Tag: Thiago Alves

UFC on FX: Flyweights Contribute to a Bonzer Show Down Under

It was time to step into the Octagon once again as Dana White’s crew travelled to the land down under for their latest offering, Alves vs. Kampmann, shown in the early hours of this past Saturday morning on ESPN here in Britain. The broadcast beg…

It was time to step into the Octagon once again as Dana White’s crew travelled to the land down under for their latest offering, Alves vs. Kampmann, shown in the early hours of this past Saturday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

The broadcast began in the middleweight division as Court McGee went up against Costa Phillipou.

This very entertaining opener took a while to get going, but when it did, we saw a great display of striking from Phillipou.

Phillipou had the making of McGee for the first two rounds with some crisp blows, bloodying his man’s nose and ear. McGee tried for the takedown a few times but Phillipou’s defence was too good.

McGee upped his game in the third, improving his striking performance and finally scoring with the takedown, only for Phillipou to pop straight back up. While the striking game looked more even, Phillipou’s performance was just a little better.

So with no finish it went down to the judges as Phillipou took the unanimous decision.

Then it was on to the semifinals of the flyweight title tournament, beginning with Demetrious Johnson against Ian McCall.

This was the first flyweight fight I’ve ever seen in MMA, and boy was it good. The fast-paced action was enjoyable throughout, helped by the performances of those concerned.

Johnson’s striking looked great as he used his tremendous speed to move in and out like a fiddler’s elbow, his best punch coming in the first when a big right staggered McCall momentarily.

McCall was able to keep up with him though, allying his striking with some sound work on the ground. He didn’t have much luck early on with his takedowns, with Johnson putting in some great defensive work. However, when the third round started, his chances improved as it looked like he was going to get the stoppage win late in the fight when he took Johnson’s back and unleashed with the ground and pound.

For the second time in the evening the judges came into the equation as Johnson was announced as the majority winner, although it was later revealed that a mistake on the scoring cards meant that the result was changed to a majority draw.

The tournament action continued with Joseph Benavidez taking on Yasuhiro Urushitani.

The fast-paced action continued into this fight. Both guys got off some good strikes early on, but when Benavidez scored with the takedown, the nature of the fight changed entirely.

Benavidez dominated on the ground, putting on a great display as he worked his way from the half-guard so he could take Urushitani’s back so he could go for a rear naked choke. He would have surely taken the submission win had the horn not sounded.

It didn’t matter though. Just a few seconds into the second round Benavidez scored with a big right that sent the Japanese fighter crashing to the mat. Benavidez followed him down for a brief moment of ground and pound before the referee stepped in to give Benavidez the TKO win.

The main event featured welterweight action as Thiago Alves went up against Martin Kampmann.

This was a perfect example of how a fighter can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Apart from a front kick that connected to Alves’ jaw in the first round, Kampmann looked out of it. Alves quickly recovered from that particular blow to score with the takedown, taking the mount and holding Kampmann down so he was powerless to do anything.

Alves continued to dominate in the second. His leg kicks were crisp and hard, and allied with his punching he was more than a match for Kampmann, so much so that Kampmann needed a minor miracle to take the win.

So when Alves scored with a takedown early in the third, Kampmann rolled with the motion and locked in a guillotine. Alves had no choice but to tap out within seconds, giving Kampmann the unexpected submission win.

The first “second string” show to be taken to an overseas audience proved to be another enjoyable outing for the UFC crew. The fans down under were certainly treated to some great action, particularly from the flyweights, who without a doubt will become a more than welcome addition to the always-growing roster.

The UFC’s latest offering gets the thumbs up from this particular writer, although I’m a little disappointed that the next show is over a month away!

Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com, as well as my Facebook page at Facebook.com/twoshedsreview.

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‘UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann’ Aftermath: Don’t Leave it in the Hands of the Sudden Death Round


Seriously, Thiago Alves weighed in at nearly 200 lbs three hours after making weight. There’s still no punchline coming. Props: UFC.com

Almost immediately after last night’s main event of UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann, the Martin Kampmann/Tim Boetsch comparisons came out in full force from fans and pundits alike. One can easily understand why, as Kampmann’s come-from-behind victory over Thiago Alves was the greatest one in UFC history since last week’s efforts from Tim Boetsch. But perhaps this comparison misses the point. While this comeback was obviously at least partially due to a gutsy performance from Kampmann, it had far more to do with questionable decision making from Thiago Alves.

