Showing posts with label Frank Mir. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Frank Mir. Show all posts
Friday, April 19, 2013
Sunday, December 11, 2011
See UFC 140 results: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's broken arm stare (Pic) & video
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In this amazing image, captured by Ed Mulholland for ESPN.com, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira stares at his mangled arm immediately after Frank Mir got done breaking it in the co-main event of UFC 140 last night (Dec. 10, 2011) in Toronto.
It was the first time in the legendary Brazilian's career that he's been submitted.
UFC President Dana White mentioned to Ariel Helwani that Nogueira also suffered injuries to his shoulder in addition to breaking his arm, which will require immediate surgery. In fact, "Minotauro" will be flying out with White tomorrow to get taken care of. He's expected to be out for quite a while.
After the jump is the x-ray of Nogueira's arm, which shows the brutally broken bone.
To watch the highlights of all this click here. For more on the Mir vs. Nogueira fight click here and here. For complete UFC 140 results and coverage of all the night's action click here.
It was the first time in the legendary Brazilian's career that he's been submitted.
UFC President Dana White mentioned to Ariel Helwani that Nogueira also suffered injuries to his shoulder in addition to breaking his arm, which will require immediate surgery. In fact, "Minotauro" will be flying out with White tomorrow to get taken care of. He's expected to be out for quite a while.
After the jump is the x-ray of Nogueira's arm, which shows the brutally broken bone.
To watch the highlights of all this click here. For more on the Mir vs. Nogueira fight click here and here. For complete UFC 140 results and coverage of all the night's action click here.
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Sunday, May 29, 2011
UFC 130 Results: Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson vs Matt Hamill ?
Round 1 - Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival
Mir with a left hand early. Right hand by Nelson and he charges forward and pushes Mir into the cage. Mir turns him and puts Roy's back on the cage. Big knee to the head by Mir. Mir with some nice defensive work and he is landing some big shots on Roy. Nelson scoring with a right hand now. Nelson pushing him into the cage and holding him there. Knees by Mir have Nelson fading and looking a touch desperate. Nelson fires some big punches that hit air and Mir tags him again. Great throw by Mir and he has full mount! Roy gives up his back but gets to standing. Nelson got pretty well beat up this round. 10-9 Mir.
Round 2 - Right hand lands for Nelson. Nice body kick by Mir. Combination by Mir and he pushes Nelson into the cage. Mir drops down and gets the single leg takedown. Nelson gives up his back again and again uses it to get to standing. Another takedown by Mir. Nelson doesn't exactly have any answers this fight. Nelson is badly gassed and Mir tags him with a kick to the body as they get back to standing. Nelson has nothing here. He can barely make it back to the corner. 10-9 Mir.Quinton "Rampage" Jackson beat and battered Matt Hamill to take a three round unanimous decision at UFC 130.
Hamill immediately landed a leg kick but couldn't follow up on it. Jackson backed him into the cage and couldn't close the take down. Jackson circled away from Hamill's power but managed to circle back and maintain control of the cage. BROCK LESNAR DEATH CLUTCH "DEMONS" MMA T-SHIRT SMALL
Hamill landed a right to the face but Jackson countered with a quick upper cut. Hamill landed a leg kick and fired a front kick that Jackson pawed away. Hamill winged big right hands that Jackson sought to counter. No one connected. Jackson advanced behind a series of hooks and uppercuts. Hamill telegraphed a knee tap that Jackson easily fended off. Another. With about 1:20 left, Jackson began advancing behind combinations, landing. Hamill landed a 1-2. Like Alistair Overeem’s team? I don’t believe that Rampage is training with Golden Glory as they are located in the Netherlands. I was not impressed with Rampage’s striking. This has been his best outing since I would say his Dan Henderson fight. His striking has been off since he left Juanito. Rampage’s hands were the best ever when he fought Forrest. It’s a shame he won’t hire Juanito back or a better boxing coachHamill went for another knee tap and ate a knee. Jackson slung him off and landed an uppercut. Hamill walked away from the first round bloodied.
Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival
Hamill went for a high kick to open the second. Jackson punished him for his impertinence with a combo of hooks and uppercuts. Hamill telegraphed a couple more shots that Jackson easily fought off. More uppercuts. Then Hamill slung Jackson away and landed a lead hook. Hamill shot and Jackson punished him with knees, hooks and uppercuts. They paused and Hamill threw a double jab and a leg kick. Jackson drove him off with a counter left. Hamill landed a jab and had a brief moment of initiative but he once again went for a knee tap and once again Jackson punished him. A flurry from Jackson with about 40 seconds left had Hamill buckling briefly. Jackson fired a leaping elbow to the head and a knee to the body to close out the second.
Rampage looked SHARP tonight. broken hand or not, I’m glad he didn’t give up any takedowns nor did he rush in. Hamill is hard dude to finish.
Was anyone else impressed with Rampage’s striking tonight? His (short) time with Golden Glory turned an already impressive puncher into something better and definitely seems to have added more to his arsenal
Hamill opened the third with a superman punch that missed and led to a battering from Jackson. Hamill somehow managed to force Jackson back into the cage but couldn't get Jackson down. Jackson began pouring it on with aggressive fllurries but Hamill managed to clinch and force Quinton back into the cage. Jackson landed a mean 1-2. And another. Jackson began landing leg kicks while fending off more take downs. Joe Rogan was calling for a dramatic finish but it didn't seem to be forthcoming as the fighters exchanged places up against the fence. Jackson went for the flying elbow, knee combo again but only landed with the knee. A final uppercut hook knee combination ended the fight.
Round 3 - Mir gets a takedown fairly early in the round. Nelson is just hanging out on his back here trying to get to the final bell. Mir passes to half guard. Nelson manages to get back to standing and gets dumped again, quickly. Nelson manages to get back up and gets put right back down. Mir is just blasting him with huge elbows now. The fight ends and it was a pretty dominant 30-27 (or more) fight for Mir.
Official Scorecards: 30-27, 30-27, 30-26. Frank Mir wins by unanimous decision
Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival
Mir with a left hand early. Right hand by Nelson and he charges forward and pushes Mir into the cage. Mir turns him and puts Roy's back on the cage. Big knee to the head by Mir. Mir with some nice defensive work and he is landing some big shots on Roy. Nelson scoring with a right hand now. Nelson pushing him into the cage and holding him there. Knees by Mir have Nelson fading and looking a touch desperate. Nelson fires some big punches that hit air and Mir tags him again. Great throw by Mir and he has full mount! Roy gives up his back but gets to standing. Nelson got pretty well beat up this round. 10-9 Mir.Round 2 - Right hand lands for Nelson. Nice body kick by Mir. Combination by Mir and he pushes Nelson into the cage. Mir drops down and gets the single leg takedown. Nelson gives up his back again and again uses it to get to standing. Another takedown by Mir. Nelson doesn't exactly have any answers this fight. Nelson is badly gassed and Mir tags him with a kick to the body as they get back to standing. Nelson has nothing here. He can barely make it back to the corner. 10-9 Mir.Quinton "Rampage" Jackson beat and battered Matt Hamill to take a three round unanimous decision at UFC 130.
Hamill immediately landed a leg kick but couldn't follow up on it. Jackson backed him into the cage and couldn't close the take down. Jackson circled away from Hamill's power but managed to circle back and maintain control of the cage. BROCK LESNAR DEATH CLUTCH "DEMONS" MMA T-SHIRT SMALL
Hamill landed a right to the face but Jackson countered with a quick upper cut. Hamill landed a leg kick and fired a front kick that Jackson pawed away. Hamill winged big right hands that Jackson sought to counter. No one connected. Jackson advanced behind a series of hooks and uppercuts. Hamill telegraphed a knee tap that Jackson easily fended off. Another. With about 1:20 left, Jackson began advancing behind combinations, landing. Hamill landed a 1-2. Like Alistair Overeem’s team? I don’t believe that Rampage is training with Golden Glory as they are located in the Netherlands. I was not impressed with Rampage’s striking. This has been his best outing since I would say his Dan Henderson fight. His striking has been off since he left Juanito. Rampage’s hands were the best ever when he fought Forrest. It’s a shame he won’t hire Juanito back or a better boxing coachHamill went for another knee tap and ate a knee. Jackson slung him off and landed an uppercut. Hamill walked away from the first round bloodied. Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival
Hamill went for a high kick to open the second. Jackson punished him for his impertinence with a combo of hooks and uppercuts. Hamill telegraphed a couple more shots that Jackson easily fought off. More uppercuts. Then Hamill slung Jackson away and landed a lead hook. Hamill shot and Jackson punished him with knees, hooks and uppercuts. They paused and Hamill threw a double jab and a leg kick. Jackson drove him off with a counter left. Hamill landed a jab and had a brief moment of initiative but he once again went for a knee tap and once again Jackson punished him. A flurry from Jackson with about 40 seconds left had Hamill buckling briefly. Jackson fired a leaping elbow to the head and a knee to the body to close out the second.
