Sports Blog - Amar V

26. UFC 143 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

2012-02-04T15:24:00.001-08:00

UFC 143 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

Prelims (Facebook):

Welterweight Division: Dan Stittgen versus Stephen Thompson:

Round 1: They touch gloves. Early legkick from Thompson. Side thrust kick from Stephen as he mixes his kicks up. Solid legkicks from both fighters. Right hand by Stephen followed by a fast legkick. Several different kicks from Thompson. Stittgen launches forward but misses with a few punches. Left hand by Thompson as he loosens up. More kicks from Thompson as he holds the centre of the octagon. Combo and headkick missed by Thompson. Body shot by Thompson as Dan misses with his attack. Legkick by Stittgen. Low guard from Stephen but he is in control of the round. Combo from Thompson hands and he throws a headkick that knocks Stittgen out! WOW!

Stephen Thompson wins via KO (headkick) at 4:13 of round 1.

Middleweight Division: Rafael Natal versus Michael Kuiper:

Round 1: Jab from Natal as they begin. Kicks from Kuiper but natal gets the takedown. Full guard for a moment but Kuiper gets to his feet. They clinch against the cage and land knees. Legkick from Natal as they separate. Takedown by Rafael missed. More legkicks from both fighters. Natal ducks and gets the takedown. Kuiper stands but gets takedown into full guard again. Kuiper wall-walks to his feet. They scramble in the clinch but Natal gets the Dutchman down once more in half guard. Constant pressure from the Brazilian so far. They stand once again and clinch. Knee from Natal. Another takedown by Natal is successful. Half guard for Rafael as he looks to improve on the position. Kuiper escapes and gets on top. Nice punches from the top by Kuiper as we enter the final 30 seconds of the round. Armbar attempt by Natal! Looks to be to high and Kuiper escapes. Hammerfists from the Dutchman as they stand. End of round 1. 10-9 to Natal for the takedowns, the pressure and the submission attempt.

Round 2: Second round underway. Headkick missed by Natal. Legkick by Kuiper. Combos from Natal before he goes for the takedown and misses. Wild swings from Natal and Kuiper is the more accurate striker. Jabs from Natal as Kuiper misses a knee. Jabs from both fighters. Right hand by Natal and he gets another takedown stuffed. They swing away for a moment as Natal is desperate to get the fight to the ground. Solid combo from Kuiper. Natal lands a combo in return. Natal seems to be more tired but he lands a few more combos cleanly. Kicks from both fighters as they circle. Last 2 minutes of round 2. Combo missed by Natal. Kuiper is putting the pressure on now. Good right hand by Natal. Spinning backfist lands twice for Rafael but Michael keeps coming forward. More hooks from Natal. He is staying busy. Right hand from Kuiper. Legkicks from Natal who continues to throw more and more punches. Takedown stuffed from Natal but he gets Kuiper down eventually with 20 seconds to go in the round. That could steal the round for him. 10-9 Natal.

Round 3: Final round. Legkick from Natal but a right hand from Kuiper drops Natal! Kuiper is trying to finish this fight with hammerfists! The Brazilian is surviving but Michael is landing more and more punches. 4 minutes to go. Plenty of time for the Dutchman. Constant punches from Kuiper but Natal is defending well. Big right hand by Kuiper! Full guard rescues Natal for the moment as he ties up Michael. Punches from the bottom by Natal but Kuipers are landing harder. Half of the round to go. Natal rolls and gets to his feet! He is looking for a takedown with 2:20 to go and he gets it for a moment! They stand again but Natal picks Kuiper up and slams him down! Great recovery! Side control for Natal! 100 seconds to go. Elbows from the top by Natal. We are entering the final minute as Rafael gets full mount! He switches over for an arm-triangle! 40 seconds to go but it looks deep! Kuiper is struggling to defend. 15 seconds to go and Kuiper still awake. He survives! Great recovery from Natal in that final round. Exciting fight. 10-9 Natal for the comeback and nearly submitting Kuiper at the end of the fight. 30-27 to Natal, possibly 29-28.

Rafael Natal wins via unanimous decision (judges scores: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

Prelims (FX):

Welterweight Division: Matthew Riddle versus Henry Martinez:

Round 1: Right hand missed by Martinez. And again. Early pressure from Henry. Legkick lands followed by a right. Combo and kick by Riddle in return. They clinch and Matt lands a knee. Good striking from Martinez. Jabs from Riddle miss. Left-right combo by Martinez. Henry is countering very well. Combo missed by Riddle. Henry lands more counters as Riddle misses. Good right hand by Henry. And again. Riddle replies. Body kick by Riddle. More combos from Henry land cleaner then Matt's hooks. Legkick by Riddle. They stand and bang for a moment and Martinez comes out on top. Again they exchange and Henry seems to get the better punch. Left hand by Henry as Riddle misses with a jab. Last 30 seconds of the round and Martinez is winning this round so far. Good combo by Riddle but Martinez is throwing and landing more. Riddle misses a knee and the round ends. 10-9 Martinez.

Round 2: Riddle takes the centre of the octagon and lands a legkick. Jabs from Henry. Mixture of kicks from Riddle but little damage is done. Right hand by Martinez. Riddle walks into a combo. And again. Martinez is being the more accurate fighter. Legkick by Henry. Two left hand hooks land for Martinez who then eats a counter from Matt. Riddle is falling back in this round and this fight as Martinez lands a big left hand followed by a right. They continue to throw combos and wild bombs as we enter the last 2 minutes of the round. Headkick missed by Riddle. Body shot by Matt. Body kick added but Martinez gets a combo in. Jab by Riddle. More kicks and knees from Riddle but Martinez is countering accurately with his punches. Last minute. Kicks from Riddle as he mixes his leg striking. Last 20 seconds. Jab missed by Riddle and Martinez comes forward but Matt lands more kicks and combos. They stand and bang as Matt is pumped up! End of the round. Close round and Matt may have taken that round with the late flurry and good mixture of kicks. 10-9 Riddle.

Round 3: Martinez counters a body kick with a punch. Riddle is now focusing on kicks, kicks and kicks. Another kick as Riddle uses his reach advantage. Body kick by Matt but Martinez lands a solid combo. Legkick by Martinez is answered by two from Riddle. Headkick missed by Matt as he blocks a jab. Right hand by Riddle as they clinch for a moment. More kicks from Riddle as Martinez misses with a left. Matt gets the single leg and takes Martinez down! Full guard to rubber guard but Riddle scrambles and takes Henry's back! Last 2 minutes of the fight! Matt is trying to flatten Martinez out with some ground and pound but Martinez gets to his feet. Knees against the cage from Riddle. Headkick by Matt as they separate. Left hand missed by Henry. Another takedown by Riddle and he gets into full guard. Ground and pound from Riddle. Last minute. Good elbows from Riddle! Martinez is defending but eating a lot of punches. Last 20 seconds. Riddle is trying to finish the fight but it does the distance. Good fight. 10-9 Riddle for the final round and he probably takes the fight 29-28 but it may be a split decision.

Matt Riddle wins via split decision (judges scores: 29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Welterweight Division: Matt Brown versus Chris Cope:

Round 1: They begin. Early pressure from Chris as Matt lands a legkick. Solid combo by Cope. In and out combos from both fighters. Kicks from Chris before they clinch up against the cage. Knee by Matt. Chris reverses the position and lands knees of his own. Good dirty boxing from Chris Cope. They separate and Matt lands a knee. Solid combos from Chris Cope. More accurate punches from both fighters and Brown gets the takedown for a few seconds. They clinch once more with Brown landing knees. Chris reverses the position once more and lands strikes of his own as we enter the final 2 minutes of the first round. Matt reverses and gets the takedown for a second. More knees and combos as Brown separates. Good combos from both fighters in the centre of the octagon. Good hook to the body by Matt. Chris is missing with a few shots now as Matt lands a legkick. Chris answers with his own legkick. Matt lands a nice combo to end the round. Back and forth round. Good start from Chris, good finish by Matt, 10-10.

Round 2: Right hand and headkick attempted by Matt Brown. Legkick by Chris. Jabs from both fighters. Matt is being more accurate at the moment. Two right hands land by Brown. Left hook by Matt drops Chris after a few combos land. Matt swarms on him and finishes the fight in good fashion.

Matt Brown wins via KO (punches) at 1:19 of round 2.

Bantamweight Division: Alex Caceres versus Edwin Figueroa:

Round 1: They touch gloves and here we go. Legkick by 'Bruce Leroy'. Left hand added. Legkick by Edwin. Front kick by Alex. Legkick to the groin by Alex and Edwin is down and rolling in pain. Time out. After several minutes of recovery, they continue. Front kick by Alex. Spinning kicks added. Combo missed by Edwin as he comes forward. Legkicks from Caceres. Figueroa slips after a kick but they continue. Lots of kicks from both fighters and Edwin lands a huge kick to Alex's head that drops him! Edwin swarms on Caceres! Alex defends well and survives a choke! They stand. Right hand by Edwin! They clinch and Alex reverses the position. Knee by Bruce Leroy. He gets Edwin down with a headlock and gets Edwin's back! He goes for the choke but Edwin escapes through the back. They stand but Alex gets on his back once more! Neck crank by Alex! He loses it! Body triangle locked in. Alex still looking for the choke but he moves to full mount. Triangle opportunity missed and another neck crank fails as they roll. Good defence by Edwin but Alex is in control. 15 seconds left in the round. Alex goes for another choke but does not get it. End of the round. Alex was ok in the stand up until he got dropped by the kick. Great recovery and total control for the rest of the round wins him the round. 10-9 Alex Caceres.

Round 2: Second round begins with more kicks from Caceres. Edwin charges forward but misses with everything. Kicks from Alex countered by a right hand from Edwin. Combo and headkick by Alex rocks Edwin! Knee by Alex! Bruce Leroy is loosening up now. Legkick by Figueroa. Jabs from Alex. Edwin charges forward but lands little. Legkick by Alex goes low again for Alex. Timeout once more. Herb Dean, the referee takes of two points from Alex after Edwin gets his recovery time. They continue. Alex gets the pressure on as he knows he needs to finish the fight to win. He gets on top of a few combos and takes Edwin's back looking for the choke. Body triangle is locked in. 90 seconds to go of round 2. Good defence from Edwin but Alex is all over him. Armbar attempt by Alex! Turns it into a triangle! Back to an armbar and now a full triangle but Edwin gets out. Last 15 seconds and Edwin is on top. End of the round with Edwin landing some strikes. It would have been a 10-9 round to Alex but with the 2 points deducted it is a 9-8 round to Edwin.

Round 3: Final round is under way. Edwin is swinging away. He misses with overhand lefts and rights. Combos from Bruce Leroy. Jab missed. Spinning back-kick by Alex. Answered with a legkick by Edwin. 3:30 left. Superman punch. Edwin is dropped by a jab and Alex gets his back once more. Standing back mount. Body triangle in place once again. Alex is looking for the finish that he may need to win the fight. They fall to the ground but Alex still has his back. Punches from Alex as he looks to loosen Edwin up. 80 seconds to go in this close fight. Armbar failed by Alex. Triangle attempt is possible. Edwin landing some punches to try and seal the deal. 40 seconds to go! Triangle! Alex loses it! Once again but he fails. Edwin drops for a kneebar but he makes a mistake and Alex gets his back. The fight ends with Alex on Edwin's back. Close, close, close fight. 10-9 to Alex in that last round for the control that he had for most of the round as well as the multiple submission attempts. Normally that would mean 30-27 to Alex Caceres but with the 2 point deduction, I have it 28-27 to Bruce Leroy.

Edwin Figueroa wins via split decision (judges scores: 28-27, 27-28, 28-27).

Featherweight Division: Dustin Poirier versus Max Holloway:

Round 1: Dustin takes the centre. Left hand and a few kicks by Poirier. Flying knee by Max. They exchange kicks. Good combo from Dustin. Jab from Holloway. Fast pace to this fight! Constant action. Back and forth. Solid left straight by Max as he adds another flying knee. Dustin looking for a takedown. Defended by max and Dustin goes for another. He picks him up and drops him down into full mount! Solid shots from Dustin! 2 minutes to go. Max tries to get out but Dustin goes for the armbar. He nearly gets it. They roll for a moment and Dustin gets a mounted armbar! Max taps before Dustin rips his arm off. Great submission win for Dustin!

Dustin Poirier wins via submission (mounted triangle armbar) at 3:23 of round 1.

Main Card (Pay-Per-View):

Middleweight Division: Ed Herman versus Clifford Starks:

Round 1: Here we go. They exchange early. Right hand by Starks, uppercut by Herman. They clinch against the cage. Knees from Herman before they separate. Jabs from both fighters. Right hand by Starks rocks Ed's head back. And again! Legkick missed by Herman. Body shot by Clifford as they exchange once more. Knees from Herman from inside the clinch. They separate as Herman goes for the uppercut more and more. Herman is bloodied around the left ear. They clinch with Clifford applying the pressure and dirty boxing. Trip attempt by Herman fails but he lands knees and an uppercut. More combos land from both fighters. Herman gets the takedown! Elbows from Ed. Open half guard. Last 30 seconds and Starks gets on top landing some punches. Herman is looking for an armbar but the round ends. Close round but I would give it 10-9 to Herman for the takedown.

Round 2: Herman takes the centre. Uppercut by Herman as Clifford misses with a right. Ed slips on a legkick but is allowed to stand back up. Headkick missed. They clinch once more with Clifford applying the pressure. Knees from Herman before he trips Starks down to the ground! Full mount! Starks looks to get out but Herman gets his back and sinks in the rear naked choke! Starks is defending but eventually he taps out!

Ed Herman wins via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:43 of round 1.

Bantamweight Division: Renan Barao versus Scott Jorgensen:

Round 1: They touch gloves and off they go. Legkick by Barao. And again. Spinning back kick by Renan misses as they jab away. Solid legkicks from both fighters. Another spinning back kick misses but Scott gets knocked back with another kick. Barao launches himself forward but Scott shoots for the takedown and fails. They jab away as they circle. Good mixture of combos from the Brazilian. Scott shoots again for the takedown but fails. Good jabs from Jorgensen. Scott is landing first but Barao's strikes seem harder. Right hand straight from Renan followed by a legkick. Right hand by Scott lands clean but Renan is ok. Another legkick by Barao. Takedown by Scott stuffed but he lands a knee. They clinch against the cage. Knee by Scott as we enter the final 40 seconds. They separate and Renan lands more kicking combos. Last few seconds. The round ends and I give it to Renan for the harder strikes and stuffing all of the takedown attempts by Scott. 10-9 Barao.

Round 2: Varying kicks from Renan at the start as Scott fails in another takedown attempt. Jabs from Renan as he is beginning to outstrike Jorgensen. Combos from Scott are landing but Renan is just pushing forward and landing the odd punch extra. Spinning back kick from Barao. Scott goes for the takedown but pulls guard. Half guard with Barao on top. Ground and pound from the Brazilian from full guard. Jorgensen bursts to his feet and gets away after about a minute. Good left by Renan. Highkick by Scott. Last minute of round 2 as they exchange punches. Another spinning back kick by Barao. Fancy combos from both fighters as we approach the end of the round. Barao misses with a huge right hand. Left hand by Scott. Front kick by Barao and a jab. End of the round and it is 10-9 to Barao with the ground control and good striking.

Round 3: They touch gloves to begin the last 5 minutes. Overhand hook by Scott lands. Jabs miss. Good body shots from Barao followed by legkicks. Barao outstriking Jorgensen but both fighters continue to exchange and push forward. Jab by Scott but he misses with the hook. Uppercut added. Flying knee by Barao lands but no damage is done. Spinning back kick by Renan again. And a right hand. Front kicks from both fighters. Last 100 seconds as Barao is punching his way to a solid decision victory. Legkicks from the Brazilian and a right hand. Scott is coming forward but he can do little to outstrike or outwork the Brazilian. Right hand by Renan and the fight ends. 10-9 and 30-27 Barao.

Renan Barao wins via unanimous decision (all 3 judges score the fight 30-27).

Welterweight Division: Josh Koscheck versus Mike Pierce:

Round 1: Pierce comes out looking for the takedown early. Gets a single but loses it. They clinch against the cage. Knees from Mike. Good dirty boxing from both fighters. Elbow from Josh as Pierce lands a good uppercut. They separate. Cautious start from Josh. Knees from Koscheck followed by a combination. Jabs from the former welterweight title contender. Right hand by Mike answered by a right from Josh! They start swinging! Jabs from both fighters. Headkick attempt by Josh. Uppercut missed. A hook lands for Mike. Takedown attempt by Pierce in the final 20 seconds of the round. Stuffed. Close round. 10-9 to Pierce for the pressure, the takedown attempts and landing some good shots.

Round 2: They circle. Right hand by Mike Pierce. Takedown attempt by Mike fails but he lands some body shots and knees. Josh reverses the position against the cage. They separate just as Mike lands an uppercut and hook. Left hook by Josh as Mike jabs away. Pierce is taking the initiative. More jabs from Pierce who is cut at the top of the head. Left hand misses for Koscheck but he gets the knee in. Pierce presses him against the cage as they dirty box. Elbow by Koscheck as they break away. Timeout. The referee, Herb Dean, warns Josh about possibly poking Mike with his fingers. They carry on and Josh goes for the takedown and gets it! Last 50 seconds. Josh lands a punch but Mike gets to his feet. Jabs from Josh as the round ends. 10-9 to Koscheck for the late takedown and landing some decent shots.

Round 3: Final round. Mike comes out with jabs and a right hand. Right hand by Koscheck lands. Pierce grabs a leg and trips Josh down to the ground for a few seconds but he gets back to his feet and reverses the position against the cage. Close fight! They clinch and Josh lands a good right elbow. Combo by Mike as they separate. Pressure from Josh. Left elbow by Pierce. Jabs from Josh. Good right hand as well. Left hand by Pierce. Takedown attempt by Koscheck but good defence by Pierce. The referee breaks them apart. Last 80 seconds. Eye poke by Koscheck. Timeout. Warning from Herb Dean. They continue. Jabs from Pierce. Last minute. Good combinations from Mike but Josh answers with some good shots. He shoots for the takedown and gets it with 30 seconds to go! Little action on the ground from both fighters as Mike works his way back to his feet. Spinning elbow by Mike Pierce and the fight ends. Close last round. It is a toss up. 10-10, could go either way. I have it a 29-29 draw.

Josh Koscheck wins via split decision (judges scores: 28-29, 29-28, 29-28).

Heavyweight Division: Roy Nelson versus Fabricio Werdum:

Round 1: Co-main event is under way! Legkick by Werdum. And a front kick. Knee from the Brazilian along with another legkick. Werdum gets on top and takes Roy's back straight away! Roy gets to his feet! Knees and strikes from Werdum as they clinch! Nelson misses with a left hand. More knees from Werdum! Roy is bloodied up already. He reverses the position and begins to dirty box. Knees from Werdum and Nelson is in trouble! He defends well as they scramble for position. Lots of blood coming from Roy now. Last 2 minutes of round 1. The referee says timeout to get the doctor to look at his nose. It is ok and they continue. Good striking from Werdum. Left hand by Werdum but Roy lands a shot that drops Werdum! Werdum locks on an armbar as Roy comes in to deliver punches. Roy escapes. Last 30 seconds! Werdum stands. Jabs from Werdum as well as a knee and a wheel kick! 10-9 to the Brazilian for the sheer damage done to Roy Nelsen. Yes Roy dropped him but he wasn't hurt.

Round 2: Legkick by Werdum. A knee drops Roy for a second. They stand. What a fight. Legkick by Nelson. Combo missed by the Brazilian. Double legkick by Werdum. Right hand missed by Roy. Werdum comes forward with more striking. Legkick again. More kicks from Fabricio as Roy 'Big Country' misses with an overhand right. He is a bloody mess. Good left-right combo by Fabricio. Last 100 seconds. Body shot by Werdum who is in control of the fight. Good left-right by Werdum but Roy lands a right then a left hand that wobbles Werdum for a moment. Front kick by Werdum as they continue. End of the round with both fighters landing hooks. 10-9 Werdum.

Round 3: Final round of this war. Jab from the Brazilian. And again. Both fighters are tired. Takedown attempt by Werdum is stuffed but Roy is going for the standing guillotine! He isn't letting go! Werdum gets out and lands knees. They clinch against the cage. Knee and a left from Werdum. Right hand and another knee! Werdum is so accurate with his Muay Thai! Roy keeps walking forward, great heart. Front kick by Werdum. Combo by Big Country. Body shot by Werdum. Legkick added. Headkick just missed by the Brazilian as he knows he is winning this fight. Uppercuts and knees from Fabricio. Legkick from Nelson as we enter the last minute. Right hand by Roy after Werdum lands a combo. Werdum is outstriking Roy by far but Nelson keeps on coming forward and landing a shot or two. Last 20 seconds and Werdum is getting the victory. 10-9 and 30-27 to Fabricio Werdum. Great fight.

Fabricio Werdum wins via unanimous decision (all 3 judges score the fight 30-27).

Welterweight Division: UFC Interim Welterweight Championship: Nick Diaz versus Carlos Condit:

Round 1: The main event is under way! Here we go! Carlos lands a legkick. And another. Cautious start from Diaz who begins to stalk Condit. They clinch for a second before Condit escapes. Legkick by Carlos. Uppercut missed by Condit as Diaz presses forward. They exchange for a moment before clinching and breaking away. Good kick and jab from Carlos. Good combo from Diaz as he stalks Carlos. Body shot by Carlos. Headkick by Diaz just misses. Legkick by Carlos. Spinning backfist just misses from Carlos. Diaz jabs away. Nick is starting to taunt Carlos, talking smack and dropping his hands low. Another spinning backfist from Condit but it misses. Solid body-head combo by Diaz as Condit lands a legkick. Diaz is stalking Condit but Carlos is landing good combos and mixtures of strikes. Last 20 seconds of the first round of a possible five. Good combo to end the round from Carlos. Close round. Damage done from Carlos but Diaz stalked and pressured Condit well. 10-10.

Round 2: Headkick missed by Carlos. Diaz is mocking Carlos now but Condit is throwing flying knees and spinning backfists. All falling short though. Good spinning backfist lands on Diaz. Legkick by Condit. Left hand by Carlos. More talking from Diaz. Condit just continues to vary his strikes but Diaz is being more confident. Good jabs from Diaz. More kicks from Condit. Good combo as well. Two right hands by Diaz. Good kick and combo from Condit as Diaz lands more boxing combos. Kicks from Condit, punches from Diaz. Good combos from Diaz as he pins Condit against the cage for a few seconds. Good defence from the former WEC champ. Last 50 seconds of round 2. Good combos and jabs from Condit. jabs from Diaz as Condit lands an uppercut. Good combos from Condit as he misses spinning backfist. End of the round. 10-9 to Condit as he landed more, in my opinion, and Diaz was too busy talking and mocking his opponent to really win the round. 10-9 Condit.

Round 3: Headkick missed by Carlos. The same for Diaz. Good legkicks from Carlos. Body shot by Condit as Diaz lands a jab. Diaz begins to chase Condit but he is missing a lot. Good kicks from Carlos. Diaz pins him against the corner and lands a few shots but Carlos replies! They clinch for a moment. Good elbow by Carlos. More kicks from Condit. Solid combos from Condit as he moves on the outside. Diaz is starting to miss. Headkick missed by the former Strikeforce champ. Good legkick by Carlos. Kick missed by Nick. Good evading of the strikes by Carlos. Solid combo from Carlos. Diaz is looking a bit frustrated and he hasn't said anything to his opponent yet in this round. With a minute to go Diaz opens his mouth and Condit makes him pay with kicks and punches. Left hand by Diaz! Big flying knee from Condit! And an elbow! Last 30 seconds. Condit is winning the round no doubt. Good kicks and footwork by Carlos who slips as the round ends. 10-9 Condit.

Round 4: Championship rounds now. Both fighters look bruised but ready to battle. Legkick by Condit. And again. More and more kicks from Condit as Diaz is just chasing and chasing and chasing. Carlos is the more accurate strike so far. Legkick missed by Diaz. Body shot by Nick as Carlos gets away. Front kick by Condit. They clinch and Diaz drops for a takedown. Stuffed and he eats a combo. Diaz is losing this round as well. Spinning backfist by Condit. Diaz is mocking Condit but Carlos stays calm and continues to just work his combos and techniques. Legkick by Carlos. Uppercut and legkick by Carlos. Superb technique. Headkick by Carlos! Nice! More and more legkicks. Last 60 seconds as Diaz has a single leg takedown stuffed. Condit is loosening up and easily taking this round with his accuracy and mixing of techniques. Last 30 seconds of round 4. Diaz catches a leg but Condit lands a combo. Diaz is missing with his combos as Carlos spins out. Diaz holds onto Condit's leg as the round ends. 10-9 Carlos.

Round 5: Final round! Kick by Diaz. Right hand by Condit and legkicks. Good reply by Nick. They exchange kicks. Carlos escapes as Diaz puts some pressure on him with constant kicks. Condit replies with combos and legkicks. 3:30 left on the clock. Front kick by Condit followed by a headkick that just misses. Spinning backfist lands but does little damage to Diaz. Diaz mixing his kicks up but they are all missing! Then Condit lands 2 legkicks, a combo and a head kick. They clinch for a moment and scramble against the cage before Carlos escapes. His plan is working. Solid combo by Carlos. Great footwork. Good punches and knees. Diaz is bloodied up! More combos from Carlos. Good body shot from Condit as we enter the last 90 seconds! Legkick as Diaz comes forward. Diaz gets his back and drags him to the ground! Last minute of the fight! Condit is defending well! Body triangle locked in place! Last 30 seconds and Carlos is defending well! Punches from Diaz! Great defence from Carlos. 10 seconds and Condit gets out and goes for a leg! The fight ends! Wow! Great end to the round and fight! Condit was winning the round until the last minute when he was taken down. 10-10 as Diaz did little whilst on Condit's back and Carlos did escape in the end. For me, I score the fight 50-47. 3 rounds to Carlos and 2 drawn. It could possibly be 48-47 to Carlos.

Carlos Condit wins the UFC Interim Welterweight Championship via unanimous decision (judges scores: 48-47, 49-46, 49-46).

The End.

25. UFC on Fox 2 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

2012-01-28T12:55:00.000-08:00

UFC on Fox 2 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

Prelims (Fuel TV):

Heavyweight Division: Joey Beltran versus Lavar Johnson:

Round 1: Here we go! Lavar takes the centre of the octagon. Body shot by Johnson sends Joey up against the cage. Early pressure from Johnson. Knees from Lavar as they work the dirty boxing. Johnson lands stiff jabs as he stuffs a Beltran takedown. Legkicks from Lavar as he stalks Joey who swings away but misses. Right hand by Johnson pushses Joey back as he pours it on! Beltran is retreating. Good combos from Johnson. Joey misses with an overhand right. 2 minutes of the round to go.Takedown by Joey failed again. They clinch once more. Knees from Lavar. Right hand from Joey answered by Johnson. Solid jabs from Lavar.More missed punches from Joey. They stand and exchange combos as we enter the last minute. Uppercuts and combos from Johnson rock Beltran! He is in trouble! More uppercuts and Beltran is out!

Lavar Johnson wins via KO (uppercuts) at 4:24 of round 1.

Lightweight Division: Michael Johnson versus Shane Roller:

Round 1: They touch gloves and circle. Left hand by Johnson. Left missed by Shane as he shoots for the takedown. Michael stops it and they separate. Double left hand by Michael. And again as he stuffs another takedown attempt. Good combo by Johnson. They clinch against the cage and exchange punches and knees before reversing several times. They separate before throw bombs and clinching once again. Good pressure from Johnson. They separate once more and Johnson lands more combos and kicks. Jabs from both fighters. Johnson the more accurate as he stops another takedown attempt. Last 70 seconds of the round. Knees from Johnson up against the cage. Good combos from Michael as he is taking this round with his movement and striking. Good 1-2 from Johnson. They exchange combos for a few moments as we approach the end of the round. Flying knee from Johnson and a combo to end the round. 10-9 Michael Johnson.

Round 2: Left hand to start the round by Michael. Good striking by Michael as he closes the distance and presses Shane up against the cage. They separate. Right hand by Roller lands as Michael throws more combos. Knee from Roller. Constant pressure from Johnson as they clinch against the cage. Trip attempt by Shane. Michael lands on top. Full guard and Johnson lands punches from the top. They stand and Shane lands a few punches. Some pressure from Roller as we enter the final 90 seconds. They clinch and work the dirty boxing as we enter the final minute. Knee by Johnson, elbows by Shane. Right hand by Roller, left hook by Johnson pushes Shane back. Trip attempt by Roller fails. Double underhooks by Roller but he cant get Michael down! End of the round! Tough round to score. 10-10 or 10-9 Michael Johnson.

Round 3: Final 5 minutes of this fight. Jabs from Johnson miss early on. Legkick. Johnson's combos are much more fluid then Shane's. Takedown attempt by Roller fails but he gets Johnson's back and down to the ground. He flattens Michael out looking for the choke but he starts throwing punches. Johnson is defending but Shane is hitting him in the back of the head. The referee warns him and they continue in the same position. Elbows from Roller. Johnson is in trouble. Michael tries to get out but Shane goes for the choke! Last 2 minutes of the round. More punches from Roller as he has the triangle locked around Michael's waist. He goes for the choke once more but Johnson has great defence. Johnson escapes and gets on top! Punches from Michael from full guard. Elbows from the top by Johnson. Last 40 seconds. Good shots by Michael. They stand and Michael lands a knee and good punches but the referee stops him. Low blow. Time out. They continue. 10 seconds to go. Combos exchanged. They swing to the finish! 10-9 to Roller for the ground control and submissions for most of the round. Fight score: 29-28 Johnson or 29-29.

Judges scores: Michael Johnson wins via unanimous decision (all 3 judges score the fight 29-28).

Featherweight Division: Charles Oliveira versus Eric Wisely:

Round 1: They touch gloves and Charles lands a legkick. And again. Midkick by Wisely answered with another legkick by Oliveira. He catches a kick and gets on top. Nice shots from the top by Charles who is looking to pass the guard. More shots from Charles. Heel hook by Charles! Well defended by Eric but has his foot still trapped. They roll and as Oliveira holds a kneebar, he takes Eric's back forcing him to tap with an awkward "calf slicer" from the back! Impressive win for the Brazilian!

Charles Oliveira wins via submission (calf slicer) at 1:43 of round 1.

Featherweight Division: Cub Swanson versus George Roop:

Round 1: Early kicks from both fighters. Right hand by Roop as he misses with a knee. Front kick by George. Headkick missed. Both fighters land kicks before Cub lands a good combo. They chase after each other. Right hand by Swanson. They continue to land combos. Wheel kick attempt by Cub. He lands a few punches and rock Roop. Cub swarms on Roop but George survives and replies. They clinch and Roop lands a good midkick. More variety in kicks from George as he looks to have recovered. Last 100 seconds. Takedown attempt by Roop but Cub flips him over and into full guard. They stand and circle. Headkick by Roop. Wheel kick by Cub once again! Last 45 seconds. Right hand by Roop. Cub catches his leg and gets him down. Kicks from the top by Cub. Upkicks by Roop. Last 10 seconds. More punches from Swanson. End of the round. 10-9 Swanson due to the ground control and rocking Roop once.

Round 2: More pressure from Cub as Roop continues with the kicks. Legkick by Cub. Good combo. Trip attempt by Cub fails. They clinch and land knees. They separate and continue to throw combos and kicks. Roop seems to be more accurate by Swanson is putting pressure on him. Big right hand by Cub drops Roop! He swarms in and stops Roop! Wow!

Cub Swanson wins via TKO (punches) at 2:22 of round 2.

Heavyweight Division: Mike Russow versus John-Olav Einemo:

Round 1: Right hand by Russow and Einemo goes down by pulling guard. Full guard. Upkick by Einemo as they stand by Russow charges in with the takedown attempt. They clinch and land body shots. Jab misses by Russow. Legkick by John-Olav. Russow charges forward with a combo and takedown by it fails again and they clinch. Knees from Einemo. Left hand by Russow as he misses the takedown. Uppercut by Einemo. They exchange punches against the cage. Takedown by Russow! Full guard. Good control by Einemo as he controls the wrists. Kimura attempt for a second by Einemo but he decides to land elbows from the bottom. Last minute of round 1. Upkicks from Einemo as they separate. Russow not letting him up and he attempts to pass the guard. Last 30 seconds. Einemo reverses just as the round ends. 10-9 to Russow for the pressure and the takedown although it was a close round with Einemo defending well on the ground.

Round 2: They circle. Left hand by Russow but he eats a knee. Takedown by Russow who escapes a guillotine choke attempt for a second. Full guard. Hip control by Einemo who is looking for a submission. Punches from the top by Russow. Upkicks from Einemo as they separate for a moment. And again as the referee warns them to get busy. Russow goes down and into half guard. Last 2 minutes of the round. Punches from top by Russow answered by John-Olav from the bottom. 90 seconds. Russow postures up for a moment and lands a shot. Russow is taking this round due to the ground control. Punches from both fighters as the referee warns them again. More ground and pound from Russow. 30 seconds left. The referee stands them up. Einemo lands a combo but Russow goes for a leg and gets Einemo to the ground. John-Olav is bloodied up. End of the round. 10-9 Russow and Einemo is tired.

Round 3: Knee by Einemo but Russow continues to come forward. Takedown stuffed by Einemo but Russow tries again and gets him down. Triangle attempt by Einemo but it is weak. More control from the top by Russow but little action. Punches occasionally from Russow. Reversal! Einemo almost gets Russow's back. Back to full guard. Ground and pound from Russow as he looks to finish but they are both tired. The referee stands them up. Last 90 seconds. Jab missed by Einemo but he lands a knee and another. Takedown by Russow once again. Punches from Einemo answered by harder ones from Russow. Last minute and Russow is cruising to a decision victory.They scramble for the last few seconds but the fight ends and it is clear who is the winner. 10-9 and 30-27 Russow.

Judges scores: Mike Russow wins via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).

Lightweight Division: Evan Dunham versus Nik Lentz:

Round 1: They circle and Evan lands a kick and left hand. They exchange combos and Lentz lands a headkick and legkick in succession. Takedown but they scramble and Nick gets a hold of Evan's neck. More combos from both fighters as they stand and separate. Left hand combo by Evan. They stand and exchange more combos. Pressure from Nick. Takedown by Lentz and into half guard, deep half. He takes Evan's neck as they stand. They exchange punches after Nick loses the neck. Left hand by Dunham. And a right. Standing guillotine by Evan as he stuffed a choke. Nick gets out, they scramble. Nick tries his own guillotine but nothing comes of it. Elbows and knees from the clinch for both fighters. Last minute of an interesting first round. Takedown by Evan! Full guard. 45 seconds left of round 1. Hard round to score. End of the round and I score it 10-10.

Round 2: Evan charges out with a combo and a takedown. Nick is down. Omoplata shoulder lock attempt by Nick fails. Side control for Dunham. Nick gets Evan back to full guard. Great defence. Upkicks from Nick. Punches from the bottom by Lentz. They stand as Nick bursts. Dirty boxing from Lentz as he lands solid right hands up against the cage. Good pressure from Lentz. Heavy breathing from Evan but he bursts forward and lands solid combinations. Lentz answers with his own! Evan gets on top as Lentz misses with a takedown attempt. 2 minutes of the round to go. Great fight so far. Upkick by Nick. Guillotine choke attempt by Evan but Nick gets out only to receive more ground and pound from Evan. Last minute. They stand but Evan drags him down. Knee by Dunham. Lentz is cut. They swing away for the last few seconds of the round. Takedown attempt by Nick as they round ends. 10-9 Evan Dunham for the takedowns and the cut although Nick did good in the some bursts.

Round 3: The fight is over. Nick's cut is too bad and the swelling got worse in between rounds. The doctor stopped the fight.

Evan Dunham wins via TKO (doctor's stoppage) at 5:00 of round 2.

Main Card (Fox/ESPN):

Middleweight Division: Demian Maia versus Chris Weidman:

Round 1: They touch gloves. Right hand missed by Weidman. Front kick missed as well. Left hand just misses Maia as he trips over. Jabs from Chris. Kneed by Maia as they closed the distance for a moment. Jabs by Chris as Maia land a left. Knee by Maia as they exchange combos. Legkick by Weidman. Answered by Maia. Superman punch missed by Chris. Knee lands. Right hand by Maia. Solid combo by Maia. Legkick by Chris who seems more loose. Legkicks exchanged by both fighters. More close combos from the middleweights. Weidman gets the double leg takedown but they stand moments later. Maia slips after landing a punch-kick combo. They clinch for a moment before exchanging more combos. Kick by Maia. Last few seconds. Close round by Weidman edges it with the takedown. 10-9 Chris Weidman.

Round 2: Weidman gets the takedown after Maia misses with an overhand left hook. They stand once more moments later. Jabs from Chris. Weidman keeps countering Maia's kicks with his own. Good head movement from the American. Right hook from Demian. Left hand by the Brazilian. Combo lands for Maia. Right hand missed by Weidman but he lands a combo afterwards. Inside legkick by Chris. Muay Thai clinch for a moment as they land knees. Left hand straight by Maia. And again. Close round as both fighters take it in turn to land shots. Right hand by Maia. Takedown by Weidman stuffed. They grapple against the cage. Knee and a kick by Maia. Another knee-kick combo from Demian. Weidman gets the takedown with 20 seconds to go! Punches from the bottom by Maia but Chris tries to take his back. He attempts a guillotine choke but the round ends. 10-9 Weidman as he stole the round late on.

Round 3: Final round. Jab from Weidman. Punches from Maia and a knee. Right hands by Weidman as he drags Maia down. They scramble on the ground before standing back up. Solid combo from Maia after his takedown is stuffed. Weidman misses a left hook. Sloppy takedown attempt by Maia. Knee from the Brazilian as they clinch. Slow takedown from Maia and Weidman tries to take his back. They stand. Half the round to go. They exchange combos but both fighters are exhausted. Swinging away. Headkick attempt by Maia. They clinch and Maia lands a body shot. Right hand by Maia answered by knees from Weidman. Final minute of the fight, it could be anybodies fight. Jabs from Chris as Maia comes in with left hand hooks. Jab combo by Maia. Pressure from Weidman as the fight ends. 10-10 final round as both fighters were tired. 30-28 Weidman.

Judges scores: Chris Weidman wins via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).

Middleweight Division: Chael Sonnen versus Michael Bisping:

Round 1: Co-main event of the evening! Here we go! Chael takes the centre. Good punches from Bisping but Chael gets him down. Bisping gets to his feet and they separate. Bisping got pointed in the eye but they continue. Chael goes for another takedown but does not get it. Good defence from Bisping. Trip from Chael Sonnen. Punches from the top by Sonnen. Upkicks from Bisping as he bursts to his feet. Knee from Bisping as they work the clinch. Bisping drops for a takedown but doesn't get it. They reverse against the cage. Constant pressure from Sonnen. Reversal against the cage by the Brit. Last 2 minutes of the round. Right hand by Bisping. Spinning kick by Bisping. Takedown attempt by Chael. Elbows from both fighters as they clinch against the cage. Knees from both fighters as Bisping gets Chael against the cage again. They separate. Uppercut by Bisping missed. Solid combos by Bisping. Body shots by Bisping. They separate and Bisping tries the spinning kick again. The round ends. Chael was pressing early on and got the takedowns but did little with them. Bisping had lots of reversals and did better in the striking. 10-10 round.

Round 2: Fast start to round 2 again. Sonnen looks for the takedown but good combos from Bisping and he gets Chael against the cage. Dirty boxing from both fighters. Good jabs from both fighters as they separate. Takedown by Sonnen and he has Bisping down into full guard. Punches from the bottom by Bisping. Good left hand by Sonnen. And a right. They stand after Bisping bursts. Right hand and a left by Bisping. They stand and exchange punches and knees before Bisping gets Chael against the cage. Good knee by Bisping. Takedown attempt by Michael fails. Dirty boxing from both fighters. Elbow from Bisping. Weak punches in reply from Chael. Combo from Bisping. Uppercut by Sonnen answered by a knee. Spinning knee missed by Bisping and the round ends as they throw down once more. Again, Sonnen got the takedown but did little with it. Bisping, however, did effect striking and had the octagon control so I give round 2 to the Brit. 10-9 Bisping.

