The UFC’s first TUF season in China is over. Zhang Lipeng defeated Wang Sai to become the first-ever Chinese Ultimate Fighter winner.
But I’m sure most of you don’t really care too much about that. After all, TUF china was a show with a recruitment policy so lax that an 0-0 yoga instructor somehow made it into the cast.
Despite the questionable levels of talent present, there were a few important fights on the card—relevant matches and interesting clashes of styles. Which fights were those? We’re gonna recap them for you.
(Photo via Getty)
The UFC’s first TUF season in China is over. Zhang Lipeng defeated Wang Sai to become the first-ever Chinese Ultimate Fighter winner.
But I’m sure most of you don’t really care too much about that. After all, TUF china was a show with a recruitment policy so lax that an 0-0 yoga instructor somehow made it into the cast.
Despite the questionable levels of talent present, there were a few important fights on the card—relevant matches and interesting clashes of styles. Which fights were those? We’re gonna recap them for you.
Vaughan Lee decisioned Nam Phan. It was a fight in which Lee never lost control. His striking was too accurate and too quick for Phan to counter. Lee was able to shrug off Phan’s takedown attempts as well.
Kazuki Tokudome was on the wrong side of a split decision against Yui Chul Nam in what was a barn-burner. Nam nearly finished Tokudome in the first round, but punched himself out. This enabled a stunning comeback from Tokudome in the second round, where he returned the favor and nearly finished Nam. The match was decided in the third round, where Nam wobbled Tokudome with a right hand and landed two takedowns.
Hatsu Hioki vs. Ivan Menjivar kicked off the four-fight main card. This fight was pretty straightforward. Hioki was the superior grappler, and he let Menjivar know it throughout the first two rounds, taking him down and working for a variety of submissions. Menjivar had a glimmer of hope in the third round when he landed a right hand that had Hioki hurt, but Menjivar couldn’t capitalize on it. Hioki took home a unanimous decision win for his efforts.
The heavyweights came in for the next fight. Matt Mitrione and Shawn Jordan met in the center of the cage and threw leather. Mitrione managed to throw a bit more, however, and ultimately knocked out Jordan at the 4:59 mark of the first round. Here’s the GIF (via @ZProphet_MMA).
The co-main event featured TUF: China welterweight finalists Zhang Lipeng and Wang Sai. In a closely contested fight, Lipeng managed to edge past Sai by less than a hair’s width.
The night’s main event (or morning’s main event since the card began at around 6:30 am EST) was worth the price of UFC Fight Pass admission. John Hathaway and Dong Hyun Kim put on a show. Kim decided to abandon his grappling in favor of brawling. Hathaway was happy to oblige, which for him was a poor decision—a gorgeous spinning back elbow from Kim left him staring at the ceiling. Kim won the fight via KO at 1:02 of round 3. Check out the GIF (again via @ZProphet_MMA).
Here are the complete results:
Main Card
Dong Hyun Kim def. John Hathaway via knockout (elbow) – Round 3, 1:02
Zhang Lipeng def. Wang Sai via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
Matt Mitrione def. Shawn Jordan via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:59
Hatsu Hioki def. Ivan Menjivar via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Preliminary Card
Yui Chul Nam def. Kazuki Tokudome via split decision (29-27, 27-28, 29-28)
Vaughan Lee def. Nam Phan via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Anying Wang def. Albert Cheng via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 1, 5:00
Mark Eddiva def. Jumabieke Tuerxun via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
As for Pettis, he’ll be hunting for his 10th consecutive win overall, and his fourth of 2013. The 20-year-old “Phenom” may have been a terror on the regional circuit, but those first-time Octagon jitters can be tough on anyone. In other UFC 167 news…
(Sergio Pettis, shown here with the third Pettis brother nobody ever talks about. / Photo via Sherdog)
As for Pettis, he’ll be hunting for his 10th consecutive win overall, and his fourth of 2013. The 20-year-old “Phenom” may have been a terror on the regional circuit, but those first-time Octagon jitters can be tough on anyone. In other UFC 167 news…
Herman’s most recent appearance netted him a split-decision win against Trevor Smith at UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Moraga in July — his first win since February 2012. Leites was also victorious in his last UFC appearance, winning a unanimous decision against Tom Watson in his Octagon return at UFC 163 in August. Leites is on a four-fight win streak overall, including submission wins against Matt Horwich and Tor Troeng
It’s almost time for the interim bantamweight championship fight between Renan Barao and Michael McDonald. But first, let’s examine the whole UFC bantamweight division in several key striking metrics. As one of the youngest divisions with quite a few newcomers, there were several chart busters who have performed either really well in a certain metric, or in Mike Easton’s case, really poorly, so those outliers are noted. Usually those fighters will regress towards the mean, but they’re worth keeping an eye on. A full explanation of the chart and variables is included at the end of this post.
