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UFC on FOX 11: Werdum Batters Browne, Will Meet Velasquez in Mexico

(Fabricio Werdum: Nice guy before the fight, total son-of-a-bitch during the fight. / Photo by Esther Lin for MMAFighting)

UFC on FOX 11 is underway at the Amway Center in Orlando, headlined by a heavyweight bout between crafty Brazilian veteran Fabricio Werdum and bearded knockout machine Travis Browne. (Winner gets a free trip to Mexico!) Plus: Donald Cerrone vs. Edson Barboza in a guaranteed barnburner at lightweight, and a compelling middeweight matchup between the streaking Brad Tavares and cannonball-like Cuban wrestler Yoel Romero. It’s stacked, free, and arranged for maximum entertainment value.*

After a long hiatus, liveblogger-supreme Anthony Gannon has returned to handle round-by-round results for the FOX main card of “Werdum vs. Browne,” which you can find after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest updates, and shoot us your thoughts in the comments section or on twitter @cagepotatomma.

* Except for the Miesha Tate vs. Liz Carmouche fight, which could be decent, I guess, but I still don’t see how it made the main card lineup over Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Rafael Dos Anjos. I mean, come on. Seriously? The ladies have a collective UFC record of 1-4. Meanwhile, Dos Anjos has won five straight, and Nurmy is 21-0 overall, not including unsanctioned youth fights against half-sedated bear cubs.

(Fabricio Werdum: Nice guy before the fight, total son-of-a-bitch during the fight. / Photo by Esther Lin for MMAFighting)

Matt Saccaro has returned to handle round-by-round results for the FOX main card of “Werdum vs. Browne,” which you can find after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest updates, and shoot us your thoughts in the comments section or on twitter @cagepotatomma.

UFC on FOX 11 Preliminary Card Results:
– Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Rafael dos Anjos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
– Thiago Alves def. Seth Baczynski via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
– Jorge Masvidal def. Pat Healy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
– Alex White def. Estevan Payan via TKO (punches)
– Caio Magalhaes def. Luke Zachrich via TKO (punches), 0:44 of round 1
– Jordan Mein def, Hernani Perpetuo via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
– Dustin Ortiz def. Ray Borg via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
– Mirsad Bektic def. Chas Skelly via majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)
– Derrick Lewis def. Jack May via TKO (punches), 4:24 of round 1

Brad Tavares vs. Yoel Romero

Round 1: Tavares opens with a 1-2. The right hand connected. He misses two round kicks. Tavares attempts a hook and Romero ducks under. Both throw round kicks and collide legs. Romero feints a shot and misses a right hand. Romero throws the most inaccurate flying knee but follows it up with a huge flurry of punches which stun Tavares. Romero takes him down off the striking success. Tavares manages to get back to his feet though, but both guys are clinched. From the clinch, Romero hits a gorgeous throw and lands on top of Tavares in side control. Taveres gets up after a minute but Romero gets his back, and rides it for several minutes, all the while peppering Tavares’ thighs with knees. The two separate with a minute to go, and Taveres lands a good knee. Romero gets a late takedown. Tavares attempts a reversal and Romero tried to counter with a kimura, which amounted to nothing.

Round 2: Romero lands a takedown as soon as the round starts. Taveres powers out of the bottom in side control though. When the two return to their feet, Tavares lands a head kick and a right hand. Romero might be gassed here. Romero landed an elbow that opened a massive cut on Tavares’ temple. He’s pouring blood now. Thankfully, it’s on the side of his head and isn’t obscuring his vision. More inactivity. Romero throws another embarrassing flying knee. He clinches and goes for a double leg while he has Tavares against the cage. Tavares blocks the takedown and then attempts one of his own, which fails. They’re back on their feet, Romero tries a single leg but abandons it. They reset. Tavares rushes in and eats a right hand. They clinch again. 30 seconds to go in the round and lots of stalling against the cage. And the round is over.

Round 3: Tavares throws a right. Romero blocks it. Romero has some pretty severe butt sweat going on (or he crapped himself again). The two clinch briefly but separate and reset after less than a minute. The pace has slowed significantly. A few spurts of ineffective striking litter the rest of the round; not a whole lot to report. With 20 seconds left, Romero hits a beautiful throw. He’ll likely get the decision win.

