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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
UFC ON VERSUS 5: HARDY VS. LYTLE
AUGUST 14, 2011
LIVE FROM MILWAUKEE, WIS.
News broke shortly before this broadcast went on air that longtime MMA trainer Shawn Tompkins has passed away at the age of 37. No other details have been released at this time, but MMATorch sends condolences to his family, friends, and all those in the MMA community who have been struck by this tragic loss.
-After a mostly fantastic preliminary card stream on Facebook, Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan opened the Versus broadcast discussing Chris Lytle's decision to retire after tonight's fight and how that played out.
FIGHT ONE: AMIR SADOLLAH VS. DUANE LUDWIG (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Sadollah came forward and landed a leg kick. Ludwig threw a few short punches in combination. Sadollah drove Ludwig to the cage and ate a couple of strikes and a knee, but he returned the favor with a few big punches before clinching and pressing Ludwig onto the cage. Ludwig turned him around and they traded knees while jockeying for position. Ludwig was getting the better of the knee exchanges to the body, but they were both landing. Sadollah dropped suddenly for a double leg takedown but Ludwig held him off. They separated and Ludwig landed a few good strikes. He got in another combination and threw a high kick that landed. Sadollah got in a couple of strikes and Ludwig responded with a combination. Sadollah landed a good kick. Ludwig hit Sadollah with a couple of hard kicks to the body. Ludwig landed a hard jab. He hurt Sadollah with a huge left hook. Sadollah recovered and shot for a takedown but Ludwig held it off and pressed Sadollah to the cage. He landed a short elbow and then separated. Ludwig snapped Sadollah's head back with a few more strikes. Ludwig pressed Sadollah back with strikes and he's landing on a lot of them. Sadollah landed a leg kick and Ludwig hit him with a flurry. Great output from Ludwig as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Ludwig. Close to a 10-8, and a knockdown would have gotten him there, but he turned things on nicely in the last few minutes of the round.
ROUND TWO: Sadollah came right out and landed a kick. Sadollah landed a jab. He got in with a straight kick. Ludwig landed a hard counter right and a couple more strikes in succession. Sadollah got in a kick and Ludwig hit him a few times. Sadollah tried to work his leg kicks but got hit as he engaged. Ludwig popped in with a nice jab. They exchanged strikes and Sadollah got in a few nice punches. Ludwig returned the favor in a flurry. Sadollah landed a kick to the body. Ludwig hurt Sadollah with another two punch combo and Sadollah tried to shoot. Ludwig held him off. Ludwig landed another left hook followed by a right. Sadollah's getting hit every time he tries to throw punches. Ludwig landed a couple of hard body punches and a kick. Sadollah tried to engage with a short flurry but ate a counter combination from Ludwig. Sadollah got in with a couple of strikes but got hurt by the left hook again. Sadollah again tried to shoot but couldn't get Ludwig down. He used the time to recover. Ludwig then shot in for a double leg. Sadollah dropped to his knees but then sprawled. and got to his feet and got separation. Sadollah stepped in and got hit by five different strikes from Ludwig in short order. Sadollah landed a jab. He landed a straight kick as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Ludwig. He's beating Sadollah to the punch and hurting him with much of what he's throwing. Sadollah needs to be in desperation mode in round three.
ROUND THREE: Sadollah tried to press the pace early and landed a head kick. Sadollah shot in but Ludwig sprawled after briefly going to the ground. He then popped back to his feet. Sadollah landed a couple of punches and an inside leg kick. Sadollah landed a jab again. Ludwig threw a knee. He looks very tired here. Sadollah shot in again and got stuffed. Ludwig landed a right. Sadollah got in a couple and then they exchanged strikes. Sadollah landed a straight kick to the face of Ludwig and Ludwig smiled at him. Sadollah landed a kick to the body. He ate a right from Ludwig. He shot in again and again got stuffed. He threw the straight kick to the body. He landed a straight right. He landed another hard right, and another. He bent Ludwig's knee with a hard leg kick. Sadollah landed a few more leg kicks. Sadollah threw a straight right. He landed a kick to the body. Another hard right from Sadollah. Sadollah landed the straight kick to the face again. He landed a couple of hard punches to the body. They traded punches. Sadollah landed a couple of hard strikes. Ludwig popped in with the right. He landed a short left hook. Ludwig gets in with an uppercut. Sadollah landed a left. Ludwig shot in and landed a takedown with 25 seconds left. Sadollah got his back to the cage and stood up. He finished the takedown and ended the round on top.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Sadollah. Ludwig slowed considerably and allowed Sadollah to put out more offense that round, but he should still take this with his performance in the first two rounds.