Rampage looked SHARP tonight. broken hand or not, I’m glad he didn’t give up any takedowns nor did he rush in. Hamill is hard dude to finish.
Was anyone else impressed with Rampage’s striking tonight? His (short) time with Golden Glory turned an already impressive puncher into something better and definitely seems to have added more to his arsenal
Hamill opened the third with a superman punch that missed and led to a battering from Jackson. Hamill somehow managed to force Jackson back into the cage but couldn't get Jackson down. Jackson began pouring it on with aggressive fllurries but Hamill managed to clinch and force Quinton back into the cage. Jackson landed a mean 1-2. And another. Jackson began landing leg kicks while fending off more take downs. Joe Rogan was calling for a dramatic finish but it didn't seem to be forthcoming as the fighters exchanged places up against the fence. Jackson went for the flying elbow, knee combo again but only landed with the knee. A final uppercut hook knee combination ended the fight.
Round 3 - Mir gets a takedown fairly early in the round. Nelson is just hanging out on his back here trying to get to the final bell. Mir passes to half guard. Nelson manages to get back to standing and gets dumped again, quickly. Nelson manages to get back up and gets put right back down. Mir is just blasting him with huge elbows now. The fight ends and it was a pretty dominant 30-27 (or more) fight for Mir.
Official Scorecards: 30-27, 30-27, 30-26. Frank Mir wins by unanimous decision
Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Brock Lesnar vs Frank Mir Rubber match 3 ?
has been about a month since Brock Lesnar went from being the most physically prominent force in UFC history to an all-but-invisible fighter.
One would expect by now, with so many pay-per-view main events to fill and barely enough headliners to fill them, the company would have a good idea of when their biggest drawing card will fight next.
But according to UFC president Dana White, right now there are no answers as to whom Lesnar, who lost the UFC heavyweight title to Cain Velasquez on Oct. 23, will meet.
More From Dave MeltzerTriumphant Penn eyes next career chapter Nov 21, 2010 Penn's legacy could hinge on Hughes trilogy Nov 18, 2010 ADVERTISEMENT
Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir have split their first two fights. They might not get a chance to determine an ultimate victor.
UFC 100 Frank Mir Limited Edition Collectible Coin
“I haven’t talked with him since the fight,” said White.
While in Germany promoting UFC 122 a couple weeks ago, White said what was expected by most: The fight that makes the most sense for Lesnar is a third meeting with archrival Frank Mir.
Almost as soon as that statement made its way to cyberspace, several MMA message boards suggested people flood White’s Twitter account with messages saying they didn’t want to see that trilogy play out.
“I’ve never gotten such a negative response to any fight,” said White of the immediate Twitter messages.
So, White changed his mind on the fight.
In talking about the change, White said he did not listen to the Internet but rather to his followers on Twitter, although it’s hard to really separate the two.
“I usually don’t gauge things by the Internet,” said White. “The Internet is [expletive] stupid. My Twitter, I do. On my Twitter, there are 1.2 million people that care about this thing and everything else, and you don’t get the goofy [expletive] that you get on the Internet.”
White unabashedly will tell anyone who will listen that UFC’s goal is to make fights that people want to see the most. It’s the reason that Josh Koscheck, who has done an incredible role as antagonist to Georges St. Pierre on the current season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” is getting a welterweight title shot on Dec. 11.
Koscheck’s campmate, Jon Fitch, is on a five-fight win streak that includes beating Thiago Alves and Paulo Thiago, both of whom beat Koscheck, and is generally regarded as St. Pierre’s top contender. He’s got no title shot in sight, but there is public interest in Koscheck challenging.
The idea of making the most marketable matches led UFC to set a company pay-per-view record in 2009 with close to eight million buys, a record that will be broken again this year, as the UFC should finish in the nine million total buys range after the St. Pierre vs. Koscheck fight. Much of that success comes from listening to the audience and having a feel for the matches people want to see most.
But MMA also has a vocal hardcore minority that doesn’t always agree with the bigger audience. In the case of Lesnar-Mir III, even if the hardcores do speak for the average fan, they’re not looking at the long-term picture that the promoters must consider.
Currently, there is no viable, big-money alternative to Lesnar-Mir III. That’s why White pulling back on a fight that likely would do more business than any other on the books so far for 2011 is so perplexing.
If Twitter was prominent in 2006, White would have been flooded with negative remarks about Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock, as insiders knew Shamrock was past his prime. The UFC took a beating on blogs and message boards for making the match. But reality was it set a new business record and to this day, their final meeting – the single most heavily criticized UFC match in history – is still the second-most-watched MMA fight on cable TV.
That third fight, in Oct. 2006, beat several games of that year’s World Series in the coveted 18-34 male demographic, a statistic that led to a breakthrough in mainstream sports media coverage because the numbers were so impressive that many felt the sport could no longer be ignored.
Quite frankly, if White had listened to the hardcore fans in 2008, he likely never would have signed Lesnar to a contract to begin with because of the issues they had about Lesnar’s pro-wrestling past.
Yet as difficult as he can be to work with, Lesnar has been a key element in the growth of the sport over the past three years. The second Lesnar-Mir fight, which did have the advantage of being the main event of UFC 100 and promoted as a special event, did more than 1.6 million buys on pay-per-view, a number far beyond anything any sport but boxing has ever done. Only three boxing events – Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Oscar De La Hoya and Mike Tyson fights with Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis – have topped it.
Lesnar and Mir are even in their series with a win each. A third meeting, without the title at stake, unlikely would come close to the numbers their second fight pulled, but probably would do more than any other heavyweight fight currently available to the UFC, more than anything other than a blockbuster along the lines of a St. Pierre-Anderson Silva fight.
There is an argument that if the UFC was to proceed with Lesnar-Mir III, Lesnar would only have seven fights in the organization, with three against the same person. But the alternatives are not only worse from a single-event box office standpoint, but also for building the heavyweight division for the future.
Roy Nelson, who White conceded would have been the next choice to face Lesnar, is in the middle of a legal situation regarding a contract he signed in 2009 with the Roy Jones Jr.’s Square Ring promotion. Jones’ promotion filed a lawsuit against Zuffa and Nelson, and Zuffa responded to the claim by stating that when Nelson signed his first contract with UFC on June 27, 2009, to participate in “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show, Nelson stated he was not under contract to any other organization. Until the legal proceedings are over, UFC will not be using Nelson.
Another potential opponent, Shane Carwin, recently underwent major back surgery and is out of the picture.
There are loads of questions regarding Lesnar and how he’ll respond to the loss. He’s disappeared from public view. His friends say he’s spent the past few weeks hunting and spending time with his family. He’s 33 years old, and has made a fortune in his recent fights.
Will he be like the 22-year-old Brock Lesnar, with barely a dime to his name, who came back from finishing a close second in the NCAA tournament as a junior and won it as a senior? Or even the 30-year-old Lesnar, who lost in 90 seconds to Mir in his debut, but came back to beat Randy Couture and win the heavyweight title? Lesnar has stated that he’s a prize fighter, emphasizing the word “prize,” and notes money is a major part of it.
With his financial success, is Lesnar ready to commit to reinventing himself and, in particular, shore up his weakness when it comes to his reactions to getting hit? Will he be able to outwork a machine like Velasquez? The lack of a next fight is a two-way street, and there’s no indication he’s been burning up the phone lines calling the UFC to ask to get back into the cage as soon as possible.
It’s an open secret that if Lesnar had his way, he’d headline WrestleMania in April, after being pitched a Floyd Mayweather Jr.-type World Wrestling Entertainment offer. White, who has Lesnar under exclusive contract, has publicly stated he would not allow him to do pro wrestling, which is likely to lead to underlying tension.
