This is the UFC 138 live blog for Terry Etim vs. Edward Faaloloto, a lightweight bout on the main card of the UFC 138 fight card in Birmingham, England.
Etim (14-3) has won four of his past five UFC fights, but is a coming off a loss to Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 112. Faaloloto (2-2) has lost his past two fights.
Round 1: Etim is the biggest favorite on this card, more than 6-to-1 on the betting lines. Etim comes out throwing bombs. Faaloloto tries to shoot in for a takedown, Etim jumps into a guillotine. It’s locked in and it’s over in a flash.
Winner: Terry Etim via guillotine submission, Rd. 1 (:17)
“I’m back now, I’m 100 percent, and I’m ready to make an impact in the division,” Etim says after the win.
This is the UFC 138 live blog for Terry Etim vs. Edward Faaloloto, a lightweight bout on the main card of the UFC 138 fight card in Birmingham, England.
Etim (14-3) has won four of his past five UFC fights, but is a coming off a loss to Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 112. Faaloloto (2-2) has lost his past two fights.
Round 1: Etim is the biggest favorite on this card, more than 6-to-1 on the betting lines. Etim comes out throwing bombs. Faaloloto tries to shoot in for a takedown, Etim jumps into a guillotine. It’s locked in and it’s over in a flash.
Winner: Terry Etim via guillotine submission, Rd. 1 (:17)
“I’m back now, I’m 100 percent, and I’m ready to make an impact in the division,” Etim says after the win.
Thiago Alves will be looking to get back to his old ways against UFC newcomer Papy Abedi in the feature fight of the night. After winning seven straight fights to earn a title shot against Georges St-Pierre, Alves has been a dismal 1-3, most recen…
Thiago Alves will be looking to get back to his old ways against UFC newcomer Papy Abedi in the feature fight of the night.
After winning seven straight fights to earn a title shot against Georges St-Pierre, Alves has been a dismal 1-3, most recently getting upset by Rick Story. Though his career probably isn’t at a risk tonight, Alves desperately needs to get his career back on track.
Standing across from him in the Octagon will be a legitimate challenge. Abedi is an undefeated middleweight prospect that uses his judo background to slam opponents to the mat, where he looks to ground-and-pound his way to a finish.
If Alves is going to win this fight, it will have to be on the feet. He’s had difficulties with wrestlers in the past, and Abedi’s strength and style will present him with difficulties on the ground.
There’s no question that Alves has the better striking in this fight. His biggest strength lays in his Muay Thai skills, utilizing short punch combinations to set up chopping leg kicks and clinch knees to soften his opponents body and chin. Alves will need to keep Abedi at a distance with quick, crisp punches and utilize intelligent footwork (something he doesn’t always do) to keep from being cornered up against the cage.
Given Abedi’s need to close the distance and get a hold of his opponent, there’s no doubt that we’ll see him pressing forward, working behind punches to close the distance and change levels. Alves needs to get the better of striking exchanges in the center of the cage and then circle off at angles to keep the action where he is most comfortable.
In no scenario should Alves engage in a clinch with Abedi, but if he finds himself there, his best bet is to fire off a knee or two towards Abedi’s head or body and then look to get Abedi’s hands off of him, throwing punches out of the clinch.
It’s always easier said than done to employ a game plan to perfection, but that is precisely what Alves will need to do tonight to stack the deck in his favor.
Filed under: UFCMichihiro Omigawa finally has a win inside the Octagon.
Omigawa, who had a sensational run in Japan in 2009 and 2010, just hadn’t been able to turn it on in the UFC, losing his first four fights in the Octagon. But on Saturday at UFC 1…
Omigawa, who had a sensational run in Japan in 2009 and 2010, just hadn’t been able to turn it on in the UFC, losing his first four fights in the Octagon. But on Saturday at UFC 138, Omigawa finally got his first UFC win, beating Jason Young by unanimous decision at UFC 138.
All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Omigawa, who struggled with Young’s stand-up in the first round but controlled the fight on the ground in rounds two and three.
“It’s really good to get my first win here,” Omigawa said afterward.
Young knocked Omigawa back with a body kick late in the first round and landed a couple of solid knees, and he deserved to win the round, although Young’s right eye was badly swollen at the end of the round, thanks to an accidental clash of heads.
Early in the second round Omigawa took Young down and got into side control, but Young did a great job of pushing Omigawa off and getting back to his feet. However, Omigawa then secured another takedown and stayed in side control for most of the rest of the round, a round Omigawa clearly won.
