UFN 19 - Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City was ready and rocking for the return of the UFC for the first time since the epic UFC 4 tournament rolled into town in December of 1994. That tournament had an epic finish with Royce Gracie narrowly defeating Dan Severn after taking a beating for 15 minutes. This Ultimate Fight night featured three epic fights before the main event.

Nate Diaz def Melvin Guillard via sub (guillotine) R2, 2:13- In the main event, Nate Diaz was able to get back on track with a submission victory over the uber athletic Melvin Guillard. In the first round, Guillard went on the offensive, tagging Diaz in the eye knocking him to the canvas. When he got up, blood streamed from Diaz' eye.

However, in the second round, Guillard got a little too comfortable and found himself stuck in a modified guillotine. Soon after Guillard was tapping.
*Diaz wins Submission of the Night.

Gray Maynard def Roger Huerta via split dec- Huerta looked to utilize his advantage in kickboxing to keep Maynard at bay from long distance. Maynard consistently tried to close the distance and tag Huerta with a big punch.

In the third round, Maynard finally got the fight to the mat and locked in a kimura. It seemed as if Huerta's shoulder was going to be ripped off, but somehow he managed to roll out of it. Huerta's heart will never be questioned. I scored the fight 29-28 Maynard, the judges scored it 30-27 twice for Maynard, once 29-28 Huerta.

Carlos Condit def Jake Ellenberger via split dec- Ellenberger didn't get the memo that he was supposed to be a big time underdog. In the first round he worked over Condit with big punches, causing Condit to go into the fetal position on numerous occasions. The ref did a good job letting the action go.

In the second and third rounds, Condit seemed to get better positions on the ground, get mount, and almost get submissions. But, Ellenberger always seemed to escape. I scored the fight a 28-28 draw, while the judges scored it 29-28 twice for Condit, once 29-28 Ellenberger.

Nate Quarry def Tim Credeur via unanimous dec- This fight was an all-out battle and definitely a contender for fight of the year. In the first round, Credeur looked to be landing more effective combinations, kicks and jabs. Near the end of the round, Credeur send Quarry to the canvas and followed him to the ground, nearly getting a fight ending rear naked choke.

In the second and third, Quarry was able to land big right hands, knocking Credeur to the canvas. From there, Quarry unleashed some good ground and pound, with Creduer countering with submission attempts and striking from his back. The crowd was screaming throughout, as both fighters threw punches back and forth.
*Quarry and Credeur win Fight of the Night Bonus.

(Nate Quarry pictured)

UNDERCARD

Brian Stann def Steve Cantwell via unanimous dec
Mike Pyle def Chris Wilson via sub (guillotine) R3, 2:15
C.B. Dollaway def Jay Silva via unanimous dec
Mike Pierce def Brock Larson via unanimous dec
Ryan Jensen def Steve Steinbeiss via sub (guillotine) R1, 3:56
Jeremy Stephens def Justin Buchholz via TKO (Cut) R1, 3:23
*Stephens wins KO of the Night

UFC: Fight For Troops Results

The Fight For the Troops card ended out to be one of the best shows in recent memory. It also was one of the most brutal, as the injury list for this card will end up being long and plentiful. The fights themselves were exciting. There was an abundance of star power giving support to the Intrepid Fallen Hero's fund. Some were Jack Black, Charlie Sheen, Lauren Prepon and Everlast.

Josh Koscheck def. Yoshiyuki Yoshida via KO (punch) R1, 2:15- Koscheck and Yoshida briefly circled before Koscheck threw a massive right hand. The punch connected and Yoshida was knocked out standing. Koscheck followed up the punch and Yoshida collapsed violently to the canvas before the ref stopped it. The brutal KO won the knockout of the night award.

Mike Swick def. Jonathan Goulet via TKO (strikes) R1, 0:33- This fight didn't last long as Swick threw a quick combination that landed. While stunned, Goulet went for a single leg. Unfortunately for Goulet, Swick unleased a fury of punches before Goulet was out cold and the ref jumped in.

Steve Cantwell def. Razak Al-Hassan via technical sub (armbar) R1, 4:04- Razak Al-Hassan pressed the action from the start of the bout, throwing body kicks and punches. Al-Hassan was dropping his hands after the strikes however, and Cantwell answered with a high kick which dropped Al-Hassan. After some time on the ground, Cantwell secured an arm-bar. Al-Hassan didn't tap and tried to roll out of it. Unfortunately, it was too deep and Cantwell wrenched it until the ref stepped in. The arm was likely broke and a tendon damaged. I'll try to update you on his condition.

Tim Credeur def. Nate Loughran via TKO (injury) R2, 5:00- Tim Credeur dominated the stand-up in route to winning his second straight fight inside the UFC. Credeur has an awkward stance that makes it difficult for opponents to time. Credeur also looked good when the fight hit the mat. In the second, Credeur struck Loughran in the ribs a couple times with kicks and a punch, and it appeared that was the reason he couldn't continue.

