UFC on FOX 3 was structured differently than the previous two network television installments. The two prior cards were heavy on superstars, but light on memorable action. With the third broadcast, Joe Silva and the UFC took a different approach: …
UFC on FOX 3 was structured differently than the previous two network television installments.
The two prior cards were heavy on superstars, but light on memorable action. With the third broadcast, Joe Silva and the UFC took a different approach: book four fights with stars that might not be household names, but were almost guaranteed to put on action-packed fights.
And it delivered in spades.
From the Facebook fights all the way to the big Fox card, the entire card was chock-full of excitement. Let’s take a look at the biggest winners and losers from the entire night.
A lot of fight fans pretend to love technical classes—fighters who show the kind of textbook precision that makes coaches stand and applaud. I like those kinds of fights too, but I’m not afraid to admit it—there’s something special about a …
A lot of fight fans pretend to love technical classes—fighters who show the kind of textbook precision that makes coaches stand and applaud. I like those kinds of fights too, but I’m not afraid to admit it—there’s something special about a heavyweight slugfest.
Too often fighters promise to stand toe-to-toe with an opponent, knowing full well the game plan involves grinding wall-and-stall or stick-and-move tactics. It’s the worst kind of bait and switch; the kind that turns fans into cynics.
Say this for Pat Barry and Lavar Johnson: When they told the world they intended to bang it out, their noses didn’t grown even a single inch. They came to do harm, and who can deny harm was done?
In the end, Johnson’s size proved too much for Barry. He utilized a tremendous height and weight advantage to control the smaller man in the clinch, casually throwing knees that looked capable of demolishing buildings. If the fight game fails him, Lavar Johnson can rent out his services as a wrecking ball.
To the surprise of many, the fight actually went to the ground for a time. Even there it was a slugfest of sorts—Barry’s submission attempt was an Americana, an armbar that requires as much strength as it does technique.
When Johnson finally escaped, he made up for lost time, absolutely walloping Barry with haymakers. Five, 10, 15 power punches thwacked against Barry’s shoulders, hands and noggin. It was frightening, especially if you’ve ever seen a professional mixed martial artist train.
Their blows fall with such remarkable power and precision, it’s enough to make you thankful you aren’t on the receiving end. If you don’t have religion, you’ll at least ponder your place on the human food chain. Junior dos Santos sits on top. Most of us are so far down it, we need to squint just to see him in the distance.
The fight was just one of many great ones on a memorable night in New Jersey. Johnson’s is a remarkable story. Almost three years ago he was shot and nearly killed at a family barbecue. Today he’s probably another significant win from title contention. And after last night, the guys calling his name out will be few and far between.
Lavar Johnson just landed on the heavyweight map. Lord help whoever wants to try to make him budge.
Lavar Johnson is a baaaad man.Although he’s a relative unknown to casual fight fans, Johnson proved why he is one of MMA’s most exciting heavyweights by destroying Pat Barry at UFC on Fox 3.Johnson rocked Barry late in the first round with a kick to th…
Lavar Johnson is a baaaad man.
Although he’s a relative unknown to casual fight fans, Johnson proved why he is one of MMA‘s most exciting heavyweights by destroying Pat Barry at UFC on Fox 3.
Johnson rocked Barry late in the first round with a kick to the head, then rushed forward, backing Barry into the cage. As Barry tried to gather himself, punch after punch rained down on him. Johnson repeatedly hit him with swooping right and left hooks and uppercuts, eventually forcing referee Dan Miragliotta to stop the massacre after Barry crumbled to the mat.
It was Johnson’s second straight knockout after knocking out Joey Beltran in similar fashion in January, making him 2-0 in the UFC (17-5 overall) after the UFC/Strikeforce heavyweight merger.
The fight was wildly exciting, providing the UFC with a perfect start to their third event on Fox and network TV. The win should also propel the 34-year-old Johnson to more high-profile fights.
Although he’s horribly unbalanced in terms of well-roundness, Johnson is one of the most entertaining fighters on the planet. He’s got bombs in his hands and he’s not afraid to throw them, teeing off on opponents at will.
In his 22 professional fights, exactly zero have gone the distance. And while his complete lack of a ground game makes MMA purists cringe, his brawling style is incredibly fan-friendly.
Even if he’s too one-dimensional to become a serious heavyweight contender in the UFC, Johnson is a great addition to the division. It’s impossible to look away during his fights, and he’s got the ability to beat anyone with his knockout power.
