inside the Octagon as she defeated Germaine de Randamie in the first round of their tilt on Wednesday night. “The Lioness” smothered de Randamie from full mount where she dropped a torrent of elbows that forced referee Herb Dean to call a stop to the fight.
The Bad
While the future appeared to be bright for Colton Smith after winning the 16th installment of The Ultimate Fighter, things have taken a sharp turn south for the 26-year-old in 2013.
After suffering a knockout loss at the hands of Robert Whittaker at UFC 160 back in May, the Army Ranger came into his bout with Michael Chiesa at FFTT3 looking to get things back on track. With the bout taking place at the Army garrison at Fort Campbell, the setting appeared to be ideal of Smith to make a triumphant return to the win column, but Chiesa had other plans.
Despite Smith finding success and coming close to locking in a fight-ending choke in the opening frame, the season 15 TUF winner reversed the momentum in a big way in the second. Chiesa hit a throw that planted Smith directly on his head, and before the Texan could regain his senses, “Maverick” sunk in a choke of his own and ended the bout.
The loss to Chiesa on Wednesday puts Smith in a tough position as he’s now dropped back-to-back showings inside the Octagon. While two losses won’t cost him his place on the UFC roster, it certainly puts his back against the wall and will create a huge sense of urgency in his next outing.
There are few fighters in the current era of MMA more loved by their peers than Yves Edwards. The American Top Team staple has built a storied career where he’s faced a collection of the best fighters to ever compete in the lightweight division. His 16-year journey has taken him to every major stage in the sport, including multiple runs under the UFC banner.
Unfortunately for the “Thugjitsu Master,” his most recent stint with the UFC may be coming to an end as the 37-year-old was defeated by Yancy Medeiros at FFTT3. The loss to the young Hawaiian was his third consecutive setback inside the Octagon as he has now put notches into the loss column in four of his last five showings.
Where his two previous losses during this stretch came via split decision, the first-round knockout he suffered on Wednesday night was far from the look he needed. When the depth of talent and highly competitive nature of the lightweight division is factored into the equation, Edwards could have a very difficult time holding on to his roster spot following his loss to Medeiros.
On a brief and final note, I have to throw a quick entry into this category to referee Mario Yamasaki. While the long-time official handled the bout between Yoel Romero and Ronny Markes in solid fashion, allowing the Brazilian to take an unnecessary bomb before he stopped the fight was a bad look.
As soon as Romero’s left hand landed, Markes’ soul drifted up into the ether, and there was no need for the Nova Uniao product to take one last shot before Mario waved it off.
The Strange
The matchup between Bobby Green and James Krause was a highly anticipated bout featuring two of the lightweight division’s most talented prospects. Both were coming off victories in their official Octagon debuts, and their showdown in Fort Campbell was expected to be fireworks.
Unfortunately for all parties involved, the exact opposite transpired.
Despite the action getting off to a solid start with each fighter landing in exchanges, Green cracked Krause deep below the belt, which brought a temporary stop to the bout. After the Grindhouse MMA fighter recovered, it was only a matter of moments before a second low blow from Green found its mark and dropped Krause to the canvas.
For the second infraction, referee “Big” John McCarthy deducted a point from Green and instructed him to keep the kicks up to avoid further penalization. Krause was given a few minutes to recove, and once he regained his bearings, the action resumed. But only for a brief clip, as a third Green kick below the belt put Krause face down on the mat writhing in pain.
McCarthy waved his hands, signaling an end to the fight to which it initially seemed would be a disqualification victory for Krause. Yet, as confusion hung heavy inside the Octagon, McCarthy announced Green’s kick was legal and awarded him the victory via TKO.
Despite Krause’s protests and commentator Joe Rogan pointing out the third kick actually did hit the cup before reaching the belt line, the fight had officially been stopped, and the decision would be official. While the action inside the cage goes down at a rapid pace and McCarthy is one of the best referees in the game, the video review in the aftermath clearly points to a botched call on his behalf.
That said, with Krause basically giving himself up following the kick, and McCarthy seeing it as a legal strike, he had no choice but to call an end to the bout.
