Closing out the Facebook preliminary fights was a very close middleweight battle between Dongi Yang and Brad Tavares. The two middleweights traded punches for the majority of the bout, but multiple fouls committed by both fighters caused the fight to u…
Closing out the Facebook preliminary fights was a very close middleweight battle between Dongi Yang and Brad Tavares.
The two middleweights traded punches for the majority of the bout, but multiple fouls committed by both fighters caused the fight to undergo several stoppages by referee Dan Miragliotta and both fighters were slowed down by the illegal blows.
Tavares walked away with the decision win, despite an eye injury that nearly stopped the fight, but both men looked solid throughout the bout.
What we’ll remember about this fight:
Both fighters did well in all areas, but the illegal blows ended up becoming the focal point of the fight.
Both men were hit with an eye poke early on in the bout and Tavares especially seemed flustered as he tried to overcome his hindered vision.
Despite the injury, Tavares was able to hang in there and survive an ugly second round and he used his superior grappling to earn him the edge in the decisive third.
What we learned about Brad Tavares
This was a very close fight, but Brad Tavares showed he had a bit of a mental edge over his opponent in the third round.
Tavares had the presence of mind to shoot for a takedown almost immediately to start the final round and it paid off as he dragged Yang to the mat and controlled posistion for a few moments.
What we learned about Dongi Yang
From a technical standpoint, Yang looked fine in this fight, but it was his suspect cardio that ended up costing him the bout.
Commentator Kenny Florian mentioned that Yang had a tough weight cut going into the fight and it obviously effected him, as Yang was breathing hard for the majority of the third round.
What’s next for Tavares
After a good win over a game opponent, I’d like to see Tavares take a small step up in competition for his next fight.
A bout against the winner of the UFC 146 bout between Jason Miller and CB Dollaway makes a lot of sense.
What’s next for Yang
Despite the loss, I don’t think Yang needs to move too far down the middleweight ladder.
Let him get his cardio in check and then fight Tom Lawlor, who won a fight against Jason MacDonald on tonight’s main card.
(Impressed, Jung decided to get a tattoo of the outline of Louisiana, mistaking it as the American symbol for “courage.” / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this set, click here.)
Tonight at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia, two of the most exciting forces in the featherweight division will square off for the next shot at the UFC’s 145-pound belt. After a 2011 that saw him twist up Leonard Garcia then knock out Mark Hominick in seven seconds, “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung now faces Dustin Poirier, the 23-year-old phenom who’s smashed through four straight opponents during his time in the Octagon.
Also on the six-fight UFC on FUEL TV 3 main card: TUF winner Amir Sadollah returns against Jorge Lopez, Donald Cerrone throws down against Jeremy Stephens, and Tom “Neo Genki” Lawlor meets up with Canadian vet Jason MacDonald.
Handling the play-by-play for this evening is Justin Corey, better known around these parts as Kid Clam Curtains. Live results from the FUEL TV main card will be piling up after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest.
(Impressed, Jung decided to get a tattoo of the outline of Louisiana, mistaking it as the American symbol for “courage.” / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this set, click here.)
Tonight at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia, two of the most exciting forces in the featherweight division will square off for the next shot at the UFC’s 145-pound belt. After a 2011 that saw him twist up Leonard Garcia then knock out Mark Hominick in seven seconds, “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung now faces Dustin Poirier, the 23-year-old phenom who’s smashed through four straight opponents during his time in the Octagon.
Also on the six-fight UFC on FUEL TV 3 main card: TUF winner Amir Sadollah returns against Jorge Lopez, Donald Cerrone throws down against Jeremy Stephens, and Tom “Neo Genki” Lawlor meets up with Canadian vet Jason MacDonald.
Handling the play-by-play for this evening is Justin Corey, better known around these parts as Kid Clam Curtains. Live results from the FUEL TV main card will be piling up after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest.
Jason MacDonald VS. Tom Lawlor
Alright potatonibblets. It’s dirty time. I have a 2 year old hellion so lets hope she doesn’t fuck up shop during my commentary. I’m interested to see Lawlor’s entrance. Let’s hope they show it. I believe he came out as buckethead or something during the weigh-ins? Oh Genki Sudo. No entrances shown. Bummer.