Round 3: Final round! Left hand by Sonnen. Takedown by Sonnen is complete! Bisping works to get to his feet but Sonnen is holding him in place. Leglock attempt by Bisping for a moment but Sonnen lands some ground and pound. Bisping gets to his feet but gives up his back and is dragged down. Double hooks in for Sonnen and Bisping is in trouble. Sonnen, looking for the choke, switches to an arm-triangle and then to a full mount. Punches from Chael from the the top. Bisping hip escapes to half guard. Punches from the bottom by Bisping. Good elbow from the bottom by Bisping. Last minute. Good defence from Michael but Chael is winning this final round. They stand and Chael lands a knee. Bisping reverses Chael and gets him down! Elbows from Bisping but the fight ends! Great fight! 10-9 for Chael Sonnen in the final round but overall I score the fight 29-29. Round 1 will decide the winner.

Judges scores: Chael Sonnen wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).

Light Heavyweight Division: Rashad Evans versus Phil Davis:

Round 1: The 1st round of a possible 5 has begun. They circle. Right hand missed by Davis. Kick added. Rashad misses a hook and Davis coves forward with kicks. Jabs miss from Rashad and Phil lands more kicks. Elbow from Davis on the break after they clinched. Davis ducks under a punch and Rashad as a front choke but lets it go. Right hand from Davis as his takedown is stuffed. Solid combo from Rashad. Takedown stuffed by Rashad. Headkick missed by Davis. Right hand misses as well. Rashad catches a kick and gets Davis down. Half guard. Punches from the top by Rashad who frees his leg and gets into side control. Mounted crucifix for Rashad! Punches from Evans but Phil escapes back to side control. He gets to his knees as the round ends. Decent start from both fighters but Rashad took the round with the takedown and solid ground work. 10-9 Evans.

Round 2: Huge headkick missed by Davis early on. Right hand by Evans. He misses another. Davis ducks a punch and clinches. Legkick by Phil. And again after a combo. Jab added. Rashad not throwing much. Another legkick from Davis. They clinch for a moment before separating and throwing more combos. Legkicks from Davis land. Pressure from Evans as he grabs Davis against the cage. Dirty boxing from Evans and they separate. Jab from Evans. They exchange more combos with Evans landing more cleaner punches. Knee by Davis and they clinch. Solid combos from Rashad and Davis just replies with a knee. Kick caught again by Evans and he gets Davis down. Side control for Rashad. 15 seconds to go. Punches from Evans as he takes this round as well. 10-9 Rashad.

Round 3: Davis' punches are falling short so he falls back to his legkicks. Right hand and two lefts miss for Davis. Takedown attempt by Davis fails but he gets Evans over to the cage as he works a single leg. They fall to the ground as they defend. Davis isn't letting go of the takedown. Davis tries to get Evans' back but he gets reversed and Evans is on top. Punches from the former champion. Back mount for Evans! Davis gets to his feet. Knee by Davis. And again. Uppercut by Rashad. Davis fails in another takedown. Knee again from Phil but Rashad puts pressure on him again. Solid combos from Rashad as Davis backs up. Davis gets the takedown! Full guard. Evans bursts to his feet but Davis has him against the cage. Good knees by Davis. Last few seconds of round 3. Dirty boxing from both fighters against the cage as the round ends. Davis' round as he got the takedown, had the octagon control and pressed Rashad late in the round. 10-9 Phil Davis.

Round 4: Right hand missed by Davis. Front kick by Davis. Jabs from Evans fall short. Body kick by Davis. Jabs from Evans as Davis misses with his combos. Front kick by Davis as he misses with an overhand right. Rashad's striking is more accurate and faster then Phil's. Davis goes for a takedown and Evans has his neck for a moment. They clinch and Davis lands a knee. Jab by Evans after they separate. Great takedown defence by Evans as he takes Davis' back. Punches from the top by Evans. They stand and clinch against the cage with one minute of the round to go. Takedown stuffed by Evans. Kick by Davis as Rashad misses. Right hand by Evans. Last few seconds as Evans puts the pressure on. End of the round. Davis went for the takedowns more but Evans had the better defence and hand combos. Not much action in the round but Evans edges it 10-9, maybe 10-10.

Round 5: 5th and final round of this main event! Solid combos from both fighters to start of the round. Legkick from Davis checked by Evans. Jabs from the former champ. Evans catches Davis' kick and lands several uppercuts and right hands. Davis is down and Evans is in half guard. Davis is bloodied up and Rashad is looking for space. Evans moves into the mounted crucifix and Davis defends by giving up his back. Davis bursts to his feet and Evans lands a right hand. Evans is in complete control. Body shot and right hand by Rashad. Takedown by Davis fails as we enter the last 90 seconds. Knee from Davis who misses with a left. Headkick missed by Davis! A right hand lands followed by a kick. Combo from Rashad. The fight ends and Rashad takes the round 10-9 and the fighter 49-46 or 49-47.

Judges scores: Rashad Evans wins via unanimous decision (all 3 judges score the fight 50-45).

The End.

24. UFC 142 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

2012-01-14T16:44:00.001-08:00

24. UFC 142 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

Prelims (Facebook):

Featherweight Division: Felipe Arantes versus Antonio Carvalho:

Round 1: Here we go! Early legkicks from both fighters but Felipe is down. Half guard for Antonio as they battle for position on the ground. Antonio goes for Felipe's neck but nothing comes of it. Carvalho transitions to take Felipe's back for a moment. Front headlock by Antonio as they stand. Knees from the Canadian as he holds onto the neck. Trip attempt by Arantes but Antonio gets on top and into full mount. Punches from the top by Carvalho. Hip escape and knee by Felipe. They exchange combos in the centre as the crowd goes wild. Headkick by Felipe followed by a spinning kick. Right hand by Felipe answered by a kick from Antonio. Combos by Antonio as he misses with a kick. Jabs from Felipe. More kicks from Felipe answered by jabs and kicks from Antonio as Felipe begins to press the action. Right hand missed by Felipe. Last minute of an exciting first round. Legkicks from both fighters. They mix combos well as Felipe eats a jab. Arantes lands a flying knee but Antonio catches a leg. The takedown attempt fails and the round ends. Close, fun round by Antonio takes it due to the ground success. 10-9 Carvalho.

Round 2: Solid start by Felipe Arantes as he is clearly just a bit better in the stand up. Headkick missed by Carvalho who eats a few jabs. Left hook and a right kicky by Carvalho. Arantes is controlling from the centre of the octagon. Legkicks from the Brazilian as he mixes things up. Right hand by Antonio. And again but misses. Arantes shoots for the takedown but fails and they clinch against the cage. Punches from Carvalho followed by knees before he drops for a takedown that is not successful. Arantes reverses the position but eats a combo as they break. More combos from both fighters. Knee by Arantes but Antonio has double underhooks for a moment. They separate and land more combos. Headkick by Arantes lands after a solid exchange of bombs. Felipe is having more success in the stand up with his accuracy. Left lead hook by Arantes and a knee. Flying knee added with a right hand. They exchange more combos as the round ends. Close round but Felipe edges it with his accuracy and style. 10-9 Arantes.

Round 3: Early legkicks from Felips as Antonio misses with right hooks. More flashy kicks and knees from Felipe as he loosens up. Jabs from Carvalho as he adds a legkick. Combos from both fighters before Antonio shoots for a takedown and pulls guard after he fails. Full guard. Mission control from Antonio. Punches from the top by Arantes. Elbows followed. Carvalho is cut. Arantes is unloading on Antonio. Half the final round left as Antonio throws punches from the bottom but Arantes is in control. Mission control again for Carvalho for a moment as another Arantes elbow lands. 90 seconds of the fight left. Half guard for Arantes but they scuffle and stand back up. Knee by Antonio. They stand in the centre and exchange kicks. Jabs from Arantes as Carvalho continues to miss with combos. Knees from Felipe. Right hand by the Brazilian lands. Flying knee missed by Carvalho as the fight ends. 10-9 to Arantes in the final round to take the fight 29-28.

Judges scores: Felipe Arantes wins via unanimous decision (all 3 judges score the fight 29-28).

Prelims (TV):

Welterweight Division: Ricardo Funch versus Mike Pyle:

Round 1: They circle early on. Left hook by Pyle. Combos exchanged as Funch lands a right. Pyle controls the centre with jabs. Right hand straight by Pyle rocks the Brazilian and a knee drops Funch. Mike swarms in with punches before the referee stops the fight. Solid win for the American.

Mike Pyle wins via TKO (punches) at 1:22 of round 1.

Featherweight Division: Yuri Alcantara versus Michihiro Omigawa:

Round 1: Brazil versus Japan. They touch gloves and exchange knees. Omigawa seems to have recovered. Combo by Yuri pushes Michihiro back and the Brazlian lands a knee. More combos from Yuri as he lands a good left. Left hand by the Japanese fighter misses as they exchange hooks. Overhand missed by Michihiro before he eats a left hand. And another. Yuri is loosening up with his combos as he attempts a headkick. Jabs from Alcantara. Halfway through the first round. Right hand by Yuri lands clean but Michihiro shakes it off. Left hand missed by both fighters. They clinch but Yuri gets the better of his opponent. Michihiro is rocked by a spinning backfist and Yuri looks to finish! Omigawa goes down but gives up his back. Yuri is looking for the choke but Michihiro escapes and reverses to get on top! Punches from the top by Omigawa as we enter the final minute of round 1. More strikes from Omigawa as he attempts to pass into side control. Half guard for a moment before he is back to full guard. Armbar by Yuri! Can Omigawa survive the final seconds! The round ends but there is confusion as to whether Omigawa tapped a second before the end of the round. Yuri is celebrating but the fight is not over. There will be a second round. Hard round to score but I give it 10-9 to Yuri for the submission attempt and the spinning backfist landing.

Round 2: Solid striking by Yuri early on. Headkick just missed. Omigawa misses with a spinning backfist of his own. Jabs and knees from Yuri as he tags Michihiro. Omigawa goes down and Yuri gets into full guard. Alcantara looking to pass as Omigawa lands some punches. Beautiful transition to take Omigawa's back! Yuri is looking for the rear naked choke. Half the round to go. Complete control by Alcantara as he lands strikes. Rear naked choke is in! No, Michihiro survives! Elbows from Yuri as he looks for other options. Half guard. Michihiro bursts back to full guard. Last 90 seconds of the round. More elbows from the Brazilian. Omigawa is staying busy from the bottom but he is losing this round clearly. Last few seconds as Yuri lands 3-4 elbows back to back. 10-9 Alcantara.

Round 3: They touch gloves and circle. Left hand by Omigawa lands. And a right. Superman punch by the Japanese Judoka. Takedown attempt by Michihiro fails. Jabs from Yuri. Overhand left missed by the Brazilian as both fighters breath heavily. Good combos from Yuri who seems slightly fresher. The crowd reacts to his combos. Omigawa has got to go for something. He pushes forward but eats a left hand. And another has he misses with a left of his own. Headkick by Alcantara. They stand and exchange as we enter the final 2 minutes of the round and fight. Front kick by Omigawa and an elbow as they clinch. Omigawa gets Yuri down with 100 seconds to work with. Elbows from Omigawa. Yuri is defending well as Michihiro throws several punches but not enough to make an impact. Final 30 seconds of the round and fight. Elbow from the bottom from Yuri. The referee stands them up with 15 seconds to go. Combo by Yuri as Omigawa goes for the Judo throw only to have Yuri land on top. The fight ends and I will give Omigawa the final round 10-9 but Yuri should take the fight 29-28 or even 30-27.

Judges scores: Yuri Alcantara wins via unanimous decision (judges scores: 30-27, 29-28, 30-27).

Heavyweight Division: Gabriel Gonzaga versus Ednaldo Oliveira:

Round 1: They start slowly. Ednaldo is using his extra reach to land jabs. Solid shot to the body from Gonzaga. Takedown by Gonzaga right into side control. Gonzaga takes his back for a moment but Ednaldo recovers into half guard. Gonzaga turns him and gets his back once again. Ednaldo defends for a moment but Gabriel flattens him out completely and sinks in the rear naked choke. The referee steps in after Oliveira taps.

Gabriel Gonzaga wins via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:22 of round 1.

Lightweight Division: Thiago Tavares versus Sam Stout:

Round 1: Here we go. They clinch early and Tavares gets Stout down into full guard. Stout is trying to get to his feet but Tavares is holding him down well. Thiago is going for Sam's back but loses it and they stand. Combo by Sam as he stops a takedown attempt by Tavares. Sam catches a kick but nothing comes of it. Another takedown is stuffed by Sam before Tavares eventually gets the Canadian down. Stout battles to this feet again only to be picked up and dumped on the canvas. Punches from Thiago inside full guard. They stand by Thiago gets a hold of Sam's neck for a standing guillotine. Nothing happens and Sam gets on top as they roll. Leglock attempt by Tavares as they roll to their feet. Last 90 seconds. Combo missed by Stout. Right hand lands by Sam. Jabs from Thiago as Stout swings away. Right hand by Thiago just misses as he shoots for another takedown...nothing. First round ends and Thiago Tavares gets it for the pressure, the takedowns and the submission attempts. 10-9 Tavares.

Round 2: Second round begins and they come out with combos. Both land a right hand. Stout is being slightly more accurate. Takedown attempted by Thiago but he eats a knee after. Right hand by Tavares followed by a kick. Takedown stuffed by Stout who answers with a shot to the body. Right hand again by Thiago. And another! Takedown stuffed by Stout again. Half the round left and it is still up for grabs. Good combo from Sam. Headkick grazes Stout's head. Sam seems to have been cut from the kick. Kick by Sam as he answers a combo from Thiago. Last minute of round 2. Tavares is pushing forward with his right hand whilst Sam is mixing up combos. Jabs from the Brazilian. Body shots from Stout as the round ends with both fighters landing legkicks. Close round to score. Stout seemed more accurate in the standing but Tavares pushed forward with takedown attempts. 10-10.

Round 3: Final round of the Prelims. Jabs from Stout. Right hand by Thiago. And again. Legkick by Stout. And again but it goes low and its a time out for Thiago to recover. They start again and Thiago throws more kicks. Uppercut missed by Sam. Takedown stuffed by the Canadian. And again as Sam lands a knee and misses with a left. Legkick by the Brazilian. The exchange combos as Stout is looking to put pressure on Tavares. Takedown failed by Tavares again. Both fighters are missing a lot of shots as we enter the final 2 minutes. Jabs from Sam as Thiago replies with shots to the body. Double jab by Sam before he lands a straight left. Jab from Thiago answered by a legkick and combo from Stout. Headkick missed by Thiago. Last 30 seconds. Legkick by Sam before he drops Thiago with a right. Tavares stands back up but gets rocked again and again! The fight ends with Stout landing more punches and nearly gets Tavares. For the late flurry, Stout gets the round 10-9. Fight is a draw in my opinion, 29-29.

Judges scores: Thiago Tavares wins via unanimous decision (all 3 judges score the bout 30-27).

Main Card (Pay-Per-View):

Lightweight Division: Edson Barboza versus Terry Etim:

Round 1: The main card is under way! They exchange right away and Etim goes for the takedown. Nothing there so they separate. Legkicks from both fighters. Headkick by Etim partially blocked. Takedown by Etim! Sweep by Barboza and they are back to their feet. Legkick by Edson. Jabs from the Brit. Another legkick by Barboza lands clean. And another goes inside! Left hook by Etim is countered by Barboza. Last 2 minutes of the round. Left hook by Etim again. Headkick by Edson before Etim gets a takedown stuffed. Knee by Edson. More kicks from both fighters. Barboza is loosening up with his kicks and combos whilst Terry focuses on his jab with the occasional kick. Spinning back kick by Edson to end the round. Close round. Etim started the round great with the takedown and solid combos but Barboza had a better second half of the round. 10-10, maybe 10-9 to Etim.

Round 2: They touch gloves and Barboza lands 3 legkicks in a row. Jabs from Etim before he goes high for a kick. Body shot and legkick by Barboza. Takedown is stuffed by Barboza after he lands a jab to the stomach. More legkicks and jabs from Edson as Terry is lost for options. Right hand by Edson answered by an Etim jab. Solid combos from both fighters as they let rip. Legkicks from Barboza are destroying Etim's legs. Spinning back kick by Etim! Right hand by the Brit as he begins to come forward. Takedown by Etim for a moment before they stand and clinch. Knee by Edson as they separate. Headkick missed by Barboza. Legkick from Terry. Last 50 seconds of round 2. Body shot and right hand by Edson who is outstriking his opponent. Jabs from Terry answered by a legkick to end the round. 10-9 to Barboza for the striking mixture, accuracy and speed. Etim's takedown was only for a few seconds so it doesn't count for much. 10-9 Barboza.

Round 3: Jabs from Etim, legkicks by Edson. Knee by Etim as they clinch for a moment. Left hand straight by Etim lands clean but Edson continues. Flying knee missed by Etim. left missed by Barboza. Legkick by Edson as Etim goes for the takedown again but fails. Solid combo by Edson and BAM! KNOCKOUT! Barboza lands a wheel kick and knocks Etim out! WOW!

Edson Barboza wins via KO (wheel kick) at 2:02 of round 3.

Welterweight Division: Erick Silva versus Carlo Prater:

Round 1: They circle for a moment. Early knee from Silva drops Prater and punches from Silva end this fight just like that! Wow! But wait, the referee has given the win to Prater for illegal shots to the back of the head from Silva! No way! Replays show that the referee has made a mistake.

Carlo Prater wins via disqualification (illegal shots to the back of the head) at 0:29 of round 1.

Middleweight Division: Rousimar Palhares versus Mike Massenzio:

Round 1: They circle. Legkicks by Palhares. Low blow by Rousimar, time out. They continue. Mike drops down but gets to his feet. Rousimar gets a hold of Massenzio and pulls him down...you know whats coming! Heel hook! It is over! Simple!

Rousimar Palhares wins via submission (heel hook) at 1:03 of round 1.

Catchweight (197lbs) Bout: Vitor Belfort versus Anthony Johnson:

Round 1: Co-main event is under way! Kick by Johnson misses. They exchange kicks and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson catches a leg and dumps Vitor on the ground. Big shots from Anthony! Full guard. Punches from Vitor from the bottom and the referee stands them up. Front kick missed by Johnson. Left hand missed by Vitor and he stuffs a takedown attempt by the American. Another takedown attempt is stuffed as Vitor lands shots against the cage. The referee separates them again and they swing away. Good knee and kick by Vitor as he tries a choke. They scramble and Rumble gets on top into full guard. Little from the top by Johnson as Vitor is defending well. Another stand up by the ref. Johnson misses with a right hand and a kick. Good shots from Vitor as he stuffs another takedown. Vitor has his back! 1 minute of the round left! Good punches by Vitor and he is going for the rear naked choke! More punches from Belfort! He has him flattened out!More punches from Vitor and Johnson is in survival mode! Last 20 seconds! He is going for the choke! Johnson taps! Wow! With Johnson failing to make weight yesterday, this could be his last fight in the UFC.

Vitor Belfort wins via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:49 of round 1.

Featherweight Division: UFC Featherweight Championship: Jose Aldo versus Chad Mendes:

Round 1: Main event is under way! They touch gloves. Legkicks by Mendes. Aldo answers with one of this own. They continue to exchange legkicks. Takedown by Chad is stuffed. Another legkick by Aldo as Mendes misses with an uppercut. Low blow by Chad but they carry on. Right hand uppercut by Aldo and Chad drops for a single but fails. Right hand misse by Aldo. Mendes has another takedown stuffed but he lands a jab after. 90 seconds of the round left. Legkick by Mendes. And again. Right hand by the American. Mendes tries for a takedown but fails. He gets his back and picks Aldo up but Aldo grabbed the fence. Referee Yamasaki warns Aldo who gets taken down for a moment. Knees from Mendes as he presses Aldo up against the cage. They separate and Aldo lands a huge knee that drops Mendes! A few punches from Aldo and the referee stops the fight at 4:59 of round 1!

Jose Aldo wins via TKO (knee and punches) at 4:59 of round 1 to remain the UFC Featherweight Champion.

The End.

23. UFC 139 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

2011-11-19T09:40:00.001-08:00

UFC 139 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

Prelims (Facebook):

Catchweight (158 lbs) Bout: Shamar Bailey versus Danny Castillo:

Round 1: Legkick by Castillo. He slips on a kick attempt, Bailey swarms in but gets taken down. Elbows from the bottom by Bailey who eventually gets to his feet. They clinch against the cage before Danny picks Shamar up and drops him. They stand again before Danny lifts him up again. Power slam avoided, Shamar gets to full guard. Danny moves into half guard and lands shots. Elbows from Castillo who is attempting to pass into side control. Great control by Danny who lands more shots. He stays busy from the top. Shots to the body from Danny as we enter the final minute. Solid ground and pound by Castillo as Shamar is hanging on. Side control but Bailey gets back into half guard. Good shots from Castillo! Last few seconds and Bailey is defending but the referee steps in and stops the fight! Maybe a bit premature but Castillo was in control.

Danny Castillo wins via TKO (punches) at 4:52 at round 1.

Welterweight Division: Matt Brown versus Seth Baczynski:

Round 1: Here we go. Kick by Brown missed. Left hand by Seth. Good combo by Baczynski followed by good legkicks. They clinch up against the cage. Knees from both fighters as Seth controls the pressure. Takedown by Seth after a minute of cage control and short shots. Full guard. Shots from the top by Baczynski. Sweep by Matt and he gets on top. Upkick attempts by Seth. They stand. Left hand missed by Matt..and a headkick. The exchange combos. Uppercut by Matt answered by a punch from Seth who clinches up against the cage once more. Knees by Matt. Answered by Seth. Muay Thai clinch by Matt as he lands more knees. 30 seconds left of the first round. They continue to exchange knees and Matt lands an elbow. Guillotine attempt by Seth standing up but the round ends. Close round but I would give it to Seth due to the takedown, the control and the guillotine attempt in the final few seconds. 10-9 Baczynski.

Round 2: Early combos from both fighters. Takedown by Matt but a guillotine attempt by Seth! Matt is surviving! He nearly escapes! Seth still has it in and Matt Brown taps out! It is over!

Seth Baczynski wins via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:42 of round 2.

Catchweight (141 lbs) Bout: Miguel Torres versus Nick Pace:

Round 1: Legkick from Torres answered by a jab from Nick. Torres jabs away as they circle. Right hand missed by Miguel. More legkicks by Torres as Pace misses with a punch. Legkick by Pace followed by a hook. Nick missing with the jabs and Torres punishes him with a legkick and right hand. And another! Jabs from Pace and he gets hit by another right hand that stops him in his tracks. Kicks and knees by Pace as they clinch seconds later. Pace is holding Torres against the cage and landing knee after knee whilst Torres defends.Short shots from inside by Miguel but Pace continues with the knees. Standing kimura attempt by Torres. They roll to the ground and stand seconds later. Trip attempt failed by Torres. They separate. Right hand by Torres! Another misses and Torres lands headkick to end the round. Difficult round to score. Nick pressed the pace but Torres landed better strikes. 10-10 or 10-9 Torres.

Round 2: Headkick to start the round from Torres. Followed by a leg-head-leg kick combo. Right hand by Miguel as he loosens up. Miguel is being the more accurate striker. Kick combos from Torres. Jab by Miguel as Pace misses a right but gets the takedown! Shots from the bottom by Torres! Constant action from Torres from the bottom. Nick is doing very little. Miguel is trying to get his left leg free. Side control for Nick Pace. More strikes from the bottom by the former WEC champ. Torres hip escapes back to his feet. Torres presses Nick against the cage. Underhooks by Miguel as he lands a knee and short punches. Last minute of round 2. Pace is doing very little to take round 2 right now. More knees from Miguel. Foot stomps follow. Good knees from Miguel as Nick is simply defending. End of the round. 10-9 Torres.

Round 3: Final round. Jabs from both fighters. Miguel is landing his just before Nick. Legkick from Torres. Good faints also. Solid jabs from Nick. Answered by a right hand and kick from Miguel. Nick is chasing Torres and landing very little. Torres is picking him off with jabs and legkicks. Front kick from Torres to the body. Right hand missed by Pace but he lands a knee. Good combo from Torres followed by more kicks. They clinch against the cage and Miguel unloads with knees and foot stomps. They separate and Nick really needs to stop Torres in the last 2 minutes. Uppercut missed by Nick and Miguel lands a solid combo. They exchange elbows against the cage. Knees from Miguel as he reverses Nick. Short punches added. Last 40 seconds. They separate for the final 20 seconds and Miguel lands another combo. Nick has done nothing to win this round and fight. 10-9 to Miguel and he should take this fight 30-28 or 30-27.

Judges scores: Miguel Torres wins via unanimous decision (all 3 judges score the fight 30-27).

Lightweight Division: Gleison Tibau versus Rafael dos Anjos:

Round 1: They touch gloves. All Brazilian match-up. Kick from Rafael. Left hand missed by Tibau. Rafael lands a left hand. They exchange in the centre! Legkicks from dos Anjos. Jabs from Tibau miss but he lands a combo. Takedown by Gleison! They stand back up seconds later and Rafael lands a right hand. Headkick bloked from dos Anjos who is loosening up. They exchange once more but no clear shots land. Takedown attempt by Rafael...successful! Tibau gets to his feet and they separate with elbows. Front kick by Rafael. Takedown stuffed by Rafael from Tibau who then lands some shots. They exchange more shots and clinch up for the final few seconds. Back and forth round 1. Both fighters got takedowns and landed strikes. 10-10.

Round 2: They start the round but the referee calls time out for one of Tibau's gloves. They restart after the tape is fixed. Good combos from dos Anjos. Right hand lands as Tibau looks for the takedown. More punches miss from both fighters and Tibau gets another takedown stuffed. Good combo from Rafael. They continue to circle. Right by Rafael as Gleison just misses. Rafael drops for the single leg takedown and doesn't get it. They clinch for a moment before separating. Kick from dos Anjos. Left hand missed by Tibau. Rafael applying some pressure now. They clinch and exchange knees and short punches. Tibau reverses the position. Takedown attempt by Gleison fails. Rafael reverses the position and just misses an elbow on separation. Last 90 seconds of round 2. Combos exchanged. Huge overhand left missed by Rafael. Tibau lands a combo and wobbles Rafael! Tibau swarms in and Rafael is just about escaping! More punches from Tibau! Last 30 seconds. dos Anjos bleeding out of his ear. Kick from dos Anjos at the end of the round. Tibau steels the round with that late flurry that rocked Rafael. 10-9 Tibau.

Round 3: Final round of the fight. Tibau takes the centre. Rafael lands a hook! Jabs from Gleison. More kicks from dos Anjos. Overhand right missed by Rafael. Poor takedown attempt failed by Tibau. More kicks from Rafael as Tibau again does for a slow takedown. Tibau nearly catches a left leg from Rafael. Left hand by Gleison. Good jabs from Tibau as Rafael is swinging away. Takedown by Tibau! Last 2 minutes of the round and fight. Punches from the bottom by dos Anjos. They stand back up and clinch against the cage. Tibau has Rafael's neck but loses it. Knee by Rafael. And again. Last 80 seconds. Tibau reverses the position and drops for a takedown that fails. dos Anjos gets the reverse once again as we enter the final 50 seconds. More knees from Rafael. Single leg takedown attempt by Rafael...fails. They exchange in the final 15 seconds. The round and fight ends with dos Anjos missing a superman punch. 10-9 Tibau with the takedown being the only difference in the round. 30-28 Gleison.

Judges scores: Gleison Tibau wins via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27).

Middleweight Division: Tom Lawlor versus Chris Weidman:

Round 1: Early exchanges from both fighters. Legkick missed by Lawlor. Solid kick and takedown by Weidman. Full guard. Weidman is doing good to keep Tom down against the cage. Weidman moves into side control and is attempting a d'Arce choke! It is in deep and Chris is telling the referee that Tom is out! the referee checks and stops the fight! Tom is asleep!

Chris Weidman wins via submission (d'Arce choke) at 2:07 of round 1.

Prelims (TV):

Bantamweight Division: Michael McDonald versus Alex Soto:

Round 1: Jabs from Soto. Misses with the knee. Legkick by Soto. Combo by Michael as well as a legkick that drops Alex! Punches from Michael and an uppercut with more punches forces the ref to stop the fight!

Michael McDonald wins via KO (punches) at 0:56 of round 1.

Light Heavyweight Division: Ryan Bader versus Jason Brilz:

Round 1: Bader takes the centre. Left hand by Bader. Uppercut by Bader. Overhand right missed by Jason. Loose techniques by Ryan early on. Jabs from Brilz. Overhand shots from Jason miss. Good combo by Bader and big right hand from Ryan Bader drops Brilz! It is all over! The ref steps in!

Ryan Bader wins via KO (punch) at 1:17 of round 1.

Main Card (Pay-Per-View):

Light Heavyweight Division: Stephen Bonnar versus Kyle Kingsbury:

Round 1: Here we go! They touch gloves. Early jabs from both fighters. Kicks from Bonnar. Good combo by Kyle. They clinch against the cage. Knees from Kyle. Answered by Stephen "The American Pyscho" Bonnar. More knees from Kingsbury. They separate. Left hand staggers Kyle! Low blow by Bonnar. Time out. Kyle is OK and they continue. Legkick by Bonnar. They exchange combos. Right hand by Bonnar. Knees from Kyle as they clinch. Stephen lands some knees. Muay Thai clinic from both fighters against the cage. Kyle is bleeding from his nose. Trip failed by Stephen. He gets to his feet and they exchange more shots! Knee by Bonnar. Jabs from Bonnar answered by a combo from Kyle. Stephen stalking Kingsbury and they exchange more hooks. Knee from Bonnar. Last 90 seconds of round 1. Right hand by Kyle but Bonnar presses forward. Takedown attempt by Stephen...successful! Last minute of round 1. Side control! Punches from Bonnar as Kyle is in defensive mode. Bonnar has Kyle's neck but uses the control to get full mount! Punches from Bonnar from the top. Last few seconds and Bonnar lands more punches but the round ends! 10-9 Bonnar.

Round 2: Legkick by Kyle. Combos from both fighters and Kingsbury throws more kicks. Kicks from both fighters. Bonnar ducks under and gets Kyle's back! Up against the cage, Stephen gets a takedown and takes Kyle's back for a moment. Half guard. Plenty of time to work for Bonnar. Side control for Stephen and he is moving for a mounted crucifix! Punches from Bonnar as Kyle is in survival mode. Last 3 minutes. North-south position and back to side control. Punches from Bonnar followed by knees to the body! Great work by Stephen. Constant punches from Bonnar as Kyle is struggling to survive. Bonnar gets Kyle's right arm pinned for a second. Guillotine attempt by Bonnar who is also looking for the full mount. Kingsbury gets free and back to half guard. Last 40 seconds. Arm-triangle attempt by Bonnar but Kyle defends it well and Bonnar lands more punches. 100% Bonnar for that round. 10-8 Stephen.

Round 3: Final round! Jabs from both fighters. Left hand by Kyle. Bonnar catches a kick, gets Kyle's back and takes him down. Seconds later they stand back up but Bonnar drags him down to the ground. Half guard. North-south position for Bonnar easily. Stephen is attempting the north-south choke but doesn't get it. One more attempt fails and Bonnar moves to a kimura attempt. Failed. Side control for Bonnar. Stephen is looking for the mounted crucifix to stop Kyle. Good defence from Kingsbury. Bonnar moves to north-south position once more and this round is all Bonnar so far. Last minute of the fight. Kyle is looking to burst and get out but Bonnar sees it and gets back to side control. North-south choke attempt once more. Back and forth between a guillotine and north-south choke. Bonnar gives up and goes for a kimura but doesn't get it. Seconds of the fight left. Punches from Bonnar to end the fight. Another 10-8 round for Stephen. 30-25 Bonnar.

Judges scores: Stephen Bonnar wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 30-27).

Welterweight Division: Martin Kampmann versus Rick Story:

Round 1: Early overhands from Story. Jabs from Martin. Good combo by Story. Knees and combos from Rick! Martin gets away. Headkick by Kampmann blocked. Takedown attempt by Story failed. Right eyebrow is bleeding for Story. Combos from both fighters. Right hand by Martin. Headkick again. Good combos from both fighters as they move in and out. Body shot by Rick. Story has the centre of the octagon as Martin moves around. Both fighters are cut as they exchange more shots and kicks. Half way through the first round. Body shot by Rick as Martin lands a combo and headkick. Story ducks in and lands more body shots. Left hand missed by Rick. Martin lands more jabs and crisp shots. Left hand by Story followed by a combo. Jabs from both fighters. Knee from Kampmann. They continue to circle throw 2-3 punch combos. Takedown attempt by Story...fails again.They exchange more shots and Martin lands another knee before stuffing another takedown. The round ends with more body shots by Rick. Close round. Could be 10-10 or 10-9 to Rick for the constant pressure and takedown attempts in addition to the equal striking.

Round 2: Same again from both fighters as they throw combos. Headkick from Martin. Knee missed by Rick. Right hand missed by Rick. Body shot lands by Rick "The Horror" Story. Kampmann is landing his right hand often now. And again. The kickboxer is landing the right hand constantly now. Jabs from both fighters. Story is falling short with his shots now. Good right hand though. And again as Martin gets cornered. Rick swinging away. They exchange more combos with Martin landing the occasional kick. They clinch up and Martin takes Rick down via trip! Punches from Martin as he moves to half guard. Arm-triangle attempt by Martin. He is going for it but he can't lock it in. Nearly there. Good defence by Story. Last 30 seconds. Punches from Martin as the round ends. 10-9 to Kampmann for the ground dominance.

Round 3: Final round! Story comes out swinging but Martin lands also. They clinch against the cage before releasing only for Story to swing his way back in. Martin reverses and goes for the takedown. Good defence from Rick. Another takedown attempt by Martin...successful! Only for a second though as Rick gets to his feet. Martin has his back but loses it and they exchange more combos back in the centre of the octagon. Right hands from Rick. Takedown stuffed by Rick before he shoots for takedown of his own. He gets it for a few seconds before they stand and bang once more. Knees from Martin. Trip attempt fails for Martin. They clinch against the cage and Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann is looking for the takedown once again. He gets Rick's back. Last 100 seconds. Martin picks Rick up and drops him down for a second. "The Horror" gets away and they clinch once more. Knees from both fighters before Martin gets the trip. They stand once more and Rick gets a takedown! Not for long though. They keep exchanging takedowns and Martin eventually gets Story's back! Martin is going for the rear naked choke! End of the round! Solid end of the round for Martin gets him the round. 10-9 Martin. 30-28 or 29-28 to Kampmann.

Judges scores: Martin Kampmann wins via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28).

Bantamweight Division: Urijah Faber versus Brian Bowles:

Round 1: They touch gloves! Former champions! Jab from Bowles. Early combo from Urijah. Right hand by Faber. Legkick follows. Right hand by Bowles lands followed by a jab and uppercut to the body. Solid combos from both fighters as they move around in the centre. Uppercuts from Faber. Brian is missing most of his overhand punches. Body shots from Urijah. Good combo from Urijah pushes Brian back. They exchange punches and Faber gets the better shots in. Headkick blocked from Faber. Good combos from Brian. More jabs. Fast pace from both fighters. Knee by Bowles as Urijah tries to throw him down. They continue to punch away. Huge takedown by Urijah! Guillotine by Brian! Loses it! Slam by Faber! Punches follow. Good defence by Brian. Last 40 seconds. Faber postures up and lands kicks. Upkicks from Brian. Punches from Faber land as the round ends. 10-9 Faber for the takedown, slam and solid ground and pound.

Round 2: Brian jabs early. Good combo added. Left hand missed by Faber. Uppercut by Faber hurts Brian. Knee drops him! Punches from Faber! Brian is surviving! Knee to the body by Urijah. Guillotine attempt by Faber fails. Elbows by Faber! And again! Guillotine choke by Faber! It is deep and Bowles taps out just before passing out! Wow!

Urijah Faber wins via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:27 of round 2.

Middleweight Division: Wanderlei Silva versus Cung Le:

Round 1: Here we go! Early kick missed from Le. Right hand by Le lands. Silva misses with a combo. Silva rocks Cung back with a combo as Le comes in with a punch and legkick. They reset. Spinning back fist by Le! Spinning back kick added! Right hand by Le as he ducks under a Silva left hand. Spinning back fist by Cung rocks Silva! Wheel kicks by Le! Silva is missing with his combos and Le is rocking him with fancy kicks and punches. Side thrust kick by Cung. And again. Exchange of combos. Right hand by Wanderlei! Kick to the body by Cung as he is in control of the round. Wheel kick again lands on Silva who counters with a punch. Silva comes forward with a combo. More kicks from Le. Last minute of the first round. Another spinning back fist! Kicks from Silva! Headkick! Combo from Le. Last 20 seconds. Right hand by Silva. Pressure from Wanderlei as Cung is having problems with a cut. End of the round. Great round. 10-9 to Le for rocking Silva several times and even dropping him once and for controlling the majority of the round.

Round 2: Silva slips early on but Le lets him stand. More kicks from Cung Le early on. Legkick by Wanderlei. And again. Big shots from both fighters! More kicks from Le. Axe kick! Right hand by Le. Jabs from Le added. Legkick counter by Silva. Jabs and a kick from Cung. Solid kick-punch combo from Le. Combos from both fighters land but with little impact. Right and a left by Le. Side thrust kick from Cung. Kick to the body from Silva. Legkicks exchange. Jab from Silva. Wanderlei comes forward with combos. Legkick by Le. Last 80 seconds. Side thrust kick again from Le. Final minute of round 2. More kicks from Le as the round is up for grabs. Headkick by Silva misses. Silva charges forward and drops Le with a right! They stand but Silva has a standing guillotine! He loses it but lands knees and more punches. He lands more punches and Le drops for a takedown but the referee stops the fight thinking Le was out! Bad stoppage! With only a few seconds to go! Bad call by the referee.

Wanderlei Silva wins via TKO (punches) at 4:49 of round 2.

Light Heavyweight Division: Mauricio Rua versus Dan Henderson:

Round 1: The main event is under way! They circle. Legkick by Rua. Takedown by "Shogun"! Guillotine/Front choke by Dan! Big knee by Henderson and Shogun is in trouble! Punches from Henderson and Shogun is bloodied up already! Dan lands a right hand as Shogun goes for the takedown. They clinch against the cage. Great start by Dan. They separate. Jabs from Shogun. Knee from Henderson. Right hand misses. They circle once again. Right hand missed by Dan. Takedown attempt by Rua fails again. They separate. Last 2 minutes of round 1. Right hand by Hendo. Right hand once again. Right hand by Shogun as Dan tries a takedown! Good defence! Right hand by Henderson! They separate. Left hand by Rua countered by a Hendo right straight. Last 30 seconds of the first round. Shogun pushes forward. They clinch against the cage. Knees from both fighters. Short shots from Rua. End of the round. Good round for Dan Henderson! 10-9 Hendo.

Round 2: Second round! They meet in the centre. Jabs from both fighters. Combos missed by both fighters and Rua clinches up against the cage. Knees from Mauricio. They separate and Dan lands a left after missing the right. Right hand and uppercut by Henderson! Rua covers up! Left hook by Shogun. Uppercut! They move back to the centre. 3 minutes of the round left. Right hand missed by Hendo. They exchange combos. Right hand by Rua countered by a Hendo uppercut and straight right. Left hand by Dan misses. They clinch and Rua gets a good right hand in. Reversal by Dan and he lands a few shots. Last 100 seconds. Inside shots from both fighters. Dan controlling Shogun well going into the last minute. Knees from the American. The referee separates them for lack of activity. 40 seconds left. Jab missed by Rua. One lands. Right hand by Rua. Combos land by both fighters. Shogun still bleeding from his left eye. End of the round. Close round. Good striking from both fighters. Good control late on by Dan. 10-10 or 10-9 Henderson.