The result is undoubtedly a strange situation and an unfortunate ending to what should have been one of the event’s best scraps.
The final entry into this dubious category comes with the overall theme to the event and the military ties to a handful of fighters involved on the card. Of the competitors with military experience, only Tim Kennedy found his way into the victory column on Wednesday night. The Army Ranger gave his fellow soldiers something to cheer about while Liz Carmouche, Colton Smith and Neil Magny all came up short in their bids to claim victory at FFTT3.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.
(That’s the easy, confident smile of a guy who knows he could probably call in a drone strike if things aren’t going his way. / Photo via Facebook.com/MMAFighting)
Handling play-by-play for the Fox Sports 1 main card will be our own Matt Kaplan, who will be sticking live results after the jump beginning at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and please shoot your own thoughts into the comments section. #murica
(That’s the easy, confident smile of a guy who knows he could probably call in a drone strike if things aren’t going his way. / Photo via Facebook.com/MMAFighting)
Handling play-by-play for the Fox Sports 1 main card will be our own Matt Kaplan, who will be sticking live results after the jump beginning at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and please shoot your own thoughts into the comments section. #murica
PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS
– Bobby Green def. James Krause via TKO, 3:30 of round 1 (weird finish)
– Francisco Rivera def. George Roop via TKO, 2:40 of round 2
– Dennis Bermudez def. Steven Siler via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Amanda Nunes def. Germaine de Randamie via TKO, 3:36 of round 1
– Lorenz Larkin def. Chris Camozzi via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)
– Yancy Medeiros def. Yves Edwards via KO, 2:47 of round 1
– Seth Baczynski def. Neil Magny via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Derek Brunson def. Brian Houston via submission (rear-naked choke), 0:48 of round 1
My brother, currently a U.S. Army Ranger captain stationed in Savannah, GA, used to be at Ft. Campbell with the 101st, so I’ve been anxious to cover this event (and Tim Kennedy, of course). And here we are.
Colton Smith vs Michael Chiesa
Rd. 1: Both men paw tentatively, and Smith opens with an easy roundhouse kick that grazes. Smith kicks higher now. Chiesa kicks, and Smith smiles at him. Chiesa charges in with a punch, and they clinch. Smith gets the takedown, and Chiesa turns towards Smith. Sweep, back control, and body triangle for Chiesa as he goes for the neck. Smith pries Chiesa’s hands away for now, escapes, and takes Chiesa’s back. Chiesa is up, but Smith is all over him. Smith looks to sink in the RNC as Chiesa tries to slam Smith off of him by dropping to the mat. Chiesa is out of the choke for now, but seemed to have taken a lot from Chiesa. Smith still has back control. Chiesa escapes and gets to his feet just seconds before the bell.
Rd 2: Early clinch and Smith has Chiesa against the cage. Smith lands some knees. Chiesa is off the cage and lands some long punches. Again Smith has Chiesa against the cage. Chiesa gets the takedown, takes Smith’s back, and chokes him out. That was an emphatic slam for a takedown, and the finish came seconds later. Looks like Smith was knocked silly by the takedown. Yup; they just replayed it. Chiesa hip tossed Smith onto his head. Nice win for Michael “Maverick” Chiesa.
Winner: Michael Chiesa via submission (rear-naked choke), 1:41 of round 2
Jorge Masvidal vs. Rustam Khabilov
Rd 1: Early jab, faked shot, and beefy overhand right from Khabilov. That was heavy. Masvidal is starting slowly, but throwing hard. Both men look poised. Khabilov keeps changing levels, which seems to be keepi ng Masvidal from opening up. Khabilov misses a big right hook and bounces around calmly. Masvidal, Joe Rogan points out, might want to go back to some leg kicks. Masvidal presses ahead, clinches, and knees Khabilov. Khabilov grabs a single leg, but Masvidal knees and escapes. Masvidal lands a kick to the body. A Masvidal flying knee ends in a brief scramble. Masvidal is catching kicks and landing leg strikes of his own now. Khabilov catches a Masvidal kick and lands an overhand right. The round ends with both men clinching on the cage. Good action so far.