Jim Miller def. Matt Wiman via unanimous decision- This was the first fight broadcast of the night and lived up to the fight of the night honors that it received. Miller hit Wiman with punches, kicks, body kicks, body punches, a tight guillotine choke, and an upkick, but Wiman didn't go down. The fight ended with Miller trying to sink another submission. Miller took the fight on short notice and fought with some serious fire.

Ben Saunders def. Brandon Wolff via TKO (strikes) R1, 1:49- Saunders put on his best Anderson Silva impersonation to work over Brandon Wolff. He threw knee after knee after knee before crumpling Brandon Wolff. He left with a massive lump on his head after the fight. I haven't seen a hematoma like that in some time.

Dale Hartt def. Corey Hill via TKO (leg injury) R2, 0:20- Corey Hill was winning the first round of this fight before coming out in the second and throwing a low kick. The kick was checked in the shin by Dale Hart and Hill's tibia snapped. It was one of the most gruesome injuries you will see. It looked like Jose Landi-Jons from TKO 32.

Steve Bruno def. Johnny Rees via sub (rear-naked choke) R2, 3:44
Luigi Fioravanti def. Brodie Farber via unanimous decision
Justin McCully def. Eddie Sanchez via unanimous decision

UFC: Fights For Troops

This Wednesday, Spike TV will host UFC: Fights for the Troops from Fayetteville, N.C. in conjunction with Fort Bragg. They will be raising money and promoting the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

Koscheck v. Yoshida is the headlining bout. Koscheck is fresh off a loss to Thiago Alves at UFC 90. Yoshida was supposed to face Karo Parisyan a couple months ago, but Karo was injured. Yoshida's last fight was an awesome 56 second anaconda choke that put War Machine unconscious.

The card also features a bout between Johnathan Goulet v. Mike Swick. Swick is coming off surgery to clear bone fragments from his elbow. Swick last defeated Marcus Davis via unanimous decision. Goulet has won two straight in the UFC over Kuniyoshi Hironoka and Paul Georgieff.

*All fighters made weight except Brodie Farber and Luigi Fioravanti. Farber and Fioravanti are meeting at a catchweight of 174 pounds.

MAIN CARD

Josh Koscheck vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Jonathan Goulet vs. Mike Swick
Razak Al-Hussan vs. Steve Cantwell
Tim Credeur vs. Nate Loughran
Jim Miller vs. Matt Wiman

UNDERCARD

Eddie Sanchez vs. Justin McCully
Steve Bruno vs. Johnny Rees
Ben Saunders vs. Brandon Wolff
Dale Hartt vs. Corey Hill
Brodie Farber vs. Luigi Fioravanti


(Josh Koscheck pictured)

TUF Drama

The regular season TUF wrapped up on Wednesday night, and there was some drama. We first see the fight between CB Dollaway and Amir Sadollah for a spot in the finals against Jesse Taylor. Taylor had won against Tim Credeur for his spot in the finals.

CB was far ahead in the first two rounds, as he landed every leg kick he threw and got some takedowns. While taken down, CB was able to rain down some elbows which split Amir's face open just below the eye. CB looked to start to gas near the end of the second. In the third, Amir gave up his back, and CB attempted to lock in the hooks and just barely missed sinking the choke in. Amir scrambled and after eating another punch or so locked in an armbar. After a quick tap, Amir sealed the come from behind victory.

With Amir securing his spot in the finals, it stood as Jesse v. Amir. However, after spending a night on the town with Dana White, four fighters decided to rent a limo and stay an extra night. We then see the footage of someone "donkey" kicking the windows out. Pretty crazy. Out walks Jesse Taylor, who according to Dana White, not only kicked the windows out, but "terrorized" women in the casino. On top of that, Jesse disrespected the security and used the ever famous line, "don't you know who I am? I'm a UFC fighter!" Not a good move by JT Money.


Well, Dana decided to kick Jesse Taylor off the show and replace him. Jesse was told to clean up his life and call Dana in a few months. Meanwhile, Dana called Tim and CB into his office and let them know the situation. A couple minutes later and it was Tim v. CB for a spot in the finals. CB probably nudged out the first round because of a takedown after three or four minutes ot CB and Tim trading shots on their feet. CB used that same formula for the entire fight to pull out the win.

THIS SATURDAY NIGHT IS THE FINALS!!

Amir Sadollah v. C.B. Dollaway - For the TUF 7 Championship
Kendall Grove vs. Evan Tanner
Luigi Fioravanti vs. Diego Sanchez
Spencer Fisher vs. Jeremy Stephens
Matthew Riddle (TUF 7) vs. Dante Rivera (TUF 7)
Josh Burkman vs. Dustin Hazelett
Marvin Eastman vs. Drew McFedries
Matt Arroyo vs. Matt Brown (TUF 7)
Jeremy Horn vs. Dean Lister
Tim Credeur (TUF 7) vs. Cale Yarbrough (TUF 7)
Rob Kimmons vs. Rob Yundt

TUF Jesse Taylor Edition

This episode featured mainly on fighter Jesse Taylor. Taylor is a 6 foot tall mound of muscle that can eat and drink whatever he wants while still being a monster. He has a tremendous amount of energy, and after a drunken episode bounces around the house like a crazy person.