Lesnar has made millions in his UFC fights based on getting a cut of pay-per-view revenue, and it simply would not be cost effective to be in a match for the company to have Lesnar in against anyone but a top star. This eliminates the next level of fighters like Cheick Kongo, Ben Rothwell and Brendan Schaub from being considered. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, who was knocked out by Mir and hasn’t looked impressive in years, is at best a last-ditch desperation name.
This leaves only Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. But Nogueira has two strikes against him: First, he is nowhere near the draw Mir would be. But second, throwing short-term money gains aside, Nogueira makes even less sense long-term.
UFC has to create a top contender for the winner of the upcoming Velasquez-Junior Dos Santos title fight. Lesnar would be the biggest drawing challenger for either, but he’s going to need one if not two wins to earn that shot. If he lost to Nogueira, he’s out of the running. However, if Nogueira wins, Velasquez beat Nogueira easily on Feb. 21 in Sydney, Australia, and a rematch would be a tough sell. Worse, if Dos Santos wins, a Nogueira-Dos Santos title match would be almost impossible to make, given that Dos Santos is a personal protégé of Nogueira.
If Mir beat Lesnar, matches against Velasquez and Dos Santos are not only fresh matches, but also Mir’s ability to sell a fight would make them bigger than any other potential heavyweight matchups on the roster except one with Lesnar.
Which brings us back where we started: Regardless of what angry Twitter fans might say, Lesnar-Mir is the most logical match to make.
yahoo/ufc.com
Thoughts ?
One would expect by now, with so many pay-per-view main events to fill and barely enough headliners to fill them, the company would have a good idea of when their biggest drawing card will fight next.
But according to UFC president Dana White, right now there are no answers as to whom Lesnar, who lost the UFC heavyweight title to Cain Velasquez on Oct. 23, will meet.
More From Dave MeltzerTriumphant Penn eyes next career chapter Nov 21, 2010 Penn's legacy could hinge on Hughes trilogy Nov 18, 2010 ADVERTISEMENT
Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir have split their first two fights. They might not get a chance to determine an ultimate victor.
UFC 100 Frank Mir Limited Edition Collectible Coin
“I haven’t talked with him since the fight,” said White.
While in Germany promoting UFC 122 a couple weeks ago, White said what was expected by most: The fight that makes the most sense for Lesnar is a third meeting with archrival Frank Mir.
Almost as soon as that statement made its way to cyberspace, several MMA message boards suggested people flood White’s Twitter account with messages saying they didn’t want to see that trilogy play out.
“I’ve never gotten such a negative response to any fight,” said White of the immediate Twitter messages.
So, White changed his mind on the fight.
In talking about the change, White said he did not listen to the Internet but rather to his followers on Twitter, although it’s hard to really separate the two.
“I usually don’t gauge things by the Internet,” said White. “The Internet is [expletive] stupid. My Twitter, I do. On my Twitter, there are 1.2 million people that care about this thing and everything else, and you don’t get the goofy [expletive] that you get on the Internet.”
White unabashedly will tell anyone who will listen that UFC’s goal is to make fights that people want to see the most. It’s the reason that Josh Koscheck, who has done an incredible role as antagonist to Georges St. Pierre on the current season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” is getting a welterweight title shot on Dec. 11.
Koscheck’s campmate, Jon Fitch, is on a five-fight win streak that includes beating Thiago Alves and Paulo Thiago, both of whom beat Koscheck, and is generally regarded as St. Pierre’s top contender. He’s got no title shot in sight, but there is public interest in Koscheck challenging.
The idea of making the most marketable matches led UFC to set a company pay-per-view record in 2009 with close to eight million buys, a record that will be broken again this year, as the UFC should finish in the nine million total buys range after the St. Pierre vs. Koscheck fight. Much of that success comes from listening to the audience and having a feel for the matches people want to see most.
But MMA also has a vocal hardcore minority that doesn’t always agree with the bigger audience. In the case of Lesnar-Mir III, even if the hardcores do speak for the average fan, they’re not looking at the long-term picture that the promoters must consider.
Currently, there is no viable, big-money alternative to Lesnar-Mir III. That’s why White pulling back on a fight that likely would do more business than any other on the books so far for 2011 is so perplexing.
If Twitter was prominent in 2006, White would have been flooded with negative remarks about Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock, as insiders knew Shamrock was past his prime. The UFC took a beating on blogs and message boards for making the match. But reality was it set a new business record and to this day, their final meeting – the single most heavily criticized UFC match in history – is still the second-most-watched MMA fight on cable TV.
That third fight, in Oct. 2006, beat several games of that year’s World Series in the coveted 18-34 male demographic, a statistic that led to a breakthrough in mainstream sports media coverage because the numbers were so impressive that many felt the sport could no longer be ignored.
Quite frankly, if White had listened to the hardcore fans in 2008, he likely never would have signed Lesnar to a contract to begin with because of the issues they had about Lesnar’s pro-wrestling past.
Yet as difficult as he can be to work with, Lesnar has been a key element in the growth of the sport over the past three years. The second Lesnar-Mir fight, which did have the advantage of being the main event of UFC 100 and promoted as a special event, did more than 1.6 million buys on pay-per-view, a number far beyond anything any sport but boxing has ever done. Only three boxing events – Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Oscar De La Hoya and Mike Tyson fights with Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis – have topped it.
Lesnar and Mir are even in their series with a win each. A third meeting, without the title at stake, unlikely would come close to the numbers their second fight pulled, but probably would do more than any other heavyweight fight currently available to the UFC, more than anything other than a blockbuster along the lines of a St. Pierre-Anderson Silva fight.
There is an argument that if the UFC was to proceed with Lesnar-Mir III, Lesnar would only have seven fights in the organization, with three against the same person. But the alternatives are not only worse from a single-event box office standpoint, but also for building the heavyweight division for the future.
Roy Nelson, who White conceded would have been the next choice to face Lesnar, is in the middle of a legal situation regarding a contract he signed in 2009 with the Roy Jones Jr.’s Square Ring promotion. Jones’ promotion filed a lawsuit against Zuffa and Nelson, and Zuffa responded to the claim by stating that when Nelson signed his first contract with UFC on June 27, 2009, to participate in “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show, Nelson stated he was not under contract to any other organization. Until the legal proceedings are over, UFC will not be using Nelson.
Another potential opponent, Shane Carwin, recently underwent major back surgery and is out of the picture.
There are loads of questions regarding Lesnar and how he’ll respond to the loss. He’s disappeared from public view. His friends say he’s spent the past few weeks hunting and spending time with his family. He’s 33 years old, and has made a fortune in his recent fights.
Will he be like the 22-year-old Brock Lesnar, with barely a dime to his name, who came back from finishing a close second in the NCAA tournament as a junior and won it as a senior? Or even the 30-year-old Lesnar, who lost in 90 seconds to Mir in his debut, but came back to beat Randy Couture and win the heavyweight title? Lesnar has stated that he’s a prize fighter, emphasizing the word “prize,” and notes money is a major part of it.
With his financial success, is Lesnar ready to commit to reinventing himself and, in particular, shore up his weakness when it comes to his reactions to getting hit? Will he be able to outwork a machine like Velasquez? The lack of a next fight is a two-way street, and there’s no indication he’s been burning up the phone lines calling the UFC to ask to get back into the cage as soon as possible.
It’s an open secret that if Lesnar had his way, he’d headline WrestleMania in April, after being pitched a Floyd Mayweather Jr.-type World Wrestling Entertainment offer. White, who has Lesnar under exclusive contract, has publicly stated he would not allow him to do pro wrestling, which is likely to lead to underlying tension.
Lesnar has made millions in his UFC fights based on getting a cut of pay-per-view revenue, and it simply would not be cost effective to be in a match for the company to have Lesnar in against anyone but a top star. This eliminates the next level of fighters like Cheick Kongo, Ben Rothwell and Brendan Schaub from being considered. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, who was knocked out by Mir and hasn’t looked impressive in years, is at best a last-ditch desperation name.
This leaves only Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. But Nogueira has two strikes against him: First, he is nowhere near the draw Mir would be. But second, throwing short-term money gains aside, Nogueira makes even less sense long-term.
