Chris “The Crippler” Leben has just spoiled Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva’s return to the Octagon in a big way.The Pride legend had been out of action for over a year going into UFC 132 and fans were ecstatic to see him make his return to the UFC….
Chris “The Crippler” Leben has just spoiled Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva’s return to the Octagon in a big way.
The Pride legend had been out of action for over a year going into UFC 132 and fans were ecstatic to see him make his return to the UFC.
The fans were particularly excited because Silva had been matched up with Chris “The Crippler” Leben.
Both fighters are known primarily as brawlers and fans adore them for their reckless fighting style.
Silva vs. Leben was being referred to by many as a potential fight of the year contender; fireworks seemed inevitable.
The fireworks that everyone was expecting did happen, just not for as long as people might have liked.
Wanderlei was the first fighter to open up, unleashing a brutal combination on Leben.
However, in throwing that combination Silva left himself wide open and The Crippler took advantage quickly, catching Wanderlei with a big left hook and then a string of left uppercuts that dropped The Axe Murderer.
Once Silva dropped, Chris unloaded with devastating right hands until the fight was stopped.
This was a much needed win for Leben, who was coming off of a brutal knockout loss to Brian Stann.
The victory over Wanderlei should definitely put The Crippler back in the mix in the middleweight division.
As for Wanderlei, this loss was a huge set back and it may have been one of the last times we’re going to see him competing in mixed martial arts.
The Axe Murderer has been in many wars in his storied career and taken a lot of punishment over the years. It seems like that punishment is starting to take it’s toll on Wanderlei.
I’m sure Chris Leben would have liked to give the fans a bit more of a show, but he’s got to be happy to have won the fight; the victory over Wanderlei Silva was the biggest of Leben’s career.
LAS VEGAS — MMA Fighting spoke to Chael Sonnen at UFC 132 following Chris Leben‘s knockout of Wanderlei Silva about the finish, whether he still wants to fight Silva, whether he thinks Silva should retire, what’s next for him and more.
LAS VEGAS — MMA Fighting spoke to Chael Sonnen at UFC 132 following Chris Leben‘s knockout of Wanderlei Silva about the finish, whether he still wants to fight Silva, whether he thinks Silva should retire, what’s next for him and more.
UFC 132 Results: Dennis Siver Defeats Matt WimanUFC 132 takes place on Saturday, July 2 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The main event features the first UFC bantamweight title fight…
UFC 132 Results: Dennis Siver Defeats Matt Wiman
UFC 132 takes place on Saturday, July 2 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The main event features the first UFC bantamweight title fight ever as Dominick Cruz defends his title against the only fighter to ever defeat him, Urijah Faber.
The co-main event features the long awaited return of Wanderlei Silva, who faces Chris Leben. Also appearing on the main card was Tito Ortiz who faces Ryan Bader.
The third fight on the main card featured Dennis Siver (18-7) against Matt WIman (13-5).
Siver came into the fight after defeating the highly ranked George Sotiropoulos in his last bought, while Wiman was coming off a win over Cole Miller.
Early on these two looked like they were only interested in ending the fight by KO, but Wiman mixed it up about 2:00 in when he landed a brief takedown. Siver’s takedown defense was solid and he kept Wiman at bay.
In the second round the fight went to the ground with Wiman working inside the guard of Siver, opening him up with an elbow.
Siver did a very poor job of controlling Wiman and Siver was bleeding badly from the elbows that Wiman seemed to be landing at will.
The third round was uneventful until Wiman attempted a choke that he could not stick and he then caught a leg from Siver and took the fight to the ground.
Siver was able to stand and he put Wiman to the ground with a leg kick with 15 seconds left, but he could not make anything happen as the horn souned.
This one went to the cards: 29-28 to Siver. WIman ripped his hand from the referee’s grasp, threw his hat and stormed from the cage as the fans booed the call.
(After three days of utter confusion, Arianny finally realizes what ‘Chocolate Al’ means. Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this album, click here.)
As you make plans for your various drunken 4th of July celebrations, keep in mind that some of the men you see tonight may be too injured to grill burgers on Monday. Appreciate their sacrifice, ladies and gentlemen. Now then, who wants to see some dudes get kicked in the head and choked unconcious?
Manning the liveblog duties for this evening is CagePotato rising star Jason Moles, who will be providing round-by-round updates from the UFC 132 pay-per-view card beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Travel past the jump to join our little liveblog party, and refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest. Thanks for being here, and may God bless this great nation.