Round 3: They circle and Rua lands a left. Left straight by Dan. Shogun seems more tired then Dan. Good hooks from both fighters. Uppercut by Hendo! Kick to the body by Rua! They clinch and Dan tries to take Rua down. They stand again and exchange more shots. Left hand straight by Rua. Countered by Hendo. Body shot by Rua. Big shot by Hendo! Shogun is hurt! Punches from the top by Dan! Elbows to the body by Dan! Rua attacks a leg! Looking for a heal hook! Dan gets out and they stand. Rua's face is messed up! Swollen and bloodied. They clinch and Rua lands some knees. Last 2 minutes of the round. Takedown attempt by Rua! Elbows from Dan and he defends well. Good control against the cage by Rua as he looks to recover from Dan's assault. Last minute of round 3! Elbows by Henderson! Rua covers up but keeps Hendo against the cage. Last 30 seconds. Takedown by Rua but they stand again. Rua will survive these last few seconds. Right hand by Rua! And again! End of the round! 10-9 to Henderson for the damage done.

Round 4: What a war! Shogun takes the centre of the octagon. Single leg takedown attempt by Shogun. Dan rolls over and gets Rua into a crucifix! He switches to a choke but Rua gets out. Leg lock by Rua, lost it! Hendo gets the takedown! Side control! Dan has his neck! Half guard. 3 minutes left. He lost the choke. Full guard. Good defence by the Brazilian. Dan holding on before landing a right hand. They stand back up. 2 minutes left. Uppercut by Shogun! And a right hand! Jab by Dan! Last 90 seconds. Big shots by Shogun! Takedown attempt by a tired looking Dan! Shot by Rua. Dan gets a shot back! Last minute! Jab by Rua followed by a combo. Last 40 seconds. Left hook by Rua and Shogun drops him! Shogun in full mount! Punches from the top. Shogun gets his back and tries a choke but loses it and Dan gets on top! Last 10 seconds! They ride out the rest of the round. WHAT A FIGHT! 10-9 to Rua!

Round 5: Final round! They touch gloves. Here we go! They circle before Shogun gets Dan down. Side control! Knees to the body by Rua. Full mount! Dan is covering up and Shogun is landing bombs. Good defence from Dan. Under 4 minutes left! Rua lands more punches and Dan covers up! Just over 3 minutes left! Dan gets his arm under for a choke but he cant hold on. Back to half guard for a moment but Rua gets into full mount again. Half of the round left. Rua gets his back! He is looking for the choke! Back to full mount. Big punches from Rua. 100 seconds of the fight left! Can Dan survive! More punches from the Brazilian. Last 70 seconds. Short punches from Rua. 60 seconds! Half guard after Dan hip escapes. Last 35 seconds. What heart by Henderson! Last 10 seconds! Punches from Rua! End of the round and end of the fight! WHAT A FIGHT! That last round was all Rua. 10-9, in fact, 10-8 for Shogun! I have the fight anywhere from 48-47 to Rua to 47-47 to 48-47 to Hendo!

Judges scores: Dan Henderson wins via unanimous decision (all 3 judges score the fight 48-47).

The End.

22. UFC on Fox 1 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

2011-11-12T11:12:00.000-08:00

UFC on Fox 1 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

Prelims (Facebook and FoxSports.com):

Light Heavyweight Division: Aaron Rosa versus Matt Lucas:

Round 1: Rosa takes the centre. Lucas missed a few shots and they clinch. Successful takedown by Matt for a moment but they stand back up. Headkick by Rosa. They exchange from the clinch. Good combos from Rosa before stuffing a takedown attempt. Knees from Rosa as Matt holds him against the cage. They separate before exchanging in the centre once more. Left hand by Lucas. Another stuffed takedown. They clinch against the cage once more before Aaron works his knees. Uppercuts from inside by Rosa as Lucas is just holding on. Legkick and combo by Rosa before Lucas scrambles for another takedown attempt that fails. Small shots by Rosa as Lucas works on dragging him to the ground. Knees from Rosa once more. Elbows from Aaron as Lucas is just holding on. More elbows from Aaron as we enter the last 20 seconds. More knees from Rosa before they separate and exchange punches. They clinch and land uppercuts before the round ends. Dull round but Rosa did the most work offensively. 10-10 or 10-9 to Rosa.

Round 2: They circle once more. Punches missed by Rosa. Overhand left missed by Lucas. Takedown by Lucas but Rosa gets back to his feet and lands more shots as Lucas just holds him against the cage. Knee from Aaron...and again. They separate. Right hand missed by Rosa. Lucas goes for the takedown again but fails and Rosa lands more punches and elbows. Same again after they separate for a moment. Countless elbows from Rosa as Lucas does nothing. Right hand by Lucas as they exchange after breaking apart. Legkick by Rosa followed by a front kick. Left hand by Lucas and they clinch again. Knee by Aaron Rosa. They exchange more combos before Rosa lands a few uppercuts. The referee stops the fight for a moment to take a point of Lucas for constantly removing his mouthpiece. They resume and Lucas gets the takedown and holds Rosa down! Half guard. Seconds to go and Rosa gets back to his feet. Another dull round until the last few seconds. With the one point deduction it is either 10-9 or 10-8 to Rosa.

Round 3: They exchange early in the round. Good combos from both fighters. Left hand by Lucas answered by a knee from Rosa. They clinch again and Rosa gets busy again with punches, elbows and knees whilst Matt does nothing again. Short elbows from Rosa. And a knee. They separate again. Uppercuts from Rosa from the clinch once more. Poor performance from Matt Lucas. Rosa is in control with the striking. Good knees and uppercuts. Matt presses Rosa against the cage once more with no effect and Rosa just lands more and more strikes. They separate after a right hand by Rosa. Good legkick by Rosa. Last 2 minutes. Rosa mixing it up with the combos and knees. Lucas is just surviving. Mouthpiece falls out again! Knees from Rosa as he continues to strike his way to a solid victory over a dull opponent. Right hand by Rosa. Body shots added. Big John stops the fight once more for the mouthpiece. They continue. Last 40 seconds and Rosa is landing body shot after body shot. Knees from Rosa as Lucas swings wildly. Right hand by Rosa. Lucas goes for a takedown, loses it and Rosa takes his back but they round ends. 10-9 Rosa. The fight is anywhere from 30-28 to 30-26 for Rosa.

Judges scores: Aaron Rosa wins via majority decision (28-28, 30-26, 30-26).

Welterweight Division: Mike Pierce versus Paul Bradley:

Round 1: Here we go. Their second meeting. Pierce comes out swinging. They clinch. Left hook by Mike. Kicks from Bradley. Left hook added. They exchange and clinch for moment. Legkicks exchanged. Good combo from Paul. They clinch and Bradley lands a knee. More combos and Pierce presses Bradley against the cage for a moment. Legkick by Mike. Right hand wobbles Bradley. He survives and lands a combo. More kicks from Mike. Pierce stalks Bradley. Exchange of combinations. Superman punch by Bradley. Another kick by Mike. Takedown successful by Bradley for a few seconds. He takes Mike's back but they separate moments later. Last 40 seconds of round 1. Pressure from Mike as he lands more combos. Knee by Bradley. Answered by Mike. They separate for the last few seconds. Close round with both fighters landing. Bradley's takedown might give him the round. 10-10 or 10-9 to Bradley.

Round 2: Early combo by Mike answered by a kick from Pierce. Good combo again by Bradley. Right hand by Pierce as he presses forward. Body shots from the clinch by Mike. Knee by Bradley. More clinchwork as they struggle for control. Left hand by Pierce. Another combo by Bradley. Takedown by Pierce stuffed. Left hook by Mike on the break from the clinch. Right hand by Paul. Jabs from Mike. Followed by a left hand and more clinching. Knees are exchanged as we enter the final 2 minutes of round 2. Right hand by Mike as he presses Bradley against the cage for a moment. They separate and Mike circles the cage. Combo by Pierce who looks the fresher fighter. Takedown attempt by Paul is successful for a second and they clinch once more. Both fighters are tired now. Knees from both fighters. More combos from Paul before he misses an uppercut. Legkick by Mike. They exchange more punches as the round ends. Another close round but I would give it to Mike for the pressure, accuracy and mixing of techniques. 10-9 Pierce.

Round 3: They touch gloves. Legkick by Mike and they exchange hooks. Jab by Bradley followed by a combo and two knees. Clinchwork from the fighters continues before they separate and exchange more bombs. Jab missed by Bradley. Jabs from both fighters as they look for that one good shot. Takedown by Bradley fails and they clinch against the cage for a moment. Both fighters are holding on to each other for a short break. The referee separates them and they exchange combos once again. Knees from Bradley. Answered by Mike. Body shots from the clinch by Pierce. Last 2 minutes of the fight and Pierce lands a legkick. Bradley is getting the combos in and he gets the takedown! He has both legs but Pierce is throwing punches and elbows. Pierce gets free and back to his feet. Jab by Mike. Last minute. Left hand by Bradley as Mike lands more jabs. Last 30 seconds and both fighters are jabbing away. Right hand missed by Bradley. Uppercut by Pierce.They exchange punches as the fight comes to an end. Close final round. I have to give it to Bradley for the extra punch here and there and also for the takedown. 10-9 Bradley. 29-28 Bradley but it could be a 29-28 win for Pierce. Down to the judges.

Judges scores: Mike Pierce wins via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28).

Bantamweight Division: Alex Caceres versus Cole Escovedo:

Round 1: They touch gloves. Kick by Alex. Superman punch followed. Left hand by "Bruce Leeroy". Jabs from Alex. Jabs from both fighters. Left hand by Caceres. Combos from both fighters. Cole is measuring his strikes. Legkick by Caceres.Uppercut followed. Jab by Cole misses. Spinning backfist by Alex lands. Left hand combo lands. Flying knee by Caceres and they clinch. Cole attempts a trip but Alex gets on top and lands bombs. He lets Cole back up. Switch kick from Bruce Leeroy! Punch to the thigh from Alex! He is mixing his striking up well! Escovedo lands a left leg. Last minute of the round. Combo by Alex followed by a front kick that lands clean to the stomach of Escovedo. Jabs from both fighters miss. Last 20 seconds left. Legkick by Cole. Answered by Alex. Cole kicks Alex that drops him but he is ok and survives the round. 10-9 to Caceres for the loose and accurate striking and control.

Round 2: Kicks from Cole early on. Alex gets his own kicks in. Combo by Caceres. Side thrust kick by Alex and a superman punch too. Jabs from both fighters. Good combo from Cole. Knee from Alex. Legkick missed by Cole and he is punished with more kicks and punches. Consistency by Alex. Kicks from both fighters before Alex lands a good combo started by a body shot. Jab from Alex. Caceres gets the takedown. They go to the ground and Cole goes for a leg before sweeping back to his feet. More combos from Alex. Knee from Cole. Escovedo goes for a standing arm-triangle before pulling guard for an armbar but doesn't get anywhere near it. More combos from Alex as he beats Cole to the punch. Legkick from Escovedo. Knee missed by Cole. Spinning elbow by Alex and a legkick follows. Last minute of round 2. Jabs by Caceres. Alex is confident. More combos from Alex. Legkick by Cole. Last 20 seconds and Cole lands an elbow from the clinch. Front kick by Alex. Right hand by Cole. Round ends. 10-9 Caceres.

Round 3: They touch gloves and the last round begins. Sidekick by Alex. More jabs and combos. Kick and takedown by Cole! Alex throws up a triangle! Cole gets out and Alex tries it again. Kimura also! Armbar from Caceres! Its in tight! Omoplata attempt! Alex has so many submission possibilities! Cole gets out! Punches from Alex and he tries a triangle again. Cole gets out again and they stand. Legkick by Alex. Jab added. Combo by Alex in reply to a kick from Cole. More jabs from Caceres. Front kick also. Last 100 seconds. More flashy strikes from Alex. Jabs from Alex again and a legkick. Flying knee by Alex. Last minute. Takedown by Escovedo again. He gets Caceres' back! Triangle by Cole but Alex gets out and stands! Last 20 seconds! Combos from both fighters. Left hand by Cole. Answered by Alex. End of the round and fight! Great round. Although Cole got the takedowns, Alex did better on the ground and the striking was all Caceres. 10-9 and 30-27 to Bruce Leeroy.

Judges scores: Alex Caceres wins via unanimous decision (all 3 judges score the fight 30-27).

Featherweight Division: Mackens Semerzier versus Robert Peralta:

Round 1: They touch gloves. Legkick by Mackens lands low. Fight paused. They continue. Good legkick by Mackens. He catches a kick from Peralta and attempts the takedown but fails. They clinch against the cage. Knees from Semerzier as Peralta lands little shots from inside. Mackens goes for the single but fails. They exchange combos against the cage. Jabs from Peralta as they circle after separation. Kicks from both fighters and a right hand from Mackens drops Peralta who rolls back and recovers against the cage. Knees from Mackens. Semerzier is stalking Peralta. Mackens gets the takedown after catching another kick. Punches from the top by Mackens. Good defence from Robert. Upkick by Peralta but Mackens gets past and into side control but Peralta defends back into full guard. Mackens stands again and lands more punches from the top. He lets Robert stand as the round ends. 10-9 Semerzier.

Round 2: Jabs from Mackens. Peralta lands a right that drops Mackens who grabs hold of a leg! Punches from Peralta! Semerzier gets to his feet and clinches against the cage. He seems to have recovered. They separate and Mackens is ok. Jabs from both fighters again. They both miss swinging hooks. Another low blow from Mackens with the legkick. They continue. Right hand by Peralta. Headkick by Mackens misses. They clinch and exchange knees. Combos missed by both fighters before Peralta gets a right hand. Mackens continues to walk Peralta down. More kicks from Mackens. Last 2 minutes of the second round. Good fight. Sidekick by Robert. Punch missed by Mackens. Right hand by Peralta. They exchange more punches before clinching. Knees from Macken who is looking for the takedown. Body shots from Semerzier and a knee as they break. Spinning back kick. Jab by Peralta. Legkick by Mackens followed by more kicks. Last few seconds of the round. Combos missed and the round ends. Close round but it has to go Peralta for dropping Mackens early in the round. 10-9 to Robert Peralta.

Round 3: Final round. Legkick by Mackens. And again. Answered by Robert. Combo missed by Peralta but he lands a sidekick. Good combo from Peralta answers a legkick by Mackens. More legkicks from both fighters. Jabs and combos miss. Left hand by Mackens Semerzier. Right hand drops Mackens! He grabs a leg and Peralta lands punch after punch and Mackens is bloodied. It is over! What a shot! The referee stops the fight. Wait a minute, replays show that it was an accidental headbutt that dropped Mackens! It will still be declared a victory for Peralta but it could be overturned later into a no contest result.

Robert Peralta wins via TKO (punches) at 1:54 of round 3.

Bantamweight Division: Norifumi Yamamoto versus Darren Uyenoyama:

Round 1: "Kid" Yamamoto circles early on. Right hand lands by Kid but Darren isn't fazed. They clinch for a moment but Yamamoto continues to be evasive. Darren lands a headkick but its not clean. They clinch against the cage. Knees by Yamamoto. Kid gets Darren to the ground. They stand but Kid gets a beautiful judo throw! Full guard. Triangle is open for Darren but Kid stands back up. Last 2 minutes of round 1. Quick combos from both fighters. Darren catches a kick and gets Kid down. Shots from Uyenoyama! They scramble and Kid gets on top but loses out and Darren gets his back! Both hooks in. Last 45 seconds! Punches from the back by Darren. Last 20 seconds. Rear naked choke attempt! Last 10 seconds! Kid was about to tap! End of the round! Kid nearly tapped but he informs the referee that he was fine. He knew there were a few seconds to go. Close round. Good start by Yamamoto but Darren ends stronger. 10-9 Darren.

Round 2: Headkick missed by Darren and Kid drops him with a left! Darren gets a leg but Kid is doing damage. Darren is bleeding badly! Darren goes for the double and gets Kid down! Half guard! Full back mount by Darren! Great ground work by Uyenoyama! Punches from the back by Darren. Half the round to go. Rear naked choke attempt fails. Darren is stilling looking for the submission, loosening Kid up. Punches land by Darren and he sinks the submission in but its not deep. Shots to the body by Darren as he looks for Kid to open up. Last 20 seconds and Darren is picking up the pace with his punches. Kid survives the round. Another great start by Kid Yamamoto but he loses the round with his poor ground work. 10-9 Darren Uyenoyama.

Round 3: Final round. Kid is circling once more. Left hand misses. Flying knee missed by Kid. Legkick by Yamamoto as he slips but stands back up. Legkick by Darren. Right hand by Kid and Darren clinches before pulling guard. Full guard. Mission control for Darren. Punches to the body by Kid. Elbows from the bottom by Kid. Good control by Darren as he holds Kid in mission control. Upkick by Darren as Kid decides to stand back up. Left hand by Kid just misses. Last 2 minutes. Kick by Darren misses. Yamamoto is looking for the knockout as he singles his left hand. Headkick by Darren. Yamamoto clinches Darren up against the cage. Knees from Darren and Kid gets a takedown stuffed. They scramble and another takedown is stuffed! The referee separates them. 30 seconds to go. Darren knows he has this. Right hand by Kid. Headkick by Darren answered by a flying knee that just misses. End of the round and fight. 10-9 to Kid but 29-28 to Darren. Decent fight.

Judges scores: Darren Uyenoyama wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27).

Welterweight Division: DaMarques Johnson versus Clay Harvison:

Round 1: Legkick by Clay early. Left hand by Johnson. Combo by Harvison. Jab by Johnson. And again. More kicks and combos by Harvison but little lands. Clean jabs by DaMarques. Legkick by Clay. Left hook/uppercut by Johnson lands clean and drops Clay. A few more punches and the fight is over! Good win for Johnson!

DaMarques Johnson wins via TKO (punches) at 1:34 of round 1.

Featherweight Division: Cub Swanson versus Ricardo Lamas:

Round 1: Good footwork from Cub early on. Kick to the midsection also. Sweep by Swanson as he catches a kick but Lamas gets back to his feet. Jabs from Lamas miss. Legkick by Swanson. And again. Low blow by a legkick from Swanson. They continue. Legkick missed by Lamas. Takedown successful by Lamas. Punches from the bottom by Cub. Half guard. Elbows from Lamas from the top. Guillotine choke attempt by Cub! Lamas gets out. Full guard. Another guillotine choke attempt by Cub. Lamas tries a slam but it is locked in! Standing guillotine! Lamas gets out! Right hand and headkick by Cub. Fancy kicks from both fighters. Left hand by Swanson and Lamas is rocked! More punches from Cub and they scramble to the ground. Swanson on top in side control. Last 45 seconds. North south position. Body shots from the bottom by Ricardo. They scramble back to their feet. Headkick missed by Lamas. Combos from both fighters. End of the round. 10-9 to Swanson due to the submission attempts and rocking Lamas late in the round.

Round 2: Jabs miss by Lamas. Legkick also missed by Cub. Right hand by Cub. He slips and Lamas lands a few kicks that rock Cub. Swanson goes wild but gets taken down. Mission control for Swanson. Punches from Lamas as he controls Cub. Lamas goes for the back as Swanson attempts to wall walk. Side control and arm-triangle attempt by Lamas! Its deep and Swanson taps out! Wow!

Ricardo Lamas wins via submission (arm-triangle choke) at 2:16 of round 2.

Featherweight Division: Dustin Poirer versus Pablo Garza:

Round 1: Front kick missed by Garza. They kick at the same time. Legkick added by Pablo. Headkick by Dustin is blocked. Good combo by Dustin. Another legkick by Pablo. And again. Left hand by Dustin as he catches a kick and he lands more punches to a downed Garza. Pablo gets back up and circles. Dustin sweeps Pablo over after catching another kick. More combos from Poirer. Garza catches a kick and they scramble on the ground. Pablo grabs a leg! Dustin gets out and lands a combo. More kicks from Pablo. Low blow, they continue. Dustin misses with a legkick but lands an uppercut and combo. Pablo pulls Dustin down into half guard as he escapes the punches. Elbows and punches from Poirer. Last minute of the opening round. Big punches by Dustin as we enter the final 30 seconds. Full guard. Elbows from the bottom by Pablo. Last few seconds as Pablo looks for an armbar but times up. 10-9 to Dustin for control on top and good striking which cancels out that submission attempt by Garza on Dustin's leg early on. 10-9 Dustin.

Round 2: Legkick missed by Garza as well as a spinning back fist. Takedown attempt by Garza fails but he pulls guard. Dustin on top. Half guard. Punches from the top by Dustin. Elbow from the bottom by Pablo. D'Arce choke attempt by Dustin! Pablo taps! It is all over! Brilliant!

Dustin Poirer wins via submission (D'Arce choke) at 1:32 of round 2.

Lightweight Division: Ben Henderson versus Clay Guida:

Round 1: Potential fight of the night. Here we go. Combo missed by Guida early on. Legkick by Guida. Right hand by Henderson. And another rocks Guida! They swing away! Guida is dropped by a left and Benson "Smooth" Henderson lands punch after punch. Guida survives and stands back up. They clinch against the cage. Clay looking for the takedown. They both crawl to the ground against the cage. More punches from Benson. Good defence by Henderson. Benson has Guida's neck but he loses it. Double underhooks for Henderson up against the cage. Knee by Benson is caught. Last 2 minutes of the round. More knees from Benson. Single leg takedown attempt by Guida fails. Headkick missed by Benson. Jab by Henderson. Wild hooks by Guida miss. Superman punch by Benson misses. Guida swings away and lands! Benson goes down but survives and Guida gets his neck! Good defence by Benson and he survives for now! Takedown attempt by Henderson and Guida is down. Last 20 seconds! Punches from Benson! They stand and Benson lands knees and kicks to end the round. What a round! 10-9 to Henderson for the control and early success. More damaging shots landed by Benson. Could be 10-10 though.

Round 2: They circle. Knee by Benson. Right hand by Henderson but Guida gets the takedown! Benson gets on top and they stand back up. Punch and a big takedown by Benson! What a round so far! Punches from the top by Benson. Knee by Benson as they stand. Another takedown attempt by Henderson up against the cage. Knees from both fighters with Henderson doing more damage. Strong knee after knee from Benson as Clay is trying to get away. Benson drops for the single but fails. Guida catches a knee and takes Benson down! Elbows from Benson and they stand. Pressure from Clay. Last 2 minutes of round 2. Knees from Clay! Takedown defended by Henderson before he reverses the position against the cage. Spinning back fist by Guida! He loses balance. They scramble again and Benson lands a knee! Standing guillotine choke attempt by Guida! He losses it and Benson gets on top! Legs locked! Body triangle! Benson is looking for the rear naked choke! 15 seconds to go! Punches from Benson! End of the round! Wow! Benson was in control early on in the round and ends the round strongly with the back mount. 10-9 Henderson.

Round 3: Jabs early on from Benson. Headkick missed. More jabs missed from both fighters. Right hand and legkick by Guida but Benson lands a punch too. Legkick by Henderson. Axe kick just missed by Benson! Right hand by Guida missed and they clinch against the cage. Knee by Benson and he defends a big takedown attempt by Guida. Good short elbows by Henderson before he drops for the takedown attempt. Clay is defending well. Big knee by Henderson. They exchange punches. Benson gets the takedown as he ducks under a headkick! Side control for Henderson! Benson is looking for a mounted crucifix but Guida scrambles. Benson gets his back! Body triangle locked in. Last 80 seconds of this amazing fight! Rear naked choke attempt! He loses it and Guida stands back up! They clash and both fighters drop to the ground! Guida has Benson's neck! Henderson is surviving! Henderson could get his back! Clay is still trying for the neck! 15 seconds left! Benson escapes and he unloads on Guida! End of the fight! What a fight! Fight of the night no doubt! 2 more rounds please! Back and forth final round. It was mostly Benson's round. But Guida could have stolen the last round in the last minute. 10-10 round for me. 30-28 to Benson Henderson.

Judges scores: Benson Henderson wins via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27).

Main Event (Fox TV):

Heavyweight Division: UFC Heavyweight Championship: Cain Velasquez versus Junior dos Santos:

Round 1: The heavyweight title is on the line! Here we go! JDS takes the centre of the octagon. Legkicks form Cain. Right hand missed by JDS. Takedown missed by the champ. Huge punch by JDS! Cain is down! JDS swarms on top and forces the stoppage! Junior dos Santos is the new UFC Heavyweight Champion of the world!

Junior dos Santos wins via KO (punches) at 1:04 of round 1 to become the new UFC Heavyweight Champion.

The End.

21. Smokin' Joe Frazier 1944-2011.

2011-11-08T05:22:00.000-08:00

No words are necessary. Rest in Peace Champ. <3

20. UFC 138 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

2011-11-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

UFC 138 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

Prelims (Facebook):

Bantamweight Division: Chris Cariaso versus Vaughan Lee:

Round 1: We are underway and the Birmingham native, Lee starts with a kick that misses. They exchange kicks early on. Chris connects with a right. Lee lands a headkick as Chris comes in for a takedown but doesn't get it. Guillotine attempt by Vaughan fails and they exchange knees up against the cage. Lee gets Chris down and into half guard. Full guard now as Vaughan stays busy. Good shots from the local lad. Another choke attempt by Lee fails and they stand back up. The clinch against the cage and the Brit goes for another takedown...stuffed. Knees from both fighters. Short elbow by Lee who gets Chris down again. And the facebook stream goes down...and we are back again. One minute lost. They are standing and Lee is landing kicks. Takedown attempt by Vaughan is stuffed but he drags Chris down eventually. Last 30 seconds. They stand again but it's all Lee as he controls Cariaso against the cage. Knee from Chris. The round ends with a headkick attempt by Cariaso. From what was available to watch, Lee was in control and landed takedowns and had submission attempts. Enough for a 10-9 round.

Round 2: Legkicks exchanged early. They mix combos and Chris gets the better of the exchanges. Lee throws some fancy kicks and follows up with a takedown attempt that is successful. Strong punches from the top by Vaughan but they stand back up soon. Elbow by Cariaso stuns Lee for a moment but he is ok. More kicks from Lee but Chris lands a 1-2 combo cleanly. Right hand missed by Lee as they clinch against the cage. Cariaso reverses the postition and lands a few knees. They separate and Chris unloads with punches and elbows before getting a solid takedown into full guard. Half the round to go. Half guard for Cariaso. Lee tries to burst but opens up enough for Cariaso to get the full mount. Last 90 seconds of the round. Chris is stealing the round. Lee escapes but Chris gets back into side control. Cariaso pushes for the full mount and gets it again. Lee scrambles and gets away before landing upkicks. Chris gets back into full guard and the round comes to an end with a few elbows from the American. 10-9 to Cariaso.

Round 3: Final round is underway. Legkick by Chris follows up with a combo that misses. Solid combos from Chris as Vaughan misses with more kicks. They clinch and Chris lands more knees. Lee is looking for the takedown up against the cage. They exchange knees before the ref separates them. They clinch again and Lee defends a takedown before landing a few shots. Knee from Chris. Spinning backfist by Lee. Answered by combos from Chris. More fancy kicks missed by Lee who is trying for the single leg takedown. Great defence from Cariaso. Knees from the American as he is pressed up against the cage. Chris reverses and gets the takedown! Elbows from the American. Full guard and Lee is desperate to get to his feet but Chris gets to side control and into full mount. Punches from Chris as Lee gives up his back! Both hooks in from Chris as he looks for a rear naked choke but Lee gets out and tries to reverse the position. Cariaso stays on top and gets the mount eventually. Arm-triangle attempt by Chris fails but he follows up with huge elbows and punches as Lee defends. Inside the final minute and the stream goes down again! We are back with 15 seconds to go and Chris is pounding away on Lee. Choke attempt! Out of time! 10-9 Cariaso for the ground success. 29-28 to the American over the local lad.

Judges scores: Chris Cariaso wins via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).

Welterweight Division: Chris Cope versus Che Mills:

Round 1: Early jabs from Cope before they exchange legkicks. Good combo by Mills and he drops Cope with a knee and lands bombs! The referee nearly stops the fight but allows it to continue. More punches from Che and Chris gets to his feet only to get dropped again by another knee. It is all over! The fight is stopped and Mills gets the win!

Che Mills wins via TKO (knee and punches) at 0:40 of round 1.

Featherweight Division: Michihiro Omigawa versus Jason Young:

Round 1: They touch gloves. Combos from Young miss. Michihiro closes the distance with his boxing and a takedown attempt that is stuffed. Good combo from the Brit. Headkick by Young! Omigawa in the centre of the octagon. Legkick by Jason. And another. Jab by the Brit and Omigawa comes in with a body shot. Right hand by the Japanese Judo player. Takedown attempt failed again by Omigawa. They separate only for Michihiro to come in again with another attempt. They clinch against the cage before Omigawa trips Jason and gets into half guard. Last 2 minutes of the first round. The crowd boos the little action as Michihiro just holds the position. Jason gets to his feet but Omigawa lands short uppercuts. Knees from Young as Omigawa is still controlling him against the cage. Right hand by the Japanese fighter. They separate and Jason lands a headkick that drops Omigawa for a moment! Fancy kicks from Young as he follows up with a right hand and a knee. Last 30 seconds of round 1. They clinch and exchange elbows and knees. Takedown attempt by Young is successful but only for a moment as scramble to the end of the round. Close round. Good striking from Jason, good control and pressure from Omigawa. 10-10.

Round 2: They exchange early on before Michihiro gets the takedown. Elbows from the bottom by Young. Right hand by Omigawa. Side control for Michihiro has he holds onto Young's right hand. Elbows from Michihiro before Young rolls over and gets to his feet! They separate and Jason lands legkicks. Right hand by the Brit. A left misses! Headkick! Jason is unloading with combos but little is landing. Last 2 minutes of the round. They clinch and Michihiro lands a short left before tripping Jason into side control. Jason gets back into half guard but Michihiro is in position for a neck crank. Full mount for Omigawa but only for a moment as Jason gets back into half guard. Short punches from Omigawa in side control. Full mount! Last 10 seconds and Jason gets it back to half guard with a hip escape. 10-9 to Omigawa with the takedowns and ground control.

Round 3: Final round and Jason may need a stoppage to win. He comes out with a jab and a combo. They clinch again as Michihiro looks to take it to the ground again. Jason throws more leg strikes. Uppercuts by Michihiro. Left hands by the Brit. Right hand added. More combos from Jason as he lands a knee. Kick from Michihiro as he gets close and throws Jason to the ground again. Full guard and short punches by Omigawa. Heel hook by Omigawa! Jason gets out and back to his feet. Jab by Young. Left hand miss by Michihiro. Legkick by Jason. They clinch and Jason attempts a trip. Omigawa drops for a guillotine choke! Doesn't get it and Omigawa gets on top and into half guard. Punches from Omigawa as he presses Jason against the cage. Last 80 seconds of the fight. Great control from Omigawa as he is taking this round and, quite possibly, the fight. Kimura attempt by Michihiro but defended well by the Brit. Side control by the Japanese fighter. Last 20 seconds. Young scrambles to his feet and he gets on top of Omigawa. Bombs from Jason but the round ends! 10-9 Omigawa. 30-28 to Michihiro, maybe 29-28.

Judges scores: Michihiro Omigawa wins via unanimous decision (all 3 judges score the fight 29-28).

Heavyweight Division: Rob Broughton versus Philip De Fries:

Round 1: Early takedown attempt by Philip...stuffed. They clinch against the cage. Body shots by Rob. Knees from Broughton as De Fries holds on. The referee separates them. Combo missed by Philip. Takedown attempt by Philip stuffed again. De Fries working hard to get Rob down against the cage and gets it! Side control for De Fries as Broughton gets his feet up against the cage. Knees from Rob from the bottom. Punches from the top by Philip. Rob gets to his knees as Philip tries to take his back. De Fries gets back into full guard as they scramble. Punches from the bottom by Rob. Answered by De Fries. Upkick missed by Rob. Side control from De Fries as he gets a hold of Rob's neck. They scramble and Philip gets Rob's back. Both hooks in. 10 seconds left. De Fries runs out of time. Little action from the two giants but De Fries takes the round 10-9.

Round 2: They touch gloves to begin round 2. De Fries clinches and shoots for the takedown again. Double leg takedown by Philip as he gets into side control easily. He takes Rob's back with ease. Punches from Philip as they scramble and Philip lands into side control again. Again, he takes Broughton's back. Punches from Philip as Rob attempts a kimura but gives it away. They stand but De Fries drags him down again. Another kimura attempt by Rob and he uses it to sweep Philip! He doesn't get the submission but he gets into half guard. Punches from Rob. Last 2 minutes of the round. Philip is attacking Rob's left arm. Shots to the body by Rob. De Fries trying to pull the arm out. Rob switches over and attempts a kimura on Philip! De Fries defends well but falls into a mounted crucifix position. Rob is pounding away and attempts a straight armbar. 40 seconds left. Elbows from Rob as he attacks the left arm of De Fries again. Mounted crucifix again by Broughton. The round ends with Rob landing more punches. Back and forth round but 10-9 to Broughton.

Round 3: Jabs from Philip. Legkicks and knees from Rob. Takedown successful by De Fries. Punches from the bottom by Rob. Answered from the top by Philip. Side control for Philip. Elbows from De Fries. Philip gets Rob's back as Broughton attempts to get to his feet. They scramble back into side control for De Fries. Half the round is gone as Philip is controlling Rob on the ground. He takes his back once again but Rob defends well. Punches from De Fries as we enter the final 2 mintues of the fight. Full mount by De Fries! Punches from the top as Rob is hanging on. Broughton attempts to burst but De Fries controls him well and gets into north-south position. Kimura attempt by De Fries...failed. 30 seconds left. All De Fries in the last round. The referee stands them up with 10 seconds to go. Rob throws a 1-2 but misses and the fight ends. Nothing special but a well deserved win for De Fries. 10-9 and 29-28 to Philip.

Judges scores: Philip De Fries wins via unanimous decision (all 3 judges score the fight 29-28).

Welterweight Division: John Maguire versus Justin Edwards:

Round 1: They touch gloves. Early low blow from Edwards gets him a warning. Another low blow gets the ref to stop the fight for a recovery period. Any further low blows will get Edwards a point deduction. They continue. Legkick by Edwards. Combo by Justin followed by a spinning kick. A hook drops Maguire and Justin lands bombs! John defends well and gets on top! Guillotine choke by Justin but he fails. They stand but John gets Justin back down. Full guard. Punches from the bottom by the American. They stand. Knees from Maguire as he looks for a standing choke. Failed. They clinch against the cage. Exchange in knees. Another takedown by Maguire. Shots to the body by the Brit. Half guard. They stand again and John lands knees to Justin's head. Last 100 seconds of round 1. Edwards reverses the position and he lands a left hook. John spins and takes Edwards' back. John tries to drop down but they scramble and go back and forth before clinching against the cage. Maguire drops down for a single. Guillotine choke by Justin as he drops down to the ground. Side control for John but Edwards still has the neck. He lets go and Maguire lands punches and a knee. Great first round! Edwards started great by dropping Maguire with a hook but Maguire showed great grappling and control. To hard to call. 10-10.

Round 2: Legkick by Maguire. Right hand missed by Justin. Combo from the American lands. They clinch against the cage for a moment. Headkick and combo by Justin. John leaps forward with a kick. Edwards presses forward but Maguire gets away. Jabs and combos by Maguire. Legkick by the Brit answered by a combo from Justin. They exchange knees. John gets Edwards guard and slams him to the ground. Rear naked choke attempt by Maguire. Good defence by Edwards. Last 100 seconds of round 2. Punches from both fighters as Maguire is still looking for the submission. Punches from Maguire as he gets his arm under the chin of Edwards but the American defends well. Maguire switches to an armbar but the round ends! So close! 10-9 to Maguire.

Round 3: Jab from Maguire. And another. Right hand by the Brit. Edwards replies with his own punches. Spinning kick again by Edwards. He drops down to the ground and wraps up a heel hook but Maguire goes for a foot lock! They struggle for leg submissions but both fail. They stand and another spinning kick by Edwards. Maguire gets him against the cage and lands knees. Edwards reverses and drops to the ground. He goes for the guillotine but makes a mistake and Maguire gets on top into side control. Maguire gets into full mount before getting Justin's back! Body lock again and Maguire is looking for the rear naked choke once again. Punches from behind by John. Last 90 seconds of this exciting fight. Maguire really trying to get the submission but Justin is defending well. Last minute and Maguire in control. They scramble and Edwards gets out. Upkick by Maguire but Edwards gets into full guard only to get rolled over. Guillotine choke attempt followed by a north-south choke attempt by John as the round ends. Great fight! 10-9 and 30-28 to Maguire. Maybe 29-28.

Judges scores: John Maguire wins via unanimous decision (all 3 judges score the fight 30-27).

Main Card (TV):

Lightweight Division: Terry Etim versus Eddie Faaloloto:

Round 1: Jabs from both fighters. Early takedown by Faaloloto but Etim gets the guillotine choke in! It's all over! Just like that! Wow!

Terry Etim wins via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:17 of round 1.

Light Heavyweight Division: Cyrille Diabate versus Anthony Perosh:

Round 1: They begin. Diabate stalking Perosh. Lots of faints from the Aussie-Croat. Front kick by Cyrille. Combo by Cyrille, Perosh looks for a takedown shot. More punches by the Frenchman. Right hand by Perosh missed. Perosh is desperate for a takedown. Jab from Diabate followed by a left kick to the body. More combos by Cyrille. Right hand lands as Perosh shoots for a takedown. Failed. Good combo by Diabate. Perosh pulls guard and Diabate lands hammerfists. They stand. Kick to the body by Diabate. Takedown by Perosh as he eats a solid kick. Side control by the Aussie. Last 80 seconds of round 1 and Perosh will look to steal the first round. The referee warns Perosh to work. Half guard. Arm-triangle attempt by Anthony failed. Last 30 seconds and Anthony lands several punches. Good defence from the Frenchman. Upkick by Diabate as Perosh jumps back into half guard. End of the round. Little action. Solid striking by Cyrille but good ground control by Perosh. 10-10, maybe a 10-9 steal for Perosh.

Round 2: Diabate is stalking Anthony again. Knee by the Frenchman. Takedown by Anthony is stuffed. Combo missed by Diabate. A 1-2 lands but Perosh gets the takedown. Elbows from the bottom by Cyrille. Full guard. Upkick from Diabate as Perosh stands for a moment. The aussie gets back in and into full mount! Punches by Perosh and he gets Diabate's back! Rear naked choke! Defended well by Cyrille. Back to full mount. Punch from the top by Perosh. And another. Side control but back into full mount. Arm-triangle attempt! Perosh doesn't pass to lock it in. He takes Diabate's back again and lands shots after flattening him out. Diabate is in survival mode. Last 2 minutes. Rear naked choke attempt! He gets it! It is over!

Anthony Perosh wins via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:09 of round 2.

Welterweight Division: Thiago Alves versus Papy Abedi:

Round 1: They meet in the centre. Early legkicks by Alves answered by combos from Abedi. Left hook missed by the Brazilian. More legkicks by Thiago. They clinch against the cage. Punches from the Swede. Followed by knees. Good control by Papy. They separate. Good combo and legkick by Papy. They exchange more shots. Jabs from Abedi. Answered by legkicks from Alves. Superman punch by Alves. Left hand and knee by Abedi who is pressing the action. They clinch against the cage once more. Abedi in control so far as Alves backs away. Right hand by Alves rocks Abedi! Another combo drops him! Full mount by Thiago. Elbows from the top! Abedi is cut! Alves gets his back and sinks in the rear naked choke! That is it!

Thiago Alves wins via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:32 of round 1.

Bantamweight Division: Brad Pickett versus Renan Barao:

Round 1: Co-main event is under way! Legkicks by both fighters and they swing away! Solid combos from both fighters! Spinning kick from Barao. Jabs from Pickett. Hooks from both fighters land! What a start! Uppercut by Brad missed. Right hand by Pickett answer by Barao. Jab missed by Renan. Kicks from the Brazilian as Brad lands a solid left! More kicks before Renan gets a takedown stuffed. Jab by Pickett as the fans chant his name. Right hand missed by Barao. Good combo by Pickett as he puts pressure on Barao. Pickett is the more accurate of the two fighters so far but they both land combos. Jab lands by Barao. Last 100 seconds of the round. Big knee by Barao rocks Brad and a combo drops him. Bombs by Barao but the Brit survives. Renan gets his back in an instant and attempts the rear naked choke. Palm to palm! Last 60 seconds! Brad is just about hanging on...he taps! Barao is over the moon!

Renan Barao wins via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:09 of round 1.

