Tag: Recap

UFC 140 Aftermath Part II: Broken and Battered

There’s a time for fightin’, and a time for dancin’! Nog breaks out “The Robot“, Mir shows off the “Smooth Criminal“. (Photo: UFC.com)

I’m not sure what sort of pre-fight pep talk was given to the fighters in their locker rooms last night, but I hope somebody recorded it to play at all future events. “Never leave it in the hands of the judges” doesn’t begin to capture the sentiment that most of the fighters carried with them to the Octagon. Last night’s finishes were emphatic and extraordinary. Knocking your opponent out wouldn’t do—it would have to tie for the quickest KO in UFC history. Subbing the previously untapped wasn’t enough—you had to break them or render them unconcious.

We’ve already broken down the Jones-Machida bout, so we’ll just say the champion definitely gave us something to Skype about. Now, onto the rest of the card.

There’s a time for fightin’, and a time for dancin’! Nog breaks out “The Robot“, Mir shows off the “Smooth Criminal“.  (Photo: UFC.com)

I’m not sure what sort of pre-fight pep talk was given to the fighters in their locker rooms last night, but I hope somebody recorded it to play at all future events. “Never leave it in the hands of the judges” doesn’t begin to capture the sentiment that most of the fighters carried with them to the Octagon. Last night’s finishes were emphatic and extraordinary. Knocking your opponent out wouldn’t do—it would have to tie for the quickest KO in UFC history. Subbing the previously untapped wasn’t enough—you had to break them or render them unconcious.

We’ve already broken down the Jones-Machida bout, so we’ll just say the champion definitely gave us something to Skype about. Now, onto the rest of the card.

If Frank Mir was watching the main event back stage, his heart must have dropped along with Machida’s unconcious body. After all, there are only so many “Submission of the Night” bonuses to go around. Mir has now notched two Nogueira “firsts” on his belt. In their bout at UFC 92, Mir battered Big Nog in the standup, dropping him multiple times before following him to the ground with strikes and becoming the first man to finish the durable Brazilian. Last night, Nogueira nearly flipped the script, rattling Mir with a combination that sent him to the canvas. The writing was on the wall as Nog dropped hammerfists on a dazed Mir, but the black belt switched his attack from bludgeoning to Brazilian jiu jitsu as he attempted a D’arce choke. Mir worked free from the hold and swept the Brazilian with a Kimura. Nogueira rolled to escape, but Mir ended up on top and still in control of the arm. Nogueira would tap for the first time, but not before significant, grimace-inducing damage had been done. A post-fight x-ray revealed a very broken arm which will be repaired with surgery this week. Despite the main event, Mir’s merciless cranking earned him the evening’s $75k “Submission of the Night” bonus.

The smaller of the Nogueira brothers faired much better in his equally short bout. As expected, Rogerio’s hands were superior to Tito Ortiz’s. “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy People’s Champion” failed with an early single leg takedown, forcing him to trade with Little Nog. “Minotoro” caught him with a left hand before dropping him with a knee to the body eerily similar the knees that folded him in his fights with Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida. From there Nogueira went to work on Ortiz’s body from the guard, targeting hard punches and elbows on a single spot along his rib cage. Tito turtled up, obviously in pain, and Yves Lavigne waived the Brazilian off. Tito remained on the writhing on ground and clutching his mid-section. Dana White was unsure of Tito’s future following this second loss since his win over Ryan Bader. For Nogueira, it was a bounce back from two consecutive losses and a questionable decision victory over Jason Brilz.

“The Korean Zombie” set the tone for the evening early on. Mark Hominick came out aggressively, swinging away and looking to make short work of Chan Sung Jung, but that door swings both ways. Jung avoided Hominick’s haymaker and landed a beautiful counter that sent “The Machine” careening backwards to the mat. A few blistering follow-up shots on the ground prompted Herb Dean to step in to protect the defenseless Hominick. With his seven-second win, Jung picked up the “Knock Out of the Night” bonus and tied for the fastest ever UFC knock out, though Dana White promised to look into Duane Ludwig’s rightful claim to that record.

Jung wasn’t alone in making quick work of his opponent. Igor Pokrajac drove Krzysztov Soszynski across the cage with brutal punches that knocked him out cold in just 35 seconds.

