Other than a slight scare in the first round where DaMarques Johnson almost locked in an omoplata, John Maguire looked fantastic in this fight. Maguire‘s wrestling looked as good as it did in his UFC debut and his fight-ending armbar was a thing …
Other than a slight scare in the first round where DaMarques Johnson almost locked in an omoplata, John Maguire looked fantastic in this fight.
Maguire‘s wrestling looked as good as it did in his UFC debut and his fight-ending armbar was a thing of beauty.
Johnson has been in the UFC for a long time, so this is an impressive win for Maguire and he will need to build on this to try and gain some momentum in the welterweight division.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight:
Maguire is a middle-of-the-road welterweight, at worst, after this one.
His wrestling was on point, his striking was decent and he went out and finished the fight in style.
Johnson’s ground game is usually pretty good, but Maguire was able to stay out of trouble and score the victory.
What We Learned About DaMarques Johnson
After almost three years inside the Octagon, Johnson is back to square one.
Now just 4-4 in his UFC career, Johnson will need to win his next bout to secure his UFC roster spot and he’ll need to button up his takedown defense if he wants to stick around much longer.
What We Learned About John Maguire
Solid wrestling and submission skills can make you a dangerous man, and Maguire fits that description perfectly.
The welterweight division is full of young prospects like Rory MacDonald, Jake Ellenberger and Johny Hendricks, but if Maguire can work on his standup a bit, he could be the next highly touted welterweight.
What’s Next For DaMarques Johnson
Johnson could use an easy opponent for his next one, but that’s not likely to happen.
A bout with Jake Hecht, who was recently submitted by TJ Waldberger, would be a nice “loser leaves the UFC” bout.
What’s Next For John Maguire
The UFC needs to build up Maguire a bit slowly, but I still want to see him fight someone who will put the pressure on him.
The winner of next week’s Matt Brown-Stephen Thompson bout would be a fun one to watch.
Bantamweight standout Brad Pickett kept his hopes of entering the title picture alive, defeating the always-tough Damacio Page via rear-naked choke in the second round.Damacio started the fight well, pushing the pace and landing a solid up-kick, but ev…
Bantamweight standout Brad Pickett kept his hopes of entering the title picture alive, defeating the always-tough Damacio Page via rear-naked choke in the second round.
Damacio started the fight well, pushing the pace and landing a solid up-kick, but eventually faded as Picket was able to take control with his grappling.
As the fight progressed, Pickett was able to take Page down at will and was also able to drop Page standing with a vicious left-hook.
Eventually, Pickett became too much for Page, and he was able to slip in the choke.
What we’ll remember about this fight:
The knockdown and the finish.
The punch that dropped Page was a well-timed left hook, and it was likely the biggest “OH SHIT” of the fight.
As for the choke, there wasn’t much special about it, but the fans always remember a finish.
What we learned about Brad Pickett:
Not much we didn’t already know.
He’s a very well-rounded fighter, and he’s dangerous in all areas. His skills aren’t developed enough to take on the elite of the division, but against lesser fighters, he has the tools to shine.
What we learned about Damacio Page:
Also, not much that we didn’t already know.
He’s aggressive and has heart but isn’t technically good enough in any one area to take out high-level opponents.
Page will likely never be any more than a gatekeeper for the bantamweight division.
What’s next for Brad Pickett:
The loser of Miguel Torres and Michael McDonald.
What’s next for Damacio Page:
Eddie Wineland.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.
Even with the Swedish crowd fully behind him, Papy Abedi was unable to earn his first UFC victory against James Head. After a nice takedown that led to a some top control, Abedi was in control of the fight halfway through the round, but Head turned it …
Even with the Swedish crowd fully behind him, Papy Abedi was unable to earn his first UFC victory against James Head.
After a nice takedown that led to a some top control, Abedi was in control of the fight halfway through the round, but Head turned it up and started to find his range on the feet.
Head ended up getting control in the clinch and landed a powerful elbow, followed by some serious right hands and knocked Abedi down before locking in the fight-ending rear naked choke.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight:
James Head was able to come back from some adversity and looked stronger as the round wore on.
Head proved he belongs in the UFC with the win, but the opposite can be said for Abedi, who has looked mediocre in both his UFC bouts and could end up receiving his walking papers.
What We Learned About Papy Abedi:
Despite earning a high-caliber fight against Thiago Alves in his UFC debut, Abedi just isn’t good enough to hang in the UFC.
He may get one more chance inside the Octagon, but unless he gets matched up against a average striker with bad wrestling, I can’t see him winning in the UFC.