Middleweight Division: Chris Leben versus Mark Munoz:

Round 1: The first non-title 5 round fight in UFC history is under way! They circle. Right hand missed by Mark. Legkick by Munoz. Takedown successful for Mark! Guillotine choke attempt failed by Leben. Half guard. Elbows from the bottom by Chris. Punches by Chris answered by Mark. Chris gets to his feet by wall walking. They clinch against the cage. Uppercuts and body shots by Mark. Single leg takedown attempt by Munoz as Chris peppers him with shots. Right hand by Munoz. Leben gets him down! Punches from Chris by Munoz gets to his feet. Punches from Chris up against the cage. Good defence from Munoz! They reverse against the cage but Chris continues to stay busy with little shots from inside. They separate. Left hook missed by Munoz. Legkick by Chris followed by a combo. Foot stomp by Chris answered by a knee from Mark. Slam by Chris but Mark gets to his feet. Standing guillotine choke failed by Chris as Mark gets him down into half guard. Last 80 seconds of the first back and forth round. Punches from both fighters as we enter the last minute. Big bombs from Munoz! They stand but Mark lands a big right hand. Chris is down again and more shots from Mark. Leben gets up and they exchange bombs! Takedown by Munoz is stuffed. Last 10 seconds. Munoz slips and Leben lands punches from the top for the last few seconds! What a round! Both fighters got takedowns and attempted submissions. Can't give it to anyone clearly. 10-10.

Round 2: They touch gloves. Combo by Munoz. Legkick missed by Leben. Wild punches by Leben but only a few land. Trip attempt by Munoz isn't successful. Another takedown attempt gets Leben down. Punches from the top by Munoz. Leben staying busy from the bottom. Big shots from Munoz! Chris is bleeding but he gets to his feet. Knee from Chris! They clinch against the cage. Another takedown by Mark. Elbows from Munoz and Chris looks tired already, bleeding from around the left eye. Punches from Mark as he takes Leben's back for a moment. Chris, again, gets to his feet but they scramble and Chris has a choke sinked in! He is squeezing but it's difficult to see if it is deep! He loses it and they stand. The ref calls for a time out to check the cut. Doctor is in. Chris says he can see. They continue. Kicks from both fighters. Takedown attempt by Mark fails and Chris is looking for the choke again! Mark scrambles and gets full mount! Final minute of the second round! Punches from Munoz but Chris gets up! Elbows from Chris as Munoz tries for another takedown...and gets it! Last 20 seconds. Full mount for Mark. Chris looks like he will survive the round. They both swing at each other! End of the round! 10-9 Munoz for the takedowns and control.

Round 3: It is all over! The referee stops the fight as Leben's corner-men say he can not see out of his left eye in between rounds 2 and 3.

Mark Munoz wins via TKO (Corner/referee stoppage) at 5:00 of round 2.

The End.

19. UFC 137 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

2011-10-29T15:26:00.001-07:00

UFC 137 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

Prelims (Facebook):

Middleweight Division: Dustin Jacoby versus Clifford Starks:

Round 1: Both fighters circle each other. Starks seems to be stalking Dustin and following up with jabs. Overhand right by Starks misses. Little action in the first minute. Right hand by Jacoby answered by Clifford. In and out from Dustin. Jabs from Jacoby. Right hand by Clifford as he bobs and weaves. Combo misses by Clifford. Jab to the body by Starks followed by a right hand. Not a lot of punches landing from both fighters. They exchange a few shots in the centre of the octagon before moving away. More jabs from both fighters as they remain cautious and tight. Wild shots by Starks. Clifford is pressing the action but not finishing well. Takedown attempt by Clifford is successful and he lands into half guard. Kimura attempt by Jacoby as Clifford hits to the body. End of the round. Close round with little action but Starks takes it with the takedown. 10-9 Starks.

Round 2: Early jabs and combos from both fighters with Jacoby pressing forward, knowing he gave the first round away. Spinning back kick by Dustin as he tries a new different techniques. Starks is aiming to land the overhand right mainly. Starks is pressing the action by Dustin is landing the jabs just before Starks. Clifford is in control of the centre and he is stalking Dustin. Takedown by Clifford...successful. Full guard. Starks isn't doing much from the top. Dustin is keeping busy but Starks lands an elbow. A few punches from Clifford land as Dustin is just trying to keep busy. Starks controls Dustin with the handcuff technique as the round ends. Again, a dull round but Clifford takes it. 10-9 Starks.

Round 3: Final round and they continue to circle. Good right hand by Starks. Left by Jacoby. He gets tagged as he looks for a knee. Takedown by Clifford is successful again. That's 3 from 3. Solid control by Starks as he looks to keep Dustin on the ground. Elbows from Clifford. Half guard by Clifford and Dustin is working on a kimura with 90 seconds to go. Clifford is holding on as Dustin is desperately trying to get the kimura but he loses it. Final 40 seconds of a dull fight. Punches by Clifford from the top and he is doing what he needs to do. Clifford nearly takes Dustin's back but the round and fight ends. 10-9 and 30-27 Starks.

Judges scores: Clifford Jacoby wins via unanimous decision (all judges score the fight 30-27).

Middleweight Division: Chris Camozzi versus Francis Carmont:

Round 1: Early legkicks from by fighters. Right hand by Chris. Carmont catches a kick and takes Chris down. Kimura attempt by Camozzi missed. Punches from Carmont but Chris gets to his feet whilst eating a knee to the body. Chris turns Carmont and presses him up against the cage. Takedown failed by Camozzi who remains in control. Knee by Francis. Carmont turns and lands a right hand before separating. Right hand by Chris as he presses forward and pins Francis against the cage again. They exchange positions and knees before Carmont drops for a takedown attempt that is successful for a second. Final minute of the first round. Spinning elbow attempt by Carmont fails. He continues with legkicks. Camozzi pushes forward with wild punches and a knee. Last 30 seconds of the first round and Chris attempts a takedown before landing an uppercut. Carmont reverses Chris up against the cage just as the round ends. Close round and difficult to score. Chris controled the octagon for most of the round and he landed solid strikes but Carmont got the takedowns and mixed his combos up well. 10-10.

Round 2: Legkick by Carmont is answered by Camozzi. Jabs by the Frenchman. Right hand by Carmont lands. Camozzi presses him up against the cage again. Knees by Carmont as Camozzi does little whilst in control. Uppercut by Camozzi as Carmont lands more knees. Carmont is confident as they separate. More knees from Carmont as he begins to unload. He presses Chris against the cage before taking his back standing. He drags Chris to the ground for a few seconds before picking him up and slamming him to the ground. Camozzi goes into full guard and drops punches and elbows as Chris stays busy from the ground. Upkicks by Chris but Carmont is unfazed. Chris stands up but gets tagged clean by Francis. Chris is dropped and Carmont drops more shots but Chris survives and takes a leg. Carmont attempts a guillotine but Chris gets up and, as Carmont goes for a takedown, Chris tries a guillotine choke of his own but the round ends. 10-9 to Carmont for the takedown, control and dropping Chris with a punch.

Round 3: Last round. Punches from Chris miss. Solid combos from a confident Carmont as he rocks Chris again. Chris presses forward and lands a few punches of his own. Knees from Carmont as Camozzi presses him against the cage. Carmont gets away and lands more combos. Legkicks by Francis follow. Combos from both fighters as they clinch. They exchange legkicks in the centre moments later. Left hand by Chris lands. Takedown by Carmont is successful and he lands bombs as he sits up. Full guard with 1 minute and 45 seconds left. Punches from the bottom by Chris who is bloodied up. Upkicks by Camozzi by Carmont is mocking him. Camozzi stands back up and lands a combo that pushes Carmont back up against the cage. Knees from both fighters. 40 seconds left. Referee Herb Dean separates them and they exchange more shots. Carmont takes his back but Chris drops for a kimura and nearly gets it but the round ends! Great finish to the fight! Close round but Carmont edges it with the takedown and combos. 10-9 and 30-28 to Francis Carmont.

Judges scores: Francis Carmont wins via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27).

Lightweight Division: Ramsey Nijem versus Danny Downes:

Round 1: They touch gloves and Nijem storms "Danny Boy". Single leg takedown successful by "Stripper Ramsey". Ramsey takes his back and lands knees to the body. Danny stands back up but Ramsey is still on top. Danny gets away. Combos by Ramsey. Another takedown by Nijem is successful. Elbows to the body by Ramsey as he stays on top. Full guard into half guard. They stand. Knee from Ramsey. Another successful takedown by Ramsey but Danny is only down for a few seconds. More knees from Nijem who takes Danny's back again. Another takedown and Ramsey is looking for the rear naked choke. He doesn't get it. Ramsey tries again but fails and lands some punches. Palm-to-palm choke by Nijem and Danny is in trouble. 80 seconds to go. Danny gets away as Ramsey gives up the position. Jabs from both fighters. Another takedown attempt...this time stuffed by Downes but Ramsey gets him down eventually. They stand once again but Ramsey is relentless. Another choke attempt by Nijem but Downes survives. Last 10 seconds. Danny is covering up and he survives the round. Nothing but a few punches from Danny in the first round whilst Ramsey completely dominated with multiple takedowns, submission attempts and solid combos. 10-8 Nijem.

Round 2: Jabs from Danny missed. Nijem with a left hand followed by a right and a legkick. Takedown attempt by Ramsey again. Danny almost gets on top but ends up in a crucifix position. Punches to the body by Danny. Downes in control with a possible triangle. Ramsey scrambles and they stand. Takedown successful by Nijem and Danny is desperately trying any form of submission. Punches from the top by Nijem. Danny is looking for a leg but Nijem gets full mount and then the back. Rear naked choke again by Ramsey but Danny survives again! 2 minutes and 20 seconds to go. Ramsey still has Danny's back as they scramble again. Ramsey is using his strength very successfully. They stand but Nijem drags him back down to the ground. Ramsey has his back once again and he looks to flatten Downes. Punches by Ramsey. Final minute of round 2. Elbows by Nijem. Another rear naked choke attempt by Nijem fails! Danny is doing well to survive. Another palm-to-palm rear naked choke attempt. End of the round. 10-9 Nijem as Danny fails to capitalize on the crucifix position he had early in the round.

Round 3: Single leg takedown by Nijem is stuffed but he lands a combo. Right hand missed by Danny. Successful takedown by Nijem. They scramble once again and Nijem gets the back once again and has the option of a crucifix position himself. Nijem gives up the crucifix position as he desperately goes for that elusive rear naked choke. Elbows by Nijem. Nijem mounts Danny's back so easily and lands punches from behind. Countless punches by Nijem land clean as Danny attempts to survive. Nijem looks to get the full mount by only gets to side control. They stand for a second by Nijem drags him do as expected. Last 90 seconds of the fight. Nijem gets his back again and attempts another rear naked choke. Danny is flattened out and Nijem lands punch after punch after punch. 50 seconds left. Another rear naked choke is attempted. Failed. Last 10 seconds and Nijem lands more punches as the fight ends. Another 10-8 round to Nijem. 30-25. Complete domination.

Judges scores: Ramsey Nijem wins via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-27).

Light Heavyweight Division: Brandon Vera versus Eliot Marshall:

Round 1: They touch gloves. Legkick by Brandon "The Truth" Vera. Spinning backfist missed by Eliot. More kicks by Vera. Flying knee and combo by Vera as he presses Marshall against the cage. Knees by Vera. They separate. More kicks from Vera and Eliot pushes forward with punches. Vera is rocked by he comes back with a few shots of his own. Takedown attempt by Brandon failed as they clinch against the cage. Knees from both fighters. Final 80 seconds. Punches to the body by Eliot answered by Vera with knees. The ref separates them. 45 seconds to go. Close round. Kick by Eliot. Left hand follows but misses. Legkicks by Vera as the round comes to an end. Difficult round to score. 10-10, maybe 10-9 to Vera for the good combos, the takedown attempt and cage control.

Round 2: The 2nd round begins with more kicks from Brandon. Left hand by Eliot. They clinch and Vera almost lands a headkick as they break away for a moment. Eliot presses him against the cage. Takedown attempt by Eliot failed and Vera reverses the position against the cage. Knee from Eliot. Little action so far. More knees exchanged. Sweep by Vera and he gets on top. Elbows and punches from Brandon on top. Half guard. Eliot is keeping busy from the bottom but Vera is doing well to keep him down. Elbows by Vera. They scramble and stand back up but Eliot eats a knee on the way up. Final minute of round 2 and Vera is taking the round so far. More knees from Vera. The ref separates them. Last 15 seconds. Jabs from both fighters and the round ends. 10-9 to Vera.

Round 3: Final round. Kicks from Vera early on. Jab to the body missed. Kick missed by Eliot. Right hand by Eliot and Vera is rocked. More punches and Eliot drops Vera. Brandon is surviving and he stands back up. They separate but Brandon is still hurt. Eliot misses with a left and Brandon takes his back and presses him against the cage. Opportunity missed for Marshall. Final 2 minutes of the fight and Brandon has had time to recover from the earlier onslaught. They separate and Vera misses with a kick. Marshall misses with a hook but goes for Vera's back and gets him down. Marshall goes for the rear naked choke but loses it. 75 seconds left. Marshall looking to finish Brandon. Vera is trying reverse the position but Eliot locks an armbar. Vera is defending it but Eliot has it locked and he's slowly pulling on it. He loses it and Vera is on top. Punches from Vera from the top as the round and fight ends. Vera looks at his arm and he knows it's broken but he pushed through. Great last 2 minutes of the fight. Close round but Eliot edges it 10-9. Close fight and either Vera takes it 29-28 or it's a 29-29 draw.

Judges scores: Brandon Vera wins by unanimous decision (all judges score the fight 29-28).

Prelims (TV):

Catchweight Division (148lbs): Tyson Griffin versus Bart Palaszewski:

Round 1: Off we go. Jabs from both fighters. Kick by Bart. 3 jab combo by Bart answered by a legkick from Griffin. Right hand added by Tyson. He ducks under and misses with an overhand right. Front legkick from Bart. Good combo by Bart answered by Tyson. Left hand by Bart as Tyson pushes forward. Bart rocks Tyson and drops him left then again with a crazy combo up against the cage. The referee steps in and stops the fight. Tyson Griffin is still wobbling after the end of the fight.

Bart Palaszewski wins via KO (punches) at 2:45 of round 1.

Lightweight Division: Dennis Siver versus Donald Cerrone:

Round 1: They touch gloves and exchange immediately. Kicks from both fighters. Roundhouse kick from Siver. Cerrone lands a combo followed by a kick. Donald lands again and rocks Siver. Dennis scrambles but gets rocked again. Siver holds him against the cage as he recovers. Knees from Dennis as he seems to have recovered. They separate. Good combo by Siver. Legkick by Cerrone and he rocks Siver again with a headkick. Donald gets on top, takes his back, flattens him out and sinks in the rear naked choke. Donald taps and it is all over. Simple.

Donald Cerrone wins via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:22 of round 1.

Main Card (Pay-Per-View):

Featherweight Division: Hatsu Hioki versus George Roop:

Round 1: They touch gloves and Hatsu "Iron Broom" Hioki lands an early legkick. Combo from Roop answered by a left hook from Hioki. Kick to the groin by Roop. Time-out called. Hioki gets himself together and they begin again. Left hand by Hioki. Hatsu catches a kick but lets go. Both fighters throw punches but little success. They clinch and Hioki presses Roop against the cage. George attempts a trip but fails. Takedown attempt by Hatsu also fails and he is reversed but he regains the advantage moments later. Knee from Roop. Knees by Hioki in reply. Hioki scrambles and takes Roop's back but George defends well and gets into a better position. Final 70 seconds and Hioki gets a throw! Side control for Hioki. Back into full guard. Final 30 seconds. Upkick by Roop who bursts back to his feet. Combo from Roop lands but Hioki answers with knees. End of the round. Close round but the takedown for Hatsu is the difference. 10-9 Hioki.

Round 2: Combos from both fighters early on. Superman punch attempt by Roop. Body shot added. Kick missed by Hioki. Headkick by George in reply. They clinch and Hioki gets the takedown and into full mount. Falls back into side control. Americana attempt by Hioki is defended well by Roop. Hioki takes advantage and steps back into full mount. Roop keeping busy from the bottom. Elbows from the top by "Iron Broom". Last 90 seconds of round 2. Hioki's round so far. Hioki is keeping busy with constant punches and short elbows. Roop bursts and creates space. He's back to his feet and he explodes with combos and kicks but Hioki takes little damage and the round ends. 10-9 Hioki.

Round 3: Final round and Roop shoots for an immediate takedown and gets it! Hioki gets back to his feet seconds later. Flying knee by Roop as he unloads. Takedown attempt by Hioki is stuffed. Hatsu gets George up against the cage with just under 4 minutes to go. Roop has double underhooks and he lands several knees. Knee by Hioki as we enter the final 3 minutes of this fight. Knees exchanged by both fighters as Roop reverses the position. Short punches from Roop. They separate and Roop lands a legkick and takedown. Full guard. 100 seconds to go. Rubber guard by Hioki as he tries to go to mission control. Last 40 seconds and Roop lands some punches from the top. Last 15 seconds and Roop will take this round. 10-9 Roop but Hioki should take the fight 29-28.

Judges scores: Hatsu Hioki wins via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Bantamweight Division: Scott Jorgensen versus Jeff Curran:

Round 1: They exchange immediately. Jabs from Scott. Legkick by Curran. Right hand added. Fast pace already. Scott catches a kick and gets Jeff down. Punches from Jorgensen from the top. Scott controlling Jeff from the top. Scott stands back up with 2 minutes of the round to go but he gets back into Jeff's guard leading with a punch. Jeff scrambles and gets to his feet but Scott drags him down. Punches from the bottom from Jeff before he gets back to his feet. Last 30 seconds of the round. Good kicks and punches from Jeff but Scott takes him down again with a single leg takedown. End of the round. Scott takes it with the takedowns. 10-9 Jorgensen.

Round 2: More jabs from Scott early in round 2. Both fighters throw hooks but Scott means to be more accurate. Takedown by Curran is stuffed and Scott lands several knees. Scott controls Jeff against the cage before lifting a leg and taking Curran down with ease. Half guard. 3 minutes of round 2 to go. Jeff scrambles back to his feet only for Scott to take him back down. They roll for a moment before standing up. Combo by Jeff missed. Uppercut missed as well. Scott gets another takedown after applying pressure. Boos from the crowd as little is happening on the ground. Curran lands a few shots from the bottom but nothing meaningful. Scott gets some punches in to stay busy. Final 30 seconds. They scramble and Jeff gets some good shots to Scott's body before the round ends. Takedowns win the round for Jorgensen. 10-9.

Round 3: Jab after jab from Curran. Right hand lands. Scott answers with a left. Uppercut missed by Jeff. Legkick by Scott. Jeff is looking for the knockout as he throws hook after hook. So far, Jeff is landing the better shots. Legkick by Jorgensen. Answered by a good combo from Curran. Right hand by Scott. Left by Jeff. Stand up war for the first half of the final round. Knees from both fighters as they clinch up against the cage. Curran's nose is bloodied up as more knees are exchanged. Elbows from Scott. They separate for the final 80 seconds. In and out from Scott as he knows hes leading. Left hand by Jeff. Legkicks from Jorgensen. 40 seconds to go. Scott landing the better punches now. Takedown stuffed by Jorgensen and he ends up on top in side control. Last few seconds and Scott will ride this out. Close round but Scott just about steals it, 10-9. 30-27 Jorgensen.

Judges scores: Scott Jorgensen wins via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).

Heavyweight Division: Mirko Filipovic versus Roy Nelson:

Round 1: They touch gloves and circle. Right hand missed by Roy "Big Country" Nelson. jabs from "Cro Cop". Overhand right missed by Nelson. Takedown attempt by Roy and he gets Mirko down. Full guard. Punches from Roy. Right hand from Cro Cop from the bottom. Punches from Nelson as he tries to stay busy. They scramble and Mirko gets to his feet. Left hand by Filipovic. And again. First kick by Cro Cop. Right hand by Roy and Cro Cop replies with a combo. Left hand by Mirko. Uppercut by Mirko lands clean. Last minute of round 1. Left hand by Mirko. Right missed by Nelson. Another left by Mirko. Last 30 seconds. Kick by Filipovic as the round ends. Close round by Nelson edges it by taking Mirko down although Mirko was better in the stand up. 10-10 or 10-9 Nelson.

Round 2: Right hand misses twice by Roy. Right hand hurts Cro Cop but he lands a huge one on Roy that rocks him! Uppercuts and body shots by Cro Cop as Nelson is in survival mode. Roy is bloodied up badly. Left hand by Cro Cop. Combo by Mirko as Nelson follows him. Left hand by Roy. Headkick by Cro Cop! Right hand by Nelson and Cro Cop presses him against the cage. Half the round is over. Roy reverses the position and he looks for the takedown...and gets it. Half guard and into side control. Just in 2 minutes to go. Punches from side control from Roy. 80 seconds to go. More punches from Roy and he has the mounted crucifix. Last 30 seconds and Cro Cop is trying to survive. 15 seconds to go! Elbows from Nelson. End of the round! Cro Cop had the round but lost it in the final 2 minutes. 10-9 Nelson.

Round 3: Final round begins and they touch gloves. Kick by Roy. Right hand by Mirko. Right handed returned by "Big Country". Takedown stuffed by Cro Cop but Nelson hurts him with a left hand. Mirko slips and Nelson gets his back. Punches from Roy and Filipovic covers up. The referee steps in and stops the fight.

Roy Nelson wins via TKO (punches) at 1:30 of round 3.

Heavyweight Division: Cheick Kongo versus Matt Mitrione:

Round 1: They circle the centre of the octagon. Right hand missed by Matt. Kick missed by Kongo. Combo just short from the Frenchman. 2 minutes gone. Right hand by Matt and they clinch. Kongo has Matt against the cage. Knees from Cheick. Knee from Mitrione in reply. Herb Dean separates them. Two right hands missed by Kongo. Matt comes forward witha combo that misses. Legkick by Kongo. And another. 40 seconds to go. Matt catches a kick and Kongo goes to the ground but comes back up. Combos from both fighters land. Last 10 seconds. Matt pressing the action but Kongo lands a short combo. Difficult round to score due to the little action but Cheick had the octagon control against the cage and he landed some solid legkicks and combos. Matt did press the action more but that round is either 10-10 or 10-9 to Kongo.

Round 2: Legkick by Kongo and Matt lands a left. More kicks from Cheick. Matt lands a kick of his own. More exchanges of kicks. Right hand by Kongo, answered by Matt with a combo and kick. More kicks from Kongo and he unloads with a few hooks. Matt misses with a right. Kongo lands more combos but Mitrione lands a hook. Kongo is ok and he comes back with a jab. 3 minutes of the round to go and another kick from Kongo. Slip by the Frecnhman. Mitrione continues to stalk Cheick but Kongo is the one landing the strikes. 2 minutes left of the round. Left hook from Cheick and another kick. Solid punches from Kongo. More punches from Kongo but a left punch and uppercut punch from Matt push Kongo back. More 1-2 combos from Cheick as we enter the last minute. Kicks from Cheick as well. Right hand by Kongo. Faints from Matt. Elbow by Kongo answered with a kick from Matt. Last 10 seconds. Matt ends the round with a combo that lands. Close round, Kongo landed more and mixed the striking up better but Matt put the pressure on and landed a good combo at the end of the round. 10-10.

Round 3: Final round and Kongo comes out with punches. Legkick by Cheick. Good combo from Matt and Kongo comes forward with a combo and a takedown attempt. He slams Matt down to the floor. Matt looks for a leg but doesn't get it. Kongo is on top and in control. Punches from the top by Kongo. They stand but Kongo is on Matt's back. Knees to the thigh by Cheick. Matt is cut above the eye. Last 3 minutes of the round. Knees from Kongo as he holds Mitrione against the cage. Cheick goes for the takedown again and gets it. Half guard. Elbows from Kongo. Last 100 seconds of the fight and Kongo lands another elbow. Herb Dean is telling Kongo to work or he will stand them up. Punches from Kongo followed by Elbows. Last minute. Kongo is stopping Matt from standing up. More punches by the Frenchman. Matt is covering up. Last 10 seconds and Kongo ends the fight with punches. 10-9 Kongo who probably takes the fight 30-29 or 30-28.

Judges scores: Cheick Kongo wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-28, 29-28).

Welterweight Division: BJ Penn versus Nick Diaz:

Round 1: Here we go! They come out swinging! Uppercut from BJ, knees from both fighters as they clinch up against the cage. Punches from Diaz. Right hand by Penn as they break away. Solid combos from BJ. Uppercuts from Penn. Jab and combo from Nick. Reply from Penn. They stand and throw combos. Takedown by Penn is successful and BJ takes his back! Punches from the back from Penn. Side control by Penn as Diaz scrambles. Punches from the bottom by Diaz. Reply from BJ as he tries to better his position. He stands. Penn takes Nick's neck as they stand back up. Knees from both fighters as Nick presses Penn against the cage. Solid body punches from Diaz. BJ punches his way out. Combo from Penn as he loosens up. Right hand by Nick and BJ lands uppercuts. Nick is cut by the right eye. Last minute of round 1. Nick chases BJ but lands only one punch. They clinch but BJ lands punches on the break. Another combo by BJ who is outboxing the boxer. Right hand by Nick. They clinch again. End of the round. Close round but BJ takes it with the takedown and solid combos. 10-9 Penn.

Round 2: They stand in the centre and Nick has his hands down but BJ lands solid punches. Legkick by Diaz. Jabs from BJ followed by a combo. They clinch and Nick lands body shots against the cage. Knees from Nick followed by uppercuts. Jabs from Nick as they separate. Combo by Penn does more damage to Nicks eye. Takedown attempt by Penn but Nick lands on top for a moment. They stand but BJ eats a few knees. Good body shots by Nick! 3 minutes left of the round. They stand and exchange. Nick is unloading now as BJ is slowing down. Left hook by BJ but Nick lands more hooks to the body. And more shots to the body from Diaz as BJ is defending. Double leg takedown attempt by Nick is stuffed. Under 2 minutes to go. Bj is hurt! More combos from Diaz! Straight left followed by body shots from Diaz and BJ is in trouble. Last minute of the round. Diaz is stalking Penn. More punches from Nick. 30 seconds to go! BJ is defending but Nick is landing more hooks to the body followed by uppercuts and knees. Last few seconds and BJ will survive the round. 10-9 Nick Diaz.

Round 3: Good shot by Penn to the body. Nick stalks him again. Penn shoots for a takedown but it's stuffed. Nick presses BJ against the cage and lands more combos. Penn has to survive 4 more minutes. They separate back to the centre. Body shots and hooks from Diaz. Uppercuts from Penn answered by solid combos from Diaz. Penn moves away from danger for now. Lands two lefts of his own. Right hand by BJ. Answered by combos from Diaz. 3 minutes left and it is anyone's fight. Diaz corners BJ and lands more shots. Penn escapes and Penn lands some punches. Endless punches from Diaz as Penn is throwing less and less. BJ presses forward and thinks about a takedown but decides otherwise. 90 seconds to go. Kick from Diaz. Right hand from Penn. Answered by Nick. Knee from BJ but Diaz lands more punches. Penn replies with a left and then another combo! They stand and bang! More 1-2 combos from Diaz but Penn lands a right hand. 30 seconds to go. Nick is following Penn and he throws 2 headkicks. They clinch and throw more and more punches. The swing to the finish! End of the fight and it's a tough one. Nick pressed the action in the 3rd round and Penn was pushed back too much to win the round. 10-9 Diaz. 29-28 Diaz.

Judges scores: Nick Diaz wins via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-28).

The End.

18. My Thoughts on a Great Weekend of Sport:

2011-10-09T05:36:00.000-07:00

UFC 136

Without a doubt, the UFC and MMA in general has achieved new heights as of last night.

On a fight card that had a quick upset, a stand-and-bang war, a 5 rounder and a comeback knockout, you would be quick to conclude UFC 136 was a successful event. Yes. But not for those reasons.

UFC 136 will be remembered simply as being the event that show the conclusion of an epic trilogy. Now, trilogies in MMA don't have the same impact that trilogies in boxing have. The Ortiz-Shamrock trilogy meant little to the most of the MMA world as it was clear Ortiz was by far the faster, stronger, younger and more talented fighter (it was like putting my uncle in a ring against Amir Khan, yes my uncle can punch, but he can not box). The only trilogy that is embedded in the brains of MMA fans is the Liddell-Couture serious and that was mostly due to the number of titles between and their status in MMA at the time (being the best of a very limited crop of LHW fighters).

The Edgar-Maynard trilogy is different because no one expected there to be a trilogy after the first fight, which Maynard won (after the first Ortiz-Shamrock fight, you know Ortiz wanted to pound on Ken even more). In addition, no one expected these two lightweights to go on and have 2 more fights that wear not only of high calibre but of great drama and excitement. No one expected Frankie to beat BJ Penn twice and become the undisputed UFC Lightweight Champion. Before the 2nd fight, Maynard had bragging rights as he was the only guy to beat Edgar and the champ wanted to make things right (in my opinion, one of the best ways to sell a championship fight - "avenge the only career loss").

Following the dramas of the 2nd fight, arguably the fight of the year (even though it happened on 1st January 2011), the two fighters had even bigger reasons for a 3rd fight...the 2nd was a draw. Maynard was angry that he couldn't finish Frankie in that epic first round where he dropped the champ and basically threw him around like a ragdoll for 5 minutes. Frankie, on the other hand, was frustrated that he kept his title through a draw, no champ ever wants that. And so came last nights 3rd fight.

Again, Maynard rocked Edgar in round 1 but the champ just would not give up and Frankie fought back to take rounds 2 and 3 and then get a TKO victory in the fourth round of another epic. They spent 58 minutes and 54 seconds in the cage together...and they are still locked at 1 win a piece...

It is so clear to say that this is the UFC's greatest trilogy. So many millions of fans argued for months as to who won (or should have won) that second fight. Rarely have fans ever argued so much about one right (and one round in particular). Add to this the drama occuring in the fights and we have a trilogy that not only sits at the top in MMA history but it also rivals great boxing trilogies such as Ali vs. Frazier and Duran vs. Leonard. The words "Edgar versus Maynard" will still, without a doubt, be mentioned in many years to come and I know for a fact that, just like my dad told me about Ali vs. Frazier, I will be telling my kids and grandkids about Edgar vs. Maynard.

Sebastian Vettel

I took the time to watch the 2010 movie "Senna" last night and it is a movie that I will not forget for a long time. Senna's pure racing heart against Alain Prost and his "methodical" approach to championship racing was a joy to watch and I am unbelievably jealous and annoyed that I wasn't born atleast 5-6 years earlier to witness some of Senna's artwork. Sadly, the ending of this movie wasn't a happy one where the guy gets the girl and they fall in love and all that. Instead it was footage of the racing Sunday at Imola in San Marino on 1st of May 1994. 10 days after my 3rd birthday. I watched the on-board camera of Senna's last lap. The camera then cut to one of the external cameras capturing Senna's car crashing into the wall at tremendous speeds. As the car slowed to a stop, the camera zoomed as much as possible to Senna. His helmet limp to his right hand side. The first time I saw the footage I thought he was dead but then I saw his head move just a little, for a brief moment. Medics rushed to his aid but he dead moments later.

There's nothing wrong in shedding a tear whilst watching that footage but it is important to realise that Senna's death caused Formula One to re-evaluate its safety regulations and, since his passing, no F1 driver has died from race injuries. Sadly, it took the death of arguably the greatest racer of all time for that to happen.

I always thought Michael Schumacher's 7 titles held him as the greatest of all time but watching that movie and looking deeper into Senna's life has forced me to question my reasoning. Senna's racing was more pure, he raced to win. If that resulted in a crash, then so be it. Without a doubt Senna's rivalry with Prost will go down as one of the best and Senna will forever be an idol and role model for future racers.

Which brings me to my final point...Sebastian Vettel.

Hours after I watched the Senna movie, Sebastian Vettel took to Suzuka's "figure-of-8" circuit and, after securing pole position in the qualifying, finished 3rd to seal the 2011 F1 World Championship and, more importantly, secure his 2nd title in 2 seasons. With that, Vettel became the youngest driver to win back-to-back world titles in Formula One history.

Many people will compare him to Schumacher: both being German and both winning titles by dominating their teammate and the rest of the field. I, on the other hand, compare him to Senna. Yes, Vettel has the ability to build a strong and positive team around himself like Schumacher did at Ferrari, but he also has a quiet confindence about himself but he prioritises the racing. Seb aims to qualify on top and to win, he wants to lead from the front, if someone is ahead of him, he will push hard and try to pass (even through gaps that others would not dare). All of these were the characteristics of a young Brazilian called Ayrton...

Who knows how many titles Vettel can win? He has Senna's soul and Schumacher's brain. So, logically, he should win 10 world titles. 2 down, 8 to go. Watch out Button, Hamilton and Alonso.

17. UFC 136 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

2011-10-08T12:17:00.000-07:00

UFC 136 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

Prelims (Facebook):

Middleweight Division: Steve Cantwell versus Mike Massenzio:

Round 1: Early jabs from both fighters before Mike lands a combo. Legkick by Massenzio followed by another combo. Cantwell still judging his distance. Both fighters land kicks earlier on. Front kick by Steve as he loosens up. Left hook combo followed by a right hook to the body by Mike who's landing more accurate strikes at the moment. More jabs by Steve. Takedown attempt by Mike...stuffed. Solid hand work by Massenzio. Cantwell attacks with more kicks and jabs but Mike counters with hooks. Right hand landed by Cantwell rocks Mike. Kicks from Cantwell who is trying to finish Mike. Massenzio recovers but Cantwell stalks him. Flying knee by Cantwell but it doesn't land clearly. Accident low blow by Mike. They continue. Headkick by Cantwell. Elbow by Steve as Mike tries another takedown but again its stuffed. Back to their feet. Last 15 seconds. Straight left by Mike. More and more kicks by Cantwell as the round ends. Close round but Cantwell takes it 10-9.

Round 2: They begin with jabs once again. Headkick by Steve lands. Answered by Mike. Massenzio attacks with a shot to the body and a takedown attempt. Cantwell defends it and lands body shot after body shot. They stand. Combo landed by Mike. Answered by Cantwell. Another combo by Massenzio as he loosens up. Takedown stuffed again by Cantwell who continues with the kicks. Mike is bloodied up a bit but he lands a few left hands. 2 and a half minutes left as they exchange combos before clinching against the cage. Kick by Steve. And again. Both fighters continue to throw combos. Mike landing slightly more. He moves in with more combos and a takedown attempt but Cantwell defends well again. Mike grabs a single leg but Cantwell escapes only for Mike to pour the pressure on. Steve is bloodied up badly. Left hook by Mike after eating a right hand. Last few seconds as Steve ends with more kicks. Another right hand by Massenzio and again! 10-9 to Massenzio.

Round 3: They touch glads and Mike continues to pour on the pressure. Knee by Steve. They exchange knees as Mike attempts to throw Cantwell to the ground. Legkick by Cantwell. Constant pressure from Mike as he keeps moving forward. Body shots by Cantwell as Massenzio presses him against the cage looking to drag him to the ground. Jabs by Mike. Uppercut added. He switches down to a single and gets the fight to the ground. Armbar attempt by Cantwell but Mike deals with it well and they stand back up. Jabs by Cantwell as he knows he is losing. Combo by Massenzio answered by a legkick. Right hand rocks Cantwell. Mike looking to finish him but Steve lands a knee. Mike switches for another takedown but fails. Standing guillotine attempt by Steve...failed. Headkick by Steve. A left and then a right by Massenzio. Cantwell in survival mode. Jabs from both fighters. Mike is controlling the final round. Left hook lands. Flying knee missed by Cantwell who has a broken nose no doubt. Massenzio ends up on top as they scramble to the ground. Final 10 seconds. Elbows by Mike. Leglock by Cantwell by he runs out of time and Mike celebrates. 10-9 Massenzio and a 29-28 win on my scoring.

Judges scores: Mike Massenzio wins via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28).

Middleweight Division: Aaron Simpson versus Eric Schafer:

Round 1: They circle early on. Early pressure from Aaron as he lands bombs that drop Eric. Aaron lets him stand back up. Schafer is already reddened up from Simpson's strikes. Good left by Aaron. Jab by Eric answered by combos. Blood is flowing from Eric's left eye. More overhand punches land on Eric as Aaron presses him against the cage and lands shots from inside. They separate. Uppercut missed by Aaron. Left hand by Schafer. Body shot by Simpson. Flurry from both fighters but Aaron lands the better strikes along with knees. Another combo rocks Eric. And again. Shots to the body by Simpson as he capitalizes on the counter. Left hook by Schafer. Jab by Eric. Combo by Aaron. They circle before Simpson rocks Eric again. Accurate combos from the ASU wrestling vet. Right hand. And another. More combos as the round ends. 10-9 Aaron Simpson.

Round 2: Big right hand by Simpson early on. And more combos push Schafer back. Simpson stalks Eric and continues to land 2-3 combos. Left hook by Eric in return. Overhand right by Simpson followed by body shots. Eric retreats as Aaron continues to outstrike him. Right hook by Aaron. One sided round so far. Knee by Eric as Aaron lands more shots. 90 seconds of the 2nd round left. Left hook again by Eric. Aaron answers with 2 hooks that rock Eric again. The left side of Schafer's face is a mess as Aaron continues to pick Eric apart. Simpson pacing himself at the end of the round as he lands more body shots. Huge right hand by Simpson drops Eric by Simpson doesn't pounce on him as he knows the round is about to end. 10-9, maybe even 10-8 for Aaron Simpson.

Round 3: Final round and Simpson looks to take out Schafer. More combos. Nice combo by Eric as he matches Aaron in punches. Big shot by Aaron as he circles Eric. Little action so far in this round compared to the first 2. Combos from both fighters. Eric following Aaron who continues to land punches in bunches. Left hook by Schafer. Another right by Simpson. Purely a boxing round so far. Simpson ducks his head as he lands an overhand right. And again. Followed by a left hook. Simpson is doing enough to win the round. 90 seconds left. Right-left combo rocks Eric again but he continues to fight. Schafer toughing it out as Simpson continues to land. Left jab by Schafer as the fight approaches its finish. Right hand followed by a left by Simpson and the round ends. 10-9 Simpson and a 30-27 or 30-26 win for Aaron Simpson.

Judges scores: Aaron Simpson wins via unanimous decision (30-27 on all scorecards).

Featherweight Division: Zhang Tie Quan versus Darren Elkins:

Round 1: They touch gloves. Early combos by Elkins. Uppercut and combo by Zhang. The china-man locks in a standing guillotine and takes it to the ground but Elkins survives and drops bombs from the top. Solid ground and pound by Darren. Half guard and Elkins looks to progress. Elkins gets his arm over Zhang's head for a potential neck-crank but nothing happens. Solid work from the top by Darren. Final 2 minutes of the first round. Full mount by Elkins as he takes the back. Darren looking to submit Zhang. They roll around but Elkins stays in control. Rear naked choke attempt by Elkins as he flattens out Zhang. Another rear naked choke attempt by Elkins after some shots. Zhang survives. Elkins locks in a body triangle and drops bombs from behind. Last few seconds and Zhang will survive the round. 10-9 Elkins.

Round 2: Early takedown attempts by Elkins. Zhang attempts the guillotine again and Elkins escapes and ends up on top. North-south position as they roll around. Elkins takes the back again and looks to continue from round 1. Darren looks to soften Zhang up with strikes before sinking in a choke. Plenty of time left in the round. They readjust and Elkins is in half guard. They scramble and get back to their feet. Takedown attempt by Elkins and again Zhang looks for the guillotine and ends up under Darren. Elbows and hammerfists by Elkins as he controls the china-man. Zhang explodes and gets on top for a moment but Elkins reverses and gets back on top. More shots by Darren. Another explosion by Zhang to escape but he fails and Darren holds him back down to the ground and lands more strikes. 10 seconds of the round left and Zhang is out of ideas. 10-9 Elkins.