As a group, the 135’ers are the hardest to hit, as illustrated by their lowest power head striking accuracy of any UFC division. But they manage to maintain a high pace of action, with the second-highest significant strike attempts per minute average. (Flyweights have the highest.) So which fighters get the awards in this frenzied group?
The Winners
Sniper Award: Rangy southpaw Alex Caceres leads the division with 48% power head striking accuracy. Though he has yet to score a knockdown in the UFC, the Bruce Lee superfan has definitely put on entertaining fights including sharp striking, rapid pace, and some very retro body suits.
Energizer Bunny Award: Johnny Bedford has been outstriking his UFC opponents more than 2:1 on his way to two finishes. Bedford’s size has been an advantage for him in one of the smallest weight classes, and we’ll see if he can continue his streak.
Biggest Ball(s) Award: In addition to outworking his opponents, double award winner Johnny Bedford is 2-0 in the UFC with two knockout finishes. But an honorable mention also goes to knockout machine Michael “Mayday” McDonald, who has landed four knockdowns during his 5-0 streak with Zuffa. McDonald gets his biggest test yet against higher volume striker and interim champ Renan Barao, in an interesting contrast of power and finesse.
The Losers
(Click chart for full-size version. For previous Databombs, click here.)
It’s almost time for the interim bantamweight championship fight between Renan Barao and Michael McDonald. But first, let’s examine the whole UFC bantamweight division in several key striking metrics. As one of the youngest divisions with quite a few newcomers, there were several chart busters who have performed either really well in a certain metric, or in Mike Easton’s case, really poorly, so those outliers are noted. Usually those fighters will regress towards the mean, but they’re worth keeping an eye on. A full explanation of the chart and variables is included at the end of this post.
As a group, the 135’ers are the hardest to hit, as illustrated by their lowest power head striking accuracy of any UFC division. But they manage to maintain a high pace of action, with the second-highest significant strike attempts per minute average. (Flyweights have the highest.) So which fighters get the awards in this frenzied group?
The Winners
Sniper Award: Rangy southpaw Alex Caceres leads the division with 48% power head striking accuracy. Though he has yet to score a knockdown in the UFC, the Bruce Lee superfan has definitely put on entertaining fights including sharp striking, rapid pace, and some very retro body suits.
Energizer Bunny Award: Johnny Bedford has been outstriking his UFC opponents more than 2:1 on his way to two finishes. Bedford’s size has been an advantage for him in one of the smallest weight classes, and we’ll see if he can continue his streak.
Biggest Ball(s) Award: In addition to outworking his opponents, double award winner Johnny Bedford is 2-0 in the UFC with two knockout finishes. But an honorable mention also goes to knockout machine Michael “Mayday” McDonald, who has landed four knockdowns during his 5-0 streak with Zuffa. McDonald gets his biggest test yet against higher volume striker and interim champ Renan Barao, in an interesting contrast of power and finesse.