What We Learned About James Head:
His post-fight taunting of the Swedish fans was a bit much, but he earned the right to do it after taking out one of Sweden’s most popular locals.
Head showed off his striking late in the round and looked very good against Abedi from the word go.
His takedown defense could use a little work, but overall it was a good performance from Head.
What’s Next For Papy Abedi:
Unless the UFC likes his style, this is probably the end of Abedi’s UFC career.
Both of his losses have come in the first round of the fight, and he didn’t look terribly competitive in either one, which makes him expendable.
What’s Next For James Head:
One of tonight’s earlier winners, Simeon Thoresen, looked equally as good as Head in his bout, and a matchup between the two would let the UFC know which guy is ready to take a step up in competition.
Handling play-by-play for the main card is Josh Hutchinson, a man I know very little about. Will he rise to the occasion, or blow his one shot at greatness? There’s just so much on the line today, folks. Round-by-round results from the FUEL TV broadcast, live from Stockholm’s Ericsson Globe Arena, will be piling up after the jump starting at 3 p.m. ET / noon PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest.
(Don’t worry — in case the staredown gets too intense, Joe Silva will step in and helplessly flail his little arms at them. / Photo via MMAJunkie)
Handling play-by-play for the main card is Josh Hutchinson, a man I know very little about. Will he rise to the occasion, or blow his one shot at greatness? There’s just so much on the line today, folks. Round-by-round results from the FUEL TV broadcast, live from Stockholm’s Ericsson Globe Arena, will be piling up after the jump starting at 3 p.m. ET / noon PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest.
Helllloooo Potato Nation, and welcome back from the UFC’s
version of spring break. In breaking the drought of live fights, we today look
to Sweden’s inaugural UFC event (Fun Fact: this is the fastest selling European
event in UFC history, selling out in a mere three hours). That being said we
can look forward to a great night early afternoon of fights. To those of
you asking “who the hell is this guy?” Great question. I’ve been lurking the
Cage Potato site for a couple of years now, but stay out of the comments
section. This is also my first live blog, so feel free to be your usual
understanding and supportive selves in the comments (Note: I can’t seem to find
the sarcasm font), but enough of the buildup. Like a dude that hasn’t gotten
his rocks off in far too long, we are here to break a drought. So without
further adieu, LETS GET IT ON!!!
Prelim Results:
Jason Young defeats Eric Wisely via unanimous decision
Francis Carmont defeats Magnus Cedenblad via 2nd round submission (Rear Naked Choke)
Cyrille Diabate defeats Tom DeBlass via Split Decision
James Head defeats Papy Abedi via 1st round submission (Rear Naked Choke)
Time for the main card. Subtitles all around for our headliners in the pre fight hype videos.
We are Roganless, but get Kenny Florian in place for the announcing duties.
We start the…day (seems strange) with a bantamweight fight between Brad “One Punch” Pickett and Damacio “Angel of Death” Page.
So the UFC is claiming Jones and Evans to be the biggest rivalry in UFC history. Thoughts?
Damacio Page vs. Brad Pickett
Round 1
Both men come out swinging, with Page ending up on his back. After a short flurry on the ground both men stand up. Both guys throwing heavy punches. Page with a take-down, and works to side control before Pickett escapes back to his feet. Pickett with a take-down now and gets side control. Both men scrambling. Pickett lands a few heavy shots from Pages guard. Pickett staying busy in the guard with short elbows. Pickett lets him up after Page hints at a triangle. Pickett with another take down after a failed flying knee, but scrambles back up. Only to be taken down again in the final ten seconds.
Round 2
Page looking to shoot. Pickett with a nice slam off the fence, but doesn’t keep him down. In the standup Pickett drops Page with a left, and looks to swarm, but Page defends well. Alot of jockeying for position on the ground. Page sweeps Pickett into guard. They take it back to the feet where Pickett hits Page with some big shots. Page is rocked and Pickett shoots. After some jockeying on the ground Pickett secures a rear naked choke to cement his first UFC win.
Damarques “Darkness” Johnson Vs. John “The One” Maguire
Round 1
Both men in a feeling out process. Maguire eventually shoots for, and gets a takedown. Darkness with with a great display of attempted submissions and transitions, leaving Maguire needing to be defensive in his guard. Maguire to half guard, before securing side control. Maguire with some hammer fists starts a scramble that ends up with Maguire having Johnsons back at the end of the round.
Round 2
Round starts with Maguire landing a good left and looking for a takedown, but Johnson reverses and ends up on top. Maguire eventually gets up after eating some heavy shots. Back on the feet Maguire looks either hurt or bullshiting. Either way Johnson ties up, but Maguire ends up with the takedown in the end. A bit of stalling on the ground illicits some boos from the Swedish crowd. As if powered by it Maguire transitions quickly and secures a very tight armbar late in the 2nd.
