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By Wade Keller, MMATorch Supervising Editor
KELLER'S UFC 126 BLOG
FEBRUARY 5, 2011
LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS, NEV. AT MANDALAY BAY
AIRED ON PAY-PER-VIEW
[A note for iPhone App users: A big update has been submitted, our biggest functional update yet, including video capabilities, links that work, and upgraded graphic resolution. Also a major bug fix with no more missing words or premature line breaks and the crashing issue should be resolved as we move to a new advertising partnership which should be great for us in the long-run. Also, some Facebook integration. If all goes well, the upgrade should be cleared by Apple within days. For Android users, the crashing issue is fixed on our latest update, so be sure to accept the update.]
LIVE SPIKE TV PRELIMS
-Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan introduced the show and spent a few minutes hyping the big three matches on the PPV. Rogan said Vitor Belfort is Anderson Silva's toughest match-up yet.
A - CHAD MENDES vs. MICHIHIRO OMIGAWA
Omigawa took a lot more punishment in this one, especially the last two rounds. When it was over, he was on his back and he just pounded the mat in acknowledgment of his frustration with clearly losing on points.
DECISION: Mendes 30-27, 30-27, 30-27.
STAR RATING (**+): Mendes landed enough strikes to keep things interesting throughout.
B -- KYLE KINGSBURY vs. RICARDO ROMERO
Kingbury destroyed Romero, perhaps breaking one of his ribs early. Then he landed a destructive left hook. As he pounded him with rapid-fire rights, Romero cowered and didn't defend himself and the ref stepped in quickly.
WINNER: Kingsbury in 0:21.
STAR RATING (**-): Not a lot to it, but a memorable decisive win.
-Afterward Kingsbury said it was a privilege to finally get to talk to Joe Rogan after a fight. "It's a privilege," he said. We got to hear a fighter use the phrase "shoot my wad," which he said was something Rogan warned about doing, but he felt it was worth going for the kill even at that risk.
C -- DONALD CERRONE vs. PAUL KELLY
Cerrone moved in for a glove touch, Kelly swung, so Cerrone went for a takedown, but Kelly applied a guillotine. Rogan called it a sucker punch by Kelly. Kelly bled heavily from near his right eye at the end of the round. Rogan commented after the first round that it was unsportsmanlike conduct on Kelly's part. Late in round two, minutes after Rogan said Cerrone seemed a half-step off from usual got a tapout win. Kelly gave up his back after being pummeled in a full mount, then got choked out. Kelly and Cerrone hugged afterward. Goldberg got in his first "classy" reference, saying both fighters were classy. It's the unofficial drinking game - taking a shot every time Goldberg says "class" or "classy."
WINNER: Cerrone via tappet in round two.
STAR RATING (**+):
-Kelly jumped into the post-fight interview when Rogan brought up to Cerrone the unsportsmanlike conduct by Kelly early. Kelly defended himself, but with a heavy enough English accent I couldn't figure out what he said. Rogan said, "You know I love you." It seemed water under the bridge with the fighters and Rogan at this point.
-Goldberg shifted to pushing the PPV. He ad Rogan talked about the emotional staredown between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort where Silva put a mask on his face and shoved it in Vitor's face. They exchanged heated words in Portuguese. They cut backstage to a relaxed Silva laughing at the replay of his antics during the weigh-in. Rogan talked up the fight as the most anticipated in Middlweight history. Probably so, although Silva's title shot against Rich Franklin was right up there.
-They showed Forrest and Franklin backstage. Rogan continued to say that he thinks Franklin is better at light-heavyweight, not having to cut so much weight. He called it a fan-friendly weigh-in.
-Rogan said Jon Jones has that "weird it-factor." He said Ryan Bader has it, too. They cut to the weight-in footage of their staredown.
-Rogan then interviewed Dana White. Rogan said he hasn't been able to sleep, he's just been walking around his house staring at walls and pacing in anticipation of Belfort vs. Silva. White said Vitor needs to go after Silva and earn his respect quickly. Rogan said Silva should challenge Vitor's conditioning. He said stylistically it could be the best middleweight fight in UFC history. Highlight video clips aired of Vitor, and it's pretty spectacular. Dana wondered which Vitor would show up mentally tonight. White said the winner of Jones-Bader gets right into the title picture.