Constantinos Philippou lit up Jarrad Hamman, dropping him multiple times throughout their fight. Hamman was mostly-unconscious for the duration of their three minute, eleven second bout, before Philippou flipped his switch for good.

Whether motivated by his exposing loss to Ebersole or a tough weight cut that left him low on energy, Dennis Hallman stormed after John Makdessi, quickly dragging him to the canvas. From there he unleashed some heavy blows before sinking in a rear naked choke just shy of three minutes into the bout.

Not all of the evening’s battles fit so neatly in the “Who Won” box, however. Brian Ebersole emerged victorious in a close contest with Claude Patrick. Boos poured out when the split-decision went against the hometown fighter. We also had the bout scored for Patrick, but if anything this bout highlighted the inconsistency in MMA judging criteria rather than outright incompetence.

Full results (via MMAWeekly):

Main Bouts (on Pay-Per-View):
-Jon Jones def. Lyoto Machida by submission (guillotine choke) at 4:26, R2
-Frank Mir def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by submission (kimura) at 3:38, R1
-Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Tito Ortiz by TKO at 3:15, R1
-Brian Ebersole def. Claude Patrick by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
-Chan Sung Jung def. Mark Hominick by TKO at :07, R1

Preliminary Bouts (on ION Television):
-Igor Pokrajac def. Krzysztof Soszynski by KO at :35, R1
-Constantinos Philippou def. Jared Hamman by KO at 3:11, R1
-Dennis Hallman def. John Makdessi by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:58, R1
-Yves Jabouin def. Walel Watson by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

Preliminary Bouts (on Facebook):
-Mark Bocek def. Nik Lentz by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
-Jake Hecht def. Rich Attonito by TKO at 1:10, R2
-John Cholish def. Mitch Clarke by TKO at 4:36, R2

 

– Chris Colemon (@chriscolemon)

 

UFC 140 Aftermath Part I: Jon Jones Puts Doubts, and Machida, to Rest

Not elusive enough. (Photo: Esther Lin, MMA Fighting)

There’s nothing new in Jon Jones facing his ‘toughest test to date’; his recent fights have put him through a gauntlet of UFC champions. Searching for a style that stifles him is old hat as well; in his very short career he’s faced top level wrestlers, strikers, and even a one-of-a-kind karate specialist. And doubting the light-heavyweight champ? That officially became passé last night too.

While all of the smart money was being plunked down on Jon Jones, most acknowledged that Machida’s unique style would pose an interesting challenge to the young champion. Finding Machida with the end of your fist is a tough enough chore when you’re not spinning and twisting through the air, and Jones found that out in the first round. His flashy kicks and punches came close to finishing the Dragon’s shadow, but the intended target was long out of range by the time the twirling had ended. A pair of solid body kicks and a few stalking combinations gave Lyoto the round and momentum headed into the second frame against a suddenly more-human Jones.

“Bones” found himself on the losing end of the exchanges early in round two as well. Machida, who has made a career of the unorthodox, seemed able to predict what Jones would throw before he’d even thought of it. And that’s when it finally happened: Jones got hit. It wasn’t a jaw-dropping widow-maker, mind you, but finally we had contact, significant contact. Though Jones staggered backward at bit, he quickly regained his composure and did what champions do—he took over. A takedown followed by a brutal elbow to the forehead drew blood. Lots of it. Momentum had shifted, and Jones was certain the fight was his.

Not elusive enough. (Photo: Esther Lin, MMA Fighting)

There’s nothing new in Jon Jones facing his ‘toughest test to date’; his recent fights have put him through a gauntlet of UFC champions. Searching for a style that stifles him is old hat as well; in his very short career he’s faced top level wrestlers, strikers, and even a one-of-a-kind karate specialist. And doubting the light-heavyweight champ? That officially became passé last night too.

While all of the smart money was being plunked down on Jon Jones, most acknowledged that Machida’s unique style would pose an interesting challenge to the young champion. Finding Machida with the end of your fist is a tough enough chore when you’re not spinning and twisting through the air, and Jones found that out in the first round. His flashy kicks and punches came close to finishing the Dragon’s shadow, but the intended target was long out of range by the time the twirling had ended. A pair of solid body kicks and a few stalking combinations gave Lyoto the round and momentum headed into the second frame against a suddenly more-human Jones.