Round 3: Right hand by Elkins. More takedown attempts by Zhang. Again Zhang drops down for the guillotine choke and it looks locked in and Elkins is red! But he survives! Darren overpowers Elkins again and ends up on top. More strikes from inside Zhang's guard. Hammerfists by Elkins. Zhang has no other ideas other than the guillotine he keeps attempting whilst standing. Elbows by Zhang. Elkins passes the guard and into full mount with ease. More and more elbows by Darren as he looks to secure the third round and a win. Elkins takes his back and again looks to finish Zhang with a rear naked choke. Zhang escapes and Elkins punishes him with punch after punch. Another rear naked choke attempt fails as Zhang is in 100% defensive mode. Final 30 seconds of the fight. Elkins is strolling to a 30-27 win. Zhang is holding on and covering from the strikes as the fight ends. 10-9 Elkins. 30-27 to the American.

Judges scores: Darren Elkins wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27).

Heavyweight Division: Joey Beltran versus Stipe Miocic:

Round 1: Early legkick by Stipe. Combos by Beltran but not many land. More legkicks by Stipe. Right hand landed by Stipe followed by another kick. Takedown by Stipe and he gets Joey's back. They stand back up and exchange knees in the clinch. Dirty boxing by both fighters up against the cage. Knees by Stipe as Joey reverses him and they separate. Beltran isn't committing to his punches. More kicks by Miocic. They exchange combos. Beltran seems much slower compared to Stipe. Another solid legkick by Stipe. Legkick by Joey in return but Stipe lands a combo. Final 20 seconds as Stipe lands more kicks and hooks. 10-9 to Stipe with the accurate striking and takedown.

Round 2: Early pressure from Joey but Stipe gets the takedown and begins to land shots to Joey's face. Joey is bloodied up from round 1 already and Stipe is in side control and he attempts an americana. They stand and Joey is swinging away. Right hook to the body by Joey and he takes Stipe down and lands good shots! Stipe works back to his feet and presses Beltran against the cage. Knees from both fighters. Left hook by Joey on the break. Joey is landing more shots now as Stipe shoots for a takedown and easily gets it. Ground and pound by the Croatian-American. 2 minutes to go as Joey explodes back to his feet. 2 legkicks by Joey answered by a kick and knee from Stipe. Miocic throws shots and Joey answers. Joey attempts a trip but fails. Final minute of round 2. Good shots from both fighters as they stand and bang. Stipe unloads on Joey and the Mexican answeres with a left of his own and elbows. Crazy round and difficult to score. 10-10, maybe 10-9 to Stipe with the takedowns and cage control.

Round 3: They touch gloves and Stipe lands an early jab and legkick. Beltran swinging for the fences. Uppercut by Stipe followed by a legkick. Stipe presses Beltran against the cage and Joey is blooding heavily over Stipe. Stipe gets Joey down to the ground and mounts him before taking his back. They stand but Miocic still has back control. Knees from Stipe. Right hand by Beltran as they separate. Takedown by Miocic is stuffed and Joey lands good body shots. Right hand by Miocic followed by a jab and a legkick. Knee from Stipe as he controls the final 90 seconds. Beltran falls to the ground and Stipe lands elbows from the top. Arm triangle attempt by Stipe but Joey escapes. Another americana attempt is considered. Knees to the body from side control by Stipe as he mounts Joey and then takes his back. Shots from the back from Stipe as the fight ends and Stipe takes the final round. 30-27 or 30-28 to the UFC debutant.

Judges scores: Stipe Miocic wins via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28).

Prelims (TV):

Lightweight Division: Anthony Pettis versus Jeremy Stephens:

Round 1: They circle. Early combo from Stephens. Answered by Pettis. A swing and a miss by Jeremy. Legkick by Stephens answered by a right hand from "Showtime". Takedown by Stephens is successful. Full guard. Pettis gets back to his feet after trying for a triangle. Low blow by Pettis. They restart. Kick by Stephens halted by a right hand by Pettis. Legkick by Anthony as he evades one in return. Pettis stalking Jeremy right now. More kicks by Pettis as Stephens closes the distance and clinches. Knees from Jeremy. Dirty boxing from the clinch by both fighters. Takedown by Stephens and Pettis lands shots to the body from under Stephens. They stand back up and Pettis reverses the position against the cage. They separate and Jeremy lands a solid combo. Final seconds of round one and Pettis throws a wild kick after dropping down on one hand. 10-9 to Stephens for the two successful takedowns.

Round 2: Jabs from Pettis. Legkick by Stephens lands low and they continue moments later. Combo by Pettis. Answered by Stephens and Pettis gets the takedown. Elbows from the side by Pettis. Answered from the bottom by Jeremy. Upkicks by Stephens but Pettis lands shots. Pettis takes his back and aims for the rear naked choke but Jeremy defends well. Arm triangle attempt by Pettis. Failed. Stephens is bloodied from the nose. Pettis is smothering him from the top. They work their way back to the feet but constant pressure from Pettis. Knee from Pettis and he then drags Jeremy down. Shots to the body by Stephens as he gets back up. Final 2 minutes of the round. Another takedown by Pettis as he dominates round 2. Again, they stand back up and work the clinch. A fourth takedown by Pettis. Kimura attempt by Jeremy but he gives up his back. Pettis locks in the body triangle as he looks for the rear naked choke. Good defence by Stephens with 20 seconds to go. Pettis really pushing for a finish. Stephens reverses and gets on top and lands a few shots but the round ends. 10-9 to Pettis for the 4 takedowns, solid control and submission attempts.

Round 3: Final round begins. Kick missed by Jeremy. Takedown attempt by Stephens and he gets it. Shots from the bottom by Pettis and he throws up a triangle. Jeremy escapes and they stand back up. Solid combos from Pettis and a legkick. Headkick by Anthony. Right hand by Jeremy as Pettis looks for a takedown. He loses it and Jeremy gets on top but Pettis sweeps him back to his feet. Pressure from Pettis as we enter the final 3 minutes. Takedown by Pettis and Stephens attempts to stand back up. He does but Pettis has down underhooks and controls him against the cage. A combo and takedown by Pettis as Stephens looks lost under Pettis. They stand once again but Anthony continues with the pressure. 90 seconds to go. Knees from Pettis and a takedown but Jeremy gets on top and escapes an armbar attempt. He scrambles and gets Anthony's back for a second before they stand. More pressure from Pettis with knees and elbows. Stephens attempts to throw Pettis to the ground but Pettis works his way to safety. A wild spinning kick attempt by Pettis ends the round and the fight. Close final round but I give it 10-9 to Pettis for the control, takedowns and submission attempts. 29-28 Pettis but it could be a split decision.

Judges scores: Anthony Pettis wins via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Middleweight Division: Demian Maia versus Jorge Santiago:

Round 1: The two Brazilians touch gloves and circle. They clinch and Maia presses Jorge against the cage. Knees from both fighters. Left hand by Maia counters a kick. And again. Solid striking from Maia. Santiago missing with kicks and Maia gets the takedown. Elbows from Santiago. Half guard by Demian but Jorge gets it back to their feet. They clinch and exchange knees against the cage. Half the round to go. Big knee and left hand by Maia. Solid combos from both fighters in the centre of the cage before Maia lands a good right hook. Legkick by Jorge. He charges forward but gets clipped by another right. Maia moves in with more strikes and takes Jorge down. Half guard again. Elbows from Maia as he controls Jorge. Upkick by Santiago but Maia lands good strikes back. Final 30 seconds of round 1. More upkicks from Jorge but its all Demian as the round ends with him in control on top. 10-9 Maia.

Round 2: Headkick just missed by Santiago but he lands a legkick to start the second round. Maia circles before landing 2 left hands. Santiago is moving forward more with the legkicks but Maia is more accurate in his strikes. Headkick by Jorge blocked. Solid combos from both fighters as Maia just misses an uppercut. Left hand by Jorge and another headkick. Santiago pressing forward and Maia is forced to clinch up in defence. He drops down and gets the takedown. Elbows and punches by Demian whilst on top. Demian is much more comfortable on the ground as expected. Full guard. More shots by Maia. Santiago tries to push him away but the experienced BJJ champ has little problems. Loose half guard. More shots from Maia is he looks to end the round strong and steal it. 20 seconds left. Constant work from Demian as Santiago offers little in reply. 10-9 Maia.

Round 3: They scramble at the start of the third and Maia controls Jorge against the cage. Takedown attempt by Maia fails. Right hand by Maia clips Jorge who continues to press forward looking for a KO. Overhand right by Santiago. Jabs and legkicks by Maia before he shoots for a takedown. He takes Jorge's back whilst standing and attempts to drag him to the ground. Maia gets him down for a second but Santiago gets back up just to get thrown back down again. Half guard again and Demian lands shots from the top. Little action so far in the round but Maia is winning it. Elbows by Maia as Santiago covers up and defends well. Upkick missed by Jorge. Final minute and Maia is winning an unattractive decision. Constant elbows from Demian to show that he is working so that the referee doesn't stand them up. Side control for Maia and he mounts Jorge for a moment. Final few seconds and it is safe to say that Maia has won the round 10-9 and the fight 30-27.

Judges scores: Demian Maia wins via unanimous decision (30-27 on all scorecards).

Main Card (Pay-Per-View):

Lightweight Division: Melvin Guillard versus Joe Lauzon:

Round 1: They circle before Guillard lands a combo answered by a Lauzon 1-2. Kick by Melvin but Joe lands a left hook that rocks Guillard and then Joe drops him. Lauzon takes his back and sinks in the rear naked choke after flattening him out. Guillard taps to end the fight.

Joe Lauzon wins via submission (rear naked choke) at 0:47 of Round 1.

Featherweight Division: Leonard Garcia versus Nam Phan:

Round 1: They engage early with legkicks and body shots. Good right hand by Garcia. Another good combo and legkick by Leonard. Nam lands bombs but Garcia escapes only to get knocked down by a combo from Phan. Full guard. The referee stands them up and they stand and bang once again. Nam Phan rocks Garcia again. Kicks from Leonard as Nam jabs away. Right hand by Garica followed by a spinning back kick. Nam stuffs a takedown by Garcia. Body shot by Nam. Combo from Garcia pushes Nam back. Kick by Garcia doesn't stop Nam coming forward. Headkick attempt by Leonard. Both fighters continue to swing hooks whilst Garcia mixes up some kicks. Nam rocks Garcia again but the referee stops it for an accidental eye-poke. They continue. Garcia drops to the ground and Nam lands shot from the top to end the round. 10-9 Nam Phan.

Round 2: Early right hand by Garcia. More kicks follow. Jabs from Nam answered by hooks and headkicks by Leonard. Body shots and a right hand rocks Leonard. Jabs by Nam as he stalks Garcia who pushes him back with kicks and combos. Phan is landing just that split second before Garcia. Straight left and right by Nam. Body shot. And another. Nam in control. Garcia swinging and missing. Good left hook by Leonard. Half the round to go. More accurate striking from Nam. Phan is picking apart Leonard Garcia. Phan chases a tiring Leonard who is swinging for the KO. Solid jabs from Nam as he evades hooks from Leonard. Leonard lands a left but Nam continues to land many more punches. Legkick by Phan. 30 seconds left. Name ends the round with crisp combos and Leonard is bloodied up. 10-9 Phan.

Round 3: Strong start to the round by Garcia with kicks and combos. Nam defending well. More and more strikes landing by Garcia. 2-3 punch combo and a legkick by Garcia. Left hand drops Phan. He stands back up and Garcia swings to KO Phan agianst the fence. They stand and bang. Nam is rocked but Garcia is tired and barely standing. Nam survives for now as they move away from the cage. More wild combos from Garcia as Nam jabs and boxes with clean technique. Garcia has his hands low and Phan is jabbing away. Legkick by Garcia and Phan works the combos again. Takedown by Phan! With 2 minutes to go. Garcia holds on, hoping for the referee to stand them up. The referee does. They touch gloves and continue to exchange combos in the centre. Spinning back fist missed by Garcia. Nam is still jabbing and outboxing Garcia but Leonard is pressing forward with wild haymakers. Takedown by Garcia but Nam is down for only a second. 10 seconds left. They stand and bang for the rest of the fight as the crowd screams! Fight of the night! Close round to score, 10-10. Nam Phan should win this fight around 30-28 maybe 29-28.

Judges scores: Nam Phan wins via unanimous decision (29-28 on all scorecards).

Middleweight Division: Chael Sonnen versus Brian Stann:

Round 1: Early takedown attempt by Chael but its stuffed by Stann. Knees by Chael as they clinch against the cage. Dirty boxing from both fighters as they exchange short punches and knees. They reverse the positions several times. Knee by Chael. Trip by Chael and he lands right into side control. Knees to the body by Sonnen. Stann tries to roll over and Chael pushes back down to the ground and takes his back. Punches from the back by Chael. Sonnen turns over and gets the full mount. Stann defends and gives up his back again but stands up. Chael is on his back. Sonnen slams Stann back down to the ground. Ground and pound from Sonnen. One minute left in the round. Elbows from Sonnen and Stann defends. End of the round and its a 10-9 round to Chael Sonnen.

Round 2: Legkick by Brian but Chael shoots in for the double leg takedown and gets it. Ground and pound by Chael from half guard. Mount by Sonnen and he is in clear control of this round and this fight. Punches in bunches from Sonne as Stann is in defensive mode. Stann throws punches from the bottom but Sonnen answers with bigger shots. The referee stands them up and Stann lands a big right hand that rocks Sonnen but Sonnen shoots in for a takedown and picks up Brian before dumping him to the ground. Side control for Sonnen. 90 seconds of the round left. Arm triangle attempt by Sonnen. Its in deep and Stann taps.

Chael Sonnen wins via submission (arm triangle choke) at 3:51 of Round 2.

Featherweight Division: UFC Featherweight Championship: Joes Aldo versus Kenny Florian:

Round 1: They touch gloves. Legkick by Kenny. Headkick followed. Kenny takes up the centre of the octagon. Aldo charges forward with a left hand but nothing lands. And again. Stuffed takedown by Kenny and Aldo rocks Kenny with several punches but Kenny survives. Aldo comes in but Kenny gets a takedown for a second as Aldo gets back up. Kenny presses him against the cage. Short punches from both fighters as they work the clinch. Takedown by Kenny and Aldo gets back up and again, Kenny gets him down but Aldo recovers. Kenny gets his back whilst standing. Knees from the back. Aldo escapes back to the centre. Combo by Florian. Followed by a jab. Kenny ducks a punch and shoots for a takedown but its stuffed. Body shot by Kenny. And a knee. Final 50 seconds of round 1. Florian drops for another takedown but its stuffed. Knee by KenFlo against the cage and an elbow. End of the round. 10-9 Kenny Florian.

Round 2: Early combos from both fighters as Kenny has a takedown attempt stuffed. Flying knee missed by Kenny. Jabs by Florian. Left hand by Kenny after Aldo misses a jab. Left hand missed by Kenny but he lands a kick. Good left and right by Aldo as Kenny misses. Kenny mixes up a few kicks. Legkicks exchanged by both fighters. Jabs from KenFlo. Kenny controlling the distance with his hands. Inside legkick by Aldo answered by 3 kicks from Florian. Final 90 seconds of round 2. Headkick by Jose. They clinch and Aldo throws Florian to one side. More jabs by Florian. Good combo followed. Right hand by Aldo. And a legkick. Legkick exchanges between the two fighters before Kenny goes in for the takedown. Its stuffed but kenny controls him against the cage for the rest of the round. Close round, 10-10, maybe 10-9 Florian for the good hand movement and takedown attempts.

Round 3: Legkicks and combos by Kenny early on. Legkick missed by Aldo. Uppercut and right hand landed by Aldo. And another right. Front kick by the Champ. Replied by Florian. Good legkick and 1-2 combo by Aldo rocks Kenny. He's limping a little but he continues to throw jabs and 1-2 combos. Right hand by Aldo. Takedown by KenFlo but Aldo gets on top and mounts him. Ground and pound by Jose but Kenny uses the hip escape to get out of full mount. Kenny doing from under Aldo. 2 minutes of the round left. Punches from the bottom by Florian. Aldo isn't doing much from the top. Kenny defending well from the bottom. Good right hand by the Champ. Final minute of the round and Aldo stands. Upkicks by Kenny. Aldo drops back down and lands a punch. They scramble and stand back up. 30 seconds left of round 3. Takedown attempt by Kenny. He presses Aldo against the cage before dropping down again in an attempt to get him to the ground. Best round for Aldo so far with good legkicks and solid control on top. 10-9 Aldo.

Round 4: Legkicks from Kenny. Good right by Aldo. Kenny checks a legkick. Florian is mixing up his striking well but Aldo is landing good shots. Knee by Kenny from the clinch. Takedown attempt by Florian stuffed again. Kenny presses him against the cage. They exchange knees and Kenny lands short punches. They separate and Kenny goes for the takedown again but it fails. Knee by Kenny. Again, he shoots for the single leg but Aldo gets away. 2 minutes of the round left. Knees from Kenny up against the cage. Aldo reverses the position and lands his own knees. Kenny reverses and drops for a single. Constant pressure from Kenny. Right hand by Jose followed by a body shot. Kenny is pushing the action again with another takedown attempt. 30 seconds to go in round 4. Kenny is edging the round with his constant pressure and takedown attempts. Flying knee missed by Aldo. End of the round and that has to go to Florian, 10-9.

Round 5: 5th and final round of this Championship fight. They touch gloves. Jabs and combos from Kenny. And kicks. Right hand by Kenny and a takedown attempt up against the cage. Knee to the body by KenFlo. Shoulder barge by Florian. He has one leg but he gets away. Kenny slips going for a knee and Aldo lands legkicks to Kenny whilst he is on the floor. Upkicks by Florian. Leglock attempt by Kenny. Elbow by Aldo on top. 3 minutes left of the fight. Aldo mounts Kenny but Florian gets out and they scramble to half guard. Aldo is doing little from the top and Kenny gets to his feet. Aldo is pressing him against the cage. Knees from both fighters. 90 seconds left. The referee separates them. They clinch again and land knees. Aldo presses Kenny against the cage as we enter the final minute. Knees from both fighters and Kenny reverses the position. 30 seconds left and Kenny lands a few punches and a knee. They separate and exchange for the final 10 seconds. Aldo misses a few kicks and it will go to the judges. I give this last round to the Champ 10-9 so the fight is either a 48-47 win for Florian or a 48-48 draw. Close fight. 3 close rounds.

Judges scores: Jose Aldo wins via unanimous decision (49-46 on all scorecards) to retain the UFC Featherweight Championship.

Lightweight Division: UFC Lightweight Championship: Frankie Edgar versus Gray Maynard:

Round 1: Here we go! Jabs from Edgar. Returned by Gray. They circle, gathering their distances. Legkick by Gray. Nice combo by Edgar. Takedown by Edgar for a split second. They clinch and separate. Jabs from Edgar. Little action from Maynard. Headkick by Gray, missed. Right hand by Gray rocks Edgar and another! An uppercut and a knee rocks Edgar again. Frankie goes for a takedown but he misses it. Right hand by Edgar rocks Gray. Uppercut missed by Gray. Gray rocks Edgar again but Frankie hangs in there. Takedown by Edgar stuffed. Uppercut again by Gray. Frankie is surviving. Big knee by Gray. Edgar is rocked and bloodied badly. 30 seconds left of the round! Left hand by Gray but Edgar continues to fight back. Right hand by Edgar. End of the round and that is a huge round for Gray. He rocked Frankie atleast 4 times and he stuffed multiple takedown attempts by the Champ. 10-8 to Gray.

Round 2: They circle again. Frankie is looking better then in round 1, moving better. Jabs from Frankie. Kick from the Champ. Left hand by Gray. Nice combo by Frankie. And a legkick. Frankie pressing the action but little is happening. Still anybodies round. Both fighters missing with their combos. Right hand by Frankie and a legkick. And another right. 2 minutes of the round left. Headkick missed by Gray. Takedown attempt by Frankie is stuffed. Good combo by Frankie. 1 minute left and Frankie is edging this round. Solid body shot by Edgar. More legkicks by Edgar. Another combo by the Champ and he is out striking Gray. Good combo by Edgar to end the round on a high. 10-9 to Edgar.

Round 3: They circle and Frankie continues with the kicks. Spinning back fist by Frankie misses. Good combo by Frankie who then evades an uppercut. Legkick again by Frankie. They exchange and Gray lands a knee. Jabs by Frankie. Good legkick by Edgar. Takedown attempt by Edgar is stuffed again. Legkick exchanges between the fighters. Combo by Frankie. Edgar is beating Gray to the punch and moving away in time. Jabs from Gray. 2 minutes of round 3 left. Good kick by the Champ. Uppercut by Maynard as Frankie moved in. Right hand by Frankie. Edgar attempts a single leg takedown but only half commits. And again. Jab by Gray misses. Combo by Frankie landing on Gray before he can reply. Right hook by Maynard missed. 30 seconds left of the round. Frankie is taking this round based on his aggression and accuracy. Good kick by Edgar. 10-9 to Frankie.

Round 4: Jabs by Gray miss. Kick by Edgar. Takedown by Edgar stuffed again. Right hand by Maynard just missed. Left hand by Gray is answered by a 1-2 combo by Edgar. Knee by Gray after his takedown is stuffed. Jabs from Gray miss as Edgar lands a right hand. Uppercut by Frankie. Both fighters exchange rights. 3 minutes of the round left. Right hand and legkick by Frankie. Frankie is edging this round so far. Takedown by Gray is stuffed. Right hand and a legkick by Edgar and Gray isn't landing much in reply to Edgar's accuracy. Frankie lands a body shot and combo whilst Gray misses with a left hand. 90 seconds of the round to go. Takedown by Edgar stuffed but Frankie lands a huge right uppercut that rocks Gray. Maynard is in trouble and Edgar swarms in and lands uppercuts and bombs that drop Maynard. The referee steps in to save Gray as Frankie lands more punches.

Frankie Edgar wins via TKO (punches) at 3:54 of round 4 to retain the UFC Lightweight Championship.

The End.

16. US Open 2011 Preview/Prediction

2011-08-29T13:33:00.001-07:00

US Open 2011

Preview of top 8 seeds:

1. Novak Djokovic - a shoulder injury forced him to withdraw from the Cincinnati Masters final against Andy Murray but many believe Murray simply outplayed him in the first set and Novak wanted to rest his body for the US Open. I, on the other hand, believe he there's more to that "injury" then meets the eye and he could possibly be out early in week 2 to a certain Swiss or a certain Czech...

2. Rafael Nadal - its simple, since his defeat to Novak in THAT Wimbledon final, Rafa hasn't been playing at his best. Losing early in the Roger's Cup to Dodig and then getting outplayed by Mardy Fish in Cincinnati has raised a cloud of doubt over 1. Nadal's fitness levels and 2. Nadal's mind. Could Rafa be hiding an injury? Unlikely. I believe the 5 straight loses to Djokovic and the lose of his number 1 crown to the Serb has damaged Nadal mentally. For a long time, Nadal was always the number 2 guy behind Federer and that motivated him to push through and grand slam his way to the number 1 spot. Now that a guy who was always the number 3 guy has leap-frogged both Federer and Nadal, I think Rafa is simply frustrated that he isn't able to build his legacy more easily as Roger did, as Sampras, Connors, McEnroe and Borg did.

3. Roger Federer - No title since January. Some would say that's not an issue. Sadly it is when you're Roger Federer. The 16 time grand slam winner was outplayed in Australia by Novak, then outplayed in the French Open final by Nadal before getting "rope-a-doped" by the Muhammed Ali of tennis, Tsonga in the quarters of Wimbledon. A lot has to go right for Federer to win his first slam since Australia 2010 (mainly, Novak and Rafa need to lose early!). Federer has a "mediocre" draw which I am sure he will get through but from round 4 it gets tough and Roger needs to play 150% if he wants to reach the final alone. Winning in the final is going to take even more then that.

4. Andy Murray - Early exit in Canada had people questioning his form. He answered those questions by being the second man, after Roger, to beat Novak this year, in the Cincinnati final. Murray has played some great tennis this year but if you look into it deeper there is little hope. Murray always has a solid Aussie Open before going on a Feb-May slump. He then has a solid grass court season before playing his best tennis at the season ending hard court tournaments. Sadly, I just don't see Andy beating atleast 2 of the top 3 to win the US Open. With a possible semi final matchup against Nadal, Murray has a lot of work to do these next 2 weeks.

5. David Ferrer - his best performance was a semi final appearance in 2007, David Ferrer may be the hardest worker in tennis but sadly, his talent is limited. He is good enough to beat top players but he always has a 5 setter too early into a grand slam event and he just runs out of fuel. If the tournament was 7 days long, he could have won 2-3 slams by now. Sadly, slams aren't that easy.

6. Robin Soderling - form = out the window for Robin. From being ranked number 4 in the world he has slipped down to 6th and it could get worse. In this year's 3 grand slam events passed, Robin has made it to one quarter final, one 4th round and one 3rd round. A recent wrist injury has been the possible blame for poor performances but I think Robin is just having a poor season in general. Everyone has it. Federer in 2010, Nadal in 2009. Soderling will be back in 2012. 2011 is just not his year.

7. Gael Monfils - entertaining, yes, but grand slam winner, no. He will play fun tennis all the way to his grave but, its just simple, there are atleast 5 better players then him and that always limits you to a quarter final or a semi. Monfils has the potential to upset a Novak or a Rafa but he has to be playing 150% and they have to be playing 70-80%. But still, his tennis will please the crowds.

8. Mardy Fish - the dark horse. Since emerging as the new number 1 American tennis player, Mardy has been on fire. Losing to Djokovic in the Rogers Cup final and beating Nadal in Cincy has boosted his ranking from around 15th to 8th but, most importantly, the American public has fallen in love with him. Americans dream of a US champ at Flushing Meadows. The days of Andy Roddick are over and America is hoping for Fish to take over and challenge.

Noteable others: Tsonga, Berdych, Del Potro and Roddick.

This year's US Open is without a doubt the most "open" Open in a while. Yes, the top 3 are well ahead of the players ranked 4th to 8th but somehow it seems as though the lower seeds are beginning to figure out how to beat the top 3 (after losing to someone 10 times, I'm pretty sure you're bound to figure out a solid winning strategy). The gap is decreasing (only slightly though...) and with possible injuries and form being an issue, we could see a new slam champion.

Predictions:

Quarters:

[1] Djokovic versus [9] Berdych
[3] Federer versus [8] Fish
[4] Murray versus [18] Del Potro
[2] Nadal versus [21] Roddick

Semis:

[1] Djokovic versus [3] Federer
[18] Del Potro versus [2] Nadal

Final:

[1] Djokovic versus [18] Del Potro

Winner:

[1] Djokovic

15. UFC 134 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

2011-08-27T15:01:00.001-07:00

UFC 134 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

Prelims (Facebook):

Bantamweight Division: Yves Jabouin versus Ian Loveland:

Round 1: Half of round 1 missed to connection error. Solid kicks from Yves. Countered by Ian. Combo from Yves followed by a superb switch kick. Loveland storms forward with an uppercut and is stopped by several legkicks. Right hand missed Jabouin. Solid right hand by Ian. Back kick by Yves who then rocks Ian with a right hand and with more kicks and a flying knee. Loveland is rocked and he presses Yves against the cage in defence. End of round 1. Replays show that Ian did solid ground work but a strong end of the round for Yves. Based on that, 10-9 to Jabouin.

Round 2: Early takedown by Ian who lands into side control by Yves reverses and, after a skirmish, lands on top. Elbows by the Canadian. Triangle choke attempt by Ian. Failed but Ian reverses and gets on top of Yves. Punches by Loveland from half guard. Solid work by Ian before Yves bursts back to his feet. Jabs missed by Yves. And an uppercut. Kicks from Yves land. Spinning back kick landed by Yves. Right hand by Ian. Spinning back kick by Yves lands to Ian's groin. Time out. And they continue. Both fighters land combos. Legkick by Yves as he stalks Loveland. Spinning back fist by Jabouin lands. Takedown attempt by Loveland...successful but Yves gets back to his feet. Both fighters swing and miss with hooks. Success for the Canadian in the striking department. Left hook by Ian. Last 30 seconds. Shot to the liver by Jabouin. Takedown by Yves...successful! Strong end to the round again by Jabouin as he steals this round. 10-9 to Yves.

Round 3: They touch gloves at the start of the last round. Legkicks by Yves. Right hand missed by Ian. Yves landing more than Ian right now. Overhand right by Yves lands as he stuffs a takedown attempt by Loveland. Takedown attempt by Yves is successful for 2 seconds. They circle before exchanging combos in the center. Ian is clearly frustrated as Yves is outstriking him. Jab by Ian. Headkick by Yves. More kicks by Yves. Combo missed by the Canadian. Loveland ducks for the takedown but Yves stuffs it. Jabs from by fighters. Final minute of the round as they trade combos. Jabouin gets Ian down once again but for a few seconds. Right hand by Yves. Countered by Loveland as they stand and bang for the final 10 seconds. 10-9 to Yves. 30-27 to the Canadian, maybe 29-28.

Judges scores: Yves Jabouin wins via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28).

Featherweight Division: Yuri Alcantara versus Felipe Arantes:

Round 1: They touch gloves and Yuri lands a front kick early. Side thrust kick missed by Felipe. Solid combo lands by Alcantara followed by knees. Legkick from Felipe but Yuri counters. Solid strikes by Yuri as he pushes Felipe around. Kicks missed by Arantes. Side kick by Yuri who catches a kick in return and takes Felipe down to the ground. Half guard. Punches by Yuri replied by Felipe from the bottom. Shots to the body by Alcantara. Felipe is bloodied and Alcantara drops bombs before passing into side control. Felipe gets away after trying for a leglock but Yuri is still on top. Blood coming from the right eye of Felipe. The referee stands them up for some strange reason (as Yuri was working for a position). Combos from both fighters as 20 seconds remain in the round. Left hand lands by Yuri. Fancy kicks from Felipe but Yuri takes the round. 10-9 Alcantara.

Round 2: Early kicks from Felipe as he looks to take early control of the round. Takedown by Yuri who lands in half guard. Elbows from Yuri as he looks to pass. Punches land by Yuri. Side control Yuri and then switches to full mount with ease. Felipe in 100% defence. Mounted triangle attempt by Yuri...unsuccessful. Felipe gets Yuri back to full guard before referee Mario Yamasaki stands them up. Legkick by Felipe Arantes. Yuri stalks Felipe before they clinch. Felipe lands a knee but Yuri drags him to the ground and against the cage. 30 seconds left of round 2. Yuri ends the round on top. 10-9 to Alcantara.

Round 3: Last round. Yuri catches another kick and gets Felipe down again and takes his back. Alcantara is looking for the rear naked choke. Felipe reverses the position and lands on top. Punches from the bottom by Yuri. Elbows by Arantes. Right hand by Arantes but Yuri defends well. Both fighters land punches as Yuri attempts to control Arantes from the bottom. Felipe has more blood on his face as the ref stand them up. Flying knee by Felipe but Yuri catches it and gets Felipe down. Yuri looking to steal the final round from Arantes. Half guard. Little action results in Yamasaki standing them up again. Arantes looks for the knockout as he knows he is losing but Yuri trips him down to the ground. Round ends with Yuri on top. Close round, Alcantara possibly stole the last round from Arantes but Felipe's early work in the final round results in a 10-9 round for him although 29-28 to Alcantara.

Judges scores: Alcantara wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

Welterweight Division: Erick Silva versus Luis Ramos:

Round 1: Early takedown by Silva stuffed. Legkick by Ramos. Solid footwork by Silva before he lands a huge right hand that drops Ramos. Silva rushes in and lands punch after punch before referee Herb Dean stops the fight.

Erick Silva wins via TKO (strikes) at 0:40 of round 1.

Bantamweight Division: Raphael Assuncao versus Johnny Eduardo:

Round 1: Raphael with the early kick. Both fighters testing the waters early on. Combos missed by both fighters before Eduardo lands a big right hand. 1-2 combo by Assuncao. Legkick by Johnny. Eduardo lands punches as Raphael kicks. Takedown attempt by Raphael. Drives him to the fence. Raphael drags Eduardo down with a single leg takedown. Elbows from Assuncao from the top. More elbows from Raphael as he works from inside the guard. They are stood up by the referee (again, for no reason as Raphael was working from the guard). Jabs by Assuncao. Spinning kick by Eduardo missed. End of the round as Raphael lands a right. 10-9 Raphael.

Round 2: Assuncao beating Eduardo to the punch before they clinch and Eduardo gets Raphael down for a second before Raphael reverses the position and gets Johnny's back. Assuncao pushes Eduardo up against the cage. Raphael drops for a takedown but fails. Knee from Assuncao as he takes control of round 2. Legkicks from Johnny. Raphael has another takedown attempt stuffed as Eduardo lands a combo. They clinch as Raphael looks to tire Eduardo. Knees from Assuncao. Right hand from Raphael as they separate. Combo by Raphael. Spinning back kick landed by Johnny. Right hand by Assuncao. Legkick counter by Johnny. They clinch again as they exchange knees. Raphael shuffles and looks to get Eduardo's back. He gets it and gets Eduardo down. Raphael looking for the rear naked choke with secured double under hooks. Punches from Assuncao as he ends the round in control. 10-9 Raphael.

Round 3: Eduardo looking for the knockout early in the round as he knows he is down in this fight. Superman punch by Raphael lands. Legkick by Raphael as he outstrikes Eduardo. Jab by Raphael. Eduardo missing with his punches as Raphael jabs away. Left hook landed by Assuncao followed by a legkick. Takedown attempt by Raphael successful but Eduardo looks for a leglock as does Raphael. Punches from the top by Raphael as he tries to get his leg free. Eduardo warned for holding onto the fence. More punches by Raphael. Referee stands them up with 75 seconds to go. Left hand lands by Johnny but Raphael moves away and resets. Front kick by Assuncao. Eduardo lands a right that drops Raphael who was jumping in with a flying knee strike. Assuncao recovers immediately and gets to his feet before he closes out the round. 10-9 to Assuncao. 30-27.

Judges scores: Raphael Assuncao wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Welterweight Division: Paulo Thiago versus David Mitchell:

Round 1: Legkick from Mitchell countered by Thiago. Early right hang landed by Thiago. Superman punch missed by David. Solid combo by Thiago and the takedown. Side control. Paulo looking for the "head-in-arm" choke but stands back up. Jabs missed by Mitchell and the legkick also. Left hook missed by Thiago. Spinning back kick by Paulo. Thiago landing the faster punches. Thiago ducks under and gets Mitchell's back before picking him up and slamming him to the ground and into side control. Knees to the body by Paulo. Crucifix position for Thiago by David defends well. Punches by Paulo from the top. Paulo looking for the D'arce choke but Mitchell defends. They stand several seconds before the round ends. 10-9 Thiago.

Round 2: Kicks and punches landed by Paulo early on. Misses from Mitchell. Spinning kick missed by Thiago. They clinch against the cage. Punches from David. Trip by Paulo and he lands on top in half guard. Side control. Mitchell works his way back into full guard before Thiago allows him to stand. Another takedown by Thiago but Mitchell attempts a triangle choke...failed. They stand once more. Kicks from both fighters. Another takedown by Thiago. Mitchell is bloodied by punches from Paulo. Uppercut by Thiago as he continues to outstrike the American. Lots of misses by David. Headkick by Thiago. The round ends and 10-9 to Thiago.

Round 3: Final round. Combo missed by David. And again,. Right hand landed by Thiago. Mitchell retreats as Paulo keeps landing combos. Left hook landed by Thiago and Mitchell clinches before Thiago trips him once again. Thiago on top and landing punches. Thiago allows him to stand back up. Complete control from Thiago. Right hand landed by David. Headkick by Thiago. Jabs from Mitchell and a legkick. Thiago seens slower but is more accurate. Left hook landed by Paulo. Right hand missed by Mitchell who is pressing forward looking for the KO. Legkick by David and again. Jabs from the American. Combos from both fighters as we enter the final minute. Left hook by Thiago and a right hand hurts David. Thiago takes Mitchell's back and he drags him to the ground. Hooks in and Thiago goes for the rear naked choke but does not get it. Punches from the Brazilian as the round ends. 10-9 Thiago. 30-27.

Judges scores: Paulo Thiago wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Prelims (TV):

Middleweight Division: Rousimar Palhares versus Dan Miller:

Round 1: 2 minutes of round 1 missed due to connection error. Solid jabs from Miller before Palhares lands a head kick that drops Miller. Huge takedown by Palhares follows before Miller reverses the position and recovers to drop punches on Rousimar. They both stand and Dan continues to jab. Overhand right by Palhares missed. Right hand by Miller. Countered by Rousimar. Knee landed by Palhares. Final 45 seconds of the first round. Another headkick by Palhares drops Miller and he drops bombs on Miller. Palhares moves away as he celebrates a victory but the referee did not stop the fight. The referee brings Palhares back and explains the situation. They continue the fight with about 25 seconds to go and Miller rocks Palhares! Dan with punches and a choke attempt as he looks to steal the win but Palhares recovers and gets the takedown at the end of the round. 10-9 round for Palhares due to the 2 head kicks that dropped Dan and the takedowns.

Round 2: Palhares lands punches as he looks to rampage through Dan. Miller falls to the ground from knees and punches by the Brazilian. Triangle choke attempt by Dan as Palhares drops bombs from the top. They separate only for Rousimar to charge back in and get Dan to the ground before landing some huge ground and pound to a wounded Dan Miller. Slam by Palhares! Rousimar in complete control. Dan is bloodied up as Palhares continues to land bombs. Miller is trying to survive. More punches from Palhares. Miller turtles up in defence as Rousimar continues to throw punch after punch. Huge cut around the left eye of Dan. End of the round and it has to be a 10-8 round for Rousimar.

Round 3: Both fighters look tired at the start of this epic fight. Combo from Dan as Palhares moves away. More punches thrown but missed by Miller. Jab by Palhares. Countered by Miller. They stand and bang. Both fighters labouring right now. Right hand by Rousimar. And again. Legkick by the Brazilian. Over and over again with the legkicks. Right hand landed by Rousimar followed by a left. Jabs from Dan keep Palhares back. Slow round compared to the first 2. Right hand by Rousimar. Last 60 seconds. Solid jabs from both fighters. Good body shot by Palhares. Overhand right just missed by Rousimar. Miller is too tired to put solid combos together. Both swinging away. Rousimar catches a kick but the round ends. Close round. 10-10 or 10-9 Palhares. 30-27 or 30-26 to the Brazilian.

Judges scores: Rousimar Palhares wins via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-27, 30-25).

Lightweight Division: Thiago Tavares versus Spencer Fisher:

Round 1: They touch gloves. Headkick by Tavares but he misses and slips. Back to his feet, he continues with kicks before shooting for a takedown...and gets it. Elbows from the bottom by Spencer. Punches by Thiago as he looks to improve his position. Fisher tries to get to his feet but Tavares pulls him back down. More punches from Thiago. The referee stands them up and they circle. More kicks from Thiago. Spencer charges forward but Thiago ducks and goes for another takedown but Fisher stuffs it. Thiago presses Fisher against the cage before finally securing the takedown. Punches from Thiago from the top. Last 30 seconds of the first round. All Tavares as he looks to get the full mount. He switches and gets the back, looking for the choke. Spencer defends and gets to his feet but Thiago is still on his back. End of the round. 10-9 Thiago.

Round 2: Thiago continues with the kicks at the start of the round before going for the takedown. Full guard. Punches from Tavares as he looks to control Fisher as soon as possible. Punches and elbows from Thiago land as Spencer tries to defend as much as possible. Body shots by Tavares. Thiago passes into side control and then gets Fisher's back. He flattens him out and lands bombs as Spencer covers up. No replies from Spencer as Thiago continues to unload and the referee stops the fight.

Thiago Tavares wins via TKO (punches) at 2:51 of round 2.

Main Card (Pay-Per-View):

Light Heavyweight Division: Luiz Cane versus Stanislav Nedkov:

Round 1: They touch gloves and begin. Overhand right from Stanislav missed. Legkick lands from Cane. Nedkov continues to push with the overhand punches but Cane moves away well and counters with kicks and combos of his own. Left hook by Cane. And again. Left missed by Nedkov. Headkick missed by Cane and Nedkov charges forward but little lands. Cane lands a few combos that push Nedkov back who continues to throw overhand punches with poor accuracy. Nedkov is dropped but gets back to his feet bloodied. Legkick from Luiz. Nedkov rocks Cane with a right and Cane is down. Punches from the Bulgarian and Cane is in trouble. Referee Yamasaki saves Luiz from further punishment.