(After three days of utter confusion, Arianny finally realizes what ‘Chocolate Al’ means. Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this album, click here.)
As you make plans for your various drunken 4th of July celebrations, keep in mind that some of the men you see tonight may be too injured to grill burgers on Monday. Appreciate their sacrifice, ladies and gentlemen. Now then, who wants to see some dudes get kicked in the head and choked unconscious?
Manning the liveblog duties for this evening is CagePotato rising star Jason Moles, who will be providing round-by-round updates from the UFC 132 pay-per-view card beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Travel past the jump to join our little liveblog party, and refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest. Thanks for being here, and may God bless this great nation.
Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Both guys walk toward the octagon with intensity burning in their eyes. Condit fist bumps at least half a dozen fans on his along the way. Standard bro hugs, mouth guard and cup check after that.
Round 1
Both men play ring around the posie as they feel each other out. Kim is first to strike with a nice head kick followed up by a takedown. Not that it mattered because Condit swept to mouth and immediately followed up with a guillotine attempt. Kim escapes and they stand back up. Condit tries for a head kick and a superman punch off the fence like he’s related to Anthony Pettis or something. Both men trade a fed push kicks and jabs. Then WHAM! Condit buries his flying knee right in Kim’s grill and “It’s all over”!
Winner: Carlos Condit KO 2:02 Round 1.
Ryan Bader vs. Tito Ortiz
Tito comes out to ‘Not Afraid’ by Eminem, Mexi-American flag in tow. Joe and Goldie’s man crush on Tito is in full effect.
Round 1
Bader wastes no time in initiating contact after they touch gloves. From the get-go he is in full attack mode throwing mean kicks and jabs mixed with a few hooks. Tito looking for his opening. Bader continues his pursuit and throws a few and misses a few. Crowd starts chanting “TITO! TITO! TITO!” and like Hulkamaniacs back in the day firing up Hulk Hogan, Tito comes to life. HOLY Firecrackers!!! Tito drops Bader with a solid right punch and jumps on him to finish him with a guillotine. Bader chokes and betters everywhere are cursing everything under the sun.
Love Tito’s Shirt: I’m not the next SOMEBODY – I’m the first TITO ORTIZ.
Winner: Tito Ortiz Sub 3:05 Round 1
Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman
Too busy picking my jaw up off the floor to pay attention to what happened as these two guys walked out. Please accept my sincerest apologies.
Round 1
Both throw kicks early. Wiman telegraphs haymakers but utilizes nice leg kicks. Wiman shoots in for a takedown to no avail. A missed headkick by Wiman leads into a frenzied back and forth boxing match for a brief period of time. The fans like this stuff. Wiman gets Siver up against the fence and dirty boxes him a little before the German attempts a guillotine (hey, it worked for the other guys, right?) They take the center of the cage and Siver throws punches in bunches and misses just as many. Wiman gets a takedown and ends the round on top.
Round 2
Wiman shoots in for a takedown – against the fence they go. After what seems like an eternity of minimal action (ok, I’m exaggerating) the crowd boos loud enough and they step it up. Silver stuffs a takedown but then Wiman drops down and rolls him over, winds up in Siver’s guard. Wiman takes the remaining time left in the round to show you how to properly use your elbows in a fight. Siver gets cut so bad and the blood flows so freely he looks like a firework accident victim. Round ends with bloody Siver under confident Wiman.
Round 3
Silver stuffs another Wiman takedown then finally throws his patented spinning back kick but fails to land it. They trade punches then Wiman shoots in again and Siver stuffs it. Against the cage they go, both men working hard. They get back to the center of the cage and Siver clips Wiman and the round ends with Siver trying to sub Wiman.
Winner by Unanimous (29-28) Decision: Dennis Siver.
WTF!!!! What ******* fight were those judges watching?!
Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben
Chris Leben comes out looking like dipped his head in Kool-Aid. Sandstorm hits the speakers filling the crowd with nostalgia. Wanderlei looks calm and ready. I really don’t want to see either of these guys lose.
Round 1
Wand strikes first but it doesn’t even matter. Leben proved all the media types right and placed his big right hand on Silva’s glass chin and he goes down. Leben follows up with several well placed left hands and finishes him off in the first minute of the the very first round. Damn. We still love you Wanderlei.