Round 1- Ok and we’re off. Lawlor comes out pressing the action. MacDonald shoots for a takedown that Lawlor stuffs easily. Lawlor throws a left followed by a right behind the ear. And MacDonald is out! Jesus that happened fast. MacDonald seems like he’s fine but has to be sick right now. More like The Mathlete, amirite?
Tom Lawlor winner by KO at 0:50 of the “very” first round
Igor Pokrajac VS. Fabio Maldonado
Round 1- 2 heavy-hitting LHW’s about to go at it. I remember Maldonado’s physique is deceiving. Maldonado throws a right haymaker and gets taken down. Pokrajac in half guard looking for the mount. Dropping elbows and hammer fists but not doing any damage. Scramble and Pokrajac gets mount. Maldanado gets back to half guard and is avoiding any offense from Pokrajac. Pokrajac trying to pin the arm down and drop punches but not successful thus far. Pokrajac loses position in scramble and now they stand up. Both guys landing big shots. Maldonado throwing unanswered blows and Pokrajac is hurt. Maldonado landing big body shots against the cage and Pokrajac lands a good knee. Maldonado mixing it up with huge shots to the head and body. Great first round.
Round 2– Both guys being a bit more conservative now after taking some big shots in the first. Pokrajac lands a good combination to the head and shoots for a single against the cage. Maldonado able to keep him off and now they’re just holding each other lovingly. Pokrajac with a good knee followed by a combination to the head. Maldonado lands some big blows to the body that backs Pokrajac up. Those body shots look brutal. Maldonado knows those are doing damage and keeps with is. Pokrajac with another knee followed by a spinning backfist. Great fight. Maldonado with a falling-over takedown. And that’s the end of the round. Both fighters look tired and rightly so.
Round 3– Both guys come out swinging. Pokrajac up against the cage and Maldonado going back to the body. Pokrajac back to the thai clinch. Good knee from Pokrajac but Maldonado eats it. Huge left hand by Pokrajac and Maldonado looks wobbly. They clinch up against the cage and both guys are breathing heavy. Maldonado’s face looking pretty beat but he’s coming forward. Pokrajac lands a big left but Maldonado keeps coming and now they’re trading heavy shots. Man these 2 dudes have good chins. And they finish swinging. Tough one to call but it was definitely entertaining. Let’s hope I don’t have to spell Pokrajac and Maldonado again.
Igor Pokrajac is your winner by Unanimous Decision
Yves Jabouin VS. Jeff Hougland
Round 1– Excited for this one. Hougland looks like a weight class bigger than Jabouin. Not sure it will matter. Jabouin with a lightning fast leg kick then follows up with a left. Both guys feinting a lot. Not a lot of action but Jabouin has some amazing dexterity. 3 minutes in and almost nothing has happened. Push kick from Jabouin the only strike to land in 2 minutes. HUGE spinning back kick to the liver by Jabouin and Hougland crumples to the canvas. He’s still fighting back but just barely. Jabouin might regret not diving on him more aggressively as Hougland looked like he was done. And he survives the round.
Round 2– Hougland being a bit more aggressive to start the round. Eats another kick to the body and shoots for a TD. Jabouin scrambles away and throws a head kick that misses. Jabouin with another good kick to the body and Hougland answers with a couple inside leg kicks. Hougland tries the spinning backfist and misses. Jabouin easily avoiding most of Hougland’s strikes. Hougland tries for another TD but is stuffed. Nice stiff jab by Jabouin and lands another kick to the body. Hougland needs a new gameplan as he’s losing convincingly. Short left by Jabouin glances off Hougland’s chin. And that’s the end of the round.
Round 3– Jaboun pushing forward and lands a nice left hook that drops Hougland. Ref warns about Jabouin striking to the back of the head. Now he’s dropping brutal ground and pound and takes Hougland’s back. Jabouin slips off and Hougland reverses position. They scramble and Jabouin end up on top in half guard. Jabouin dropping short elbows then moves to mount…and now back to full guard. Jabouin stacking Hougland against the cage and lands a couple shots. Hougland still battling from the bottom but he’s eating some decent hammerfists. Jabouin in half guard posturing up intermittently with a shot or 2. Ref stands them up and Jabouin lands another huge body shot followed by a head kick. I’m really surprised Hougland has survived this long and it looks like he’ll make it out…but not before eating some big elbows from Jabouin as the fight ends. Hougland just took a ruthless beating like a man. Jabouin is a bad little man. Some may call him EXPLOSIVE!