“Bones” found himself on the losing end of the exchanges early in round two as well. Machida, who has made a career of the unorthodox, seemed able to predict what Jones would throw before he’d even thought of it. And that’s when it finally happened: Jones got hit. It wasn’t a jaw-dropping widow-maker, mind you, but finally we had contact, significant contact. Though Jones staggered backward at bit, he quickly regained his composure and did what champions do—he took over. A takedown followed by a brutal elbow to the forehead drew blood. Lots of it. Momentum had shifted, and Jones was certain the fight was his.

“When I opened him up with the cut, my confidence level went to a whole other level,” Jones told Ariel Helwani post-fight. “I was like, ‘Oh yeah, you’re bleeding! And now let’s play this game.”

Back on their feet after the cut was cleared by ringside physicians, Jones pressed Machida to the cage and sunk in a standing guillotine. As he repositioned his grip to maximize the torque on his go-go-gadget arms, the lights began to fade for ‘The Dragon’ and his body went limp. Referee “Big John” McCarthy stepped in and Jones released his hold, the only thing propping Machida up on his feet. As Lyoto and his bid for a second UFC title came crashing to the canvas, Jones coolly walked away with yet another incredible stoppage victory. Machida was game and his performance helped the pair secure the $75K Fight of the Night bonus, but the end leaves no doubt that Jones is simply on another level.

In any other circumstance, Jones’s 2011 run would be considered career defining. But how could it not be for a twenty-four year old with only three year’s experience under his shiny, gold belt? Jones didn’t just defeat Bader, Shogun, Rampage, and Machida; he stopped them, painfully, without getting hurt. Anything can happen in MMA where the tides turn quickly—the “Machida Era” was better timed with a stopwatch than a calendar–but everything I’ve seen indicates that Jones’s reign over the light-heavyweight division has only begun. There will always be a new challenger posing a new challenge, but they’ll be facing a new, more evolved champion each time he steps foot in the cage.

 

– Chris Colemon (@chriscolemon)

 

M-1 Challenge 30 Recap: Enomoto wins Welterweight Title, Damkovsky crushes Figueroa

Zavurov vs Enomoto, part one. All videos props to IronForgesIron.com

When we last checked in on M-1 Global, Jeff Monson was busy being the anti-Bones before his loss to Fedor, Aleksander Emelianenko got flattened by Magomed Malikov and Maxim Grishin was caught rubbing his legs down with Bengay before a losing effort in his interim heavyweight championship bout with Kenny Garner. So basically, M-1 Global has been delivering plenty of insanity is what we’re getting at. Those of you who watched last night’s M-1 Challenge 30 in Costa Mesa, California expecting a freak show were likely disappointed, but those of you who expected a night of good fights got exactly that.

The evening’s main event saw welterweight champion Shamil Zavurov, who was forced out of a title defense against Rashid Magomedov at M-1 Challenge 28 by a last minute injury, defend his title against Swiss prospect Yasubey Enomoto. Earlier this year, Zavurov took home a unanimous decision over Enomoto after Yasubey Enomoto took the fight on eight days notice. This time around, Shamil Zavurov would not be so lucky.


Zavurov vs Enomoto, part one. All videos props to IronForgesIron.com

When we last checked in on M-1 Global, Jeff Monson was busy being the anti-Bones before his loss to Fedor, Aleksander Emelianenko got flattened by Magomed Malikov and Maxim Grishin was caught rubbing his legs down with Bengay before a losing effort in his interim heavyweight championship bout with Kenny Garner. So basically, M-1 Global has been delivering plenty of insanity is what we’re getting at. Those of you who watched last night’s M-1 Challenge 30 in Costa Mesa, California expecting a freak show were likely disappointed, but those of you who expected a night of good fights got exactly that.

The evening’s main event saw welterweight champion Shamil Zavurov, who was forced out of a title defense against Rashid Magomedov at M-1 Challenge 28 by a last minute injury, defend his title against Swiss prospect Yasubey Enomoto. Earlier this year, Zavurov took home a unanimous decision over Enomoto after Yasubey Enomoto took the fight on eight days notice. This time around, Shamil Zavurov would not be so lucky.