John Maguire defeats Damarques Johnson via 2nd round submission (Arm Bar)
Seems to be a rather submission heavy night. So far though I would have to call that the leading runner for submission of the night.
Dennis Siver Vs. Diego “The Gun” Nunes
Siver making his featherweight debut here. After his trouble making weight yesterday, it will be interesting to see if it effects him at all.
Round 1
Both men trying to find their range. Siver throwing alot of kicks, most of them to no avail. Siver grabs a single leg, but can’t complete it. Nunes trys a spinning backfist, but it doesn’t land. Both men exchanging kicks. Nunes attempts a flying left head kick for some reason. Needless to say it doesn’t land. Both men seem to be looking for the big counter shot. Another spinning back kick attempt from Nunes. After a quick clinch the round ends with both men on their feet.
Round 2
Nunes comes out with another spinning head kick. Both fighters still appear to be finding their range. They trade some leg kicks. Nunes catches a kick to the pills, but gets right back into it. Siver trys a takedown, but fails. Siver now trying some spinning back kicks. A quick clinch sees Siver land a nice right hand upon the break. Both men still throwing at the bell takes us into round 3.
Round 3
Both men come out throwing. Nunes still trying the spinning kicks. Very close standup battle between the two. Siver trying to find a home for his overhand right. Nunes still trying for a spinning kick of some sort. A cut opens under Siver’s eye, not sure what caused it though. Siver swarms with some heavy shots, and Nunes finally hits one of his attempted spinning attacks in the form of a kick to the mid-section. The final seconds of the fight sees both men standing and ready to throw.
We go to the judges, And the nod goes to Siver in a hard fought bout.
Denis Siver defeats Diego Nunes via decision
Paulo Thiago Vs. Siyar “The Great” Bahadurzada
Bahadurzada making his UFC debut against the Brazillian. Thats a whole lot of name that the newcomer has, so I’m just going to call him The Great.
Round 1
Both men seem hesitant. Finally Thiago rushes in with punches, but The Great dicknails him coming in with a quick right jab, and Thiago is out cold roughly 40 seconds into the fight. Ladies and gentlemen, We have our knockout of the night candidate.
Siyar “The Great” Bahadurzada defeats Paulo Thiago via 1st round KO
The Great claims to have had a broken hand going into the fight, which if is true…god damn, he’s one to watch.
“The All American” Brian Stann vs. Alessio ”Legionarius” Sakara
Stann looking to rebound from his recent loss to middleweight number 1 contender Chael Sonnen, whereas Sakara is also looking to get back to his winning ways after Chris Weidman snapped his 3 fight win streak.
Round 1
Stann with alot of bobbing and weaving, but Sakara does catch him with a good one. Both men start throwing, but after a couple knees from Stann, Sakara finds himself on his back. In Sakara’s guard, Stann connects with two lefts that puts Sakara out. Refusing to add insult to injury Stann looks to the ref to stop it, which thankfully he does.
Brian Stann defeats Alessio Sakara via 1st round KO
Since the last two fights resulted in KO’s Fuel viewers are now treated to a James Head vs. Papi Abedi replay, and what I’m sure to be a shit load more Rashad vs. Bones promos. The Head/Abedi fight was a good one, but we have already exposed that outcome, so on to the main event.
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Thiago Silva
Big night day here for both men, as Gustafsson trys his hand at a step up in competition, and Silva looks to rebound from a hot piss test and over a year off from fighting. Any final predictions Potato Nation? As is par for the course we get a traditional Buffer 180 in the announcements, and it’s time to fight.
Round 1
Both men come out swinging before deciding to step back and find thier range. The Swede lands a left that drops Silva, but they quickly go back to the feet. More big shots from Gustaffson and Silva is cut. Sweden really getting behind their hometown boy here, but he is getting the better of the standup. Gustaffson looking sharp in the standup, as he throws both punches and kicks aplenty. Silva doing some damage with leg kicks. Silva still smiling and taunting Gustaffson. Both men happy to end the round standing and trading.
Round 2
The round starts with Gustaffson getting a trip, but Silva gets right back up. Announcers making alot of Gustafsson to Jon Jones comparisons, for some reason. Gustaffson still getting the better of the standup with his long reach. Silva lands a nice right hook that puts Gustafsson on his heels, but not for long. Both men connecting sporadically. Gustafsson hits a spinning back kick to the midsection, rather impressive. A couple more shots by each men takes us to the 3rd.