The Losers
Swing and a Miss Award: Mike Easton has only landed 9% of his power head strikes, and would appear as the lowest on the graph…if we went that far down. However, (dis)honorable mention also goes to newcomer Motonobu Tezuka who missed all 20 of his power head strike attempts in his UFC debut against Alex Caceres. Tezuka faces Vaughan Lee next.
Smallest Ball(s): Eight of the 27 bantamweight fighters graphed have yet to score a knockdown in their Zuffa appearances, not an unusual number for a lower weight division. But sidelined champion Dominick Cruz has not yet done so despite 170 minutes of fight time in the WEC and UFC.
Starnes Award for Inaction: Vaughan Lee has been getting outpaced through his first three UFC appearances, despite solid accuracy and power. He’ll have a chance to turn things around on his home turf in England against the inaccurate Tezuka.
Also Noteworthy
Champions Dominick Cruz and Renan Barao have similar performance profiles, suggesting that in smaller weight classes keeping a high pace is more important than landing bombs. Barao matches up favorably with Cruz, which should give the incumbent champ some problems when he returns from his injury hiatus.
Two accurate strikers, Urijah Faber and Ivan Menjivar, will face off at UFC 157. Faber will be more likely to counter, but also has the heavier hands.
How the Analysis Works:
In order to understand standup striking performance, which is more multifaceted in MMA than it is in boxing, I need to boil down a few of the most important variables that determine success as a striker. These are fairly uncomplicated variables in isolation, but together they can summarize a fighter’s overall capabilities. Here, I’ve focused on three fundamental, offensive metrics:
Accuracy: I’ve used power head striking accuracy (as opposed to body or leg strikes, or jabs to the head), where the average for UFC Bantamweights is about 20%. Certainly, great strikers can attack the body and legs, but the most likely way to end a fight by strikes is by aiming at the head. And in order to keep this comparison apples-to-apples, we can’t have a guy that throws a lot of high accuracy leg kicks skewing his accuracy stat. The accuracy of the power head strike is a great indicator of a fighter’s striking prowess, and there’s a wide range within a single division as we’ll see. This is the vertical axis, so more accurate fighters are higher in the graph.
Standup Striking Pace: Prior analysis reveals that outpacing your opponent is a key predictor of success, and certainly correlates with winning decisions as it reflects which fighter is dictating the pace of the fight. Here, I’ve used the total number of standup strikes thrown as a ratio to the same output from a fighter’s opponents. All strikes attempted from a standup position are counted, including body shots and leg kicks. This is the horizontal axis in the graph, and the average for the whole division must be 1, so fighters with superior pace appear further to the right.
Knockdown Rate: The objective of every strike thrown is to hurt your opponent, and knockdowns reflect a fighter that has connected with a powerful strike. I’ve used the total number of knockdowns a fighter landed divided by the number of landed power head strikes to see who does the most damage per strike landed. The size of the bubble for a fighter indicates their relative knockdown rate; the bigger the bubble, the higher their knockdown rate. The very small bubbles indicate fighters who have yet to score a knockdown in their Zuffa fights.
The data includes all UFC, WEC, and Strikeforce fights through 2012, including UFC 155. Some of these fighters competed in other weight classes or at catchweight, but for the purposes of this analysis, that data was still included and analyzed. Fighters with only one fight were not included in the graph.
(“It looks like this artist…*puts on sunglasses*… finally got his SHOT at fame. AWWWW YEAAAAHHHH!!!)
There is perhaps no fighter in MMA history who has looked more deadly in victory and more brokenin defeat than former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber. After dropping his umpteenth title bid (albeit one of those pesky interim ones) to Renan Barao at UFC 149, many MMA pundits were calling for “The California Kid’s” retirement, because in their eyes, being able to beat 98% of your division just isn’t good enough to warrant your existence.
Yet for some reason, it appears that Faber still wants to continue making boatloads of cash in this thing called MMA, and will return at UFC 156 to face off against Vaughan Lee.
Who in the blue Hell is Vaughan Lee, you ask? Good question.
