UFC 2008; Face the Pain

[RyanMMA09]

[center]1. LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT [b]ANTONIO ROGERIO NOGUEIRA[/b] (14-3) VS. [b]JUSTIN EILERS[/b] (19-7-1) Both fighters touch gloves and Justin Eilers comes out swinging. Lil Nog immediately goes for a lazy takedown attempt and he pays the price, after a nice sprawl and Eilers tries to take his back, but fails. Nogueira uses this momentum to his advantage and is able to get into Eilers' guard. Eilers immediately pulls down the head of Antonio Nogueira and starts to fire off elbows and uses this to get up against the cage and back to his feet. Justin Eilers starts to throw the one two combination. Nogueira answers back though, using good range and placing a jab in here and there. Nogueira sets up a decent leg kick and after a failed high kick from Eilers, Nogueira grabs his leg and takes him down this time, getting in to half guard. He easily passes over into side mount and from here on Antonio Rogerio Nogueira dominates the round with elbows, knees, and punches, as well as working the kimura. Not much damage was accomplished by Lil Nog, but the round will go down in his favor. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Second round isn't looking much different, but instead of going for a straight up takedown, Nog gets knocked down from a wild overhand right thrown by Eilers out of nowhere. Nogueira keeps his composure though and puts his feet on the knees of Eilers. Posting up to throw a punch, Lil Nog uses this to his advantage and he throws up a knee bar that Justin Eilers clearly doesn't know the defense for. He is a tough bastard however and he holds on, finally getting out of it and back to his feet, where Nogueira easily takes him down this time. He doesn't post his arm quick enough however from mount, allowing Eilers to bridge him off and into guard. Nogueira turns this into rubber guard and slides his right leg over on top of it, putting Justin Eilers in a triangle choke. While he doesn't have the strength to tap him with this, the choke scored points and the round went to Nog. It needs to be noted that after the round, Nogueira hurried back to his corner, pissed that he didn't have enough time to fully lock in the triangle, while a gassed Justin Eilers gets helped back from his corner. This doesn't look good for fans of Justin Eilers, but he's a fighter and he has no quit in him. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Justin Eilers shows a little more want going into the third and final round, but Nog's style is so elusive that he's not getting the shots in that he wants. It's also starting to bother Eilers that he's hit Nogueira with just about everything he has to offer and it hasn't effected him the slightest. The fight doesn't even hit the ground, as Eilers is too tired to show who he really is and Nogueira truly capitalizes on the situation. Justin Eilers' punches don't have much power behind them and although he's landing them, Nogueira's heart and jaw are most likely going to lead him to a decision. Neither are showing great striking in this round and while they are both tired, Nogueira has a little more pop in his step. The referee stops the fight as the ringer goes off and Justin Eilers is completely exhausted, while Antonio Rogerio Nogueira on the other hand starts celebrating by lifting his arms up in the air. While he knows how the fight went, he wants to make sure the win is his. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. WINNER VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION [i](30-27) (30-27) (30-27)[/i] [b]ANTONIO ROGERIO NOGUEIRA[/b] (15-3) 3. WELTERWEIGHT BOUT [b]ROSS POINTON[/b] (6-10) VS. [b]SHONIE CARTER[/b] (41-18-7) Fireworks are expected from this fight between these two competitors. Ross Pointon comes out ready to bang and he gets rocked a few times, but grins, taps gloves with Mr. International and exchanges some more. Ross The Gladiator Pointon is caught up in a clinch and to get out, he throws a few uppercuts to the jaw of Shonie, catching him every time. Carter drops and Pointon capitalizes, the referee asks Shonie if he's okay, because he's getting beat up like a rag doll, but Ross gets reckless and Shonie Carter takes his back, looking for a rear naked choke. Ross' Jiu-Jitsu is looking a lot better however, and he gets out of it and scrambles back to his feet. He comes in to throw a right cross and out of nowhere Shonie throws his infamous spinning back fist, catching Ross Pointon flush on the chin and dropping him. Shonie Carter takes mount and throws one, two, three punches, the ref stops it and it's all over. Huge win for Shonie Carter and talk about nostalgia, that was classic Shonie one oh one. Mr. International Shonie Carter is back in the saddle again folks. WINNER VIA TECHNICAL KNOCKOUT AT 4:52 IN THE OPENING ROUND [b]SHONIE CARTER[/b] (42-18-7)[/center]

[RyanMMA09]

