Chris2K Posted February 10, 2009 Author Share Posted February 10, 2009 http://blogs.chron.com/fighting/3647-UltimateFighterLogo.jpg MAJOR CHANGES TO ULTIMATE FIGHTER FORMAT FOR NEXT SEASON There will be an all new way of determining the next Ultimate Fighter from now on, as The Ultimate Fighter's "reality" concept has been dropped in favour of more emphasis on the tournament aspect. The show will now air weekly with two fights from the tournament's brackets, with two other fights from the UFC's current roster also on hand to draw in more viewers. As yet we have not had any information on the fighters involved, however with no trainers to help build the fighters, it is likely to be more experienced fighters taking part. We've also had no details on the likely start date for the show, but it could be as early as mid-April, with SpikeTV more than happy to accept the UFC's changes to the show. ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shigakai Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 keep it up Chris, this has to be my favorite thread on the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuddyGarner Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Awesome thread. Here's to Gray Maynard and Lyoto Machida staying undefeated. You're booking it just like a real UFC event which means lack of main event fighters on cards at times but helps fighters records out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2K Posted February 11, 2009 Author Share Posted February 11, 2009 Thanks very much, such positive feedback is always great to read . http://mmajunkie.com/App_Themes/Default/images/MMAjunkieHdrLogo.jpg WEEKLY ROUND-UP MARCH - WEEK 4 ------------------------------------- Monday ULTIMATE FIGHTER PARTICIPANTS ANNOUNCED The sixteen competitors for the new-look Ultimate Fighter series have been announced, with the names a bit more familiar to MMA fans than the developing fighters normally used on the show. As expected, the show will be split into Middleweights and Light Heavyweights. Middleweights Andrew Riddles Bryan Baker Chris Price Cory Devela Erik Backlund Lyman Good Prince McLean Robert McDaniel Light Heavyweights Aaron Rosa Brian Butler Glover Teixeira Jeremy Freitag Lew Polley Nate Carey Phil Davis Scott Lighty ------------------------------------- Tuesday HAYATO SAKURAI JOINS AFFLICTION Affliction keep trying to stave off the inevitable critics when their next show airs by signing more talented workers from outside North America. Sakurai is the latest of these names, and they will be hoping his popularity in Japan will gain them some new fans. Unfortunately for Sakurai, there isn't a lot of competition for him in Affliction's welterweight division, so expect to see more of him working in DREAM than in the USA. ------------------------------------- Wednesday AFFLICTION: SHOWTIME! RESULTS Chris Horodecki def. Antonio McKee (Unanimous Decision) Tommy Lee def. Wilson Reis (TKO, 1:49, Round 1) Hatsu Hioki def. Albert Rios (TKO, 2:51, Round 3) Jay White def. Paul Buentello (Split Decision) Kiril Sidelnikov def. Gilbert Yvel (TKO, 0:41, Round 2) Thierry Sokoudjou def. Vernon White (KO, 2:54, Round 1) Drew Fickett def. Patrick Speight (Unanimous Decision) ------------------------------------- Thursday STRIKEFORCE: REACH DOWN! CARD PROGRESSES Seeing as they're the only company actually trying to build on their current status, instead of either buying any talent they can find to replace those raided by the UFC and DREAM, let's have a look at the other matches Strikeforce will offer at their next show. Julie Kedzie will take on Roxanne Modaferri in one of three Women's division matches, Joe Riggs takes on Tiki Ghosn, Miesha Tate and Sarah Kaufman are two more female competitors, with Shayna Baszler and Carina Damm also set to fight. Carter Williams will take on "Big Country" Roy Nelson, and another Heavyweight battle will see Pedro Rizzo taking on Josh Hendricks. ------------------------------------- Friday UFC ULTIMATE FIGHT NIGHT 19 WEIGH-INS It's that time again already, we've got weigh-ins to report on from the UFC, as the fighters gathered ready for tomorrow night's Ultimate Fight Night, here's the weight results for each fighter on tomorrow's card: Preliminary Card Roman Mitchyan (170lbs) vs. Abdul Mohamed (170lbs) Aaron Riley (155lbs) vs. Gleison Tibau (155lbs) Phillipe Nover (155lbs) vs. Melvin Guillard (155lbs) Carmelo Marrero (205lbs) vs. Eliot Marshall (205lbs) Alexander Shlemenko (185lbs) vs. Jason MacDonald (185lbs) Main Card Ryo Chonan (170lbs) vs. John Hathaway (170lbs) Matt Grice (155lbs) vs. Junie Browning (155lbs) David Loiseau (185lbs) vs. Goran Reljic (185lbs) Jay Hieron (170lbs) vs. Brad Blackburn (170lbs) Ben Rothwell (265lbs) vs. Antoni Hardonk (265lbs) ------------------------------------- ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grits207 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 So far this has been one of my favourite WMMA diaries. Keep it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2K Posted February 12, 2009 Author Share Posted February 12, 2009 http://mikeresponts.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/ufc_logo.jpg UFC: ULTIMATE FIGHT NIGHT 19 ------------------------------------- PRELIMINARY CARD http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3358/3274253729_0bc1ed64b8_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3503/3274253773_686714ef61_m.jpg Roman Mitichyan (5-2) vs. Abdul Mohamed (16-6-3) Blurcat Prediction: Roman Mitichyan by Submission Round 1 Mohamed is the first to score a meaningful blow, tagging Mitichyan with a jab to the cheek. Mitichyan uses a nice straight left to return fire. Mohamed comes in to work the body, but Mitichyan saw it coming and uses a quick takedown to put Mohamed onto the floor, falling into guard. Mohamed tries to push free, but Mitichyan forces him to go back to guard by raining down some jabs. Mitichyan reaches over and tries to apply some sort of neck vice, but Mohamed breaks it by bringing his arms up. Mitichyan steps through in an effort to mount Mohamed, but can only get to half guard as one of his legs gets trapped. Mitichyan throws some strikes, then tries to work an armbar on the closest arm. Mohamed rolls over and uses his free arm to keep that from happening. That goes on for quite a long time, with Mitichyan determined to try and work the arm free and get an armbar, while Mohamed uses everything at his disposal to block it. The round ends without Mitichyan having made the breakthrough, although he clearly ran away with the round in terms of points. The 1st round ends. Blurcat.com scores 10-9 Mitichyan. Round 2 Tentative start, neither fighter is willing to commit yet. Mitichyan fires off a jab, but it was easily blocked. Mohamed fakes a kick, then comes in hard and fast with a takedown, sending Mitichyan to the floor. The momentum causes Mohamed to almost go completely over the top though, and Mitichyan is able to flip him to the side and end up on top, in the guard position. Mitichyan passes guard and gets into side control, but it's an awkward position; Mohamed has the entire right hand side of his body up against the cage, and both his legs wrapped around Mitichyan's left arm. Mitichyan's attacking options are fairly limited. He uses a couple of back fists to strike away at the face, but Mohamed covers up to defend them. Mitichyan tries to pin down one of Mohamed's arms and bring his legs around to trap them fully, but Mohamed uses his free arm to stop that from happening. The ground battle enters a stalemate, as Mitichyan 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. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Mitichyan. Round 3 Mitichyan and Mohamed circle to start. Mohamed throws a couple of looping punches, neither hitting, while Mitichyan sits back, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Mohamed comes in closer, looking to unload with a right hand; that misses, and it allows Mitichyan to slip a nice jab in, catching Mohamed just underneath the right eye. Mitichyan comes in and scores with a straight left, then bounces a right hand off the body. Mohamed misses with a right cross, then backs off. Mitichyan stalks him, forcing Mohamed back up against the cage. Mitichyan doesn't rush in, instead standing back and throwing the occasional punch. Mohamed throws a big left hand in response, but it misses by quite a margin. Mitichyan pounces, hitting lefts and rights. Mohamed covers up from the first two punches, then clinches up to prevent any more coming in. They're up against the cage, Mitichyan in the dominant position. They remain that way as the time ticks down. Mitichyan 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. Mohamed comes in hard and fast, bobbing and weaving, and throws a couple of big shots. Mitichyan 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 Mitichyan's favour. End of the round. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Mitichyan. Winner: Roman Mitchyan by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Rating: * ------------------------------------- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3442/3275075648_c34134c0eb_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3440/3275075788_40118687d2_m.jpg Aaron Riley (27-10-1) vs. Gleison Tibau (16-6) Blurcat Prediction: Gleison Tibau by TKO Round 1 Slow start; nearly a full minute of circling, occasional fakes, and long-range jabs. Neither fighter is creating much. Tibau works an angle, but takes a low kick to the shin when he advances. They clinch, and end up with Riley backed up against the cage. Tibau gets a couple of right hands to the body, but his attempts at knee strikes are deflected by Riley, who uses his legs well to defend. Tibau pulls free and takes a step back, then powers in a right hand. Riley gets out the way, ducks under a second right hand, and backs up to the center. Tibau follows, and we're back to circling. Uninspiring action so far, they've both been fairly devoid of inspiration. Tibau hits a couple of right hands, both hitting gloves, then a left hand to the body that connected. That was the best shot of the round so far. Riley tags him with a flicked jab to the cheek, but it had virtually no power on it. Riley leans in to a looping left, but it puts him off balance and it's only at the last second that he gets his chin out of the way of a vicious right cross that comes back. If that had hit, we may have had a knock out. Time runs out with them standing, circling again. The round ends. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Tibau. Round 2 Tibau throws the first punch of the round, a high searching jab that didn't carry a great deal of threat with it. Riley throws a one-two combination in return, neither connecting, then steps in and delivers a hard kick to the outside of the thigh. Tibau 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. Riley hits a knee to the ribs. A couple of shots to the back from Tibau. They struggle all the way back, with Tibau ending up backed up against the cage. Riley hits another knee, but there wasn't much power behind it. Tibau stomps downward onto his foot. Tibau manages to reverse their positions, but that only lasts about thirty seconds before it gets reversed once more. Riley gets an arm free and tries to throw a big shot to the cheek, Tibau ducks under it and gets the arm back under control. The referee finally breaks them up, and we're back to where we started. Tibau tries a high kick to start, but Riley saw it coming and easily avoids it. They come back together in the center, and it's Riley who gets the first sustained attack of the round, hitting two hard body shots and a jab that caught Tibau on the nose. Tibau hits a straight right, enough to stop Riley 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 2. Blurcat.com scores 10-9 Riley. Round 3 Riley scores with a kick to the outside of the thigh, but it didn't have a great deal of power on it. Tibau returns fire with a jab, and then tries for a takedown. Riley doesn't pull guard, but instead tries to spin out of it and get back to his feet, but it proves to be a mistake as he isn't able to get free and only ends up giving his back to Tibau! Tibau gets one arm in and snakes it around the throat of Riley, squeezing his wind-pipe shut. Riley tries to pull the arm free, but can't, and so rolls over in a last-ditch effort to break free. It is to no avail though, as that allows Tibau to get a body-scissors in too. With no alternatives left, Riley taps out. Winner: Gleison Tibau by Submission (0:41, 3rd Round) Rating: * ------------------------------------- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3349/3274254063_8cb33b2280_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3498/3274254205_28af82cf0d_m.jpg Phillipe Nover (5-1-1) vs. Melvin Guillard (23-7-2) Blurcat Prediction: Melvin Guillard by KO Round 1 Not much happening at first. Guillard is the first to make a move, coming in with a right hand that narrowly misses. Nover gets in a jab that landed on the left cheek of Guillard, and leaves a mark. Quite a slow paced round so far. Guillard takes another jab and moves in to retaliate, but it was a set-up and he gets creamed with a high right kick to the side of the head! Guillard stumbles but doesn't go down, and has to cover up as Nover comes in with a series of punches to try and finish the job. Guillard somehow manages to hold on long enough to get his senses back, and buys some time by clinching. Hard knee from Guillard from the clinch, and Nover felt that, he looks a little tired from unloading that barrage. They break, and Guillard gets in a nice right hand. For a second it looked like Nover was about to go for a takedown, but nothing came from it. End of the round. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Nover. Round 2 Guillard isn't hanging around, right from the start Nover is forced onto the back foot by four hard shots, although none of them get through the gloves. Nover circles, steps in, then unloads a combination of punches, but Guillard weaves out of the way and scores with a beauty of a right hand, glancing above the right eye. That was some lovely counter punching from Guillard, the timing had to be perfect and it was. Nover is looking a bit frustrated, and uncorks a ragged-looking uppercut that missed by several inches. Guillard really should have taken advantage of that mistake, Nover was wide open for a moment there. Guillard hits a high kick, catching Nover on the shoulder. Jab from Nover finds the mark, but it didn't have much power behind it as he was leaning backward too much. Guillard fires off a couple of straight punches in response, but only finds gloves. They clinch, and the fight enters a lull. Nover scores with a knee from the clinch, it landed around the hip area of Guillard, who responds with a couple of shots to the ribs. The time runs out with them still clinched though. The second round is over. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Guillard. Round 3 Exchange of punches to start, nothing really hit though. They go into a clinch, and the pace disappears as both fighters try and get the advantage. Eventually the referee separates them. Jab from Nover, who then has to react quickly to avoid a right hook that was aimed right at the chin. Nover puts on a burst of energy and fires off a big sequence of punches, maybe twelve or thirteen in a row, although not many actually connected. Guillard covered up well, and gets in a couple of shots of his own before moving out of range again. They both seem to be looking for an opening, and it's creating a stalemate at the moment. Low kick from Guillard, almost to the groin, although it didn't look intentional. They come together in a clinch again, and it returns to a stalemate. Not a great round by anyone's standard, but that flurry should mean that Nover will take the round on points. That's the end of the round. Blurcat.com scores 10-9 Nover. The three judges all give the match as 29-28 to Phillipe Nover. Winner: Phillipe Nover by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Rating: * ------------------------------------- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3518/3274254319_9ee6222c13_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3344/3275076274_f7a74201a3_m.jpg Carmelo Marrero (10-2) vs. Eliot Marshall (6-1) Blurcat Prediction: Eliot Marshall by TKO Round 1 An exchange of jabs doesn't go anywhere. Marshall fakes a kick, then darts in to score with a straight left before backing out fast to avoid a left-right combination from Marrero. They clinch, and Marrero winds up backed against the cage. A couple of minor blows get exchanged, but it's turned into a bit of a stalemate. Marshall tries to push Marrero back, but can't. The referee waits a while, then separates them and gets them to resume. Marshall hits three straight jabs, but they all connect with nothing but gloves. Marrero fires one back, off target, and then comes in close to land a body shot. That stings Marshall, and also allows Marrero to follow up with a takedown straight after. Marrero is looking dangerous. He fires off a couple of punches, and one gets through. A third is attempted, but that gives Marshall the opportunity he needed, and Marrero gets swept, ending up underneath in side control. Marshall fires off three punches of his own, two connecting solidly above the eye. Marshall moves up into a dominant position, totally controlling the head and left arm of Marrero, and looking for a kimura. Marrero is trying to stop it, but he is in a really poor position and cannot get any sort of leverage. Marshall sinks it in, and Marrero has to tap out. Winner: Eliot Marshall by Submission (3:26, 1st Round) Rating: 8 ------------------------------------- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3314/3275076470_b62e74cc40_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3534/3274254583_1d4748ecf3_m.jpg Alexander Shlemenko (22-3) vs. Jason MacDonald (21-11) Blurcat Prediction: Jason MacDonald by Submission Round 1 Exchange of punches to start, nothing really hit though. They go into a clinch, and the pace disappears as both fighters try and get the advantage. Eventually the referee separates them. Jab from Shlemenko, who then has to react quickly to avoid a right hook that was aimed right at the chin. Shlemenko puts on a burst of energy and fires off a big sequence of punches, maybe twelve or thirteen in a row, although not many actually connected. MacDonald covered up well, and gets in a couple of shots of his own before moving out of range again. For a second it looked like Shlemenko was about to go for a takedown, but nothing came from it. Low kick from MacDonald, almost to the groin, although it didn't look intentional. They come together in a clinch again, and it returns to a stalemate. Not a great round by anyone's standard, but that flurry should mean that Shlemenko will take the round on points. End of Round 1. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Shlemenko. Round 2 Shlemenko comes out fast and quickly backs MacDonald up, all the way up against the cage. Shlemenko throws a series of rights and lefts; none of the strikes to the head got through, but two nice body shots did. He doesn't follow up though, instead keeping a few steps back, clearly not wanting to get tied up in a clinch. MacDonald throws a low kick, then advances with some jabs, forcing Shlemenko to back off a little. They meet in the center and exchange strikes, with Shlemenko looking the crisper striker of the two, although without doing any real damage. MacDonald shoots in for the takedown, but Shlemenko sprawls and eventually pushes free. Right hand from Shlemenko, then two jabs which both find their mark. MacDonald bats away a third, then comes in hard and fast for a second takedown attempt. Shlemenko sprawls again, but gets pushed all the way up against the cage. MacDonald has a leg, but is low down to the ground and doesn't have the leverage to complete the takedown. He works to a better standing position, but has to lose the leg and grab a clinch instead. They both fire off some small punches from there. MacDonald tries for a trip, but Shlemenko avoids it and works free from the clinch. He returns to the center, clearly wanting a striking battle rather than a grappling match. MacDonald follows, hands held high, and throws a couple of jabs. Shlemenko connects with one instead though, and then with a looping right hand that catches MacDonald above the eye. He felt that, but doesn't go down. Best strike of the round so far. MacDonald throws a low kick. Shlemenko comes in to strike again, but this time cannot sprawl quickly enough and gets taken down. Shlemenko pulls guard. Unfortunately for MacDonald, now that he has finally gotten the takedown, there's less than thirty seconds left. He tries to pass guard to get to side control, but Shlemenko comfortably defends it until the round is over. The second round is over. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Shlemenko. Round 3 Slow start to the round, there's a lot of circling going on, not much contact though. Shlemenko fakes a kick, then darts in to score with a left hand to the shoulder region. MacDonald almost catches Shlemenko with a massive left hook. A big arcing kick from Shlemenko catches MacDonald on the shoulder, it wasn't far away from landing on the side of the jaw. MacDonald storms in throwing a flurry of blows, but Shlemenko dodges out of the way. A jab catches MacDonald on the cheek, then another big kick hits home, this time into the ribs. Shlemenko is really using those big kicks well, they're both keeping MacDonald at bay and hurting him. MacDonald tries another attack, first working an angle away from the kicks then coming in with a couple of straight rights. Shlemenko defends it well, parrying the punches away and moving to safety before MacDonald can unload with any bombs. Shlemenko hits another kick, this time to the thigh, setting it up with a couple of raking punches. That's the last significant action of the round, a round that Shlemenko has dominated with kicks. End of round 3. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Shlemenko. Winner: Alexander Shlemenko by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Rating: * ------------------------------------- MAIN CARD http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3473/3275076570_c5ce7a91ae_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3457/3274254911_31bf411a6b_m.jpg Ryo Chonan (15-9) vs. John Hathaway (10-0) Blurcat Prediction: Ryo Chonan by Submission Round 1 Slow start; nearly a full minute of circling, occasional fakes, and long-range jabs. Neither fighter is creating much. Chonan works an angle, but takes a low kick to the shin when he advances. They clinch, and end up with Hathaway backed up against the cage. Chonan gets a couple of right hands to the body, but his attempts at knee strikes are deflected by Hathaway, who uses his legs well to defend. Chonan pulls free and takes a step back, then powers in a right hand. Hathaway gets out the way, ducks under a second right hand, and backs up to the center. Chonan follows, and we're back to circling. Uninspiring action so far, they've both been fairly devoid of inspiration. Chonan hits a couple of right hands, both hitting gloves, then a left hand to the body that connected. That was the best shot of the round so far. Hathaway tags him with a flicked jab to the cheek, but it had virtually no power on it. Hathaway leans in to a looping left, but it puts him off balance and it's only at the last second that he gets his chin out of the way of a vicious right cross that comes back. If that had hit, we may have had a knock out. Time runs out with them standing, circling again. That's the end of the round. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Chonan. Round 2 Chonan leads with the right hand to set up a low kick, Hathaway 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. Hathaway uses a knee to the ribs before backing Chonan up against the cage. Right hand from Chonan connects though, that was well timed. Hathaway breaks the clinch and backs off. That was sloppy on his part, Chonan was basically gifted a free shot. Three quick jabs from Hathaway sting the gloves, then a crashing hook to the body finds its mark. Good recovery. Chonan fires off a low kick again, but it's well wide. Hathaway leads with a right hand, then delivers a brutal uppercut, Chonan had to step back quickly to avoid getting caught. He winds up back against the cage, and Hathaway doesn't relent, moving in fast to unload with a series of jabs. Chonan got some of his own in, but the upper hand is definitely with Hathaway. Vicious right hand! Out of nowhere, it caught Chonan flush in the face, and he slumps down against the cage. Hathaway follows up with more punches, and the referee dives in to break it up. It's all over. Chonan wasn't knocked out, but that one punch was a beauty, and it stopped him getting any sort of defence together to stop the following punches. Winner: John Hathaway by TKO (4:42, 2nd Round) Rating: * ------------------------------------- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3500/3274255041_33f10bdca6_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3386/3274255151_a36dfa5063_m.jpg Matt Grice (9-2) vs. Junie Browning (3-0) Blurcat Prediction: Matt Grice by TKO Round 1 Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Grice puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Browning defended well. Straight right from Browning in response, but it caught nothing but gloves. They start circling. The referee tells them to fight, the lack of action so far is worrying. They get in close and exchange body shots, Grice probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Browning gets a nice kick in just before the time expires, but it's unlikely that is going to stop the judges giving that round to Grice. The first round is over. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Grice. Round 2 Browning moves in quickly to begin, trapping Grice against the cage. The advantage doesn't last long though, as Grice uses his superior wrestling ability to turn the tables and gain the upper hand. Knee to the thigh by Grice, then a solid punch to the shoulder. Browning tries to get a punch in, but Grice uses his grappling to gain a better position and put a stop to that. Browning squirms free and away from the cage. Browning tries an ill-advised head kick, but Grice ducks and comes straight underneath it. Grabbing the leg, he lifts Browning up and then violently plants him into the ground with a slam. Grice dives in, but gets pulled into guard. Grice moves from the guard and gets side control. He is trying for the mount, but Browning is defending it. There's a small lull as Grice continues to try and get the mount. There it is, Browning finally couldn't stop it. Grice starts firing off punches, and Browning has nowhere to go. A big elbow gets through. A right hand lands on the nose of Browning. The referee is watching intently, I don't think he's going to let this go much longer unless Browning can come up with some answers. Grice hits another big elbow. And another. The referee leaps in, it's over! Winner: Matt Grice by TKO (2:36, 2nd Round) Rating: * ------------------------------------- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3516/3275077062_8ddf3d5f43_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3391/3274255419_496e16b152_m.jpg David Loiseau (18-8) vs. Goran Reljic (8-0) Blurcat Prediction: Goran Reljic by TKO Round 1 Slow start; nearly a full minute of circling, occasional fakes, and long-range jabs. Neither fighter is creating much. Loiseau works an angle, but takes a low kick to the shin when he advances. They clinch, and end up with Reljic backed up against the cage. Loiseau gets a couple of right hands to the body, but his attempts at knee strikes are deflected by Reljic, who uses his legs well to defend. Loiseau pulls free and takes a step back, then powers in a right hand. Reljic gets out the way, ducks under a second right hand, and backs up to the center. Loiseau follows, and we're back to circling. Uninspiring action so far, they've both been fairly devoid of inspiration. Loiseau hits a couple of right hands, both hitting gloves, then a left hand to the body that connected. That was the best shot of the round so far. Reljic tags him with a flicked jab to the cheek, but it had virtually no power on it. Reljic leans in to a looping left, but it puts him off balance and it's only at the last second that he gets his chin out of the way of a vicious right cross that comes back. If that had hit, we may have had a knock out. Time runs out with them standing, circling again. End of the round. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Loiseau. Round 2 Loiseau scores the first meaningful blow of the round, hitting a powerful overhand right that thumped past the gloves. Reljic 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 Loiseau moves to a new angle and scores with a series of jabs. Reljic turns and swings a heavy right hand, but Loiseau goes underneath it and hits a wicked kick to the gut. That exchange really showed the difference between the two fighters; Loiseau looks light on his feet and very agile, Reljic looks slow and sluggish by comparison. Reljic will need to find a way to nullify Loiseau's footwork, perhaps by getting in close, as he has been picked apart for the first half of this round. Loiseau darts in again, and gets in a nice flurry. Reljic manages to hit a crisp jab in return, but one of Loiseau'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, Loiseau controlling the round with his superior movement. End of the round. Blurcat.com gives that one to Loiseau by 10-9. Round 3 The round starts slowly, with both fighters circling, tentatively throwing out the occasional jab. Reljic is the first to make a positive move, stepping in to throw a right hand, although he probably wishes that he hadn't, as Loiseau picks him off with a crisp jab to the cheek. Reljic throws a wild punch as a counter, but Loiseau ducks and backs off out of range. They meet again in the center for an exchange of punches. Reljic gets a clubbing blow to the side of the head in, but takes a hard shot to the stomach in return. The early pattern seems to be that Reljic is looking for big punches, Loiseau is happy to avoid them and use quick counter punches instead. They clinch up, and Reljic manages to back Loiseau up against the cage. Reljic takes a half step backward and throws a big right hand to the head, but Loiseau ducks under at the last second, scores with a pair of punches to the gut, then darts out of trouble before Reljic can unload. Reljic may need to think about changing tactics, Loiseau is looking far sharper in these striking battles, and is beginning to control the pace and tempo of the round. Reljic fakes a right hand, then shoots out a low kick, catching Loiseau on the thigh. Loiseau presses forward for the first time, getting in close and using a couple of jabs to the body. Reljic gets a nice left hook in, glancing off the gloves, and then clinches up. Time ticks away and the round ends just a few seconds after the referee separates them. The round is over. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Loiseau. Winner: David Loiseau (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Rating: * ------------------------------------- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3341/3275077382_cb698721a1_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3531/3275077516_a9b1589fc5_m.jpg Jay Hieron (17-4) vs. Brad Blackburn (13-9-1) Blurcat Prediction: Brad Blackburn by TKO Round 1 A crisp jab from Blackburn starts the round, it tagged Hieron on the cheek. Straight right from Hieron in response, glancing off the side of the head, albeit without much power. Blackburn steps in for an attack but is smothered by Hieron who clinches. Blackburn has to react quickly to avoid being tossed to the ground, but can't stop being driven into the cage. Hieron is virtually man-handling Blackburn with his wrestling ability. Up against the cage, Hieron has the much stronger position. Right hand connects to the side of the body. And another. There isn't a great deal of power on them, but they're forming a big red mark on the body, and Blackburn can't really do a lot in response; he can't seem to wrestle Hieron off, and he can't work into a position to unload any strikes either. Hieron fires off another two punches, then goes for a trip. Blackburn spins out, almost falls, but manages to squirm out and back off quickly to the center. That was close, and Blackburn knows it. They come together, both throwing punches. Hieron gets a nice clean shot in, and Blackburn stumbles backwards and falls to the floor. Hieron is on top of him quickly, and unloads with two more big punches, both connect solidly. The referee jumps in and pulls him away before a third is thrown, this match is over by TKO. Replays show the referee may have been slightly early. Hieron wins via 1st round TKO with the official time being 3:17. Winner: Jay Hieron by TKO (3:17, 1st Round) Rating: ** ------------------------------------- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3398/3275077718_97b1e0ee08_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3301/3274256055_e90e83d27b_m.jpg Ben Rothwell (30-6) vs. Antoni Hardonk (8-4) Blurcat Prediction: Ben Rothwell (30-6) Round 1 Hardonk meets Rothwell in the center. They exchange tentative long-range punches. Rothwell steps in to press the action, but gets caught with a right hand. Hardonk scores with a left too, then a crisp jab. Rothwell backs off, that exchange did not go in his favour by any means. Hardonk presses the advantage and gets in a couple more jabs, forcing Rothwell onto the back-foot, all the way until he is up against the cage. Hardonk stands just in range and starts throwing occasional straight rights, forcing Rothwell to try and react in time. Rothwell parries a few shots away, but also gets caught with a couple. He steps forward and tries to get a clinch, but Hardonk keeps away from it and continues to flick quick jabs out. Rothwell is really getting schooled so far, Hardonk's hand speed and technique have allowed him to completely control everything about this round, Rothwell hasn't been able to generate anything of note. Rothwell tries to change that by coming after Hardonk, but Hardonk meets him in the center and exchanges punches, again winning the encounter comfortably. The final minute of the round sees Rothwell try two more times, and in neither can he manage to break Hardonk's control. End of the round. Blurcat.com gives that one to Hardonk by 10-9. Round 2 The round begins, and it is Hardonk who starts better, energetically bounding straight into action by throwing a three-punch combination and a scything leg kick. Rothwell defended all four blows well, but is forced to be on the backfoot right from the word go. Hardonk works for an angle, coming in from the left hand side with a high right hand. Rothwell ducks under it and nestles a stiff jab in the solar plexus. It doesn't seem to slow Hardonk down much though, as he swiftly turns and hits a crisp left to the side of the head, followed almost instantly by a mid-level kick that smacks above the hip of Rothwell. Interesting first minute of action, Hardonk is looking particularly sharp. Rothwell tries to turn the momentum by advancing quickly and driving Hardonk back against the cage with a series of jabs and hooks, and they end up clinched. Rothwell tries a knee from that position, but it is blocked. Hardonk scores with two sharp blows to the ribs, and then they break away from each other. Hardonk looks to be working an angle. They square up to each other in the center. Hardonk throws a head fake and comes in from low down to hit a rising shot that catches Rothwell on the side of the head. Rothwell got a shot in too though, although it hit the shoulder rather than the head. Time is running down; Hardonk has probably done enough to win the round, but it has turned quite scrappy since the clinch against the cage, both will probably be slightly unhappy with that. Rothwell tries a late surge, coming in hard and fast with a leading left, but Hardonk defends it well and scores the only meaningful shot of the exchange with a crisp left hand. That's the end of the round. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Hardonk. Round 3 Hardonk starts fast, firing off several crisp jabs that keep Rothwell on the back foot. A solid left hits gloves, but it's really just a set-up for Hardonk to step in and use an uppercut. Not sure how much of it caught Rothwell, but certainly enough to to make him grab a clinch to stop any further punishment. Great start to the round from Hardonk, it has been total domination so far. The clinch is broken, and the two fighters exchange some long range jabs that are easily avoided. Rothwell is looking a little lost so far, Hardonk is controlling this round by virtue of his crisp accurate punches and higher aggression levels. Rothwell with a body shot. Hardonk leads with the left, then moves in and gets in a wicked right hand that grazes the cheek. Rothwell was fortunate there, if that had landed properly it would have been over. Rothwell 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 Rothwell is that although Hardonk clearly won the round, he didn't actually turn that dominance into any sort of real damage. End of round 3. Blurcat.com gives that one to Hardonk by 10-9. Antoni Hardonk wins the match, getting a score of 30-27 from all three judges. Winner: Antoni Hardonk by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Rating: ** ------------------------------------- ULTIMATE FIGHT NIGHT 19 DETAILS Attendance: 2,821 Fight of the Night: Gleison Tibau vs. Aaron Riley KO of the Night: John Hathaway Submission of the Night: Eliot Marshall Highest Earner: $270,000 Gate Receipts: $857,600 Fighter Costs: $504,000 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2K Posted February 12, 2009 Author Share Posted February 12, 2009 http://blogs.chron.com/fighting/3647-UltimateFighterLogo.jpg ULTIMATE FIGHTER 9 - WEEK 1 CARD Sean Sherk vs. Frank Edgar Paul Taylor vs. Kevin Burns Ultimate Fighter Light Heavyweight Tournament Match Scott Lighty vs. Lew Polley Vinny Magalhaes vs. Razak Al-Hassan Ultimate Fighter Middleweight Tournament Match Prince McLean vs. Cory Devela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2K Posted February 13, 2009 Author Share Posted February 13, 2009 http://mmajunkie.com/App_Themes/Default/images/MMAjunkieHdrLogo.jpg WEEKLY ROUND-UP APRIL - WEEK 1 ------------------------------------- Sunday HARDONK PROVES DOUBTERS WRONG WITH DOMINANT WIN Ultimate Fight Night 19 provided a mixture of success and failure for UFC's newcomers, Jay Hieron walked out a winner with a dominant TKO victory over Brad Blackburn, and Alexander Shlemenko won his first UFC bout with a unanimous decision victory over Jason MacDonald . However Ben Rothwell was soundly beaten by Antoni Hardonk, who scored a unanimous decision victory. Also having mixed fortunes were Ultimate Fighter alumni, Phillipe Nover and Eliot Marshall won their matches, however Junie Browning could not overcome Matt Grice. The card also saw an impressive victory for John Hathaway, who remains undefeated with a TKO win over Ryo Chonan. ------------------------------------- Monday SENGOKU 9 RESULTS Kazuyuki Fujita def. Hidehiko Yoshida (TKO, 2:53, Round 3) Michael Costa def. Akihiro Gono (Unanimous Decision) Siyar Bahadurzada def. Joe Doerksen (TKO, 2:48, Round 1) Paul Daley def. Koji Oishi (Unanimous Decision) Kevin Randleman def. Takashi Sugiura (KO, 2:28, Round 1) Johnny Rees def. Nick Thompson (Split Decision) Ryan Schultz def. Sergey Golyaev (KO, 0:24, Round 2) Mu Bae Choi def. Marcio Cruz (Unanimous Decision) JAY HIERON INJURED UFC's newest welterweight star will have to wait a little bit longer for his next match, as has been diagnosed with a groin strain that will cause him to miss a month of training. From what we have heard there appear to be no other injuries from Ultimate Fight Night 19, however Ryo Chonan will need to miss over a month of action due to his KO at the hands of John Hathaway. ------------------------------------- Tuesday WEC 41: MASS SLAUGHTER ANNOUNCED The WEC have announced that Mike Brown will defend his WEC Featherweight Title at WEC 41: Mass Slaughter, but not against Urijah Faber, but against Wagnney Fabiano, who has been designated as the number one contender. The show will take place on Sunday, 3rd week of April, the day after UFC 97. ------------------------------------- Wednesday CHRIS HORODECKI SIGNS TO UFC PART-TIME In a move that is unprecedented in the UFC, the MMA giants have agreed a deal with promising Lightweight fighter Chris Horodecki that will see them share the fighter with Affliction, Adrenaline and RAW Combat. Horodecki has a 14-1 record and has already won two matches this year to draw UFC to his attention. ------------------------------------- Thursday THREE MORE MATCHES ANNOUNCED FOR WEC 41 Some more matches have been added to WEC 41: Mass Slaughter. Expect to see Ian McCall taking on Shinichi Kojima at WEC 41, as well as Jeff Curran taking on Joseph Benavidez. The welterweight division will also be represented as Dave Terrel and Danillo Villefort will square off. ------------------------------------- Friday ADRENALINE: MASVIDAL VS. NOONS RESULTS Adrenaline Lightweight Title Match KJ Noons def. Jorge Masvidal (KO, 2:55, Round 3) Clay French def. Jameel Massouh (Unanimous Decision) Terry Martin def. Hector Urbina (Submission, 3:48, Round 1) Kyle Jensen def. Ryan Williams (Unanimous Decision) Jeff Cox def. Dan Loman (TKO, 3:45, Round 1) ------------------------------------- Saturday UFC RE-SIGN SEVERAL FIGHT NIGHT COMPETITORS Four of the fighters from Ultimate Fight Night 19 have signed new deals with the UFC. Winners from the night Gleison Tibau and Roman Mitichyan have been rewarded with new five fight deals that will expire in August 2010. Melvin Guillard and Ryo Chonan, who lost out at UFN 19, have also signed fight-by-fight deals. ------------------------------------- ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2K Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 http://mmajunkie.com/App_Themes/Default/images/MMAjunkieHdrLogo.jpg WEEKLY ROUND-UP APRIL - WEEK 2 ------------------------------------- Monday OK, running a bit short of news... ------------------------------------- Tuesday DREAM 9 AND MAIN EVENT ANNOUNCED DREAM 9 will take place on the first Friday of May, and the Japanese crowds will get to witness a main event between an American and a Brit. The show will see a welterweight contest, as Nick Diaz will take on Paul Daley in the main event. ------------------------------------- Wednesday RAW Combat: F**in' Up Results Semmy Schilt def. Martin Thompson (KO, 2:46, Round 1) Gary Turner def. Oleg Taktarov (Unanimous Decision) Marcus Aurelio def. Kajan Johnson (Submission, 3:52, Round 1) Jose Landi-Jons def. Yuki Kondo (Split Decision) Carlo Prater def. Garett Davis (Submission, 2:40, Round 1) ------------------------------------- Thursday AFFLICTION: EXTREME WARFARE ANNOUNCED Affliction's next show, entitled Extreme Warfare, has been announced to take place on the first Tuesday of May. Main Eventing the show will be Chris Horodecki, which will probably annoy the UFC, he will be taking on Nick Agallar in a Lightweight division match. ------------------------------------- Friday DUSTIN HAZELETT READY TO RETURN Young UFC Welterweight fighter Dustin Hazelett has recovered from the knee injury that had sidelined him for the past few weeks. Hazelett, who we last saw in action at Ultimate Fight Night 18 in a victory over Martin Kampmann, will head back to Jorge Gurgel's camp for his training. ------------------------------------- Saturday MELVIN GUILLARD MOVES UP TO WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION After losing three of his last four fights in the Lightweight division, Melvin Guillard has decided to move up to the Welterweight class in a bid to reverse his fortunes. Guillard, who many thought may see his run in the UFC ended after a defeat to Phillipe Nover at Ultimate Fight Night 19, will begin training to compete in the 170 pound division from now onwards. ------------------------------------- ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2K Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 http://mmajunkie.com/App_Themes/Default/images/MMAjunkieHdrLogo.jpg WEEKLY ROUND-UP APRIL - WEEK 3 ------------------------------------- Monday STRIKEFORCE MOVES INTO WORLD #2 Strikeforce's recent run of shows has propelled them ahead of DREAM into the #2 MMA promotion worldwide. Strikeforce are still a long way behind the UFC, but MMA experts now rank their Heavyweight division's talent pool ahead of the UFC's, with Fedor Emelianenko a huge part of that. Strikeforce will need to continue to produce good shows if they are to get any closer to the UFC, but with the UFC broadening their horizons and producing more and more shows, it may need just a little more than that. ------------------------------------- Tuesday STRIKEFORCE - REACH DOWN RESULTS Strikeforce Middleweight Title Match Cung Le def. Frank Shamrock (TKO, 0:48, Round 1) Julie Kedzie def. Roxanne Modafferi (Submission, 4:57, Round 3) Tiki Ghosn def. Joe Riggs (Unanimous Decision) Sarah Kaufman def. Miesha Tate (KO, 0:26, Round 1) Carina Damm def. Shayna Baszler (Unanimous Decision) Carter Williams def. Roy Nelson (KO, 2:36, Round 2) Pedro Rizzo def. Josh Hendricks (KO, 0:23, Round 3) Hong-Man Choi def. Paulo Cesar Silva (TKO, 3:24, Round 1) ULTIMATE FIGHTER WEEK 1 WEIGH-INS Everyone has made weight for the first week of fights in this season's Ultimate Fighter, including all of the tournament participants and the main event fighters Sean Sherk and Roger Huerta. Non-Televised Match Kevin Burns (170lbs) vs. Paul Taylor (170lbs) Ultimate Fighter Tournament Matches Prince McLean (185lbs) vs. Cory Devela (185lbs) Scott Lighty (205lbs) vs. Lew Polley (205lbs) Other Televised Matches Vinicius Magalhaes (205lbs) vs. Razak Al-Hassan (205lbs) Sean Sherk (155lbs) vs. Frank Edgar (155lbs) ------------------------------------- ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2K Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 http://blogs.chron.com/fighting/3647-UltimateFighterLogo.jpg THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER 9 - WEEK 1 ------------------------------------- PRELIMINARY MATCH http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3349/3278095057_e6c1e69eb0_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3417/3278094959_1b54d19967_m.jpg Kevin Burns (7-2) vs. Paul Taylor (9-4-1) Blurcat Prediction: Paul Taylor by Decision Round 1 Slow start; nearly a full minute of circling, occasional fakes, and long-range jabs. Neither fighter is creating much. Taylor works an angle, but takes a low kick to the shin when he advances. They clinch, and end up with Burns backed up against the cage. Taylor gets a couple of right hands to the body, but his attempts at knee strikes are deflected by Burns, who uses his legs well to defend. Taylor pulls free and takes a step back, then powers in a right hand. Burns gets out the way, ducks under a second right hand, and backs up to the center. Taylor follows, and we're back to circling. Uninspiring action so far, they've both been fairly devoid of inspiration. Taylor hits a couple of right hands, both hitting gloves, then a left hand to the body that connected. That was the best shot of the round so far. Burns tags him with a flicked jab to the cheek, but it had virtually no power on it. Burns leans in to a looping left, but it puts him off balance and it's only at the last second that he gets his chin out of the way of a vicious right cross that comes back. If that had hit, we may have had a knock out. Time runs out with them standing, circling again. The first round is over. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Taylor. Round 2 Flat start to the round, thirty seconds of circling without any actual contact. The fans begin to get a bit restless. Burns is the first to try something, stringing together a couple of jabs and a low kick, but Taylor blocked the first two and avoided the latter. A lunge from Burns is meant to set up a punch, but it's clumsy and just leaves him off balance. Taylor is quick to react, and gets a great shot to the side of the face in before Burns 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 Burns some problems later on. Burns 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. Taylor is staying on it though, and glances three shots off the gloves of Burns 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 Burns 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. Burns goes for a trip, but Taylor 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 Taylor may prove decisive. As the round comes to an end, they wind up back in another clinch, with nothing coming of it. The second round is over. Blurcat.com gives that one to Taylor by 10-9. Round 3 Taylor aims high with a right hand, then storms in for the takedown. Burns sprawls to stop it, and succeeds, but does get driven all the way back against the cage. Taylor has one leg trapped, but is having trouble completing the takedown. The referee warns Burns not to grab the cage. Taylor improves his stance, and that gives him the added leverage to power Burns to the ground. They're up against the cage though, which will work to Burns's advantage. Taylor stands, and uses his arms to push Burns's guard apart. Leaning down between the legs, he starts throwing vicious punches. Burns tries to bring his legs back in to pull guard again, while simultaneously covering up, but he is having trouble; Taylor is using his body to keep the legs from coming in. More punches rain down, and Burns is starting to get really pounded. A big shot lands hard on the nose, then a left hand crunches into his cheek. The referee has seen enough and pulls Taylor away, signalling the end of this match. Winner: Paul Taylor by TKO (0:36, Round 3) Rating: * ------------------------------------- MAIN CARD Ultimate Fighter 9 - Middleweight Tournament Match http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3485/3278917726_314723554d_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3509/3278917826_2137cfc0d8_m.jpg Prince McLean (4-5) vs. Cory Devela (9-2) Blurcat Prediction: Cory Devela by Submission Round 1 They circle each other. Mclean misses with a low kick, and Devela darts in to hit a jab before retreating. They come together and exchange punches, both got a few shots in. Devela is looking much lighter on his feet, and keeps moving in, hitting a few punches, then getting back out of range. Mclean is trying to catch him coming in, but doesn't have the timing quite right. It happens again. Devela isn't getting much power on the punches, but he is getting ahead on points. Mclean tries to get in close, but Devela is keeping moving, and isn't letting himself get cornered. Devela looks to be working an angle. Devela gets a solid punch in, catching Mclean just above the left eye. Mclean finally gets a clinch, forcing Devela up against the cage, but it's too little, too late as the round ends. End of round 1. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Devela. Round 2 The fighters come together right in the center. Mclean throws out a jab, but Devela bobs out of the way and uses a right hand to glance a blow off the side of the ribs in response. Devela works an angle and storms in suddenly with three crisp jabs and a looping overhand punch, Mclean covered up quickly but at least one of the jabs hit home. Devela is making Mclean look sluggish in comparison, such is the speed and crispness with which he is delivering strikes. Mclean hits a low kick before back-pedalling to avoid a clubbing blow. About thirty seconds pass without any contact, and the crowd become a little restless. They meet in the center to exchange a flurry of strikes that gets the crowd on their feet. Devela got slightly the better of it, he definitely snuck through a right hand that rocked Mclean slightly. Mclean initiates a clinch, and the action grinds to a halt. Mclean looks out of ideas, he is being repeatedly lured into these exchange of strikes, but Devela is clearly winning them. Mclean needs to find some way to deal with them. Not much time left in this round. The referee separates them. Devela tries a speculative high kick, but Mclean saw it coming and was well out of range by the time it came. Mclean tries to work an angle, but Devela is having none of it and fires off a straight right hand to keep him from stepping in. Comfortable round for Devela, he will probably be disappointed not to have done more damage given his dominance of the striking in this round. The round is over. Blurcat.com gives that one to Devela by 10-9. Round 3 Mclean throws the first punch of the round, a high searching jab that didn't carry a great deal of threat with it. Devela throws a one-two combination in return, neither connecting, then steps in and delivers a hard kick to the outside of the thigh. Mclean 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. Devela hits a knee to the ribs. A couple of shots to the back from Mclean. They struggle all the way back, with Mclean ending up backed up against the cage. Devela hits another knee, but there wasn't much power behind it. Mclean stomps downward onto his foot. Mclean manages to reverse their positions, but that only lasts about thirty seconds before it gets reversed once more. Devela gets an arm free and tries to throw a big shot to the cheek, Mclean ducks under it and gets the arm back under control. The referee finally breaks them up, and we're back to where we started. Mclean tries a high kick to start, but Devela saw it coming and easily avoids it. They come back together in the center, and it's Devela who gets the first sustained attack of the round, hitting two hard body shots and a jab that caught Mclean on the nose. Mclean hits a straight right, enough to stop Devela 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 3rd round ends. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Devela. Winner: Cory Devela by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Rating: DUD ------------------------------------- Ultimate Fighter 9 - Light Heavyweight Tournament Match http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3379/3278917620_82b67b19bc_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3506/3278095245_6371b755ed_m.jpg Scott Lighty (4-0) vs. Lew Polley (9-2) Blurcat Prediction: Lew Polley by KO Round 1 Slow start; nearly a full minute of circling, occasional fakes, and long-range jabs. Neither fighter is creating much. Lighty works an angle, but takes a low kick to the shin when he advances. They clinch, and end up with Polley backed up against the cage. Lighty gets a couple of right hands to the body, but his attempts at knee strikes are deflected by Polley, who uses his legs well to defend. Lighty pulls free and takes a step back, then powers in a right hand. Polley gets out the way, ducks under a second right hand, and backs up to the center. Lighty follows, and we're back to circling. Uninspiring action so far, they've both been fairly devoid of inspiration. Lighty hits a couple of right hands, both hitting gloves, then a left hand to the body that connected. That was the best shot of the round so far. Polley tags him with a flicked jab to the cheek, but it had virtually no power on it. Polley leans in to a looping left, but it puts him off balance and it's only at the last second that he gets his chin out of the way of a vicious right cross that comes back. If that had hit, we may have had a knock out. Time runs out with them standing, circling again. The first round is over. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Lighty. Round 2 Polley hits a low kick, then moves in for a jab. Lighty saw it coming and unloads with an enormous punch to the jaw. Polley goes down immediately, he has been knocked clean out by the power of Lighty. Winner: Scott Lighty by KO (0:47, 2nd Round) Rating: * ------------------------------------- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3363/3278917576_94728fb9b9_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3380/3278095101_8176dd8bf6_m.jpg Vinicius Magalhaes (2-3) vs. Razak Al-Hassan (6-1) Blurcat Prediction: Razak Al-Hassan by TKO Round 1 Al-Hassan starts brightly by throwing some looping punches. Defended well by Magalhaes. They circle, throwing tentative jabs. Magalhaes goes for a single leg and puts Al-Hassan on the floor, but he is up very quickly, preventing Magalhaes from getting on top. Al-Hassan definitely seems to want to keep this standing. Magalhaes hits a nice jab, avoids a counter left hook, then comes in low and takes down Al-Hassan again. This time Al-Hassan isn't able to get up, and has to pull guard. Times ticking away though, Magalhaes will have to hurry to finish. He goes for an armbar, but Al-Hassan defends. Magalhaes tries to slip past to get side control, but Al-Hassan just about manages to keep guard. A second attempt works though, and Magalhaes has the side. Two big elbows land, and Al-Hassan seems in trouble. Magalhaes 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 is over. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Magalhaes. Round 2 Magalhaes starts the round by throwing some low kicks. Al-Hassan checks them, then comes in and clearly wants to trade punches. Magalhaes doesn't seem too bothered by that, and they enter into the first exchange of punches of the round. Difficult to say who came out on top, neither of them did a great deal of damage, most of the shots hit the opponent's gloves. Magalhaes cleverly head-fakes, allowing him the time and angle that he needed to catch Al-Hassan with a beauty of a right hook. Al-Hassan stumbles backward, but doesn't go down. Magalhaes presses the advantage by following in with a kick, then a right hand. Al-Hassan clinches. They remain clinched for a while. Al-Hassan scores with a nice knee, it appeared to catch Magalhaes in the gut. Magalhaes uses a single leg trip and takes the fight to the ground. Magalhaes gets to side control upon impact, and immediately goes for an armbar. Al-Hassan reacts quickly, but is in real danger. Magalhaes has his left arm straightened out, fortunately Al-Hassan has managed to roll and get a good position that is stopping Magalhaes from getting the leverage needed to apply an armlock. Magalhaes tries to step over and fully apply it, but Al-Hassan breaks free and gets him to back off with a couple of up-kicks. Magalhaes steps back and motions for him to stand up. They go back to circling in the center. Al-Hassan hits a nice right hand, but takes one back too. The time runs down; Magalhaes will probably get that round on points, he hit the best punch of the round, and got the only takedown, plus was the one who was working toward a submission. The second round is over. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Magalhaes. Round 3 They clinch, with Magalhaes clearly being the one who initiated it. They struggle, and Al-Hassan finds himself against the cage. Magalhaes presses the advantage, and trips Al-Hassan down to the mat, landing in guard. Magalhaes throws a couple of shots, but Al-Hassan defends it well. Magalhaes gets through the guard and has side control. That was well executed, but Al-Hassan could have done better, he gave up his side too easily. It goes from bad to worse for Al-Hassan, a wild punch is easily blocked by Magalhaes, who uses it to take his back. Al-Hassan is in real trouble now. Magalhaes fires of a series of punches, and Al-Hassan has no answer. Magalhaes stretches Al-Hassan out, and secures the rear naked choke. He doesn't get it fully at first, but then does. Al-Hassan taps. Magalhaes wins via rear naked choke. Winner: Vinny Magalhaes by Submission (0:52, 3rd Round) Rating: * ------------------------------------- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3340/3278917910_1ae199965d_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3320/3278095617_de6646be2f_m.jpg Sean Sherk (33-3-1) vs. Frank Edgar (9-1) Blurcat Prediction: Sean Sherk by TKO Round 1 Edgar starts fast, firing off several crisp jabs that keep Sherk on the back foot. A solid left hits gloves, but it's really just a set-up for Edgar to step in and use an uppercut. Not sure how much of it caught Sherk, but certainly enough to to make him grab a clinch to stop any further punishment. Great start to the round from Edgar, it has been total domination so far. The clinch is broken, and the two fighters exchange some long range jabs that are easily avoided. Sherk is looking a little lost so far, Edgar is controlling this round by virtue of his crisp accurate punches and higher aggression levels. A looping left from Edgar, but it's wide of the mark. Edgar leads with the left, then moves in and gets in a wicked right hand that grazes the cheek. Sherk was fortunate there, if that had landed properly it would have been over. Sherk 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 Sherk is that although Edgar clearly won the round, he didn't actually turn that dominance into any sort of real damage. The first round is over. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Edgar. Round 2 The round starts. They touch gloves. Sherk throws a rapid-fire series of punches, forcing Edgar to back off. Edgar throws a nice kick that thumps into the rib cage. Another kick is thrown, this time aimed at the head, but Sherk sees it coming and steps back. Edgar advances and they meet in the center. Sherk ducks a right hand, scores with a left to the gut. Edgar throws a one-two combination, neither connecting, but it does allow him to follow up with a stinging kick to the ribs. A big red mark has appeared there. Sherk bursts forward and goes for a big swing, Edgar ducks under it, hits a right to the chest, then unloads another kick. This one hits the thigh, causing Sherk to noticeably wince. It may have caught the very top of the knee judging from the replays. Sherk tries to come in to get a measure of revenge, but is met with some low kicks that make sure that he can't get close enough to throw any bombs. Edgar's impressively sharp kicking game is hurting Sherk and allowing him to take firm control of this round. There's not much time left, and Sherk is going to have to do something special to win this round now. He doesn't, as time expires without anything interesting happening. The round ends. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Edgar. Round 3 Edgar throws the first punch of the round, a high searching jab that didn't carry a great deal of threat with it. Sherk throws a one-two combination in return, neither connecting, then steps in and delivers a hard kick to the outside of the thigh. Edgar 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. Sherk hits a knee to the ribs. A couple of shots to the back from Edgar. They struggle all the way back, with Edgar ending up backed up against the cage. Sherk hits another knee, but there wasn't much power behind it. Edgar stomps downward onto his foot. Edgar manages to reverse their positions, but that only lasts about thirty seconds before it gets reversed once more. Sherk gets an arm free and tries to throw a big shot to the cheek, Edgar ducks under it and gets the arm back under control. The referee finally breaks them up, and we're back to where we started. Edgar tries a high kick to start, but Sherk saw it coming and easily avoids it. They come back together in the center, and it's Sherk who gets the first sustained attack of the round, hitting two hard body shots and a jab that caught Edgar on the nose. Edgar hits a straight right, enough to stop Sherk 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. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Sherk. The official scores are in; two judges give 29-28, the other 30-27, all for Frank Edgar. Winner: Frank Edgar by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28) Rating: *** ------------------------------------- THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER WEEK 1 DETAILS Attendance: 1,072 Fight of the Night: Sean Sherk vs. Frank Edgar KO of the Night: Scott Lighty Submission of the Night: Vinny Magalhaes Highest Earner: Frank Edgar - $30,000 Gate Receipts: $325,760 Fighter Costs: $92,000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2K Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 You may have to suspend disbelief slightly here, the UFC wouldn't normally obviously release a card three days before the show, it's just on the off chance anyone wants to predict before the show! http://mikeresponts.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/ufc_logo.jpg UFC 97 CARD ANNOUNCED The UFC 97 card has been announced, and there a few fights we were expecting, and some we certainly weren't. Anderson Silva will be defending his Middleweight title against Thales Leities, and two legends square off with Chuck Liddell taking on Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. There are also a number of debuting fighters, such as Paulo Filho looking to re-build his career, Hector Lombard and Brett Cooper. Alistair Overeem taking on Cheick Kongo could be one of the more exciting fights of the night if they go all-out, whilst Denis Kang will be hoping to avenge his UFC debut loss against Ricardo Almeida. Roger Huerta and Mike Swick also return to the Octagon, and Luis Arthur Cane will take on Steve Cantwell in a very good preliminary card main event. Preliminary Card Paulo Filho vs. Ed Herman Sam Stout vs. Roli Delgado Chris Leben vs. Hector Lombard Denis Kang vs. Ricardo Almeida Luis Arthur Cane vs. Steve Cantwell Main Card Roger Huerta vs. Matt Wiman Mike Swick vs. Brett Cooper Cheick Kongo vs. Alistair Overeem Chuck Liddell vs. Mauricio Rua Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leities Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2K Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 http://mmajunkie.com/App_Themes/Default/images/MMAjunkieHdrLogo.jpg WEEKLY ROUND-UP APRIL - WEEK 3 (CONTINUED) ------------------------------------- Thursday LIGHTY, DEVELA ADVANCE IN ULTIMATE FIGHTER TOURNAMENTS The first matches of this year's Ultimate Fighter tournament have been and gone, with Scott Lighty and Cory Devela advancing in the tournament. Lighty defeated Lew Polley with a vicious KO, whilst Devela was taken the full 15 minutes by Prince McLean, but won by Unanimous Decision. Outside the tournament there was a big victory for Frank Edgar in the night's main event, as he showed his potential hasn't faded by defeating Sean Sherk by Unanimous Decision. There was also a win for Ultimate Fighter 8 runner-up Vinny Magalhaes over Razak Al-Hassan. ------------------------------------- Friday FABRICIO WERDUM RETURNS TO UFC, SET TO FIGHT IN TWO WEEKS After leaving the UFC due to a contract dispute, it seems Fabricio Werdum has put aside any differences he had about his valuation, and will go back to fight in the UFC's heavyweight division. And he won't be waiting long for a fight either, as the UFC have put him straight into action at the next Ultimate Fighter show against Eddie Sanchez. UFC 97 WEIGH-INS Everyone has made weight for UFC 97 in Montreal, which is becoming more and more commonplace, and thankfully there will be no alterations to the UFC rules for the event, particularly for Anderson Silva's title defence against Thales Leities. Here's the weigh-ins in card order: Preliminary Card Paulo Filho (185lbs) vs. Ed Herman (185lbs) Sam Stout (155lbs) vs. Roli Delgado (155lbs) Chris Leben (185lbs) vs. Hector Lombard (185lbs) Denis Kang (185lbs) vs. Ricardo Almeida (185lbs) Luis Arthur Cane (205lbs) vs. Steve Cantwell (205lbs) Main Card Roger Huerta (155lbs) vs. Matt Wiman (155lbs) Mike Swick (170lbs) vs. Brett Cooper (170lbs) Cheick Kongo (233lbs) vs. Alistair Overeem (225lbs) Chuck Liddell (205lbs) vs. Mauricio Rua (205lbs) Anderson Silva (185lbs) vs. Thales Leities (185lbs) ------------------------------------- ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2K Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 http://mikeresponts.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/ufc_logo.jpg UFC 97: REDEMPTION ------------------------------------- PRELIMINARY CARD http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3473/3285054595_e57f125bc0_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3452/3285873444_9cf40b1979_m.jpg Paulo Filho (16-1) vs. Ed Herman (14-7) Blurcat Prediction: Paulo Filho by Submission Round 1 The round begins with Herman taking the iniative, coming in quickly with a straight right and a leg kick. Filho replies with a snap jab and a wild left that misses by a long way. Herman goes for the takedown, but Filho sprawls. Herman tries to power through, but Filho uses that against him and turns it into a takedown of his own. They're quite close to the cage, which may help Herman defend this. Filho is in guard. He throws a couple of half-hearted jabs, then tries to pass, but Herman isn't allowing it. Herman pulls Filho in tight, locking up both his arms. Filho pulls free and again tries to pass guard. This has turned into a bit of a stalemate, the referee may be thinking of standing them up if nothing happens soon. Filho tries a big right hand, which Herman defends well. He has quite a high guard, Filho has to be wary not to fall into a triangle when leaning in like that. Herman once again drags Filho down into a clinch, and this time even tries to work a guillotine, but Filho easily deals with it and hands out two solid right hands to the ribs along the way. We're back to Filho trying to pass guard. Herman tries to throw a big punch and almost hands an armbar to Filho, but he realises the danger in time and manages to recover. The referee finally gets them back to their feet due to the lack of progress that has been made. Filho scores with a jab, then a second. Herman goes for a sweeping kick to the right knee, but it isn't fast enough and gives Filho enough time to take him down again. Filho quickly goes to pass guard, looking for side control, but Herman once again defends it. It looks like a frustrating round will end with them on the ground, and almost certainly has to go to Filho on points due to him being the aggressor and getting two takedowns in. That's the end of the round. Blurcat.com scores 10-9 Filho. Round 2 Herman starts fast, firing off several crisp jabs that keep Filho on the back foot. A solid left hits gloves, but it's really just a set-up for Herman to step in and use an uppercut. Not sure how much of it caught Filho, but certainly enough to to make him grab a clinch to stop any further punishment. Great start to the round from Herman, it has been total domination so far. The clinch is broken, and the two fighters exchange some long range jabs that are easily avoided. Filho is looking a little lost so far, Herman is controlling this round by virtue of his crisp accurate punches and higher aggression levels. Filho tries to back Herman up against the cage wall, but it comes to nothing. Herman leads with the left, then moves in and gets in a wicked right hand that grazes the cheek. Filho was fortunate there, if that had landed properly it would have been over. Filho 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 Filho is that although Herman clearly won the round, he didn't actually turn that dominance into any sort of real damage. That's the end of the round. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Herman. Round 3 The two fighters circle. Filho flicks out a couple of jabs, then an unconventinal looping right hand. Herman easily side-steps it, but trips and falls to the ground! He is up quickly, before Filho could get in. Replays confirm that it was purely a stumble, the punch was well wide of the mark. Herman 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, Filho is a little rattled. They struggle in the clinch, both throwing small punches to the back and ribs. The referee separates them. Filho forces Herman back up against the cage, and starts throwing jabs. He looks to be keeping Herman in position, waiting to unload a big punch. Filho does, lunging in with a huge right cross, but Herman saw it coming and goes underneath it, scoring with a right hand to the gut on the way past. Filho turns and tries to follow up immediately, but gets tagged with a wicked left hook that drops him to one knee. Filho is up quickly, causing Herman, who was about to dive in, to back off. Replays show that the punch connected, but Filho was already going downward to duck the punch, so it wasn't as powerful as first thought. Filho throws a high kick, but it doesn't do anything but cause Herman to step back. The time expires without anything further of note happening. End of round 3. Blurcat.com scores 10-9 Herman. Winner: Ed Herman by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Rating: * ------------------------------------- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3319/3285055009_eb1131dc31_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3520/3285055215_1e2f36bd11_m.jpg Sam Stout (13-5-1) vs. Roli Delgado (6-3-1) Blurcat Prediction: Sam Stout by TKO Round 1 Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Stout puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Delgado defended well. Straight right from Delgado in response, but it caught nothing but gloves. They start circling. The referee tells them to fight, the lack of action so far is worrying. They get in close and exchange body shots, Stout probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Delgado gets a nice kick in just before the time expires, but it's unlikely that is going to stop the judges giving that round to Stout. The 1st round ends. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Stout. Round 2 An exchange of jabs doesn't go anywhere. Stout fakes a kick, then darts in to score with a straight left before backing out fast to avoid a left-right combination from Delgado. They clinch, and Delgado winds up backed against the cage. A couple of minor blows get exchanged, but it's turned into a bit of a stalemate. Stout tries to push Delgado back, but can't. The referee waits a while, then separates them and gets them to resume. They clinch. Stout fires off a couple of right hands to the ribs, then ducks down and secures a leg. Delgado hops up and down, but can't prevent Stout from simply pushing forward and taking them to the ground. Delgado uses his free leg to wrap up a half guard, and manages to secure that to full guard pretty swiftly. Stout moves from the guard and gets side control. He is trying for the mount, but Delgado is defending it. There's a small lull as Stout continues to try and get the mount. There it is, Delgado finally couldn't stop it. Stout starts firing off punches, and Delgado has nowhere to go. A big elbow gets through. A right hand lands on the nose of Delgado. The referee is watching intently, I don't think he's going to let this go much longer unless Delgado can come up with some answers. Stout hits another big elbow. And another. The referee leaps in, it's over! Winner: Sam Stout by TKO (3:51, 2nd Round) Rating: ** ------------------------------------- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3302/3285055331_acf8cdbae2_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3506/3285874316_2635e4618d_m.jpg Chris Leben (18-5) vs. Hector Lombard (15-2-1) Blurcat Prediction: Chris Leben by KO Round 1 Leben throws two high punches, then steps in for a hook to the body. Nice combination, but Lombard defended with ease. They clinch up next to the cage, but a short struggle only ends with them separating and coming back in. The two fighters come together in the center. Leben leads with a left, but Lombard easily avoids it and comes in close to throw some body shots. It all gets a bit scrappy, but it ends with Lombard falling to the ground. Replays show that Leben did catch him with a jab, but it clearly did very little damage, Lombard had already stumbled while taking a step backward. Regardless of how it happened though, Lombard is down, and Leben is quick to rush in to capitalise. Lombard covers up, but Leben is raining down punches from the half mount position. At least two hard shots get through. Leben moves up into side control, briefly looks like he is considering trying to take an arm, then goes back to teeing off on Lombard's head with fists. Lombard tries to wriggle free, but isn't really getting anywhere because Leben is lying right across his upper body. Leben uses his legs to ensnare Lombard's right arm, and then starts firing off more and more punches. With only his left hand to try and block them, Lombard is taking more punches than he is blocking. The referee is looking very closely at this, unless Lombard does something dramatic pretty soon, I doubt this will go much longer. Leben stops to take a deep breath, then starts firing off another barrage. Lombard takes at least three hard shots to the face during the attack, and that's enough for the referee, he calls an end to the match. Winner: Chris Leben by TKO (1:11, 1st Round) Rating: * ------------------------------------- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3164/3285055829_201b96d158_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3238/3285055971_d3ef45a2f2_m.jpg Denis Kang (31-11-1) vs. Ricardo Almeida (9-3) Blurcat Prediction: Denis Kang by KO Round 1 Almeida works an angle and comes in from the side of Kang, getting two good jabs in before a ragged left misses by quite a margin. Kang hits a low kick to back Almeida against the cage, then works the body with a series of short punches. Almeida fights out and the action returns to the center. Almeida gets caught with a solid right hand out of nowhere, and is rocked. Kang follows up with another one, and Almeida looks in trouble all of a sudden. He is backed up against the cage and Kang is unloading. The punches are raining down, Almeida is covering up. The referee has seen enough and stops the fight, clearly feeling that Almeida was unable to defend himself intelligently. Kang wins. Kang wins via TKO at 2:32 of the first round. Winner: Denis Kang by TKO (2:32, 1st Round) Rating: ** ------------------------------------- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3186/3285056127_150eb15f61_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3218/3285874888_4ab5c8650a_m.jpg Luis Arthur Cane (9-1) vs. Steve Cantwell (7-1) Blurcat Prediction: Luis Arthur Cane by KO Round 1 Cane isn't hanging around, right from the start Cantwell is forced onto the back foot by four hard shots, although none of them get through the gloves. Cantwell circles, steps in, then unloads a combination of punches, but Cane weaves out of the way and scores with a beauty of a right hand, glancing above the right eye. That was some lovely counter punching from Cane, the timing had to be perfect and it was. Cantwell is looking a bit frustrated, and uncorks a ragged-looking uppercut that missed by several inches. Cane really should have taken advantage of that mistake, Cantwell was wide open for a moment there. Cane hits a high kick, catching Cantwell on the shoulder. Jab from Cantwell finds the mark, but it didn't have much power behind it as he was leaning backward too much. Cane fires off a couple of straight punches in response, but only finds gloves. They clinch, and the fight enters a lull. Cantwell scores with a knee from the clinch, it landed around the hip area of Cane, who responds with a couple of shots to the ribs. The time runs out with them still clinched though. The round is over. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Cane. Round 2 They circle to start, both throwing a few tentative jabs. An uppercut misses its mark from Cantwell, providing the first moment of real action. Cane hits a nice combination of body shots to set up a big right hook, but Cantwell side-stepped to safety. A few punches get thrown, but there's a lack of real action to talk about. Cane is being slightly the more aggressive, but neither fighter is really going for it. They come together again and exchange punches, but no big shots get through, and they end up clinched for a while. The referee separates them, but the time is ticking away and this round looks like it's going to the judges. The round is over. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Cane. Round 3 Cane hits some tentative punches, then comes in fast and forces Cantwell to back up against the cage, where they clinch. Cane hits a nice body shot, but takes two short punches to the side of the head in return. Cantwell tries a trip, but it doesn't go anywhere. They separate, with Cane having to stay sharp to avoid a scorching right hand from Cantwell. Cantwell hits a solid left, then a right. Cane felt both of them, and backs off a little. Cantwell charges right in to follow up though, and unleashes a powerful right hook, and Cane took it flush on the chin! Cantwell doesn't even bother following up on that, because Cane was out cold from the instant that that hit. Incredible punch. Winner: Steve Cantwell by KO (3:43, 3rd Round) Rating: ** ------------------------------------- MAIN CARD http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3523/3285056353_f560b7ef3f_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3441/3285056489_41210b263d_m.jpg Roger Huerta (20-2-1) vs. Matt Wiman (10-4) Blurcat Prediction: Roger Huerta by TKO Round 1 Huerta leads with the right hand to set up a low kick, Wiman 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. Wiman uses a knee to the ribs before backing Huerta up against the cage. Right hand from Huerta connects though, that was well timed. Wiman breaks the clinch and backs off. That was sloppy on his part, Huerta was basically gifted a free shot. Three quick jabs from Wiman sting the gloves, then a crashing hook to the body finds its mark. Good recovery. Huerta fires off a low kick again, but it's well wide. Wiman pushes Huerta up against the cage in a clinch. Wiman throws a knee, then a couple of short punches to the side of the head. Huerta pushes him away and steps in to score with an uppercut. Wiman took it flush on the chin and is rocked! Another right hand drops Wiman against the cage, and Huerta follows up by unloading with a barrage of punches. The referee gets in and pulls Huerta away, he wins the match by TKO. Official time of the TKO is 3:49 of the first round. Winner: Roger Huerta by TKO (3:49, 1st Round) Rating: ** ------------------------------------- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3501/3285056649_7c861999f0_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3387/3285057011_12d4c67e94_m.jpg Mike Swick (13-2) vs. Brett Cooper (8-4) Blurcat Prediction: Mike Swick by KO Round 1 They circle to start, both throwing a few tentative jabs. An uppercut misses its mark from Cooper, providing the first moment of real action. Swick hits a nice combination of body shots to set up a big right hook, but Cooper side-stepped to safety. A few punches get thrown, but there's a lack of real action to talk about. Swick is being slightly the more aggressive, but neither fighter is really going for it. They come together again and exchange punches, but no big shots get through, and they end up clinched for a while. The referee separates them, but the time is ticking away and this round looks like it's going to the judges. The 1st round ends. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Swick. Round 2 The fighters touch gloves, then circle. Swick throws a low kick, but it was without any conviction, it seemed designed more to keep Cooper from coming inside. Swick works an angle, then comes in with a one-two combination, Cooper responds with a crisp uppercut that wasn't far off from connecting. Swick backs off slightly, maybe a bit relieved not to have taken that one on the chin. Neither fighter appears to be looking for any sort of takedown or grapple, this is all about the striking. Cooper circles and throws a series of high jabs, but Swick blocked them with ease, using the gloves. Swick fakes a high kick, then storms in with a wild looking right hand and a series of body shots. Cooper covers up and rides out the storm, clinching to stop any further blows. It was a nice attack from Swick though, best action of the round. They stay clinched for a while, exchanging occasional punches to the ribs, then are separated by the referee. It looks like this round is going to the judges though, as there's only a few seconds remaining. Swick throws a leg kick that connects, albeit without too much force, and the round is done. That's the end of the round. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Swick. Round 3 They come together, both throwing punches. Swick gets a nice clean shot in, and Cooper stumbles backwards and falls to the floor. Swick is on top of him quickly, and unloads with two more big punches, both connect solidly. The referee jumps in and pulls him away before a third is thrown, this match is over by TKO. Replays show the referee may have been slightly early. Official time of the TKO is 0:22 of the third. Winner: Mike Swick by TKO (0:22, 3rd Round) Rating: * ------------------------------------- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3254/3285875878_4f97ded23c_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3627/3285057359_96f65c65e8_m.jpg Cheick Kongo (13-4-1) vs. Alistair Overeem (29-11) Blurcat Prediction: Alistair Overeem by Submission Round 1 Kongo hits some tentative punches, then comes in fast and forces Overeem to back up against the cage, where they clinch. Kongo hits a nice body shot, but takes two short punches to the side of the head in return. Overeem tries a trip, but it doesn't go anywhere. They separate, with Kongo having to stay sharp to avoid a scorching right hand from Overeem. Kongo makes Overeem back up against the cage by throwing some looping punches. He comes in closer and hits a right hook to the body, getting a jab to the cheek in return. Kongo throws another two punches, both to the body, then steps back to avoid an uppercut. Overeem lets fly with a scorching punch though, and it catches Kongo by surprise, putting him down! Overeem follows up and starts raining down right hands. Kongo covers up as best he can, but it's not enough as the referee pulls Overeem off, the match is over. Winner: Alistair Overeem (3:26, 1st Round) Rating: *** ------------------------------------- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3457/3285876106_5d483f1cfd_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3296/3285057619_020319831c_m.jpg Chuck Liddell (21-6) vs. Mauricio Rua (17-3) Blurcat Prediction: Mauricio Rua by KO Round 1 Liddell throws a straight right, batted away by Shogun. Liddell goes for a second, but gets beaten to the punch as Shogun scores with a kick that catches Liddell across the outside of the knee. Shogun throws another one, and this time it lands just above the same knee. Liddell backs off slightly. Shogun throws a high jab, then head-fakes and comes in with a left hook from low down. Liddell fires back with a crisp right hand that connects to the shoulder rather than the face. Shogun throws another fizzing low kick, again connecting with the knee. Liddell tried to check it, but couldn't in time. Those strikes are going to add up soon and start reducing his mobility. Shogun throws another kick, this time at chest-height, but it's merely a set-up to allow him to come in fast and start throwing a series of jabs. Liddell covers up, throwing occasional straight rights in return. Shogun backs off, but not before cracking another kick into the thigh region. Time is running down, Liddell has failed to deal with those kicks, and it has definitely cost him this round, and possibly done some damage to his knee. End of the round. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Shogun. Round 2 Shogun starts brightly, almost hunting Liddell down by stalking him around the ring. Liddell throws some jabs, but they don't have the range to hit. Shogun hits the first good strike, slicing a nasty-looking kick to the hip area. Liddell throws a left hook in response, but it is easily parried. Shogun hits another kick, this time to the calf of Liddell's front leg. The kicks that Shogun has been throwing are looking really good, they're sharp, accurate, and difficult to see coming. Liddell will need to figure out a counter, as currently he is being picked apart. Liddell moves in quickly and grabs a clinch. They struggle like that for a full minute, exchanging short, sharp blows, but without doing any real damage. The referee gets them to part. Liddell tags Shogun with a straight left. Shogun ducks a second one, hits a jab, then whips out a quick kick that hits perfectly to the inside of the knee of the front leg. The leg buckles, and Liddell is down to one knee briefly, but quickly up before Shogun can take his head off with another kick. Liddell is limping slightly, that kick was beautifully judged. Liddell throws a couple of big right hands, but they're easily avoided. Shogun starts working angle to throw more low kicks, Liddell is keeping away from them. Shogun seems content not to push the action too much, he looks a bit tired from throwing all those kicks. The round ends without further major action. End of round 2. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Shogun. Round 3 The round begins, and it is Liddell who starts better, energetically bounding straight into action by throwing a three-punch combination and a scything leg kick. Shogun defended all four blows well, but is forced to be on the backfoot right from the word go. Liddell works for an angle, coming in from the left hand side with a high right hand. Shogun ducks under it and nestles a stiff jab in the solar plexus. It doesn't seem to slow Liddell down much though, as he swiftly turns and hits a crisp left to the side of the head, followed almost instantly by a mid-level kick that smacks above the hip of Shogun. Interesting first minute of action, Liddell is looking particularly sharp. Shogun tries to turn the momentum by advancing quickly and driving Liddell back against the cage with a series of jabs and hooks, and they end up clinched. Shogun tries a knee from that position, but it is blocked. Liddell scores with two sharp blows to the ribs, and then they break away from each other. Shogun glances at the referee, not sure why. They square up to each other in the center. Liddell throws a head fake and comes in from low down to hit a rising shot that catches Shogun on the side of the head. Shogun got a shot in too though, although it hit the shoulder rather than the head. Time is running down; Liddell has probably done enough to win the round, but it has turned quite scrappy since the clinch against the cage, both will probably be slightly unhappy with that. Shogun tries a late surge, coming in hard and fast with a leading left, but Liddell defends it well and scores the only meaningful shot of the exchange with a crisp left hand. The round is over. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Liddell. The official scores are: 29-28 (twice), 30-27 for Mauricio Rua. Winner: Mauricio Rua by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28) Rating: **** ------------------------------------- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3234/3285057775_c2ee2cc7fb_m.jpg vs. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3386/3285876716_464412e96d_m.jpg UFC MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE MATCH Anderson Silva (23-4) vs. Thales Leities (14-1) Blurcat Prediction: Anderson Silva by TKO Round 1 Leites throws the first punch of the round, a high searching jab that didn't carry a great deal of threat with it. Silva throws a one-two combination in return, neither connecting, then steps in and delivers a hard kick to the outside of the thigh. Leites 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. Silva hits a knee to the ribs. A couple of shots to the back from Leites. They struggle all the way back, with Leites ending up backed up against the cage. Silva hits another knee, but there wasn't much power behind it. Leites stomps downward onto his foot. Leites manages to reverse their positions, but that only lasts about thirty seconds before it gets reversed once more. Silva gets an arm free and tries to throw a big shot to the cheek, Leites ducks under it and gets the arm back under control. The referee finally breaks them up, and we're back to where we started. Leites tries a high kick to start, but Silva saw it coming and easily avoids it. They come back together in the center, and it's Silva who gets the first sustained attack of the round, hitting two hard body shots and a jab that caught Leites on the nose. Leites hits a straight right, enough to stop Silva 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 the round. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Silva. Round 2 Leites tries to work an angle from the start, but is kept back by some sharp kicks, one landing painfully across the outside of the calf. Silva steps in and throws some punches, landing a crisp jab to the shoulder. Leites lands a jab of his own, but gets hit with a vicious waist-high kick when stepping in to follow up. Good tactics so far from Silva, he is basically controlling the tempo and positioning of this fight through intelligent use of sharp, accurate kicks. Leites comes in fast, faking left then going right, and gets close enough to throw some body blows. Silva gets in a right hand of his own, then a beauty of a high kick. It lands right on the ear, causing Leites to back off quickly. If that had had more power, it might well have scored a knock out. The round is almost over. Silva has controlled this one, Leites is finding it very difficult to find a way around those kicks. The second round is over. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Silva. Round 3 Leites throws a straight right, batted away by Silva. Leites goes for a second, but gets beaten to the punch as Silva scores with a kick that catches Leites across the outside of the knee. Silva throws another one, and this time it lands just above the same knee. Leites backs off slightly. Silva throws a high jab, then head-fakes and comes in with a left hook from low down. Leites fires back with a crisp right hand that connects to the shoulder rather than the face. Silva throws another fizzing low kick, again connecting with the knee. Leites tried to check it, but couldn't in time. Those strikes are going to add up soon and start reducing his mobility. Silva throws another kick, this time at chest-height, but it's merely a set-up to allow him to come in fast and start throwing a series of jabs. Leites covers up, throwing occasional straight rights in return. Silva backs off, but not before cracking another kick into the thigh region. Time is running down, Leites has failed to deal with those kicks, and it has definitely cost him this round, and possibly done some damage to his knee. The round is over. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Silva. Round 4 Slow start; nearly a full minute of circling, occasional fakes, and long-range jabs. Neither fighter is creating much. Silva works an angle, but takes a low kick to the shin when he advances. They clinch, and end up with Leites backed up against the cage. Silva gets a couple of right hands to the body, but his attempts at knee strikes are deflected by Leites, who uses his legs well to defend. Silva pulls free and takes a step back, then powers in a right hand. Leites gets out the way, ducks under a second right hand, and backs up to the center. Silva follows, and we're back to circling. Uninspiring action so far, they've both been fairly devoid of inspiration. Silva hits a couple of right hands, both hitting gloves, then a left hand to the body that connected. That was the best shot of the round so far. Leites tags him with a flicked jab to the cheek, but it had virtually no power on it. Leites leans in to a looping left, but it puts him off balance and it's only at the last second that he gets his chin out of the way of a vicious right cross that comes back. If that had hit, we may have had a knock out. Time runs out with them standing, circling again. The fourth round is over. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Silva. Round 5 Silva starts with a high kick, but Leites was well out of range. Leites gets pinned against the cage, and the referee eventually has to separate them. Silva steps in and exchanges strikes with Leites, neither fighter gets a particular advantage from it. Leites parries away a nice right hand and gets in a crisp counter punch that catches Silva 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. Silva finally shows some fire, putting together a combination of two jabs, a cross, and an uppercut. Leites 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 Silva blocked them. Silva scores the best punch of the round so far, coming in fast, ducking under a dangerous right hand, and catching Leites square in the face with a lunging overhand right. Leites backs off and covers up, clearly having felt that one, and unfortunately Silva's attempts to follow up and thwarted as he gets tied up in a clinch near the cage. The time expires, with Silva probably having stolen that round thanks to that one big punch. End of the round. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Silva. Winner and still UFC Middleweight Champion: Anderson Silva by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) Rating: ** ------------------------------------- UFC 97: REDEMPTION DETAILS Attendance: 3,876 Fight of the Night: Chuck Liddell vs. Mauricio Rua KO of the Night: Steve Cantwell Highest Earner: Chuck Liddell - $250,000 Gate Receipts: $1,178,240 PPV Revenue: $29,492,100 Fighter Costs: $1,289,400 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2K Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 http://blogs.chron.com/fighting/3647-UltimateFighterLogo.jpg ULTIMATE FIGHTER WEEK 2 CARD ANNOUNCED In addition to two more matches in the Ultimate Fighter tournaments, the next Ultimate Fighter show will see Marcus Davis take on newcomer Ryan Ford in the main event. Davis is currently in the form of his life, winning 8 of his last 9 fights in the Octagon, and beginning to prove himself a strong contender in the Welterweight division. Ford on the other hand is making his UFC debut after joining them a month ago, and is coming off a title victory in the PFC over Dan Hornbuckle. As previously announced, Fabricio Werdum will make his return to the octagon to fight Eddie Sanchez. Also on the card is Spencer Fisher, returning to action against Swedish fighter David Bielkheden. The full card is below: Marcus Davis vs. Ryan Ford Spencer Fisher vs. David Bielkheden Ultimate Fighter Middleweight Tournament Match Andrew Riddles vs. Chris Price Fabricio Werdum vs. Eddie Sanchez Ultimate Fighter Light Heavyweight Tournament Match Aaron Rosa vs. Jeremy Freitag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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