(“It looks like this artist…*puts on sunglasses*… finally got his SHOT at fame. AWWWW YEAAAAHHHH!!!)
There is perhaps no fighter in MMA history who has looked more deadly in victory and more brokenin defeat than former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber. After dropping his umpteenth title bid (albeit one of those pesky interim ones) to Renan Barao at UFC 149, many MMA pundits were calling for “The California Kid’s” retirement, because in their eyes, being able to beat 98% of your division just isn’t good enough to warrant your existence.
Yet for some reason, it appears that Faber still wants to continue making boatloads of cash in this thing called MMA, and will return at UFC 156 to face off against Vaughan Lee.
Who in the blue Hell is Vaughan Lee, you ask? Good question.
Currently 12-8-1, Lee has dropped two of his three octagon appearances, with the sole win coming over Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto by way of first round armbar at UFC 144. Lee is currently on the heels of a first round neck crank submission loss to TUF 14 runner-up T.J. Dillashaw at UFC on FUEL 4. He’s cannon fodder is what we’re saying, and after Faber is through with him, he will place Lee’s head in a fish tank right next to the remains of Jens Pulver and quietly reflect on his triumphs whilst sipping whiskey all by his lonesome.
Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman I don’t know if I’ve ever been more wrong on fight pick than I was on this one. Chris Weidman is absolutely the real deal and he destroyed Mark Munoz..
Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman
I don’t know if I’ve ever been more wrong on fight pick than I was on this one. Chris Weidman is absolutely the real deal and he destroyed Mark Munoz. I thought the wrestling would be even. Weidman took him down immediately and easily to start both rounds. I thought Munoz would have a striking advantage. He never landed a significant strike and Weidman scored one of the most impressive knockouts in UFC history. I was a little hesitant to jump on the hype train but I’m on board now.
Weidman dominated the first round completely after scoring the opening takedown. He controlled position and nearly submitted Munoz with a guillotine from the mount position twice. Every time Munoz tried to stand or reverse position, Weidman was ahead of him and brought him back under control. Munoz didn’t have a single offensive moment in the round and had to resort to giving up his back to get to his feet at the very end of the round. Weidman opened the second round the same as the first and continued the script. Munoz seemed to earn his first minor victory of the fight when he found a way to get the fight back to a standing position. Instead, Weidman countered Munoz’ first combination with a destructive short counter elbow that should have stopped the fight. For some reason, Josh Rosenthal allowed the fight to continue and Weidman proceeded to punch Munoz in and out of consciousness while Rosenthal took an inexplicably long time to intervene. Regardless, the finish was undeniably great and Weidman is officially the biggest threat to Anderson Silva in the middleweight division.
Weidman’s victory may have earned him the next title shot and one more similarly dominating performance would have to guarantee him that title shot. I don’t know if he has what it takes to end the champions’s streak of domination but his skill set is scarier than any other contender in the division. For Mark Munoz, this loss is a big blow and he will have to win a couple fights in a row if he wants to get back into the title picture. But the story coming out of this fight is obviously the arrival of Chris Weidman. The impressiveness of this victory cannot be overstated.
James Te Huna vs. Joey Beltran
In a surprise to everyone, the light heavyweight slugfest between James Te Huna and Joey Beltran went to a decision. Less surprising was Te Huna having his arm raised at the end. The first round went exactly according to script as the two big bangers came out swinging. Both landed some heavy shots but Te Huna consistently got the better of the exchanges and scored the bigger punches. He hurt Beltran badly in the final minute of round one and pounced for the finish. Beltran’s brick chin and the bell signaling the end of the round were the only thing that saved him from a TKO. Te Huna seemed to burn out his arms trying to finish Beltran and didn’t have the explosiveness in his punches to score the knockout later in the fight. He continued to dominate in the second round but seemed to tire significantly by the third round allowing Beltran back into the fight.