Rd 2: Khabilov looks loose, as does Masvidal. Khabilov is committed to the jab and working off of it. Masvidal is kicking now. Another 1-2 from Khabilov. Masvidal knees from the clinch and gets out before Khabilov gets a real hold of him. Nice left from Masvidal. Khabilov is really looking for that big overhand right off the jab. Again they clinch against the face, where Masvidal is hitting with knees. Masvidal drags Khabilov down and throws ‘bows. Khabilov is up now, and they separate. Khabilov charges in for the double, but Masvidal is staying up. Khabilov is having a hard time keeping Masvidal down. 1-2 from Khabilov, and there’s the horn.
Rd 3: Khabilov throws an early kick upstairs, which Masvidal blocks. Both men trade jabs. Stinging straight right from Masvidal. Spinning back heel kick to the face from Khabilov and Masvidal is down. Khabilov has his back and Masvidal is spinning away. Jeez. They scramble, but Khabilov has back control and looks for the choke. Masvidal hip escapes and seems to have recovered a bit. Wow. They’re back up. Masvidal stuffs a takedown and has Khabilov against the cage. Masvidal tosses Khabilov down, but Khabilov is back up right away. Masvidal tries the same spinning back kick, but Khabilov smothers it and has back control. Masvidal rolls out and goes for Khabilov’s back. They’re up against the cage. They scramble. Masvidal shoots, Khabilov pounds at the body, and there’s the horn. Good fight.
Winner: Rustam Khabilov via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)
Ronny Markes vs. Yoel Romero
Rd 1: Nice inside leg kick from Markes early on. Romero flicks a kick after some feeling out. Markes snatches Romero’s lead leg, gets the takedown, but Romero pops up. Romero lands a hard left hand. Romero kicks at the body, slips, but is back up again before Markes can capitalize. Markes is looking to land the right cross, but Romero is moving fluidly. They clinch, and Markes is on top of Romero in side control. Markes lands some leather and wants the kimura on the left arm. Romero escapes, and they’re up. Straight left from Romero, who’s keeping his hands very high. Another left to the chin from Romero. Markes kicks the body. Markes misses a front head kick and stuffs a takedown. Markes front kicks to the body, but Romero blocks.
Rd 2: Romero pumps his right jab, blocks a head kick from Markes, and stuffs a takedown attempt. Romero kicks at the lead leg. Markes answers with an uppercut that misses. Markes hasn’t answered Romero’s left hand, and Romero muscles Markes to the mat. Markes is up and eats another left. Markes misses with both hands, and there’s the Romero left hand, right down the middle. Heavy kick to the body from Romero. Markes is down and Romero stands over him. The ref stands Markes up. Romero changes levels and lands another hard left. Here comes Markes with punches, but Romero ducks away from each strike. Romero fakes a shot and eats a right from Markes right before the round ends.
Rd 3: Markes comes out swinging, misses the takedown, and wants Romero to follow him to the ground. Nope. Romero answers a Markes left hand with a harder left of his own. Nice body kick from Markes. Romero sticks a left hand to the body of Markes. BAM. Romero drops Markes with a left over the top, follows up with a right hammer fist, and that’s it.
Winner: Yoel Romero via TKO, 1:39 of round 3
Liz Carmouche vs. Alexis Davis
Rd 1: All the ladies in the house say, “Ye-ah.” The lefty Carmouche jabs and kicks early, but Davis defends. Davis jabs and avoids a hard right from Carmouche. Carmouche kicks the lead leg and circles away from Davis’s right hand. Carmouche kicks the inside leg, and Davis counters with a 1-2 that Carmouche blocks. Davis licks low and again fires a 1-2. Davis blocks and overhand right from Carmouche. Davis is landing that inside leg kick, and it seems to be taking a toll on Carmouche, who kicks the outside of the lead leg of Davis. Big right from Carmouche. Both ladies kick at one another’s legs now,Davis kicks low, throws a 1-2, and there’s the horn.