Shamil faded in the championship rounds, causing his takedown attempts to become more and more transparent. With one minute left in the final round, Zavurov shot for a takedown against Enomoto, and Enomoto countered the attempt with a fight-ending guillotine. Yasubey Enomoto improves to 9-3 with the victory, while the loss snaps a thirteen fight win streak for Shamil Zavurov.


Zavurov vs Enomoto, part two.

Also of note, Artiom Damkovsky redeemed himself after a second round TKO in March against Jose Figueroa with a first round knockout over Figueroa. Figueroa came out attempting a quick, sloppy takedown from across the ring. That kind of thing may work in the amateur circuit, but against Damkovsky? Not so much. Figueroa was unable to get Damkovsky to the ground before the knockout, and now falls to 10-6 in his career. Coincidentally, Artiom Damkovsky improves to 10-6 with the victory.


Artiom Damkovsky vs. Jose Figueroa

Results, via MMA Junkie:

MAIN CARD (Showtime)

Yasubey Enomoto def. Shamil Zavurov via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 5, 4:10
Artiom Damkovsky def. Jose Figueroa via KO (punches) – Round 1, 2:19
Alexander Sarnavskiy def. Sergio Cortez via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:46
Tyson Jeffries def. Eddie Arizmendi via submission (brabo choke) – Round 2, 2:08
Bao Quach def. Alvin Cacdac via submission (triangle armbar) – Round 1, 3:33

UFC 140 Results: Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida Analysis, Reaction and Recap

The UFC is slated to return to Toronto for the second time in 2011 for UFC 140 from the Air Canada Centre on Dec. 10.  In April, the promotion sold out the 55,000-seat Rogers Centre to set a North American attendance record for the sport of mixed …

The UFC is slated to return to Toronto for the second time in 2011 for UFC 140 from the Air Canada Centre on Dec. 10.  In April, the promotion sold out the 55,000-seat Rogers Centre to set a North American attendance record for the sport of mixed martial arts. Headlining the card will be a […]

UFC Betting

UFC 140 Results: Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida Analysis, Reaction and Recap

Rashad Evans Drops Jerry Sandusky Joke, Chael Sonnen Declares Himself the ‘American Idol’ at UFC on FOX 2 Press Conference [VIDEO]

(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

Got an hour to spare? Then check out the full video of yesterday’s UFC on FOX 2 press conference, which was held at the United Center in Chicago and featured all six fighters that would be headlining the show. Here are some of the highlights, most of which belonged to the Gangster From West Linn:

Chael Sonnen on his checkered past: “I actually held public office, and I left the only way a person should — in handcuffs.”

Sonnen on his illegal kneebar during a college wrestling match with Mark Munoz: “Mark’s explanation of ‘heat of the moment’, I appreciate that but I can assure you it was a calculated and premeditated event, and I offer no apology. And secondly, I don’t even remember college. I’m driving around in a car with no insurance, a pocket with no money and the biggest thing on my mind was which kid to sit next to on exam day, so as far as a wrestling match, that was about the fourth thing on my mind. I assure you on January 28th, I will be ready. It will be one more in the win column, one more above the mantle, and one more for the bad guy.”


(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

Got an hour to spare? Then check out the full video of yesterday’s UFC on FOX 2 press conference, which was held at the United Center in Chicago and featured all six fighters that would be headlining the show. Here are some of the highlights, most of which belonged to the Gangster From West Linn:

Chael Sonnen on his checkered past: “I actually held public office, and I left the only way a person should — in handcuffs.”

Sonnen on his illegal kneebar during a college wrestling match with Mark Munoz: “Mark’s explanation of ‘heat of the moment’, I appreciate that but I can assure you it was a calculated and premeditated event, and I offer no apology. And secondly, I don’t even remember college. I’m driving around in a car with no insurance, a pocket with no money and the biggest thing on my mind was which kid to sit next to on exam day, so as far as a wrestling match, that was about the fourth thing on my mind. I assure you on January 28th, I will be ready. It will be one more in the win column, one more above the mantle, and one more for the bad guy.”