They traded strikes in a good stand-up exchange early in the third round, then went to the ground where Omigawa attempted a heel hook that Young was able to escape. But Omigawa once again got Young down and once again stayed in control for most of the round, and that was enough to win the third, and the fight.
UFC 138 takes place this Saturday, Nov. 5, in Birmingham, England.Though the fight card is full of UFC newcomers and up-and-comers whom have absolutely nothing to lose, one fighter in particular stands alone with the most to gain from a win on Saturday…
UFC 138 takes place this Saturday, Nov. 5, in Birmingham, England.
Though the fight card is full of UFC newcomers and up-and-comers whom have absolutely nothing to lose, one fighter in particular stands alone with the most to gain from a win on Saturday night.
Fighting in the main event, which happens to be the first five-round non-title fight in the UFC, Mark Munoz is a middleweight contender quickly on the rise.
With a 6-1 middleweight UFC record (he’s 6-2 overall in the UFC) and a three-fight win streak dating back to November 2010, Munoz is a top five middleweight poised to enter the title contention discussion.
Though it’s pretty much a given that Chael Sonnen is up next for Anderson Silva, a win over Chris Leben should all but guarantee Munoz the subsequent shot at Silva’s title.
“The Filipino Wrecking Machine” is one of the few top-ranked middleweights that haven’t already faced Silva, and Joe Silva will need fresh faces to put in against the champ, especially considering only Chael Sonnen’s performance has warranted a rematch thus far.
Though two other fighters on the UFC 138 card could also move themselves into title contention in their weight class—Brad Pickett and Renan Barao—none of them have the same momentum coming into this fight as Munoz.
Though Pickett and Barao are both talented bantamweights that could provide a challenge to Dominick Cruz, neither of them can match Munoz’s current winning streak over quality opponents. Either of them would likely need another win in 2012 in order to be truly “in the mix.”
Of course, all fighters on any given card need a win in order to further their fighting career, but none of them have as much to gain from a single win tonight as Mark Munoz.
Round 1: Big Dan Miragliotta is your referee, towering over the bantamweights as we start the action. Lee lands a head kick as Cariaso ducks low for the takedown. Cariaso doggedly holds on, giving himself a few moments to recover. Lee takes him down from a clinch 1:30 into the round. Lee lands a hard right, then hunts a guillotine from the top, but it’s not tight enough. Cariaso manages to get back to his feet. Lee is bullying Cariaso around from the clinch, and he trips Cariaso down again. Cariaso defends well but it’s clearly Lee’s round, 10-9.
Round 2: The duo exchange leg kicks early. Cariaso lands a left hand and Lee flashes a pair of kicks at him, then takes him down. Lee really wants the guillotine, he looks for it at every turn. Cariaso scored with a hard elbow from the standing position. Lee checked to see if he was bleeding, but he’s not. Cariaso turned the tables with a takedown of his own midway through. Lee was active from the bottom, but Cariaso managed to earn mount with more than 90 seconds left. Lee took no damage and quickly scrambled back to guard. Cariaso spent the rest of the round on top, landing few strikes, but he still did enough to earn the 10-9.
Round 3: Lots of clinch work in the first 90 seconds of the round as the pair fight to achieve the offensive position. They’re broken up, and Lee looks for the takedown. This time, Cariaso defends it. Moments later, he ducks low and puts Lee on his back. That could win him the fight.. He moves to side control, the mount. Cariaso with a right hand. Lee gives his back, and Cariaso goes for the choke. Nothing doing there. Back to full mount. Cariaso thinks about an arm triangle, but instead keeps his top position and rains down punches and elbows from the top. Lee can’t escape, and Cariaso dominates to the final horn, so it’s his round 10-9.
Winner: Chris Cariaso via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Chris Cope vs. Che Mills
Round 1: Mills is walking forward, unafraid. He tags Cope with a right, then drops him with a left knee to the head. The ref looks close to stopping it but doesn’t. Mills swarms and drops bombs. He drops Cope again with another knee and this time, it’s over. That’s how you make a debut.