Yoel Romero def. Brad Tavares via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Donald Cerrone vs. Edson Barboza

Round 1:

Barboza lands a right hand and a hurt Cerrone attempts a takedown. Barboza manages to separate and throws a massive left hook that missed. Barboza throws another huge right hand and misses by a hair. Cerrone throws a jab and eats a counter right. Barboza lands a leg kick. Barboza lands a good combo, ending with a left hook. He tries another leg kick but misses. Cerrone counters with his own, and then another. Barboza hits Cerrone with some big punches–a right hand, a hook, and then barely misses the uppercut. He throws a spinning back kick to Cerrone’s body but it doesn’t connect. Cerrone tries a head kick but it gets blocked. Barboza hits a stuff hook to the body and a leg kick. Cerrone hits Barboza with a jab that floors him. He takes his back and sinks in a rear naked choke, getting the tap. The fight was over that quick. Kind of a bummer.

Donald Cerrone def. Edson Barboza via submission (rear naked choke), 3:16 of round 1.

Miesha Tate vs. Liz Carmouche

Round 1:

Carmouche misses a leg kick. Tate paws a jab. Carmouche lands a leg kick, and then a front kick. Tate counters another leg kick with an overhand right. Tate inches forwards with a knee and Carmouche clinches. She gets Tate’s legs and pulls her to the mat. Tate looks frustrated as Carmouche just sits on her legs, preventing her from wall-walking. Tate half-asses a guillotine but nothing comes of it. Not a whole lot of action here. Tate gets to her feet but Carmouche takes the back while standing. She lands a few knees to the thighs. Carmouche lands another double-leg and now they’re back in the exact same position as they were earlier. They return to their feet sooner now, but Carmouche stays on her back. This isn’t terribly exciting. Tate tries escaping with elbows to the forearm, then tries a kimura but gets thrown on her ass. A poor first round for her.

Round 2:

Tate hits a right hand, Carmouche lands a counter hook. Carmouche grabs a body lock on Tate and presses her against the fence. The rest of the round will probably stay here…and they do for the next few minutes. This round is looking like a clone of the first. Carmouche controlling Tate with wrestling, tying her legs up while she tries to wall walk. Some action emerges when Carmouche gets a little lazy and doesn’t guard her neck. Tate went for a guillotine. Rogan screamed “IT’S TIGHT” but Carmouche escaped and they literally reset to the position they were in for most of the round. Not terribly entertaining and not a good fight for Fox.

Round 3:

Tate comes out way more aggressive, landing several punches and scoring a takedown. She’s in side control, but Carmouche gets back to half guard without much of an issue. Tate gets Carmouche’s back as she attempts to escape. A rear naked choke attempt meets with failure. She tries a neck crank which also comes up short. Tate is landing some light ground and pound now. She starts to pour on ground and pound, Carmouche tries to stand but Tate flattens her out. Looks like she’s got the choke sunk in DEEP now, but by some miracle of toughness, Carmouche escapes. Fucking incredible. Tate goes for an arm, but abandons it and instead goes to side control. She gets up to her feet to land some ground and pound and the fight ends. Tate was given a decision win.

Miesha Tate def. Liz Carmouche via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Travis Browne vs. Fabricio Werdum

Round 1:

Werdum lands a hook while Browne lands a leg kick. Browne throws a really big leg kick but misses bad. Browne grabs Werdum in a Muay Thai clinch and lands some nasty knees to the body. Browne nails Werdum with an overhand right that hurt him. Browne floors him with a right hand and is now landing loads of ground and pound. Werdum regains composure and sweeps Browne. He’s on top of him in half guard now. He briefly passes but Browne just shrugs him off and rises to his feet. The striking has slowed down a bit now, but it’s still plenty powerful. Each guy is just throwing one shot. Werdum lands a nice body kick. He rushes forwards and hits a hook to the body. Then he hits a 1-2 and atwo leg kicks. Browne grabs the second one but doesn’t capitalize on it. Browne hits a crazy back hook kick to the face but Werdum stays tall and lands some counter punches. They reset and Werdum hits a big upper cut that snaps Browne’s head back, then hits a spinning back kick to teh body. Werdum comes forwards and lands some a left, a right, and another left that has Browne stunned as the round ends.

Round 2:

Werdum throws a body kick but it hits the nuts, Browne elects to continue without the 5 minute recovery period. Werdum appears to be the fresher fighter. He’s landing leg kicks and body kicks. Then he lands an uppercut. He lands a takedown on Browne and is on his back but only has one hook in. Browne escape but is now on bottom in half guard. Werdum is putting loads of shoulder pressure on Browne as he attempts to pass, which he does. Browne has no answer for Werdum’s side control right now. Werdum is landing some light ground and pound. He’s targeting Browne’s arm now, he went for the Kimura but Browne escaped to his feet. Browne is exhausted, as indicated by some really lazy strikes; he’s super-wobbly and breathing heavy. Werdum nails a stiff jab with about 30 seconds left. Browne lands a hook, then a cross. Werdum misses a back kick but then clinches and hitsa knee to the body as the round ends.