[center][size=5][b]UFC 90: Lesnar vs. Couture[/b][/size] [b]Antoine Jaoude (8-3) vs. Chris Tuchscherer (14-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Antoine Jaoude via T.K.O.[/b][/center] [b]Round 1[/b] The two fighters meet in the center with an exchange of jabs, but neither gets anything but gloves or air. They go right into a clinch, with only a few seconds of the match gone. Jaoude gets a knee to the ribs in, but it wasn't particularly hard. They break. The two fighters are circling. Jaoude comes in for a punch, but Tuchscherer countered well by coming in fast and low and using a good solid takedown. Tuchscherer is in Jaoude's guard. Tuchscherer fights his way out into half guard. Big clubbing blow from Tuchscherer, Jaoude dealt with it well. Tuchscherer half-stands, his right leg still trapped between Jaoude's, and starts unloading with a barrage of bombing right hands. Jaoude takes one right to the jaw, then another smashes hard into his nose. More devastating punches rain down, and the referee pulls Tuchscherer off, preventing Jaoude from taking any more damage. [b]The official time is 1:31.[/b] [b]Ryan Cox's Notes[/b] ** [b]:[/b] Chris Tuchscherer explodes into the scene with a takedown, the passing of the guard, and a huge knockout over a decent competitor. Expect to see him on a main card soon. [center][b]David Heath (7-3) vs. Evangelista Santos (16-11) Sherdog's Prediction: David Heath via Submission.[/b][/center] [b]Round 1[/b] They exchange strikes in the center to start, neither fighter getting a clear advantage. Cyborg hits a nice right hand. Big kick from Heath, it caught Cyborg just above the left ear. Cyborg goes down in a heap, but recovers quickly. Heath tries to start pounding away with right hands, but Cyborg covers up well, and manages to bring his legs around and pull guard. Heath rains down three big punches, Cyborg covers up and doesn't take too much damage. Heath works one leg free, but Cyborg has the other tightly wrapped up between his own. Heath fires off three rapid-fire elbows to the ribs to try and soften Cyborg up, but can't get the leg free. This is not a good position for Cyborg though, and Heath is looking dangerous. Heath pushes down, then brings his free leg forward to drive a knee into the lower back. Cyborg can't do a lot to stop that strike. Heath hits a further knee, and that is enough to allow him to move into side control. Cyborg is in huge trouble here. Elbow to the face, only partially blocked. Heath briefly gets a forearm across the throat of Cyborg, but it is knocked away before it can develop into a choke. Cyborg tries to scramble out of it, and almost manages to pull guard again, but Heath maintains side control. Knee to the ribs again. Cyborg is taking a lot of punishment from those knee strikes. Heath switches tactic and tries to grab an arm lock of some kind, Cyborg almost got caught by surprise but not quite. The round is almost over, and there is no question that this round has gone to Heath, it has been utter dominance. Cyborg tries to get a knee strike of his own in, but it misses and Heath responds with a hard elbow to the chest. That'll be the last action of the round. End of the round. [b]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Heath.[/b] [b]Round 2[/b] Heath starts strongly, immediately rushing in for a takedown. Cyborg got taken by surprise a little, but wrestles his way free of the grapple and pulls to safety. Cyborg doesn't hang around for a second attempt, he uses a looping left to set himself up to come in close and score with a series of strikes, two or three nice body shots included. Heath covers up, throwing the occasional jab as a counter. Cyborg goes for a vicious uppercut, but gets pulled into a clinch. Heath goes for a takedown via a trip, but Cyborg defends it. Another trip attempt, another failure. Heath pushes Cyborg up against the cage and tries to wrestle him to the ground, but Cyborg keeps his balance and sprawls to stop it. Cyborg gets in a hard right hand to the side of the face, taking advantage of the fact that Heath was leaning in too far. Cyborg reverses so that Heath is against the cage. They remain clinched, with nothing more than minor strikes being thrown, for a long time. The referee finally breaks them apart and gets them back to the center. Cyborg throws a kick, waist-high, but Heath avoids it. That could have been used for a takedown attempt if Heath had been quicker and caught it. Cyborg hits two or three punches in a row, stinging the gloves of Heath. The round draws to a close. It'll be interesting to see where the judges go with this, as Cyborg clearly got the better strikes in throughout the round, but Heath did probably show more aggression by virtue of his almost constant attempts to get the takedown. The round is over. [b]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Cyborg.[/b] [b]Round 3[/b] Quick start to the round from Cyborg, he comes storming in with a flurry of jabs. Heath defends it well, parrying them away. Nice straight right from Heath connects. Cyborg gets in close and hits a pair of nice body shots, then they clinch up. Cyborg pushes Heath back against the cage and goes for a trip, but Heath blocks it. Heath suddenly pushes forward off the cage and uses the momentum to take Cyborg down to the ground, into guard. Heath tries to move quickly into side control, but Cyborg isn't letting that happen. Cyborg reaches up and tries to grab an arm, but takes a right hand to the cheek in response. Heath tries to power him way through, raining down four or five hammer fists, but Cyborg covered up well. Heath pushes a leg down and moves to the side, but Cyborg spins out. Heath moves with him though and gets his back! No, Cyborg scrambled like crazy and manages to turn right back over and pull guard again. That was an exciting sequence though, and the fans enjoyed it. Heath won't be pleased that he had both side control and the back, but didn't hold onto either for more than a few seconds. The fight unfortunately enters a lull, as Heath punctuates unsuccessful attempts to pass guard with easily defended jabs. The referee eventually gets them back up to their feet due to inactivity. Not much time left in the round though. Cyborg will need to do something a bit special to avoid losing the round on points. He tries just that, throwing a big right hand and a high kick, but Heath backs off, safe in the knowledge that he has won this round. The time expires. End of the round. [b]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Heath. The official scores are: 29-28 (twice), 30-27 for David Heath.