Round 3
Gustaffson looking very loose on his feet. Gustafsson landing well with the uppercut, Silva not doing so bad with the over-hand right. Gustafsson looking to throw knees now. Silva still keeping it interesting though. Silva attacking with leg kicks. Silva starting to look rather winded at this point, but pressing on. Gustafsson still landing shots almost at will. Silva stalking in the final seconds, but can’t land much of anything, and thats the fight. Hmm. so no 5 round main event, again, but if we are all good Dana Claus might give it to us by December. In no ones surprise Gustafsson takes the nod.
Alexander Gustafsson defeats Thiago Silva via unanimous decision
Well Potato Nation, I’d say it was another great night day of action.Its been fun, that being said I’m far too sober after having watched live fights, and that needs to be remedied, So until next time, stay classy Potato Nation.
After a razor-thin first round that saw both Francis Carmont and Magnus Cedenblad showcase some serious ground skills, Carmont came out with a purpose in round two and turned a quick takedown into a an eventual submission win. The win brings Carmont to…
After a razor-thin first round that saw both Francis Carmont and Magnus Cedenblad showcase some serious ground skills, Carmont came out with a purpose in round two and turned a quick takedown into a an eventual submission win.
The win brings Carmont to 2-0 inside the Octagon, and he will likely be looking at a step up in competition for his next bout.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight:
Francis Carmont knows how to survive.
After getting his back taken by Cedenblad early in the first round, Carmont fought off a ton of rear naked choke attempts and survived a dicey first round.
The second was all Carmont, as he quickly established his dominance by gaining the mount and putting a beating on the Swede, eventually forcing the submission.
What We Learned About Francis Carmont:
This dude is for real.
There is a lot of hype involved with a fighter whenever they are cornered and train with Georges St-Pierre, but Carmont has been able to live up to that hype thus far in his UFC career.
His heart in surviving the first round showed us a lot, and his subsequent submission win has made him a contender to watch at 185.
What We Learned About Magnus Cedenblad
All in all, it wasn’t a terrible UFC debut for Cedenblad.
Although he took the loss, Cedenblad showed he has a good grappling game and a ton of heart, as he took a ton of punishment in that second round.
It’s not time to call him a top prospect yet, but if he can continue to improve with each fight he’ll climb the middleweight ladder quickly.
What’s Next For Francis Carmont
The loser of tonight’s co-main event between Brian Stann and Alessio Sakara would test Carmont’s stand up skills and provide a nice step up in competition.
What’s Next For Magnus Cedenblad
Clifford Starks, who most recently lost to Ed Herman at UFC 143, would be a nice test for Cedenblad’s ground game, as Starks is a smothering wrestler who can tell us if Cedenblad has the takedown defense to survive in the UFC.
Praise the lord—if that’s your thing—the drought has finally ended.Jason Young took a unanimous decision over Eric Wisely in the first preliminary fight at UFC on Fuel TV 2.It was a relatively fast-paced fight with both fighters constantly …
Praise the lord—if that’s your thing—the drought has finally ended.
Jason Young took a unanimous decision over Eric Wisely in the first preliminary fight at UFC on Fuel TV 2.
It was a relatively fast-paced fight with both fighters constantly pressing forward. However, Young had the grappling advantage and that’s what won him the fight, as Young was able to keep Wisely on his back for much of the fight.
What we’ll remember about this fight:
A couple things.
In the first round, Young had Wisely’s back, standing, and was delivering knees while working for the takedown. It was an active scenario with both men jockeying for position, but for some reason the referee decided to separate the two competitors.
Poor officiating always sticks out like a sore thumb.
Also memorable moment was the beginning of the third round. Wisely was blatantly losing the fight at this point, so he came out swinging like a wild man and diving at takedowns. For a minute or two, it looked like he might pull out a Tim Boetsch vs. Yushin Okami-style comeback.
What we learned about Jason Young:
He has some potential in the UFC’s featherweight division.
Before tonight he was 0-2 in the UFC and tonight could have been his last with the promotion, but with the victory tonight, they will likely keep him around
What we learned about Eric Wisely:
He might not have what it takes to compete in the UFC.
Wisely is now 0-2 with the promotion and tonight was not a particularly impressive showing for him. The UFC might give him another shot because of his success outside of their promotion, where Wisely has victories over UFC veterans Hermes Franca and Matt Veach.
What’s next for Jason Young:
Diego Brandao or Marcus Brimage
What’s next for Eric Wisely:
Eddie Yagin or Dennis Bermudez
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.
Bantamweight standout Brad Pickett kept his hopes of entering the title picture alive, defeating the always-tough 