Round 3:

Browne breathing very heavy. Werdum unleashes a nice combo on Browne that hurt him. Browne tries to rush forward but misses horribly. Werdum works his jab; he has much more energy in his strikes. Browne misses big with a right hand. Werdum lands a spinning back fist and then rushes forwards with some wild punches. He lands a 1-2 which Browne has no answer for. Werdum butt-scoots but then does a crazy jump thing back to his feet. This is too awesome. After that stunt he hits Browne with a round kick to the body and a flurry of punches. Browne rushes forwards after that, throwing wildly but connecting. Werdum Thai clinches but separates, and now starts landing loads of body punches followed up by a knee to the head. Werdum is pulling away by miles. He hits another knee. Werdum scores with another spinning back fist. Browne has absolutely nothing left in the tank at this point. Werdum hits another knee to the head and a left hand. He lands another kick to the body. This fight is very one-sided at this point. With ten seconds left Werdum lands an UNREAL combo–leg kick, hook to the head, and head kick all in a split second. Holy crap.

Round 4:

A double jab from Werdum snaps Browne’s head back. He’s pouring on leg kicks now too. Browne throws a labored jab that misses by a mile. Werdum counters with his own that land. After a lull that lasted a few minutes, Werdum comes forward with a double jab and a left hook that all find homes on Browne’s head. Browne lands a right hand and a kick to the balls. There’s a brief pause in the action. Werdum tries for a single leg but Browne pulls out of it. Werdum landed some follow-up punches off the failed single leg. A 1-2 from Werdum lands cleanly on Browne’s face. Browne keeps spamming right hands and head kicks which all don’t even come close to landing. The round ends without much else happening.

Round 5:

Werdum takes Browne down but he springs back to his feet immediately. Browne throws two front kicks. Werdum lands a millionth right hand; his striking is just so much more accurate and energetic. Werdum attempts another takedown but Browne manages to stuff this one. The fight is slowing down, but Werdum is landing intermittent jabs and crosses without much resistance from Browne. He lands a great body kick too. A double-jab, right hand combo lands huge for Werdum. Wow. Less than a minute now, and Browne has nothing while Werdum is zipping around like it’s still round 1. Incredible performance from Werdum, but Browne goes ape-shit with the last ten seconds and lands some nice strikes–an uppercut, a knee, and some others. Still, it’s too little, too late.

Fabricio Werdum def. Travis Browne via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 50-45)

That’s the event, Potato Nation. It was fun! Carmouche-Tate wasn’t terribly exciting for the first two rounds, but overall the event was definitely solid.

Khabib Nurmagomedov Finally Gets an Opponent to Say ‘Yes’, Will Face Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC on FOX 11

(The first guy to show any form of emotion has to buy dinner. / Props: Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Instagram)

It’s funny how life works out sometimes. You accept a fight against “the Russian,” thinking you’ve been offered a match against the UFC’s undefeated Dagestani phenom, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Instead, you find out you’ll actually be facing Rustam Khabilov, a still-dangerous but slightly-less-established Russian. Disappointment washes over you. But then, Khabilov suffers an undisclosed injury and you get to fight the Russian you thought you were going to fight in he first place. Hollywood couldn’t write it any better.

That inspirational story has just played out in the life of Rafael Dos Anjos, who was originally slated to fight Khabilov at UFC 170, and will now be fighting Nurmagomedov at the increasingly-stacked UFC on FOX 11: Werdum vs. Browne (April 19, Orlando). UFC officials confirmed the booking yesterday. Dos Anjos has won his last five fights, most recently a unanimous decision win against Donald Cerrone in August. Nurmagomedov has won his last 21 (!) fights, and has been inactive since September as other top UFC lightweights tried to justify why they weren’t fighting him. Dos Anjos may not have been on Nurmagomedov’s 2014 to-do list, but in the absence of any other options, this is a pretty solid matchup.

In addition to the heavyweight headliner, Miesha Tate vs. Liz Carmouche, and Donald Cerrone vs. Edson Barboza, UFC on FOX 11 will also feature a middleweight battle between the streaking Brad Tavares and Cuban knockout machine Yoel Romero, and a lightweight meeting between Pat Healy (aka, the last guy Nurmagomedov beat) and Jorge Masvidal (aka, the last guy Khabilov beat). If you’ve got predictions, fire away.

(The first guy to show any form of emotion has to buy dinner. / Props: Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Instagram)

On This Day in MMA History: Tim Sylvia Shits His Way Into Our Hearts (and Permanent LOLBanks) at Fight Night 3

Not taking anything away from Assuerio, he’s a tough dude, obviously. I hit him a couple of times and couldn’t finish him. I was really sick for the fight. I got really sick Saturday and had problems holding my innards. When I was warming up, I had a few problems, and I actually had a few problems in the ring when I was fighting.