Winner: Che Mills via TKO, Rd. 1 (0:40)
Michihiro Omigawa vs. Jason Young Round 1: Omigawa tried an early takedown but Young resisted it. Young fired off a head kick that slipped past Omigawa’s head. Young peppered the legs with kicks. Young is very light on his feet and looking to control angles. Omigawa initiates a clinch, and trips Young down. Young works his way up and aggressively fires off a knee to the head. Omigawa backs off and they reset. Young lands a headkick. Omigawa wants a grind, Young wants space. Young’s fast hands score, and he takes Omigawa down late. Omigawa threatens with a guillotine and ends on top, but it’s Young’s round, 10-9.
Round 2: Young has some swelling on his right eye, apparently from a head clash. Omigawa takes him down early. He worked to side control and thought about a kimura but Young craftily avoided it, then reversed the position and got back to his feet. Young let his hands go, but Omigawa closed the distance and tripped him down. Omigawa got full mount with :45 left, but did little with it. He got mount again and landed a couple short punches. He controlled nearly the entire round, so he gets the 10-9.
Round 3: Young landed an early left hook, taking the aggressor’s role. He scored with an uppercut as he continued to fire off combos. Omigawa clinched and took him down. Not good for Young. Omigawa tried a heel hook, but Young slipped free and back to his feet. Still anyone’s fight. Young tried a takedown, Omigawa used a guillotine hold to roll Young over and he ended up on top. Omigawa seems to be more interested in positioning than offense from the top, so this one could be tough to score. Omigawa hunted a kimura but gave that up in favor of a few elbows. Young pulled free, ended up on top with a few right hands as the horn sounded. Omigawa 10-9.
Winner: Michihiro Omigawa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Rob Broughton vs. Philip De Fries
Round 1: De Fries immediately shoots in and Broughton is ready for it. They clinch against the cage. They stalemate and restart. De Fries, who has all of his seven wins by submission, wants it on the ground. He ducks under a punch but Broughton gets underhooks and stays upright. Finally, he drops down to his opponent’s ankles and puts Broughton on his back. De Fries works to advance position. He’s all about looking for a submission, and only occasionally remembers to throw strikes from the top. The punches don’t have any steam on them. De Fries takes Broughton’s back with :15 left, but runs out of time. The round is his though, 10-9.
Round 2: De Fries puts Broughton down with an early double-leg takedown. De Fries takes Broughton’s back and puts the hooks in. Plenty of time to work. Broughton works free for a moment. Broughton snatches a kimura from the bottom and De Fries rolls, leaving Broughton in top position. De Fries is insistent on a kimura. Broughton punishes his body with elbows and De Fries lets it go. Broughton works into a mounted crucifix, throwing blows from the top. The late series of punches and elbows take it for him, 10-9.
Round 3: De Fries looks relatively fresh after his rough second round, and takes Broughton down from the get-go. De Fries works on positioning for a while, and gets full mount with 2:00 left. Finally, a hard punch from mount. Well, that didn’t last long. De Fries moves to side control, then north-south. Very lackluster offense given the great positioning from him. Ref Dan Miragliotta has seen enough and resets them. Only 15 seconds left though, and neither really lets their hands go. It’s De Fries, 10-9.
Winner: Philip De Fries via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Justin Edwards vs. John Maguire
Round 1: An early Edwards kick lands below the belt, so we have a timeout just as we’re getting started. Edwards throws a spin kick and then drops Maguire with a right hook. Maguire defends and reverses, ending up on top. Maguire looks for offense from the top. Edwards uses the wall to get to his feet, but Maguire drags him back down. Back to their feet again, Maguire with knees to the head. A grappling scramble has them jockeying for position. Edwards tries a guillotine. Edwards pulls out and lands strikes to the body and head. After a rough start, Maguire rebounds to take the round 10-9.
Round 2: After a grappling heavy round, the two start off circling each other in the striking game. Edwards with leg kicks and they clinch. Maguire takes Edwards down with a suplex, then quickly gets his back and sinks in a body triangle. Maguire softens him up with punches from the back, Edwards occasionally firing back an elbow. Maguire switches to an arm bar in the final moments but can’t yank Edwards arm free. Still, it’s Maguire’s round 10-9.
Round 3: Edwards with heavy leather. A body punch lands. Maguire snatches a single leg takedown. Edwards looks for a knee bar, Maguire grabs a foot and Edwards separates. Back to their feet, Maguire lands knees from the clinch. Edwards had a guillotine but lost the position and Maguire ended up on top with half the round left. Maguire to full mount. After some strikes, Edwards gives up his back and Maguire locks a body triangle again. Edwards escaped and ended up on top, but not for long. Maguire got the position back. Maguire again, 10-9.