WINNER: Ludwig via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
POST FIGHT: Ludwig brought in a Joe Rogan figurine and asked Rogan for an autograph. He said he's been doing this since he was 15 and he knows what he's good at. He said he appreciated Sadollah taking the fight. He asked Dana White to help him get the timing changed on his KO over Jonathan Goulet as the fastest in UFC history. For those that don't know that story, his KO of Goulet is officially listed at 11 seconds, but that's because the timer continued after the fight was over, and it took all of four seconds for Goulet to be put out.
STAR RATING: (**) There were some decent moments in the fight, and it was definitely a slug fest with Sadollah especially showing an ability to take punishment, but it wasn't a great fight overall.
RAMIFICATIONS: Sadollah took a definite step back here. Ludwig's striking was much better, but he definitely slowed down the stretch. Still, he picked up another win, so he'll keep himself in the UFC for a while longer. Sadollah goes back to the drawing board with another two fight winning streak stopped.
-Goldberg passes along the news of Shawn Tompkins to the television audience. Glad to see the UFC address it on air. Really sad news.
FIGHT TWO: CHARLES OLIVEIRA VS. DONALD CERRONE (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: They each throw a leg kick at one another to start. Oliveira goes high with a kick and Cerrone blocks it, pushing forward with a couple of punches. Cerrone stalked and Oliveira circled. Oliveira landed a left and ate a leg kick. Oliveira landed a leg kick. He got in a jab and a half force head kick. Cerrone landed a nice knee and got loose as Oliveira tried to catch it. Cerrone pressed in and landed a kick to the cup. He takes a few moments to recover and then they restart. Cerrone landed a leg kick. Oliveira got in with a jab. Cerrone landed a left and then got in with a leg kick. They traded jabs. Oliveira got in a straight kick to the body. Cerrone landed a hard inside leg kick. Oliveira landed a couple of kicks to the body. Cerrone landed a right and followed with a left leg kick. Cerrone landed a hard straight right. Cerrone hurt Oliveira with a punch to the body and Oliveira dropped to his back as Cerrone landed a knee. Cerrone stood over him and started throwing bombs. Oliveira could only cover up and Cerrone kept on the attack, forcing the stoppage. Great finish by Cerrone after a beautiful uppercut to the body to start that sequence.
WINNER: Cerrone via TKO at 3:01 of the first round
POST FIGHT: Oliveira was holding back tears as the decision was being announced. Crushing loss for him. Cerrone said he had no choice but to pull the trigger because he knew Oliveira would be right in his face the whole time. He said it was a perfect fight for him to show what he can do.
STAR RATING: (**+) Excellent finish. The first couple of minutes were a bit tentative as they were feeling out how the other was going to react, but Cerrone turned it on and landed a great body punch that set up that sequence. Great killer instinct to finish it off as well. Crazily enough, that was Cerrone's first ever finish by strikes.
RAMIFICATIONS: Cerrone has won three straight to start off his run in the UFC, and he continues to get better. He took a couple of losses in the WEC, but he keeps improving and winning fights, so as long as he keeps doing just that he'll do well for himself in the UFC. Oliveira suffers a second setback this summer after his win over Nik Lentz was overturned to a no contest, and he's now winless in his last three after starting his career 14-0.
-They air an extended video to hype up UFC 134 in Brazil in two weeks. That card is the start of an incredible run of fight matchups on paper for UFC pay-per-view events for the rest of the year.
FIGHT THREE: JIM MILLER VS. BEN HENDERSON (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Both come straight to the center and test the range with pawing jabs. Miller landed the first good strike of the round with an overhand right. Miller got in close and they both landed a couple of hard strikes. Miller clinched Henderson as he got in close and landed a nice short elbow before Henderson pressed him to the cage. They brought the clinch to the center of the cage and traded knees. Miller set up an arm triangle standing and pounced onto a standing Henderson against the cage. Henderson pulled his arm down and got loose. Miller tried to transition to Henderson's back, but Henderson put him on his back and got loose. Miller tried to get his leg up Henderson's back. Henderson landed a few strikes before Miller scrambled and got to his feet, blocking a head kick as he got up. Henderson landed a couple of knees to the body. Miller turned and grabbed for a kimura. He dropped down nag grabbed it and got his leg over Henderson's face. He lost the hold and Henderson stood. Miller scrambled and got to his knees and back to his feet. Henderson shot and Miller grabbed for a guillotine. Henderson popped out again and landed a couple of hard elbows. Miller got to half guard. He went for a leg and ate a couple of hard strikes as the round ended. Very hard round to score.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-10. Miller had numerous submission attempts, but Henderson had him on his back and landed some good strikes in his ground and pound. Extremely close round.
