Tag: Yoel Romero

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)

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, 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)

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.

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)

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…


(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.

UFC Fight for the Troops 3 — Main Card Results & Commentary


(That’s the easy, confident smile of a guy who knows he could probably call in a drone strike if things aren’t going his way. / Photo via Facebook.com/MMAFighting)

For one night only, it’s okay to be a flag-wavin’ jackass. That’s right kids, it’s Fight for the Troops time again, and the UFC is in Fort Campbell with a card full of “us vs. them” matchups. On the menu for tonight: Army Special Forces Operator Tim Kennedy faces tennis legend Brazilian guy Rafael Natal, former Marine Liz Carmouche takes on Canadian BJJ black belt Alexis Davis, and Army Staff Sgt. Colton Smith puts the boots to a filthy, bearded hippie. Plus: A Cuban and a Russian, just to keep those boos comin’. Should be fun.

Handling play-by-play for the Fox Sports 1 main card will be our own Matt Kaplan, who will be sticking live 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 please shoot your own thoughts into the comments section. #murica


(That’s the easy, confident smile of a guy who knows he could probably call in a drone strike if things aren’t going his way. / Photo via Facebook.com/MMAFighting)

For one night only, it’s okay to be a flag-wavin’ jackass. That’s right kids, it’s Fight for the Troops time again, and the UFC is in Fort Campbell with a card full of “us vs. them” matchups. On the menu for tonight: Army Special Forces Operator Tim Kennedy faces tennis legend Brazilian guy Rafael Natal, former Marine Liz Carmouche takes on Canadian BJJ black belt Alexis Davis, and Army Staff Sgt. Colton Smith puts the boots to a filthy, bearded hippie. Plus: A Cuban and a Russian, just to keep those boos comin’. Should be fun.

Handling play-by-play for the Fox Sports 1 main card will be our own Matt Kaplan, who will be sticking live 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 please shoot your own thoughts into the comments section. #murica

PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS
– Bobby Green def. James Krause via TKO, 3:30 of round 1 (weird finish)
– Francisco Rivera def. George Roop via TKO, 2:40 of round 2
– Dennis Bermudez def. Steven Siler via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Amanda Nunes def. Germaine de Randamie via TKO, 3:36 of round 1
– Lorenz Larkin def. Chris Camozzi via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)
– Yancy Medeiros def. Yves Edwards via KO, 2:47 of round 1
– Seth Baczynski def. Neil Magny via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Derek Brunson def. Brian Houston via submission (rear-naked choke), 0:48 of round 1

My brother, currently a U.S. Army Ranger captain stationed in Savannah, GA, used to be at Ft. Campbell with the 101st, so I’ve been anxious to cover this event (and Tim Kennedy, of course). And here we are.

Colton Smith vs Michael Chiesa

Rd. 1: Both men paw tentatively, and Smith opens with an easy roundhouse kick that grazes. Smith kicks higher now. Chiesa kicks, and Smith smiles at him. Chiesa charges in with a punch, and they clinch. Smith gets the takedown, and Chiesa turns towards Smith. Sweep, back control, and body triangle for Chiesa as he goes for the neck. Smith pries Chiesa’s hands away for now, escapes, and takes Chiesa’s back. Chiesa is up, but Smith is all over him. Smith looks to sink in the RNC as Chiesa tries to slam Smith off of him by dropping to the mat. Chiesa is out of the choke for now, but seemed to have taken a lot from Chiesa. Smith still has back control. Chiesa escapes and gets to his feet just seconds before the bell.

Rd 2: Early clinch and Smith has Chiesa against the cage. Smith lands some knees. Chiesa is off the cage and lands some long punches. Again Smith has Chiesa against the cage. Chiesa gets the takedown, takes Smith’s back, and chokes him out. That was an emphatic slam for a takedown, and the finish came seconds later. Looks like Smith was knocked silly by the takedown. Yup; they just replayed it. Chiesa hip tossed Smith onto his head. Nice win for Michael “Maverick” Chiesa.

Winner: Michael Chiesa via submission (rear-naked choke), 1:41 of round 2

 Jorge Masvidal vs. Rustam Khabilov

Rd 1: Early jab, faked shot, and beefy overhand right from Khabilov. That was heavy. Masvidal is starting slowly, but throwing hard. Both men look poised. Khabilov keeps changing levels, which seems to be keepi ng Masvidal from opening up. Khabilov misses a big right hook and bounces around calmly. Masvidal, Joe Rogan points out, might want to go back to some leg kicks. Masvidal presses ahead, clinches, and knees Khabilov. Khabilov grabs a single leg, but Masvidal knees and escapes. Masvidal lands a kick to the body. A Masvidal flying knee ends in a brief scramble. Masvidal is catching kicks and landing leg strikes of his own now. Khabilov catches a Masvidal kick and lands an overhand right. The round ends with both men clinching on the cage. Good action so far.