UFC has to create a top contender for the winner of the upcoming Velasquez-Junior Dos Santos title fight. Lesnar would be the biggest drawing challenger for either, but he’s going to need one if not two wins to earn that shot. If he lost to Nogueira, he’s out of the running. However, if Nogueira wins, Velasquez beat Nogueira easily on Feb. 21 in Sydney, Australia, and a rematch would be a tough sell. Worse, if Dos Santos wins, a Nogueira-Dos Santos title match would be almost impossible to make, given that Dos Santos is a personal protégé of Nogueira.
If Mir beat Lesnar, matches against Velasquez and Dos Santos are not only fresh matches, but also Mir’s ability to sell a fight would make them bigger than any other potential heavyweight matchups on the roster except one with Lesnar.
Which brings us back where we started: Regardless of what angry Twitter fans might say, Lesnar-Mir is the most logical match to make.
yahoo/ufc.com
Thoughts ?
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Frank Mir vs. Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic UFC 119
Frank Mir vs. Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic UFC 119
Round 1
Hunt fends off a McCorkle takedown and then gets on top himself. From guard Hunt is nearly swept by and is forced to fight off a kimura. McCorkle has it deep and finishes the fight off of his back with the hold. The Indiana crowd loves the tap, which comes at 1:03 of the opening period.
T.J. Grant vs. Julio Paulino
Round 1
On the feet Paulino switches back and fourth from orthodox and southpaw. Grant grabs a Thai clinch and lands some knees to the head of Paulino. Grant drags him to the floor. The Canadian is riding the side of tbe based out Paulino. "The Dominican Demon" wiggles to a single leg attempt but Grant is wise and spins to take the back. With 90 seconds remaining Grant attempts an armbar but Paulino gets out and settles in to Grant's guard. A moment later Grant spins out from bottom and gets the back again. Paulino stays out of danger and gets to his feet. The round ends. 10-9 Grant.
Round 2
Paulino starts the round with a jab from an orthodox stance. Grant rushes in and secures a takedown. Paulino has a guillotine, but Grant isn't in danger as he works out if it in side mount. Grant spins to north-south position and then back to side. Grant decides to move and let Paulino back up. The fighters are back on the feet for a brief moment until Grant shoots and secures another takedown. Paulino cinches up half but Grant is back to side control a second later. The crowd is growing tired of Grant's grappling clinic. The Canadian looks for a kimura but is turned away by Paulino, who manages to get on top. Paulino stands and tags Grant with a left-right combination but he is forced to the mat again off of a Grant double leg. Grant takes mount and lands some strikes. With 10 seconds left Grant spins for an armbar and misses. 10-9 Grant.
Round 3
The final frame starts with a high standing knee from Grant, who slips to the mat. Paulino isn't interest in floor fighting and tells Grant to stand. Grant does and drags his foe to the mat again. The Canadian has the back but is too high and gets shrugged off. Paulino fails to get away, but he gets his guard back. Grant stacks and grazes Paulino with some strikes to the head. The allows the Nova Scotian to pass to side. Paulino tries to get free and has to fight off a kimura, which turns in to an inverted triangle attempt and ends in a scramble with Paulino in the guard of Grant. Time is running out for Paulino, who ends up on his back again after another scramble. The round ends. 10-9 Grant.
All three official judges see it the same: 30-27 for TJ Grant.
Waylon Lowe vs. Steve Lopez
Round 1
Lowe takes the center of the cage and fends off Lopez's pawing jab. Lopez throws a looping right hook that misses twice. The southpawed Lowe fires back with a jab that misses but the cross finds its mark. A leg kick finds the thigh of Lowe. After a successful double-leg attempt, Lowe finds himself in his opponent's guard. Not much action ensues and Lowe stands. Lopez follows him up and the two southpaws look to exchange. A straight right finds the chin of Lowe. The lackluster frame ends with another Lowe takedown. 10-9 Lowe.
Round 2
Lopez fires a jab to start the middle frame. Lowe strikes back with a jab of his own. Another punch lands for Lowe and Lopez eats a right hook. Lopez answers with a combination that Lowe takes in stride. Another jab finds the chin of Lopez. A left low kick crashes in to the lead leg of Lowe. Lopez sprawls out of a Lowe takedown, but ends up on his back anyway. Lowe moves to side controll off of a triangle attempt and lands some knees to the ribs. Lopez shrimps back to guard and bashes his elbow in to the top of his opponent's head. Lowe is unfazed and finishes the round on top. 10-9 Lowe.
Round 3
The fighters touch gloves to start the final period. Lopez jumps forward with a flurry and eats a Lowe uppercut that prompts the crowd to cheer. Lowe gets inside on his foe and gets a takedown. On the floor, Lowe works from half guard. Lopez has control of Lowe's body which cause the pace to slow. Lopez fishes for the arm and tries to frame up a kimura. Lowe is wise to the move and is in no harm. Lopez however gets his guard back. The crowd gasps as a cut on the top of Lopez's head is gushing. Lowe fires some shots to the head of Lopez. Referee Herb Dean steps in to check the wound. The doctor says it's fine and the action starts again. However the bout continues on the floor and not the feet, where it was stopped. The referee mishap results in little action as the round expires. 10-9 Lowe.
The judges are split as it goes 29-28 Lopez and 29-28 twice for Lowe, the winner by split decision.
Thiago Tavares vs. Pat Audinwood
Round 1
Rob Hinds starts the lightweight contest. Audinwood eats a Tavares right that lands flush to the face. The Brazilian gets inside with a clinch and gets the fight to the floor. Against the cage, Audinwood stands but is elevated and slammed to the mat. From the guard of Audinwood, Tavares stacks and lands a few good strikes. The New Yorker spins for an arm but can't secure anything as he eats some strikes. Audinwood settles for guard. With his back against the fence Audinwood wall walks back to his feet. Tavares wastes little time in jumping to guard with a guillotine while standing. Audinwood succumbs at 3:47 of round one.
Matt Mitrione vs. Joey Beltran
Round 1
Herb Dean starts the contest, and Mitrione immediately presses the action, forcing Beltran up against the cage. Mitrione lands a high kick and a straight left, continuing to press. Beltran circles away, looking for a counter right. Mitrione lands a hard inside leg kick and follows up with a pretty combination upstairs. Beltran lands a big right and then follows up with more rights from the clinch. Beltran takes the fight to the floor, but he's cut. From top position, Beltran avoids Mitrione's work from the guard and is landing decent ground-and-pound. “The Mexicutioner” passes to side control and then north-south, finding a home for heavy body shots. Beltran avoids a triangle attempt, and ends the round in side mount.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Beltran
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Beltran
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Beltran
Round 2
The fighters touch gloves as round two begins. Mitrione is again the aggressor, throwing hard kicks to the body and lead leg on Beltran. Mitrione takes the center of the cage and is trying to work his jab. Both fighters look a little weary, and they're starting to throw with wreckless abandon. Mitrione lands a beautiful counter left hand that buckles Beltran, but Beltran land a big shot of his own before closing the distance and pinning the Boilermaker up against the fence. Both men are content to trade with little regard for their own chins. After a brief pause in the action to adjust Beltran's glove, the fight resumes. Mitrione has gone back to the leg kicks, but Beltran is having none of it, and he starts throwing haymakers. Mitrione reciprocates, but somehow neither man finds the other's chin. Mitrione lands two head kicks and a push kick as the round ends.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mitrione
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mitrione
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Mitrione
Round 3
The fighters again touch gloves to bein the third stanza. Both heavyweights seem to have caught a second wind, and Mitrione is working quick combinations from the outside. Mitrone throws another head kick, but it's blocked solidly by Beltran. The action has slowed, save for an occasional leg kick from Mitrione. Beltran is still bleeding from his left eye, and Mitrione is doing him no favors as he pumps his right jab into Beltran's face.Beltran looks to be fading fast, and Mitrione is gaining confidence and throwing punches in bunches. Mitrone is moving well, but somehow Beltran is still wading forward with haymakers. He gets a piece of Mitrione with a big shot, but it's not enough to win the round. Both fighters throw as the round ends.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mitrione (29-28 Mitrione)
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mitrione (29-28 Mitrione)
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Mitrione (29-28 Mitrione)
All three official judges agree and see the bout 29-28 for Mitrione, the winner by unanimous decision.
