This is the UFC on FX live blog for Pat Barry vs. Christian Morecraft, a heavyweight bout on tonight’s main card from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
Barry (6-4) went one for three in 2011, beating Joey Beltran before losing to Cheick Kongo and Stefan Struve. Morecraft is coming off a KO loss to Matt Mitrione at UFC on Versus in June 2011.
Barry and Morecraft kicks off the UFC on FX main card. Herb Dean is the referee.
Round 1: Morecraft strikes first with a jab that is blocked. Morecraft’s cross is blocked. Morecraft catches Barry’s first attack, a leg kick, and takes him down. Morecraft looks for the rear-naked choke but Barry escapes and returns the fight to standing. Barry lands a jab as Morecraft walks in. Barry hits on another jab. Morecraft shoots for the double, switches to a single and finishes the takedown with three minutes left in the period. Morecraft quickly takes full mount and tries an arm-triangle choke. The cage is in his way and Morecraft is forced to give up the submission. Morecraft takes the back of Barry and switches from a possible choke to an armbar. Barry hangs on, steps over and escapes to his feet. Good submission defense early for Barry. Barry throws a head kick that misses. Barry slips a Morecraft wide left hook and responds with a leaping left hook of his own that drops Morecraft. Barry follows up with more punches and it’s over. Herb Dean saves Morecraft to give Barry the much-needed win.
This is the UFC on FX live blog for Pat Barry vs. Christian Morecraft, a heavyweight bout on tonight’s main card from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
Barry (6-4) went one for three in 2011, beating Joey Beltran before losing to Cheick Kongo and Stefan Struve. Morecraft is coming off a KO loss to Matt Mitrione at UFC on Versus in June 2011.
Barry and Morecraft kicks off the UFC on FX main card. Herb Dean is the referee.
Round 1: Morecraft strikes first with a jab that is blocked. Morecraft’s cross is blocked. Morecraft catches Barry’s first attack, a leg kick, and takes him down. Morecraft looks for the rear-naked choke but Barry escapes and returns the fight to standing. Barry lands a jab as Morecraft walks in. Barry hits on another jab. Morecraft shoots for the double, switches to a single and finishes the takedown with three minutes left in the period. Morecraft quickly takes full mount and tries an arm-triangle choke. The cage is in his way and Morecraft is forced to give up the submission. Morecraft takes the back of Barry and switches from a possible choke to an armbar. Barry hangs on, steps over and escapes to his feet. Good submission defense early for Barry. Barry throws a head kick that misses. Barry slips a Morecraft wide left hook and responds with a leaping left hook of his own that drops Morecraft. Barry follows up with more punches and it’s over. Herb Dean saves Morecraft to give Barry the much-needed win.
The main event of UFC on FX will feature two fighters looking for redemption, as Melvin Guillard will be looking to bounce back from a loss to Joe Lauzon and Jim Miller will be looking to bounce back from a surprising loss to Benson Henderson.Of course…
The main event of UFC on FX will feature two fighters looking for redemption, as Melvin Guillard will be looking to bounce back from a loss to Joe Lauzon and Jim Miller will be looking to bounce back from a surprising loss to Benson Henderson.
Of course, the idea for both fighters won’t be so much to win as it will be to not lose. It’s easy enough to fade towards irrelevancy in the lightweight division with one loss. Two in a row is an obstacle neither of these fighters wants to deal with.
Stylistically, the Guillard vs. Miller matchup is your typical clash of opposites. Guillard is your lethal striker in this case, and Miller is your deadly grappler and submission artist.
Concerning matchups like these, I tend to favor strikers. To give a few recent examples, it was easy to pick Alistair Overeem to beat Brock Lesnar, and it was certainly easy to pick Jose Aldo to beat Chad Mendes. Different weight divisions, to be sure, but the idea is the same.
But I’m going against my instincts with this fight. As dangerous as Guillard is, Miller is a tough nut to crack. Guillard is not going to crack him.