I don’t know what it was. It got really cold when we were outside working out and stuff, going back and forth from the room. I caught something, and I just couldn’t hold in my number twos… If you look at the fight you’ll see that when my shorts came down, you’ll see the wet mark in my underwear.

That’s former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia, discussing the infamous night in which he shat himself during his main event bout with Assuerio Silva at Fight Night 3 on January 16, 2006 — eight years ago today. It was an incident that has become the subject of a joke or two over the years here at CagePotato, and one that has also become all the more relevant in light of last night’s Fight Night 35, wherein Yoel Romero allegedly suffered a similar intestinal malfunction during his fight with Derek Brunson (although Romero will tell you that the much-speculated stain on his shorts was the result of water and sweat). 30rockeyeroll.gif

Of course, Fatty Boom-Boom wasn’t the first fighter to suffer a case of the squirts (no, not that kind) in an MMA fight. Hell, he wasn’t even the first to admit to committing the act in the UFC. That honor goes to Kevin Randleman, who admitted to having violent bouts of diarrhea prior to his UFC 35 bout with Renato “Babalu” Sobral. In his first and only professional fight, Kyle Wethey was kneed so hard by opponent David Mitchell that he similarly lost control of his bowels, resulting in what I can only assume is the most hilarious and disgusting DQ loss of all time. Did I mention that Wethey hasn’t fought since? Because he hasn’t fought since.

But what set Sylvia’s poop apart from the rest of the poops committed in the octagon was one simple fact: Sylvia’s poop was caught on national television, making it the first (confirmed) cable TV poop in MMA history, as Fightlinker pointed out. This was the poop heard (seen) around the world, and was arguably the most memorable moment of Sylvia’s reign. His title defenses against Jeff Monson and Andrei Arlovski? Completely forgettable exercises in tedium. That time he shit himself in front of millions of people? LEGENDARY.

So it is to you, Timmeh, “The Manie-Iac,” Fatty Boom-Boom, Race Relations Consultant of caucasians worldwide, that we raise our glasses of prune juice to and give toast. For without your brave venture into the unknown, we would never have been given a glimpse into the dark, rancid underbelly of the sport. Hip hip, hooray!

–J. Jones

UFC Fight Night 35 Aftermath: Rockhold TKO’s Philippou With Body-Kick, Dana White Returns Fire on GSP at Post-Fight Press Conference

(Props: FOX Sports)

Erasing the bitter memory of his unsuccessful Octagon debut, Luke Rockhold began building his own UFC highlight-reel last night at UFC Fight Night 35 with a first-round body-kick TKO of Costa Philippou. Rockhold picked up a $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus for the effort. At the post-fight press conference, Rockhold did what every surging middleweight does after a big win — he called out Michael Bisping:

“I’m looking at anyone in the middleweight division to get myself back into (title) position,” Rockhold said. “I already let it be known Bisping’s out there. A lot of people are calling him out, but Bisping went on national TV and told everybody he was the unofficial Strikeforce champion. He calls it a joke and this and that, but I say he’s got bad taste and he needs to pay for it.”

In other bonus news, featherweight Cole Miller won Submission of the Night for his second-round rear-naked choke of Sam Sicilia — which Miller followed up by calling out Donald “Clownboy” Cerrone in the post-fight interview — while middleweights Yoel Romero and Derek Brunson both got $50,000 bumps for FOTN. Highlights from both those matches are embedded at the end of this post.

Romero — who earned his third-consecutive KO/TKO win in the UFC by stopping Brunson with savage ground-and-pound in the third round — claims to have not pooped his pants during the match, despite damning Vine evidence to the contrary. However, Romero can’t deny the dick-punch he landed on Brunson. That was ugly, bro.

In injury news…

(Props: FOX Sports)

In injury news, Derek Brunson was taken to a hospital after the event to reportedly have surgery on a fractured jaw. (I’m surprised he didn’t have a bunch of broken ribs as well, thanks to all those elbows that Romero dropped on him in the finish. By the way, was that a late stoppage or what? Referee Blake Grice should have to chip in for Brunson’s medical bills.) Also, Cole Miller broke his hand and will find out today if he needs surgery.

Despite a losing effort against Elias Silverio, Isaac Vallie-Flagg scored a moral victory during the prelims with this tale-of-the-tape photo:

In semi-related news, Dana White took some time at the “Rockhold vs. Philippou” post-fight press conference to respond to Georges St-Pierre’s recent criticism of the UFC’s drug-testing policies. Unsurprisingly, White called St-Pierre “kooky” and questioned his manhood. Some notable quotes via MMAMania:

“First of all, I don’t know if anybody remembers this but Georges St. Pierre is the one who said that he wanted to do the extra drug testing because he wanted to prove that he wasn’t on drugs. It wasn’t that he thought that Johny Hendricks was on steroids or performance enhancing drugs of any kind; he wanted to do this…[Y]ou see it in boxing all the time. One guy comes out and says ‘I want to do extra drug testing because I’m worried about this guy and I want to see what’s going on.’ They never come to an agreement. This guy says ‘I want to use this one’, this guy says ‘I want to use that one’; the Nevada State Athletic Commission is going to test them, okay?

