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

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 Night 18 Preview

UFC Fight Night 18 will air next Wednesday, April 1st. The card features former WEC welterweight champ Carlos Condit v. Martin Kampmann. After the show will be the premier of The Ultimate Fighter Season 9. With 8 undercard fights, expect some quick finishes to make the two hour timeslot.

Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann- I expect these two to test it on the feet before Condit attempts to get the fight to the ground. Carlos Condit (23-4, 0-0 UFC) is a superb grappler with 13 submissions 10 T/KO's on his resume. Condit won the WEC WW title against John Alessio and defended against Brock Larson, Carlo Prater and Hiromitsu Miura. Condit has fought in Pancrase and Rumble on the Rock with wins against Frank Trigg, Koji Oishi, Ross Ebanez and Renato Verissimo.

(WEC Champ Carlos Condit pictured)

Martin Kampmann (14-2, 5-1 UFC) comes from a kickboxing background, but he has an excellent submission game. He is most popular for the come from behind arm triangle victory against Drew McFedries at UFC 68. Kampmann's UFC victories have come against Jorge Rivera, Crafton Wallace, Thales Lietes and Alexandre Barros.

(Martin Kampmann kicks Thales Leites)

Ryan Bader vs. Carmelo Marrero- This is a grappler v. grappler match-up that favors TUF 9 champ Ryan Bader. Bader won TUF 9 with a nasty KO of Vinny Magalhaes. Bader (8-0, 1-0 UFC) may stand and trade with Marrero, denying his takedown attempts. To get to the finals of TUF, Bader subbed Kyle Kingsbury, KO'd Tom Lawlor and won a unanimous decision over Eliot Marshall.

(Ryan Bader pictured)

Carmelo Marrero (10-2, 1-2 UFC) was also wrestler in college, but competing in the junior college circuit doesn't compare to Bader's All-American status at ASU. Marrero is most known for his split decision defeat of Cheick Kongo at UFC 64. After that win, Marrero lost to Gabriel Gonzaga and Wilson Gouveia and was cut from the UFC. Marrero has stormed back, winning 4 fights straight with his last over Steve Steinbeis in the WEC.

(Carmelo Marrero pictured)

Rafael dos Anjos vs. Tyson Griffin- Tyson Griffin (12-2, 5-2 UFC) is a top level wrestler with some big wins in and out of the UFC. Inside the UFC, Griffin was within grasp of a title shot, but lost to Sean Sherk last October. Before the UFC, he TKO'd Urijah Faber and Duane Ludwig. Inside the UFC, Griffin has decision wins over Clay Guida, Marcus Aurelio, Gleison Tibau and Thiago Tavares while submitting David Lee.

(Tyson Griffin pictured)

Dos Anjos (11-3, 0-1 UFC) was dominating Jeremy Stephens with excllent grappling for two rounds of his UFC debut. Unfortunately, in the third round Stephens unleased an uppercut that put out dos Anjos out. Outside the UFC, dos Anjos has wins in Brazil and Japan, with his biggest win over Takafumi Otsuka

Junie Browning vs. Cole Miller- Surprising Cole Miller is the one running his mouth before this fight saying he will give Junie a beatdown in this battle of TUF veterans. Cole Miller (14-3, 3-1 UFC) is a lanky 155 pound fighter, who has an excellent triangle. Miller has a last second submission of the night victory over Jorge Gurgel in his last fight. Prior to that, Miller lost to Jeremy Stephens, beat Leonard Garcia via decision and Andy Wang.

(Cole Miller pictured)

Junie Browning (3-0, 1-0 UFC) looked impressive in the TUF 8 finale, beating up Frank Mir favorite Dave Kaplan. The first round Junie looked to have good stand-up and in the second was able to get an arm-bar. My guess is that Junie will look to keep the fight standing, getting inside to take away Miller's reach.

(Junie Browning's Hand Grenade Tattoo)

UNDERCARD

Jeremy Stephens vs. Gleison Tibau
Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Horwich
Brock Larson vs. Jesse Sanders
Nick Catone vs. Tim Credeur
Nissen Osterneck vs. Jorge Rivera
Rob Kimmons vs. Joe Vedepo
Tim McKenzie vs. Aaron Simpson
Ryan Jensen vs. Steve Steinbeiss (bout canceled after Jensen admitted Adderall usage)

UFC 91 Recap

The Brock Lesnar era has officially begun as the behemouth secured his first MMA title in the form of the UFC heavyweight title belt. The card scored a live gate of 4.8 million in a sold out MGM Grand in Las Vegas. I'll keep you posted on the ppv numbers, I believe it will probably break the mma record. I was happy each fight made it to air, as only one fight went to decision. UFC 91 turned out a very good card with exciting fights.