Rd 2: Davis again sets up the 1-2 with the leg kick. Carmouche is kicking low and throwing the right over the top, but Davis is controlling the center of the cage. Hard punch from Carmouche, and Davis is cut. They clinch against the cage, but break subsequently. Davis is bleeding pretty heavily from her left eye brow now. She keeps coming forward though. Carmouche kicks at the body and backs off of the longer Davis. Davis pumps the left jab as Davis pumps the left jab as kicks low. Again Davis kicks the inside of the lead leg really hard. Carmouche’s right leg is definitely bothering her now. Davis catches a Carmouche kick and throws Carmouche down. Davis is in half guard and dropping the shoulder on Carmouche. Davis keeps side control and knees the body with ten seconds left. Carmouche escapes and gets top position, but the round ends before she can get any offense going.
Rd 3: Davis fires the 1-2 and knocks Carmouche down with a hard, low kick to the lead leg. They clinch against the cage; knees from Davis to the body and thighs. Carmouche lands a knee of her own, but Davis has double underhooks. The ref breaks them up and they go back to the center of the cage. Another 1-2 from the bloodied Davis. Carmouche is circling away pretty well, but there go two more hard kicks from Davis. Davis again has Carmouche on the fence and lands an elbow from close quarters. Both women swing and miss in the center of the octagon. Davis is getting her strikes off first, and Carmouche is flat-footed now. Davis keeps kicking and moving ahead. Carmouche lands a short uppercut and a front kick to the body, and that’s the end of the fight.
Winner: Alexis Davis via unanimous decision (30 x 27 x 2, 29-28)
Tim Kennedy vs. Rafael Natal
Rd 1: Kennedy catches a kick from Natal and fires an overhand right. Natal kicks again. And again. Once more. Natal ducks a right hand and lands a jab to Kennedy. Natal pumps the jab, and Kennedy answers with a high kick. A left hand from Natal sneaks through. Natal kicks low, Kennedy high. Natal ducks a right hook and gets a quick takedown, but Kennedy pops up. Natal drops Kennedy with a hard leg kick. Kennedy lands a kick of his own. Kennedy’s left leg is red now. Huge body kick from Kennedy. Kennedy kicks high and misses with the right. Natal kicks low steps back, and throws a spinning back fist. Natal has been switching stances, and Kennedy is staying patient. A monster left hook catches Natal backing up, and he’s down. Kennedy drops some bombs, and that’s it. Natal is out.
Anyone who knows anything about UFCs and MMAs knows that the best fights are never found on the hoity-toity main card or even the highfalutin FX undercard on a channel that takes two of your friends a TV guide and Encarta ’97 to find. No, it’s a well known fact amongst us MMA media types that the best fights *always* go down during the Facebook preliminaries. “That’s where the real action is,” Ariel Helwani once told me, Danga, while pointing to the champagne room of a Tijuana strip club called La Mula Triste, but I think his words of wisdom can be applied to FB prelims as well.
Anyways, I just took a popper and feel like drunkblogging my way through the Fight for the Troops 3: Kennedy vs. Natal because there’s fuck all to write about besides. In my apartment I have: A bottle of Beam, a 12-pack of Lagunitas IPA, a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, and a nip of Svedka, so lets do this!
(Just a typical 5 p.m. in the life of Danga.)
Anyone who knows anything about UFCs and MMAs knows that the best fights are never found on the hoity-toity main card or even the highfalutin FX undercard on a channel that takes two of your friends a TV guide and Encarta ’97 to find. No, it’s a well known fact amongst us MMA media types that the best fights *always* go down during the Facebook preliminaries. “That’s where the real action is,” Ariel Helwani once told me, Danga, while pointing to the champagne room of a Tijuana strip club called La Mula Triste, but I think his words of wisdom can be applied to FB prelims as well.
Anyways, I just took a popper and feel like drunkblogging my way through the Fight for the Troops 3: Kennedy vs. Natal because there’s fuck all to write about besides. In my apartment I have: A bottle of Beam, a 12-pack of Lagunitas IPA, a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, and a nip of Svedka, so lets do this!