Save for a first round kick that rocked “The Pitbull”, Thiago Alves was in total control of last night’s main event. His stand-up attack was simply too much for “The Hitman”, who offered less resistance as the fight progressed. Despite this, Alves- who isn’t exactly known for his ground game, mind you- attempted a double leg takedown on a visibly hurt Martin Kampmann and wound up getting caught in a fight-ending guillotine choke.

It’s easy to understand why Thiago Alves was eager for the finish, especially after watching Demetrious Johnson be declared the winner of his fight against Ian McCall (more on that later). What is astonishing is the fact that he took the fight to the only place where he didn’t have a clear advantage over Kampmann. The takedown gave Kampmann time to regain composure, and negated the need to get through The Pitbull’s leg kicks in order to utilize his superior grappling.


Seriously, Thiago Alves weighed in at nearly 200 lbs three hours after making weight. There’s still no punchline coming. Props: UFC.com 

Almost immediately after last night’s main event of UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann, the Martin Kampmann/Tim Boetsch comparisons came out in full force from fans and pundits alike. One can easily understand why, as Kampmann’s come-from-behind victory over Thiago Alves was the greatest one in UFC history since last week’s efforts from Tim Boetsch. But perhaps this comparison misses the point. While this comeback was obviously at least partially due to a gutsy performance from Kampmann, it had far more to do with questionable decision making from Thiago Alves.

Save for a first round kick that rocked “The Pitbull”, Thiago Alves was in total control of last night’s main event. His stand-up attack was simply too much for “The Hitman”, who offered less resistance as the fight progressed. Despite this, Alves- who isn’t exactly known for his ground game, mind you- attempted a double leg takedown on a visibly hurt Martin Kampmann and wound up getting caught in a fight-ending guillotine choke.

It’s easy to understand why Thiago Alves was eager for the finish, especially after watching Demetrious Johnson be declared the winner of his fight against Ian McCall (more on that later). What is astonishing is the fact that he took the fight to the only place where he didn’t have a clear advantage over Kampmann. The takedown gave Kampmann time to regain composure, and negated the need to get through The Pitbull’s leg kicks in order to utilize his superior grappling.

Aside from his second straight victory, Martin Kampmann earned the $50k Submission of the Night honors with his performance. Meanwhile, Thiago Alves drops to 19-9 overall, and is 2-4 in his last six fights. Alves is one of the division’s best strikers, but his days as a top welterweight in the UFC are clearly in the rear-view mirror.

The evenings co-main event, a flyweight tournament fight between Joseph Benavidez and Yasuhiro Urushitani, ended without any surprises. Already dominant as an undersized bantamweight, Joseph Benavidez picked up right where he left off in his flyweight debut with a second round TKO over Yasuhiro Urushitani. As expected, Benavidez utilized his superior wrestling in the first round before countering a kick with a huge right and finishing Urushitani with follow-up punches at the start of the second round, earning him Knockout of the Night honors. This isn’t to say that Urushitani didn’t look good in his UFC debut; it’s just that Benavidez looked like an already dominant fighter fighting in a weight class he’s more suited for. Regardless of who he faces next, it’s hard not to imagine he’ll be the favorite to win the UFC’s inaugural flyweight championship.

Now, about that other flyweight tournament matchup. There’s no point in offering a detailed analysis of Ian McCall vs. Demetrious Johnson, because due to the scoring error that occurred last night, we’re going to get a rematch to determine which fighter will advance in the tournament. That’s right, a rematch- aka “that thing that the addition of sudden death rounds was supposed to prevent”.

I will say this much about the fight though: Except for the scoring error that robbed us of a sudden death round, it was very deserving of its Fight of the Night honors. It was a close, exciting fight that clearly demonstrated why the UFC added a flyweight division to its roster. If this fight had gone to a fourth round, it’s hard to imagine Ian McCall losing it. “Uncle Creepy” blatantly had Johnson hurt towards the end of the third round, yet opted to taunt his opponent rather than continue to work for the finish. Not to blame the victim here, but you obviously have to call that decision into question. Ian McCall may be getting the rematch, but had he been able to finish Johnson last night, the ensuing scoring controversy never happens.