Winner: John Maguire via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Round 1: Big Dan Miragliotta is your referee, towering over the bantamweights as we start the action. Lee lands a head kick as Cariaso ducks low for the takedown. Cariaso doggedly holds on, giving himself a few moments to recover. Lee takes him down from a clinch 1:30 into the round. Lee lands a hard right, then hunts a guillotine from the top, but it’s not tight enough. Cariaso manages to get back to his feet. Lee is bullying Cariaso around from the clinch, and he trips Cariaso down again. Cariaso defends well but it’s clearly Lee’s round, 10-9.
Round 2: The duo exchange leg kicks early. Cariaso lands a left hand and Lee flashes a pair of kicks at him, then takes him down. Lee really wants the guillotine, he looks for it at every turn. Cariaso scored with a hard elbow from the standing position. Lee checked to see if he was bleeding, but he’s not. Cariaso turned the tables with a takedown of his own midway through. Lee was active from the bottom, but Cariaso managed to earn mount with more than 90 seconds left. Lee took no damage and quickly scrambled back to guard. Cariaso spent the rest of the round on top, landing few strikes, but he still did enough to earn the 10-9.
Round 3: Lots of clinch work in the first 90 seconds of the round as the pair fight to achieve the offensive position. They’re broken up, and Lee looks for the takedown. This time, Cariaso defends it. Moments later, he ducks low and puts Lee on his back. That could win him the fight.. He moves to side control, the mount. Cariaso with a right hand. Lee gives his back, and Cariaso goes for the choke. Nothing doing there. Back to full mount. Cariaso thinks about an arm triangle, but instead keeps his top position and rains down punches and elbows from the top. Lee can’t escape, and Cariaso dominates to the final horn, so it’s his round 10-9.
Winner: Chris Cariaso via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Chris Cope vs. Che Mills
Round 1: Mills is walking forward, unafraid. He tags Cope with a right, then drops him with a left knee to the head. The ref looks close to stopping it but doesn’t. Mills swarms and drops bombs. He drops Cope again with another knee and this time, it’s over. That’s how you make a debut.
Winner: Che Mills via TKO, Rd. 1 (0:40)
Michihiro Omigawa vs. Jason Young Round 1: Omigawa tried an early takedown but Young resisted it. Young fired off a head kick that slipped past Omigawa’s head. Young peppered the legs with kicks. Young is very light on his feet and looking to control angles. Omigawa initiates a clinch, and trips Young down. Young works his way up and aggressively fires off a knee to the head. Omigawa backs off and they reset. Young lands a headkick. Omigawa wants a grind, Young wants space. Young’s fast hands score, and he takes Omigawa down late. Omigawa threatens with a guillotine and ends on top, but it’s Young’s round, 10-9.
Round 2: Young has some swelling on his right eye, apparently from a head clash. Omigawa takes him down early. He worked to side control and thought about a kimura but Young craftily avoided it, then reversed the position and got back to his feet. Young let his hands go, but Omigawa closed the distance and tripped him down. Omigawa got full mount with :45 left, but did little with it. He got mount again and landed a couple short punches. He controlled nearly the entire round, so he gets the 10-9.
Round 3: Young landed an early left hook, taking the aggressor’s role. He scored with an uppercut as he continued to fire off combos. Omigawa clinched and took him down. Not good for Young. Omigawa tried a heel hook, but Young slipped free and back to his feet. Still anyone’s fight. Young tried a takedown, Omigawa used a guillotine hold to roll Young over and he ended up on top. Omigawa seems to be more interested in positioning than offense from the top, so this one could be tough to score. Omigawa hunted a kimura but gave that up in favor of a few elbows. Young pulled free, ended up on top with a few right hands as the horn sounded. Omigawa 10-9.
Winner: Michihiro Omigawa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Rob Broughton vs. Philip De Fries
Round 1: De Fries immediately shoots in and Broughton is ready for it. They clinch against the cage. They stalemate and restart. De Fries, who has all of his seven wins by submission, wants it on the ground. He ducks under a punch but Broughton gets underhooks and stays upright. Finally, he drops down to his opponent’s ankles and puts Broughton on his back. De Fries works to advance position. He’s all about looking for a submission, and only occasionally remembers to throw strikes from the top. The punches don’t have any steam on them. De Fries takes Broughton’s back with :15 left, but runs out of time. The round is his though, 10-9.