C.B. Dollaway vs. Joe Doerksen
Round 1
The fighters touch gloves to start the fight. Dollaway is looking for an inside leg kick early, then throws a big body kick which is caught by Doerksen. After an impressive front-headlock takedown, Dollaway cinches up an arm-in guillotine and closes his guard. Doerksen seems calm while caught in the submission. After a beautiful scramble, Dollaway keeps track of El Dirte's neck and locks up a modified guillotine, forcing Doerksen to tap out at 2:47 of round one.
Jeremy Stephens vs. Melvin Guillard
Round 1
Guillard swings with a wild overhand right to start the round, but Stephens ducks and counters with a right hook of his own, dropping Guillard to his butt, but not hurting “The Young Assassin.” Guillard pops right back up, and after a few moments charges Stephens, throwing lots of punches but landing none of them. Back in the center of the cage, Guillard is now finding the range with his overhand right. Guillard is light on his feet and now throwing nice one-twos. In contrast Stephens looks stiff, though landing body kicks here and there. As the round comes to a close, Guillard continues to dart in and out with strikes and Stephens continues to try to counter, but neither man lands anything significant.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Guillard
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Guillard
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Stephens
Round 2
Stephens lands a stinging leg kick to start the second frame. Guillard continues to use the push kick to set up his heavy right hand. Guillard lands a left kick to the body and presses the action. “Lil' Heathen” lands a nice right uppercut – left hook counter combination. Now Stephens is the one moving forward. Guillard catches Stephens with a low kick to the cup, and referee Josh Rosenthal stops the action briefly. Stephens recovers fast and lands another hard kick to Guillard's lead leg. Stephens catches Guillard with an accidental eye poke, but Guillard is not fazed. Within seconds, Stephens catches Guillard with what appeared initially to be a low blow, but upon further investigation, it appears the kick was clean. As action resumes, Stephens counters another Guillard right hand with a pretty uppercut. Now Stephens is landing cleanly, first with a leg kick and then with a kick to the body. Stephens continues to press forward, and lands another body kick as the round ends.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Stephens
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Stephens
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-10
Round 3
Guillard starts the round with combinations, but Stephens counters with that same stinging leg kick. He lands two more. Guillard lands a left hook flush to the cheek of Stephens. Guillard is using his speed advantage to land straights to the head and body. Now Guillard is increasing his work-rate but landing nothing meaningful. Both men look content to stay on the outside and not risk an exchange in tight. Stephens lands a big left uppercut to Guillard's torso, but Guillard isn't hurt. The crowd boos the lack of action. As the horn sounds, it's Stephens moving forward and landing a body kick.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Stephens (29-28 Stephens)
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Stephens (29-28 Stephens)
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Stephens (30-28 Stephens)
Official scores: 29-28 Stephens, 29-28 Guillard and 30-27 Guillard. Melvin Guillard takes the split decision.
Evan Dunham vs. Sean Sherk
Round 1
The lightweights touch gloves as the round begins, and Dunhan is feinting with his jab early on. Sherk lands a short leg kick, but Dunham is doing an excellent job of keeping his distance until Sherk closes and slams Dunham to the mat. Dunham has a tight guillotine locked up, but Sherk stays calm and wiggles his way out of the submission attempt. Now Dunham is working from the butterfly guard, trying to land short elbows, but Sherk is in control. Dunham scrambles to his feet, using the cage to regain his base. Sherk immediately locks his hands in a double-leg and once again slams Dunham on his back. Dunham again scrambles to his feet and nearly catches Sherk in a guillotine before gaining back control. Sherk escapes quickly and cuts Dunham with a nasty elbow from Dunham's guard. Dunham's cut is gushing blood, and referee Rob Hinds calls the doctor over. Dunahm is given the OK to continue, and the round ends.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Sherk
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Sherk
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Sherk
Round 2
The cut over Dunahm's right eye is massive. Sherk starts the second stanza by getting his shot stuffed, but the stocky lightweight is relentless, again digging for a double-leg. Dunham locks up a tight guillotine yet again, but someone Sherk escapes defeat. Back on their feet, Sherk presses Dunham against the cage, and is content to give up his neck once again to a guillotine choke. After another scramble, Sherk is controlling Dunham with a front headlock. Back in the center of the Octagon, Dunham is once again trying to use his reach, despite wearing a crimson mask over the right side of his face. Dunham is really turning it up now, landing punches and kicks from the outside and two flying knees to end the round.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Dunham
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Dunham
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Dunham
Round 3
After a brief exchange, Dunham lands a right high kick that wobbles Sherk, who immediately shoots for a takedown. Dunham pummels for an underhook, but Sherk manages to complete the single-leg. Dunham pops right back up and is landing short elbows and hammer fists while his back is against the fence. Now he gets an underhook and shoves off the Muscle Shark. Dunham looks confident with his strikes, and Sherk's reach disadvantage is glaring. Again Sherk digs for a takedown and again Dunham looks for a guillotine. Back in the center of the cage, Dunham is now landing his overhand left regularly. He follows up with two beautifully timed flying knees that stagger the former champion. Sherk is trying desperately to counter, but he has no answer for Dunham's length as the round comes to a close.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Dunham (29-28 Dunham)
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Dunham (29-28 Dunham)
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Dunham (29-28 Dunham)
Official scores: 29-28 (twice) and 28-29 for the winner by split decision, Sean Sherk. The crowd boos the decision loudly.
Matt Serra vs. Chris Lytle
Round 1
As the fight begins, both fighters are throwing with bad intentions, with Lytle targeting the stocky Serra's head, while Serra goes after Lytle's ribs with short hooks. Lytle is finding a home for his jab, and Serra's left eye is cut. After a slip and an awkward scramble, Serra lands a solid overhand right. It's a tough round to score so far, as both men are throwing at about the same clip. However, Lytle seems to be getting the better of it, as evidenced by Serra's left eye. Lytle lands two nice right hands, and follows up with a beautiful one-two combo.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Lytle
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Lytle
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Lytle
Round 2
Now Lytle is really looking to land that right hand, and finally does so, staggering Serra. But the Terror isn't deterred, landing a nice left hook of his own. Like Sherk in the previous fight, Serra is suffering from a significant reach disadvantage, and Lytle is taking advantage, flailing away with haymakers at the round's midpoint. Lytle lands a crisp right hand followed by an uppercut, wobbling Serra once again. Lytle lands more heavy shots, but somehow Serra battles back, landing several blows of his own and bulling Lytle up against the fence. Lytle is on fire now, landing bombs on Serra's face, but somehow the New Yorker stays on his feet. The crowd cheers both fighters as the horn blows to end the round.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Lytle
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 Lytle
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Lytle
Round 3
The friends-turned-foes embrace as the third round begins, and Serra goes back to work with the body shots. Lytle catches Serra with a short uppercut as the Renzo Gracie black belt rushes in after a Lytle slip. Serra looks for an ankle pick, but Lytle slips out of it easily. Serra looks exhausted, landing a leg kick with no snap to it. Serra throws another leg kick, but Lytle catches it and lands more shots. Serra is throwing everything he has into each shot now, but Lytle is the much fresher man. “Lights Out” is keeping Serra on the outside by using his jab, then follows up with several fierce hooks on the inside. Serra throws a high kick, but his leg isn't long enough to reach Lytle's head. The fighters again embrace as the round ends.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Lytle (30-37 Lytle)
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Lytle (30-26 Lytle
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Lytle (30-27 Lytle)
Official scores: 30-27 across the board for Chris Lytle, who takes the unanimous decision.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Ryan Bader
Round 1
Bader presses forward as athe fight begins, and Nogueira circles away from the fence. Nogueira is measuring Bader, and lands an overhand left. Minotoro is circling away and looking to counter against the younger fighter. Bader scores a takedown and starts landing devastating ground-and-pound before Nog can push him off and recover guard. Bader is doing nothing spectacular but continues to maul Nogueria with short punches and elbows from top position. Rogerio manages to wall walk and regain a standing base. Nogueira lands a nice kick to Bader's liver and stuff's a takedown. Nog lands a big right hook, but Bader scores a quick takedown. Nog escapes the position and the round ends with both men standing.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Bader
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Bader
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Bader
Round 2
Bader lands a body kick to start round two. Nog lands a glancing left straight, but Bader comes back with a superman punch. Both men are now feeling each other out at a distance, with neither committing to their strikes. Halfway through the round, Bader counters a Nogueira leg kick with a takedown. Nog lands punches off his back from half-guard and regains his feet. Nog lands a knee as Bader dips his head, but Bader pushes the former Pride star away. Both men throw shots, and Bader connects with a solid right to Nogueira's jaw.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-10
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-10
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Bader
Round 3
The fighters touch gloves to start the round. Both men are standing in the pocket now, and Nogueira catches Bader with an accidental eye poke. Josh Rosenthal halts the action, and Bader recovers quickly, landing a body kick as the fight resumes. Both fighters land shots, and Bader is twice stuffed when trying to take Nog down. Rogerio lands a couple of sharp left hands, and Bader scores a takedown. Nogueira immediately escapes and lands a knee after getting to his feet. Now Nogueira is stalking Bader, looking for an opening. Both men look winded. Neither man can land the big shot they're looking for. Suddenly, they both cut loose and land big shots before Bader scores a takedown. Bader is inactive from Nog's guard as the round ends.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Nogueira (29-29 Draw)
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Bader (30-28 Bader)
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Bader (30-27 Bader)
All three official judges see the bout 30-27 for Ryan Bader.