Unanimous Decision win for Yves Jabouin
Donald Cerrone VS. Jeremy Stephens
Round 1– I won’t lie…I’m a little moist for this fight. How will Cerrone respond after the loss to Diaz? Stephens won’t let him off easy. And here, we, go. No touch of the gloves. Cerrone’s reach advantage is apparent from the get go. Cerrone lands a good inside leg kick. Then a huge outside leg kick. Stephens is coming up short on his combos so far and Cerrone continues with the one-two combo followed by the leg kick. Stephens having a hard time getting to Cerrone and Cerrone is having success with most of his combos. Cerrone with a glancing head kick, then a knee and 3 punch combo. Cerrone looking much more technical and opens up a cut over Stephens’ right eye. Cerrone getting crafty throwing a Jon Jonesish elbow. Cerrone taunting Stephens now which seems to piss Stephens off. Huge leg kick to end the round for Cerrone. Stephens better figure something else out. Cerrone is picking him apart.
Round 2– Now they touch gloves. Cerrone goes right back to the inside leg kick. Stephens’ punches still coming up short. Cerrone landing vicious leg kicks and seems very confident. Throwing every strike he can think of. Stephens seems hurt and Cerrone just goes back to the leg. Cerrone doing an Irish jig followed by more kicks and stiff jabs. Cerrone clowning Stephens now and avoiding everything Stephens throws. Stephens’ left eye looks like hammered shit. I doubt he can see. This is getting bad. Cerrone buckles Stephens with another hard leg kick. Now inside leg kick followed by a takedown. Stephens gets up at the bell.
Round 3– Cerrone kicks Stephens directly in the balls. Sounded pretty awful. Like shooting a shotgun into a pillow. Stephens takes it and is back up. Cerrone with his same combo that he’s been landing at will. Stephens still not backing down though. Stephens lands a glancing knee but Cerrone follows with a knee to the body. Cerrone throws a leg kick that drops Stephens…more knocking him off balance than anything. More leg kicks, rinse, repeat. Cerrone is just too good at everything at this point. Stephens lands a nice left hook but Cerrone doesn’t even flinch. Cerrone getting very lax though. Needs to be careful. Cerrone going to the body with the kicks now. Its just a leg kick bonanza up in this bitch. Cerrone just coasting now and that’s it. Lopsided beatdown via Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone
Donald Cerrone your winner by Unanimous Decision
Amir Sadollah VS Jorge Lopez
Round 1– Lopez looks like a tank. You can see his power right away as he counters Sadollah’s punches. They trade leg kicks then clinch against the cage. Lopez controlling Sadollah but not much action. They break and Lopez throws a series of stiff jabs. Sadollah misses with a kick and Lopez lands a leg kick. Now Lopez goes for a single leg. Lifts Sadollah off the ground and drops him for a takedown. Sadollah posting up against the cage and Lopez working for a standing kimura. And he lets it go. Now Sadollah working for a takedown. Lopez isn’t having it and they clinch until the end of the round.
Round 2– Sadollah rushes forward and Lopez ties him up. Lopez trying hard for the takedown but is having no luck. Crowd getting antsy because this shit is boring. Nothing to report. Lopez trying for another single and Sadollah trying to work in a guillotine. He sinks it and they drop down into a scramble. Lopez pops free and now is trying for a double against the cage. Now they break. Sadollah lands a couple good kicks to the body as Lopez backs up. Lopez looks tired and Sadollah seems to sense it. Sadollah throws a sloppy kick and gets taken down. There goes that momentum. And the round ends.
Round 3– Lopez ties Sadollah up against the cage again and is trying for another single. Sadollah trying for the guillotine again. Deja vu. Sadollah counters and gets Lopez against the cage. And the break. Lopez taking big breaths now. Sadollah landing some decent shots but now Lopez ties him up…again going for the single. Sorry I think I just dozed off. Lopez gets a takedown but isn’t doing anything. If ever a standup was needed….oh there we go. Now they’re throwing down. Sadollah misses with a flying knee and now we’re in the same position. Sadollah fighting off the TD and lands a good knee right before the bell. For every good fight there is an equal opposite shitty fight.