Guillard will try his damnedest, though; make no mistake about that. It’s his custom to go for the quick, crushing finish, and it’s something he’s done well in his recent fights. Three of his last four victories have been of the knockout variety. I’m assuming he’d like nothing more than to make it four out of five.
However, you have to think Guillard is going to be a little more cautious against Miller. His last fight ended with him in a rear-naked choke, and Miller could very well put Guillard in one of those if he presents Miller with the opportunity. Guillard will try to hit him where it hurts, but he’s going to have to choose his spots.
It will be up to Miller not to give Guillard any spots at all, and that’s something Miller can most certainly do. He’s good at avoiding strikes, and his next knockout defeat will be his first.
It’s just plain difficult to get any kind of drop on Miller, and he will stand his ground for several rounds if he has to.
The question will be how long Guillard can go before he decides to get aggressive. When (it’s not a matter of if) he does, he’ll be setting himself up to land in Miller’s grasp. A few twists and turns later, Miller will have Guillard in a rather uncomfortable position.
That’s when the tapout will come.
When the deed is done, Guillard will be looking at a long road back to the top.
In December 1997 announcer Mike Goldberg made his UFC debut in the “The Land of the Rising Sun.” For almost 15 years, with only a handful of exceptions, he’s been the sole play-by-play voice of the UFC.No longer.The UFC’s brand new broadcast deal…
In December 1997 announcer Mike Goldberg made his UFC debut in the “The Land of the Rising Sun.” For almost 15 years, with only a handful of exceptions, he’s been the sole play-by-play voice of the UFC.
No longer.
The UFC’s brand new broadcast deal with the Fox family has ramped up an already busy schedule and announcers Goldberg and color man Joe Rogan simply couldn’t keep up with the demand. Tonight, the two men who have become synonymous with the UFC on television will give way to veteran ESPN broadcaster Jon Anik.
The 33-year-old Anik will host the brand new Ultimate Fighter and call the action on FX and Fuel. Partnered with fighter Kenny Florian, Anik will attempt to fill Goldberg’s very large shoes.
Bleacher Report caught up with Anik on the eve of his first show to introduce you to the man who will walk you through the action for what should be years to come.
UFC on FX 1 headliners Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller recently spoke to the media to discuss their fight against one another on Friday night and much more. UFC on FX 1 takes place on Friday night from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The preli…
UFC on FX 1 headliners Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller recently spoke to the media to discuss their fight against one another on Friday night and much more.
UFC on FX 1 takes place on Friday night from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The prelims begin at 6PM ET/3PT on Fuel TV with the main card starting at 9ET/6PT on FX.
Here are some tidbits from each fighter as we get close to the fight.
Guillard on people saying he overlooked Joe Lauzon at UFC 136: “Everybody has their own opinions. Like I tell everybody and I’ve been stressing this, I don’t overlook anyone. Everybody in this game is tough. That’s why it’s the UFC. That’s why the UFC is as big as it is. They know how to pick talent. I didn’t call out Joe Lauzon because he was an easy fight. I called out Joe Lauzon because I knew he was tough. I really wanted to fight in Houston in front of my family. I didn’t want them to give me that would have been an easy fight, so I asked to fight Joe Lauzon. I respect Joe Lauzon and he’s a very talented fighter.”
On being headliner for this card considering he was coming off a loss: “No, I’m never shocked about stuff like that. Everybody knows when I fight, I come to fight, win or lose I’m coming to fight. I put on a great show for the fans all the time. That’s the way I fight, that’s my style of fighting. I want to make sure the fans enjoy every minute, every moment of me being in the octagon. I wasn’t surprised. Was I surprised it was Jim Miller? Not really. We are two top guys in our division. We are both coming off two tough losses. This fight makes all the sense in the world.”