Frank Mir vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
Round 1
The main event begins with both men showing controlled aggression, followed by a feeling out process. Mir rushes forward and tries for a takedown. Cro Cop stuffs it, but is still being pinned against the fence. Filopovic hits Mir with an accidental knee to the groin and Herb Dean halts the fight to allow Mir to recover. As the fight resumes, Mir is aggressive immediately, and Cro Cop circles away. With both men measuring the distance, Cro Cop throws a lead-leg high kick, but it doesn't connect. Mir lands a body kick and presses Cro Cop against the fence before the Croatian shrugs him off. Mir is tenacious, however, and presses Cro Cop against the fence yet again after an exchange standing. Herb Dean has seen enough and restarts the men in the center of the cage. Cro Cop lands a low kick with the round winding down, but Mir counters with an uppercut.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mir
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-10
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Mir
Round 2
As round two begins, both men begin to throw standing, but neither can land. The crowd boos the inactivity of the heavyweights as Mir forces the clinch. Mir lands a short knee, but Herb Dean is not impressed, and the fight is restarted. Mir presses forward and clinches once more, and the crowd isn't happy. Cro Cop secures double underhooks, but can't shake off the former UFC champion. Herb Dean restarts the fight yet again. Cro Cop lands a leg kick, but doesn't follow up. Cro Cop whiffs with his patented high kick. Both fighters smile. The crowd boos.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mir
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-10
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-10
Round 3
Mir engages to start round three, but Cro Cop counters with a knee to the body. Mir clinches again and tries an outside leg trip unsuccessfully. Neither man is making a strong case for why they deserve to win. Mir ties him up again, but can't score a takedown. Herb Dean restarts the fight again. Both men are refusing to open up, until Mir lands an unbelievable standing knee, knocking Cro Cop out instantly. Mir lands a couple of extra punches for good measure before Herb Dean pulls him off the defeated former Pride star. The official time is 4:02 of round three
Round 1
Hunt fends off a McCorkle takedown and then gets on top himself. From guard Hunt is nearly swept by and is forced to fight off a kimura. McCorkle has it deep and finishes the fight off of his back with the hold. The Indiana crowd loves the tap, which comes at 1:03 of the opening period.
T.J. Grant vs. Julio Paulino
Round 1
On the feet Paulino switches back and fourth from orthodox and southpaw. Grant grabs a Thai clinch and lands some knees to the head of Paulino. Grant drags him to the floor. The Canadian is riding the side of tbe based out Paulino. "The Dominican Demon" wiggles to a single leg attempt but Grant is wise and spins to take the back. With 90 seconds remaining Grant attempts an armbar but Paulino gets out and settles in to Grant's guard. A moment later Grant spins out from bottom and gets the back again. Paulino stays out of danger and gets to his feet. The round ends. 10-9 Grant.
Round 2
Paulino starts the round with a jab from an orthodox stance. Grant rushes in and secures a takedown. Paulino has a guillotine, but Grant isn't in danger as he works out if it in side mount. Grant spins to north-south position and then back to side. Grant decides to move and let Paulino back up. The fighters are back on the feet for a brief moment until Grant shoots and secures another takedown. Paulino cinches up half but Grant is back to side control a second later. The crowd is growing tired of Grant's grappling clinic. The Canadian looks for a kimura but is turned away by Paulino, who manages to get on top. Paulino stands and tags Grant with a left-right combination but he is forced to the mat again off of a Grant double leg. Grant takes mount and lands some strikes. With 10 seconds left Grant spins for an armbar and misses. 10-9 Grant.
Round 3
The final frame starts with a high standing knee from Grant, who slips to the mat. Paulino isn't interest in floor fighting and tells Grant to stand. Grant does and drags his foe to the mat again. The Canadian has the back but is too high and gets shrugged off. Paulino fails to get away, but he gets his guard back. Grant stacks and grazes Paulino with some strikes to the head. The allows the Nova Scotian to pass to side. Paulino tries to get free and has to fight off a kimura, which turns in to an inverted triangle attempt and ends in a scramble with Paulino in the guard of Grant. Time is running out for Paulino, who ends up on his back again after another scramble. The round ends. 10-9 Grant.
All three official judges see it the same: 30-27 for TJ Grant.
Waylon Lowe vs. Steve Lopez
Round 1
Lowe takes the center of the cage and fends off Lopez's pawing jab. Lopez throws a looping right hook that misses twice. The southpawed Lowe fires back with a jab that misses but the cross finds its mark. A leg kick finds the thigh of Lowe. After a successful double-leg attempt, Lowe finds himself in his opponent's guard. Not much action ensues and Lowe stands. Lopez follows him up and the two southpaws look to exchange. A straight right finds the chin of Lowe. The lackluster frame ends with another Lowe takedown. 10-9 Lowe.
Round 2
Lopez fires a jab to start the middle frame. Lowe strikes back with a jab of his own. Another punch lands for Lowe and Lopez eats a right hook. Lopez answers with a combination that Lowe takes in stride. Another jab finds the chin of Lopez. A left low kick crashes in to the lead leg of Lowe. Lopez sprawls out of a Lowe takedown, but ends up on his back anyway. Lowe moves to side controll off of a triangle attempt and lands some knees to the ribs. Lopez shrimps back to guard and bashes his elbow in to the top of his opponent's head. Lowe is unfazed and finishes the round on top. 10-9 Lowe.
Round 3
The fighters touch gloves to start the final period. Lopez jumps forward with a flurry and eats a Lowe uppercut that prompts the crowd to cheer. Lowe gets inside on his foe and gets a takedown. On the floor, Lowe works from half guard. Lopez has control of Lowe's body which cause the pace to slow. Lopez fishes for the arm and tries to frame up a kimura. Lowe is wise to the move and is in no harm. Lopez however gets his guard back. The crowd gasps as a cut on the top of Lopez's head is gushing. Lowe fires some shots to the head of Lopez. Referee Herb Dean steps in to check the wound. The doctor says it's fine and the action starts again. However the bout continues on the floor and not the feet, where it was stopped. The referee mishap results in little action as the round expires. 10-9 Lowe.
The judges are split as it goes 29-28 Lopez and 29-28 twice for Lowe, the winner by split decision.
Thiago Tavares vs. Pat Audinwood
Round 1
Rob Hinds starts the lightweight contest. Audinwood eats a Tavares right that lands flush to the face. The Brazilian gets inside with a clinch and gets the fight to the floor. Against the cage, Audinwood stands but is elevated and slammed to the mat. From the guard of Audinwood, Tavares stacks and lands a few good strikes. The New Yorker spins for an arm but can't secure anything as he eats some strikes. Audinwood settles for guard. With his back against the fence Audinwood wall walks back to his feet. Tavares wastes little time in jumping to guard with a guillotine while standing. Audinwood succumbs at 3:47 of round one.
