...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
If you missed the Facebook fights, check out Rich Hansen's coverage of the three-fight prelim RIGHT HERE
=======ION TELEVISION PRELIMS======
-Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg open up the Ion broadcast breaking down what's on tap for tonight's pay-per-view card, as well as the fights scheduled for this two-hour free-TV broadcast.
FIGHT ONE: YVES JABOUIN VS. WALEL WATSON (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Watson engaged first 15 seconds in with a high kick but it didn't land. He landed a nice jab in an exchange as they each came in. Watson landed a couple of good body kicks and then cracked Jabouin with another jab. Watson went for a spinning kick but Jabouin was out of range. Watson landed a superman punch but Jabouin countered with a right. Watson nearly countered with a big head kick but Jabouin avoided it. Watson missed a spinning back fist and Jabouin landed a right. Watson pressured in with a flurry but Jabouin turned him around in a clinch on the cage. Jabouin scored a big takedown into half guard with two minutes left. Watson worked back to his feet and ate a knee. Watson grabbed Jabouin's arm for a kimura and landed an elbow. Jabouin tried to take him down again and Watson rolled him forward and they both stood up. Watson got in a jab. They traded kicks and Watson got in a couple of punches. They exchanged strikes as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jabouin. The hard takedown and a few nicely placed strikes just edged it to him, but it was a close round.
ROUND TWO: Jabouin took the center and Watson circled on the outside early. Jabouin caught a body kick and landed a right hand. Watson tried to land a few kicks but Jabouin held them off. Watson landed a nice high kick after a couple of punches. Watson then got in a leg kick. Watson landed a god kick and a punch. He pressured in with a follow up punch but then backed off. Watson landed a nice uppercut in the center. They traded strikes in the center. Jabouin landed a hard leg kick. Watson missed the spinning back fist again. Jabouin landed a kick and Watson missed the spinning back fist again. Jabouin got in a good leg kick moving in. Watson landed a couple of strikes. Watson landed a good side kick to the body. Watson got in a good knee after avoiding a short flurry from Jabouin. Jabouin landed a spinning back fist and pressed in for a takedown. He landed in a guillotine choke however. Jabouin survived and popped out right at the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Watson. Much better round for Watson. Landed some nice strikes, and had the choke attempt to finish it out. Close fight still.
ROUND THREE: Watson landed some good inside leg kicks and strikes early. Jabouin landed a couple of his own. Watson got in a short combo. Jabouin landed a leg kick, Watson then pressed in with a couple of body kicks. Jabouin landed a side kick. Watson returned the favor. Watson checked a kick and landed a couple of his own. He got in a short combo. Watson landed another body kick. And another. Watson landed another combination of kicks and punches. He landed a left and then backed off as he got hit with a leg kick. Jabouin landed a straight kick to the body. He got in a good leg kick. Jabouin landed the spinning back fist and went for a takedown, but Watson landed on top in a scramble, then got back down into half guard. Watson started trying to set up for a D'Arce choke. He got it locked in and squeezed tight. Jabouin finally popped out and got to his feet. He threw a spinning back kick as he got up but it just grazed Watson. Watson threw a few half-hearted kicks and both guys were tired with 20 seconds left. Watson landed a strike. Jabouin landed a right. Watson missed a kick as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Watson. Another very good round for Watson. Jabouin couldn't figure out the reach in the second and third rounds, and Watson had the advantage on the ground with sub attempts in those rounds as well.
WINNER: Jabouin via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**-) That's a godawful decision. There isn't any way Jabouin took the third round, and giving him the second is questionable as well. Man, that's just… not a good decision at all.
FIGHT TWO: JOHN MAKDESSI VS. DENNIS HALLMAN (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Hallman immediately grabbed a clinch and pressed Makdessi to the cage. Makdessi grabbed the fence and Hallman eventually took him down. He trapped an arm and Makdessi gave up his back. Hallman landed two huge forearms to the back of the head and kept the attack on. He went for the choke and Makdessi rolled into mount. Makdessi tried to hold control of him. Hallman postured up and dropped some elbows. Makdessi gave up his back again, Hallman grabbed the choke immediately, and Makdessi was forced to tap.