[/b] [b]Ryan Cox's Notes[/b] ** [b]:[/b] David Heath comes in with a victory over a very tough opponent, as well as showing heart going into the last round with a basically tied fight. [center][b]Amir Sadollah (1-0) vs. Charles McCarthy (10-5) Sherdog's Prediction: Amir Sadollah via T.K.O.[/b][/center] [b]Round 1[/b] Sadollah is the first to score a meaningful blow, tagging McCarthy with a jab to the cheek. McCarthy uses a nice straight left to return fire. Sadollah comes in to work the body, but McCarthy saw it coming and uses a quick takedown to put Sadollah onto the floor, falling into guard. McCarthy passes guard and gets into side control, but it's an awkward position; Sadollah has the entire right hand side of his body up against the cage, and both his legs wrapped around McCarthy's left arm. McCarthy's attacking options are fairly limited. He uses a couple of back fists to strike away at the face, but Sadollah covers up to defend them. McCarthy tries to pin down one of Sadollah's arms and bring his legs around to trap them fully, but Sadollah uses his free arm to stop that from happening. The ground battle enters a stalemate, as McCarthy finds himself unable to do any real damage other than occasional strikes, which he doesn't have the leverage to get much power behind, with virtually no chance of gaining a submission thanks to his left arm being trapped. The referee eventually stands them up, and the time expires before anything interesting can happen with them standing. That's the end of the round. [b]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to McCarthy.[/b] [b]Round 2[/b] McCarthy starts the round like a house on fire, hitting three quick jabs and a vicious right hook. Sadollah covered up well, but at least one of the jabs got through and landed above the left eye. Sadollah backs up to buy some time, but McCarthy keeps coming and lands a right hand to the body. Sadollah scores with a jab in return, then goes with a kick to the waist. McCarthy catches the leg though and quickly rushes forward with a takedown. Sadollah pulls guard. McCarthy tries to grab an arm to work a submission, but Sadollah is defending it well by using short, sharp strikes to keep him back. McCarthy tries to pass the guard, but has no luck. A punch from McCarthy connects, but there was no real power behind it. McCarthy fakes Sadollah out cleverly, and slips to a half mount. Sadollah manages to hit a firm elbow, then is forced to defend the full mount attempt. McCarthy switches tactics and tries to work a kimura on the other arm, but Sadollah blocks it, squirms his leg free, and secures the guard again. McCarthy looks frustrated at losing the half mount after having worked so hard to get it in the first place. Sadollah is liable to lose the round on points, but he has done a fine job of defending the submissions attempts so far. McCarthy tries to secure a leglock, but the guard is tight and Sadollah is safe. The 2nd round ends. [b]Sherdog.com scores 10-9 McCarthy.[/b] [b]Round 3[/b] McCarthy throws the first punch of the round, a high searching jab that didn't carry a great deal of threat with it. Sadollah throws a one-two combination in return, neither connecting, then steps in and delivers a hard kick to the outside of the thigh. McCarthy steps back, throwing a right hand as he does to buy himself space. They circle, then move in again to exchange strikes, neither fighter getting a clear advantage. They come together again and the same result. It has become something of a stalemate at the moment. They come together to exchange strikes for the third time, and this time they wind up in a clinch. Sadollah hits a knee to the ribs. A couple of shots to the back from McCarthy. They struggle all the way back, with McCarthy ending up backed up against the cage. Sadollah hits another knee, but there wasn't much power behind it. McCarthy stomps downward onto his foot. McCarthy manages to reverse their positions, but that only lasts about thirty seconds before it gets reversed once more. Sadollah gets an arm free and tries to throw a big shot to the cheek, McCarthy ducks under it and gets the arm back under control. The referee finally breaks them up, and we're back to where we started. McCarthy tries a high kick to start, but Sadollah saw it coming and easily avoids it. They come back together in the center, and it's Sadollah who gets the first sustained attack of the round, hitting two hard body shots and a jab that caught McCarthy on the nose. McCarthy hits a straight right, enough to stop Sadollah from following up any further. The time expires with them standing. Not a great round for either of them or the crowd, it was very scrappy. End of round 3. [b]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Sadollah. The three judges all give the match as 29-28 to Charles McCarthy.[/b] [b]Ryan Cox's Notes[/b] ** [b]:[/b] Major upset and disappointment for us, as Amir Sadollah was expected to run right through this hand picked opponent. Maybe McCarthy will at least gain some momentum from it. [center][b]Dan Barrera (0-1) vs. Mike Dolce (3-4) Sherdog's Prediction: Dan Barrera via Submission.