Matt Mitrione vs. Joey Beltran
Round 1
Herb Dean starts the contest, and Mitrione immediately presses the action, forcing Beltran up against the cage. Mitrione lands a high kick and a straight left, continuing to press. Beltran circles away, looking for a counter right. Mitrione lands a hard inside leg kick and follows up with a pretty combination upstairs. Beltran lands a big right and then follows up with more rights from the clinch. Beltran takes the fight to the floor, but he's cut. From top position, Beltran avoids Mitrione's work from the guard and is landing decent ground-and-pound. “The Mexicutioner” passes to side control and then north-south, finding a home for heavy body shots. Beltran avoids a triangle attempt, and ends the round in side mount.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Beltran
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Beltran
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Beltran
Round 2
The fighters touch gloves as round two begins. Mitrione is again the aggressor, throwing hard kicks to the body and lead leg on Beltran. Mitrione takes the center of the cage and is trying to work his jab. Both fighters look a little weary, and they're starting to throw with wreckless abandon. Mitrione lands a beautiful counter left hand that buckles Beltran, but Beltran land a big shot of his own before closing the distance and pinning the Boilermaker up against the fence. Both men are content to trade with little regard for their own chins. After a brief pause in the action to adjust Beltran's glove, the fight resumes. Mitrione has gone back to the leg kicks, but Beltran is having none of it, and he starts throwing haymakers. Mitrione reciprocates, but somehow neither man finds the other's chin. Mitrione lands two head kicks and a push kick as the round ends.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mitrione
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mitrione
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Mitrione
Round 3
The fighters again touch gloves to bein the third stanza. Both heavyweights seem to have caught a second wind, and Mitrione is working quick combinations from the outside. Mitrone throws another head kick, but it's blocked solidly by Beltran. The action has slowed, save for an occasional leg kick from Mitrione. Beltran is still bleeding from his left eye, and Mitrione is doing him no favors as he pumps his right jab into Beltran's face.Beltran looks to be fading fast, and Mitrione is gaining confidence and throwing punches in bunches. Mitrone is moving well, but somehow Beltran is still wading forward with haymakers. He gets a piece of Mitrione with a big shot, but it's not enough to win the round. Both fighters throw as the round ends.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mitrione (29-28 Mitrione)
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mitrione (29-28 Mitrione)
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Mitrione (29-28 Mitrione)
All three official judges agree and see the bout 29-28 for Mitrione, the winner by unanimous decision.
C.B. Dollaway vs. Joe Doerksen
Round 1
The fighters touch gloves to start the fight. Dollaway is looking for an inside leg kick early, then throws a big body kick which is caught by Doerksen. After an impressive front-headlock takedown, Dollaway cinches up an arm-in guillotine and closes his guard. Doerksen seems calm while caught in the submission. After a beautiful scramble, Dollaway keeps track of El Dirte's neck and locks up a modified guillotine, forcing Doerksen to tap out at 2:47 of round one.
Jeremy Stephens vs. Melvin Guillard
Round 1
Guillard swings with a wild overhand right to start the round, but Stephens ducks and counters with a right hook of his own, dropping Guillard to his butt, but not hurting “The Young Assassin.” Guillard pops right back up, and after a few moments charges Stephens, throwing lots of punches but landing none of them. Back in the center of the cage, Guillard is now finding the range with his overhand right. Guillard is light on his feet and now throwing nice one-twos. In contrast Stephens looks stiff, though landing body kicks here and there. As the round comes to a close, Guillard continues to dart in and out with strikes and Stephens continues to try to counter, but neither man lands anything significant.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Guillard
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Guillard
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Stephens
Round 2
Stephens lands a stinging leg kick to start the second frame. Guillard continues to use the push kick to set up his heavy right hand. Guillard lands a left kick to the body and presses the action. “Lil' Heathen” lands a nice right uppercut – left hook counter combination. Now Stephens is the one moving forward. Guillard catches Stephens with a low kick to the cup, and referee Josh Rosenthal stops the action briefly. Stephens recovers fast and lands another hard kick to Guillard's lead leg. Stephens catches Guillard with an accidental eye poke, but Guillard is not fazed. Within seconds, Stephens catches Guillard with what appeared initially to be a low blow, but upon further investigation, it appears the kick was clean. As action resumes, Stephens counters another Guillard right hand with a pretty uppercut. Now Stephens is landing cleanly, first with a leg kick and then with a kick to the body. Stephens continues to press forward, and lands another body kick as the round ends.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Stephens
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Stephens
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-10
Round 3
Guillard starts the round with combinations, but Stephens counters with that same stinging leg kick. He lands two more. Guillard lands a left hook flush to the cheek of Stephens. Guillard is using his speed advantage to land straights to the head and body. Now Guillard is increasing his work-rate but landing nothing meaningful. Both men look content to stay on the outside and not risk an exchange in tight. Stephens lands a big left uppercut to Guillard's torso, but Guillard isn't hurt. The crowd boos the lack of action. As the horn sounds, it's Stephens moving forward and landing a body kick.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Stephens (29-28 Stephens)
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Stephens (29-28 Stephens)
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Stephens (30-28 Stephens)
Official scores: 29-28 Stephens, 29-28 Guillard and 30-27 Guillard. Melvin Guillard takes the split decision.
Evan Dunham vs. Sean Sherk
Round 1
The lightweights touch gloves as the round begins, and Dunhan is feinting with his jab early on. Sherk lands a short leg kick, but Dunham is doing an excellent job of keeping his distance until Sherk closes and slams Dunham to the mat. Dunham has a tight guillotine locked up, but Sherk stays calm and wiggles his way out of the submission attempt. Now Dunham is working from the butterfly guard, trying to land short elbows, but Sherk is in control. Dunham scrambles to his feet, using the cage to regain his base. Sherk immediately locks his hands in a double-leg and once again slams Dunham on his back. Dunham again scrambles to his feet and nearly catches Sherk in a guillotine before gaining back control. Sherk escapes quickly and cuts Dunham with a nasty elbow from Dunham's guard. Dunham's cut is gushing blood, and referee Rob Hinds calls the doctor over. Dunahm is given the OK to continue, and the round ends.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Sherk
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Sherk
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Sherk
Round 2
The cut over Dunahm's right eye is massive. Sherk starts the second stanza by getting his shot stuffed, but the stocky lightweight is relentless, again digging for a double-leg. Dunham locks up a tight guillotine yet again, but someone Sherk escapes defeat. Back on their feet, Sherk presses Dunham against the cage, and is content to give up his neck once again to a guillotine choke. After another scramble, Sherk is controlling Dunham with a front headlock. Back in the center of the Octagon, Dunham is once again trying to use his reach, despite wearing a crimson mask over the right side of his face. Dunham is really turning it up now, landing punches and kicks from the outside and two flying knees to end the round.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Dunham
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Dunham
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Dunham
Round 3
After a brief exchange, Dunham lands a right high kick that wobbles Sherk, who immediately shoots for a takedown. Dunham pummels for an underhook, but Sherk manages to complete the single-leg. Dunham pops right back up and is landing short elbows and hammer fists while his back is against the fence. Now he gets an underhook and shoves off the Muscle Shark. Dunham looks confident with his strikes, and Sherk's reach disadvantage is glaring. Again Sherk digs for a takedown and again Dunham looks for a guillotine. Back in the center of the cage, Dunham is now landing his overhand left regularly. He follows up with two beautifully timed flying knees that stagger the former champion. Sherk is trying desperately to counter, but he has no answer for Dunham's length as the round comes to a close.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Dunham (29-28 Dunham)
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Dunham (29-28 Dunham)
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Dunham (29-28 Dunham)
Official scores: 29-28 (twice) and 28-29 for the winner by split decision, Sean Sherk. The crowd boos the decision loudly.