LIVE PAY-PER-VIEW
-Goldberg and Rogan talked up the main events and then explained the rules.
1 -- MIGUEL ANGEL TORRES vs. ANTONIO BANUELOS
ROUND ONE: Tentative first round with a quiet crowd that eventually booed during the closing minutes. The boos got loud, to the point that Rogan acknowledged it. Banuelos's corner told him that he gave Torres that round. Yeah, by getting hit and not landing any himself. Goldberg plugged "Penn vs. Fitch" on PPV mid-round.
ROUND TWO: The crowd got restless again two minutes into this. Goldberg plugged the UFC Magazine mid-round. Rogan said he was disappointed with Torres's effort here in his UFC debut. Problem is, Banuelos is handing Torres the fight by not having an answer to Torres edging him on points scored striking, so Torres is fighting a smart fight strategy in that respect. In the closing seconds Banuelos finally connected with one or two punches that Torres felt. Still, round to Torres easily. Torres's corner said he was frustrating Banuelos. The reach advantage for Torres is the defining stat in this fight.
ROUND THREE: Rogan said he'd like to see Torres push to close the fight, and he'd like to see Banuelos work to do what he did late in round two more often with good counter punches after closing the distance. Rogan said this isn't just about winning, this is about making a statement in front of his biggest audience ever in his UFC debut. He said Banuelos doesn't seem motivated to do what it takes to win now that his approach the first 2.5 rounds didn't work. Banuelos turned it up the final 20 seconds in one of those flurries that should have come at the start of the round, or even mid-second-round. He scored with a spinning sidekick and closed the gap with punches. When the horn sounded, he let out his frustration verbally including a "faahhhhkkk!" More boos from the fans.
WINNER: Torres 30-27, 30-27, 30-27.
STAR RATING (*+): Disappointing first performance from Torres in the sense that nobody's going to pay specifically to see him fight again based on that performance alone. He did win, though, and there is always something to be said for that.
-Rogan interviewed Torres, asking how he'd rate his performance. Torres said he fought his gameplan. He said Banuelos is very dangerous on the inside, so he dictated the fight by staying on the outside. He said he knew he broke Banuelos's nose. He said Banuelos is very tough and he didn't want to commit to much and put himself at risk. He seemed very satisfied winning even if the crowd wasn't thrilled.
-They showed Silva and Belfort each arriving at the arena. Then they aired a commercial for UFC 127.
2 -- JAKE ELLENBERGER vs. CARLOS EDUARDO ROCHA
ROUND ONE: Ellenberger landed a left, but then Rocha locked him up. At 1:00 they were back to stand-up. Rogan stressed that Rocha's stand-up isn't at Ellenberger's level. Before he could finish that sentence, Rocha took Ellenberg down and floated over him effortlessly, looking for a submission opportunity. At 2:30 he got his back. ellenerg flipped back onto his back, but Rocha continued to score points with ground dominance. The crowd popped as Ellenberger popped free at 4:00. He landed a knee. Rocha went for a spinning backlist, missed, and then kept spinning and landed a roundkick. He slipped and fell. With 23 seconds left he grabbed Ellenberger's arm and flipped him over and tried to submit him, but the clock was his enemy. Great round. That goes to Rocha, the underdog.
ROUND TWO: Ellenberger hurt Rocha with some knees early, then took him down. Rocha turtled up briefly, but then ended up back on his feet. Rogan wondered if Ellenberger came into the fight overconfident. Rogan said this challenge for Ellenberger is only good for his career since he's only 25 and has a huge future no matter what happens in this fight. Rocha worked off his back in the closing seconds after Ellenberger took him down. Again, the clock was Ellenberger's friend. Ellenberger edges Rocha on points there.