Main Event: Bantamweight Championship Fight
Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber
As always, ‘California Love’ plays as Faber walks his way to the cage. No braids. No headbands. Just a smile and a pair of black gloves. Cruz is booed before his music even hits. He doesn’t seem to mind, though, the pep in his step never fades.
Round 1
No touch of gloves. I know, you’re really surprised by that one. Right out of the gate Cruz comes out swinging and lands first punch. Faber responds with a kick and moves about. The crowd cheers for Faber minus the Hulkamania effect as he ties up with Cruz. Faber lands short elbow on exit while Cruz lands a switch kick. Faber lands a sold punch – Cruz remains unfazed. Both men go back and forth, neither doing more than the other. Just as the bell sounds, Cruz gets Faber to the ground.
Round 2
Urijah stuffs a couple more takedowns before the pace picks up. These two move so much that Mazagatti can hardly move out of their way . Faber nails a body kick as Cruz answers with a combination of punches. Faber lands big right hand, big pop from he crowd. Cruz attempts a few Superman punches but doesn’t dazzle until he gets Urijah to the ground. Sadly, it didn’t last long. End of round 1.
Round 3
Dominick Cruz is relentlessly attacking Urijah Faber, though it seems he’s choosing his shots wisely. Faber eats a few punches before taking Cruz to the mat who then scrambles to his feet – but not without getting cracked with Faber’s elbows on the way out. Cruz shoots another takedown but Faber catches him and makes him pay for going to the proverbial well one too many times.
The No Longer JUST Championship Rounds
Round 4
Cruz starts off landing a solid right hand followed by a hook and a high kick. Not to be outdone, Faber drops the champ with a big right hand. He pops right back up and they both connect. The idiot fans then start booing as two men continue to go at it with everything they’ve got throwing several combos. Cruz shoots in again with history repeating itself.
Round 5
Dominick Crus comes out with a flying knee, attacking like a rabbid animal. Cruz gets takedown but Faber gets right up. A flying knee by Faber misses but he continues to pursue his arch nemesis. Cruz gets multiple takedowns while Faber scrambles to his feet almost immediately. Then Cruz turns it on and completely dominates Faber the rest of the round.
Winner: Unanimous Descision: Dominick Cruz.
Lloyd Irving gives Cruz his blue belt.
That’s it for me guys. Hope you enjoyed this as much as I have. Please celebrate your independence responsibly and don’t lose any fingers.
UFC 132 Fight Card Features the Return of Wanderlei SilvaUFC 132 features the long awaited return of the Wanderlei Silva. It has been over a year since Silva has taken to the octagon, and he is set to return Saturday night vs. Chris Leben.Silva is one …
UFC 132 Fight Card Features the Return of Wanderlei Silva
UFC 132 features the long awaited return of the Wanderlei Silva. It has been over a year since Silva has taken to the octagon, and he is set to return Saturday night vs. Chris Leben.
Silva is one of the sports all-time greats and most accomplished fighters. He dominated Pride’s middleweight (205lbs) division before switching to the UFC. Silva switched as he seemed to be falling off of his game.
He ended his Pride career with knockout losses to Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Dan Henderson. He then started his UFC career with knockout losses to Chuck Liddell and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
Silva is hoping the time away did him some good, and he is expecting to put on a good show against Leber. Here is Silva as quoted from an interview on ESPN:
It’s a really good fight for the fans. After I saw his fight with [Yoshihiro] Akiyama, his style was like my style. He’s one exciting fighter. He’s a warrior and has good heart. He doesn’t give a step back. In that fight, it’s good to look at who’s going to be the first to step back.
Part of the reason Silva is optimistic because, after a break, he has been training under Master [Rafael] Cordeiro again. Here is Silva on the subject from the above linked article:
Finally man. I’m an old style student. I need a master. I can’t have just a coach. I need a master.
The difference … the guy knows all about me. He knows my movements. He looks at you training and he knows. “You need to do that. You move that leg here. … ” He knows all. We started working in the gym sparring and he said do this, do this, do this. It’s a different connection.
Saturday night we will all find out if that switch can help him recapture the magic, or if father time has permanently stripped him this legendary fighter of his greatness.
Dominick Cruz avenged his only career loss, going the distance with Urijah Faber and defending his bantamweight title at UFC 132 on Saturday night. The back-and-forth main event, which had scores all over the map from the judges, earned Cruz and Faber $75,000 bonus checks for Fight of the Night.