Round 2: De Fries puts Broughton down with an early double-leg takedown. De Fries takes Broughton’s back and puts the hooks in. Plenty of time to work. Broughton works free for a moment. Broughton snatches a kimura from the bottom and De Fries rolls, leaving Broughton in top position. De Fries is insistent on a kimura. Broughton punishes his body with elbows and De Fries lets it go. Broughton works into a mounted crucifix, throwing blows from the top. The late series of punches and elbows take it for him, 10-9.
Round 3: De Fries looks relatively fresh after his rough second round, and takes Broughton down from the get-go. De Fries works on positioning for a while, and gets full mount with 2:00 left. Finally, a hard punch from mount. Well, that didn’t last long. De Fries moves to side control, then north-south. Very lackluster offense given the great positioning from him. Ref Dan Miragliotta has seen enough and resets them. Only 15 seconds left though, and neither really lets their hands go. It’s De Fries, 10-9.
Winner: Philip De Fries via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Justin Edwards vs. John Maguire
Round 1: An early Edwards kick lands below the belt, so we have a timeout just as we’re getting started. Edwards throws a spin kick and then drops Maguire with a right hook. Maguire defends and reverses, ending up on top. Maguire looks for offense from the top. Edwards uses the wall to get to his feet, but Maguire drags him back down. Back to their feet again, Maguire with knees to the head. A grappling scramble has them jockeying for position. Edwards tries a guillotine. Edwards pulls out and lands strikes to the body and head. After a rough start, Maguire rebounds to take the round 10-9.
Round 2: After a grappling heavy round, the two start off circling each other in the striking game. Edwards with leg kicks and they clinch. Maguire takes Edwards down with a suplex, then quickly gets his back and sinks in a body triangle. Maguire softens him up with punches from the back, Edwards occasionally firing back an elbow. Maguire switches to an arm bar in the final moments but can’t yank Edwards arm free. Still, it’s Maguire’s round 10-9.
Round 3: Edwards with heavy leather. A body punch lands. Maguire snatches a single leg takedown. Edwards looks for a knee bar, Maguire grabs a foot and Edwards separates. Back to their feet, Maguire lands knees from the clinch. Edwards had a guillotine but lost the position and Maguire ended up on top with half the round left. Maguire to full mount. After some strikes, Edwards gives up his back and Maguire locks a body triangle again. Edwards escaped and ended up on top, but not for long. Maguire got the position back. Maguire again, 10-9.
Winner: John Maguire via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Mark Munoz is quietly knocking on the door for a UFC title shot.While the masses snub their noses at the UFC 138 fight card, “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” prepares to do battle with Chris Leben in a bout with possible world title implications.The mid…
Mark Munoz is quietly knocking on the door for a UFC title shot.
While the masses snub their noses at the UFC 138 fight card, “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” prepares to do battle with Chris Leben in a bout with possible world title implications.
The middleweight division has been left in shambles by UFC champion Anderson Silva, who has defeated every high-profile contender in the entire weight class.
When thinking about the middleweight title picture, only an endless slew of rematches come to mind.
Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson have all been defeated by Silva, but they are all front-runners for another crack at the UFC title.
Munoz, being a fresh face, makes him a welcome addition to the middleweight title picture.
He is coming off three straight wins over tough opposition in former title contender Demian Maia, Aaron Simpson and C.B. Dollaway.
His style makes him a viable threat to any fighter in the entire division.
Along with jarring knockout power, Munoz is a world-class wrestler. He was a two-time All-American and an NCAA Division I wrestling champion at Oklahoma State University.
As long as he remains rooted in his wrestling base, Munoz could make some noise in the 185-pound division.
With that said, a win over Leben won’t sway the masses to believe Munoz is ready for a title shot, but limited contenders and outcomes in future bouts could move him along quicker than expected.
Sonnen will likely get the next shot at the UFC title. What if Belfort and Henderson both lose in their next outings?
It wouldn’t be hard to envision the UFC calling Munoz’s name.
UFC 138 may not be the most exciting card on paper, but fans should definitely pay attention, as the main event has the potential reshape the entire middleweight division.
This is the UFC 138 live blog for Terry Etim vs. Edward Faaloloto, a lightweight bout on the main card of the UFC 138 fight card in Birmingham, England.
Michihiro Omigawa
This is the