Te Huna continues to climb in the light heavyweight division but will need to further diversify his game with wrestling and grappling if he wants to succeed against more well-rounded fighters. This fight going three rounds may prove to be a blessing for him as he now knows what it feels like to go fifteen minutes in the UFC and should be motivated to improve his conditioning. For Beltran, this outcome doesn’t change his status. He is never going to be a top tier fighter but his relentlessness and superhuman chin guarantee an exciting fight every time he steps in the cage with another striker. When Joe Silva needs a slugfest to add some entertainment to a card, he knows who to call.
Aaron Simpson vs. Kenny Robertson
Aaron Simpson looked impressive in his debut at welterweight doing everything but finishing Kenny Robertson on his way to a unanimous decision. Simpson realized early in the first round that he had the wrestling advantage and used that to control his opponent throughout the fight. He didn’t threaten to finish the fight until the very end of the third round but completely controlled Robertson for all fifteen minutes. He repeatedly took his opponent down and maintained top position landing effective ground and pound along the way. His cardio looked solid and he didn’t seem to tire as the fight progressed. At thirty seven years old, it might be too late for him to make a serious run at 170 lbs but he should provide some interesting fights in the division. Robertson might be on his way back out of the UFC after his second consecutive loss. He was brought in as a late replacement for Jon Fitch and didn’t do anything to earn another opportunity.
Francis Carmont vs. Karlos Vemola
The third fight of the night marked the arrival of Francis Carmont as a factor in the middleweight division. Carmont has been competing in MMA since 2004 but is just now showing signs of fulfilling his potential. He has always been a huge middleweight and looked significantly larger than Vemola who is one of the bigger fighters at 185 lbs. He looked good in the first round taking advantage of Vemola’s guillotine attempts to gain top position. He locked on to an Americana and was close to finishing but Vemola managed to survive. He started the second round by landing a big front kick. After a scramble, Carmont brought Vemola to the mat in the crucifix position and transitioned quickly into a rear naked choke to earn the finish. Carmont is likely to face a significant step up in competition as he is already thirty years old. If he is ever going to make a serious run in the UFC, this is the moment in his career to make it happen. He has always had the requisite athleticism but now he seems to be putting together the kind of well-rounded game that could make him a legitimate contender. Vemola took a step in the opposite direction and will need to improve if he wants to be a threat in the UFC. He is explosive but showed some questionable decision making and didn’t seem to be executing any sort of gameplan. It takes more than athleticism to compete in the UFC and he needs to improve in his approach if he hopes to take advantage of his raw ability.
T.J. Dillashaw vs. Vaughan Lee
What looked to be a mismatch on paper proved also to be a mismatch in the octagon. Lee came out looking to finish the fight with every strike he threw but Dillashaw evaded easily and landed a few strikes of his own. He then landed a takedown off of a Vaughan kick and moved to top position. Lee gave his back to stand up and Dillashaw took advantage climbing on and sinking in both hooks. From there, he quickly slipped his arm under Lee’s neck and finished the fight with a rear naked choke. For Dillashaw, this was exactly the performance he needed and his stock is rising quickly at bantamweight. Training at Team Alpha Male ensures that he will continue to improve rapidly so look for him to become a factor at 135 lbs. A loss like this and a record of 12-8 likely puts Lee on the brink of leaving the UFC. His upset of Norifumi Yamamoto in his UFC debut might earn him one more chance in the octagon but I can’t see him lasting beyond that.
Anthony Njokuani vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
In the first fight of the night, Rafael Dos Anjos dominated Anthony Njokuani on his way to a unanimous decision. Dos Anjos dropped Njokuani with a left to establish control early in the first round and was never seriously threatened at any point in the fight. After the knockdown, he scored several takedowns in succession showing greatly improved wrestling. He matched that wrestling improvement with an improvement in striking proving to be at least the equal of Njokuani who is one of the best strikers in the division. After the first round, Njokuani told his corner that he had broken his right hand. Assessing the impact of an injury mid-fight is difficult but even with a full arsenal of weapons, Njokuani likely would not have been able to defeat Dos Anjos. The second and third rounds followed the same script as the first with Dos Anjos holding his own on the feet and dominating the wrestling and grappling exchanges. If Dos Anjos continues to improve the way he has in his past few fights, he will be a serious threat in the lightweight division. He already has some of the best jiu-jitsu at 155 lbs and the addition of a serious wrestling and striking game makes him a contender. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Njokuani seems to be stuck. His striking is impressive but he just doesn’t have the wrestling or grappling to compete at a high level. He can still put on exciting fights when matched up with strikers but doesn’t seem to be a serious threat in the absurdly deep UFC lightweight division.