[/b][/center] [b]Round 1[/b] They circle each other. Dolce misses with a low kick, and Barrera darts in to hit a jab before retreating. They come together and exchange punches, both got a few shots in. Barrera is looking much lighter on his feet, and keeps moving in, hitting a few punches, then getting back out of range. Dolce is trying to catch him coming in, but doesn't have the timing quite right. It happens again. Barrera isn't getting much power on the punches, but he is getting ahead on points. Dolce tries to get in close, but Barrera is keeping moving, and isn't letting himself get cornered. Other than a few half-hearted jabs, there's been a definite lull over the past minute. Barrera gets a solid punch in, catching Dolce just above the left eye. Dolce finally gets a clinch, forcing Barrera up against the cage, but it's too little, too late as the round ends. The 1st round ends. Blurcat.com gives that one to Barrera by 10-9.[/b] [b]Round 2[/b] The two fighters circle. Dolce flicks out a couple of jabs, then an unconventinal looping right hand. Barrera easily side-steps it, but trips and falls to the ground! He is up quickly, before Dolce could get in. Replays confirm that it was purely a stumble, the punch was well wide of the mark. Barrera moves in, ducks under a big right hand, and gets two crisp jabs in before getting smothered into a clinch. One of those jabs landed hard, Dolce is a little rattled. They struggle in the clinch, both throwing small punches to the back and ribs. The referee separates them. Dolce forces Barrera back up against the cage, and starts throwing jabs. He looks to be keeping Barrera in position, waiting to unload a big punch. Dolce does, lunging in with a huge right cross, but Barrera saw it coming and goes underneath it, scoring with a right hand to the gut on the way past. Dolce turns and tries to follow up immediately, but gets tagged with a wicked left hook that drops him to one knee. Dolce is up quickly, causing Barrera, who was about to dive in, to back off. Replays show that the punch connected, but Dolce was already going downward to duck the punch, so it wasn't as powerful as first thought. Dolce throws a high kick, but it doesn't do anything but cause Barrera to step back. The time expires without anything further of note happening. The round ends. [b]Sherdog.com gives that one to Barrera by 10-9.[/b] [b]Round 3[/b] Dolce and Barrera circle to start. Barrera throws a couple of looping punches, neither hitting, while Dolce sits back, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Barrera comes in closer, looking to unload with a right hand; that misses, and it allows Dolce to slip a nice jab in, catching Barrera just underneath the right eye. Dolce comes in and scores with a straight left, then bounces a right hand off the body. Barrera misses with a right cross, then backs off. Dolce stalks him, forcing Barrera back up against the cage. Dolce doesn't rush in, instead standing back and throwing the occasional punch. Barrera throws a big left hand in response, but it misses by quite a margin. Dolce pounces, hitting lefts and rights. Barrera covers up from the first two punches, then clinches up to prevent any more coming in. They're up against the cage, Dolce in the dominant position. They remain that way as the time ticks down. Dolce throws the occasional knee, but can't really do much with his arms tied up like that. The referee finally tells them to break, and they return to the center. That clinch ate up a lot of time though. Barrera comes in hard and fast, bobbing and weaving, and throws a couple of big shots. Dolce parries them with his gloves and scores with a well-executed counter punch, hitting just above the eye. They come in close again, throwing punches, but wind up clinched again. The time expires with them like that, and that round will definitely go down in Dolce's favour. The third round is over. [b]Sherdog.com gives that one to Dolce by 10-9. The official scores are in; two judges give 29-28, the other 30-27, all for Dan Barrera.[/b] [b]Ryan Cox's Notes[/b] * [b]:[/b] Dan Barrera picks up the first win in his career in a pretty close fight. Dolce didn't look so bad either and he may have a future yet to come in the UFC. [center][b]Abdul Mohamed (15-6-2) vs. Carlos Quinlon (6-0) Sherdog's Prediction: Abdul Mohamed via T.K.O.[/b][/center] [b]Round 1[/b] Mohamed starts with a high kick, but Quinlon was well out of range. Quinlon narrowly misses a right cross. Mohamed steps in and exchanges strikes with Quinlon, neither fighter gets a particular advantage from it. Quinlon parries away a nice right hand and gets in a crisp counter punch that catches Mohamed on the shoulder. The round has been a little flat so far, neither of them is really forcing the issue. They enter into a clinch, which doesn't help matters, and that seems to last for an eternity before the referee separates them and tells them to get on with it. Mohamed finally shows some fire, putting together a combination of two jabs, a cross, and an uppercut. Quinlon did well to defend it, bobbing and weaving out of the way and using his gloves to parry away anything that was too close. He uses a low kick to the thigh as a response, then steps in and unloads with two fine punches, although Mohamed blocked them. Mohamed scores the best punch of the round so far, coming in fast, ducking under a dangerous right hand, and catching Quinlon square in the face with a lunging overhand right. Quinlon backs off and covers up, clearly having felt that one, and unfortunately Mohamed's attempts to follow up and thwarted as he gets tied up in a clinch near the cage. The time expires, with Mohamed probably having stolen that round thanks to that one big punch. End of the round. [b]Sherdog.com gives that one to Mohamed by 10-9.