Miller on what went wrong with Ben Henderson: “I didn’t adapt to the situation. I had an off night. I tried to fight like I don’t normally fight. It didn’t work out to my advantage.”
This is the UFC on FX live blog for all the preliminary bouts televised on FUEL in support of tonight’s FX card from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
Round 1: Denis throwing a series of combos early. Sandoval getting tagged. Fighting in close and Denis lands a series of elbows from a Thai clinch that put Sandoval’s lights out. A quick ending to start the night.
Winner: Nick Denis via KO, Rd. 1 (0:22)
Daniel Pineda vs. Pat Schilling
Round 1: Both fighters are making their UFC debuts. The duo exchange kicks to the lead leg to start the action. Pineda takes Schilling down from a body lock and moves right into mount. After some ground and pound, Schilling gives his back. Schilling gets to his feet with Pineda on his back, but Pineda sinks in a rear naked choke and digs in his hips, pulling Schilling backwards and down. The choke is sunk, and it’s a wrap.
Winner: Daniel Pineda via rear naked choke, Rd. 1 (1:37)
Fabricio Camoes vs. Tommy Hayden
Round 1: Hayden staggers Camoes briefly with a stiff jab. Camoes shoots in but Hayden sidesteps him and gets free. In a scramble, Hayden takes Camoes back and drags him down. Camoes hunts a kimura, but Hayden works free. Back to their feet. Camoes initiates a clinch and they end up back on the ground, Hayden on top in half-guard. Camoes tries an oma plata. Hayden works free but sweeps Hayden down. Camoes lands punches from the top. Hayden gives up his back. Camoes digs in for the rear naked choke. Hayden looked like he was tapping but the ref let the action go on. Camoes regripped it and then got the tap.
Winner: Fabricio Camoes via rear naked choke, Rd. 1 (4:03)
Charlie Brenneman vs. Daniel Roberts
Round 1: After a long stretch between fights, we’re finally back to action. Roberts drills Brenneman with a left hand but gets taken down for his troubles. Brenneman moves to side mount but only briefly as Roberts stays active on the bottom. Brenneman with short strikes from the top, and back into side mount. He traps Roberts’ left arm in a crucifix and starts laying the leather. Roberts works his arm free but Brenneman retains the position. Brenneman with some knees to the body and peppering Roberts with punches. Nothing big enough to threaten a stoppage, but enough to keep the position. Roberts gets back to his feet with 10 seconds left but Brenneman slams him down. It’s Brenneman’s round 10-9.
Round 2: Roberts comes out with a left high kick early. It doesn’t land flush. Brenneman tries a takedown, Roberts attempts a guillotine, well defended. Brenneman on top again, and works into side control, and into the crucifix again. Roberts works back to a neutral position and ties Brenneman up, leading to a standup. Brenneman wastes no time going low again. Roberts goes for a kimura, then tries to get to his opponent’s back. Then he slickly transitions to an inverted triangle. There are just seconds left and he can’t tighten it up enough for the tap before the horn. It’s still Brenneman’s round, 10-9.
Round 3: Roberts is on his back again within the opening 20 seconds. Brenneman is mostly having his way with Roberts on the ground. His strikes aren’t shaking the cage, but it’s enough to score points and keep Roberts from throwing up sub attempts. Midway through the round, ref Herb Dean stands them up. On the restart, Roberts goes for the takedown but Brenneman defends and ends up on top. It’s an effective smothering by him. Roberts hunts a kimura as time runs low. He pulls Brenneman’s arm out but can’t torque it enough to force the tap. It’s Brenneman with the shutout, 10-9.