“Now, a lot of things… I’ve talked about the Nevada State Athletic Commission as far as the refs and the judges; they drug test. Not only did they drug test Josh Barnett for his last fight because Josh Barnett has been busted for performance enhancing drugs before, they also made Travis Browne do it at the same time and the UFC paid for that. We paid for that drug testing. Also, for him to say we’re very lenient on drug testing, when we go out of the country and we regulate ourselves we test everybody on the card, not just the main event, not just the co-main event. You want to talk about being lenient? The fight that I was screaming about, yelling about that it was the greatest fight I’ve ever seen, Mark Hunt vs. Bigfoot Silva, we tested the guys for that fight, we caught Bigfoot Silva, and he got destroyed. Literally, got destroyed for going over the limit.

“He didn’t test positive, what he did was: Vitor Belfort, Bigfoot Silva, any of these other guys that are on TRT we test them throughout their whole camp. He did his last test the week of the fight and his numbers were fine. He took a shot after he got tested. So we tested him again after and his levels were through the roof and he got destroyed. Lost the win money that we gave him, lost the bonus money that we gave him, and obviously he’s not getting an extra bonus. The guy got smashed, and he’s suspended for a year. So if that’s lenient on drugs I guess we’re lenient then. I mean, I don’t even know what to say to it…

“What I heard is Georges St. Pierre is upset about some of the things I said at the press conference and he’s upset that I said that he didn’t win the fight, that I thought Johny Hendricks won the fight. But if that’s the case, call me man-to-man. Let’s talk on the phone, let’s sit down face-to-face. I talked to him after the fight face-to-face (and) he didn’t say any of that to me. So the whole thing is a little weird…

“And then as far as the other thing he said that we’re a monopoly? Viacom is our competitor. They have a $40 billion market cap. $40 billion. I’m never going to see $40 billion for as long as I live. Neither will the UFC, so we’re not a monopoly either.

“So, everything Georges St. Pierre says is a little kooky. That’s the other thing too: I’m here, I’ve been in Atlanta, I’ve been on planes, and doing all this stuff. Lorenzo reached out to him and Lorenzo still hasn’t heard from him yet. If Georges St. Pierre wants to talk like a man he can pick up the phone and call us or come see us face-to-face, but everything that he said is ridiculous.”

Full results from UFC Fight Night 35 are below; click the links for video highlights from each fight.

UFC Fight Night 35 Main Card Results
– Luke Rockhold def. Costa Philippou via TKO, 2:31 of round 1
– Brad Tavares def. Lorez Larkin via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– TJ Dillashaw def. Mike Easton via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Yoel Romero def. Derek Brunson via TKO, 3:23 of round 3
– John Moraga def. Dustin Ortiz via split-decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
– Cole Miller def. Sam Sicilia via submission (rear-naked choke), 1:54 of round 2

Preliminary Card Results:
– Ramsey Nijem def. Justin Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x 2)
– Elias Silverio def. Isaac Vallie-Flagg via unanimous decision (29-27 x 3)*
– Trevor Smith def. Brian Houston via split-decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
– Louis Smolka def. Alptekin Ozkilic via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Vinc Pichel def. Garett Whiteley via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Beneil Dariush def. Charlie Brenneman via submission (rear-naked choke), 1:45 of round 1

* Silverio had a point deducted for an illegal knee.

UFC Fight Night 35: Rockhold vs. Philippou — Main Card Results & Commentary

(Luke and Costa face off in front of the wax replica of Dana White that the UFC has been sending to non-essential events. No offense, guys. At least you’re not on Fight Pass. / Photo via Getty)

Look, what can we tell you about UFC Fight Night 35 that we haven’t already expressed via dog GIFs? Luke Rockhold and Costa Philippou are a pair of highly-regarded middleweights who are trying to avoid a two-fight losing streak. Supporting their main event is a worthwhile list of TUF vets (Brad Tavares, TJ Dillashaw, Cole Miller, Sam Sicilia), a former flyweight title challenger (John Moraga), and a fast-rising knockout artist named Yoel Romero. It’s on cable TV, and early enough to watch while you’re eating your salisbury steak. Take it or leave it.

