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By Wade Keller, Torch editor -The first fight didn't start until 15 minutes into the show. That's pushing it for introductory material. There's no shortage of fights they could have put on the show to fill that time. I'm all for setting the stage, but maybe three minutes of intro, then a fight, then more scene-setting afterward, would work better for grabbing the audience.
NATE DIAZ VS. JOE STEVENSON
-Joe Stevenson said he wants to prove to everyone how much better he's gotten so he can earn another title shot. Then he walked right into a near guillotine in the opening seconds. That would have sucked for him. He recovered nicely by returning the favor at 3:00. Impressive that Nate slipped out.
-Fun first round with some potential submissions and technical squirming around on the mat. Stevenson got the best of Nate on points.
-Dana White wrote on his Twitter page: "Great first round - groundfighting at its best."
-Glad to see extended corner conversations on this show. They didn't break for commercial after the first round. If that's one of the benefits of the late start, with commercials at the front-end, I'll take that trade. It helps to have DirecTV sponsoring the corner chats between rounds. The censors have to be near the mute buttons, though. Nothing mind-bending in the corner conversations.
-Interesting to hear Joe Rogan acknowledge Nate's brother Nick's recent wins over Frank Shamrock and Scott Smith in non-UFC fights. That's great free publicity for not just Nate, whom he put over as a top ten pound-for-pound fighter - extremely high praise - but also Frank and Scott whose names were heard by people here than they have been on Showtime.
-No corner conversations after the second round. Instead, the "ironic" Burger King commercials, given that the food there isn't the first thing you think of when you imagine what makes a great MMA fighter.
-Nice fight. Not the type that pleases a certain percentage of casual MMA fans, but a great technical battle. By they got back to their feet with a minute left, neither had enough on their punches to do any damage.
-Stevenson won 29-28, 29-28, 29-28. Stevenson deserved the fight, but really not much was learned or solved between them as it was a virtual stalemate. Stevenson simply had more "Octagon control," but Nate wasn't in any more trouble than Stevenson. I'm not sure what round Stevenson lost.
-My star rating (**+). A little too one dimensional to go higher, but it's close to the three-star range. (We do star ratings merely as a shorthand way to express how much we recommend you go out of your way to see the fight based on excitement, technique displayed, and historical significance.)
ANDRE WINNER VS. NATE PEARSON
-At the end of a close round, Winner scored with a couple rapid punches and a knee to try to get that scoring edge. Pearson fired back at the horn, but that might have been enough to give Winner the round in the eyes of the judges.
-The showed Michael Bisping in the front row. Rogan put him over as being a great coach who brought a sense of camaraderie on the UK team.
-Things picked up about four minutes into round two briefly, but then settled back into a stalemate. I hate to say this, because the technique on display was strong, but if you're time is limited and you DVR'd this, you could skip the first hour of the show and not miss anything exciting.
-Between rounds two and three, Winner's corner told his corner he was dominant, while Pearson's corner said he had to win the third round.
-Better stand-up pace in round three, but no real damage until about minute left where they each landed shots, more from Pearson, but good answers by Winner. Pearson hit a strong knee to the body and elbow to the side of the head just before the horn. Then Winner bent over as Pearson celebrated, an influential final image for judge's on the fence about the fight.
-Pearson and Winner both seemed to know who won that fight - and deserved to win - based on body language as Bruce Buffer began the announcement. It was the right call, in my opinion, but damn close. My star rating (**). Too much clinching, but with the flurries of punches, especially late in each round, it deserves two stars and was a solid fight, but not must-see by any means for the majority of MMA fans.
-Dana White didn't have much to say about that fight on Twitter. He just called it close.
KEVIN BURNS VS. CHRIS LYTLE
-Big reach advantage for burns - six inches. Rogan pointed out Lytle's experience advantage, 57 fights to 10.
-Rogan kept plugging Dana White's Twitter page. Does he really need to clarify it's a "forward slash." Is there anyone who doesn't know which slash to use in URLs at this point? Why not throw in "http://www." while you're at, Mike, just in case someone who dropped onto Earth yesterday is listening?
-All stand-up mid-ring fighting, but by 3:30 some loud fans were getting restless at the pace of that.
-Burns dominated the last 90 seconds of that fight with that reach advantage playing a big part. Not enough to make it 10-8, but it was getting there when the horn sounded. When the official asked if he could continue, he said he was fine, adding, "No problem, bro."
-Great start to round two by the experienced Lytle. That's experience paying off, knowing how to start a second round after a bad ending to a first round. Get that early advantage on the judge's scorecard and make Burns "fight from behind" to regain what he can of a psychological edge. Burns came back with enough points to nearly even it out.
-Burns hit a third low kick late in the second round, but no point taken off.
-Third round got bloody with a great punch by Lytle after catching his leg kick and throwing a strong right. Rogan referred to the prelim fight in Germany last week that left the Octagon covered with blood stains starting with the first PPV fight.