Winner: Charlie Brenneman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Kamal Shalorus
Round 1: Nurmagomedov is an undefeated 23-year-old who has never fought in a cage before. Nurmagomedov looks a bit uncomfortable early, circling against the fence keeping a distance. Shalorus takes the center of the cage. Out of nowhere, Nurmagomedov lands a right hand that floors Shalorus. Nurmagomedov pours it on as Shalorus tries to keep moving and out of trouble. Ref Mario Yamasaki looks them over but Shalorus is defending well enough to allow the fight to continue. Nurmagomedov’s strikes come from unorthodox angles but land. They’re back to their feet with 45 seconds left. Both men throwing haymakers but it’s Nurmagomedov landing the bigger blows. It’s his round 10-9.
Round 2: Shalorus looks a takedown, Nurmagomedov defends and instead puts him on his back against the cage. Nurmagomedov moves to half-guard with his ground and pound. The ref stands them up with three minutes left. Nurmagomedov shoots low for a takedown and puts Shalorus down again. Shalorus keeps his hips active, not allowing Nurmagomedov to land anything significant, but he can’t escape from being underneath. The ref restarts them again. Nurmagomedov lands a left uppercut as the round ends. It’s his round again, 10-9.
Round 3: Shalorus is trying to measure an overhand right to end things, probably knowing he’s down on the scorecards. Nurmagomedov went for a single leg and Shalorus countered with a guillotine that was never close. Nurmagomedov mounts with 3:00 left and sinks in a choke. Shalorus taps with a quickness.
Winner: Khabib Nurmagomedov via rear naked choke, Rd. 3 (2:08)
Jorge Rivera vs. Eric Schafer
Rivera has announced that win or lose, this will be the last fight of his decade-long career.
Round 1: Rivera tries to let his hands go early but Schafer ducks under a right hand and puts Rivera on his back. No surprise as Schafer wants to be on the ground at all times, and even more so against a big puncher. Schafer to half-guard as he throws elbows from the top. Rivera uses a whizzer to get to his feet. They’re engaged against the fence with Schafer trying to go low, and he successfully scores another takedown. Schafer with a big right from the top as Rivera tried to escape. Schafer worked to get the mount but Rivera wouldn’t allow it and ended up on top. Schafer had an oma plata and was throwing elbows from the bottom as the round ended. Schafer, 10-9.
Round 2: Schafer is tenacious in trying to get the fight to the ground. Rivera sprawls and lands a hard right hand that cuts Schafer. Rivera swarms from the top with right hands. Schafer tries to cover up but Rivera continues unloading with right hands to the head and ref Herb Dean has no choice but to stop it.
Rivera drops down and kisses the mat as the fans chant “Jorge.” A nice ending to his career. He retires with a 20-9 overall record, and 8-7 in the UFC.
Winner: Jorge Rivera via TKO, Rd. 2(1:31)
“I’m grateful,” Rivera said afterward. “I’m grateful that I fought here in front of a lot of people. I met a lot of great people. It’s been a real nice trip. It’s been real good to me. I’m extremely grateful. Thank you.”
This is the UFC on FX live blog for all the preliminary bouts televised on FUEL in support of tonight’s FX card from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
Round 1: Denis throwing a series of combos early. Sandoval getting tagged. Fighting in close and Denis lands a series of elbows from a Thai clinch that put Sandoval’s lights out. A quick ending to start the night.
Winner: Nick Denis via KO, Rd. 1 (0:22)
Daniel Pineda vs. Pat Schilling
Round 1: Both fighters are making their UFC debuts. The duo exchange kicks to the lead leg to start the action. Pineda takes Schilling down from a body lock and moves right into mount. After some ground and pound, Schilling gives his back. Schilling gets to his feet with Pineda on his back, but Pineda sinks in a rear naked choke and digs in his hips, pulling Schilling backwards and down. The choke is sunk, and it’s a wrap.