Tito Ortiz‘s first-round major upset submission of Ryan Bader on Saturday earned him Submission of the Night honors and an additional $75,000, and Carlos Condit also picked up an extra check for his Knockout of the Night win over Dong Hyun Kim to open the pay-per-view.
UFC president Dana White announced the winners and amounts following Saturday’s card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The main event bantamweight title fight between champion Cruz and former featherweight champ Faber lived up to its billing. That was a major feat considering the amount of animosity between the two fighters, who have had bad blood since their first fight, a WEC featherweight title fight in March 2007 that saw Faber defend his 145-pound title – and hand Cruz the only loss of his career heading into Saturday night.
The referee checks on Wanderlei Silva after his knockout loss to Chris Leben at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
UFC 132 Photos
Urijah Faber knees Dominick Cruz in their UFC bantamweight championship bout at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Faber (25-5, 1-1 UFC), who dropped down from featherweight to bantamweight after losing a WEC title shot against Jose Aldo in April 2010, went the distance with the champ, knocking him down several times and finding some success counter-punching in close as the unorthodox Cruz (18-1, 1-0 UFC) backed out from tight exchanges.
After four back-and-forth rounds that could have been scored for either fighter, Cruz came out more aggressive in the fifth, trying a flying knee and shooting for a takedown. After landing a knee, Faber briefly had a guillotine that he couldn’t fully sink in. A pair of Cruz takedowns, though, likely earned some points with the judges – though Faber was up quickly after each. But with 45 seconds left, Cruz landed another pair of perhaps point-searching scramble takedowns that sealed the deal on at least one scorecard.
Cruz won a unanimous decision with scores all over the map: 50-45, 49-46 and 48-47. “The dude hits hard. His hands are very fast. They were prepared,” Cruz said after the fight. Faber now has lost four straight title fights – twice to Mike Brown, once to Aldo, and now to Cruz, who avenged his only career loss.
Ortiz (16-8-1, 15-8-1 UFC) had his back against the wall going into the fight with Bader. As reported by MMA Fighting in January, White said another loss from Ortiz, the most successful light heavyweight champion in UFC history, would be his last fight in the promotion. With no wins in nearly five years, since a TKO of Ken Shamrock in October 2006, Ortiz has also battled injuries and surgeries outside the cage, as well as a well-publicized feud with White.
Though he was an underdog of as much as 5-to-1 at some online sportsbooks, Ortiz stunned most of the MMA world when he caught Bader (12-2, 5-2 UFC) with a tight right hand that dropped the Season 8 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Ortiz pounced, landed a few ground-and-pound shots, then locked in an arm-in guillotine that forced Bader to tap for the second straight fight, this time just 1:56 into the first round. Bader lost for the first time in February to Jon Jones, who went on to get a title shot and took the belt from Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in March.
Condit (27-5, 4-1 UFC), the former WEC welterweight champion, won his fourth straight fight and third straight bonus award. His first-round KO of Dan Hardy at UFC 120 was a Knockout of the Night, and his comeback win over Michael MacDonald at UFC 115 was a Fight of the Night winner. Condit and Dong Hyun Kim (14-1-1, 1 NC, 5-1, 1 NC UFC) fought relatively safe and tight for the first couple minutes of Round 1, but Condit then threw a flying knee that landed right on Kim’s chin, knocking him to the mat. Condit quickly swarmed and almost as quickly finished the fight with punches on the ground.
After the fight, Condit said he nearly had to pull out of the fight with an illness two weeks ago, but he believes he’s ready for a welterweight title shot. Current champion Georges St-Pierre defends his title against former Strikeforce welterweight champ Nick Diaz at UFC 137. “What do you think, Joe Silva? Am I ready for a title shot or what? I certainly hope so,” Condit said.
The Knockout of the Night bonus looked to be Rafael dos Anjos’ without much likely competition when it happened to open the Spike TV prelims. He stopped George Sotiropoulos in an upset with a big right haymaker less than a minute into the fight. But then Melvin Guillard got a huge knockout of Shane Roller to keep rolling in the lightweight division. Condit’s win made it three straight KO stoppages when he opened the pay-per-view with his big TKO. And Chris Leben, in the co-main event, knocked out Pride legend Wanderlei Silva just 27 seconds into the fight – the quickest loss of Silva’s lengthy career.
Dominick Cruz avenged his only career loss, going the distance with Urijah Faber and defending his bantamweight title at UFC 132 on Saturday night. The back-and-forth main event, which had scores all over the map from the judges, earned Cruz and Faber $75,000 bonus checks for Fight of the Night.