Stanislav Nedkov wins via TKO (punches) at 4:13 of round 1.

Light Heavyweight Division: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira versus Brendan Schaub:

Round 1: They circle. Nice combo by Schaub. They clinch but Schaub moves away as they exchange. Big Nog shoots for the takedown but Schaub defends it against the cage. Nogueira lands nice combos as he beats Schaub to the punch. A solid 1-2 rocks Schaub and Big Nog swarms in against the American on the cage. Nogueira decks Schaub and the referee stops the fight.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira wins via KO (punches) at 3:09 of round 1.

Lightweight Division: Ross Pearson versus Edson Barboza:

Fight missed due to connection error.

Judges scores: Edson Barboza wins via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Light Heavyweight Division: Mauricio Rua versus Forrest Griffin:

Round 1: Co-main event is under way! Forrest takes the centre of the octagon. Legkick by Griffin. Shogun lands a combo as Forrest looks to throw legkicks. Shogun rocks Forrest with an uppercut. Forrest is moving well and landing first but Shogun is landing harder and crisper. Headkick missed by Griffin. Shogun rocks Griffin and swarms in for the kill. Griffin tries to defend but Shogun lands punches and hammerfists to force the referee to step in and stop the fight.

Mauricio Rua wins via TKO (punches and hammerfists) at 1:53 of round 1.

Middleweight Division: UFC Middleweight Championship: Anderson Silva versus Yushin Okami:

Round 1: Okami takes the centre of the octagon. Silva circles. Legkick by Silva. Jabs missed by Okami and Silva evades Okami's 1-2 combo. They clinch and Okami lands several uppercuts before separating. Left hand landed by Silva. Nice jab by Anderson. Okami closes the distance and lands uppercuts and other dirty boxing techniques. Knees by Silva. Answered by Okami. Uppercuts by both fighters but Yushin keeps Anderson pressed against the cage. Okami looks for the single leg takedown but changes his mind. Knee by Okami. Left hook by Silva missed. Jab by Anderson as he bobs and weaves away from Okami's attacks. Last 20 seconds of round 1. Legkick by Silva followed by an uppercut. Headkick rocks Okami but the round ends. Hard round to score. Silva landed better strikes and he wobbled Yushin in the last 3-4 seconds of the round but Okami controlled the centre and pressed Silva against the cage for most of the round. 10-10.

Round 2: Okami comes out looking for Silva's chin and Anderson starts mixing combos up. Legkicks followed by combos. Silva knocks Okami down with a jab but allows Yushin back to his feet. Hands low from Anderson. Silva taunting Okami. Okami misses with a combo and Silva drops him again. Silva gets on top and starts to land strike after strike. Okami is in trouble and is bloodied. Anderson lands more and more and the referee stops the fight.

Anderson Silva wins via TKO (punches) at 2:04 of round 2 to remain the UFC Middleweight Champion.

The End.

14. UFC 133 Live Play-by-Play Updates

2011-08-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

UFC 133 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

Prelims (Facebook):

Middleweight Division: Rafael Natal versus Paul Bradley:

Round 1: Bradley comes out swinging as they circle early on. Legkicks from Natal as they circle and jab. Natal mixing things up. Overhand right from Paul who is bleeding already from Rafael's jabs. Mixture of kicks from Natal who is loosening up but Bradley lands a combo pushing Natal back. Takedown attempt by the American...failed. Combo from Natal, countered by another takedown attempt by Paul. Again stuffed by Natal. Final 45 seconds, more legkicks from Natal who is taking the first round with ease. Bradley lands a 1-2, answered by Natal and the round ends. 10-9 Natal due to success in the striking and takedown defence.

Round 2: Early success from Bradley who lands and rocks Natal before taking him down. Full guard. Punches land by Paul who has bloodied Rafael. They get back to their feet and Natal lands more legkicks as he tries to take back the round. Combo from Natal who misses with a legkick. Knee lands from Bradley. Left hook by Rafael who is in control in the striking department. Another combo by Natal who is beating Bradley to the punch. Legkick once more by the Brazilian. Left hook by Bradley lands before an accidental eye poke by Natal stops the fight for a second. They continue. More legkicks from Natal who is taking back the round. Takedown by Bradley...successful and he ends the round on top in half guard. Close round but Bradley might have just stolen it with the late takedown. 10-9 Bradley.

Round 3: Final round begins, Natal throws a combo but Paul lands with a left. Takedown attempt by Bradley, stuffed. They circle some more. Natal lands a legkick before Bradley rushes in and lands a combo. Natal controlling the distance. Another takedown attempt stuffed. Punches missed by Bradley. Natal misses with a spinning backfist. Bradley shoots for the takedown but again, its stuffed. Knees land. Huge combo lands by Natal. The clinch against the cage. The ref breaks them up. They continue. An accidental eye poke isn't seen by the ref. Bradley gets the takedown but only for a few seconds. Natal continues with combos and legkicks. Headkick attempt by Rafael. Paul presses Natal against the cage and lands a knee. Last 15 seconds. Late pressure from Bradley who might have just taken the last round with the takedown and the pressure but Natal landed more so its pretty close. 10-10 round. Fight a draw in my opinion (29-29).

Judges scores: Rafael Natal wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).

Featherweight Division: Mike Brown versus Nam Phan:

Round 1: Early combo from Brown as he swings away before getting a takedown attempt stuffed by Phan. Jabs from Nam. Solid combos from Brown as he shoots for the takedown and gets Nam's back. Down on the ground and Brown lands punches to Nam who is turtled up and 100% defensive. More punches from Brown land to Nam's head and side of the body. Brown flattens Nam down and continues to land shots. Bloodied up, Nam is defending by holding Mike's right wrist. Flush shots land on Nam. Final 30 seconds of the round and Mike has control everything. Elbows from Mike. Nam gets to his feet but Mike still has his back. Knee by Mike. Takedown attempt successful. Nam did nothing in the round apart from defend on the ground. 10-8 to Brown.

Round 2: Jabs from both fighters as Nam presses earlier on. Takedown stuffed by Nam. Mike presses Nam against the cage. Mike drags Phan to the ground but Nam gets back up. They seperate. Solid uppercut from Nam. Combos from both fighters. Phan lands with the left. Takedown attemp by Brown again, stuffed. Mike has a leg but loses it. Shots from Nam, answered by Brown. Another stuffed takedown attempt by Brown. Mike gets Nam down with a double leg takedown. Kimura attempt by name but Mike escapes and they stand and seperate. Overhand right from Mike. Combos from both fighters. Nam being slightly more successful. Solid body shot by Nam. Another takedown attempt by Mike. Last 20 seconds. Nam lands more shots before Mike. 10-9 to Nam due to the striking successful and takedown defence.

Round 3: Final Round. They touch gloves. Jabs from Nam. Combos land by Nam. Right hand by Brown. And another. Both fighters looking for the KO. They clinch against the cage. Takedown by Brown. Nam gets to his feet as Mike just holds onto him. Left hook from Brown. They circle. Front legkick by Mike followed by another takedown attempt. Brown switches to a single, fails but lands a left hook as Nam escapes. Headkick missed by Nam. Brown lands a mixture of kicks before shooting for the takedown...unsuccessful. Solid combo by Phan. Another takedown attempt by Brown...stuffed but they clinch against the cage. Brown is doing enough to win the last round and the fight. Last minute. Body shots by Phan as Brown tries to drag him down. Last 10 seconds. Brown holds on to the victory. 10-9 Brown. 29- 27 to Brown.

Judges scores: Mike Brown wins via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28).

Welterweight Division: Johny Hendricks versus Mike Pierce:

Round 1: They touch gloves. Early headkick attempt. Knees from Johny. Right hand lands by Hendricks. Takedown stuffed by Hendricks. More knees. Left hook and uppercut lands by Johny. They exchange legkicks. They clinch and land short punches. Overhand left missed by Johny. Takedown attempt by Johny is successful but only for a few seconds. Knees by Johny again. Combos by Hendricks lead to the clinch and another knee. Jabs by Johny as Mike lands a combo. Johny lands another knee and some elbows. Hendricks in control. They clinch once more. 45 seconds remaining. Legkick by Pierce. Right handed follows. Legkick by Johny answered by a headkick attempt. End of the round. 10-9 Hendricks.

Round 2: Early jabs by Mike Pierce. Followed by a combo and kick. Right hand missed by Mike. Knees by Johny but Mike lands a good combo that rocks Hendricks for a second. Legkick by Johny. Knees from Mike against the cage. They exchange punches. Headkick by Johny. Sprawl by Mike as Johny attempts the takedown. The clinch against the cage and exchange knees before the ref seperates them. They clinch once more and Mike as a lock on Johny's neck but loses out. Knee by Hendricks. Both fighters exchange shots. Pierce lands another combo. Jabs by Hendricks followed by a knee and combo. Last 45 seconds. Takedown attempt by Hendricks is successful but Mike gets to his feet as Johny presses him against the cage. Punches by Mike. End of the round. Close round by Johny takes it with this combos and takedown pressure. 10-9 Hendricks.

Round 3: Early pressure from Pierce as he looks for the takedown. Fighters exchange punches. Uppercut lands. They both clinch as Johny goes for the takedown and Mike gets his neck again but loses it. Knee by Johny. Pierce presses forward as Johny jabs away. Pierce attempts to drag Johny down but fails and Johny gets away. Another takedown attempt...successful for Pierce. Rubber guard by Johny. Punches from Mike. Followed by elbows. Johny gets to his feet but there was an illegal upkick so the ref stops the fight to give Mike some time. They continue. Knees by Johny as Mike lands some shots. Uppercuts by Johny. Hendricks spins and goes for the single leg takedown. Knees from Johny as the round ends. Close round. Pierce probably takes it 10-9 but Johny Hendricks wins the fight 29-28 in my opinion.

Judges scores: Johny Hendricks wins via split decision (29-28 Pierce, 29-28 Hendricks, 29-28 Hendricks.).

Catchweight (138lbs) bout: Ivan Menjivar versus Nick Pace:

Round 1: They touch gloves. They clinch quickly. Shots to the body by Ivan. Knees from both fighters. They seperate and Ivan lands a headkick. Legkick by Menjivar. Combos from both fighters. Pace tries a judo throw but fails. Overhand right by Ivan. Right hook by Nick. Legkick by Ivan. Answered by Nick. Inside legkick by Ivan lands to Pace's groin. Time out. And they continue. Both fighters exchange and Nick gets the takedown. Pace tries to pass Ivan's guard. Pace passes into side control and then gets his back. Ivan stands up but Nick on his back. Pace attempts the rear naked choke on Ivan's back but Menjivar gets out and into safety. Left hand landed by Pace. Body shot by Ivan. Round ends and its 10-9 to Pace for the successful ground game and the submission attempt.

Round 2: Legkicks from Ivan. Right hand follows. Menjivar lands more kicks and body shots. Pace circles. Jab by Nick. Solid combo by Ivan as Nick lands a kick. A mixture of kicks by Menjivar backed up by a straight right. More jabs from Pace. Right hand by Ivan followed by a legkick. Knees by Pace. Pace is covering up against the cage. Pressure from Ivan. Nick escapes. More kicks by the Ivan. Punches land by Menjivar. Axe kick by Ivan. Little from Nick right now. More kicks by Ivan but Nick shoots for the takedown and gets it. Pace attempts to pass Ivan but risks getting swept over. Half guard. Punches by Nick. Late kimura attempt by Ivan. Menjivar controlled the round for 4 minutes but the takedown helps Nick's cause. In my opinion, 10-9 Menjivar.

Round 3: More mixtures of kicks from Ivan. Straight right by Nick. Combo by Menjivar followed by a legkick. Knee by Ivan who stuffs a takedown attempt by Pace. Right hand by Ivan. Nick is cut. 1-2 combo by Ivan. Takedown attempt by Ivan, stuffed. More kicks from Ivan. Right hand lands, followed by a left to the body by Ivan. Another kick to the groin by Ivan. Time out. Restart. Pace misses with punches. Legkick by Ivan. And another. And another. Menjivar putting the pressure on. Jab by Nick. Clinch. They seperate. Knee lands by Pace to the eye of Ivan. Ivan is hurt and retreats. Punches by Pace. Spinning backfist missed by Pace. Ivan can not see through his left eye. Pace lands shots. The fight ends. Close round. Ivan has doing better in the standup until the damage to the eye. Pace ended the round in control. 10-10 round, maybe 10-9 to Ivan. Fight scored a draw 29-29 or 29-28 to Menjivar.

Judges scores: Ivan Menjivar wins via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Prelims (Spike TV):

Featherweight Division: Chad Mendes versus Rani Yahya:

Round 1: Kick by Rani missed. Exchange of legkicks from both fighters. They circle each other. Low shot by Mendes hits Yahya on the groin. Time out. Fight starts again. Legkick by Chad. Combo lands from Mendes. Punches missed by Rani, and a front kick. Takedown attempt by Rani, failed. Both fighters mix up their kicks. They lock up and exchange before seperating. Legkick missed by Chad. Solid right hand combo lands by Mendes. Jab by Rani. Final minute of the first round. Spinning kick by Rani misses. Rani charges in but gets picked up and punched by Chad. Legkicks by Chad as the round ends. Tough round to score. Rani went for the takedowns but Chad was more precise with the striking. 10-10 or 10-9 to Chad Mendes.

Round 2: Rani charges in looking for the takedown, landing a few punches. Chad ducks and takes Rani down to the ground. They scramble and then stand. More kicks from Rani who shoots in for the takedown but fails once again. Overhand by Mendes lands. Mendes beats Rani to the punch and ducks under to get the takedown. Elbows by Chad. They stand. Both fighters stand and bang. Chad looking the more accurate striker. Another takedown attempt by Rani is unsuccesful. Legkicks by Chad. Right hand rocks Yahya. And again as Rani lands a legkick. Rani charges once more looking to take Mendes down. They clinch and Mendes lands a knee. Legkick by Chad. Rani looking for the takedown. Round ends. 10-9 Mendes for the takedowns and accurate counter striking.

Round 3: Rani, again, charges in with punches but Chad ducks and takes Rani down. Full guard. Elbows from Chad. Yahya trying to keep Mendes down and looking for an arm. Mendes lands a few punches. Mendes controlling Yahya on the ground. Rani bursts and gets back to his feet. Again, Yahya throws a few punches but Chad gets him down. Rani had Chad's neck for a moment but lost it. Full guard. Omoplata attempt by Rani...failed. Chad gets back to his feet and Rani stands. Kicks from Chad as 45 seconds remain in the fight. Rani is stalking Chad, looking to stop him but Chad shoots and gets the takedown. Fight ends. 10-9 Mendes and Mendes wins the fight 30-27 or 30-28.

Judges scores: Chad Mendes wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Light Heavyweight Division: Matt Hamill versus Alexander Gustafsson:

Round 1: They circle early on. Hamill chasing Alexander. Overhand right by Gustafsson misses. Uppercut lands. And again. Legkick missed by Hamill. Punches missed by Gustafsson. Right hand lands on Gustafssons chin but he replies with a combo. Superman punch by Alexander. Followed by a legkick and a right hand. Little from Hamill. Jab landed by Matt. And again. Combo landed by Alexander. Straight left by Hamill followed by a weak takedown attempt. Alexander is bloodied up. Both fighters land punches. Alexander looking more accurate. Legkick by Gustafsson as the round ends. 10-10 or 10-9 to Gustafsson.

Round 2: Hamill with the early pressure. Goes for the takedown but Gustafsson punches his way to safety. Counter combo by Alexander. They clinch and land some body shots. Uppercut by the Swede. Hamill covering up as Alexander moves forward. Solid combo lands for Gustafsson as Hamill retreats. Solid hooks followed by a headkick by Alexander. Jabs from Hamill. Takedown attempt by Matt...stuffed by Gustafsson. Alexander lands a combo and rocks Hamill. Hamill drops to the ground as Gustafsson moves in for the kill. Alexander landing bombs from the top. The referee steps in to stop the fight.

Alexander Gustafsson wins via TKO (strikes) at 3:34 of round 2.

Main Card (Pay-Per-View):

Welterweight Division: Rory McDonald versus Mike Pyle:

Round 1: They circle for a while before Rory catches a kick and lands a right hand that drops Pyle. He stands back up and they circle. Takedown by Mike is successful. Guillotine choke by Rory but Mike escapes and they stand. Pyle presses Rory against the cage and drags him to the ground. Elbows by Mike. They stand. Left hook by Rory. Takedown attempt by Mike by McDonald as another guillotine choke. Mike escapes. Legkicks by Rory. Mike is on the floor. Upkicks from Mike. Rory jumps into full guard. Left shot by Rory. Good punches by Rory rock Mike. Pyle is hurt and covers up. Rory lands more and the referee stops the fight.

Rory McDonald wins via TKO (strikes) at 3:54 of round 1.

Middleweight Division: Jorge Rivera versus Costantinos Philippou:

Round 1: Both fighters judge their distances. Kick from Jorge. And again. They clinch up against the cage. Takedown by Costantinos is successful. Philippou moves into half guard. Punches by the Cypriot. They stand back up but Jorge took a few shots. The referee separates the fighters from the cage. They circle, clinch and move back against the cage. Jorge reverses the position but Costantinos escapes. Right hand by Rivera lands. Left hand lands by Jorge after a knee by Philippou. Uppercut by Philippou. Both fighters land punches. Late rush by the Cypriot. Little action in the round but 10-9 for Costantinos due to the action early in the round.

Round 2: Both fighters throwing hooks and Costantinos rocks Rivera who drops and turtles up. Costantinos is throwing punches but Jorge gets up and reverses the position, getting on top of Costantinos. Jorge throwing bombs as Philippou defends. They stand. Again they stand and throw bombs. They clinch and throw knees and shots to the body. Uppercut by Philippou. Left hand by Costantinos. Rivera reverses the position against the cage. Trip by Jorge as he takes Philippou down but Costantinos has an omoplata going. He is struggling to finish the submission as Jorge is trying to survive. The submission fails but Costantinos gets on top and finishes the round in that position. 10-9 Philippou.

Round 3: Costantinos lands an uppercut as Jorge lands a knee. Headkick by Rivera but he slips. Right hand by Rivera rocks Philippou. They clinch and separate before throwing more hooks. Takedown successful by Philippou. Triangle attempt by Rivera but Philippou escapes. Punches by Philippou. They stand back up. 3 minutes to go. Knees land. Foot stomps by Philippou up against the cage. Knee by the Cypriot. Takedown stuffed by Rivera who has a guillotine choke attempt. Rivera gets on top. Punches and knees by Rivera who is finishing the round and fight in control. They stand back up for the final 30 seconds. Punches are thrown by both fighters as the fight ends. Close last round. 10-9 to Rivera for the late pressure and takedown. Philippou should get the win 29-28.

Judges scores: Costantinos Philippou wins via split decision (29-28 Rivera, 29-28 Philippou, 29-28 Philippou).

Welterweight Division: Dennis Hallman versus Brian Ebersole:

Round 1: Head kick from Hallman and he gets Brian's back. Rear naked choke attempt by Dennis. Fast start. Ebersole defending the choke. Brian throwing punches behind him as Hallman looks for the opening. Brian turns towards the choke and reverse the position and gets on top but Hallman has a guillotine choke. Punches to the body by Brian. Hallman working the choke. Brian escapes. Punches from Brian followed by elbows. Huge punches from Brian as Dennis is bloodied. Ground and pound from Ebersole. More punches from Brian and the referee steps in to stop the fight.

Brian Ebersole wins via TKO (strikes) at 4:28 of round 1.

Middleweight Division: Vitor Belfort versus Yoshihiro Akiyama:

Round 1: They touch gloves. Headkick missed by Vitor. Answered with a legkick by Akiyama. They judge their distances with jabs before Vitor rushes in and lands a left hook that rocks "Sexyama". Akiyama retreats but Vitor drops him and lands bombs to knock Akiyama out cold. The referee stops the fight.

Vitor Belfort wins via KO (punches) at 1:54 of round 1.

Light Heavyweight Division: Rashad Evans versus Tito Ortiz:

Round 1: The main event is under way. Tito misses with a kick. Quick jabs by Evans. Tito lands a left hook. Overhand right by Rashad. They clinch and exchange on the release. More jabs by Evans. Takedown attempt by Tito...successful. Up against the cage. Punches by Evans. Rashad gets back to his feet by Tito holds for a single. They separate and stand and bang. Tito lands a few knees but Rashad lands bombs as Tito covers up. More knees from Ortiz. Elbow from Evans answered by knees from Ortiz. Evans picks Tito up and drops him on his head with a slam. Bombs from Evans as Tito defends. Side control for Rashad. End of the round. Strong start for Tito but Rashad's round. 10-9 Evans.

Round 2: Legkick missed by Ortiz. Jabs from Evans. Ortiz rushes in with punches but Evans moves away. More jabs from Evans. Takedown by Evans but Ortiz has a guillotine choke. Evans escapes and remains on top in half guard. Now into side control with 3 minutes of the round to go. Punches from Rashad as Tito defends. Evans moves into a mounted crucifix position. Evans stays on top as Tito tries to escape. Rashad takes his back but Tito nearly sweeps him. Evans lands back into side control with 50 seconds to go. Knee to the body hurts Tito and Evans throws punches forcing the referee to save Tito.

Rashad Evans wins via TKO (Knee to the body and punches) at 4:48 of round 2.

The End.

13. Fedor Emelianenko

2011-07-31T10:31:00.000-07:00

Time for the Last Emporer to finish a legendary career.

I woke up on Sunday morning with a dilemma. To "google" the results of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson, or to watch the fight replay itself. I decided on the later and so a few clicks later, the announcer was Introducing the fighters. Sadly, one thing that caught my eye was the length of the video. So short that it meant the fight didn't go the distance (either that or there was a part 2 hidden somewhere). I'm a huge fan of both Fedor and "Hendo" so I immediately was down about the fact that one of them had stopped the other. And so I watched the fight and what a fight it was! Right from the first second, they were swinging away and both fighters were bloodied up quickly. Not to bore you with the fine details of the fight, I'll fast forward to the sweet uppercut and following flurry of Russian bombs that Fedor landed on Dan dropping him and forcing the fans in attendance to rise to their feet as they witnessed the return of the legend...for a few moments as Dan recovered, grabbed a leg to reverse Fedor and land a sweet (and beautifully hidden) uppercut to a Fedor on his knees that landed flush and forced the referee Herb Dean to stop the fight as Dan followed up with a few punches. Fedor, for the first time, was stopped by punches.

Fedor said, in the post fight interview, that it was "God's will" that would play a factor in whether he would retire or not. In my opinion (which I believe most of the MMA world would agree with), I think that it won't be a devine intervention but a decision by his camp, his family and his friends. 3 Losses in a row, all stoppages, it's as simple as that.

So to reflect on the career of what many believe is the greatest Mixed Martial Arts fighter of all time. The "Muhammad Ali" of MMA. Some argue that, without a fight in the UFC, he can never be called a great but that's like saying Messi will never be great if he doesn't play in the English Premier League or Lebron will never be great if he doesn't win an NBA Championship.

Fedor Emelianenko, without a doubt, played his part in making MMA what it is today just as much as the Gracie family or the Nogueira brothers or Couture, Coleman, Liddell and so on. In front of tens of thousands of Japanese fans, Fedor destroyed opponenets of all races, nationalities and sizes on the way to the PRIDE Heavyweight title. His memorable wars against Big Nog, Cro Cop, Coleman and Randleman. His submissions of Mark Hunt, the Giant Hong-Man Choi and Matt Lindland. Just his presence on a PRIDE card was enough to add an extra few thousand fans in attendance. Even after the fall of PRIDE, his stoppages of former UFC champs Arlovski and Sylvia kept him as the number 1 Heavyweight and, arguably, the number 1 pound-4-pound fighter on Earth.

And then came the Brett Rogers fight. Rogers , a solid striker and bigger fighter, bloodied and rocked Fedor, showing that the Last Emporer could be beaten. But a right from Fedor stopped Rogers and the legend continued. Sadly, in my opinion, that fight was the fight that showed Fedor's weakness. Bigger opponents who are experts in their skill-sets. Next came Werdum, a BJJ expert much bigger then Fedor and he came with a plan. Get Fedor in Werdum's comfort zone, the ground. 69 seconds later, Fedor tapped and that was his first real stoppage. Fabricio addressed the issue that many couldn't before. The size of the Russian. Always weighing in at around 220lbs, Fedor was always a "small heavyweight" and Antonio Silva proved that in February 2011 when he wrestled and beat down Fedor forcing the doctor to stop the fight.

And so to Fedor's latest defeat. I noticed Dan Henderson, who fought most of his career at Middleweight and Light Heavyweight, looked the same size as Fedor (and weighing in only about 15lbs lighter). Henderson, a solid wrestler with hands that put people into comas (ask Michael Bisping) had the right skill-set combo to beat Fedor and show the world that Fedor's time is up. If there was a "Cruiserweight" Division between LHW and HW (around 205-225lbs), Fedor would, arguably, still be the reigning world champion in that division and his legendary career could have even been greater.

Thank You Fedor Emelianenko.

12. Summary of Fight Night, 2nd July 2011

2011-07-03T03:35:00.000-07:00

Proof MMA has overtaken Boxing

Before this weekend, many fans of combat sports would have argued that putting a UFC event a few moments after "a boxing superfight" would be just plain stupid. The largest Heavyweight fight since Lewis-Vitali would easily outshine a "fight between midgets" in Cruz-Faber 2. Also, in terms of viewing numbers, many thought Haye's attempt to defeat Klitschko would wipe the floor with UFC 132 since it was free whilst the UFC event would have cost you a handsome $55. So from all this, you'd expect boxing to win, right? Wrong! So very very wrong! Not only did MMA outshine boxing in terms of appearance, organisation and event management, it outshone "the sweet science" in the actual fighting. By far. Yes, when it comes down it, a odd boxing build-up hype can make you want to jump up and down like a 5 year old girl. The promise of a crushing knockout, the war of words at the numerous press conferences and so on. But last night the only thing that Haye-Klitschko and Cruz-Faber shared was bad blood. In the former's case, the bad blood led to 36 minutes of jab, jab, jab followed by wild miss and what seemed to be endless TAKEDOWN ATTEMPTS by David Haye (who is an MMA fan, mind you) as the larger Klitschko just man-handled the Brit when he got near. In the later's case, Cruz-Faber ended up being the fight of the night by a country mile and I, literally, couldn't take my eyes away from the screen as they fought for 25 minutes.

Being in England, I watched the boxing at around 10-11pm and then the UFC from 11pm until around 4:30am and I can honestly say I was more tired watching Haye lose then two guys, who both added together make up Klitschko alone, slug it out for 5 rounds of action. I even missed two rounds of the boxing because I fancied myself some cookies. I knew I wasn't going to miss much (my dad told me I missed 2 more takedown attempts by Haye). Jokes aside now, even the refereeing of both title fights ended with a victory for MMA. If you know Steve Mazzegatti, you know he sucks as a referee. Really sucks! But, on the night, he officiated the Bantamweight title fight perfectly and earned his paycheck. On the other hand, the referee officiating the boxing superfight was appalling. Giving Haye a standing 8 count after Klitschko clearly pushed him was the summary of a poor evening for the ref. The referee seemed to be swayed by a barrage of abuse from Klitschko's corner, and since that confrontation, he was scared to go against the Ukrainian when making decisions. Pathetic.

Finally, the organisation and management of both fighting events was the final nail in the coffin. For the boxing, Haye delayed his entrance by 10 minutes simply because he wanted to annoy Klitschko. If a fighter did that in the UFC, Dana White would bad mouth him and release him immediately. Michael Buffer, the ring announcer was lost for words after Haye didn't appear and, when he announced the delay, the (half full) arena let out a chorus of boos (its also important to point out that if the UFC had to fill that arena, it would actually be FULL). When David eventually came out, the security was so poor that Haye was nearly mauled by surrounding fans as he walked to the ring. Moments after the boxing finished, the UFC 132 Facebook stream started and, from then on, the UFC successfully navigated 3 different media platforms to bring 11 amazing fights to the public. There were no delays and the event fit perfectly into its allocated time slot.

All in all, if you gave me both events as a birthday present would gladly watch UFC 132 again and again and again. For the boxing, I guess I could enjoy 12 rounds of Klitschko's jab when I retire and am stuck in an armchair for 10 hours a day. It was still, none-the-less, a solid boxing clinic from the Ukrainian but that just isn't good enough for the superfight that it was billed to be. It is clear that, from last night, MMA has reached that point in time where, yes boxing still controls the combat sports market, but MMA is waiting on the front porch, ready to take over and upcoming events in Brazil, Japan and so on will look to push MMA into combat sports heaven.

Final Verdict:

UFC 132: Stunning KO's and storylines (welcome back Ortiz, goodbye Wanderlei) backed up a great Bantamweight title fight. 10/10.

Haye-Klitschko: A 12 round yawnfest/typical European boxing fight shrouded by poor refereeing and organisation. Far play to the fancy pre-fight introductions. 4/10.

11. UFC 132 Live Play-by-Play Updates

2011-07-02T15:42:00.000-07:00

UFC 132 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

Prelims (Facebook):

Bantamweight Division: Jeff Hougland versus Donny Walker:

Fight missed due to Haye versus Klitschko fight being late.

Judges scores: 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 all for Jeff Hougland (Unanimous Decision win)

Lightweight Division: Anthony Njokuani versus Andre Winner:

Round 1: Early legkicks from Anthony met by jabs from Winner. Front legkick by Winner. Solid hook lands on Andre's chin. More legkicks from Anthony followed by a spinning elbow. Knees from Njokuani stop Winner who moves forward with more jabs. Uppercut landed by Anthony. And another. Anthony, so far, is the more accurate striker. More combos from Njokuani. Winner misses with a counter hook. Uppercut missed by Anthony. Winner is rocked by a combo from Anthony. Knees follow as Winner retreats and covers up. He's bloodied and bruised. More combos and knees from Anthony as he beats up Andre. Another hook and knee lands on Andre. Takedown by Anthony but Winner gets back up to survive the round. 10-9 Njokuani.

Round 2: Legkicks once more from Anthony. Met by jabs from Andre who circles the octagon. Knees from Anthony as they clinch for a moment. Another combo from Anthony rocks Andre who goes into defensive mode. Pressed up against the cage, Andre takes more knees before getting enough room to escape. Trip from Anthony gets Andre down for a second but they get back up and against the cage. The ref seperates them and Njokuani takes the centre of the octagon. Left hook lands by Winner. More legkicks from Njokuani followed by a front legkick. Headkick blocked. More fancy spinning from Anthony as he wins the 2nd round with a late barrage of kicks and combos. 10-9 to Anthony.

Round 3: Kicks from both fighters before Anthony lands a sweet right hand. Jabs from Winner as he tries to close the distance. Headkick by Winner. Combo lands by Anthony in reply. Winner seems to be more loose but Anthony is being more accurate. Uppercut from Njokuani. Left from Winner in reply. Close round so far. Takedown attempt from Anthony but its stuffed and Andre reverses the Nigerian against the cage. A left hook by Winner lands. Knees from both fighters before they seperate. Last minute. More legkicks from Anthony as he looks the close out the round but Winner is picking up the pace. Winner ends with a late flurry but its not enough. 10-10 round, maybe 10-9 for Winner. Njokuani wins the fight 29-28 or 30-28, in my opinion.

Judges scores: 30-27, 30-26, 30-26 all for Anthony Njokuani (Unanimous Decision win)

Middleweight Division: Brad Tavares versus Aaron Simpson:

Round 1: Early pressure from Simpson as he presses Simpson against the cage. Early takedown attempt along with knees from Simpson. Constant pressure from Aaron as he keeps Brad against the cage with elbows and knees. Another takedown atempt by Simpson. No success. The referee seperates them with 2 minutes to go. Legkicks from Brad followed by hooks. Fighters exchange before Simpson closes the distance once more. Knees from Aaron as he holds Tavares before getting him down for a moment only for Brad to stand back up. Elbows and short right hands from both fighters before Aaron lands knees and a big right hand to end the round. 10-9 to Simpson for the control and action.

Round 2: Early exchanges from both fighters as Tavares rocks Simpson twice. Simpson scrabbles to the double under hooks before taking Brad's back. More action against the cage. Tavares reversed the position for a moment but Aaron turns him once again. Tavares reverses once again and attempts to drag Simpson down to the ground. Knees from Simpson as Tavares drops down for a double leg takedown before Tavares gets a huge slam before Simpson gets right back up and locks in a choke. Knees and elbows follow as they rise up and stand against the cage. Final 30 seconds of the round and Simpson throws more knees and elbows to soften up Brad. Punches land before another takedown attempt by Aaron ends the round. 10-9 Simpson although possibly 10-10 due to the slam by Tavares.

Round 3: Early combo by Simpson allows him to close the distance and press Brad up against the cage. They seperate and Brad throws bombs. Another takedown stuffed by Tavares as Simpson presses him against the cage once more. Knees from Simpson as they scramble for a moment. Simpson drags Brad down to the ground and takes Tavares' back. Knees from Simpson land as he trips Brad. The stand once more and Simpson controls Brad against the cage and continues to work with short punches and knees. Great takedown defence from Tavares but he's doing little to win the round and the fight. The ref seperates them with 40 seconds to go. Brad lands some legkicks as Simpson gets a full takedown and looks for a choke. Brad gets to his feet but the fight ends. 10-9 to Simpson. Overall, 30-27 or 30-28 to Aaron.

Judges scores: 30-27 on all scorecards all for Aaron Simpson (Unanimous Decision win)

Bantamweight Division: Brian Bowles versus Takeya Mizugaki:

Round 1: Fighters touch gloves and Bowles lands first with a straight left jab. Legkick answer by Takeya. Right hand by Takeya as Brian circles. Quick combo by Brian. Another legkick by Mizugaki. More accurate combos from Bowles as Mizugaki continues with the legkicks. Missed uppercut by Mizugaki. Brian is beating Takeya to the punch. More jabs by Brian as Takeya answers with a one-two. Overhang right by Takeya before both fighters exchange bombs. Brian clinches up but Takeya gets him to the cage before being reversed. Knees from both fighters with the cleaner ones landing by Bowles. The ref seperates them as the round ends. 10-9 to Bowles for the accuracy and cage control late in the round.

Round 2: Slow start to the round by both fighters as they circle. Legkick and combo lands by Mizugaki. Solid jabs from Brian keep Mizugaki back. Brian continues to get his punch in before Takeya who is trying to get the counter in. Solid exchanges from both fighters before Brian catches a leg and lands a right hook. Takeya goes down and Brian gets his back. Bodylock secured, Brian tries to get the rear naked choke. He gets one arm in but Takeya defends well enough. Punches from Brian land as Takeya tries to survive the final minute of the round. Final 20 seconds annd Takeya's defence helps him survive the submission attempt. 10-9 to Brian.

Round 3: Early pressure from Mizugaki as Bowles apparently has a broken right hand. The fighters clinch and Brian presses Takeya up against the cage. They seperate and Bowles goes in for the takedown...successful. They scramble by Brian gets Mizugaki's back standing. Little action as Bowles presses down on Takeya who is carrying Brian. Punches from Mizugaki as the fight enters the final minute. The referee seperates them due to the lack of action. They circle before Mizugaki throws combos and presses forward knowing he's losing. Jabs from Brian. Missed knee from Mizugaki followed by a right hand. The fight ends with a late charge by Mizugaki but its not enough as Brian wins the round 10-9 and the fight 30-27.

Judges scores: 29-28, 30-27, 30-27 all for Brian Bowles (Unanimous Decision win)

Prelims (Spike TV):

Lightweight Division: George Sotiropoulos versus Rafael dos Anjos:

Round 1: Early pressure from "G-Sot" with legkicks and punches. Counter jabs from Rafael before a cCrushing right hook lands by the Brazilian and the referee steps in as G-Sot is out and can not defend himself.

Rafael dos Anjos wins the fight via KO (punch) at 0:59 of round 1.

Lightweight Division: Melvin Guillard versus Shane Roller:

Round 1: Fast start from Guillard as he mixes up some combos. Both fighters stand and bang but little damage is being done. More flashy kicks from Melvin as Roller throws wildly. More exchanges with little accuracy before Guillard drops Roller with a left but Shane gets back up only to be dropped again by a knee. Ground and pound from Melvin knocks out Roller and the referee ends the fight.

Melvin Guillard wins the fight via KO (punches) at 2:12 of round 1.

Main Card (Pay-Per-View):

Welterweight Division: Carlos Condit versus Dong Hyun Kim:

Round 1: Cautious start from both fighters. Early jabs and kicks from Condit but Kim shoots for the takedown and gets it. Condit flips Kim over and gets on top and into full mount but Kim works his way back to his feet. Kicks from both fighters as they circle. Left hook by Carlos. Followed by a legkick. Flying knee by Condit rocks Kim before Condit lands several punches to drop Kim and a few more unanswered shots force the referee to step in and stop the fight.

Carlos Condit wins the fight via TKO (flying knee and punches) at 2:58 of round 1.

Light Heavyweight Division: Tito Ortiz versus Ryan Bader:

Round 1: Legkicks from Bader early on. Right hand by Bader lands followed by a legkick. Jabs from Ryan. Right hand counter by Tito as both fighters trade legkicks. Big right hand by Tito drops Ryan. Ortiz gets on top and sinks in a choke. Ortiz pulls guard and Bader taps out.

Tito Ortiz wins the fight via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:56 of round 1.

Lightweight Division: Dennis Siver versus Matt Wiman:

Round 1: Both start with kicks and its Wiman who lands the first punch. Early exchanges before Wiman shoots for the takedown. Failed. Legkicks from Siver. Answered by Matt. Both fighters stand and bang before Wiman gets the takedown for a second. Matt presses Dennis against the cage and secures double underhooks. Great defence by Siver. Wiman still pushing for the takedown as Siver tries a standing guillotine choke. Dennis gives it up but manages to get away from the cage. Kicks from Dennis as they circle. Takedown by Dennis...successful. Into half guard but Matt is looking for a kimura. Dennis stands up and moves away. Wiman goes for the takedown once again but Dennis stuffs it. Uppercut by Dennis. Wiman gets the fight to the ground and into side control but the round ends. Close round as both fighters got takedowns and had submission attempts. The striking cancelled itself out. 10-10.

Round 2: Kicks from Siver but Wiman pushes forward with the takedown attempt. Siver gets his arm in for another choke but its too loose. Matt drops down to try and drag the fight to the ground. Short punches from Dennis. Fighters scramble and Matt gets on top and into full guard. Elbows from Wiman. Dennis is cut, most likely from one of the elbows from Wiman. Elbows from the bottom by Dennis. Big elbows from Matt but Dennis is still working from the bottom. Final 90 seconds of the 2nd round. Dennis is bloodied up pretty bad as Matt lands bombs. More and more from Matt and Siver is getting destroyed. Possible multiple cuts. Wiman tries to get to side control but fails. End of the round. 10-9 Wiman.

Round 3: Early hooks from Dennis. Overhand right missed by Matt. Takedown attempt by Wiman but its stuffed. They stand and circle. Front kick from Siver. Followed by a head kick. Then a spinning back kick. Superman punch by Matt, missed. Jabs by Dennis. Legkick by Matt and another superman punch attempt. Takedown attempt by Matt fails but he lands a big right. Another takedown attempt by Wiman. Dennis throws punches to Wiman's body. Final 90 seconds. Wiman goes for a guillotine choke but Dennis gets out and escapes an omaplata attempt also. Wiman catches a leg and trips Dennis to land on top in full guard. They scramble and Matt attempts another choke but fails. Dennis lands a right and follows up with short punches. Siver goes for the choke but the round ends. Close 3rd round. Siver possibly took the last round and maybe the first. It could be anything from 29-28 to Siver to 30-28 Wiman. In my opinion, 29-29, a draw.

Judges scores: 29-28 on all scorecards all for Dennis Siver (Unanimous Decision win)

Middleweight Division: Wanderlei Silva versus Chris Leben:

Round 1: Josh Rosenthal starts the action. Silva takes the centre of the octagon. Early right hand by Silva rocks Leben who lands a legkick. Both fighters throw bombs and Leben rocks Silva with a combo. Silva is dropped with a few uppercuts and Leben swarms on him. Silva is out and the ref stops the fight.