ROUND THREE: A not-much-happening third round, but a few landed strikes and a late round takedown solidified it on points for Ellenberger as long as Ellenberger could fend of Rocha's submission attempts from underneath. He did, so he ekes out an apparent win on points. Rocha felt good enough, though, to raise his arms at the horn to play the judges. Rogan said this was a no-lose for Rocha and he put in a good showing as a heavy underdog in only his second UFC fight. Rocha continued to play to the judges as one of his cornermen carried him around the ring with his arms raised.
WINNER: Ellenberger 30-27 Rocha, 29-28 Ellenberger, and 29-28 Ellenberger.
STAR RATING (**+): The first two rounds were in the three star range, but the last round wasn't much of climax to the fight. The judge who gave Rocha all three rounds must've respected Rocha's submission work and didn't consider it a negative for someone who can dominate underneath to be taken down. There is something to be said for not penalizing someone for being taken down onto his back when those were the instances in the fight when he had the best chance to win. Still, though, I had it at 29-28. Rogan wanted to know which judge saw it 30-27.
3 -- JON JONES vs. RYAN BADER -- Light-Heavyweight Fight
PRE-FIGHT: Rogan acknowledged that many people are writing off Bader in this fight. Jones said he's not looking past Bader. To me, when someone says they're "not looking past someone," that's a potential sign of overconfidence that the even think they have to say that in the first place. This is not a big enough mismatch to warrant saying that, no matter how impressive Jones has been. Goldberg said Bader believes he can beat Jones. Rogan said, "But can he? That why this is so exciting." That's why they fight. We're about to find out. During his walk to the ring, Rogan said Jones looks more nervous than he's ever seen him before. He said the pressure is on Jones as the favorite in this fight. Jones cartwheeled as soon as he entered the Octagon. Rogan said Jones has "bucketsful" of that "it-factor." A 10.5 inch reach advantage for Jones. Jones is 23, Bader is 27. The rest equal. During ref instructions mkd-ring, neither fighter looked at the other, both looking down and to the side. They ddi tap gloves, with Bader offering them first.
ROUND ONE: Bader got Jones in a very early guillotine attempt, but Jones got side control, three a knee, and broke free. He then got a norht-south advantage and went for a chokeout from there. Bader looked to be wincing and fading a little, but put up a fight. Bader looked for breathing space, but couldn't find it. He held on, but had nowhere to go with 3:15 left. He could only hope for Jones to gas out. Jones released and went back to side mount. Good early fight drama there. Bader is learning quickly that Jones is something special. Back to their feet exactly mid-round. Definitely some pro-Bader fans being vocal early - maybe looking for a nice payoff to an underdog bet? Rogan said he's never seen Jones tired in a competitive long fight. A loud "Bader! Bader!" chant began. He shot in for a takedown, but Jones stuffed it. Rogan said Jones looks much stronger than Bader than he thought. Jones literally leapfrogged Bader as both were standing and got control of him from behind, then got side control again. Jones is so inventive and athletic. Bader covered up in the closing seconds as Jones wound up and swung at him the horn. Bader stood up looking like he realized it was the roughest round of his career. Bader's corner told him, "Put your f---ing hands on him!"
ROUND TWO: All standing the first four minutes of the round. Both fighter might have been slightly winded and even tentative, although Jones landed some strikes including a nice leg kick mid-round. Jones went for a Darce Choke late in the round after Bader dropped down. Jones then shifted to a guillotine and forced a tappet late in the round.
WINNER: Jones via tappet at 4:22 of round two.
STAR RATING (***-): Very fun first round. Second round a little more tentative, but a convincing finish. Impressive win for Jones. That ends Bader's undefeated streak.
POST-FIGHT: Jones said he's hungry and going for it and has the utmost confidence in himself. Rogan then broke the news to Jones live on PPV that Rashad Evans was injured and UFC wants to give Jones his title shot against Mauricio Rua. Jones let out as wide a smile as you'll see and dropped to his knees in celebration. Rua entered the ring and shook hands with Jones. Rua said he is a professional fighter and he'll take on all challengers, no problem. That was a cool television moment.
-The showed Donovan McNabb in the front row.
-Goldberg hyped upcoming UFC fights.