Amir Sadollah your winner by split decision
Chan Sung Jung VS. Dustin Poirier
Round 1– Some tasty Featherweight action about to go down. Poirier is a god damn animal and I have a feeling the Korean Zombie is about to get fed his ass. Luckily I have the ability to edit this portion of the commentary in case I’m way off. Tan Dan is looking particularly orange tonight. And they touch gloves. They’re both throwing heat…no feeling out process. Zombie gets a takedown but Poirier gets up and goes for a single. Now they’re clinching against the cage with Poirier doing the pushing. Zombie with a great greco takedown and he’s in Poirier’s full guard. Zombie throwing good elbows and Poirier is cut on his forehead. Zombie looking strong in top position. Poirier lands a good upkick and reverses position. Poirier lands in Zombie’s full guard and now Zombie is trying to wall walk up to his feet. Poirier controlling him against the cage but not much action. Back to their feet. Porier lands a good knee and now they’re throwing bombs. Nothing lands and the round ends.
Round 2– I just accidentally erased my whole round 2…the best round of the night. So I had to rewind and here I am. Let me just say that Poirier was almost tapped multiple times and the Zombie transitioned from arm bar to triangle and back multiple times.
Round 3- Fuck I can’t believe I just erased all of that glorious work. Poirier lands a good shot and now their trading bombs. Most of them are missing and they both look pretty tired. Zombie eats a good straight left and a leg kick. Poirier starting to land some clean shots. Zombie living up to his name doesn’t seem to care. Huge takedown by Zombie and Poirier ends up standing up. Both guys landing good shots but Zombie doesn’t seem to mind it. Zombie landing the better strikes but Poirier not giving up. Both guys using their faces to block punches. Round ends like a scene from Road house.
Round 4– Both guys throwing sloppy shots. Zombie land a one-two followed by a huge flying knee. Poirier in trouble in the d’arce choke. And that’s it! What a finish. Korean Zombie by d’arce choke in a dominating performance.
Korean Zombie wins by D’arce choke at 1:07 of round number 4
Veterans T.J. Grant and Carlo Prater, both former welterweights, collided in the UFC lightweight division on Fuel undercard. Both fighters entered the contest after wins in their previous bouts, Prater over Erick Silva and Grant over Shane Roller.Here’…
Veterans T.J. Grant and Carlo Prater, both former welterweights, collided in the UFC lightweight division on Fuel undercard. Both fighters entered the contest after wins in their previous bouts, Prater over Erick Silva and Grant over Shane Roller.
Here’s what we learned from the bout.
What we’ll remember about this fight:
Grant’s pressure. Prater simply had no answer for the pace of the bout. Grant mixed in multiple takedowns to compliment his strong striking performance and nearly finished off Prater in the final round.
What we learned about Grant:
The Canadian has found a home at lightweight. Despite his ground prowess, his striking has become much more fluid and he looks comfortable on the feet.
What we learned about Prater:
He’s not ready to contend in the UFC. The Brazilian entered the fight on a five-fight winning streak, but Grant’s pressure forced him to wilt.
What’s next for Grant:
A fight with another Brazilian, Rafael Dos Anjos. With both fighters picking up wins at this event, it’s a logical fight for both.
What’s next for Prater:
The BJJ black belt is in a tough spot. He’s had a ton of fights, but has struggled with consistency. Matching him against another veteran in John Alessio would be a good way to determine who should remain employed by the promotion.
Despite the ground skills of Rafael Dos Anjos and Kamal Shalorus, most fans envisioned this fight staying on the feet due to both fighters’ love of striking. It wasn’t long before Dos Anjos showed that his striking technique has improved dramatic…
Despite the ground skills of Rafael Dos Anjos and KamalShalorus, most fans envisioned this fight staying on the feet due to both fighters’ love of striking.
It wasn’t long before Dos Anjos showed that his striking technique has improved dramatically over the course of his UF career, and he quickly landed a hard high kick that dropped his opponent.
Once the fight hit the mat, it was all but over as Dos Anjos took Shalorus’ back and locked in a fight-ending rear naked choke just minutes into the first round.
What we’ll remember about this fight
Obviously the most memorable moment of this fight was the head kick landed by Dos Anjos.
The strike was set up perfectly by the Brazilian native, and his ability to finish the fight was equally impressive.
The win is a huge one for Dos Anjos, but the loss may hurt Shalorus far more, as his UFC career will likely come to an end after his third straight loss.