[/b] [b]Round 2[/b] Mohamed starts fast, firing off several crisp jabs that keep Quinlon on the back foot. A solid left hits gloves, but it's really just a set-up for Mohamed to step in and use an uppercut. Not sure how much of it caught Quinlon, but certainly enough to to make him grab a clinch to stop any further punishment. Great start to the round from Mohamed, it has been total domination so far. The clinch is broken, and the two fighters exchange some long range jabs that are easily avoided. Quinlon is looking a little lost so far, Mohamed is controlling this round by virtue of his crisp accurate punches and higher aggression levels. Mohamed with a body shot. Mohamed leads with the left, then moves in and gets in a wicked right hand that grazes the cheek. Quinlon was fortunate there, if that had landed properly it would have been over. Quinlon comes back with a leg kick to set up a one-two combination, but the round is coming to a close and it's going to be too little too late. The one bright spot for Quinlon is that although Mohamed clearly won the round, he didn't actually turn that dominance into any sort of real damage. End of the round. [b]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Mohamed.[/b] [b]Round 3[/b] Quinlon starts fast, coming out almost immediately with a three punch combination. None of them get through, and Mohamed manages to squeeze a jab of his own through and score just above the left cheek. They exchange a flurry of blows right in the center, it's difficult to see who got the best of it, and both of them retreat a few steps to recover. Good start to the round, early indications are that this is going to be all about the striking, neither fighter has even hinted at going for a takedown. Mohamed uses a low kick to set up a nice right hand, and Quinlon is forced back against the cage. Mohamed picks his shots and gets a big punch to the body in. Quinlon uses a couple of looping punches to make Mohamed keep back, but it doesn't last for long, as Mohamed bursts forward and hits two big right hands, taking a counter punch to the body though, and they wind up in a clinch. They exchange weak-looking blows from that position, before the referee grows tired of the inactivity and breaks them apart. Quinlon scores with a low kick. Mohamed looks for an opening. Mohamed unwinds a right hook that narrowly misses. That will be the last action of the round though. End of the round. [b]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Mohamed. The official scores are: 30-27 (twice), 29-28 for Abdul Mohamed.[/b] [b]Ryan Cox's Notes[/b] * [b]:[/b] Quinlon shows that he's probably just a can for the stars, as the Cage Rage standout plows through him. [center][b]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (14-3) vs. Brandon Vera (9-2) Sherdog's Prediction: Brandon Vera via T.K.O.[/b][/center] [b]Round 1[/b] Vera starts brightly by throwing some looping punches. Defended well by Nogueira. They circle, throwing tentative jabs. Nogueira goes for a single leg and puts Vera on the floor, but he is up very quickly, preventing Nogueira from getting on top. Vera definitely seems to want to keep this standing. Nogueira hits a nice jab, avoids a counter left hook, then comes in low and takes down Vera again. This time Vera isn't able to get up, and has to pull guard. Times ticking away though, Nogueira will have to hurry to finish. He goes for an armbar, but Vera defends. Nogueira tries to slip past to get side control, but Vera just about manages to keep guard. A second attempt works though, and Nogueira has the side. Two big elbows land, and Vera seems in trouble. Nogueira goes for the kimura, but can't quite get it. The time expires before he can try again, and the referee separates them. The round ends. [b]Sherdog.com gives that one to Nogueira by 10-9.[/b] [b]Round 2[/b] Vera works an angle and comes in from the side of Nogueira, getting two good jabs in before a ragged left misses by quite a margin. Nogueira hits a low kick to back Vera against the cage, then works the body with a series of short punches. Vera fights out and the action returns to the center. Nogueira with a body shot. Vera leads with a right hand, then comes in for a quick takedown. Nogueira saw it coming and smartly turns out of the grapple, pushing Vera to the ground, and ending up taking his back in a great defensive move. Vera turtles up, and takes a few heavy shots to the ribs. Nogueira gets his legs around Vera and uses them to roll him over. Exposed, Vera tries to turn so that he is on top, but Nogueira has already rammed one arm around his throat and has a tight choke-hold applied. Vera is in big trouble, and obviously can't see a way out as he taps out pretty quickly. [b]Nogueira wins via rear choke submission at 2:59 of the second round.[/b] [b]Ryan Cox's Notes[/b] ** [b]:[/b] Huge main card win for Lil Nog and what an impressive way to stamp your mark on your UFC debut. [center][b]Frankie Edgar (9-1) vs. Shinya Aoki (17-3) Sherdog's Prediction: Shinya Aoki via Submission.