Chris Leben wins the fight via TKO (punches) at 0:27 of round 1.

Bantamweight Division: UFC Bantamweight Championship: Dominick Cruz versus Urijah Faber:

Round 1: Here we go! No touch of the gloves. Early jab by Cruz. Answered by a combo by Faber. They clinch and Faber attempts a body slam but fails. Good combo from Cruz as they start to loosen up. Headkick by Cruz. Jabs from Dominick before Faber rocks Cruz with a right hand. Cruz catches a kick and lands a combo. Big uppercut by Cruz as Faber comes in. Nice handwork by Cruz. Faber missing a lot. Right hand lands by Cruz. Faber closes the distance and presses Dominick against the cage. The seperate and circle once more. Constant action as the two fighters exchange combos. Knees from Faber within the clinch. Short elbow. Flying knee by Cruz to end the round. Close round. Probably 10-9 to Cruz for being more accurate and pressing in the later stages.

Round 2: Legkick by Cruz, hook by Faber. Cruz stuffs the takedown attempt and misses with several kicks. Solid combos land by Cruz after Faber throws some legkicks. Cruz is dancing around and jumping in and out. Right hand by Urijah. And another. And another. Legkick by Cruz. Awkward movement by Cruz as he jabs and kicks from a distance. Overhand right by Cruz. Misses the second time. Superman punch combo by Cruz. Little from Faber. Headkick by Cruz. Faber being patient. Cruz controlling the fight so far. Uppercut lands on Faber. Right hand by Faber rocks Cruz but he gets away. Takedown by Cruz as he ducks under a Urijah hook. Faber gets back to his feet with about 15 seconds to go. More combos from Cruz. End of the round. 10-9 to Cruz for the constant action, combos and the takedown that override a few good punches by Urijah.

Round 3: Early pressure from Urijah as he lands a left. Jabs from Cruz keep Urijah back. Right hand by Cruz. Solid legkick by Cruz. Replied by Urijah. They exchange combos. Great movement by Cruz as he beats Urijah to the punch. Uppercut by Urijah. Replied by a solid combo and headkick by Dominick. Faber takedown attempt stuffed. Faber shoots in and gets the takedown but is swept over and Cruz gets his back but they stand. Flying knee by Cruz who is picking Faber apart. Straight right by Cruz. Dominick is too fast for Faber as he lands another right. Final 30 seconds of the 3rd round. Right hand by Urijah. Answered with a left by Cruz. They clinch against the cage and Cruz goes for the takedown but time runs out. 10-9 to Cruz.

Round 4: Urijah starts with a straight left. Cruz still beat him to the punch though. Right hand by Cruz. Big right hand by Faber drops Cruz and Faber rushes in but Cruz gets to his feet. Faber is beginning to loosen up and he lands an uppercut after a stuffed takedown. Cruz moving slower now. Good knee by Dominick. Right hand and head kick by Cruz. Faber looking for the one punch though. Cruz shot for the takedown but Faber stuffs it. Two right hands land for Cruz. 60 seconds left. Faber being more accurate right now as Cruz swings for the fences. Late takedown attempt by Cruz and, again, its stuffed by Urijah. End of the round. 10-9 to Faber as Cruz looked more tired and he got dropped early in the round.

Round 5: Final round. Flying knee by Cruz lands as Faber went for the takedown. Cruz lands a combo. Faber launching in with a combo. Another stuffed takedown by Faber but Cruz drags him down. Urijah gets to his feet but is pressed up agains the cage. Knee by Faber but he gets taken down only to stand back up immediately. Another takedown attempt by Cruz fails. And then another...successful but only for a moment. They stand once more. Right hang by Cruz, knee by Faber, takedown by Cruz and they are up against the cage once more. Great defence by Faber as Cruz is desperate to get him to the ground. Knee by Urijah. Right hand misses from Urijah. Headkick misses also. They exchange combos as they enter the final minute. Cruz presses forward once more with punches and gets two takedowns before landing a knee as Faber gets to his feet. Final 15 seconds. Left hook and a kick by Faber. Another takedown attempt by Cruz failed and thats it. Close final round. Possibly 10-10, maybe 10-9 to Cruz due to the constant takedown attempts. Should be about 48-47 to 49-46 in favour of Dominick Cruz. Fight of the night without a doubt.

Judges scores: 50-45, 49-46, 48-47 all for Dominick Cruz (Unanimous Decision win) to retain the UFC Bantamweight Title

The End.

10. Wimbledon Men's Quarter Finals Day Summary

2011-06-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

Tsonga comeback stuns Federer in 5

"There's nothing Federer can do." Never has former world number 4 Tim Henman be more right. That was the case when Tsonga sealed the 4th set against Federer to level the match. The crowd, strangely, rooting for the Frenchman against their own beloved Swiss maestro. It was an odd feeling as the fans loved the fight back from Tsonga but when he immediately broke Federer in the deciding set, the 15,000 onlookers began to realize that it was actually about to happen. Federer was going to lose for the first time from 2 set up in a Grand Slam. One thing that must be pointed out was Federer's comments after the match. He said "It wasn't as if I played a shocker of a match. Jo was just playing the best tennis of his career". 100% right. Tsonga used the crowd to pump himself up (especially his serving which was out of this world). "Ali" is his unofficial nickname, due to his striking resemblance and, today, Tsonga lived up to that name. Federer was the great George Foreman, coming out strong and fast, battering the nervous Tsonga for the first 2 sets. Then, "Ali" woke up. Even after winning the 3rd set 6 games to 4, everyone watching thought Federer had a slight lapse in concentration and that in the 4th set he would seal the win. Then Tsonga broke him again. And again, to deliver, most likely, the biggest upset since Soderling dumped Nadal out of the French Open those many moons ago.

Murray sweeps aside one Spaniard to book a semi with another

Oh Feliciano. Never, ever, flirt with your opponent's mother on Twitter before you play him, especially in his own back yard. You know what happens? You get beat. Badly. 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Nothing more to be said. Clinical finishing from Murray who will be glad he didn't have any hiccups against Lopez since he knew that Nadal would be waiting in the semis, most likely. One thing Murray would have enjoyed today would have been the 3 sets of practice he got with Lopez's left hand. Perfect preparation for Rafael Nadal, also a leftie (well atleast in tennis, he is). Nadal, in his match, had little trouble against the American number 1, Mardy Fish, who has never beaten Nadal. Nadal will be satisfied that he got through but he won't be happy with being broken a few times and losing that 3rd set that he had wrapped up. Credit to Mardy for the effort and the taking of a set against the world number 1.

Djokovic survives against a future star

I remember watching Bernard Tomic play against Marin Cilic at the 2010 Australian Open. He was coming of his second junior Grand Slam title win (at the US Open) and, in front of his home supporters, played the best match of his young career. Yes, he lost to Cilic in 5 amazing sets of tennis but I remember telling myself that if any youngster had the potential to win Slams, he was the one. I was pleased to see Tomic get through qualifying for Wimbledon, this year but I gave him little chance of getting past the 2nd or 3rd round (mainly because Soderling would mostly likely be his opponent in R3). I looked on my Blackberry one evening to find Tomic down two sets against Andreev and I honestly felt for the kid. Then 2-3 hours later, I saw his name beneath Soderling's on the main draw. I, naturally, applauded his fight back against Andreev but I was certain Soderling would knock out his second Australian in a row at a GS (poor Hewitt :-( ). Never had I been more happy for young talent then when Bernard knocked out a (be it slightly ill) Soderling to reach R4 of SW19. After destroying Xavier Malisse, I really believed Tomic could give Djokovic a run for his money. I didn't think he would win but I hoped for a tough 5 setter. And that nearly happened when Tomic was up 3-1 in the 3rd set with each player owning one set. Good Afternoon Novak Djokovic, welcome to Wimbledon. 7 games in a row and the Serb took the 3rd set 6-3 and was up 2-0 in the 4th. I believe the whole of Australian must have been hoping and praying that Tomic would make some effort to prevent a 4th set slaughter, and he did. He got the break back and played superbly to stay level with the world number 2. Then, Novak shifted into top gear and broke Tomic before serving for a 4 set victory. Nothing to be ashamed off from the 18 year old. I think I would give everything I own and more to lose to the world number 2 in the quarters of Wimbledon. Chin up, Bernard. There are plenty more quarters, semis and finals waiting for you, son.

Summary

To keep things simple, it's obvious that, before the day began, everyone was expecting the top 4 to reach the semis...and 3 of them did. Poor Roger was a victim of something beyond him today as Tsonga played like the Heavyweight Legend that his nickname incurs. 6 Grand Slams have passed since Federer beat Murray to win his 16th GS in Australia. 3 quarters, 2 semis and 1 final. To any body else, that is tennis paradise. To Roger, its actually quite pathetic. Before then, he had made 18 finals in 19 Grand Slams. Think about that for one moment. 18/19. 95%. FINALS. The other 5%? A semi (oh how awful(!)). Federer was definitely one of the favourites for this Wimbledon and many thought he would equal Pistol Pete's record of 7 Wimbledon titles. From now on, I doubt he will ever be favourite again. Yes, Roger is still amazing and could easily be a top 10-20 player for the next 10 years of his life, in my opinion. But that is not good enough for him. It has come to that point in time where he needs to ask himself is it worth it trying to get another 1, 2 maybe 3 GS titles whilst having Nadal, Djokovic, Murray and other top 10-20 players beat him more and more often. If I was Roger (if!), I would hang my racket up after the US Open or World Tour Finals this year. Hopefully winning one of them to go out on a high. He has achieved so much, made tennis the sport it is today and helped/inspired so many people worldwide. He has his millions, his wife and twin daughters. Time to enjoy the beauty of Switzerland. It's just inevitable that Nadal will pass his record of 16 GS titles so there is no need to try and fight that off. There's a greater chance that Nadal's body will give in and force him to retire then Federer winning a few more titles to hold Rafa off.

All Federer has to do now is pray Djokovic, Murray, Del Potro, Nadal's body and future stars (such as, perhaps, Tomic?) slow Rafa down or even manage to stop him (if that's at all possible).

Thank you Roger Federer but please, no more.

P.S. Nadal to beat Djokovic in the final 3-1.

9. Haye vs. Klitschko Preview

2011-06-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

After watching HBO's Face-Off with Max Kellerman, I came to the conclusion that the upcoming Haye vs. Klitschko isn't as even as it seemed.

I have, for quite some time thought that David Haye would be the only real challenge to the Klitschko's reign in the Heavyweight division. But I admit the main reason for that was that the Heavyweight division of boxing is so poor right now. Not to take anything away from David but he is by far the smaller fighter (see above picture). His 4 fights at HW were against a gatekeeper in Monte Barrett, a giant caveman called Valuev, a grandpa called John Ruiz and Audley Harrison (lol.). If your not up-to-date on your boxing you would think "how the hell is Haye the WBA champ and why is he challenging a Klitschko?" and I wouldn't shout at you if you did but the fact of the matter is that the HW division, other then the Klitschkos, Haye, Valuev, Ruiz and a few Russians, is just really, really appauling. Many of the lighter heavyweights (like Haye) fight at Cruiserweight (i.e Adamek) and even Light Heavyweight. That leaves the Heavyweight division full of fighters with beer bellies and reaction times slower then the inhabitants of my local old people's home (and then you have Shannon Briggs...ha!). So how do you get to be Heavyweight Champ? Learn to jab, hug and move. That sentence summed up the Klitschko brothers. Yes, they have PhDs, can speak like 10 languages and are well dressed but you don't need any of those things to realise that you can jab your way to the Heavyweight title(s). Don't get me wrong, I'm not hear to rip the hell of out the Ukrainians. They are good, solid and smart boxers who just happen to be boxing in a decade when the Heavyweight division is just..crap.

Watching the HBO special hosted by commentator and sports analyst Max Kellerman, it was clear that David was just there to hype up the fight even more. He doesn't care if half of the world thinks he's an arrogant t***. He wants to badly get under Wlad's skin and that's what he did. He wants to get Wlad out of his comfort zone and to react, to burst and punish David, giving the Brit the openings he needs to stop the Ukrainian. It was clear at one point in time that Klitschko flipped but, being the educated man he is, he kept calm knowing he will get his chance to shut David up. I'm still thinking David will be too much for Wladimir who has hit the canvas many times (not to mention the 3 defeats all by TKO). David's sole loss was also a TKO loss but Carl Thompson weathered an earlier Haye masterclass in a fight that was more Haye throwing it away rather then Thompson winning it. Yes, on paper, Wlad has fought way better opponents to rack up a total of 58 fights compared to David's 26 but the "good fighters" that Wlad has fought were all "past their best" and at the end of their careers (i.e Rahman, Peter, Chambers and Brewster). The other fighters were basically bums, simple as.

Now let's look at the actual fight. David has 23 KO's, Klitschko has 49, short fight? I doubt it. I believe Wlad knows that Haye is for real and that he must bring not only his A game but his A++, A* games (even they might not be good enough). Wlad will want to keep Haye back with his jab for the first 4-5 rounds as Haye will most likely aim to end the fight inside 3-4 rounds. I'm not saying Haye will rush Wlad like a raging bull but rather he will look to get under the jab and inside Wlad. What about the Klitschko hugs? Well if Haye can get out of a hug from that giant Valuev, he can get away from Wladimir. One advantage for Klitschko is that the fight is in Germany, his "second home" (with the brothers both being German citizens as well as Ukrainian). The crowd will most likely be behind Wlad but what they arena won't expect is a couple of thousand, drunken British supporters to back Haye. If you watch combat sports as much as I do, you will notice one thing immediately when a Brit is fighting: the arena, all of a sudden, becomes British (the place shakes with chants of "engerrrrrlandddd!", for example). That could work well for David and Wladimir could find himself thinking "where am I fighting, again?". Advantage, Haye. All in all, the odds are that the fight will be stopped by a cut or by an earlier stoppage just to spice up some controversy to get fans wanting a rematch (bringing in more money to the promoters). I'd give Haye a 65-35 advantage simply because his punch, against Wlad's, is much better and Wlad could be unpleasantly surprised when he gets hit in R1.

One thing is for sure, this fight, this superfight as it is being billed (only because its the biggest fight since Lewis-Vitali) will give boxing fans, and fight fans in general, something to enjoy, remember and talk about for the next decade or 2 because the next "super fight isn't around the corner" (no, Vitali is educated enough not to want to fight Haye after he sees his brother get destroyed, no thirst for revenge would be great enough to want another Haye beating).

8. UFC 131 Live Play-by-Play Updates

2011-06-11T15:28:00.000-07:00

UFC 131 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

Prelims (Facebook/Youtube):

Featherweight Division: Michihiro Omigawa versus Darren Elkins:

Missed the fight (my bad) :-P

Judges scores: 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 all for Darren Elkins (Unanimous Decision win)

Heavyweight Division: Joey Beltran versus Aaron Rosa:

Round 1: Both fighters meet at the centre of the octagon before exchanging jabs. Beltran ducks under before pressing Rosa against the cage. A left hand lands by Beltran followed by uppercuts from the inside. Knees are exchanged before Beltran lands a clean right uppercut followed by a hook. The fighters seperate before meeting in the centre of the cage to stand and exchange wildly. Rosa's noses is bloodied as Joey presses him against the cage once again. The fighters stand and bang with Beltran mixing things up with leg kicks and body punches. More shots to the body as Joey controls Rosa who continues to work even against the cage. Rapid shots to the body by Beltran before the fighters exchange once again to the roar of the crowd. End of the round. Beltran wins the round with the cleaner punches landing and effective use of the cage and body shots. 10-9 Beltran.

Round 2: Slower start to the second round as Rosa tries to find his distance. Leg kicks by Beltran as he closes the distance and presses Rosa up against the cage once more. Moe body shots by Joey. Fighters seperate before Rosa lands a right hook answered by a Beltran counter hook. More leg kicks by Beltran. Knees from Rosa followed by a right hand. Beltran closes the distance once more with 2 minutes of the round to go. Low shot to the groin by Beltran. Timeout as the doctor is called in to help Rosa. Aaron is ok and the fight continues. Leg kick by Rosa followed by a front kick. Both fighters jab away before Rosa charges forward with some shots. Beltran is caught with an illegal knee to the groin as Rosa attacks. Timeout once again. Beltran is fine, fight continued. Beltran misses a few shots as he gets caught with an uppercut as he charges in. More shots to the body by Beltran before they seperate again. The round ends with Beltran pushing Rosa against the cage once again. An even round in terms of damage delivered, 10-10.

Round 3: Final round begins. Both guys stand and bang once again as the crowd roars. Rosa shoots for the takedown by Beltran defends it and lands a knee. Two hooks by Rosa but Beltran gets Rosa to the ground and unloads on Rosa with bombs. Rosa gets to his feet but Joey pushes him to the ground again. Hammerfists by Beltran, unanswered by a bloodied Rosa and the referee is forced to step in and end the fight.

Joey Beltran wins via TKO (punches and hammerfists) at 1:26 of round 3.

Featherweight Division: Dustin Poirier versus Jason Young:

Round 1: Fighters meet at the centre and Young lands a few leg kicks before Dustin engages and lands a few shots to Young's face. Poirier takes the fight to the ground but they soon stand. The reverse positions up against the cage and Young lands a few knees. Nice combo by Poirier as they seperate. Headkick from Young followed by a right hand. Answered by Dustin's own. Nice leg kick by Dustin replied by Young and they exchange before clinching against the cage. Young is cut on the left eye as Dustin continues with legkicks. Final minute of the first round. Young slips after a headkick and Dustin tries to capitalise. Young misses with a right. Fighters exchange as the round ends. Close round but Poirier probably edged it by being slightly more accurate within the clinch as well as decent success on the ground. 10-9 Poirier.

Round 2: Fighters continue with the same pace as in round 1. Legkicks by both fighters before a double roundkick by Young. Headkick by Jason missed. Fighters clinch up before exchanging once again. Warning to Dustin for a groin strike. Young continues with the legkicks as Dustin seems to be slowing slightly. Dustin misses with two hooks as Young jabs away. Another legkick by Jason. Body shot by Poirier answered by another legkick by Jason. Both fighters land hooks as the final minute of the round approaches. Flying knee by Yound answered by a bodykick by Dustin. Young pounces on a tired looking Poirier before Dustin gets a takedown. Elbows by Dustin as the round ends. Young was the more aggressive fighter in the round but Poirier got the takedown at the end of the round. He failed to do much on top so Young gets the round, 10-9.

Round 3: Final round starts as Young presses forward. Legkick by Poirier. Jason continues to move forward. Right hook by Dustin as the fighters clinch up. Dustin gets Jason up against the cage and attempts a takedown...unsuccessful. He continues to press for the takedown and eventually gets Jason down. Young gets to his feet buy Poirier holds him against the cage before dragging Jason back down. Short elbows by Young as he tries to get back to his feet. Just over a minute left to go and both fighters stand once again. Young tries to work the right arm of Dustin but Poirier controls him well. They stand and Young continues with elbows. One more takedown by Dustin and into full guard. Jason works from the bottom with hammerfists as the round, and fight, ends. Poirier wins the third round with his takedowns. 10-9 Poirier. Poirier takes the fight 29-28 in my eyes.

Judges scores: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 all for Dustin Poirier (Unanimous Decision win)

Middleweight Division: Nick Ring versus James Head:

Round 1: Fighters meet in the centre of the octagon. Kicks from Ring as Head aims for jabs. Knees by Ring within the clinch. Ring judging the distance well with kicks before shooting for the takedown successfully into side control. Nick moves to north-south position before Head recovers into full guard. Ring lets Head stand back up and they continue to measure each other. Head lands a right hook to Ring's temple as Ring came rushing in, dropping him. Ring is able to recover and stand but James moves in with knees. Nick answers with a front kick and some hooks. Final minute of round 1 and Head lands more shots. Knee after knee from Head but Nick gets him down with a smooth single leg takedown and into open half guard. Elbows from Ring as the round ends. Ring got dropped in the round but recovered and finished the better fighter edging the round 10-9.

Round 2: Legkicks from Ring as Head looks for the knockout. Ring gets another takedown and rolls into side control. Ring attempts for a mounted crucifix but can't get the right arm down. Nick moves in and locks up a triangle from the top but lets it go as he works to maintain side control. James works well to get Nick back into half guard. Fighters stand back up as Ring stalks James up against the cage. Another takedown by Nick followed by short punches that bloody up James. Hammerfists from Nick followed by clean shots. Head gives up his back and Nick moves for a rear naked choke but loses it. The scramble and Nick moves into side control. James Head's face is extremely bloodied as the referee calls for the doctor to check if the fighter can continue. Fighters are put back into their positions and the fight is restarted. Knees to the body by Nick as Head struggles with the blood. Elbows from Nick land clean as Head tries to survive. Shots to the body by Nick as he controls James, pressing down on his chest. North-south position by Nick and eventually into a mounted crucifix but Head is saved by the end of the round. 10-9 to Nick Ring, maybe even 10-8 for the damage done and the control on the ground.

Round 3: Head is a mess as the final round begins. Ring moves in with early pressure. Takedown from Nick but Head pulls Nick into full guard. Elbows and shots from Nick as James schuffles to avoid damage. Upkicks from James but he gives up his back as Nick puts more pressure on him. Nick moves to north-south once again as Head continues to survive the onslaught. Elbows from Ring as Head shifts from left to right. 90 seconds left of the round and the fight. Ring moves around James and sees an opening for a choke. He sinks his arms in and forces the tap from James.

Nick Ring wins the fight via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:33 of round 3.

Light Heavyweight Division: Krzysztof Soszynski versus Mike Massenzio:

Round 1: 'K-Sos' and Massenzio get this fight underway with a touch of the gloves. Massenzio gets an early takedown by K-Sos gets back up to his feet. Body kick by Mike. Takedown by Massenzio stuffed by Krzysztof as the clinch up against the cage. Jabs from K-Sos as they seperate. Left hand from Mike. A double leg takedown by Mike but K-Sos gets back up. Another takedown...stuffed. Legkicks from Soszynski. Mike is bloodied up by shots by K-Sos. Big shots now from "The Polish Experiment". Headkick by K-Sos as Mike moved in for the takedown that is eventually completed. K-Sos works the right arm but Massenzio moves away and they both stand back up. Final minute of the round. K-Sos stalks Massenzio before stuffing another takedown attempt. K-Sos clips Mike with a few shots to the face as Mike goes for the takedown again. Stuffed. Shots from K-Sos to end the round. Soszynski just edged the first round as Massenzio didn't do much with the takedowns whilst K-Sos bloodied him up. 10-9 Soszynski.

Round 2: K-Sos smiles as round 2 begins. Legkick from K-Sos before he stuffs a Massenzio takedown attempt. Mike gets Soszynski up against the cage and works for the takedown. K-Sos stuffs and goes for a standing guillotine but loses it. Knees from K-Sos. Mike presses K-Sos up against the cage once again. Stuffed takedown again. Fighers move to the centre. Mike goes in for the takedown again. K-Sos tries to spin around but fails and they stand once again. Good left from Soszynski. Takedown attempt from Mike again but failed. Short punches from Soszynski as the referee seperates them from the cage. Shots land from K-Sos as Mike tries for the takedown again. The round ends and another 10-9 round for K-Sos as he landed more and stuffed Mike's takedowns.

Round 3: Legkicks from K-Sos as he presses Mike against the cage. Sprawl from K-Sos again but this time he gets Mike's back and lands into side control. Punches from K-Sos land as Mike tries to stand up. Soszynski takes Mike's back and holds onto wrist control. Elbows from K-Sos to the body of Massenzio. K-Sos looks for a kimura but Mike realises this and holds onto Soszynski's right arm. Knees to the body by Krzysztof. Nothing in reply from Mike as he holds on. More and more knees from K-Sos. He scrambles to take Mike's back and sink in a choke but Massenzio reverses him. K-Sos gets up to his feet immediately. Final 45 seconds as they move to the centre of the octagon. Mike circles and goes for a weak takedown. Stuffed once more. Headkick from K-Sos. The fight ends with another stuffed takedown. 10-9 for K-Sos and 30-27 overall.

Judges scores: 30-27, 30-26, 30-27 all for Krzysztof Soszynski (Unanimous Decision win)

Prelims (Spike TV):

Middleweight Division: Jesse Bongfeldt versus Chris Weidman:

Round 1: Fighters touch gloves and begin. Headkick from Chris. And another but missed. Jesse stuns Weidman and pounces on him before taking him down. Chris reverses him and ends up in side control. Punches land by Chris. Bongfeldt stays busy from the bottom but Weidman lands bombs from the top. North-south position for Weidman now but Jesse gets it back to full guard. Shots from the bottom by Jesse. Chris steps over into half guard. Fighters scramble for control as Chris lands more punches. Side control for Weidman. Elbows from Chris as Jesse gets to his feet. Knee from Chris as he locks in a standing guillotine with several seconds of the round to go. Jesse taps and the referee ends the fight.

Chris Weidman wins via submission (standing guillotine choke) at 4:54 of round 1.

Lightweight Division: Sam Stout versus Yves Edwards:

Round 1: Fighters touch gloves and begin. Early jabs and legkicks from Stout. Edwards lands a right followed by a headkick from Sam. Fighters exchange combos. Takedown attempt by Yves...gets it. Yves trying to get full mount but Stout holding him back with a butterfly guard. Stout attempts to stand up and succeeds on the second burst attempt. Jabs from Yves. Front legkick from Stout. Knee from Stout cancelled by a right hook from Yves. Fighters exchange before Stout lands a perfect left hook to Edwards jaw knocking him out cold. Sam doesn't follow up with any punches as Yves is completely out flat on his back.

Sam Stout wins via KO (punch) at 3:52 of round 1.

Main Card (Pay-Per-View):

Lightweight Division: Donald Cerrone versus Vagner Rocha:

Round 1: Legkick from Cerrone as Rocha takes the centre of the octagon. More legkicks from Cerrone. Solid knee from Cerrone followed by more legkicks. Takedown successful by Rocha but Cerrone locks on an omaplata before losing it. They stand and Rocha pushes Donald up against the cage and goes for another takedown. More legkicks from Donald. Stuffed takedown attempt by Rocha. Vagner counters with a right as Donald lands another legkick. Headkick missed by Cerrone. Donald stuffs another takedown before catching Rocha's leg and knocking his other leg out from under him. More legkicks and combinations from Donald to end the round. 10-9 Cerrone.

Round 2: More legkicks from Donald but Rocha is being more aggressive with knees and hooks. Donald counters with legkicks but Rochas completes a takedown for a second before Donald jumps back up and against the cage. Cerrone escapes and the circle. Right hand by Vagner countered by a legkick from Donald. Both fighters exchange legkicks before Rocha attempts the takedown. He fails and Cerrone gets him down for a moment. Right hand by Donald. Final minute of the round and Cerrone is in control with the countless legkicks. Rocha misses with an overhand right as Donald legkicks once more. Another failed takedown attempt by Vagner, punished by a legkick from Cerrone and the round ends. 10-9 Cerrone.

Round 3: Early jab from Cerrone in the final round. More legkicks from Donald keep Rocha at distance. Body shot by Vagner. Combo by Donald before he defends a takedown attempt once again. Spinning back kick from Vagner...misses. Donald drops Rocha with another punishing legkick. Right hand by Rocha. Cerrone chases after the exhausted Rocha who attempts a weak takedown. More legkicks from Donald. No answer from Vagner. Rocha swings away with hooks. Cerrone picks Vagner apart with combos. More of the same as Donald kicks his way to a 30-27 decision win. 10-9 Cerrone.

Judges scores: 30-27, 30-27, 30-26 all for Donald Cerrone (Unanimous Decision win)

Heavyweight Division; Jon Olav Einemo versus Dave Herman:

Round 1: Einemo charges in and eats a knee from Herman. Einemo gets the clinch up against the cage. Double underhooks from Einemo who is looking for a throw or takedown. They break and Herman throws some hooks. Big right hand from Einemo. Two jabs and an uppercut from Jon Olav. Herman misses with two knees as Einemo stalks him. Legkick by Dave. And another. Followed by a knee as Einemo looks to close the distance. Body kick lands by Herman but Einemo gets a takedown and slides from full guard into side control. Elbows from Einemo but Herman bursts and gets back to his feet. Right hand by Jon Olav followed by a legkick. Final minute of the round. Knee by Dave answered by Einemo. Uppercut by Jon Olav. They get down to the ground but it's the end of the round and its 10-9 to Einemo due to his takedown and pressure.

Round 2: Legkick by Dave followed by a missed knee. Shots land by Einemo as Herman gets away. Kicks from Dave as Jon Olav stalks him. A big knee from Einemo as Dave is stunned. Dave loses his mouthpiece but the referee spots it. Another big knee from Einemo who replies with his own that drops Einemo. Hammerfists from Herman as Jon Olav tries to sweep him. They seperate and Einemo lands a big right hand that rocks Herman. They swing away and Einemo gets rocked. More knees from Herman as Einemo gets dropped again. Bombs from Herman and the referee stops the fight.

Dave Herman wins via TKO (punches) at 3:19 of round 2.

Middleweight Division: Demian Maia versus Mark Munoz:

Round 1: They touch gloves. Both fighters measure each other. Legkick by Munoz. Maia moves forward with a left hook and legkick. Mark seems rocked early on. Big combo from Maia as they clinch against the cage. Knees from Maia. The referee seperates them and they return to the centre of the cage. Left hand from Maia. Headkick followed. Maia charges at Munoz with punches and kicks. Munoz reverses Demian against the cage. They seperate and Mark swings away. Maia lands a right then a kick to the body. Final minute as Maia unloads on Mark. Fluid motion from Maia. Munoz attempts to steal the round but Maia lands another left. Impressive round for Demian. 10-9 Maia.

Round 2: Right hand by Mark followed by a left that has Maia in some trouble. Munoz sprawls on a takedown attempt from Maia. Maia attempts to pull guard but Mark lets him stand. Big left hand from Maia. Sprawl again from Munoz. Mark has a D'arce choke on Demian but Maia gets out. Munoz lands a hook but Maia presses him against the cage. Hammerfists from Munoz as Maia tries to take him down. Maia pulls guard and Munoz defends a sweep. They stand and Mark throws some knees. Munoz attempts a takedown. Eventually Maia is down and Mark throws some elbows. Final minute of the second round. More shots from Mark as Maia holds on. The referee stands them back up as there is no action. The round ends. 10-9 Munoz due to the big punches, the takedown and the submission attempt early in the round.

Round 3: They hug at the start of round 3. Headkick attempt by Munoz. Right hand by Maia lands. Another headkick missed. Takedown by Munoz but Maia gets up straight away. Mark has a single but Maia is attempting to pull off a kimura. Maia lands behind Munoz but has a possible Crucifix submission. Mark escapes and they stand. Munoz presses Maia against the cage before Demian reverses the position. Both fighters attempt to take each other down. Little action prompts the referee to seperate them. Legkick by Maia. Takedown attempt by Maia followed by a knee. Final minute of the fight. Munoz presses Maia against the cage but Demian reverses the position again. They seperate with 30 seconds to go. Kick to the body by Mark. Maia attempts one final takedown but its stuffed. End of the fight. Close final round. 10-10 in my eyes but I could see it 10-9 to Maia for the submission attempt, multiple takedown attempts and early striking success. 29-29 or 29-28 Maia.

Judges scores: 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 all for Mark Munoz (Unanimous Decision win (30-27??? WTF??))

Featherweight Division: Kenny Florian versus Diego Nunes:

Round 1: Early headkick attempt from Florian. Missed legkick and spinning backfist by Nunes. Missed overhand right from Nunes. Spinning roundhouse kick from Nunes...missed. Takedown attempt by Florian stuffed but he gets Nunes up against the cage. He gets Nunes' back. Diego reverses the position and attempts to takedown Kenny. Successful. For a moment. They stand. Knee by Nunes. Jabs from Florian. Kick nearly caught by Kenny. Jab from Nunes followed by a good legkick. Replied by Kenny. Headkick by Nunes blocked. Spinning backfist by Deigo lands. Jabs from Florian. More spinning from Nunes. Takedown by Florian as he ducks under a punch. Diego escapes. Knees from Diego followed by a spinning backfist. Huge punch by Nunes drops Florian who throws up a triangle attempt as the round ends. Close round as both fighters did well in striking whilst Nunes dropped Florian and Kenny took Diego down a few times. 10-10, maybe 10-9 to Nunes.

Round 2: Florian trying to be more aggressive in round 2. Kicks from both fighters. Florian ducks under a punch again and completes a takedown. Nunes gets to his feet but Florian is all over him. Kenny attempts to drag Diego to the ground but Diego gets on top. Triangle attempt from Florian. Diego escapes. Upkicks from Florian. The fighters stand back up. 2 minutes to go of the second round. Jabs from Florian. More kicks from Nunes. They clinch and both fighters throw knees. Florian pushes him against the cage and then takes him down. Half guard. Nunes is bleeding from the back of the head. Hip escape by Nunes to get into full guard. The round ends with Kenny on top. 10-9 Florian.

Round 3: Final round. Legkick missed by Diego. Kenny pressing the action at the start of the round. Fighters exchange kicks. Knees to the body by Kenny followed by a takedown. Knees to the body from Kenny followed by punches. Diego looks exhausted as 'Ken-Flo' attempts to improve his position. More punches from Florian who moves into side control. Nunes bursts to get back to his feet before he presses Florian up against the cage. Headkick from Nunes. More jabs from Florian. Missed spinning kick by Nunes again. Final minute. Nunes swinging away in desperation but Kenny is picking him apart. Spinning backfist by Nunes. Knees from both fighters as they clinch. Big knee from Kenny. Nunes rocks Florian with a big shot in the final second of the fight but it's not enough as Kenny takes the third round 10-9 and the fight, 30-28 or 29-28.

Judges scores: 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 all for Kenny Florian (Unanimous Decision win)

Main Event: Heavyweight Division: Junior Dos Santos versus Shane Carwin:

Round 1: Here we go. Both fighters measure each other out. Takedown attempt by Carwin. Stuffed. Short punches from Junior. Knee from Junior. They seperate. Hook missed by Carwin. Right hand by Junior lands. Uppercut from Junior. Jab from Carwin. Replied by Dos Santos. Overhand right by Junior lands. Right missed by Carwin, left missed by Junior. Carwin leaps in, misses. Right hand by Junior lands. Carwin gets the takedown but Junior gets back up to his feet. Jabs from Dos Santos. Right hand misses by Carwin. More jabs from 'Cigano'. Right hand combo by Carwin. Junior drops Carwin with a right. Shots by Dos Santos. Carwin is in trouble. Junior lets Shane up and his face is bloodied badly. Referee Herb Dean could have stopped the fight there. 10-9 to Dos Santos.

Round 2: Headkick from Junior. Shane charges forward but throws nothing. Junior is beating Shane to the punch. Legkick from Junior. Jabs from Dos Santos as Carwin tries to reply. Shane nearly connects with a left. More jabs from Junior. Legkick from Shane. Replied by Junior. Right hand lands on Carwin. And again. Dos Santos jabs and weaves away but gets tagged by a left hand. Right hand by Carwin. Both fighters jab away. Another legkick by JDS replied by Carwin. Headkick by Junior followed by a right hand. And another. 30 seconds of the round left. More combos from Junior. Body shots followed by a wild overhand right by Dos Santos. 10-9 Junior.

Round 3: Final round. Carwin's face is a mess. Takedown attempt by Shane, successful. Junior works his way back up to his feet but Shane has him up against the cage. They seperate. Left hand lands for Junior. Carwin's punches are very slow now. Junior continues with the jabs. Left hand by Junior. Carwin charges forward but Junior moves away. Left hook by Junior. Right hand misses by Carwin. Jab combo by Junior. Right hand by JDS. 90 seconds left. The referee calls for a timeout for a doctor to assess Shane's face. Everything is ok. They continue. Final minute. Takedown by Junior! Carwin gets to his feet. Legkick by JDS. 2 left hands by Junior and another takedown just as the round ends. 10-9 Junior. 30-27 to the Brazilian.

Judges scores: 30-27, 30-27, 30-26 all for Junior Dos Santos (Unanimous Decision win)

The End.

7. Summary of Weekend Events

2011-06-05T12:20:00.000-07:00

French Open Final: Nadal outlasts Federer.

"Jeu Federer", the umpire exclaimed as thousands of fans applauding what they were seeing. Roger Federer was up 3-0 in the first set of the grand slam final. Nothing new right? Actually wrong, it was new. It was 3-0 against Rafael Nadal and it was on clay...at Roland Garros. Many thought that they were lucky in that they were about to witness a Federer victory over Nadal on clay, a rarity in the sport. Federer's win over Djokovic on Friday, that ended Novak's unbelievable start to the 2011 tennis season, had clearly motivated Roger early on and when Nadal called for the trainer, many thought it was going to end sooner then expected. It turned out that Nadal just needed to loosen up some strapping on one of his ankles. It did the trick as Nadal saved a break point (and a set point) down at 2-5 to start a chain of 7 games in a row to fight back and stun Federer 7-5, 2-0. One thing that was evident was that Federer was not only fighting Nadal on the court but himself also. He would majestically fight back with breaks of serve that would spur the Parisian audience into a frenzy only to hit another unforced error and hand Nadal the lead once more. It was almost as if the crowd was keeping Federer in the match as he hung in there to force a second set tie-break only to, yet again, crumble under the pressure.

A statistic popped up on the television screen just before Rafa was about to serve at 7-5, 7-6, 4-4. Nadal had won 109 total points, Federer? 80? 85? No, 105. Federer was 4 points behind Nadal but on the scoreline that counts he was in a huge whole. The fans prayed for a fightback such as the epic 2008 Wimbledon final where Federer fought back from 2-0 down to lose 9-7 in the 5th set. Nadal was not at his best either, it has to be said. It seemed as if he completely froze at the end of the 3rd set as Roger's forehand got him a crucial break to lead 6-5 in the 3rd set and eventually serve out the set. Nadal was probably thinking about what he should say in the post match interview as Federer raced to 0-40 in the opening game of the 4th set. The croud screaming as they thought the fightback had began. Nadal snapped back out of his fantasy to man handle Federer into a rather humilating finish as Rafa won the 4th set, and the match, 6-1. Signs of tears and emotion appeared on Rafa's face before he served the final point of the match before the 1000th unforced error (atleast it seemed like it) from Federer forced Nadal to fall to his knees in joy.

What to take from the final? Nothing. Federer showed signs that he was still a force to be considered with (especially now that he will be known as the guy who ended Novak's super run) but, as he turns 30 a month after Wimbledon, it is clear that he, at best, has 2-3 more finals left in him. Maybe several more semis on top of that. Djokovic will look for a solid second half of the season and Nadal will look to hold on to the number one ranking that Novak is getting closer to. Roger can be happy, without a doubt. He had a great tournament, dropping only 4 sets (3 in the final). One thing he must focus on is his clutch play. He does brilliantly to get to 2 or 3 break points but then just freezes and allows Nadal, Djokovic and others to come back in and then break him. If only he had Kobe Bryant's clutch play...Roger is still the greatest...but how long until Rafa top spin's his way past the Swiss?

The Ultimate Fighter Finale: Ferguson KO's Nijem, Guida steals Pettis' "showtime".

If you watched season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter, you would have probably rooted for Ramsey Nijem to beat Tony Ferguson in last nights Finale. Not just because Ramsey is probably the best guy you would want to get drunk with or that his hobby is striptease (don't ask) but the main reason is Ferguson was the most hated guy in the house. One thing you don't do, even when drunk with your "mates" is insult a guy about custody issues regarding his son. Everyone wanted to fight Tony after he shouted "Where's your son at? Where?" to fellow housemate Charlie Rader. Only one guy could fight Tony...and that was Ramsey Nijem.

Nijem, a Palestinian American, with a solid wrestling background, grew to become the number one guy in the house with impressive performances against Charlie rader, Clay Harvison and Chris Cope. Tony was the dark horse to everyone other than his coach, former Heavyweight Champion, Brock Lesnar, who thought Tony was the best guy from episode one.

The Finale main event started with a bang as both fighters came out guns blazing. Tony ducked under Nijem's hooks, securing a takedown that surprised Ramsey. They worked their way up to their feet where they continued to exchange before Tony connected a fresh left that dropped Ramsey and ended the fight. Not a fairytale ending but it's clear that both fighters will continue under the UFC as Ramsey shows signs of a great future.

