UFC 113 - Sho-Nuff

The 205 pound championship changed again this weekend in Vancouver, Canada at UFC 113 as Shogun Rua destroyed Lyoto Machida in the very first round. In other action Paul Daley punched his ticket out of the UFC with an ugly sucker punch, and the Kimbo Slice era has probably come to a close.

Koscheck meanwhile has finally earned his title shot against Georges St. Pierre with his 13th official win in the UFC. GSP and Koscheck will coach the 12th season of The Ultimate Fighter to promote the title fight.

Shogun Rua joins the list of revolving champions in the 205 pound division. After shaking off Machida takedowns, Rua unleashed a fury of ground and pound to take the title. Since Chuck Liddell defended four straight times, the title has bounced to Rampage Jackson, Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida then Shogun Rua.

(Shogun Rua Pictured)

MAIN CARD

Shogun Rua def Lyoto Machida via KO (strikes) R1, 3:35
Josh Koscheck def Paul Daley via unanimous dec
Jeremy Stephens def Sam Stout via split dec
Matt Mitrione def Kimbo Slice via TKO (strikes) R2, 4:24
Alan Belcher def Patrick Cote via submission (RNC) R2, 3:25

UNDER CARD

Joe Doerksen def Tom Lawlor via submission (RNC) R2, 2:10
Marcus Davis def Jonathan Goulet via TKO (punches) R2, 1:23
Johny Hendricks def T.J. Grant via majority dec
Joey Beltran def Tim Hague via unanimous dec
Mike Guymon def Yoshiyuki Yoshida via unanimous dec
John Salter def Jason MacDonald via TKO (injury) R1, 2:42

UFC 93 Results

UFC 93 took place in Dublin, Ireland this past Saturday. Unfortunately for fans, we got a very lackluster main event and co-main event. Dan Henderson edged out a pretty uneventful split decision victory that could have ended in a draw. With the victory, which featured a few takedowns and an accidental eye poke, Henderson is now the likely coach for TUF 9: England v. USA.

(Dan Henderson pictured)

Shogun Rua managed to finish Mark Coleman at the very end of the third frame. Unfortunately, both fighters were relatively gassed the entire fight. Palhares versus Horn turned out to be a good fight, but it also went to decision. The saving grace was Lytle v. Davis which featured a stand-up war.

The undercard was probably more exciting as it featured 5 TKO victories. Martin Kampmann was successful in his debut at 170 pounds. He should be a force to be reckoned with possessing solid stand-up and striking skills.

Dan Henderson def Rich Franklin via split decision
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua def Mark Coleman via TKO (strikes) R3, 4:36
Rousimar Palhares def Jeremy Horn via unanimous decision
Alan Belcher def Denis Kang via sub (guillotine choke) R2, 4:36
Marcus Davis def Chris Lytle via split decision
John Hathway def Tom Egan via TKO (strikes) R1, 4:36
Martin Kampmann def Alexandre Barros via TKO (strikes) R2, 3:09
Eric Schafer def Antonio Mendes via TKO (punches) R1, 3:35
Thomasz Drwal def Ivan Serati via TKO (punches) R1, 2:02
Dennis Siver def Nate Mohr via TKO (strikes) R3, 3:47

UFC 93 Preview

UFC 93 will occur on January 17th in Dublin, Ireland. The event features no title fights, but big bouts in Rich Franklin v. Dan Henderson and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua v. Mark Coleman as well as the arrival of Denis Kang. The fights will be shown on ppv. All fighters made weight. Henderson weighed in at 202 and Mark Coleman came in at 206.

MAIN CARD

Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin- This fight will likely determine the coach for the next season of the Ultimate Fighter. Franklin seems to have the edge standing in the match and will have a little bit of a height and reach advantage on Henderson. Henderson should have a sizable advantage grappling wise, but Franklin usually makes people pay when they try to take him down.