Winner: Daniel Pineda via rear naked choke, Rd. 1 (1:37)
Fabricio Camoes vs. Tommy Hayden
Round 1: Hayden staggers Camoes briefly with a stiff jab. Camoes shoots in but Hayden sidesteps him and gets free. In a scramble, Hayden takes Camoes back and drags him down. Camoes hunts a kimura, but Hayden works free. Back to their feet. Camoes initiates a clinch and they end up back on the ground, Hayden on top in half-guard. Camoes tries an oma plata. Hayden works free but sweeps Hayden down. Camoes lands punches from the top. Hayden gives up his back. Camoes digs in for the rear naked choke. Hayden looked like he was tapping but the ref let the action go on. Camoes regripped it and then got the tap.
Winner: Fabricio Camoes via rear naked choke, Rd. 1 (4:03)
Charlie Brenneman vs. Daniel Roberts
Round 1: After a long stretch between fights, we’re finally back to action. Roberts drills Brenneman with a left hand but gets taken down for his troubles. Brenneman moves to side mount but only briefly as Roberts stays active on the bottom. Brenneman with short strikes from the top, and back into side mount. He traps Roberts’ left arm in a crucifix and starts laying the leather. Roberts works his arm free but Brenneman retains the position. Brenneman with some knees to the body and peppering Roberts with punches. Nothing big enough to threaten a stoppage, but enough to keep the position. Roberts gets back to his feet with 10 seconds left but Brenneman slams him down. It’s Brenneman’s round 10-9.
Round 2: Roberts comes out with a left high kick early. It doesn’t land flush. Brenneman tries a takedown, Roberts attempts a guillotine, well defended. Brenneman on top again, and works into side control, and into the crucifix again. Roberts works back to a neutral position and ties Brenneman up, leading to a standup. Brenneman wastes no time going low again. Roberts goes for a kimura, then tries to get to his opponent’s back. Then he slickly transitions to an inverted triangle. There are just seconds left and he can’t tighten it up enough for the tap before the horn. It’s still Brenneman’s round, 10-9.
Round 3: Roberts is on his back again within the opening 20 seconds. Brenneman is mostly having his way with Roberts on the ground. His strikes aren’t shaking the cage, but it’s enough to score points and keep Roberts from throwing up sub attempts. Midway through the round, ref Herb Dean stands them up. On the restart, Roberts goes for the takedown but Brenneman defends and ends up on top. It’s an effective smothering by him. Roberts hunts a kimura as time runs low. He pulls Brenneman’s arm out but can’t torque it enough to force the tap. It’s Brenneman with the shutout, 10-9.
Winner: Charlie Brenneman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Kamal Shalorus
Round 1: Nurmagomedov is an undefeated 23-year-old who has never fought in a cage before. Nurmagomedov looks a bit uncomfortable early, circling against the fence keeping a distance. Shalorus takes the center of the cage. Out of nowhere, Nurmagomedov lands a right hand that floors Shalorus. Nurmagomedov pours it on as Shalorus tries to keep moving and out of trouble. Ref Mario Yamasaki looks them over but Shalorus is defending well enough to allow the fight to continue. Nurmagomedov’s strikes come from unorthodox angles but land. They’re back to their feet with 45 seconds left. Both men throwing haymakers but it’s Nurmagomedov landing the bigger blows. It’s his round 10-9.
Round 2: Shalorus looks a takedown, Nurmagomedov defends and instead puts him on his back against the cage. Nurmagomedov moves to half-guard with his ground and pound. The ref stands them up with three minutes left. Nurmagomedov shoots low for a takedown and puts Shalorus down again. Shalorus keeps his hips active, not allowing Nurmagomedov to land anything significant, but he can’t escape from being underneath. The ref restarts them again. Nurmagomedov lands a left uppercut as the round ends. It’s his round again, 10-9.
Round 3: Shalorus is trying to measure an overhand right to end things, probably knowing he’s down on the scorecards. Nurmagomedov went for a single leg and Shalorus countered with a guillotine that was never close. Nurmagomedov mounts with 3:00 left and sinks in a choke. Shalorus taps with a quickness.
Winner: Khabib Nurmagomedov via rear naked choke, Rd. 3 (2:08)
Jorge Rivera vs. Eric Schafer
Rivera has announced that win or lose, this will be the last fight of his decade-long career.