Riding shotgun on the card are Joey Beltran and James Te Huna. The Mexicutioner picked up a victory and a tapeworm while away from the UFC; he returns tonight as a light heavyweight to slug it out with the heavy-handed Kiwi. Someone’s getting concussed.
All of the cool kids are inside talking about the fights. If you’re cool, you’ll join us too.
Sure, UFC 148 had countless hours of commercials and press conferences, but did you get a look at this poster?!? (Photo: UFC.com)
Riding shotgun on the card are Joey Beltran and James Te Huna. The Mexicutioner picked up a victory and a tapeworm while away from the UFC; he returns tonight as a light heavyweight to slug it out with the heavy-handed Kiwi. Someone’s getting concussed.
All of the cool kids are inside talking about the fights. If you’re cool, you’ll join us too.
And we…are…LIVE!!! They were billing the main event as a #1 Contender Bout in the pre-show, and since that designation is legally binding I guess we’ll be seeing the winner of the Munoz-Weidman bout facing Anderson Silva soon. Well, that’s settled.
Here we go!
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Anthony Njokuani
R1: Dos Anjos tries a Segal kick to the face, but whiffs. Nice inside leg kick by Dos Anjos and Njokuani fires back with a combo. BIG left floors Njokuani and Dos Anjos is all over him with a takedown, but it’s short lived and Njokuani is back to his feet. Another takedown by the Brazilian, but Njokuani is back up again. The Assassin pushes off and we’re back to a striking match. Both men are measuring their attacks and slow to commit. Dos Anjos has Njokuani backing up, but we’re still short on exchanges. Dos Anjos with another shot, but he’s stuffed and relegated to knee striking Njokuani against the cage.
R2: Dos Anjos returns to that heavy inside leg kick to open the second frame. The Nigerian responds with a body kick. We’re still in single-shot mode–very few combos getting launched. Njokuani is grunting like Monica Seles with each strike. Dos Anjos is working for the takedown again, but he can’t drag The Assassin to the ground. Dos Anjos wants this fight on the ground, and he finally hoists Njokuani up for the slam. Njokuani manages to work his way out of half guard and we’re back on our feet with Dos Anjos maintaining his body lock death grip, eager to return to the canvas. That was, what? Four missed takedowns? But lucky number five gets the job done and we’re back on the mat. Dos Anjos was looking for an arm in guillotine, but Njokuani stands up again and the horn sounds.
R3: Njokuani is down here, so he’ll likely need to put Dos Anjos away. Dos Anjos circling around while Njokuani is landing a punch here or there. Dos Anjos responds with a nice right hand. Dos Anjos is crowding Njokuani now, but still not letting go. Ok, now he fires off a combo then presses Njokuani up against the cage as he works for a takedown. Denied, but Dos Anjos is nothing if not diligent–he gets the The Assassin down on his second shot. The Brazilian has half mount and probably has his eye on a kimura, but he gives it up to drop some leather. He opened up a little too much and Njokuani is back to his feet as the fight comes to a close. We’re headed to the scorecards.
And Rafael Dos Anjos takes the uanimous decision (30-27 x 2 and 29-28)
We’ve got a bantamweight battle up next.