(Brock Lesnar pictured)

Matt Brown def Ryan Thomas via Submission (Armbar), R2 0:57 - Ryan Thomas was consistently able to get takedowns on Matt Brown throughout the fight. However, Brown was able to continue to work his submission game and eventually got Ryan Thomas to over commit on the ground. Thomas ended up in a tight armbar, and was unable to slam his way out of it.

Mark Bocek def Alvin Robinson via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), R3 3:16- Bocek out grappled Robinson throughout the fight, keeping Robinson in bad positions. Bocek landed hard punches throughout the fight and it was only a matter of time before he locked up the choke after being extremely calm while having Robinson's back.

Jeremy Stephens def Rafael dos Anjos via KO (uppercut), R3 0:39- This was an awesome fight as Stephens came back from after losing the first two rounds. Dos Anjos had Stephens in near submissions. In the third round, Stephens loaded up a massive uppercut that found its mark directly to dos Anjos jaw droppin gthe fighter to the ground.
*Given KO of the night fight bonus.

Aaron Riley def Jorge Gurgel via Decision (Unanimous)- This fight was shown after the Lesnar v. Couture fight. The fight boiled down to a kickboxing match and both fighters were content to stand and trade. Riley was a little more crisp with his punches, many of which found their mark. Gurgel scored consistently with body and leg kicks. Riley had a couple takedowns and controlled the fight more than Gurgel. All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Riley.
*Both fighters awarded fight of the night bonuses.

Demian Maia def Nate Quarry via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), R1 2:13- Maia put on yet another awesome display of ju-jitsu against the hard hitting Nate Quarry. Maia pulled guard, executed a sweep and then eventually got Quarry's back. From there it was only a matter of time before Maia secured the rear naked choke. Maia now has 4 straight submission wins in the UFC and is 9-0 overall. Maia is rumored to be a possible coach for the next TUF reality show.

Gabriel Gonzaga def Josh Hendricks via KO (Punches), R1 1:01- Gonzaga was just too much for Hendricks in this heavyweight clash. Hendricks and Gonzaga clinched before Gonzaga landed a hook and then put a perfect right straigt to Hendricks to drop him. Gonzaga put a couple more punches before the fight was called. Gonzaga has two straight quick victories since his back to back defeats to Couture and Werdum.

Dustin Hazelett def Tamdan McCrory via Submission (Reverse Armbar), R1 3:59- Hazelett withstood an early McCrory flurry to throw a nice high kick that partially connected. When the fight went to the mat, Hazelett looked slick. Hazelett transitioned from an omaplata to a reverse armbar for the finish. Hazelett stated he wanted to be the top BJJ guy in the 170 pound division. That was Hazelett's second win in a row since a loss to Josh Koscheck. Both came via submission.
*Hazelett awarded submission of the night.

Kenny Florian def Joe Stevenson via Submission (Rear-naked choke), R1 4:03- Florian continued on his dominant run imposing his will on Joe Stevenson. Landing some strikes, Florian was taken down, but got back up. Once up, Florian got his own takedown before delivering a nasty right hand. He next mounted Stevenson and eventually got the rear naked choke. With the victory, Florian has set himself up for a title shot against BJ Penn. Florian now has 6 wins straight in the UFC since a title loss to Sean Sherk. All wins have come via submission or TKO.

(Pictured Kenny Florian)

Brock Lesnar def Randy Couture via TKO (Punches), R2 3:07- This fight lived up to the hype as it had everyone in the bar I was at on their feet. Lesnar, an NCAA champion in wrestling, has legitimized his status of an elite mixed martial artist with the win. Lesnar used his size to his advantage in the first round, as it appeared Couture was using more energy in the first. Lesnar and Couture each threw knee's from the clinch, but Lesnar landed them more effectively. Couture punched well in the clinch, sneaking a couple in to Lesnar's face.

In the second, Lesnar landed a punch and elbow in the clinch dazing Couture. From there he threw a massive overhand right that hit Couture near the back of the head. Lesnar followed Couture to the ground and unleased about 10 or more hammerfists to the face before the ref stopped the fight. Lesnar captures the UFC HW belt. "I can't believe it" proclaimed the new champ.

*Lesnar will face the winner of Frank Mir v. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira next.
*I still can't believe that people don't arrive till the 3rd or 4th fight in Vegas.