-An exhausted Burns showed great fighting spirit, but every time he attempted to keep things close, Lytle just countered with enough to keep the round clear with the judges.
-Great embrace between Lytle and Burns after the final horn. Goldberg asked, "How good was that?" Rogan praised the fight, predicting it'd be Fight of the Night. They were starting to overhype what this was. Goldberg has to watch that he doesn't overstate how good a fight is because then it seems like he's either (a) shilling at the expense of his credibility and trust with viewers he'll be honest with them or (b) he's a bad judge of what a great fight is.
-Lytle wins 29-28 on all three scorecards. No surprise. Right call. My star ratings (***). Pretty much the definition of a three-star very good, but not great, fight. The blood, the accelerated pace, the drama of one fighter turning around a deficit with a spirited second round, and a clear attempt by both fighters to do what they could to win and not just survive.
INSIDE THE OCTAGON WITH DANA WHITE
-Dana announced he's looking to match Anderson Silva against Vitor Belfort after the Forrest Griffin fight. "If his head is right, that's a dangerous, dangerous fight," he said. Regarding Anderson Silva vs. GSP, he said GSP has to get past Thiago Alves first. "You have to clean out a division before you begin talking about Super Fights." Good newsy segment. Belfort will sell tickets with longtime MMA fans, but there will rightfully be skeptics of his deserving this. I was very disappointed back when UFC debuted in Las Vegas in September 2001 and I flew out to cover it and Vitor no-showed the main event against Tito Ortiz. That was the night of draws when UFC had just gotten back on PPV with a high clearance in the country. In talking to Dana afterward, he told me he was as bummed out at the end as he was pumped up at the start of the night. I'll never forget his body language backstage after that huge letdown of a show, especially considering it had Matt Serra, Din Thomas, Chuck Liddell, and Dennis Hallman on the show. Everyone was so down because there was no assurance at that point UFC would survive. Jens Pulver was apologizing afterward while also trying to defend the effort of the fighters. My how things have changed since then.
ROGAN INTERVIEWS LESNAR
-The interview took place via satellite with Lesnar in Alexandria, Minn. Rogan complimented a tiny goatee Brock Lesnar is growing. Lesnar said he's winding down his training camp and getting excited about the rematch. He said Lesnar got lucky the first time but he won't a second time. Rogan asked him if it's a fair assessment to say he's "learning on the job" as champion. Lesnar said he tries to stay humble and his training partners make sure of it. He says he just thanks God every day he stays healthy and learns every day. Lesnar was then presented with his golden "Mantlers" trophy on Spike TV. He couldn't attend the ceremony because his wife at the time was nine months pregnant. He cracked himself up when he said the world's most dangerous man is now changing the world's most dangerous diapers. He thanked the fans for their support and didn't come across as if he was trying to heel it up for the UFC 100 hype.
-A commercial for The Ultimate Fighter 10 centered solely around Rampage and Rashad as coaches and Kimbo as a contestant.
DAMARQUES JOHNSON VS. JAMES "LIGHTNING" WILKS
-Nice video package on both fighters before the fight. What was missing, though, was a recap of their journey on The Ultimate Fighter, especially their personal interaction. How many fights does UFC get to feature where the opponents lived together and irritated each other - with footage?
-Wilks startled Johnson early. Johnson came back, but a rough minute or two followed as he fended off some dangerous looking leg submission attempts. As vulnerable as Johnson looked, he was resilient in escaping. Then came a nasty looking armbar attempt. Wow. That was MMA matwork drama at a high level.
-The first round tapout with just ten seconds left after being dominated may lend credence to DaMarques not looking dominant against inferior competition on TUF on his way to the finals.
-Takeaway: Ten seconds can feel like a lifetime. So tap to live another day.
-I was curious how Johnson would respond to the loss, but after regaining his senses and soaking up what happened, he stood and hugged Wilks with an appreciative smile on his face for the outstanding performance Wilks put in. After a commercial break, Johnson applauded during Buffer's entire decision announcement, a real classy show of respect.
-In the post-fight interview, Rogan said he beat a real favorite. Wilks said it's the best moment of his life.
-Dana White's Tweet assessment: "Wow - James Wilks is spectacular in submitting DaMarques Johnson in the first round to win the TUF9 welterweight title." Not a ton of insight, but tough to get that in 140 characters or less.
-My star rating (***). Really, really entertaining first round with a decisive tapout.
DIEGO SANCHEZ VS. CLAY GUIDA
-Great pre-fight moments, from Rogan and Goldberg talking about Diego being a Tony Robbins disciple to the intense staredown between Diego and Guido outside the cage during ring intros to them yelling at each other as Diego ran around the ring and three security members stood in front of Guida. Was that the greatest mid-ring staredown ever? It was up there, both giving Rampage a run for his money.