Rd 2: Khabilov looks loose, as does Masvidal. Khabilov is committed to the jab and working off of it. Masvidal is kicking now. Another 1-2 from Khabilov. Masvidal knees from the clinch and gets out before Khabilov gets a real hold of him. Nice left from Masvidal. Khabilov is really looking for that big overhand right off the jab. Again they clinch against the face, where Masvidal is hitting with knees. Masvidal drags Khabilov down and throws ‘bows. Khabilov is up now, and they separate. Khabilov charges in for the double, but Masvidal is staying up. Khabilov is having a hard time keeping Masvidal down. 1-2 from Khabilov, and there’s the horn.

Rd 3: Khabilov throws an early kick upstairs, which Masvidal blocks. Both men trade jabs. Stinging straight right from Masvidal.  Spinning back heel kick to the face from Khabilov and Masvidal is down. Khabilov has his back and Masvidal is spinning away. Jeez. They scramble, but Khabilov has back control and looks for the choke. Masvidal hip escapes and seems to have recovered a bit. Wow. They’re back up. Masvidal stuffs a takedown and has Khabilov against the cage. Masvidal tosses Khabilov down, but Khabilov is back up right away.  Masvidal tries the same spinning back kick, but Khabilov smothers it and has back control. Masvidal rolls out and goes for Khabilov’s back.  They’re up against the cage. They scramble. Masvidal shoots, Khabilov pounds at the body, and there’s the horn. Good fight.

Winner: Rustam Khabilov via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)

Ronny Markes vs. Yoel Romero

Rd 1: Nice inside leg kick from Markes early on. Romero flicks a kick after some feeling out. Markes snatches Romero’s lead leg, gets the takedown, but Romero pops up. Romero lands a hard left hand. Romero kicks at the body, slips, but is back up again before Markes can capitalize. Markes is looking to land the right cross, but Romero is moving fluidly. They clinch, and Markes is on top of Romero in side control. Markes lands some leather and wants the kimura on the left arm. Romero escapes, and they’re up. Straight left from Romero, who’s keeping his hands very high. Another left to the chin from Romero. Markes kicks the body. Markes misses a front head kick and stuffs a takedown. Markes front kicks to the body, but Romero blocks.

Rd 2: Romero pumps his right jab, blocks a head kick from Markes, and stuffs a takedown attempt. Romero kicks at the lead leg. Markes answers with an uppercut that misses. Markes hasn’t answered Romero’s left hand, and Romero muscles Markes to the mat. Markes is up and eats another left. Markes misses with both hands, and there’s the Romero left hand, right down the middle. Heavy kick to the body from Romero. Markes is down and Romero stands over him. The ref stands Markes up. Romero changes levels and lands another hard left. Here comes Markes with punches, but Romero ducks away from each strike. Romero fakes a shot and eats a right from Markes right before the round ends.

Rd 3: Markes comes out swinging, misses the takedown, and wants Romero to follow him to the ground. Nope. Romero answers a Markes left hand with a harder left of his own. Nice body kick from Markes. Romero sticks a left hand to the body of Markes. BAM. Romero drops Markes with a left over the top, follows up with a right hammer fist, and that’s it.

Winner: Yoel Romero via TKO, 1:39 of round 3

Liz Carmouche vs. Alexis Davis

Rd 1: All the ladies in the house say, “Ye-ah.” The lefty Carmouche jabs and kicks early, but Davis defends. Davis jabs and avoids a hard right from Carmouche. Carmouche kicks the lead leg and circles away from Davis’s right hand. Carmouche kicks the inside leg, and Davis counters with a 1-2 that Carmouche blocks. Davis licks low and again fires a 1-2. Davis blocks and overhand right from Carmouche. Davis is landing that inside leg kick, and it seems to be taking a toll on Carmouche, who kicks the outside of the lead leg of Davis. Big right from Carmouche. Both ladies kick at one another’s legs now,Davis kicks low, throws a 1-2,  and there’s the horn.