T.J. Dillashaw vs. Vaughan Lee
R1: Dillashaw breaks the silence with a combo, and Lee returns fire with some heavy shots of his own. Dillashaw misses with a wild head kick. The former TUF’er ducks a head kick, scoops Lee’s leg, and dumps him to the mat, but the Brit is back to his feet. Dillashaw’s not giving up on that takedown, though, and he works his way to Lee’s back and sinks his hooks in while standing. Lee’s fighting off the rear naked choke attempt on his feet, but Dillashaw is cranking away. Aaaand the tapout! Dillashaw scores a first round submission victory.
T.J. Dillashaw wins via neck crank (2:33 R1)
And we take a break in tonight’s action to promote the Urijah Faber–Renan Barao bout at UFC 149. Shockingly, no one was seriously injured in the production of the commercial.
Karlos Vemola vs. Francis Carmont
R1: Vemola circles away and bull rushes in for the takedown, but Carmont stuffs the shot. Temporarily, that is–Vemola drags him down with a body lock. Carmont works his way free and stands up directly into a standing guillotine. The French Canadian takes Vemola down, but is still in the choke. Let’s hope his air is “Limitless”. (See what I did there? It’s because of his nickname. That’s why it’s hilarious.) Carmont pulls his head free and has Vemola pinned against the cage in side-mount. Now Carmont is slapping on a painful looking key lock, which he uses to take mount. Vemola frees his arm and works back to his feet, almost finding himself in a guillotine as well. Oh, now Carmont wants the takedown and Vemola has him in an arm-in guillotine. Carmont escapes and probably would have gone for a guillotine had time not expired.
R2: Big front kick to the grill of Vemola, but he’s still breathing long enough to charge in for a stuffed takedown. Carmont drops down for a…wait for it…guillotine, but Vemola rolls free. Vemola working hard for the takedown, but Carmont drops to his own back with Vemola’s arms trapped in a crucifix. Limitless switches it up to a rear naked, squeezes the hell out of it, and draws the tap.
Francis Carmont wins via rear naked choke (1:39 R2)
Up next we’re taking a trip to the welterweight division.
Aaron Simpson vs. Kenny Robertson
R1: Robertson fires off a huge head kick that catches nada but air, then rushes in and presses Simpson against the cage with a body lock. Simpson pushes him off and scores a knee to the body. They are throwing! Both men land hands before Robertson delivers a few knees to the gut six pack. Simpson is hte first to secure a takedown but it’s short lived. Robertson gets back to his feet and a wild tumult of reversals ends with Robertson landing a big right hand that splits Simpson’s wig open along the hairline. Simpson forces action up against the cage, but Roberston spins around and presses Simpson to the fence. Both men are fighting to gain the wrestling advantage, which Simpson gains momentarily as he gets behind Robertson and takes him down. Robertson is quickly back up. Damn, we’ve got a fight on our hands.
R2: Robertson responds to a punch with an attempted judo toss, but is denied and Simpson takes his back standing once again. Knees to the ass from Simpson and after more jockeying for grappling control he puts Robertson on his back. Robertson is struggling to get up which allows A Train to take his back. Back up, back down, back up. There’s a lot of positional control and reversing going on here between these two capable wrestlers. Simpson had a bizarre rear facing mount for a moment, but he’s able to get behind Robertson once more and deliver some hard shots on the ground for the last minute of the frame.
R3: Robertson is looking a little fatigued as we enter the final round. Spinning back kick from Simpson misses its mark. More clinchwork against the cage ends with Simpson taking Roberson’s back and dragging him to the canvas once more. A Train nearly locks up a reverse triangle choke, but Robertson escapes and gets back to his feet. Simpson, clearly the fresher of the two, slams him back to the ground. Simpson is standing over Robertson in guard dropping down some heavy fists to the head and body. Simpson moves to side mount with thirty seconds left. He’s trying to grab an arm, but chooses to wail on Robertson to close the fight.
Aaron Simpson wins via unanimous decision (30-27 & 29-28 x 2)
Like Babe Ruth promising that sick kid a homerun, I’m going to guarantee you kids a knock out in this one. Unfortunately, if I’m wrong you all die of cancer. It’s a gamble, but one that I’m willing to make.