Keep your eyes on Lavar Johnson, because he’s well on his way to becoming one of the most popular heavyweights in the UFC.
Tonight’s UFC on FOX event is looking to be one for the ages, Potato Nation. The alcohol-fueled spirit of Cinco De Mayo has overtaken most, if not all, of the U.S of A by this point, and I’m no exception, so lets skip the fancy introductions and get right to it.
Preliminary results
-Karlos Vemola def. Mike Massenzio by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:07 of round two.
-Roland Delorme def. Nick Denis by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:59 of round one.
-Dennis Bermudez def. Pablo Garzo by UD
-Danny Castillo def. John Cholsih by UD
-Louis Gaudinot def. John Lineker by submission (guillotine choke) at 4:54 of round 2
-John Hathaway def. Paskal Krauss by UD
-John Dodson def. Tim Elliot by UD
-Michael Johnson def. Tony Ferguson by UD
A couple musings from the prelims:
-Apparently some McDonald’s Happy Meals DO come with Jiu-Jitsu Blackbelts. Just ask Mike Massenzio.
-Nick Denis has a ridiculous rat tail, but it can’t match up with Roland Delorme’s iron chin. What an amazing round of action that was.
Tonight’s UFC on FOX event is looking to be one for the ages, Potato Nation. The alcohol-fueled spirit of Cinco De Mayo has overtaken most, if not all, of the U.S of A by this point, and I’m no exception, so lets skip the fancy introductions and get right to it.
Preliminary results
-Karlos Vemola def. Mike Massenzio by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:07 of round two.
-Roland Delorme def. Nick Denis by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:59 of round one.
-Dennis Bermudez def. Pablo Garzo by UD
-Danny Castillo def. John Cholsih by UD
-Louis Gaudinot def. John Lineker by submission (guillotine choke) at 4:54 of round 2
-John Hathaway def. Paskal Krauss by UD
-John Dodson def. Tim Elliot by UD
-Michael Johnson def. Tony Ferguson by UD
A couple musings from the prelims:
-Apparently some McDonald’s Happy Meals DO come with Jiu-Jitsu Blackbelts. Just ask Mike Massenzio.
-Nick Denis has a ridiculous rat tail, but it can’t match up with Roland Delorme’s iron chin. What an amazing round of action that was.
They give a shout-out to Adam Yauch, who unfortunately lost his battle to cancer at just 47. In his honor, I am starting off this liveblog with a Brass Monkey at my side. Cheers.
Lavar Johnson vs. Pat Barry
Bruce Buffer seemed waaay to enthusiastic when announcing Lavar Johnson’s nickname. Just sayin’.
Round 1: Barry opens with a left hook and a nice leg kick. Johnson clinches. Barry hits a head kick off the fence, then an uppercut. Leg kick Barry. Johnson clinches again. A couple knees to the head from Johnson, then a flurry of those patented uppercuts. Barry looks for a takedown, might be in trouble. Barry moves to mount! Then moves to side control…weird. Barry’s going for an Americana… weirder. Rogan comments on his incorrect technique, but Johnson is grimacing like a sumbitch, so maybe its working. “Big” gets free. The mount is wide open for the taking, but Barry opts to stay in side control. Both men back to their feet, and a leg kick by Barry. Big kick by Johnson spins Barry around, and Johnson is just UNLOADING on Barry against the fence. Is Barry playing possum? Nope, Johnson continues to tee off on Barry until he drops and it is all over. Wow.
Man, Barry must have seriously been rocked, because he was a sitting duck for that last exchange. In either case, a great win for Johnson in defeating the more technical striker. Johnson tries to make the case for KOTN, saying, “He just wants that check.”
My God. Paul Harris’ highlight reel looks like a Faces of Deathmovie trailer. Those poor souls.
Rousimar Palhares vs. Alan Belcher
Goldberg tries to introduce Dan Mirogliatta twice and fails miserably.
Round 1: Both men are tentative at the start. Belcher faints a few jabs, and Palhares dives on a leg. Uh-oh. Holy shit, Belcher is looking for a Twister after a hell of a scramble, and now a banana split. I MUST be drunk. Palhares looking for a kneebar. Belcher defending, but its like watching a car accident happen in slo-mo. Palhares now trying for a heel hook of death. Belcher escapes! HE MUST BE GREASING! Nice elbows by Belcher, who is laying down some serious GnP. IT IS OVER!