Rd 2: Davis again sets up the 1-2 with the leg kick. Carmouche is kicking low and throwing the right over the top, but Davis is controlling the center of the cage. Hard punch from Carmouche, and Davis is cut. They clinch against the cage, but break subsequently. Davis is bleeding pretty heavily from her left eye brow now. She keeps coming forward though. Carmouche kicks at the body and backs off of the longer Davis. Davis pumps the left jab as Davis pumps the left jab as  kicks low. Again Davis kicks the inside of the lead leg really hard. Carmouche’s right leg is definitely bothering her now. Davis catches a Carmouche kick and throws Carmouche down. Davis is in half guard and dropping the shoulder on Carmouche. Davis keeps side control and knees the body with ten seconds left. Carmouche escapes and gets top position, but the round ends before she can get any offense going.

Rd 3: Davis fires the 1-2 and knocks Carmouche down with a hard, low kick to the lead leg. They clinch against the cage; knees from Davis to the body and thighs. Carmouche lands a knee of her own, but Davis has double underhooks. The ref breaks them up and they go back to the center of the cage. Another 1-2 from the bloodied Davis. Carmouche is circling away pretty well, but there go two more hard kicks from Davis. Davis again has Carmouche on the fence and lands an elbow from close quarters. Both women swing and miss in the center of the octagon. Davis is getting her strikes off first, and Carmouche is flat-footed now.  Davis keeps kicking and moving ahead. Carmouche lands a short uppercut and a front kick to the body, and that’s the end of the fight.

Winner: Alexis Davis via unanimous decision (30 x 27 x 2, 29-28)

Tim Kennedy vs. Rafael Natal

Rd 1: Kennedy catches a kick from Natal and fires an overhand right. Natal kicks again. And again. Once more. Natal ducks a right hand and lands a jab to Kennedy. Natal pumps the jab, and Kennedy answers with a high kick. A left hand from Natal sneaks through. Natal kicks low, Kennedy high. Natal ducks a right hook and gets a quick takedown, but Kennedy pops up. Natal drops Kennedy with a hard leg kick. Kennedy lands a kick of his own. Kennedy’s left leg is red now. Huge body kick from Kennedy. Kennedy kicks high and misses with the right. Natal kicks low steps back, and throws a spinning back fist. Natal has been switching stances, and Kennedy is staying patient. A monster left hook catches Natal backing up, and he’s down. Kennedy drops some bombs, and that’s it. Natal is out.

Winner: Tim Kennedy via KO, 4:40 of round 1

‘Murica.

I’m out.  – Mk

Ranking the Newest Additions to the UFC ‘Fight for the Troops 3? Card, By My Interest Level


(This photo of Ronny Markes was included to show Paulo Filho in happier times, and the shorts he bought at the Walmart across the street from this event when he realized he left his gym bag at home.)

Over the past twenty-four hours, ‘Fight for the Troops 3’ has seen several bouts added to a card that will be headlined by the middleweight debut of Lyoto Machida. Some of these fights are worth getting excited about (such as the Jorge Masvidal vs. Rustam Khabilov bout), while others, well, the Facebook preliminary card needs something, I guess. The following bouts are also set for the event, loosely arranged in order of how interesting they are on paper.

Nik Lentz vs. Dennis Bermudez – Lentz has been on a tear since dropping to featherweight, having won all three of his fights in the weight class. I guess I should also point out that he’s currently the #8 ranked featherweight in the UFC, in case it matters to anyone reading this. Bermudez, meanwhile, has won four in a row since being armbarred by Diego Brandao during the TUF 14 Finale – including a Fight of the Year candidate and a Submission of the Night earner at UFC 150.


(This photo of Ronny Markes was included to show Paulo Filho in happier times, and the shorts he bought at the Walmart across the street from this event when he realized he left his gym bag at home.)

Over the past twenty-four hours, ‘Fight for the Troops 3′ has seen several bouts added to a card that will be headlined by the middleweight debut of Lyoto Machida. Some of these fights are worth getting excited about (such as the Jorge Masvidal vs. Rustam Khabilov bout), while others, well, the Facebook preliminary card needs something, I guess. The following bouts are also set for the event, loosely arranged in order of how interesting they are on paper.

Nik Lentz vs. Dennis Bermudez – Lentz has been on a tear since dropping to featherweight, having won all three of his fights in the weight class. I guess I should also point out that he’s currently the #8 ranked featherweight in the UFC, in case it matters to anyone reading this. Bermudez, meanwhile, has won four in a row since being armbarred by Diego Brandao during the TUF 14 Finale – including a Fight of the Year candidate and a Submission of the Night earner at UFC 150.