Also of note, Court McGee pushed forward against Constantinos Philippou throughtout their fight, yet his wild striking was easily countered by Philippou and McGee was seldom able to put Philippou on his back. While McGee’s striking has improved during his stint in the UFC, he is still very much a grappler who stands little chance of winning on his feet. Meanwhile, Philippou has won three straight since losing his UFC debut to Nick Catone at UFC 128, and should see a step up in competition at middleweight.

Full Results:

Main Card

Martin Kampmann def. Thiago Alves via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:12 of Round Three
Joseph Benavidez def. Yasuhiro Urushitani via TKO (strikes) at :11 of Round Two
Demetrious Johnson def. Ian McCall ruled majority draw, will rematch
Constantinos Philippou def. Court McGee via unanimous decision

Preliminary Results:

James Te Huna def. Aaron Rosa via TKO at 2:02 of Round One
Anthony Perosh def. Nick Penner via TKO at 4:59 of Round One
Steven Siler def. Cole Miller via unanimous decision
Andrew Craig def. Kyle Noke via unanimous decision
T.J. Waldburger def. Jake Hecht via submission (armbar) at 0:55 of Round One
Daniel Pineda def. Mackens Semerzier via submisison (triangle armbar) at 2:05 of Round One
Shawn Jordan def. Oli Thompson via TKO at 3:53 of Round Two

UFC on FX 2: Five Things We Learned in the UFC’s Return to Australia

Thiago Alves Gave That One AwayThiago Alves had it all. Through two rounds Friday night at UFC on FX 2, the Brazilian export battered and bloodied Martin Kampmann to the point where it seemed he had the fight in the bag. A victory was all but ensured, …

Thiago Alves Gave That One Away

Thiago Alves had it all. Through two rounds Friday night at UFC on FX 2, the Brazilian export battered and bloodied Martin Kampmann to the point where it seemed he had the fight in the bag. A victory was all but ensured, and an emphatic one at that.

And then he gave it all away.

Alves made a costly mistake in attempting to take Kampmann to the mat during an exchange on the feet that he was clearly winning. It was a moment where Alves could have placed an exclamation mark on a strong win. Instead, he gave Kampmann his neck, and the Danish striker capitalized by rolling through with a sweet guillotine for the submission win.

Kudos to Kampmann for having the awareness to secure the submission when he needed it the most. But Alves now finds himself outside the top 10, with no real shot at the title picture in his immediate future, and it’s his own fault.

 

Judges Are Terrible at Judging Fights (and Doing Math)

Look, I could talk endlessly about the ineffective state of judging in mixed martial arts. It’s a broken record at this point, and it’s a broken system. There’s no use going on and on about it, because nothing is changing and we’re pretty much stuck with what we’ve got.

But tonight was inexcusable. 

In case you missed it, the fight between Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall was not actually a split-decision victory for Johnson. It was actually a draw. The judges in charge of the fight somehow wrote down the wrong scores and awarded Johnson an unwarranted victory, when in reality the fight should have gone to a fourth “sudden victory” round.

Johnson and McCall were both paid their win bonuses, and an immediate rematch between the pair is targeted for April. But the fans in attendance and viewers at home were robbed of what would have been a thrilling, winner-takes-all round between two extremely exciting fighters.

You’ve got to hope that someday, somewhere, the judges will eventually get something right. But tonight was not that moment, and it was an embarrassing black mark for everyone involved in the New South Wales combat commission.

 

Joseph Benavidez Will Win the Flyweight Tournament

It should be clear after tonight’s event that Joseph Benavidez and his status as the uncrowned world flyweight champion was warranted.

He’s long been considered one of the best bantamweights in the world, but Benavidez’ quick and fairly easy work of Yasuhiro Urushitani proved that he’s easily the favorite to capture the UFC’s first flyweight gold. He was quick, and he’ll be one of the biggest flyweights in the division. When you couple that with his wrestling and striking skills, it’s a package that other 125-pound fighters will have a lot of difficulty overcoming.

 

Don’t Mess with Texas. 

We Texans are quite proud of our heritage. Even though the rest of the country laughs at us, we still celebrate Texas Independence Day every March by eating fattening Texas cuisine and drinking fine Texas beer like Shiner Bock. 

Daniel Pineda, T.J. Waldburger and Andrew Craig celebrated the holiday in fine form by scoring big wins in Australia.

Pineda and Craig are new UFC imports, having spent the majority of their careers fighting for the Houston-based Legacy Fighting Championships. Both scored big wins over seasoned veterans in Mackens Semerzier and Kyle Noke, respectively, and Waldburger executed his second consecutive first-round submission win in beating Jake Hecht with a sublime armbar. 