ROUND TWO: Henderson threw a couple of straight kicks and then a leg kick early in the round. Miller landed a right. They exchanged big punches in the center. Miller landed a hard body kick. Henderson got in a hard elbow and grabbed a body lock. He took Miller down into his guard. Miller was cut by one of the elbows. He landed a punch from the bottom. Henderson stood up but dropped right back into half guard. Miller grabbed for a leg lock but Henderson held it off and landed a few hard strikes from the top. He grabbed a hard leg lock. Henderson got out but Miller stood. Henderson went for the takedown and completed it. He landed a few hard strikes and Miller grabbed for the heel hook. He landed a hard strike and hurt Miller. Miller got to his feet and Henderson continued the assault before dropping for another takedown. Miller's getting hurt here but he keeps attacking with submissions. He walked up the cage and went for a kimura, but Henderson protected his arm and landed some hard punches to the body. Henderson landed some more strikes. Henderson ended the round with another flurry and Miller probably needs to finish this in the third to win.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson. Excellent round for Henderson. He hurt Miller a number of times and defended well against Miller's submission attempts. He's got Miller tired, hurt and in desperation mode into the third.
ROUND THREE: Miller landed a right early. He got in a left as Henderson got in close. Henderson landed a jab. He got in with a leg kick. Miller landed a left. Henderson landed a couple of lefts. Miller landed a right as Henderson kicked out his leg. Henderson landed a combo and Miller countered with one of his own. Miller landed a left. Miller dropped Henderson with a punch, but Henderson recovered and drove him down with a takedown. Time is running out for Miller here. Henderson stood and dropped down with a few big bombs before getting into mount. Miller rolled and gave up his back. Miller stood with Henderson on his back. Miller rolled through but Henderson locked in a rear naked choke. Miller turned out and Henderson stayed on him. He went for the choke again, gave it up and landed some big strikes on Miller. Miller regained half guard but Henderson passed to side control. Miller rolled to his knees and Henderson drove him down again and landed some big strikes. He continued beating Miller up against the cage. He landed a hard shot to the body.Henderson stood and threw some punches and Miller got to his feet. Henderson grabbed for a guillotine and rolled to the mount. He gave it up and threw a knee to the body. Miller got to his feet and they threw at each other to the bell. Incredible performance by Ben Henderson.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Henderson. That was the worst beating Miller has ever suffered, and by far the best Ben Henderson has ever looked. What a fight.
WINNER: Henderson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-26)
POST FIGHT: Henderson told Joe Rogan thank you, then got to his knees and, instead of asking Dana White for a title shot, asked him for a roster slot for a few of his teammates. Nice.
STAR RATING: (****-) This was an awesome fight, and the best performance in Henderson's career. Miller stayed in the fight despite getting beat up for 15 minutes and constantly threatened for submissions, coming very close on a few of them. This deserved to be the main event and the last thing fans left the arena with.