Dan Henderson (23-7), the former Pride LHW and MW champ, last fought against Rousimar Palhares winning by unanimous decision. His previous two fights were losses to Anderson Silva and Rampage Jackson, two of the best in the sport. Henderson has wins in his career over Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Murilo Bustamante and Renzo Gracie.

(Dan Henderson pictured)

Rich Franklin (24-3), the former UFC MW champ, last fought against Matt Hamill winning with a vicious body kick and punches in the third round. Rich has wins over Yushin Okami, Travis Lutter, David Loiseau, Evan Tanner and Nate Quarry in his career.

(Rich Franklin pictured)

Mark Coleman vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua- This fight is a repeat of a prior match-up in Pride which Coleman (15-8) won after a takedown in which Rua's elbow dislocated. Both marquee fighters have been on the shelf for some time due to injuries and other setbacks. Coleman was orginally a rumored opponent for Brock Lesnar, but Coleman sustained a back injury. Rua meanwhile went into the Forrest Griffin fight with a bad knee and has been recovering from surgery since that fight.

Coleman, the Pride 2000 Open Weight Grand Prix winner is also a UFC Hall of Famer, capturing the UFC 10 and 11 tournament championships(4 man) and the HW crown at UFC 12. He is credited with developing the ground and pound strategy and being one of the best wrestlers in MMA during his prime. Coleman has victories over Dan Severn, Don Frye, Igor Vovchanchyn and Kazuyuki Fujita.

(Mark Coleman pictured)

Shogun Rua, (16-3) the 2005 Pride Grand Prix (93 kg) winner, was a fast rising star in Pride before its eventual demise. Rua is known for his quickness and striking ability. He has wins in his career over Alistair Overeem, Kevin Randleman, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira(lil Nog), Rampage Jackson, Ricardo Arona and Akihiro Gono.

(Shogun Rua pictured)

Alan Belcher vs. Denis Kang- This will be high profile Pride and Spirit MC veteran Denis Kang's (31-10) debut in the UFC. Kang has solid grappling skills, possessing a BJJ black belt, and has developed a decent stand-up game. He has wins over Aikhiro Gono, Andrei Semenov, Murilo "Ninja" Rua and recently over Marvin Eastman via 49 second TKO.

(Denis Kang pictured)

Belcher (13-5) will try to keep this fight standing in order to utilize his Muay Thai skills. Belcher's last fight was a close split decision victory over Ed Herman at an Ultimate Fight Night in September. Belcher has a 4-3 record in the UFC, with a KO victory over highly ranked Jorge Santiago, guillotine choke victory over Sean Salmon and a TKO of Kalib Starnes.

(Alan Belcher pictured)

Jeremy Horn vs. Rousimar Palhares- Horn's record is listed as 80-18, but he has fought more than the listed record indicates. The 13 year mma veteran debuted in the UFC at UFC 17 losing to Frank Shamrock for the light heavyweight title (then called middleweight with a 200 pound cut-off). Horn's career highlight was an arm triangle choke of Chuck Liddell at UFC 19. Horn has looked like age may be catching up with him in recent losses to Dean Lister and Nate Marquardt, but still has amazing submission skills with about 50 submission wins in his career. Horn has victories over Daiju Takase, Gilbert Yvel, Travis Fulton, Forrest Griffin, David Loiseau, Chael Sonnen, Trevor Prangley, Falaniko Vitale and many others in his mma career.

(Jeremy Horn pictured)

Rousimar Palhares is an elite submission fighter with a BJJ blackbelt under Murilo Bustamante. Palhares last lost an uneventual decision to Dan Henderson in which Henderson was unwilling to engage with him on the ground. Palhares debuted in the UFC with an excellent armbar victory over Ivan Salaverry.

Marcus Davis vs. Chris Lytle- This fight promises to be an all out war on the feet. Lytle and Davis have pro boxing backgrounds and will look to use those talents to please the crowd. Both fighters usually please the crowd, having won fight of the night, knockout of the night and submission of the night bonus' from the UFC.