Handling our liveblog of the “Rockhold vs. Philippou” FOX Sports 1 main card is Matt Kaplan, who will be sticking round-by-round results after the jump beginning at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and if you’re watching along with us, join the conversation in the comments section.

(Luke and Costa face off in front of the wax replica of Dana White that the UFC has been sending to non-essential events. No offense, guys. At least you’re not on Fight Pass. / Photo via Getty)

Preliminary card results:
– Ramsey Nijem def. Justin Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x 2)
– Elias Silverio def. Isaac Vallie-Flagg via unanimous decision (29-27 x 3)*
– Trevor Smith def. Brian Houston via split-decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
– Louis Smolka def. Alptekin Ozkilic via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Vinc Pichel def. Garett Whiteley via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Beneil Dariush def. Charlie Brenneman via submission (rear-naked choke), 1:45 of round 1

* Silverio had a point deducted for an illegal knee.

Just a few minutes of intro stuff we already know, and here comes the first bout of the noche. Fight Night 35 is shaping up to be a Tic Tac-and-a-rubber type of gal: nothing fancy, just right to bidness.

Cole Miller vs. Sam Sicilia

Rd. 1 – Sicilia takes the center of the cage and puts his jab to work a little. The much taller Miller is getting it going after a slow opening minute, but neither man is getting too nasty with it just yet. Sicilia wades in, looking for a hook, but Miller is patient and sidesteps the inside hooks. Miller is testing out the head kick, it seems. Sicilia nails Miller with a tough right hand to the mid-section. Again Miller brings the kick upstairs. Sicilia is throwing his hooks hard now, but Miller is still patient and fighting behind his jab. He’s committed to that head kick, but isn’t throwing it too hard, and Sicilia keeps coming in with wide, hard shots. Decent opening round.

Rd. 2 – Miller opens with a high kick, and Sicilia answers with hooks. Miller employs the front kick. A left hook-right cross combo seems to hurt Sicilia, and you can see the damage under his left eye. Nice body shot from Sicilia. BIG right staggers and drops Sicilia. Miller pounces and slaps on a guillotine from half guard. Oh boy. Now he’s got his back…Sicilia is flattened out on his stomach…rear naked…tappy tap.

Cole Miller wins via Rd. 2 rear naked choke (and then calls out Cowboy Cerrone).

John Moraga vs. Dustin Ortiz

Rd. 1 – Big overhand right from the very energetic Ortiz just 20 seconds in, but Moraga takes it. He shoots on Ortiz…nah. Ortiz shoots now, scrambles behind Moraga, and presses him against the cage. Moraga is throwing short punches and knees from off the fence as Ortiz presses and works for position. Knees from Ortiz now, and there’s the takedown. Ortiz is in Moraga’s guard and dropping punches. Moraga can’t get up, it seems. Moraga is against the cage with Ortiz all over him. Ortiz is in half guard now and stays active from top position. MOraga going for the triangle? Looks like it. Yup. Ortiz is really throwing hard now. Bye bye, triangle attempt. Dominant round for Ortiz.

Rd. 2 – Moraga is kicking early as Ortiz bounces around the center of the cage. Nice leg kick from Moraga. Good short right hand from Moraga. Big ol’ left hook from Moraga staggers Ortiz. That was some power right there. Ortiz recovers, but Moraga has him against the cage now. They’re off the fence. Ortiz slips as Moraga feints, and Moraga is all over him. Ortiz has a hold of his leg, but he’s throwing some hard elbows. Moraga takes Ortiz’s back now. Here we go. Uh-oh, Ortiz escapes and is in side control. They scramble and are back on the feet. A hard right-left combo from Moraga connects. Ortiz shoots and has Moraga’s back with seconds left. Much better round for Moraga.

Rd. 3 – Moraga misses a big overhand right that could have been all she wrote. Moraga stuffs an Ortiz shoot and is the much more poised stand-up fighter so far. Nice right from Ortiz over the top, right on cue. Both men are throwing combos with limited success, and there’s a takedown from Ortiz. Ortiz is moving into half guard and dropping forearms. Moraga wants the kimura but can’t get it. Moraga pops up, tries for Ortiz’s back, but Ortiz reverses and has Moraga on the fence. Knees from Ortiz. Ortiz nails one last takedown. Moraga wants the guillotine, as Ortiz pounds the body. Close fight.

John Moraga wins via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Hey, there’s Ric Flair cageside, looking like death warmed over. Whooo!

Yoel Romero vs. Derek Brunson

Rd. 1- Big early left hand from Brunson. Bigger left and flying knee from Romero. Brunson gets a takedown, but Romero is back up like it aint no thang. Brunson fires a 1-2. Nice left hand to the body from Romero, but GOD DAMN did Brunson just land a monster kick to the ear of the burly Cuban gent. Wow. I’d be dead. Brunson stuffs a takedown and kicks at the lead leg. The head kick misses for Brunson. Romero with the trip takedown, but Brunson gets up and slams down Romero after a busy scramble. The round ends with both guys locked up in the center of the cage.