RAMIFICATIONS: Henderson may have put himself next in line for a title shot after that performance. Considering Miller's only other losses were to Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, and that neither of them did to Miller what Henderson just did, there's nothing wrong with that. This is a crushing loss for Miller, and if he didn't get to a title fight with seven straight wins, I don't see how he works his way there now. He'll still beat most fighters in the division, but Henderson proved himself as an absolutely elite fighter at all levels with that win. Incredible performance for the second straight time in the Octagon, and one that should silence any questions about the level of fighter he is.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FOUR: DAN HARDY VS. CHRIS LYTLE (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Lytle came straight ahead and threw an overhand right. He got in with a left and a right hook to the body. He's coming out to fight, that's for sure. He landed another punch to the body. He landed an uppercut and a left hook. Hardy landed a hard punch . Lytle caught a leg kick from Hardy and tripped him up. Lytle's prepared to go out on his shield here. Hardy landed a knee. Lytle landed the right again. Lytle threw a right that was blocked but got through with the left. He landed another combination and Hardy smiled. Hardy threw a high kick that was blocked. He got a left. Lytle landed another combination to the body. Lytle swung with the overhand right but missed. He landed a few punches and cracked Hardy with a left. Lytle very much the aggressor here. Hardy landed a left as Lytle hit him in the body again. Lytle connected on a few more bif punches. Hardy's getting hit a lot here. Lytle landed a hard left again. Hardy threw a leg kick. Lytle landed a nice jab. Lytle connected on a couple more punches. He landed another right. Hardy's taking the punches, but he's getting hit a lot. Lytle with another left. Big combo from Lytle yet again. Lytle landed the left hook again. Lytle with another big combo. Hardy tried to press in at the end of the round but missed.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Lytle. He's landing a ton, but he's not putting a lot of power behind his shots and because of that Hardy is still standing. But Hardy's getting hit non-stop right now, and if Lytle can keep this up it may just be a matter of time.
ROUND TWO: Lytle landed a right to the body and a kick. He landed the left hook. He got in with another body punch. Hardy threw a couple of punches. Hardy got in with a left. They exchanged punches again. He tagged Hardy with a nice left. Hardy tagged Lytle with a right. Lytle clinched to recover. Hardy landed a knee to the body and they separated. Lytle landed a nice body punch again. Lytle accidentally poked Hardy in the eye and the fight was stalled. Hardy said he could see and they continued. Lytle landed a big right and swung for the follow up but Hardy smiled and backed away. More body punches from Lytle. Hardy hurt Lytel with an uppercut. Hardy went for a takedown as Lytle tried to recover but Lytle sprawled. Lytle is a little wobbly. He landed another left. He got in a right. Lytle landed a big combination again. Hardy landed a knee. They each achanged strikes. Lytle got in an uppercut and a big combination. Lytle landed the left and they exchanged strikes again. Lytle landed a left. He got in with the right. Another punch to the body from Lytle. He landed the left. Lytle with a few more big punches as he backed Hardy to the cage. He added a body kick. Another right to the body landed by Lytle. Lytle with a right to the body and a left hook up top. He stalked and they traded punches again. Lytle with another huge left to end the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Lytle. Hardy staggered Lytle a couple of times, but Lytle had much more from an output perspective and pressed the action as well.
ROUND THREE: Lytle didn't slow down and landed another combination to start the round. They traded punches. Lytle landed a right to the body as Hardy landed a hard knee. Lytle got in with two more punches. Lytle with a couple of hooks to the body. He landed the left to Hardy's jaw. Lytle with another big left. He clipped Hardy again with the left. Hardy pressed in with punches but they were blocked. Lytle came right back with a few big punches. Lytle landed another overhand right. Lytle again cracked Hardy with a left. There's just not a ton of power and Hardy is taking all of it. Lytle with another combination. Lytle blocked a knee. Lytle with a couple of punches to the body. Lytle landed a jab. Hardy threw a knee but it missed. Lytle got in a big flurry as they got to the final minute of his MMA career. Hardy shot for a takedown and Lytle locked in a guillotine. He rolled it over and forced Hardy to tap! That's just a beautiful finish to Chris Lytle's career, and off a really ill-advised shot by Dan Hardy.
WINNER: Lytle via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:16 of the third round
POST FIGHT: Lytle's children were in the cage with him as the decision was announced. The crowd booed as Joe Rogan said it was the final fight of his career. He got a big cheer from the crowd as he started talking, though, and thanked all of the fans. He said he loves being a fighter more than anything in his life, except for his family. He said while it pains him to do it, he knows he's making the right decision in retiring. You've got to feel so good for Lytle right now, that was the perfect way for him to call it a career.
STAR RATING: (***+) It was a fun brawl with some crazy, swinging strikes and a lot of output from Lytle, and then he finished it with a great submission by taking advantage of an ill-timed move on Hardy's part. That was just a great finish for Lytle's career, and sent the show off on a feel good note (well, for Lytle, as the result also likely means the end of Dan Hardy's UFC run).
-Thanks for joining us tonight for our live round by round coverage, we'll have more on tonight's results this week and we'll begin our look ahead to UFC 134 in 13 days in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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