Derek Brunson vs. Brian Houston
Round 1: Fight for the Troops cards are notoriously violent so let’s see how this goes-HOLY SHIT! Brunson nails Houston with a picture perfect roundhouse to the dome and follows him to the mat where, after a little struggle, he finishes Houston off with a rear-naked choke.
Brunson def. Houston via rear-naked choke 0:48 of round 1.
And the bottle of Beam is open.
Jesus, that was so fast I wasn’t even able to explain the rules of the drinking game I will be playing for these prelims. They are as follows:
Additionally, I will take a swig for each Goldberganism, each Rogan freak out and each time the name “Yancy” is spoken. Yancy.
Neil Magny vs. Seth Baczynski
Round 1: Baczynski with a pair of leg kicks and a nice right to start. Fuck that name, I’m calling him Bski. Bski pushes Magny into the fence. Big John McCarthy separates the two after a minute and Bski fires off an overhand right that lands. Magny clinches and they battle for position before BJ separates them again. Bski snags a double and slams Magny to the mat but gets hit with a good shot from the bottom. Bski to half guard then full mount, landing a few body shots before the bell ends. 10-9 Bski.
Round 2: Man, this crowd is fired up. They’re treating every landed punch like an ultimate diss in a Yo Momma episode. Remember that show? God it was terrible. Anyways, the first minute and a half of this one is all clinch before Big John separates them. Bski lands another nice right hand and tries for a takedown but is reversed and were back to a clinch battle. Magny with a right. Bski dives for another takedown but appears to be fading. Big John calls for a time as Magny’s glove tap is loose. Bski gets his takedown on the restart. After landing a couple elbows, Bski moves to half guard and lands some elbows as the rounds ends. 10-9 Bski
The soldiers are literally counting down the final five seconds of each round in unison. SHould a fight end via spinning heel kick, I’m quite certain the roof will ‘splode. Anyways, I just ripped another popper because fuck you.
Round 3: Magny lands a right and the two clinch up. Knees to the midsection from Bski. They break briefly and Bski goes for another takedown. He gets Magny down for a second before he is reversed. Magny with some nice knees now. Big John breaks ‘em up and Bski with another nice takedown. Joe Rogan is really impressed with Magny’s hand strength, so I’ll call it a half freak out and take a swig of some wine. The two get back to their feet and Magny lands a big takedown but Bski pops back up. Magny unloading with some nice shots and snags another takedown. Bski gets to his feet and the two swing to the finish. 10-9 Magny
Seth Baczynski def. Neil Magny via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Yves Edwards vs. Yancy Medeiros
Oh boy, they’ve already said Yancy twice. This fight is going to be rough on my liver. Three times. CURSE YOU YANCY!!!!
Yves Edwards’ walkout music sounds like Shaggy is being rectally force fed a steel drum.
Round 1: Yancy comes out aggro for a guy named Yancy, trading low/body kicks with Edwards. Left hook Yancy. Body kick Yves. Edwards with a nice left hook. Yancy is throwing front kicks and Yves is answering with right hooks. Yancy tells Edwards to bring it and Edwards does with a few more rights. Out of nowhere, Yancy clips Yves with an uppercut and pounds him out for the victory. Son of a bitch, Yancy.
Yancy Medeiros def. Yves Edwards via KO at 2:47 of round 1
Well, there goes the nip of Svedka. Ditto for Yves’ UFC career, one would assume, as that’s three straight for the longtime vet. At this time, I’d like to personally thank Yves for a ridiculously entertaining caree-APACHE HELICOPTER SHOT. Drink drink!
Chris Camozzi vs. Lorenz Larkin
Chris Camozzi looks like a guy who knows where that good crystal is at, know what I’m saying? Larkin, on the other hand, is coming out to James Brown’s “Living in America” which makes me think that he is going to get beat to death in this fight. THROW IN THE TOWEL, ROCK!
Round 1: Herb Dean is our ref, which reminds me that I need to re-up with my weed guy. Inside leg kick Camozzi. The two trade front kicks, then oblique kicks like a couple ‘a pussies. Counter left from a retreating Larking, then a straight right that drops him! Camozzi recovers and is back up and lands a leg kick. Front kick to the body by Larkin. Inside leg kick Camozzi, who is getting off first. Flying knee Camozzi and a left hook. I’m not scoring this because I stopped paying attention to pack a binger halfway through this.