Michael Bisping on Dan Henderson’s recent tweet regarding Anderson’s injuries: “Well he’s just another person that had his shot, weren’t he? I seem to remember him getting tapped out just like Chael did, so both of these guys have a problem with submission defense. If he’s bitter about it, don’t talk shit about me about it just because you blew your shot.”

Sonnen on humility: “I think everybody up here is grateful to be on FOX. They say, ‘FOX, thanks.’ Everybody but me. I would say, ‘FOX, you’re welcome.’ You’ve been telling people for years you’ve got the American Idol and now you finally do.”

Sonnen on fighting Mark Munoz: “Everybody’s got guys they don’t want to fight, and Mark is definitely on the top of my list, and not just because I like him. Because he’s a hard match — I’ve competed with him before and I’ve never beat him. But look, we have to do this, and on top of that, Mark and I agreed to fight to set an example for the rest of the guys. This is just competition. Basketball players don’t not play each other because they’re friends, or they practice together, or any other excuse that guys have for saying no. The answer is yes, and we will compete and we will shake hands and we will live with the result.”

Rashad Evans: “I prefer to bring out the knockout [artist side of himself as opposed to the ground-and-pound side] because Phil, he needs to get knocked out.”
Phil Davis: ”Glad you mentioned that because one of your buddies, Jon Jones, said you don’t have much of a chin.”
Evans: ”You’ll have to find out for yourself, right?”
Davis: ”I was already thinking that!”
Evans: ”I bet you won’t be able to put your hands on me, though…I guarantee you’ll be the first one to take a shot…’cuz I’m gonna put those hands on you worse than that dude did to them other kids at Penn State.”

The audio fades out at the 1:10:20 mark, but if anybody knows what was said here, let us know…

TUF 14 Finale Bonuses: Diego Brandao Picks Up an Extra $80,000, Will Be Able to Buy His Mom That House


(Aw man, he’s a Mormon? We just assumed he was a *normal* insane Christian, like Diego Sanchez. / Props: MMAJunkie)

From what we hear, Brazilian real estate is a buyer’s market right now. That’s good news for Diego Brandao, who earned enough bonus money last night to get his beloved mother a decent ranch house near all the good favelas. The UFC handed out $40,000 performance bonuses to the following TUF 14 Finale competitors:

Fight of the Night: Diego Brandao and Dennis Bermudez for their dramatic one-rounder, in which odds-on favorite Brandao started strong, then nearly got TKO’d, then pulled an armbar directly out of his ass with nine seconds left in the round.

Knockout of the Night: John Dodson, for generating an incredible amount of torque from that tiny body and smashing TJ Dillashaw in under two minutes.

Submission of the Night: Diego Brandao again, for armbarring victory out of the jaws of defeat.

And as we mentioned in yesterday’s liveblog, $25,000 “Best of the Season” bonuses were also awarded to these TUF 14 Finale competitors…


(Aw man, he’s a Mormon? We just assumed he was a *normal* insane Christian, like Diego Sanchez. / Props: MMAJunkie)

From what we hear, Brazilian real estate is a buyer’s market right now. That’s good news for Diego Brandao, who earned enough bonus money last night to get his beloved mother a decent ranch house near all the good favelas. The UFC handed out $40,000 performance bonuses to the following TUF 14 Finale competitors:

Fight of the Night: Diego Brandao and Dennis Bermudez for their dramatic one-rounder, in which odds-on favorite Brandao started strong, then nearly got TKO’d, then pulled an armbar directly out of his ass with nine seconds left in the round.

Knockout of the Night: John Dodson, for generating an incredible amount of torque from that tiny body and smashing TJ Dillashaw in under two minutes.

Submission of the Night: Diego Brandao again, for armbarring victory out of the jaws of defeat.

And as we mentioned in yesterday’s liveblog, $25,000 “Best of the Season” bonuses were also awarded to these TUF 14 Finale competitors…

Fight of the Season: Dustin Pague vs Louis Gaudinot

Knockout of the Season: John Dodson (against Johnny Bedford)

Submission of the Season: Dennis Bermudez (against Akira Corassani)

…meaning that Dodson’s total bonus-take from last night was actually $65,000, which will buy the talented dynamo a whole lot of energy drinks and action figures.