It was a good night for Texas, and for Houston in particular. I think I’ll go celebrate by eating some more brisket.

 

James Te Huna Is a Violent Man

I don’t think much needs to be said about this. Te Huna, a New Zealand native fighting in front of a rabid almost-home crowd, make short work of Aaron Rosa, a fighter who has long been known for not much more than his ability to take a punch.

Rosa couldn’t take Te Huna’s punches, could he? No, he could not.

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UFC on FX 2 Results: What We Learned from Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann

In the main event of UFC on FX 2, Martin Kampmann was able to pull off an amazing late third-round comeback against Thiago Alves. Alves was able to outstrike Kampmann for the majority of the fight. But while Alves was going for a takedown late in the t…

In the main event of UFC on FX 2, Martin Kampmann was able to pull off an amazing late third-round comeback against Thiago Alves. Alves was able to outstrike Kampmann for the majority of the fight. But while Alves was going for a takedown late in the third round, Kampmann was able to force him to tap after catching the Brazilian in a guillotine choke. 

 

What we’ll remember about this fight:

Alves was in control for much of this fight. Although Kampmann landed some good shots, Alves was able to outstrike him and stuff his takedowns. Alves made  the mistake of going for a takedown in the final minute of the fight and got caught in a guillotine choke. 

 

What we learned about Thiago Alves:

Friday night, Alves showed improved takedown defense and proved he is still a dangerous welterweight. Had it not have been for his last minute mistake though, he would have won the fight. 

 

What we learned about Martin Kampmann:

We knew Kampmann was tough. But he proved that you can never count him out of a fight. Kampmann may be one of the most underrated fighters in MMA today. Although he was out-struck throughout the fight, he is still a very precise striker, and has a dangerous submission game to go with it. 

 

What’s next for Alves:

Alves has been on a rocky road lately. He’s 2-3 in his last five fights. This includes missing weight in his rematch against Jon Fitch. Alves needs a win over a big name in the division to stay relevant. A fight with Diego Sanchez would be a fun one. 

 

What’s next for Kampmann:

With the win, Kampmann has now won two straight fights. He could have easily been on a longer winning streak had it not been for Jake Shields and Diego Sanchez winning the judges over. Although Kampmann would like to get a crack at interim champ Carlos Condit, avenging a close loss to Shields may be better for him. 

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UFC on FX 2 Results: The Real Winners and Losers from Alves vs Kampmann

Friday night hasn’t traditionally been associated with the UFC in America, but it was the one-night home for the promotion as they headed to Australia for UFC on FX 2: Alves vs. Kampmann. In addition to the welterweight main event, the fight ca…

Friday night hasn’t traditionally been associated with the UFC in America, but it was the one-night home for the promotion as they headed to Australia for UFC on FX 2: Alves vs. Kampmann.

In addition to the welterweight main event, the fight card also included the exciting start to the 125-pound flyweight division in the promotion in the form of a tournament. The first round of the tournament took place from Sydney with Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall getting things started and Joseph Benavidez and Yasuhiro Urushitani competing in the second bout just minutes later.

The official results are now in the book, but as always, there’s more to it than that. There were a couple controversial moments during the night and often times the official results don’t show those kind of things.

With that said, let’s take a closer look at the real winners and losers from Friday night’s fight card.

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UFC on FX 2: What’s Next for the Winners and Losers

Welterweight standouts Thiago Alves and Martin Kampmann were featured in the main event of UFC on FX 2, and it appeared as if Alves was going to walk away the victor before submitting to a guillotine choke with a minute left in the bout.With Carlos Con…

Welterweight standouts Thiago Alves and Martin Kampmann were featured in the main event of UFC on FX 2, and it appeared as if Alves was going to walk away the victor before submitting to a guillotine choke with a minute left in the bout.

With Carlos Condit looking for challengers if he’s not able to face Georges St-Pierre later this year, Kampmann would like to be considered for that position and it would be well-deserved.

The UFC’s flyweight division also got kick-started on the main card with two exciting fights featuring Joseph Benavidez, Ian McCall, Demetrious Johnson and Yasuhiro Urushitani. It was the opening of a UFC tournament that will crown the first-ever UFC flyweight champion sometime later this year.

Other fighters featured on the card include Constantinos Philippou, James Te Huna, Daniel Pineda and Anthony Perosh.

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