Round 2: Camozzi with some more leg kicks. Larkin appears to be aiming for Camozzi’s gloves like he is hitting mits. Nice straight right by Larkin that jacks back the head of Camozzi. Camozzi tries another flying knee and they clinch. Larkin with a weak leg kick on the break. Camozzi’s nose is bloodied up but they trade leg kicks. Nice left by Camozzi. Larkin cuts Camozzi with a left and they clinch again. A couple nice standing elbows from Larkin have really busted up Camozzi, who simply will not stop coming forward. Probably on account of the meth. 10-9 Larkin
Round 3: The two trade body kicks to start the round. Larkin with a nice jab and the two trade leg kicks. Huge right hand by Larkin, who is just the quicker man. Camozzi whifs a head kick. Camozzi is visibly worn down but refuses to quit. Some brutal elbows and rights from Larkin in the clinch. Camozzi has Larkin pinned against the fence and Larkin lands some more elbows. My God this crowd is awesome, and Camozzi cheers them on while getting beat up in the clinch. I’ll have what he’s having, amiright? *crickets* Larkin lands some spinning shit to close things out and that’s all she wrote. 10-9 Larkin
Lorenz Larkin def. Chris Camozzi via unanimous decision (30-27 x2 29-28)
Well, that’s it for me, Nation. I’m going to go take a piss off the balcony and yell at stray cats. Enjoy your fancy FS1 fights you bunch ‘a bitches.
When the UFC goes to air to this evening it will be doing so in honor of those in the U.S. military. The event is always a raging success, both due to its patriotism and its tendency to provide some good old-fashioned donnybrooks for those in attendanc…
When the UFC goes to air to this evening it will be doing so in honor of those in the U.S. military. The event is always a raging success, both due to its patriotism and its tendency to provide some good old-fashioned donnybrooks for those in attendance.
This card should be no different, as former Army Ranger Tim Kennedy headlines and former Marine Liz Carmouche is in the co-main event, both fighters inhabiting divisions that could see the most change by the time the night is over.
At middleweight, Kennedy with fight Rafael Natal, a middling talent on a little win streak and looking to get some attention. That fight will be the fourth of the night at 185 pounds, meaning there could be some significant jumps coming. While no one competing is a contender, or even in the top-10, the event will see plenty of moving and shaking in the middle of the middleweight pack.
Carmouche, appearing in her third UFC fight, will battle Alexis Davis in a fight that people have been clamoring for since the days of Strikeforce. Both ladies are incredibly bullish, the picture of willful combat in action when they enter the cage.
They’re definitely the front-runner for fight of the night—especially considering that Carmouche will fight in front of her military brethren and won’t want to disappoint—and in a division as shallow as ladies’ bantamweight, you’re never more than a good showing or two away from a title shot.
Lower on the card, Amanda Nunes will fight Germaine deRandamie, and it could very well be that the winners of each tilt get matched up coming out of this event.
There are also four lightweight bouts on the card, again indicating some shuffling in the rankings. While most are outside of the top 10, there is an interesting bout between Jorge Masvidal and RustamKhabilov that could answer some questions and get some attention.
Masvidal is an interesting case, a guy who looks to be entering his prime and is getting better every time he hits the cage. Khabilov is part of the ongoing Russian invasion in MMA, a 16-1 wrecking ball who hasn’t lost in the Octagon. Whoever comes out of that one is going to get a big step up in competition next time out.
Fight for the Troops 3 isn’t packed with superstars, but that’s not what this event is about. It’s about giving a live UFC event to people who greatly deserve it for the line of work they’ve chosen.
What they’ll get is a card rich in prospects and talent finding its way, most of which will be happening in the middleweight, ladies’ bantamweight and lightweight divisions.
One way or another, things are going to look different in those hierarchies when you get up tomorrow morning.
It seems as though every time the UFC and the U.S. military get together, fireworks ensue.