Alan Belcher def. Rousimar Palhares via TKO, round 1.
What a victory for Belcher. The man put his legs in the grinder and came out unscathed. What the hell is going on with the audio feed? Either Mike Goldberg is having an aneurysm or something is really up, because one-word spurts are repeating on loop. Anyway, Belcher sort of claims that he is the most dangerous 185er on the ground since he defeated Palhares, and I’m inclined to believe him.
Jesus Christ, is Joe Rogan seriously trying to pass off Mir/Dos Santos as a grudge match? Who cares, because they’re playing “Brass Monkey” in the background of his and Dana White’s little chat. DRINK UP!
Once again, I have to hear that Josh Koscheck does in fact own a motherfucking plane. Screw this, I’m turning off the sound on my TV and throwing on some Danzig.
Round 1: Koscheck comes out with a front kick. Then another. Well, its already gone longer than I’d like it to. Koscheck with a nice right hook on the counter. Hendricks may be hurt, as Koscheck just landed a nice combo on him. Now another. Hendricks is in trouble, and tries a takedown that is ridiculously far from landing. Hendricks lands a nice uppercut, then goes for the double leg. They clinch against the fence, and are separated by Kevin Mulhall. Hendricks with a left hand, then tries for another takedown. Koscheck with a nice combo against the fence. Hendricks is looking for a one-punch KO here. Koscheck tries a spinning LOLfist as the round ends, and he likely took it.
Round 2: Hendricks is throwing looping punches trying to close the distance, but Kos ain’t having it. Uppercut Hendricks. Koscheck looks for a guillotine on a Hendricks takedown attempt, then goes for Hendricks’ back. Hendricks goes for a double and gets Kos against the fence. Crowd getting restless, those animals. On the separation, Kos whiffs a big left, and gets countered with an uppercut. They clinch again, and Kos lands a nice elbow before pushing off. Kos tries a head kick that gets blocked. Hendricks swinging away, then lands a leg kick and clinches as the bell sounds. Close round, but I’d give it to Hendricks.
Round 3: Koschecks eye is starting to resemble the GSP fight, and he bull rushes Hendricks into the fence. Mulhall separates, and the two swing away in a nice exchange. Hendricks lands a nice left hook that seems to hurt Kos, but then Kos fires back. Some really nice dirty boxing by Hendricks, ala Randy Couture. I think Koscheck’s eye may be in some trouble here, as Hendricks lands another knee. Takedown Kos, who briefly attempts an arm-triangle. Koscheck on top, working for mount, but Hendricks gets back to half-guard. Koscheck spends the remainder of the round on top and may take it.
Scratch that.
Johny Hendricks def. Josh Koscheck by split decision.
They’re desperately trying to push this season’s The Ultimate Fighter, but nothing, including Ronda Rousey, is going to make people want to stay in on a Friday night. Just ask….that show Fridays.
It’s main event time…
Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller
Brian Stann just reeled off a good four or five sentences when assessing this fight without saying the word “uh” once. Take that, Jon Jones. I forget who, but someone disagreed with my assessment that Diaz’s victory over Cerrone was “dominant” the other day. Joe Rogan just agreed with me, so SUCK IT WHOEVER YOU WERE.
Per usual, Miller comes out to “Bad Moon Rising,” which only reinforces my belief that he is the coolest thing to come out of Jersey in the history of ever.
Round 1: Diaz doesn’t touch gloves, go figure. Nice leg kick by Miller to start. Diaz clinches after a combination misses, but Miller pushes him into the fence. The crowd is already booing, WTF?! Nice knee by Miller, who tries an elbow over the top to follow. Leg kick Miller, then another. Right hook Diaz, then a nice body shot. Inside leg kick Diaz. Miller clinches Diaz against the fence, trying for a single. Diaz turns things around and lands a nice knee. Body kick Miller. Diaz drops Miller with a straight left! Miller dives for a takedown with 30 seconds left. Nice scramble, and Miller gets Diaz to the mat. Nate sweeps Miller as the round ends.
Round 2: Both men start the round with a left hand. Leg kick Miller, who follows it up with a right hand. Diaz pushes Miller into the fence and lands a few shots to the body. Nice elbow on the break by Miller. Diaz clinches again, looking for the trip, but is unsuccessful. Miller with a left over the top. Diaz tries a flying knee, and the taunting begins. They clinch and Diaz lands a nice knee that causes Miller to drop to a hand. Diaz with a nice elbow, and Miller dives for a takedown. Diaz tries a on-armed guillotine, and gets it! DAMN! Diaz becomes the first man to stop Jim Miller! Great finish!