Tito Ortiz‘s first-round major upset submission of Ryan Bader on Saturday earned him Submission of the Night honors and an additional $75,000, and Carlos Condit also picked up an extra check for his Knockout of the Night win over Dong Hyun Kim to open the pay-per-view.
UFC president Dana White announced the winners and amounts following Saturday’s card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The main event bantamweight title fight between champion Cruz and former featherweight champ Faber lived up to its billing. That was a major feat considering the amount of animosity between the two fighters, who have had bad blood since their first fight, a WEC featherweight title fight in March 2007 that saw Faber defend his 145-pound title – and hand Cruz the only loss of his career heading into Saturday night.
The referee checks on Wanderlei Silva after his knockout loss to Chris Leben at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
UFC 132 Photos
Urijah Faber knees Dominick Cruz in their UFC bantamweight championship bout at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Faber (25-5, 1-1 UFC), who dropped down from featherweight to bantamweight after losing a WEC title shot against Jose Aldo in April 2010, went the distance with the champ, knocking him down several times and finding some success counter-punching in close as the unorthodox Cruz (18-1, 1-0 UFC) backed out from tight exchanges.
After four back-and-forth rounds that could have been scored for either fighter, Cruz came out more aggressive in the fifth, trying a flying knee and shooting for a takedown. After landing a knee, Faber briefly had a guillotine that he couldn’t fully sink in. A pair of Cruz takedowns, though, likely earned some points with the judges – though Faber was up quickly after each. But with 45 seconds left, Cruz landed another pair of perhaps point-searching scramble takedowns that sealed the deal on at least one scorecard.
Cruz won a unanimous decision with scores all over the map: 50-45, 49-46 and 48-47. “The dude hits hard. His hands are very fast. They were prepared,” Cruz said after the fight. Faber now has lost four straight title fights – twice to Mike Brown, once to Aldo, and now to Cruz, who avenged his only career loss.
Ortiz (16-8-1, 15-8-1 UFC) had his back against the wall going into the fight with Bader. As reported by MMA Fighting in January, White said another loss from Ortiz, the most successful light heavyweight champion in UFC history, would be his last fight in the promotion. With no wins in nearly five years, since a TKO of Ken Shamrock in October 2006, Ortiz has also battled injuries and surgeries outside the cage, as well as a well-publicized feud with White.
Though he was an underdog of as much as 5-to-1 at some online sportsbooks, Ortiz stunned most of the MMA world when he caught Bader (12-2, 5-2 UFC) with a tight right hand that dropped the Season 8 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Ortiz pounced, landed a few ground-and-pound shots, then locked in an arm-in guillotine that forced Bader to tap for the second straight fight, this time just 1:56 into the first round. Bader lost for the first time in February to Jon Jones, who went on to get a title shot and took the belt from Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in March.
Condit (27-5, 4-1 UFC), the former WEC welterweight champion, won his fourth straight fight and third straight bonus award. His first-round KO of Dan Hardy at UFC 120 was a Knockout of the Night, and his comeback win over Michael MacDonald at UFC 115 was a Fight of the Night winner. Condit and Dong Hyun Kim (14-1-1, 1 NC, 5-1, 1 NC UFC) fought relatively safe and tight for the first couple minutes of Round 1, but Condit then threw a flying knee that landed right on Kim’s chin, knocking him to the mat. Condit quickly swarmed and almost as quickly finished the fight with punches on the ground.
After the fight, Condit said he nearly had to pull out of the fight with an illness two weeks ago, but he believes he’s ready for a welterweight title shot. Current champion Georges St-Pierre defends his title against former Strikeforce welterweight champ Nick Diaz at UFC 137. “What do you think, Joe Silva? Am I ready for a title shot or what? I certainly hope so,” Condit said.
The Knockout of the Night bonus looked to be Rafael dos Anjos’ without much likely competition when it happened to open the Spike TV prelims. He stopped George Sotiropoulos in an upset with a big right haymaker less than a minute into the fight. But then Melvin Guillard got a huge knockout of Shane Roller to keep rolling in the lightweight division. Condit’s win made it three straight KO stoppages when he opened the pay-per-view with his big TKO. And Chris Leben, in the co-main event, knocked out Pride legend Wanderlei Silva just 27 seconds into the fight – the quickest loss of Silva’s lengthy career.
Chris “The Crippler” Leben has just spoiled Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva’s return to the Octagon in a big way.