Rd. 2 – Brunson misses the 1-2, but hits with the right hook. Romero punches the body, but the shot is deflected to the nether regions of Brunson. Time out briefly, and we’re back. Romero is loading up for a big uppercut or hook, but Brunson lands a hard elbow in the meantime. Romero misses with wide, wild shots. Romero connects with the lead left and the right to the body. Brunson nails the takedown and is in half guard with 2 min. left. And now Brunson has the mount. Romero isn’t doing much from the botton but is avoiding any real punishment. Brunson is back in half guard, and they’re up. Romero is throwing for the KO uppercut but misses the mark. Romero misses a few takedowns, and that’s the bell.

Rd. 3 – Brunson circles away as Romero wades in for the close-quarters assault. Brunson’s half-assed takedown is stuffed with one hand. The pace has slowed markedly. Each man flicks a kick at the opponent’s lead leg. Big right from Romero drops Brunson to a knee, but he’s back up. Knee from Brunson now. Romero is loading up that uppercut. Big left from Romero. And another…Brunson is down! Romero is on him. Brunson is down and bloodied, and Romero is elbowing the shit out of his right ribs. That’s it.

Yoel Romero wins via Rd. 3 TKO (elbows).

TJ Dillashaw vs. Mike Easton

Rd. 1 – Easton fires a side kick immediately. Both men are throwing hard and moving forward early on. Dillashaw slips and lands a right. Dillashaw kicks the body. Easton returns the favor and drops Dillashaw for a second. Dillashaw grabs Easton’s knees and had his down against the cage. Easton has Dillashaw in his guard, pushes Dillashaw away with his legs, and is back up to his feet. Dillashaw clinches and takes some knees from Easton. They separate. Dillashaw lands some good short fists as he comes forward. Left uppercut-right cross combo hits for Dillashaw. Nice one. Dillashaw switches to south[paw and lands a knee to the chin. Dillashaw nails Easton with two big rights, and Easton circles away from the power. Good action.

Rd. 2 – Dillashaw is definitely landing the harder, more crisp punches, but Easton isn’t going anywhere. Easton misses the takedown, Dillashaw takes his back, and Easton finds himself fighting off a very aggressive Dillashaw from half guard. Easton’s left eye is cut. Dillashaw pounds away with the left hand. Easton is up, but takes a knee from Dillashaw. Oooh. Easton misses two spinning kicks and is again smothered by Dillashaw. Easton is down on a knee with his back to the fence and with Dillashaw in his half guard once again. Easton is up, but Dillashaw is on his back, looking to get both hooks in. Dillashaw knees Easton’s legs. Easton can’t shake Dillashaw off his back. More knees from Dillashaw. Easton wants the straight elbow, but Dillashaw slips away.

Rd. 3 – Dillashaw connects with a short uppercut in the center of the cage. Easton looks frustrated offensively and eats a right hook from Dillashaw. Big left kick to the body from Dillashaw, who seems to be in complete control of the striking exchanges. Dillashaw connects with a front kick that keeps Easton back. Easton is coming in, looking for something, but Dillashaw lands shots before Easton can make up his mind. Dillashaw is pulling away, it seems. Easton wants to clinch; Dillashaw punches his face, so no more clinch. Dillashaw is landing his combination punches seemingly at will. Easton is throwing punches in isolation, and Dillashaw is kneeing and punching as the bell sounds. Easton was dominated.

TJ Dillashaw wins via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3).

Brad Tavares vs. Lorenz Larkin

Rd. 1 – Tavares opens with an inside leg kick. Tavares connects with a left hook. Larkin ust misses with the Super Man punch, and Tavares counters with the left-right combo. Larkin’s uppercut is just off the mark. Larkin brings a hard kick upstairs that Tavares blocks. Tavares throws a high klick of his own now. Tavares again kicks at the lead leg. Larkin reciprocates with the same kick. Larkin lands a punch combo from close range. Larkin kicks the lead leg, but Tavares counters with a straight punch. Larkin misses a wild kick and Tavares takes his back. Tavares drags him to a knee and has his back. Horn.

Rd. 2 – Again Tavares targets the lead leg with kicks, and he follows up with a left-right. Larkin just misses with the uppercut – looked good, but nothing. Tavares keeps kicking and follows with two punches to the facial. Tavares is keeping it simple and is winning this fight, kids. Larkin misses another uppercut and eats a counter right from Tavares. Tavares works the body, and both men are kicking one another’s lead thighs. Tavares goes for a single, gets the takedown, and has Larkin’s back. Both hooks are in and he wants the RNC. Tavares with the hammer heels to Larkin’s right leg. Larkin escapes and is in Tavares’s guard for the final seconds of the frame.