[/b][/center] [b]Round 1[/b] The two fighters circle. Edgar flicks out a couple of jabs, then an unconventinal looping right hand. Aoki easily side-steps it, but trips and falls to the ground! He is up quickly, before Edgar could get in. Replays confirm that it was purely a stumble, the punch was well wide of the mark. Aoki moves in, ducks under a big right hand, and gets two crisp jabs in before getting smothered into a clinch. One of those jabs landed hard, Edgar is a little rattled. They struggle in the clinch, both throwing small punches to the back and ribs. The referee separates them. Edgar forces Aoki back up against the cage, and starts throwing jabs. He looks to be keeping Aoki in position, waiting to unload a big punch. Edgar does, lunging in with a huge right cross, but Aoki saw it coming and goes underneath it, scoring with a right hand to the gut on the way past. Edgar turns and tries to follow up immediately, but gets tagged with a wicked left hook that drops him to one knee. Edgar is up quickly, causing Aoki, who was about to dive in, to back off. Replays show that the punch connected, but Edgar was already going downward to duck the punch, so it wasn't as powerful as first thought. Edgar throws a high kick, but it doesn't do anything but cause Aoki to step back. The time expires without anything further of note happening. The round ends. [b]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Aoki.[/b] [b]Round 2[/b] Aoki starts fast, firing off several crisp jabs that keep Edgar on the back foot. A solid left hits gloves, but it's really just a set-up for Aoki to step in and use an uppercut. Not sure how much of it caught Edgar, but certainly enough to to make him grab a clinch to stop any further punishment. Great start to the round from Aoki, it has been total domination so far. The clinch is broken, and the two fighters exchange some long range jabs that are easily avoided. Edgar is looking a little lost so far, Aoki is controlling this round by virtue of his crisp accurate punches and higher aggression levels. Aoki looks to be working an angle. Aoki leads with the left, then moves in and gets in a wicked right hand that grazes the cheek. Edgar was fortunate there, if that had landed properly it would have been over. Edgar comes back with a leg kick to set up a one-two combination, but the round is coming to a close and it's going to be too little too late. The one bright spot for Edgar is that although Aoki clearly won the round, he didn't actually turn that dominance into any sort of real damage. End of round 2. [b]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Aoki.[/b] [b]Round 3[/b] The round starts with some tentative striking. Both fighters look to be using their strikes merely to keep the opponent off-balance while they work for an angle for a takedown, rather than actually trying to inflict too much damage. Edgar goes for the first takedown, but Aoki has it well-scouted and they merely end up in a clinch. They tussle, ending up all the way back against the cage. Both fighters try trips, but neither gets anything. Finally, the referee steps in and separates them. Aoki storms back in almost immediately and takes Edgar down, into guard. It's hard to say whether that was just a good takedown or whether Edgar just had a lapse in concentration. Aoki tries to pass the guard but can't, with Edgar employing a rubber guard now. There's a definite stalemate, Edgar is defending very well but isn't really offering any attacking threat or really trying to get out of this predicament. Aoki makes a big effort to pass, and manages to get to half guard, but Edgar has him tied up pretty well all the same. Time is ticking away, what has been a very tame round looks set to end without much in the way of highlights. It'll have to go to Aoki on points, the takedown is really the only noteworthy thing that has happened. The 3rd round ends. [b]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Aoki. The judges are split; Shinya Aoki gets 30-27 from the first, Frankie Edgar gets 29-28 from the second, the third gives 30-27 to Shinya Aoki. Shinya Aoki gets the split decision victory.[/b] [b]Ryan Cox's Notes[/b] *** [b]:[/b] A shoe in for second in the Lightweight division against BJ Penn, Aoki picks up a big win, possibly making him the number one contender. [center][b]Joe Stevenson (29-8)vs. Sean Sherk (32-3-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Sean Sherk via T.K.O.[/b][/center] [b]Round 1[/b] Slow start, Sherk looks content to sit back and let Stevenson commit himself, perhaps looking to capitalise on any mistake. Stevenson does indeed commit himself, and it's to throw a big right hand, and it hits hard into the gloves, forcing Sherk to back up against the cage. Stevenson steps in and unleashes a second, but this time Sherk was ready and a right hand counter hits Stevenson, who is leaning in to his own punch, right on the chin. Stevenson goes down, stunned. Sherk dives in and hits a beauty of a right hand, but gets sucked into the guard before he can do any more damage. Good recovery from Stevenson. Stevenson has the guard held very high. Sherk throws a big right hand, but almost puts himself right into a triangle as a result, and he is forced to fight free. Stevenson throws a punch and it lands right above the nose. Sherk throws four massive punches as a response, threatening to try and knock Stevenson right through the canvas, Stevenson is forced to simply cover up and try to survive. Sherk is controlling the round from this position, although it has to be said that he hasn't yet truly looked like he can stop the match from here. Stevenson moves to butterfly guard and then tries to scramble back up, but Sherk stops that by throwing another set of big punches, forcing Stevenson to go back to the full guard. The round ends with them still like that, with Sherk having totally controlled the round from the guard. The round is over. [b]Sherdog.com gives that one to Sherk by 10-9.