Entertaining the crowd aside, each fighter needs a win at this stage of their career. Davis suffered a loss to Mike Swick at UFC 85 before rebounding at UFC 89 with a guillotine choke victory over Paul Kelly. Lytle had a decision loss to Josh Koscheck at UFC 86 and rebounded with a razor thin decision victory over Paul Taylor at UFC 89. At UFC 89, Lytle asked for a fight with Davis during his post-fight interview.

UNDER CARD

Alexandre Barros vs. Martin Kampmann
Antonio Mendes vs. Eric Schafer
Thomasz Drwal vs. Ivan Serati
Tom Egan vs. John Hathaway
Denis Siver vs. Nate Mohr

Ultimate Fight Night 15 Results

By MMA Blaster

Ultimate Fight Night 15 featured four televised fights that were each entertaining. While I would have seen Sakara's head kick KO or Massenzio and Miller's submissions that all ended in a minute thirty in the first round, it was a good show overall.

Eric Schafer def. Houston Alexander via Sub (Arm-triangle choke) - R1, 4:53- Houston Alexander showed again that while he has power, he is not good off his back. Alexander unleashed some wicked knees almost knocking out Schafer. However, Schafer held tight, was able to eventually get the takedown and mount. From mount, Houston was toast, though he almost got to the bell. Schafer's tight arm triangle won him the match.

Alan Belcher def. Ed Herman via Decision (Split)- I actually scored this contest in favor of Ed Herman, but it was very close. Belcher landed the more effective strikes, but Herman stood his ground and only once on a punch that pushed him to the cage wall did he appear stunned. The third round was the only true convincing round that should have went to Herman as he had Belcher mounted and was throwing heavy strikes. The first I gave to Herman because of the near submissions while using the darce choke, with the takedowns and ground game. But, that it is a fight and you don't want to leave it to the judges.

Clay Guida def. Mac Danzig via Decision (Unanimous)- Clay worked a perfect game plan outworking Danzig standing and getting takedowns at will. Danzig never really got his submission game working while off his back. At one point Danzig looked for a omaplata with his leg high, but he wasn't able to capitalize. Guida never stopped and peppered Danzig with strikes the whole match. I like many fans would have liked to see Guida go for more of the knockout blow, but to Guida's credit he never stopped going at full throttle for three rounds.

Nathan Diaz def. Josh Neer via Decision (Split)- Diaz and Neer fought a close battle that went back and forth. Neer may have said in the pre-fight that he would be trying to test Diaz' hands may have been lying a touch. Diaz won the takedown battle, capped by a beautiful judo throw. Diaz probably had a slight edge on strikes as well.

Neer was able to get near armbars and triangles, but Diaz utilized a step over escaped that seemed to work every time. A few times Neer was throwing some nasty upkicks off his back that almost landed. A very good fight, and well deserving of the fight of the night bonus that both fighters received.

Quote of the night from Nate Diaz following the fight, “Josh Neer, he ain’t no black belt in jiu-jitsu like the other guys I’ve been fighting. This motherf*****, this dude right here can fight.” Nate also went on to give props to Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez, Cesar Gracie and his brother. He said that another league won't give Nick a fight, referring to Elite XC and champ KJ Noons.


Untelevised
Alessio Sakara def. Joe Vedepo via KO (head kick) - R1, 1:27- KO of the night bonus winner.
Wilson Gouveia def. Ryan Jensen via sub (arm-bar) - R2, 2:04- Submission of the night bonus winner.
Joe Lauzon def. Kyle Bradley via TKO (strikes) - R2, 1:34
Jason Brilz def. Brad Morris via TKO (strikes) - R2, 2:54
Mike Massenzio def. Drew McFedries via sub (kimura) - R1, 1:28
Dan Miller def. Rob Kimmons via sub (rear-naked choke) - R1, 1:27

Ultimate Fight Night 15

UFC's Ultimate Fight Night 15 will be airing live on Spike TV this Wednesday night at 7 Central. All fighters have made weight and are ready to go. The Ultimate Fighter 8 reality show will debut immediately following the broadcast.