Rd. 3 – Tavares comes out hot: punching, kicking, charging forward. The Larkin offense has been confined to missed uppercuts and some successful kicks to Tavares’s left thigh, but nothing so far from the right hand. Larkin just landed a pretty good elbow, but Tavares answers with the right hand. Larkin kicks to the body, but Tavares catches the kick and goes for the takedown. Larkin grabs the head for a guillotine, but Tavares sprawls out. Tavares lands a cracking right hand, shoots in on Larkin, and presses him against the fence. Larkin lands some vicious elbows to the ear. Those look horrible. Tavares snatches a single, but Larkin stays up and lands a good uppercut, finally. Tavares again wants the single, but Larkin avoids it. Horn.

Brad Tavares wins via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3).

Costas Philippou vs Luke Rockhold

Rd. 1 – Philippou opens things up with a shot to the body. Rockhold answers with a body kick. Philippou is circling and Rockhold connects with a right hook that drops the Long Islander. Philippou is right up and lands a big right of his own. Rockhold lands a hard kick to the head. Philippou is bleeding but still connects with another right. WHOA! Rockhold threw a left kick to the body, punched upstairs, and then kicked the body again and dropped Philippou. Herb Dean rushed in and waved it off.

Luke Rockhold wins via Rd. 1 TKO (body kick).

That’ll do ‘er.

‘UFC Fight for the Troops 3? Video Highlights: Tim Kennedy Scores a Knockout for America, Rustam Khabilov Tries Some Spinnin’ Sh*t + More

(Kennedy vs. Natal finish, via YouTube.com/FoxSports)

Despite the enthusiastic and supportive Fort Campbell crowd, last night’s Fight for the Troops 3 event began with some bitter defeats for the handful of UFC fighters with military backgrounds. Army Staff Sgt./TUF 16 winner Colton Smith kicked off the main card by tapping to a rear-naked choke from TUF 15 winner Michael Chiesa — which earned Chiesa a $50,000 Submission of the Night bonus — while former Marine Liz Carmouche ate her second UFC defeat in a decision loss to Alexis Davis.

Luckily, Tim Kennedy saved the operation. The Special Forces vet fed off the energy in the room and tagged Rafael Natal with a long left hook that put the Brazilian’s lights out near the end of round 1, and won Kennedy a $50,000 Knockout of the Night bump. As he explained after the fight:

“I had to wait for the crowd to stop cheering because I was afraid to emotionally commit to something and not do it for the right reasons,” he said. “They’re screaming, ‘Ranger up! Ranger up!’ And I want to start throwing overhands and blitz the guy. I was waiting for them to stop, and they didn’t stop. Then they started cheering ‘U-S-A!,’ and ‘Kennedy!,’ and I was like, ‘For the love of God.’

“It had a negative effect on me because I was waiting and apprehensive. If there was any amount of pressure that could be put on a single fighter for a fight, I can’t think of a situation that would be more stressful than this.”

By the way, Kennedy tore his quad in the last week of training camp, but as he told Ariel Helwani later, “There’s no way you’re getting me off this card. They would have had to shoot me. If they had to roll me up with a wheelchair, I would have got in that cage, I didn’t care.”

Check out video of Kennedy’s knockout above, check out full results from the fight card right here, and follow us after the jump for lots more UFC Fight for the Troops 3 video highlights…

(Kennedy vs. Natal finish, via YouTube.com/FoxSports)

Check out video of Kennedy’s knockout above, check out full results from the fight card right here, and follow us after the jump for lots more UFC Fight for the Troops 3 video highlights…

(Tim Kennedy bum-rushes Rogan and Goldie’s event recap in hilarious fashion. And please, Mike, stop trying to make “The Sniper” happen. It’s not happening.)

(Cuban middleweight Yoel Romero’s just-as-nasty KO of Ronny Markes, also from the main card.)

(Rustam Khabilov shows he’s more than just “that suplex guy,” landing a sweet spinning heel kick to Jorge Masvidal’s neck. Somehow Masvidal recovered and fought on, but Khabilov still won the fight by unanimous decision, pushing his UFC record to 3-0. Both men earned $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses for their efforts.)

(Bobby Green’s controversial TKO win over James Krause, and his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.)

(Francisco Rivera’s second-round smash-up of George Roop.)

The UFC hasn’t posted video of Michael Chiesa’s rear-naked choke of Colton Smith, but you can see Zombie Prophet‘s GIF of the finish right here.