Round 1: Rivera tries to let his hands go early but Schafer ducks under a right hand and puts Rivera on his back. No surprise as Schafer wants to be on the ground at all times, and even more so against a big puncher. Schafer to half-guard as he throws elbows from the top. Rivera uses a whizzer to get to his feet. They’re engaged against the fence with Schafer trying to go low, and he successfully scores another takedown. Schafer with a big right from the top as Rivera tried to escape. Schafer worked to get the mount but Rivera wouldn’t allow it and ended up on top. Schafer had an oma plata and was throwing elbows from the bottom as the round ended. Schafer, 10-9.
Round 2: Schafer is tenacious in trying to get the fight to the ground. Rivera sprawls and lands a hard right hand that cuts Schafer. Rivera swarms from the top with right hands. Schafer tries to cover up but Rivera continues unloading with right hands to the head and ref Herb Dean has no choice but to stop it.
Rivera drops down and kisses the mat as the fans chant “Jorge.” A nice ending to his career. He retires with a 20-9 overall record, and 8-7 in the UFC.
Winner: Jorge Rivera via TKO, Rd. 2(1:31)
“I’m grateful,” Rivera said afterward. “I’m grateful that I fought here in front of a lot of people. I met a lot of great people. It’s been a real nice trip. It’s been real good to me. I’m extremely grateful. Thank you.”
The UFC’s first live event on FX goes down tonight in Nashville, headlined by a lightweight battle between crowd-pleasing contenders Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller — both of whom are trying to rebound from high-profilelosses. We’ll be liveblogging the main card broadcast beginning at 9 p.m. ET. (FUEL TV will carry the preliminary card fights starting at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT.) All fighters made weight for the event yesterday, although Fabricio Camoes needed two attempts to make it happen. The full weigh-in results are below.
Main Card (FX, 9 p.m. ET/PT)
Melvin Guillard (156) vs. Jim Miller (155)
Duane Ludwig (170.5) vs. Josh Neer (171)
Mike Easton (135) vs. Jared Papazian (135.5)
Pat Barry (242) vs. Christian Morecraft (256)
The UFC’s first live event on FX goes down tonight in Nashville, headlined by a lightweight battle between crowd-pleasing contenders Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller — both of whom are trying to rebound from high-profilelosses. We’ll be liveblogging the main card broadcast beginning at 9 p.m. ET. (FUEL TV will carry the preliminary card fights starting at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT.) All fighters made weight for the event yesterday, although Fabricio Camoes needed two attempts to make it happen. The full weigh-in results are below.
Main Card (FX, 9 p.m. ET/PT)
Melvin Guillard (156) vs. Jim Miller (155)
Duane Ludwig (170.5) vs. Josh Neer (171)
Mike Easton (135) vs. Jared Papazian (135.5)
Pat Barry (242) vs. Christian Morecraft (256)
Preliminary Card (FUEL TV, 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT)
Jorge Rivera (185.5) vs. Eric Schafer (185)
Khabib Nurmagomedov (155) vs. Kamal Shalorus (155.5)
Charlie Brenneman (170.5) vs. Daniel Roberts (170.5)
Fabricio Camoes (156*) vs. Tom Hayden (155.5)
Daniel Pineda (145) vs. Pat Schilling (145)
Nick Denis (135.5) vs. Joseph Sandoval (135)
* Camoes originally weighed in at 157.5, but was given an extra hours to cut the remaining weight.
This is the UFC on FX live blog for Pat Barry vs. Christian Morecraft, a heavyweight bout on tonight’s main card from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. 
The main event of UFC on FX will feature two fighters looking for redemption, as Melvin Guillard will be looking to bounce back from a loss to Joe Lauzon and Jim Miller will be looking to bounce back from a surprising loss to Benson Henderson.
This is the