Main Card

Nate Diaz vs. Josh Neer- Nate Diaz is the champion of TUF 5, and has been on an amazing roll since the show ended. Diaz has beaten Kurt Pelligrino, Junior Assuncao, and Alvin Robinson all by way of submission since his win over Manny Gamburyan for the TUF 5 crown. Diaz will probably try to keep the fight standing for awhile as he hasn't been able to fully show off his stand-up skills in the UFC. He is phenomenal on the ground though, so don't be surprised if Diaz eventually goes for a takedown or throws guard on purpose.

Neer meanwhile has won three straight, with his last fight being a decision victory over Din Thomas at UFN 13. His biggest wins in the UFC have come over Joe Stevenson and Melvin Guillard. Outside the UFC, Josh has victories over Derrick Noble, Kyle Jensen and Forrest Petz. Neer's last submission loss was actually to Nick Diaz, Nate's brother, two years ago. I would expect Neer to keep the fight standing at all costs as Diaz holds the edge submission wise.

Mac Danzig vs. Clay Guida- Danzig was the winner of TUF 6, winning in the finale over Tommy Speer. Danzig won over Mark Bocek at UFC 83 in May, his only other official UFC fight. Ouside the UFC, Danzig had wins over Jason Ireland and Buddy Clinton.

Guida is a high energy fighter who will come in with excellent cardio and tenacity. He has wins over Samy Schiavo, Marcus Aurelio and Justin James in the UFC. Guida is a Chicago based fighter who wants to shed his image of a scrappy wrestler with good cardio. I would expect Guida to strike with Danzig, and eventually go for a slam takedown with ground and pound.

Houston Alexander vs. Eric Schafer- The is a classic grappler versus striker match-up. Alexander will look to keep the fight standing and knock out Schafer. If Schafer holds a significant advantage when it comes to the submission game. However, if Schafer comes in for a sloppy takedown attempt he may end up seeing stars.

Alexander's big wins in the UFC have come via first round KO's over Keith Jardine and Alessio Sakara. Schafer has a victory over Rob MacDonald in the UFC. Both fighters have suffered two losses in a row in the UFC. Regardless, I don't think this fight will make it out of the first round.

Alan Belcher vs. Ed Herman- Belcher is 3-3 in the UFC with victories over Jorge Santiago, Sean Salmon and Kalib Starnes. In Belcher's last UFC fight he lost to Jason Day. Herman, the runner up to Kendal Grove in TUF 3, is also 3-3 in the UFC. In his last fight, Herman was submitted by BJJ ace Damien Maia with a triangle choke. Herman's wins in the UFC have come over Joe Doerkson, Scott Smith and Chris Price.

Undercard

Kyle Bradley vs. Joe Lauzon- swing bout- Lauzon will look to bounce back from a loss to Kenny Florian.
Wilson Gouveia vs. Ryan Jensen - swing bout- This is Gouveia's first fight at 185.
Drew McFedries vs Mike Massenzio- McFedries is coming off a crushing KO of Marvin Eastman and is looking to win for the second time in a row in the UFC.
Jason Brilz vs. Brad Morris- Brilz is a stud wrestler with a 15-1 mma record. He is making his debut in the UFC.
Rob Kimmons vs. Dan Miller- Dan Miller fought twice for the IFL, winning over Ryan McGivern for the IFL 185 pound title.
Alessio Sakara vs. Joe Vedepo- Iowa based fighter Joe Vedepo steps into the UFC for the first time. Vedepo won the MCC 185 pound belt before being called by the UFC. This will be Sakara's first fight at 185.



*After UFN 15, The Ultimate Fighter 8 will premier. Article Below.