4 -- RICH FRANKLIN vs. FORREST GRIFFIN -- Light-Heavyweight Fight
PRE-FIGHT: Rogan said Franklin is a new phase of his career, out of the middleweight division and no longer cutting weight, and at age 36, he seems to be getting better.
ROUND ONE: After a slip early Forrest pounced on Franklin, who did his signature "staring off into space" and fighting on "feel." It's almost like the fight is getting in the way of him watching a movie on a screen off in the distance. A "Forrest" chant rang out early at 1:15. Rogan said Griffin is probably around 225 and really cut weight to get 205. He said Forrest looks like a heavyweight walking around between fights. He said this size difference is part of what caused Franklin to cut to 185. How different would Franklin's remaining career be if they open a 195 division? Franklin had no answer for Griffin's size-advantage as the entire round took place with Franklin defending from underneath. He didn't take a ton of damage, as he avoided most of what Griffin threw at him, but still a decisive win for Griffin on points. Franklin's corner told him to keep Forrest far enough away to avoid takedowns. They told him that Forrest is tired from that round and that will work to his advantage. Rogan said he's not buying at all that Forrest is tired, as he's got great card. He said Randy Couture said he's the only person who outworks him in MMA.
ROUND TWO: After 1:30 of standup, Forrest got Rich down and went for a choke from behind. At 2:30 Franklin broke friend it was back to stand-up. Forrest staggered Frankin with a left at 3:30. Rogan observed Franklinnot using his left arm, wondering if he hurt it again. Seconds later he threw a left. They exchanged punches and body kicks in a nice stand-up battle to end the round. Forrest landed alate head kick. Rich shrugged at the horn. Forrest gets the edge again 10-9 on my scorecard. Franklin's corner said that round was his.
ROUND THREE: They had a stand-up battle with varying degrees of intensity and aggressiveness through 3:45. Griffin took Franklin down. Franklin ended up on top, and then scrambled and reversed position on each other several times. Back to their feet with 35 seconds left. They swung for the fences in the final ten seconds. Both guys took deep breaths as the horn sounded and both played to the judgesby raising their arms. Forrest walked over and hugged Franklin as soon as he could afterward.
DECISION: Griffin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). Griffin and Franklin were exchanging notes on the fight during the announcement of who won.
STAR RATING (**+): It felt kinda flat to me overall relative to the potential. It wasn't ever bad, but I suppose the two being so friendly and Franklin just in general being nonchalant in his demeanor took a little edge off of the fight, as did the sense that these are gatekeepers, not actual contenders for titles at this point. That said, I was close to going three-stars-minus. A good fight, but not a must-see fight by any means.
POST-FIGHT: Griffin told Rogan he felt rusty after a year off. He felt his camp didn't go ideally and he was nervous about fighting someone faster than him who was a south paw.
-They showed Sam Worthington and Anthony Kiedis in the crowd.
5 -- ANDERSON SILVA vs. VITOR BELFORT -- Middwelght Title Fight
PRE-FIGHT: Rogan observed Belfort as being calm, focused, and confident. Goldberg noted that Belfort brought his family with him to Las Vegas for his fight training. Rogan said Belfort has been through so much in his career and personal life. He said he has a true character and he is a different human being than he was in the past. Rogan raved about his UFC tournament win back in 1997 in Alabama. Steven Segal was with Silva during pre-fight prep at Octagon-side. Tale of the Tape: Silva is 35, 6-2, 77.5 reach, 27-4 record. Belfort is 33, 6-0, 74 inch reach, 19-8 record.
FIRST ROUND: They locked eyes and circled each other for a minute. The crowd booed. Silva danced and faked. More circling. No even hints of a full swing. Victor threw a low leg kick at 1:30 for the first touch of the fight. Silva threw an air backlist and began to pick up the pace of his dancing. Then he dropped his arms at 2:00 and jogged in place. Silva moved toward Vitor, Vitor backed off. A loud "Vitor!" chant broke out at 2:15. Randy Couture shouted encouragement to Vitor from outside the cage. Vitor tagged Silva at 2:45 with a left. Silva smiled. Silva through a high kick. Vitor ducked and moved in and took Silva down. He swung and mid. Silva got up. Fights on! Vitor threw a high kick and some pelting strikes. Silva did his head movement that he's famous for. He then KOd Victor with a front kick to the face. Vitor's eyes literally crossed and he fell backward. With Vitor down, Silva moved in cautiously and landed two undefended punches to the face for the official stoppage at 3:25.