James Te Huna vs. Joey Beltran
R1: No time wasted between these two. They’re both throwing, but Te Huna is reaching Beltran first. Te Huna looks mighty relaxed out there, though Beltran isn’t shy to throw. It’s a measured pace, but both men are uncorking their hands. Te Huna went for a reverse elbow like Silva-Frykland but missed. Te Huna scores with a combo and has Beltran backing up. Te Huna is letting the hands go now. Big right. He looks very confident and is mixing up his strikes. Beltran counters and clips Te Huna before spinning and pressing him against the cage. Te Huna get free from the cage and is connecting with big shots. He knocks Beltran down with a huge left hook and follows him to the ground. Te Huna working hard from mount with ground and pound, but Beltran somehow gets back up and eats plenty of more haymakers as the bell sounds.
R2: Mexicutioner gutted out that last round, let’s see what he’s got. Te Huna is very confident out there, mixing it up with body shots, upper cuts, etc. Beltran isn’t reaching him, but he’s standing tall. Te Huna with a single leg plants Beltran on his back…interesting choice considering he was owning the striking, but Beltran has power. Te Huna is working from guard, but the Mexicutioner nullifies his attack and they get stood up. Te Huna launches his hands before failing on another takedown. Beltran just isn’t reaching the New Zealander with his hands. Or feet. Te Huna’s slowed his attack as the clock ticked away and got tagged with a short shot that dropped him to his knees as the bell rang.
R3: Beltran is eager to throw, as he can’t take the decision at this point. Beltran forces Te Huna against the cage and lands a few elbows as they separate. Te Huna dumps him to the mat momentarily, but they’re back on their feet. There’s going to be a lot of cancer in Potatoland if no one finds the off-switch. Te Hun brings the action to the mat, but Beltran is back up. Big body shots by Te Huna, but Beltran don’t care. Two minutes left. Te Huna dumps Beltran to the canvas but lets him back up; the Kiwi’s looking tired now as Beltran takes him down. One minute. They’re standing again as Beltran scores a tight elbow against the cage. Beltran is going for it as the clock ticks down. And they slug away until the end. They’re headed to the scorecards. You’re headed to the oncologist.
James Te Huna takes the unanimous decision (30-26 & 30-27 x 2)
Time for our main event. We’re scheduled for five rounds of action; let’s see if it takes that long to find a winner.
Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman
R1: Wiedman opens with a couple of high kicks before ducking down and shooting in. All American off to a good start in control on the ground in side mount. Weidman works his way to Munoz’s back, but the Filipino Wrecking Machine stands up before eating two knees and returning to safer territory on the ground. Weidman maintains top control and nearly sinks in a guillotine before opting to drop some ‘bows. Weidman is calm and an in control as he drops elbows and tries to isolate an arm. The crowd boos–they didn’t pay for high level grappling and momentary lapses in action! Weidman pounces on another guillotine from mount. Munoz scrambles free, but Weidman is all over him. They’re up on their feet and Weidman lands another knee before taking Munoz’s back. The round is over. That was all Weidman. Every second over it.
R2: Weidman takes him down again as soon as they’re within feet of each other. More control on the ground from Weidman, but Munoz wrangles free and we’re back to a standup battle. Munoz lunges in with a punch and Weidman connects with a hard elbow. Munoz drops forward, out cold, and the ref doesn’t notice for a good twenty to thirty seconds as Weidman pounds away. Munoz is bleeding like a stuck pig all over the canvas. Horribly late stoppage.
My god, that whole fight was Weidman’s, bell to bell. He extends his record to a perfect 9-0.
Chris Weidman scores the TKO victory (1:37 R2)
Well, that’s a wrap on tonight’s action. In the words of Seth Falvo, I need a Mr. Pibb and a blowjob, and not necessarily in that order. Take it easy, Nation.