George Roop vs. Francisco Rivera – This bout was originally scheduled for UFC 166, but was moved to this card to make room for Sarah Kaufman vs. Jessica Eye. Some fun facts about this fight: George Roop will be entering a fight riding back-to-back victories for the first time since 2008 for this one, and if Rivera didn’t piss hot after UFC 149, he’d be riding a five fight winning streak. It’s never a smart idea to bet money on a George Roop fight, but I think we’re in for a fun scrap.

Ronny Markes vs. Yoel Romero – Former Olympic wrestler Yoel Romero will look to follow up his devastating UFC debut with an impressive performance against a fighter who is 3-0 in the UFC and hasn’t lost since 2010. Sign me up.

Chris Camozzi vs. Lorenz Larkin – Yeah, I know, both guys are coming off losses. But before accepting a fight against Jacare on short notice, Camozzi was riding a four fight win streak that included victories over at least three guys you’ve heard of. Likewise, you can make the argument that Lorenz Larkin should still be undefeated; his loss against Francis Carmont this past April was debatable, to say the least. It’ll make for a decent midcard fight.

Neil Magny vs. Seth Baczynski – It’s win or go home for both fighters. That should at least provide a dramatic finish to a fight I otherwise wouldn’t be able to care less about.

Colton Smith vs. Michael Chiesa – The two TUF champions you don’t remember (HINT: They won the seasons you didn’t even pretend to watch.) will square off in a bout that you won’t care about for the honor of fighting more bottom-shelf lightweights.

‘Fight for the Troops 3′ will go down on November 6, 2013 in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

@SethFalvo

In Case You Missed It: Yoel Romero Opens UFC on FOX 7 With a Flying Knee KO Over Clifford Starks

(Video courtesy of vk.com. Check it out before it gets taken down.) 

Heading into last Saturday’s card-opening fight with Clifford Starks at UFC on FOX 7, former Olympic wrestler Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero wasn’t exactly held in high regards by the few MMA fans who actually knew who he was. Despite starting his career with four straight (T)KO’s, Romero’s first and only “mainstream” appearance could not have possibly gone worse. Matched up against former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion (and enemy of the State of California) Rafael Cavalcante at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov, the fight saw Romero fiercely evade yet simultaneously taunt his opponent until he was rightfully knocked the fudge out with 9 seconds left in the second round.

Needless to say, Romero was in need of a strong performance last Saturday if he was hoping to redeem himself amongst casual fans, or in most cases, make a solid first impression. Luckily for everyone but Clifford Starks, Romero did just that, landing a beautifully timed flying knee a minute and a half into the opening round that had Starks backpedaling for the nearest exit. A few follow up punches sealed the deal and a $50,000 KOTN bonus for Romero. Not a bad way to kick off your UFC career, but if you ask us, having the last name Romero without some sort of zombie pun for your nickname is downright criminal.

On the off chance you missed Romero and Starks’ Facebook fracas, we’ve managed to find a full video of the fight and have placed it above for your convenience. So check it out before it gets taken down.

–J. Jones


(Video courtesy of vk.com. Check it out before it gets taken down.) 

Heading into last Saturday’s card-opening fight with Clifford Starks at UFC on FOX 7, former Olympic wrestler Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero wasn’t exactly held in high regards by the few MMA fans who actually knew who he was. Despite starting his career with four straight (T)KO’s, Romero’s first and only “mainstream” appearance could not have possibly gone worse. Matched up against former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion (and enemy of the State of California) Rafael Cavalcante at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov, the fight saw Romero fiercely evade yet simultaneously taunt his opponent until he was rightfully knocked the fudge out with 9 seconds left in the second round.

Needless to say, Romero was in need of a strong performance last Saturday if he was hoping to redeem himself amongst casual fans, or in most cases, make a solid first impression. Luckily for everyone but Clifford Starks, Romero did just that, landing a beautifully timed flying knee a minute and a half into the opening round that had Starks backpedaling for the nearest exit. A few follow up punches sealed the deal and a $50,000 KOTN bonus for Romero. Not a bad way to kick off your UFC career, but if you ask us, having the last name Romero without some sort of zombie pun for your nickname is downright criminal.

On the off chance you missed Romero and Starks’ Facebook fracas, we’ve managed to find a full video of the fight and have placed it above for your convenience. So check it out before it gets taken down.

–J. Jones