Rogan said that was the first time he was ever knocked out like that in his career. Silva came over and hugged him as medical staff looked at him and put ice on his head and neck. Rogan said he's never seen anyone knock someone out in any contact sport with a front kick to the face. The crowd popped for the finish, but also felt knead bad as they wanted more of a fight.
WINNER: Silva at 3:25 of round one. Silva bowed at the feet of Vitor after the official announcement. They hugged. Goldberg held back on saying classy, instead saying, "That's what makes the sport so great."
STAR RATING (***): It was a two kick fight. One low leg kick from Vitor. And a minute later the KO kick. Then there were the two defenseless punches. Historic, decisive, and solidifying Silva's status as one of the greatest champions ever. Such a different performance than his victory and near loss against Chael Sonnen. That power and precision in that combo of a traditional front kick and thrust kick from karate was just insane, but very much why Silva is one of the most intriguing and unpredictable fighting artists that you could create in a video game, much less real life. If they created a video game fighter that did what Silva did, it would be ripped on for being totally unrealistic.
POST-FIGHT: Silva talked a long time in Portuguese, leaving the translator with probably two minutes of material to repeat. I heard him say "Vitor," and he counted a few times. The translator said he wanted to thank all of his trainers and everyone in his life - his family and friends. He thanked his coach for teaching him that kick that the did. He said he wanted everyone to respect Vitor before Vitor was a champion before he ever stepped foot in pro fighting. Rogan asked if he planned that kick in advance as something that he saw as a potential opening in Vitor's style.
Rogan interviewed Vitor who thanked the fans. He said he got caught with a kick. He said Silva is a very good fighter. He said he will be back. He said he faked to the body and kicked to the head. He said they trained together many years ago. He said he promised he would bring a fight. He said that is what UFC is about. He said they are there to fight and they did. He said it was a better night for Silva. He again thanked his fans and family and trainers. "I promise I will be back here and I will bring the fire again!" he said. Goldberg said, "Gracious in defeat is Victor belfry." Since Goldberg isn't saying "classy" as often anymore, a new drinking game is when he dropped the subject of the sentence to the end because he forgets to lead with it, such as: "Very cliched, Goldberg is." Or "Very long-winded, Silva was." Or, "Spectacular in victory, Silva is." Goldberg has lost considerable weight in recent months.
PRELIM
A -- GABE RUEDIGER vs. PAUL TAYLOR
DECISION: Taylor via KO at 1:43 of round two with a round kick to the head when his shin landed flush on Gabe's face.
They also replayed Donald Cerrone vs. Paul Kelly that was live on Spike TV.
-Afterward they showed Jones celebrating in the back as Rogan said "this kid has only been training for three years." He said at age 23 he's shown everyone he's for real. He said it was almost shocking how well he handled Bader on the ground and was always able to transition to the top. They also showed Forrest chatting backstage after his win. Regarding the Silva kick, he said they've called over 1,000 fights and that's never happened. In a bold statement considering GSP's recent streak, Rogan said Slva is "easily the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet." You can believe he's the best P4P, but "easily"? Rogan added: "He's the best fighter, in my opinion, who has ever walked the face of the planet." Goldberg added that he's 13-0 in his UFC career. They replayed the kick multiple times from multiple angles. Rogan said that kick will be on animated gifs on website message boards around the world.
QUOTEBOOK
Joe Rogan: "Sometimes you're the hammer, sometimes you're the nail."
Miguel Angel Torres: "I know I broke his nose because I heard it crunch a couple of times."
Joe Rogan: "Anderson is not just the best, he's the most creative, the most spectacular, and easily the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet."
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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