-What a spectacularly intense opening minute. Can we give five stars to segments of fights? That was everything the build-up promised it'd be. Some fighters talk big and don't deliver, but both delivered on the hype with that intensity and will to win.
-Rogan said Sanchez's striking has improved tremendously. Uh, yeah. Guida's chin and resilience was amazing, too. This is what people tune in to watch MMA for. A great mix of spirited stand-up and meaninful takedowns and ground techniques by both.
-Great look by Diego at Guida as the horn sounded to end the first round. It said: "You respect me now, mother f---er?" Is that 10-8, or does Guida's ability to survive and continue to fight back secure 9?
-I know UFC Is a business and Spike TV is not PBS, but damn if I didn't want them to cancel that commercial break so we could hear the corner discussions. Goldberg said Guida was clapping on his way to the corner after the round, ready for more and not looking defeated at all. That's the type of move that can switch a judge's scorecard from 10-8 to 10-9. So much of this sport is playing to the psychology of the subjective aspect of the judges and their scorecards.
-Diego's elbows from underneath were awesome. Great example by Rogan to bring up Bas Rutten winning a heavyweight title from Kevin Randleman by throwing elbows from underneath just as Diego did.
-Unless first round was 10-8, this third round begins as a tie. Guida won the last round, but Diego's elbows from underneath made it closer than it otherwise looked.
-Diego really had a sense of Guida's reach by the third round and managed to duck and avoid most of Guida's offense. A loud "Guida" chant broke out at 3:00 of the final round.
-Nobody likes draws, but if a fight ever could avoid being considered disappointing if called a draw, this was it. Guida showed insane heart and skill and resilience. Diego's ability to fight from his back effectively should neutralize a lot of what would otherwise have been seen as an advantage by Guida on the judges' scorecards.
-29-28 Guida, 29-27 Sanchez, and 29-28 Sanchez. Decision for Diego. My star rating (****+). Those don't get given out very much, but it had everything you could want short of it being for a title and five rounds. Too bad they had to rush Guida's post-fight interview and cut the announcers' post-fight analysis, but with a Rogan comedy special starting at the top of the hour, it was excusable. At least we did get post-fight interviews. Obviously they would have run over if they had to had DaMarquez vs. Wilks also gone long, but since they were able to start Rogan on time, they did it.
QUOTEBOOK
Mike Goldberg after Joe Rogan told him he's on Twitter: "Then I'm going there because you are my idol."
Joe Rogan: "I used to Twitter results of the prelims and people got mad."
Joe Rogan: "His brother, Nick Diaz, is one of the very fighters in the world, in my opinion a top ten pound-for-pound fighters in the world."
Joe Rogan, after Mike Goldberg had trouble differentiating between the matching trunks or Pearson and Winner: "One's a white guy, one's not!"
Joe Rogan: "You gotta love that these guys speak English but you still need... [10 second pause] subtitles. I just couldn't fine the word."
Joe Rogan on UFC 100: "That is a sick card right there."
Chris Lytle: "What I'd like is to get the Fight of the Night as well as the bonus for the Knockout of the Night."
Joe Rogan: "In the sack... Let's look at another ball shot. Here you go ladies and gentleman. Yes, yes, feel it at home? I've gotten numb to those. I used to strain."
Dana White on Chuck Liddell's future: "I'm not his father. He do whatever the hell he wants to do. I'm his friend, and I care about him a lot and I'd really like to see him never fight again."
Brock Lesnar: "I don't like to lose, and I don't do it often."
Brock Lesnar: "Now the world's most dangerous man is changing the world's most dangerous diapers."
DaMarques Johnson: "Every single fight I've ever been in, you always come out a different person."
DaMarques Johnson: "There's just really, really pure about fighting. There's something about the actual act of fighting that just does it for me. It makes my soul happy."
James Wilks: "This is the best moment of my life."
Diego Sanchez: "He doesn't respect what I've done in the past in the Octagon. That's going to hurt him bad because I am ready."
Diego Sanchez: "There's the familiar 'Yes!' He's a big Tony Robbins guy."
Joe Rogan: "That's one of the things that people on the Underground Forum make fun of all the time. He gets so fired up and wants to be so positive. He wants to put himself in what he believes is the peak performance mind-state. He is a disciple of Tony Robbins and Tony Robbins' style of thinking."
Clay Guida: "My house!"
Joe Rogan on Guide and Sanchez: "You couldn't ask for two more psychotic dudes to fight each other!"
Joe Rogan: "What a first round. My God."
Joe Rogan on Guida: "He fights like a wild chimpanzee. The only thing he doesn't do is bite your fingers off. He's a wildman."
Joe Rogan on Diego: "He's a very unusual dude, to put it mildly."
Diego Sanchez: "I have a couple questions for you. Are you not entertained?!"
Joe Rogan in response: "If you're not entertained by that, you're dead."
Diego Sanchez on Guida: "He's a machine. He's an animal."
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