[/b] [b]Round 2[/b] Slow start to the round, they're both circling, looking for an opening. Stevenson tries a looping punch from way back, but Sherk side steps with ease. Jab from Sherk, gets one back in response. Stevenson comes in, looking for the right hand lead, but Sherk shoots in and uses a double-leg takedown. He winds up in a closed guard. The fight falls into a lull as a pattern develops; Sherk punctuating attempts to pass guard with some sharp punches to the body and face, while Stevenson parries away any big blows and puts all of his effort into making sure Sherk doesn't get a better position. Things heat up as Sherk manages to break the guard and get through into a half mount. Stevenson hits a nice clean right hand in response. Sherk throws a couple of hard punches to the stomach. He has one leg trapped, and is trying to pull that free so that he can move further up the body and really start pounding away. Stevenson knows that having the leg trapped is his key to not ending up in huge trouble, and so has it locked up tight. Sherk tries a half-hearted attempt at a kimura, but Stevenson defends it well. The round ends with Sherk still unable to transition into side control, although he has landed enough shots to have lit up Stevenson's upper body with red marks, and definitely won the round on points. The second round is over. [b]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Sherk.[/b] [b]Round 3[/b] The round starts with some tentative striking. Both fighters look to be using their strikes merely to keep the opponent off-balance while they work for an angle for a takedown, rather than actually trying to inflict too much damage. Stevenson goes for the first takedown, but Sherk has it well-scouted and they merely end up in a clinch. They tussle, ending up all the way back against the cage. Both fighters try trips, but neither gets anything. Finally, the referee steps in and separates them. Sherk storms back in almost immediately and takes Stevenson down, into guard. It's hard to say whether that was just a good takedown or whether Stevenson just had a lapse in concentration. Sherk tries to pass the guard but can't, with Stevenson employing a rubber guard now. There's a definite stalemate, Stevenson is defending very well but isn't really offering any attacking threat or really trying to get out of this predicament. Sherk makes a big effort to pass, and manages to get to half guard, but Stevenson has him tied up pretty well all the same. Time is ticking away, what has been a very tame round looks set to end without much in the way of highlights. It'll have to go to Sherk on points, the takedown is really the only noteworthy thing that has happened. End of round 3. [b]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Sherk. Sean Sherk wins, with a score of 30-27 from two judges, 29-28 from the other.[/b] [b]Ryan Cox's Notes[/b] ** [b]:[/b] Sherk shows his Lay 'n' Pray 101 with this boring decision over Joe Stevenson. Good news for him, he is just about guaranteed the next shot against BJ Penn. [center][b]Fabricio Werdum (11-3-1) vs. Mirko Filipovic (23-6-2) Sherdog's Prediction: Fabricio Werdum via Submission.[/b][/center] [b]Round 1[/b] Werdum scores the first meaningful blow of the round, hitting a powerful overhand right that thumped past the gloves. Cro Cop shakes it off though, and scores with a nice low kick to the outside of the thigh. He steps in to throw some strikes, but Werdum moves to a new angle and scores with a series of jabs. Cro Cop turns and swings a heavy right hand, but Werdum goes underneath it and hits a wicked kick to the gut. That exchange really showed the difference between the two fighters; Werdum looks light on his feet and very agile, Cro Cop looks slow and sluggish by comparison. Cro Cop will need to find a way to nullify Werdum's footwork, perhaps by getting in close, as he has been picked apart for the first half of this round. Werdum darts in again, and gets in a nice flurry. Cro Cop manages to hit a crisp jab in return, but one of Werdum's punches caught him above the eye, leaving a mark, so he came off the worse from that exchange. The round ends without any further big strikes happening, Werdum controlling the round with his superior movement. End of the round. [b]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Werdum.