Matt Serra vs. Chris Lytle
Round 1
As the fight begins, both fighters are throwing with bad intentions, with Lytle targeting the stocky Serra's head, while Serra goes after Lytle's ribs with short hooks. Lytle is finding a home for his jab, and Serra's left eye is cut. After a slip and an awkward scramble, Serra lands a solid overhand right. It's a tough round to score so far, as both men are throwing at about the same clip. However, Lytle seems to be getting the better of it, as evidenced by Serra's left eye. Lytle lands two nice right hands, and follows up with a beautiful one-two combo.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Lytle
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Lytle
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Lytle
Round 2
Now Lytle is really looking to land that right hand, and finally does so, staggering Serra. But the Terror isn't deterred, landing a nice left hook of his own. Like Sherk in the previous fight, Serra is suffering from a significant reach disadvantage, and Lytle is taking advantage, flailing away with haymakers at the round's midpoint. Lytle lands a crisp right hand followed by an uppercut, wobbling Serra once again. Lytle lands more heavy shots, but somehow Serra battles back, landing several blows of his own and bulling Lytle up against the fence. Lytle is on fire now, landing bombs on Serra's face, but somehow the New Yorker stays on his feet. The crowd cheers both fighters as the horn blows to end the round.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Lytle
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 Lytle
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Lytle
Round 3
The friends-turned-foes embrace as the third round begins, and Serra goes back to work with the body shots. Lytle catches Serra with a short uppercut as the Renzo Gracie black belt rushes in after a Lytle slip. Serra looks for an ankle pick, but Lytle slips out of it easily. Serra looks exhausted, landing a leg kick with no snap to it. Serra throws another leg kick, but Lytle catches it and lands more shots. Serra is throwing everything he has into each shot now, but Lytle is the much fresher man. “Lights Out” is keeping Serra on the outside by using his jab, then follows up with several fierce hooks on the inside. Serra throws a high kick, but his leg isn't long enough to reach Lytle's head. The fighters again embrace as the round ends.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Lytle (30-37 Lytle)
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Lytle (30-26 Lytle
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Lytle (30-27 Lytle)
Official scores: 30-27 across the board for Chris Lytle, who takes the unanimous decision.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Ryan Bader
Round 1
Bader presses forward as athe fight begins, and Nogueira circles away from the fence. Nogueira is measuring Bader, and lands an overhand left. Minotoro is circling away and looking to counter against the younger fighter. Bader scores a takedown and starts landing devastating ground-and-pound before Nog can push him off and recover guard. Bader is doing nothing spectacular but continues to maul Nogueria with short punches and elbows from top position. Rogerio manages to wall walk and regain a standing base. Nogueira lands a nice kick to Bader's liver and stuff's a takedown. Nog lands a big right hook, but Bader scores a quick takedown. Nog escapes the position and the round ends with both men standing.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Bader
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Bader
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Bader
Round 2
Bader lands a body kick to start round two. Nog lands a glancing left straight, but Bader comes back with a superman punch. Both men are now feeling each other out at a distance, with neither committing to their strikes. Halfway through the round, Bader counters a Nogueira leg kick with a takedown. Nog lands punches off his back from half-guard and regains his feet. Nog lands a knee as Bader dips his head, but Bader pushes the former Pride star away. Both men throw shots, and Bader connects with a solid right to Nogueira's jaw.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-10
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-10
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Bader
Round 3
The fighters touch gloves to start the round. Both men are standing in the pocket now, and Nogueira catches Bader with an accidental eye poke. Josh Rosenthal halts the action, and Bader recovers quickly, landing a body kick as the fight resumes. Both fighters land shots, and Bader is twice stuffed when trying to take Nog down. Rogerio lands a couple of sharp left hands, and Bader scores a takedown. Nogueira immediately escapes and lands a knee after getting to his feet. Now Nogueira is stalking Bader, looking for an opening. Both men look winded. Neither man can land the big shot they're looking for. Suddenly, they both cut loose and land big shots before Bader scores a takedown. Bader is inactive from Nog's guard as the round ends.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Nogueira (29-29 Draw)
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Bader (30-28 Bader)
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Bader (30-27 Bader)
All three official judges see the bout 30-27 for Ryan Bader.
Frank Mir vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
Round 1
The main event begins with both men showing controlled aggression, followed by a feeling out process. Mir rushes forward and tries for a takedown. Cro Cop stuffs it, but is still being pinned against the fence. Filopovic hits Mir with an accidental knee to the groin and Herb Dean halts the fight to allow Mir to recover. As the fight resumes, Mir is aggressive immediately, and Cro Cop circles away. With both men measuring the distance, Cro Cop throws a lead-leg high kick, but it doesn't connect. Mir lands a body kick and presses Cro Cop against the fence before the Croatian shrugs him off. Mir is tenacious, however, and presses Cro Cop against the fence yet again after an exchange standing. Herb Dean has seen enough and restarts the men in the center of the cage. Cro Cop lands a low kick with the round winding down, but Mir counters with an uppercut.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mir
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-10
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-9 Mir
Round 2
As round two begins, both men begin to throw standing, but neither can land. The crowd boos the inactivity of the heavyweights as Mir forces the clinch. Mir lands a short knee, but Herb Dean is not impressed, and the fight is restarted. Mir presses forward and clinches once more, and the crowd isn't happy. Cro Cop secures double underhooks, but can't shake off the former UFC champion. Herb Dean restarts the fight yet again. Cro Cop lands a leg kick, but doesn't follow up. Cro Cop whiffs with his patented high kick. Both fighters smile. The crowd boos.
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mir
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-10
Tomas Rios scores the round 10-10
Round 3
Mir engages to start round three, but Cro Cop counters with a knee to the body. Mir clinches again and tries an outside leg trip unsuccessfully. Neither man is making a strong case for why they deserve to win. Mir ties him up again, but can't score a takedown. Herb Dean restarts the fight again. Both men are refusing to open up, until Mir lands an unbelievable standing knee, knocking Cro Cop out instantly. Mir lands a couple of extra punches for good measure before Herb Dean pulls him off the defeated former Pride star. The official time is 4:02 of round three
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Hats off to Mir for the sick submission
damn man
"You should study Pokemon to get stronger." - Sakuraba
"A champion is someone who sweats to exhaustion, even when no one else is watching." -Bas Rutten
I'm on the Britney Palmer Bandwagon
We're all connected to each other, Biologically
To the earth, Chemically
And to the rest of the Universe, Atomically
I posted earlier that i thought there may be a shoulder injury too?
- James M. Barrie
it's like people seem to forget
"You should study Pokemon to get stronger." - Sakuraba
"A champion is someone who sweats to exhaustion, even when no one else is watching." -Bas Rutten
I'm on the Britney Palmer Bandwagon
We're all connected to each other, Biologically
To the earth, Chemically
And to the rest of the Universe, Atomically
That is a top call
- James M. Barrie
I'm one of the few people here that likes Mir as a fighter and commentator. But I find it near impossible to root against Nogueira.
I’ve just received notice that Drew Fickett or you, I don’t care which one of you fuckers did it, has signed a contract to fight in Strikeforce this fucking weekend. I’m going to get on a fucking plane soon and go where you’re at and choke you the fuck out. I’m telling you right now, I’ve had enough of your fucking shit. First of all, I’ve sent you the fucking pictures and secondly, I placed Drew Fickett in a fight fucking months ago and five weeks prior to my main event of my fucking fight card. You’re going to give me a fucking call tomorrow or I swear I’ll get on a fucking plane and go right where you’re at right now. You’re pissing me off, I’ve been nothing but professional to you motherfuckers and you’re doing this kind of bullshit, alright? Call me back, I’m fucking pissed."
Beautiful matchup
Assunciao beats Yagin (Rolandando)
Cain loses to JDS (DavidWS)
Le loses to Wand (DavidWS)
Bisping beats Miller (DavidWS)
Lil Nog beats Ortiz (Cruz Jackson)
- James M. Barrie
it was this bad guys
"You should study Pokemon to get stronger." - Sakuraba
"A champion is someone who sweats to exhaustion, even when no one else is watching." -Bas Rutten
I'm on the Britney Palmer Bandwagon
We're all connected to each other, Biologically
To the earth, Chemically
And to the rest of the Universe, Atomically
Harder to watch than Corey Hill's leg fold
Hill's leg still takes the cake for me
Make that two breaks that Herb Dean has witnessed.
idiot
I feel like Nog was not tapping
He really doesn't seem to I agree. Not even much sign of pain during or after the submission.
Assunciao beats Yagin (Rolandando)
Cain loses to JDS (DavidWS)
Le loses to Wand (DavidWS)
Bisping beats Miller (DavidWS)
Lil Nog beats Ortiz (Cruz Jackson)
That picture should be used in a close caption competition
Assunciao beats Yagin (Rolandando)
Cain loses to JDS (DavidWS)
Le loses to Wand (DavidWS)
Bisping beats Miller (DavidWS)
Lil Nog beats Ortiz (Cruz Jackson)