Of all people, his opponent Tim Credeur is the one to tell Jesse to settle down as he is in the semi's. They decide a soak in the hot tub to help Jesse sober up. Moments later, Jesse has on a swimsuit and proceeds to pee himself in the house before going outside. While in the hot-tub, Jesse tries to hold his breath to sober up, but ends up having to be dragged out of the hot-tub as they think he might be drowning himself.

The actual fight between Tim and Jesse was one where Jesse was able to take down Tim and throw down elbows and punches. Tim was so close to a submission victory with numerous arm-bar and triangle attempts, but just missed it every time. In the second, he used butterfly guard and actually came close to having Jesse's back, but it just didn't work. Tim fell one submission to short, and Jesse won the unanimous decision.

After the show is where the controversy starts. There is a video shown that seemingly shows someone kicking out a limo window before being arrested. It was pretty crazy to say the least. Dana ends by saying that, "he can't be in the Finale." Whether it is Jesse, or the winner of CB v. Amir is not known. It really could be any fighter who is still left on the cast.

TUF Final 4

The final four in the The Ultimate Fighter have now been determined. The show has been condensed this year, with most episodes showing two fights. In this episode we saw Dan Cramer v. Tim Credeur and CB Dollaway v. Cale Yarborough.

First up was Cramer v. Credeur, and Cramer was ready to fight. Cramer landed virtually all his punches standing, and got one takedown too many. Next thing he knew, Credeur had one of the first heel hook submission wins in TUF tournament history. Credeur was not happy with being beat up for a minute and a half before the submission.

CB took the fight to Cale Yarborough, landing everything he needed to get the fight to the ground. Once there, Cale "turtled" up and took punishment until the fight was called. CB has looked incredibly dominant in the tournament so far, and Rampage is proud of his boy. Meanwhile, Forrest is unhappy about CB being an arrogant guy who backs it up.

FINAL FOUR

Jesse Taylor v. Tim Credeur
CB Dollaway v. Amir Saddaloah


*Pic of Jesse Taylor from photobucket

TUF Fight For Matt Riddle

The latest installment of The Ultimate Fighter focused primarily on Matt Riddle. Matt seems to keep a constant smile on his face, which earned him the nickname "Chippa or Chipper" for Rampage Jackson. Riddle is an experienced grappler, and has heavy hands.

Meanwhile, Jesse Taylor celebrated his victory with some beers and his ringworm. What they showed on camera was definately the worm, and it was doused with Tinactin. I really hope that the UFC was smart enough to have people washing the mats everynight.

Riddle was picked to fight Tim Credeur by Team Forrest. Credeur is a Brazilian Jui Jitsu black belt, and it was mentioned ad naseum on the show. Riddle, while only have two pro fights, and being the youngest guy there, has quite a bit of confidence. He didn't allow any of Credeur's or Dante Rivera's mind games to influence him. At one point Dante asked to put up a $500 bet that he would win the fight, seems slightly illegal there buddy.

The fight saw Matt Riddle get the better of Credeur while on the feet. Riddle was also able to use his wrestling to get Credeur to the mat, where it was basically a stalemate. The first round could have gone either way as Credeur made a push at the end of the round. Credeur, who always wants to be in "wars" ate some punches in the second and was taken down. Unfortunately, Riddle couldn't hear Rampage yelling for him to let Credeur up. With about a minute or so left, Credeur swept Riddle, and got the submission arm bar finish.

Team Forrest is up 2-0

Gerald Harris Snatched Up for TUF 7

IFL veteran Gerald Harris (6-2) has joined the mix of fighters that are participants in The Ultimate Fighter Season 7. He was a standout wrestler at Cleveland State. His two fights in the IFL ended with a close split decision loss to IFL standout Fabio Leopoldo (5-3) and a TKO to UFC/IFL vet Benji Radach (17-4). Gerald recently defeated Jeremija Sanders (2-5), Gerald has posted victories over Curtis Stout (11-12), Travis Fowler (6-4), Bubba McDaniel (8-3) and Ryan Lopez (4-3) in his brief career.

Other standouts include 2-Time All American wrestler Paul Bradley (5-0), All American wrestler C.B. Dollaway (6-0)(video below, 1st Rd TKO of Hans Marrero (11-5) in HDNet Fights), Steve Byrnes (6-1, 1 loss in UFC), Luke Zachrich (7-1), Bodog Fight vet Timothy Credeur (9-2)(two losses to MMA vets Chael Sonnen and Joey Villensensor), Jesse Taylor (6-2)(two losses to quality fighters, victory over Jorge Ortiz (13-4)), Mike Marrello (6-1-1)(only loss to an undefeated fighter) and IFL vet Mike Dolce (3-4).

-As you can see by the video, Gerald Harris likes to slam and throw punches. He was able to get numerous takedowns on Leopoldo and at least one takedown of Radach.



**Gerald Harris HL video

$$- I wonder if the UFC will edit out any mention of the IFL or if they are told not to bring it up.