Nate Diaz def. Jim Miller via submission (guillotine), round 2.
Holy shit. On the replay, Joe Rogan informs us that Miller’s mouthpiece fell out in the scramble, and he was nearly biting his own tongue off before he tapped.
Well, that’s all for me tonight. It looks like we have our next two challengers at lightweight and welterweight lined up. Thanks for stopping by, Potato Nation, and I’ll catch you all next week.
UFC on Fox 3 may get lost among all the other big sporting events going on today, but there’s no question it will provide tons of excitement.In fact, that’s the great thing about MMA. You don’t need to be watching the best fighters in the world for a f…
UFC on Fox 3 may get lost among all the other big sporting events going on today, but there’s no question it will provide tons of excitement.
In fact, that’s the great thing about MMA. You don’t need to be watching the best fighters in the world for a fight to provide action.
As long as the styles match up well and it’s not too one-sided, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy watching the fight. Fortunately, that will be just the case tonight on the main card, even though it lacks title fights.
Let’s take a look at which fights will end in exciting knockouts.
Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson
Alright, so Lavar Johnson’s nickname is “Big” and Pat Barry is a kickboxing master who hates fighting on the ground.
These heavyweights both like fighting on the ground and will enjoy beating the living pulp out of each other until it’s over. In 23 combined wins for these two, 20 have come by knockout.
If you prefer watching guys beat each other up with no regard for human life instead of watching guys wrestle themselves into human pretzels, make sure you don’t miss this one.
I’ll be very surprised if this one makes it past the second round.
Josh Koscheck vs. Johny Hendricks
This is a very even fight between the No. 4 and No. 5 welterweights in the world, and that means a knockout probably isn’t likely, but I still think it will happen.
Whenever a fight involves Johny Hendricks, who is coming off a 12-second knockout of Jon Fitch, I’m looking for the fight to end early.
Hendricks is that impressive. In fact, he’s ended four fights in the first round, and three times they have been by punches.
On the other side of the Octagon, Koscheck only has five knockouts in 17 wins, but he’s got the necessary power nonetheless.
Rousimar Palhares vs. Alan Belcher
OK, this one is cheating because it’s not going to end in a knockout. However, there’s no way it will go until the end, and that makes it another one you can’t miss.
In their last nine victories combined, Palhares and Belcher have only gone to decision one time.
One.
Palhares, a submission-wrestling world champion, has seen 10 of his 14 wins come via submission. Belcher, on the other hand, has submitted his opponent seven times.
Both of these fighters love to go to the round, and that’s likely where the whole fight will reside. If that’s your sort of thing, you don’t want to miss this fight.
Before Pat Barry fought Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 115, he was 5-1 and looked to climb up the heavyweight ladder by defeating the Pride legend. Although Barry knocked Cro Cop down in the fight multiple times, a broken hand, foot, and eventually a r…
Before Pat Barry fought Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 115, he was 5-1 and looked to climb up the heavyweight ladder by defeating the Pride legend.
Although Barry knocked Cro Cop down in the fight multiple times, a broken hand, foot, and eventually a rear naked choke would be the end result for Barry.
Since that loss, Barry has gone 2-2.
While Barry looked impressive in fights against Joey Beltran and Cheick Kongo, the latter proved that even when it looks like you have the fight won, you still need to protect yourself.
A badly rocked Kongo came back and knocked out Barry.
Barry would go on to lose to Stefan Struve by submission before showing improved submission defense against Christian Morecraft.
If Barry can pull off the win tonight against Lavar Johnson, it would be two straight victories and would indeed prove that Barry has found his rhythm again.
But if Barry losses tonight he will have lost three of his last four.
While it wouldn’t be three straight losses, Barry would be in danger of being cut from the UFC.
Barry is one of the most exciting heavyweights in MMA today, but a loss could prove that he will always remain a mid level fighter.
Although he’s a stocky 5’11, a loss may also make Barry think about dropping to light heavyweight thanks to his heavyweight run not being the greatest.
Either way, a loss would put one of the UFC’s biggest fan favorites in a tough spot.
A lot of fight fans pretend to love technical classes—fighters who show the kind of textbook precision that makes coaches stand and applaud. I like those kinds of fights too, but I’m not afraid to admit it—there’s something special about a heavyweight slugfest.