In the co-main event, Clay "The Carpenter" Guida outwrestled Antony "Showtime" Pettis to move above him in the race for Frankie Edgar's Lightweight title. Only a few months ago, Pettis was doing flying kicks of the cage that earned him top contendership against the winner of Edgar-Maynard 2. That fight, unfortunately for Pettis, ended in a draw and, thus, sidelining him until the top 2 lightweights met again. In the mean time, Guida had taken a huge bucket of water and extinguished Takanori "The Fireball Kid" Gomi in a one sided fight that shot him up the rankings. He begged for a title shot afterwards and, although UFC President Dana White, wasn't 100% up for it, he had the perfect answer. Guida versus Pettis. It kept both fighters active whilst Edgar focused on resolving his trilogy with Gray Maynard (result still pending ofcourse). Guida's win over Pettis will definitely get Guida a title shot (or atleast one more win from it) whilst Pettis will rue his misfortune and aim to stay in the top 5 of a division currently holding more then 40 fighters.

6. Summary of UFC 130

2011-05-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

UFC 130 Summary

Brian Stann wins again.

It was clear from the first time that Stann dropped Santiago that it wasn't going to be the Brazilian's night. Stann was too confident in his hands and his wrestling and it showed. Santiago was bossed around and the referee rightly stopped the contest as Brian delivered unanswered blows. What's next for both fighters? Stann's victory has, without a doubt, elevated him into the top ten of the Middleweight Division and Joe Silva must be eyeing a possible matchup with the winner of Bisping-Miller after their future meeting. A fight most likely for top contendership to Anderson Silva's title. For Santiago, his return to the UFC didn't go the way he wanted but he has the potential to rebound and challenge in the future. He looked scared against Stann so hopefully his jitters have gone with this lose. An interesting matchup would be against Belcher or the winner of Belfort versus Akiyama.

Story upsets Alves.

For the first two rounds of their fight, Rick Story couldn't have been more pleased. His plan was working. He was frustrating Alves by constantly closing the distance that Thiago needed to land his devastating legkicks and the early takedowns won him this Welterweight fight that ended with a late surge from Alves that was clearly too little, too late. Story isn't top 10 yet but his 6 UFC wins in a row are a clear sign that he is a future force to be reckoned with. The obvious matchups for him would be rising stars Jake Ellenberger and Amir Sadollah. Two fights that would propel him to the top. Ellenberger will be very interested in getting revenge for a lose to Story outside of the UFC in 2008. For Alves, it is yet another blow to his title credentials as he falls to 1-2 since his failed title shot against GSP. Dana White gave him another chance at Welterweight after his weight issues so maybe it's best if Alves moves up to Middleweight where his stand up could pose problems for the likes of Bisping, Sonnen, Okami and others.

Superman Browne makes up for Kongo draw.

If you watched Browne's last fight against the Frenchman Cheick Kongo, you would have thought the Dutch kickboxer, Stefan Struve, would have had little problems against the Hawaiian. Oh how wrong you would have been. From the opening bell, Travis looked to stand and bang, to exchange and land bombs. Some would say he was lucky with the superman punch that earned him the Knockout of the Night bonus whilst others would say it was pure technique. Whatever your opinion, Browne has just shot up the rankings with that stoppage win and could face the likes of Mir, Nelson, Cro-Cop and others. Struve, on the other hand, will look to rebound as soon as possible and a likely match up would be against someone like Mark Hunt or Joey Beltran.

Mir's 260lbs > Nelson's 260lbs.

For this fight, there were more people hoping and praying for Nelson then there was actually thinking he would win. Both fighters weighed in at 260lbs but it was two completely different 260lbs figures. Mir's dense muscle was too much for Nelson's fat storage and after the first round, Nelson was in survival mode against Mir's knees. Nelson had been Mir in a Grappling contest a decade ago but that Mir was much lighter, out of shape and out of focus. This Mir, Mir version 3.0, was leaps and bounds above Nelson and the 30-26 scoreline perfectly reflected the fight. Next for Mir, possible rematches against Carwin or Lesnar (when he heals) or and interesting fight against Dos Santos if he loses to Carwin at UFC 131. For Nelson, it's simple: lose weight or retire. A fight against Cro-Cop would be interesting but most likely boring as both fighters are at the end of their careers.

Rampage did enough.

Many will be disappointed with the main event but Jackson certainly won't be. He stuffed all of wrestler, Matt Hamill's takedowns and bloodied him up with his counters. In his post fight interview he said he did everything he needed to do. He even threw some legkicks as he joked with Joe Rogan. Many failed to realised how one-sided this matchup was from the day it was announced. Rampage has a wrestling background (though not as good as Hamill's) so it was clear that Jackson would try his damn hardest to stop Hamill in that department. Striking wise, Jackson was, and has always been, a mile ahead of Hamill. The boos didn't help the main event but Jackson won't care and neither will Hamill, since being deaf prevented him from even hearing them. The main talking point will be Jackson's lack of luck in regards to timing. If he had stopped Hamill inside the first round, he would have probably got a title shot against the Champion Jon Jones whilst Rashad Evans squares off against Phil Davis soon. Sadly, Jackson's three rounder against Hamill could affect any chances of Jackson being ready for a title fight. Thus paving the way for Machida to challenge Jones. It's still way too early to sort that mess out as Jackson hasn't reported his condition to the world, yet. Machida, coming of his stunning KO of legend Randy Couture, is fresh and ready to take the opportunity if presented with it by matchmaker Joe Silva. If Jackson isn't title shot ready then he may be interested in several rematches. Rua faces Forrest Griffin in Rio in August. Both fighters have beaten Jackson and Quinton will be very interested in getting revenge on the winner of the UFC 134 bout. Another rematch would be Jackson against Evans IF Evans beats Davis. Again timing might be an issue if their fight is a three round war. Whatever the outcome, Jackson is in the mix and will rely on luck helping him out in the next few months. For Hamill, it's back down to the "second division" of the Light Heavyweight weight class. Fights against Bonnar and Matyushenko would be interesting as well as a fight against the winner of Franklin versus Lil Nog with the later fight possibly being a retirement fight with the loser owning at least a 2 fight losing streak (and neither of them are getting younger).

Its fair to say that, although UFC 130 wasn't an EPIC card, it was a card that cleared up several issues with many of the UFC's divisions. Fighters moved into title contendership whilst others suffered severe setbacks. One thing is for certain, UFC 130 is a stepping stone for a busy second half of 2011 that will feature many top level fights.

5. UFC 130 Live Play-by-Play Updates

2011-05-28T15:56:00.000-07:00

UFC 130 Live Play-by-Play Updates:

Prelims (Facebook):

Bantamweight Division: Renan Barao versus Cole Escovedo:

Round 1: Early Takedown by Barao followed by good control and ground & pound. Escovedo is allowed to stand up before pulling guard after Barao presses him against the cage. Solid defence from Escovedo from the bottom as Barao lands short elbows. Referee Steve Mazzagatti stands them up. Kicks followed by quick combos from Escovedo before Barao takes him down again. Barao ends the round on top. 10-9 to Barao.

Round 2: Escovedo drops Barao for a second before Barao takes Cole down into butterfly guard. Fighters stand back up. Escovedo loosening up whilst Barao throws kicks to the midsection. Fighters exchange body kicks and leading hand hooks before Barao takes Escovedo down once again fairly easily. Elbows from the bottom from Cole. Little reply from Barao as he works the position. Fighters are stood back up again before Barao presses Escovedo against the cage. Knees from Cole before he pulls guard. Barao finishes the round on top once again. 10-9 to Barao, only just.

Round 3: Flying knee from Barao at the start of the final round. Fighters scramble with Barao landing on top for a few moments. Jabs from Barao as he stalks Escovedo. Legkicks from Barao followed by a spinning back fist and front legkick. Straight right from Escovedo followed by kicks. Fighters stand and bang momentarily. Flying knee by Barao countered by kicks from Cole. Combination from Escovedo followed by legkicks. Takedown successful by Barao towards the end of the round. Elbows from the bottom from Cole as Barao controls his opponent. Fighters stand and bang for the final 30 seconds before a final takedown from Barao to win the round 10-9 and the fight, in my eyes, 30-27.

Judges scores: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 all for Renan Barao (Unanimous Decision win)

Bantamweight Division: Michael McDonald versus Chris Cariaso:

Round 1: Good stand up from McDonald. Several faints followed by right hand hooks by Michael. Cariaso attempts several takedowns as well as a leg lock towards the end of the round. Fairly even round, 10-10, maybe 10-9 to Cariaso for submission attempts.

Round 2: Good countering by McDonald. Solid kicks from Cariaso but slightly telegraphed. Good exchanges from both fighters as McDonald counters Cariaso's kicks. Cariaso slips but is allowed to stand back up. A second slip as McDonald pushes forward. Fighters exchange kicks as Cariaso tags McDonald with an illegal but accidental kick to the groin. McDonald is given time to recover before referee Rosenthal continues the fight. Kick missed by Cariaso as McDonald targets the inside leg. Lunging punch by Cariaso as McDonald bobs and weaves away. Late pressure by Cariaso but McDonald soon presses him against the cage. Takedown stuffed. McDonald shoots for the takedown and is successful into side control before passing into full mount.Cariaso pulls him back to half guard as the round ends. 10-9 to McDonald.

Round 3: Headkick missed by Cariaso as the final round begins. Right handed landed by McDonald as Cariaso continues with a mixture of kicks. Combination by Cariaso as McDonald replies. Cariaso takes McDonald down, tying up his own right arm in the process. McDonald moves into butterfly guard as Cariaso lands hammer fists. Triangle attempt by McDonald before Cariaso escapes and they both stand up. Successful takedown by McDonald but Cariaso replies with an omaplata attempt. McDonald defends by holding Cariaso's feet. McDonald escapes and they stand once more. Final minute of the fight. Missed legkick by Cariaso. Two missed headkicks by Cariaso. Fight ends with a missed headkick attempt by Michael. Close round with McDonald just edging it 10-9 and possibly winning the fight 30-28 or 29-28.

Judges scores: 30-27 Cariaso, 29-28 McDonald, 29-28 McDonald (Split Decision win for McDonald)

Lightweight Division: Gleison Tibau versus Rafaello Oliveira:

Round 1: Fighters touch gloves before Oliveira lands a legkick. Solid right hand landed by Rafaello followed by a body shot and legkick. Takedown by Tibau. Rafaello scrambles back to his feet. Fighters exchange several shots before circling the octagon. Tibau lands to shots to Rafaello's face followed by a left hand and takedown into half guard. Oliveira tries to escape but shots from Tibau hold him down. Fighters stand and Tibau continues to pick Oliveira apart. Left hand connects on Rafaello. Close first round, 10-9 to Tibau for takedowns and solid combos.

Round 2: Straight left by Gleison followed by a solid right that drops Oliveira for a second. Fighters circle as Tibau swings away. Oliveira lands twice with the left followed by a solid kick to the stomach. Oliveira charges at Tibau. Gleison catches a kick and takes Rafaello down. Tibau takes Rafaello's back before attempting an arm triangle. Rafaello escapes. Fighters stand up before Tibau lands an uppercut that drops Rafaello. Tibau takes his back, lands some shots and sinks in a rear naked choke that forces the submission.

Gleison Tibau wins via rear naked choke at 3:28 of round 2.

Prelims (Spike TV):

Middleweight Division: Kendall Grove versus Tim Boetsch:

Round 1: Boetsch immediately takes Grove down and lands some good shots. Fighters get back to their feet and Grove starts loosening up with some kicks. Tim pushes Grove up against the cage and takes him down with a double leg into side control. Grove pulls back to full guard and lands elbows from the bottom. Boetsch works some shots to the body before Grove attempts a triangle. Tim escapes and creates distance. Upkicks from Grove before the fighters stand once again. Attempted trip by Boetsch as they scuffle up against the cage. Knees from Grove to Tim's body as Boetsch continues to try to take Tim down. Grove attempts and fails for a takedown before pressing him against the cage. Boetsch reverse Kendall. More knees from Grove followed by a foot stomp towards the end of the round. A kick from Boestch to seal the round. 10-9 Boetsch.

Round 2: Both fighters exchange before connecting against the cage. Knees from Grove. Inside uppercuts from Boetsch as Grove continues with the knees. Trip by Tim to take Kendall down and into half guard. Short elbows from Tim as Grove covers up to defend. Side control for Boetsch. Grove gives up his back to defend himself from the shots before getting back to his feet only to be taken back down again by Boetsch again taking his back. Fighters get back up to their feet. Knees from Tim. Takedown attempt by Boetsch, defended by Grove for a few moments before Tim completes it. Grove attempts to tie up a triangle again but fails. Round ends and Boetsch is 2 rounds up. 10-9 Tim.

Round 3: Fighters scuffle and Tim presses Grove up against the cage again using his weight advantage. Grove reverses the position before Boetsch successfully takes Grove down with a judo hip throw. Grove gives up his back allowing Boetsch to land knees to the body. Fighters stand but Grove eats a knee. Another takedown attempt by Boetsch, stuffed. Grove cut under the right eye. Slow single leg takedown successful by Tim but Grove locks on a triangle that is defended again by Boetsch. Grove with the takedown attempt, stuffed. Tim continues with the takedown attempts and lands into half guard. Grove tries to burst out but only lands into full guard. Shots by Boetsch before the fighters stand back up. Grove completes a takedown but is reversed by Boetsch who attempts a front headlock/side guillotine choke. Round ends with Tim on top. 10-9 Boetsch and a 30-27 win for him.

Judges scores: 30-27 all for Tim Boetsch (Unanimous Decision win)

Bantamweight Division: Miguel Torres versus Demetrious Johnson:

Round 1: Josh Rosenthal begins the action as the fighters circle. Johnson lands two quick legkicks. Takedown attempt by Torres failed followed by a successful takedown by Johnson. Torres reverse Johnson into half guard. Both fighters wrap up as Torres attempts to pass. Miguel locks his arms around Johnson's neck as he slides into side control and then full mount. Johnson pulls Miguel back into half guard as Miguel lands some shots. Torres attempts a choke but Johnson defends. Elbows from the bottom by Johnson. Side control for Torres once again but Johnson reverses the position before Torres sweeps Johnson into a leglock transitioned into a heelhook. Johnson spins out and takes Torres' back. Miguel turns and pulls him into full guard. Torres attempts a triangle but fails. A choke attempt fails as the round ends. Close round but 10-9 to Torres for the early success on top and the constant action from the bottom at the end of the round.

Round 2: Legkick from Johnson. Fighters exchange in the centre before Johnson circles on the outside. Takedown successful by Demetrious up against the cage. Triangle attempt by Torres to roll Johnson over and the fighters stand back up. Another takedown by Johnson as Miguel lands elbows from the bottom. Sweep by Torres reversed by Johnson. A reverse triangle locked on by Torres, lost. More elbows from Torres. Kimura attempt from the bottom by Torres. Again lost. Fighters scuffle but Johnson stays on top althought doing little from the position. Shots finally land from Johnson. Demetrious spins for a leg but Torres grabs one of Johnson's. Side control for Johnson. Round ends with Johnson on top in half guard. Another close round with Johnson being on top more but Torres working harder. 10-10, maybe 10-9 for Johnson.

Round 3: Fighters touch gloves. Right hand lands by Johnson followed by a successful takedown. Torres working for a triangle but Johnson defending well. Tight lock by Miguel but Johnson is surviving. Elbows from Torres. Side control for Johnson as Torres tries to sweep again but fails. Half guard for Demetrious as Torres continues to scuffle. Johnson takes his back whilst Miguel tries to roll into an armbar. Johnson is swept by Torres and Miguel lands into full mount. Torres spreads his weight over Johnson to hold him down as Johnson tries to hip escape. Johnson turns but Torres stays on top and works with some shots. Half guard for Torres. Guillotine attempt by Torres as he rolls into a full mount guillotine. Both fighters roll and stand. They exchange for the final few seconds with Johnson landing a takedown in the last 5 seconds to possibly steal the round and the fight. 10-10 round with the fight scored a draw 29-29 or a win for Torres 30-29 in my eyes.

Judges scores: 29-28 all for Demetrious Johnson (Unanimous Decision win)

Main Card (Pay-Per-View):

Middleweight Division: Brian Stann versus Jorge Santiago:

Round 1: Fighters touch gloves and Stann opens up with a combination. Fighters exchange as Santiago bobs and weaves. Legkick by Santiago as Stann replies with several punches. Solid legkick from Stann replied by a headkick from Jorge. 1-2 legkick combo from Brian as they continue to circle. Stann drops Santiago with a huge left hand and jumps onto him with solid shots against the cage. Hammerfists from Stann as Jorge tries to recover. The action slows down as Jorge holds Stann down against him. Several shots from Brian land as the round ends with Stann allowing Jorge to stand up. 10-9 Stann.

Round 2: Santiago lands a right hand early on. Takedown attempt by Santiago stuffed by Stann. Knees from Jorge up against the cage. Legkicks from Stann. Combination from Santiago. Overhand right from Stann misses. Takedown attempt by Santiago stuffed again. Another legkick from Stann lands on Santiago's lead leg. Spinning backfist from Santiago answered by Stann with a right. Kick caught by Stann. Left lands on Santiago's face followed by a straight right. Slip by Jorge. Stann charges with punches and legkicks. Santiago is dropped by a huge right from Stann and Brian lands several unanswered punches to stop Jorge and force the referee to end the fight.

Brian Stann wins via TKO (punches) at 4:29 of round 2.

Welterweight Division: Thiago Alves versus Rick Story:

Round 1: Right hand lands for Alves. Takedown success for Story but Alves gets back up. Knees from Story. Rick takes Alves' back whilst landing knees to Thiago's thighes. Takedown from Alves but they stand back up. Left lands from Story before he attempts another takedown. Stuffed. Knees from Story against the cage. Referee separates them from the cage. Shot to the body missed by Story. Exchanges from both fighters before Story locks up and presses Thiago against the cage once again. Takedown attempt failed by Story. Both fighters reverse positions against the cage before Story opens up and lands a few shots on Alves. Fighters separate before exchanging again. Knees from Story lead to more shots from both fighters. End of the round and a 10-9 round for Story.

Round 2: Legkicks by Alves start the second round. Fighters bob and weave before Story attempts a takedown and drags Alves down taking his back. Up against the cage, Story delivers more knees. They separate and circle. A takedown attempt completed by Story but Alves stands up several seconds later. A takedown by Alves who moves into half guard. Burst from Story to get back to his feet. More knees against the cage by Story. More Greco-Roman wrestling from Story as he holds Alves against the cage. Separation by referee Kim Winslow. Alves slips on a headkick attempt and Story presses him against the cage again, dragging him down to the ground. They stand and Alves lands some knees. Round ends with several exchanges from both fighters. 10-9 to Story again.

Round 3: Alves works the body of Story early on. A knee from Thiago as Story opens up. Pressure from Alves as he delivers a left hook. Takedown attempt stuffed by Alves, who eats a knee in the process. Jabs from Story. Another left hook lands on Story. Body shots by Story backed up by a single leg takedown attempt defended by Alves. Another left hook by Alves as Story stalks him against the cage. Right hand combo lands by Alves. Story continues to move forward. Alves stuffs another takedown attempt by Rick. A right hand followed by a knee by Thiago but Story continues to press on. Headkick by Alves as both fighters fight to the finish. A 10-9 round for Alves but a 29-28 win for Rick Story.

Judges scores: 29-28 all for Rick Story (Unanimous Decision win)

Heavyweight Division: Stefan Struve versus Travis Browne:

Round 1: Early legkicks from both fighters as Browne bounces around. They lock up against the octagon before Browne reverse the position. the referee separates them and Browne engages again, throwing overhand rights. More kicks from Struve. Both fighters exchange shots and legkicks before Browne lands a takedown and into half guard. Struve escapes but sweeps Browne over and attempts a D'arce choke before switching to an annaconda choke. Browne escapes and they stand back up. Both fighters launch into each other with superman punches and knees before Browne connects with a straight right from the superman punch that knocks out Struve. Several shots from the top and the referee steps in to stop the fight.

Travis Browne wins by KO (superman punch) at 4:11 of round 1.

Heavyweight Division: Frank Mir versus Roy Nelson:

Round 1: Fighters touch gloves and circle. Nelson charges forward and Mir reverses against the cage. Takedown defending by Roy. Knees from Mir as they separate. Legkicks and knees from Mir as Nelson tries to lock up. Headkick lands by Mir. Nelson lands with a right and clinches up with Mir against the cage. More knees from Mir stagger Nelson as Mir lands combinations on Nelson. Knees from both fighters as they work the clinch with 90 seconds to go. Referee asks for more action, Nelson lands a few shots. Big right from Nelson countered by shots from Mir. Nelson in control against the cage until Frank throws Nelson down with a hip toss and takes full mount before moving to take Nelson's back. Nelson works his way back to his feet and the round ends. Close round but 10-9 to Mir for the takedown and cleaner shots landed.

Round 2: Nelson lands several combos before Mir lands a legkick. Another kick follows and Mir pushes Nelson against the cage before taking Roy down with a single. A loose half guard for Mir as he lands elbows to Nelson's face. Mir moves to take the back but Nelson works his way back up to his feet. Uppercuts from Mir inside the clinch followed by a knee. Double leg takedown by Mir, successful. Mir works the position but Nelson stands back up again. They circle the octagon before Mir lands more knees and kicks. Nelson goes for the takedown but isn't successful. The round ends and Mir is now two rounds up. 10-9 Mir.

Round 3: A quick touch of the gloves and the final round begins. A swing and a miss by Roy. Combo by Mir lands. Knees and kicks continue to land on Roy. Both fighters clinch before Frank changes levels and takes Roy down. Short elbows land on Nelson. Nelson's right arm is pinned down but he works his way out of trouble and they stand. Another big knee by Mir followed by another takedown. Mir works the position with punches and elbows before they stand again. Final 90 seconds of the co-main event. One more takedown by Mir and Nelson is visibly exhausted. Huge elbows from Frank, one after another. Frank takes Roy's back for a moment to land a knee to the body but they stand once more. The round ends with both fighters against the cage. A 10-9, maybe even 10-8, round for Mir and, obviously, a 30-27/26 win as well.

Judges scores: 30-27, 30-27, 30-26 all for Frank Mir (Unanimous Decision win)

Main Event: Light Heavyweight Division: Quinton Jackson versus Matt Hamill:

Round 1: Early takedown attempt by Hamill. Stuffed by Jackson. Kicks from Hamill. Headkick missed. Jackson connects with a combo. Faints by Hamill followed by a leg kick. Uppercut by Rampage. Takedown stuffed again by Jackson. Hamill moves forward. Quick combo by Jackson as Hamill lands a legkick. Another takedown attempt stuffed by Quinton. Jackson lands a few jabs. Final minute of the first round. Good combination by Hamill. Another combo and flurry of punches by Jackson as the round ends. 10-9 to Jackson for the takedown defence and combinations. Hamill is cut.

Round 2: Knees by Jackson. Another stuffed takedown by Hamill and Jackson counters with more shots. Legkicks from Hamill. Good left. Another stuffed takedown. Swing and a miss by Jackson. Knee by Quinton. They clinch but Jackson moves away quickly. Big combo by Jackson as Hamill pushes him against the cage. Big body shots by Quinton as he defends another takedown. Jackson finishes the round strongly with more punches. 10-9 again to Jackson.

Round 3: Jackson stalks Hamill and jabs away. Swing and a miss by Jackson. The clinch together but Hamill fails to take advantage. Missed uppercut by Matt. Body kick by Hamill defended by Jackson. Hamill forces Quinton up against the cage but Jackson prevents the takedown. Hamill changes levels as he tries to get Jackson down. They separate again and circle each other. Legkick by Jackson, Hamill jumps in for a takedown but Jackson defends and answers with a hook. Final 90 seconds. Jackson gets the bloodied Hamill up against the cage and lands several knees to the thighs. Matt reverses the position by Jackson escapes and launches an attack in the last few seconds, looking for a knockout. The round ends as does the fight and another 10-9 round for Jackson who takes the fight 30-27.

Judges scores: 30-27 all for Quinton Jackson (Unanimous Decision win)

The End.

4. Bernard Hopkins. That's all I need to say.

2011-05-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to talk about the final day of the Barclays Premiership or the conclusion of the T20 Indian Premier League. Roland Garros? Nope, not that either.

I'm going to talk about one man who, last night, become the oldest man in the history of the sport of boxing to become a world champion.

When he lost (/was robbed) against Joe Calzaghe, many thought it was time for "B-Hop" to hang up his gloves. What did he go and do instead? Outclass the fan favourite Kelly Pavlik in a boxing masterpiece. Then came his UGLY rematch against Roy Jones Jr. which, despite Hopkins winning, led to a public outcry for both fighters to retire in order to save their credibility and, more importantly, any further brain cells from getting knock out. But no, what did Bernard go and do instead? Challenge the WBO and IBO Light Heavyweight Champion, Canadian Jean Pascal (26-1). In Canada. Now for those of you who are thinking, oh it's only Canada. Think again. Canada is a combat sports HOTBED especially with recent records being shattered for MMA attendance (UFC 129). To fight a Canadian in Canada is similar to venturing into a bar in Tijuana and spitting into the face of a gangbanger's mother. Stupid. But Hopkins went there, he spat into the gangbanger's mother's face and came out with a decision that cause an uproar in his favour. Many that night, thought B-Hop had outclassed Pascal in Canada but two judges scored the fight a draw and one in Bernard's favour. Alas, not enough to take Pascal's belt. The referee's performance didn't help Hopkins' cause either.

Result: Rematch. Again, in Canada.

And so in the 20,000 capacity Bell Centre in Montreal, Hopkins engaged with Pascal once again. The Canadian starting strong in the 2nd round after a pathetically boring first round. But then Hopkins woke up and, as Pascal began to fade, he began to pick apart the Canadian. A Hopkins fight wouldn't be a Hopkins fight without something to remember and this fight was no exception as Hopkins dropped to the floor before the start of the 5th round to do some push-ups. Pascal watched on and from then on, knew this wasn't going to be his night. Hopkins outclassed, outpunched, outboxed Pascal to take a decision win that was somewhat closer on the judges scorecards then in reality but the 20,000 screaming Canadians probably had something to do with that.

Record shattered and legacy embedded.

And so, with Bernard's hand raised after the fight and the title in his hands, a stand out record was broken. Hopkins became the oldest fighter to win a world title at the age of 46, surpassing the great George Foreman. And much like Foreman, Hopkins has had highs and lows in his career. Hopkins commented in his post-fight interview that he wanted to "fight until 50" but many think (and hope) he was kidding. A former undisputed king of the Middleweight and Super Middleweight divisions and with relative success at Light Heavyweight, Hopkins now has another world title that will cement his legacy without a doubt as he begins to prepare for his title defence against the tough Chad Dawson (30-1-0-1).

Bernard's record of 52-5-2 is a testimony to his character. His years in prison, where he won "titles" and his coversion to Islam helped him focus his career. He told the prison warden he wasn't coming back to prison ever again. That was the first critic he proved wrong. Boxing critics thought Taylor ended him. They were wrong. Others thought Calzaghe had ended him, they were also wrong. Critics begged him to retire after the Jones fight. They were, yet again, wrong. Hopkins, if anything, will go down as possibly the greatest underdog to ever exist without actually being considered "an underdog". Can he ever be counted out of a boxing contest? Simple answer: NO. It's the way he was programmed, born and raised. Never give up, never stop. Feed of the fuel of the critic's words and show them. Show them that he could and would and just might...fight to 50.

Dawson must be hoping that the critics don't pick him as the favourite.

3. Heat versus Bulls - Game 2 Recap

2011-05-19T02:13:00.000-07:00

Whether it was the return of the Udonis Haslem of old or the always useful 50+ points contribution from ex-MVP's Wade and James, the Heat most certainly threw the cat amongst the pigeons in their 85-75 over the Bulls in Chicago. A first win in 5 outings between the two teams this season. Many did expect the Heat to produce a fightback after Rose and the Bulls ran away in Game 1 of this Conference Finals series 103-82. But those many expected it to happen in Miami. Not on Rose's home turf. Now, the Bulls have to win in Miami to get back home-court advantage (achieved by finishing with the best season record in the entire league). Something that you think would have happened anyway as the Chicago outlet seemed to be Lebron's boogey team.

First things first, it wasn't a "Game 7 of the Finals" type of performance and the Heat can be grateful to Rose who just had "one of those nights". 21 points (JUST!) and 8 assists. Miami's defensive game won them the this game, even with 6 less rebounds then the Bulls. Miami's 47% shooting outclassed Chicago's 34% (with Deng and Korver being the main culprits with only 2 three pointers out of a combined 12). Haslem's minutes and 13 points kept the Heat just that bit in front and when the game was tied at 73-73, Lebron and Wade led the Heat with a 12-2 run to cap of a 10 point win (although Asik's facial injury brought Noah back in which probably helped the Heat more then the Bulls).

Not much can be taken from this game. I think the Bulls will feel that, even on an "off-night" like last night, they were still in the game up until the last few minutes (where it could have literally been anybodies game). Rose WILL NOT have another poor/average game like that this series and Luol Deng & Kyle Korver will probably spend that extra hour here and there practicing 3 pointers.

For the Heat, they will be happy with their first win over the Bulls this season and on Chicago's turf. They now have 2 home games where they will hope their new "Big 3 + 1" (James, Wade, Bosh + Haslem) can bully the Bulls (see what I did there?) to take a 3-1 series lead before a return to Illinois.

Post numero 2. Tennis: Novak's "reign" and the top 10 picture.

2011-05-16T02:25:00.000-07:00

Hey,

Today, I want to talk about the current situation in the tennis world. The obvious topic of discussion would be Novak Djokovic's 37-0 (and counting) start to the season. Something like 6 or 7 tournament victories (including a couple of Master's 1000 titles) and a healthy improvement on his head-to-head record against the world's best. It's obviously too early to start calling him the next world number one and all time great, blah blah blah. The young Serb is without a doubt playing his best tennis which has been unearthed by the newfound superstar level he has in his country after helping them win the Davis Cup last year, followed by his second Australian Open title. Is it a case of Novak simply fully utilizing this momentum and capitalizing on win after win? Yes. For several years prior to 2010/2011, Novak has always been "Number 3", the 3rd best, semi finals were his targets with the odd trophy here and there. He had too much respect for Roger Federer and he was too weak for Rafael Nadal. But then, winning the Davis Cup, seems to have woken up some beast within Novak. The dismantling of Federer in the Aussie Open semi final (right after Federer had easily won the end of season World Tour Finals in London against Nadal) followed by a solid performance against Murray in the final (although I believe Murray gave that final to Novak rather than Novak winning it himself), told Novak that he can win majors, he can stand and exchange with the best and make THEM look like "Number 3". That's exactly what he did to the once great Federer. Passing him in the rankings meant little to Novak as he had done it once before but KEEPING and DEFENDING the number 2 rank just added to his growing belief. Djokovic carefully picked what tournaments he would play in (keeping in mind his knee injury which forced him out of the Monte Carlo Masters). Then came the 4 successive wins over the world number one, Rafael Nadal. Impressive? Even more when you realise the last two wins were in finals on CLAY, Nadal's best surfaces.

Many fans, critics and pundits would have had Nadal as favourite for the upcoming French Open, some probably still do, but Nadal will be very worried about Djokovic's form. 37 wins this year, 39 in a row overall and for Nadal and Djokovic to meet in the final once again, Djokovic must win 6 more matches, giving him a total of 43 wins in a row (45 overall - one behind Vilas' record of 46). An EPIC final that would be.

So it can't all be motivation, can it? Ofcourse not. To me, Djokovic is dictating points more than before and he looks so much stronger (not saying he's a shredded beast). Add in his desire to win EVERY point and one can struggle to find a way to ever beat him! But I noticed one little weakness in the semi final of the Rome Masters just gone. Andy Murray started of poorly against Novak losing the first set 6-1 but then started coming into the net more (something that probably sounds obvious when Novak hits every ball back onto the baseline and into your face!) and so Murray took the second set 6-3. Then Novak looked visibly tired. He looked like he was laboring more in his shot chasing and making. Murray took advantage with 2 breaks in the final set but his mental game allowed Novak back into the match and eventually winning the third set on a tiebreak. Murray's poor run of form leading into the Rome Masters was definitely over with that performance but just think what it would have done for his motivation and season if he was the one that ended Novak's superb run.

So with many believing Novak and Nadal will sweep the remaining Grand Slams of the year, where does that put Federer, Murray and the other top 10 guys? Nowhere. The top 2 are just too good. Simple. Much like Sampras and Agassi in the 90s and Nadal and Federer from 2005-2009/10. Federer, in my opinion, is stuck in "limbo". He is much better then Murray and the rest of the planet but he is nowhere near Nadal and Djokovic. Maybe its a mental hurdle for Roger or it might be that his "soft" and "smooth" aspect of the game is too weak against the brute force of the top 2. I'm not suggesting that Federer is done and that he will struggle to win anything ever again because that would be foolish. Murray, on the other hand, needs to be more consistent in the lesser tournaments and really needs a great run at Wimbledon or the US Open. He seems to crack under the pressure of playing the top 3 in big finals. With the 2012 Olympics being held at Wimbledon, a Murray GB gold medal could be the answer to his worries (even if it is more than a year away).

Soderling, Ferrer and Berdych have formed their own mini-league as they occupy 5th-7th. They way seedings for tournaments go, these players can only aim for quarter-finals and, if they can upset the top 4, a semi-final or final every so often. thats left them in the "2nd division" of the top ten which doesn't bode well for their futures. The French Open could possibly be a great platform for them to show that they aren't just there to make up numbers. Soderling reached the last two French Open finals and Berdych got to last year's semi-final so one could argue, it's make or break for the two.

All in all, one player who won't be bothered with anything right now is Djokovic. His focus will be on the French Open, winning game after game, set after set, match after match. If it's meant to be, we will see an epic Nadal-Djokovic final that could mean the beginning of, dare I say it, the Djokovic Era?

My first post! :O I guess I should start with UFC 130...

2011-05-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Ok, so it's my first post. Bit nervous! Don't be critical on any spelling/grammar mistakes (it's not a PhD thesis!).

The first few posts will be few and far between as I start to get things going and soon I will hopefully get some Google advertising going and I will probably sign up for that commissions/sales thing to earn some "pocket money" :-P ...

So lets get things rolling...

UFC 130

This card was originally set to be EPIC with the headliner being the 3rd fight between UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar and top contender Gray Maynard. Sadly, injuries to both fighters has put their trilogy on hold until August/September. None-the-less, the new headliner, Quinton Jackson against Matt Hamill promises to give the fans some relief/joy. I won't bore you with the prelim fights (although just as exciting as the main card fights, I don't want my first blog to be too long and "boringly" detailed). Instead I will run down the main card and then my thoughts about the possible aftermath of this event.

Firstly, Brian Stann versus Jorge Santiago. What a way to kick off the main card. Brian Stann, a former Captain of the US Marine Corps, the fighter dubbed "Americas next Randy Couture" is a former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion with a wrestling and kickboxing background. A 10-3 record may shout "inexperience" but 7 knockout victories over the likes of Steve Cantwell and heavy hitter Chris Leben, coupled with a solid ground game, make Mr. Stann a threat both standing and rolling. His opponent, Jorge Santiago, a former Sengoku Middleweight Champion and Strikeforce Middleweight tournament winner, holds a stunning 23-8 record with wins over Trevor Prangley, Mamed Khalidov and UFC vet Jeremy Horn. A blackbelt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Santiago is simply, a finisher. An obvious strategy for Jorge is to take Stann down and submit him. Santiago has a wide variety of submission wins from armbars to triangle chokes so it will be difficult for Brian if the fight hits the floor. For Brian to be successful, he will have to use the cage to close the distance (thus preventing Jorge from out striking him (9 KOs is proof that Jorge can bang!)) and then, with a bit of dirty boxing, rough him up and finish strongly with a takedown near the end of the round. For Santiago, it's all about timing and execution. Stann will get close to Santiago so Jorge must take advantage of those few seconds and pull of the submission or flash KO. Prediction: Stann via Split Decision or Santiago via Submission.

Next up, we have Thiago Alves against Rick Story. Listen up, if you like to watch two guys stand and hit the crap out of each other then this is your fight! A fight of the night contender, Alves (18-7 with 11 KOs) and Story (12-3 with 6 stoppages) will be a "stand and bang" encounter between two guys who need wins NOW if they want to contend for the Welterweight title. Since his title defeat to St. Pierre, Alves has been up-and-down with a 1-1 record. His rematch with Fitch was just poor whilst his over Howard was a kick-boxing masterclass. He took Howard apart! If Alves can perform like that again, we could be seeing a possible match-up against Shields or Penn (!). Rick Story, on the other hand, has won 5 fights in a row since his debut loss to John Hathaway. 5 wins over GOOD fighters. Hendricks and Foster to name a few. A win over Alves would shoot Story up the rankings and in the mix for a shot at the legend that is GSP. Prediction: Alves via Decision.

Thirdly, we have Stefan Struve versus Travis Browne. A heavyweight class between two guys that just don't stop. Struve (21-4), the typical Dutch kickboxer, is on fire coming off back-to-back KO wins is looking to push himself in amongst the crowd of HUGE heavyweights such as Carwin, Lesnar and Mir whilst Browne (11-0-1) is looking to rebound of a poor draw against the Frenchman Cheick Kongo. A stand up clash that could very likely end up on the ground due to both fighters cancelling each other out "upstairs". A possible upset win for Browne? Maybe. But I rooting for the "Skyscraper" to pull of another stoppage. Prediction: Struve via TKO stoppage.

Now, the new co-main event. A 2nd Heavyweight clash and this time I really mean HEAVYweight. Former Champ Frank Mir takes on fellow jiu-jitsu maestro Roy "Big Country" Nelson in a fight that could turn out to be an all grappling and jiu-jitsu affair but could easily become a stand up war as they both respect each others ground game. A win for either fighter puts them 2nd or 3rd in line for a shot at the Champion, Cain Velasquez and a loss...will most likely lead to a "loser leaves the UFC" fight against a lower ranked fighter (maybe the loser of Struve-Browne?). Prediction: Mir via Decision.

And finally, the new main event. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson against Matt Hamill. PRIDE vet and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Rampage is quietly (yes QUIETLY) circling the top 3-4 contenders of the LHW division waiting for his opportunity to jump in for the kill and snatch that prized belt. His recent and controversial win over ex-Champ, Machida won't help his cause but a vintage KO win over up-and-comer Hamill will but some light back on Rampage in a divison now "owned" by the seemingly unstoppable Jon "Bones" Jones. With Rashad Evans fighting Phil Davis for top contendership soon and Shogun having his rematch against the colourful Forrest Griffin, Rampage will hope a win over Hamill has come just in time for the UFC to slip him in between the others for a shot at Jones. Hamill, a top level wrestler and (former?) student of the "infamous" Tito Ortiz, is looking for his moment. Any kind of victory over Rampage will shoot him up the rankings and possibly into an all-wrestling encounter between Evans or Davis for top contendership until Jones returns from his injury. Prediction: Rampage via TKO stoppage.

UFC 130 has many implementations for pretty much most of the divisions that it bares. One outcome that will most definitely rise out of this card will be the clear picture painted of the top two divisions. The two heavyweight clashes are significant in a division with only approximately 25 fighters. The losers of these fights will probably not fall too far down the rankings but will find themselves in a sort of "limbo" - too far behind the "cream of the crop" (Lesnar, Carwin, JDS, Velasquez, etc...) and too far above other fighters who are either too inexperienced in the ufc or are "spent forces" such as Kongo or the once great Mirko Cro-Cop. Also, the winner of the main event effectively puts himself into the VERY complicated title picture of the LHW division whilst the loser falls down into, arguably, the "2nd division" consisting of fighters such as Rogerio Nogueira, Matyushenko, Ortiz and Bonnar - a crowd that both Rampage and Hamill do not want to be around (as I believe they are far better than!).

The card promises to include fireworks (despite the fair possibility of ALL the main card fights going the distance) and don't rule out an upset here or there (especially on the facebook prelims card)!

Thanks!