[/b] [b]Round 2[/b] Flat start to the round, thirty seconds of circling without any actual contact. The fans begin to get a bit restless. Cro Cop is the first to try something, stringing together a couple of jabs and a low kick, but Werdum blocked the first two and avoided the latter. A lunge from Cro Cop is meant to set up a punch, but it's clumsy and just leaves him off balance. Werdum is quick to react, and gets a great shot to the side of the face in before Cro Cop can cover up. That landed above the left eye and has left an ugly red mark. No cut, but that will start to swell and could give Cro Cop some problems later on. Cro Cop moves in for a right hook, but takes a hard kick to the knee, then is forced to retreat so as not to get caught with the two right hands that follow. Werdum is staying on it though, and glances three shots off the gloves of Cro Cop before they wind up in a clinch. That punch above the eye, or maybe the mistake that led to it, seems to have completely thrown Cro Cop off, since that moment he has been comprehensively out-struck and is now in danger of losing this round. They struggle in the clinch, neither fighter managing a great deal more than minor blows. Cro Cop goes for a trip, but Werdum cleverly spins out of it and the two fighters are back to circling. Not a great round for purists, it has all been a bit disjointed, but that one shot from Werdum may prove decisive. As the round comes to an end, they wind up back in another clinch, with nothing coming of it. The 2nd round ends. [b]Sherdog.com scores 10-9 Werdum.[/b] [b]Round 3[/b] Werdum starts tentatively, and scores with a few sharp leg kicks. A straight left connects, and Cro Cop is forced backward to avoid an uppercut. Good start from Werdum. Cro Cop tries to come inside, but eats a kick to the thigh. They clinch briefly, but it goes nowhere. Looping right hand from Cro Cop, but it only caught Werdum on the shoulder. Another kick connects from Werdum, and that sets up a nice combination to the body. The accuracy of his kicks has been excellent so far, and is keeping Cro Cop from doing very much. Werdum looks for an opening. Right hand from Cro Cop, that one definitely registered, but I don't think it had much power behind it. The time ticks away without anything further of interest happening. End of the round. [b]Sherdog.com gives that one to Werdum by 10-9. Fabricio Werdum wins, with a score of 30-27 from two judges, 29-28 from the other.[/b] [b]Ryan Cox's Notes[/b] ** [b]:[/b] Huge win for Werdum and he's also a top contender, most likely getting a shot after Fedor and or Couture, depending on the main event results. [center][b]Brock Lesnar (3-1) vs. Randy Couture (16-8) Sherdog's Prediction: Randy Couture via T.K.O.[/b][/center] [b]Round 1[/b] Couture throws the first punch of the round, a high searching jab that didn't carry a great deal of threat with it. Lesnar throws a one-two combination in return, neither connecting, then steps in and delivers a hard kick to the outside of the thigh. Couture steps back, throwing a right hand as he does to buy himself space. They circle, then move in again to exchange strikes, neither fighter getting a clear advantage. They come together again and the same result. It has become something of a stalemate at the moment. They come together to exchange strikes for the third time, and this time they wind up in a clinch. Lesnar hits a knee to the ribs. A couple of shots to the back from Couture. They struggle all the way back, with Couture ending up backed up against the cage. Lesnar hits another knee, but there wasn't much power behind it. Couture stomps downward onto his foot. Couture manages to reverse their positions, but that only lasts about thirty seconds before it gets reversed once more. Lesnar gets an arm free and tries to throw a big shot to the cheek, Couture ducks under it and gets the arm back under control. The referee finally breaks them up, and we're back to where we started. Couture tries a high kick to start, but Lesnar saw it coming and easily avoids it. They come back together in the center, and it's Lesnar who gets the first sustained attack of the round, hitting two hard body shots and a jab that caught Couture on the nose. Couture hits a straight right, enough to stop Lesnar from following up any further. The time expires with them standing. Not a great round for either of them or the crowd, it was very scrappy. The round ends. [b]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Lesnar.[/b] [b]Round 2[/b] Lesnar leads with the right hand to set up a low kick, Couture deals with it well. They clinch, but only for a few seconds before it gets broken. Both throw stiff jabs at the same time, neither connects properly. Back to the clinch. It has been a disjointed start to the round, the flow hasn't quite developed properly. Couture uses a knee to the ribs before backing Lesnar up against the cage. Right hand from Lesnar connects though, that was well timed. Couture breaks the clinch and backs off. That was sloppy on his part, Lesnar was basically gifted a free shot. Three quick jabs from Couture sting the gloves, then a crashing hook to the body finds its mark. Good recovery. Lesnar fires off a low kick again, but it's well wide. Couture throws a stinging jab, landing just above the left eye. Lesnar steps in and fires off one of his own, but Couture bobs out of the way and scores with a pair of solid shots to the body. Lesnar turns and swings, just as Couture also unloads...and it's Couture who connects first! Lesnar's hands drop and he is on rubbery legs. Couture follows up with a beauty of a right hand, and that drops Lesnar. The referee doesn't even wait for Couture to dive in to finish, he's seen enough, Lesnar is clearly on Dream Street. This bout is over! [b]Couture wins via 2nd round TKO with the official time being 3:55.[/b] [b]Ryan Cox's Notes[/b] **** [b]:[/b] Although he proved to be a force to be reckoned with in the first round, Couture stole a victory and caught Lesnar in the second. His next step is most likely either Fedor or Nogueira. [b]Submission of the Night:[/b] Antonio Rogerio Nogueira [b]Knockout of the Night:[/b] Chris Tuchscherer [b]Fight of the Night:[/b] Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Couture