What we learned about Rafael Dos Anjos
Dos Anjos has seriously been working on his striking game.
We first saw a glimpse of how hard Dos Anjos can hit after seeing him flatten George Sotiropoulos at UFC 132, but this finish over Shalorus may have been even more impressive.
What we learned about KamalShalorus
Shalorus seems to care more about fighting on his terms than earning the victory.
This fight ended pretty quickly, but Shalorus once again decided to neglect his wrestling base and strike with a much better opponent, and it cost him a shot at saving his job.
What’s next for Dos Anjos
Dos Anjos looked very good in this fight, and he should get a decent opponent in his next bout to see if he can hang with one of the better midcard lightweights in the UFC.
A battle against Mark Bocek could be a fun one, as Bocek’s ground skills would be put to the test against a very game Dos Anjos.
What’s next for Shalorus
Unfortunately for the former WEC veteran, his time inside the Octagon has probably come to an end.
Three straight stoppage losses is tough for any fighter to overcome, but Shaloruswasn’t all that competitive in any of his UFC bouts, and that means he’ll be looking for a job prior to his next fight.
It didn’t take long for Francisco Rivera and Alex Soto to make their claim for a fight of the night bonus. Both fighters came out throwing heavy shots, but it was the better technique of Rivera that made the difference in the bout as he rocked So…
It didn’t take long for Francisco Rivera and Alex Soto to make their claim for a fight of the night bonus.
Both fighters came out throwing heavy shots, but it was the better technique of Rivera that made the difference in the bout as he rocked Soto with a ton of punches throughout the fight.
After rocking Soto in each and every round, Rivera walked away with the unanimous decision win and proved that he belongs in the UFC with his first career Octagon victory.
What we’ll remember about this fight:
While Rivera won the fight, it was the chin of Soto that will be remembered.
Rivera hit him with a ton of big right hands and high kicks, but Soto refused to go to sleep and kept on firing right back until the final bell.
What we learned about Francisco Rivera:
He may not be the most technical striker in the bantamweight division, but Rivera hits hard enough to put anyone in trouble.
It would have been nice to see him show off a bit more of a killer instinct, but overall it was a solid performance.
What we learned about Alex Soto:
Alex Soto can take a hell of a shot.
After getting cracked by big punches from Rivera, Soto actually started taunting his opponent and ate a few more shots before getting his head back together.
It was a lackluster performance from Soto, but he showed the heart that the UFC brass loves.
What’s next for Rivera:
The UFC is likely going to keep Rivera on the prelims for a few more fights, so a matchup against Johnny Eduardo who beat Jeff Curran directly after this fight, would be perfect.
What’s next for Soto:
Unless Joe Silva was absolutely astonished by his ability to take a punch, it looks like Soto will be fighting outside of the Octagon in his next fight.
Shortly after featherweights Chan-Sung Jung and Dustin Poirier square off inside the octagon on Tuesday night, many of the UFC on Fuel TV 3 competitors will join UFC president Dana White at the event’s post-fight press con…
Shortly after featherweights Chan-Sung Jung and Dustin Poirier square off inside the octagon on Tuesday night, many of the UFC on Fuel TV 3 competitors will join UFC president Dana White at the event’s post-fight press conference.
With champion Jose Aldo running short on legitimate threats, the winner of this bout between Jung and Poirier could become the division’s next top contender behind Erik Koch, who will meet the Brazilian titleholder in July.
In addition to what should be an entertaining feature fight, the event at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., will also feature a bout between lightweight contenders Donald Cerrone and Jeremy Stephens. Though both fighters are coming off of a losses, a win on Tuesday will put one fighter right back in the hunt for a shot at the 155-pound title.
Also, former The Ultimate Fighter contestants Amir Sadollah, Tom Lawlor and Brad Tavares will look to bounce back from losses in pivotal matchups on both the main and preliminary cards.
A live streaming feed of the post-fight press conference will be available on the below video player not long after UFC on Fuel TV 3 comes to an end. After the presser, stay tuned to Bleacher Report for the rest of your MMA needs.
Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, follow him on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.
Shortly after featherweights Chan-Sung Jung and Dustin Poirier square off inside the octagon on Tuesday night, many of the UFC on Fuel TV 3 competitors will join UFC president 