WINNER: Hallman via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:58 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**) That was complete domination by Hallman, and it's clear that Makdessi's just not a grappler. However, Hallman also landed a bunch of illegal strikes to the back of Makdessi's head once he got him down, and that helped in wearing Makdessi down. Probably wouldn't have been any different of an outcome without them, but it's worth noting.
-They air the Facebook preliminary card bout between Jake Hecht and Rich Attonito next with time to kill.
FIGHT THREE: JARED HAMMAN VS. CONSTANTINOS PHILIPPOU (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Hamman came straight ahead and threw a leg kick. He walked Philippou down, but ate a left as he came in. Hamman landed a good body kick. Philippou landed a right. Hamman shot in but got shrugged off and hit with two big punches, but he absorbed them and separated. Hamman landed another big kick to the body. He walked Phillipou down and landed two more.> Philippou dropped Hamman with a big right. Hamman got up, Phillipou stayed on him and dropped him again with another right. Hamman somehow survived and Philippou attacked with a choke. He lost it, let it go and let Hamman back up. Hamman doesn't even look worse for wear. Philippou cracked Hamman with a few more and got him to the ground. Hamman got to his knees and Philippou let him up. Philippou dropped him once again and Hamman just went head first into the mat. Brutal, brutal assault from Philippou, but man Hamman can take a scary amount of punishment.
WINNER: Philippou via KO at 3:11 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) That was some fantastic brutality from Philippou, and it was crazy that Hamman was able to keep getting up the way he did. It's not good for a fighter to take that much punishment in a fight, but he was trying to survive. "Big" John stopped it at the right time, but that was a very good performance from Philippou.
-The Facebook bout between John Cholish and Mitch Clarke is then aired. The Ion broadcast will get six fights.
FIGHT FOUR: KRZYSZTOF SOSZYNSKI VS. IGOR POKRAJAC (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Both fighters show respect with a double glove tap, and then immediately unload in a flurry. Soszysnki landed a big strike early on Pokrajac. Pokrajac rushed in and hurt Soszynski with a big left. Krzsyzstof covered up, but Pokrajac stayed on him and landed a huge flurry against the cage that sent Soszynski to the mat. He landed another huge flurry of punches on the ground that put Soszynski out cold.
WINNER: Pokrajac via KO at :35 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**) That was such a quick fight. Soszynski actually landed a good early strike, but Pokrajac took it, then came back with that big left that snuck through and cracked Soszynski on the chin. From there, Pokrajac didn't let up, and it was a great killer instinct to score that knockout.
-The Nik Lentz-Mark Bocek bout - the final Facebook prelim - is then aired, putting all of the preliminary card fights onto this Ion broadcast. There will likely be some repeats on the pay-per-view broadcast tonight.
======PAY-PER-VIEW BROADCAST======
-Goldberg and Rogan welcomed the pay-per-view audience and ran down the fights scheduled for tonight's broadcast. There's been quite a bit of action already on the preliminary card, and there are some excellent fights here on this main card.
FIGHT FIVE: MARK HOMINICK VS. "THE KOREAN ZOMBIE" CHAN SUNG JUNG (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Jung dropped Hominick immediately! He pounced and landed a few more strikes no the ground and this fight is over! Are you kidding me?! Wow. Hominick over-reached on a left, then immediately got cracked with a right that dropped him. Insane.
WINNER: Jung via TKO at :7 seconds of the first round
STAR RATING: (***) He just tied for the official fastest knockout in UFC history, and did it against a guy that many were expecting to roll over him. That was a perfectly placed punch after Hominick missed his first strike, and Jung now has two historic performances in a row in the Octagon.
-Hominick gave Jung credit after the fight and said he got a little too hyped up and a little too reckless. He said he wanted to get it done tonight and apologized.
FIGHT SIX: BRIAN EBERSOLE VS. CLAUDE PATRICK (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Ebersole landed a right early, then shot in quick. Patrick stuffed the shot and grabbed his head. Ebersole popped out and they clinched. They battled for position in the clinch for some time and Patrick brought it to the cage. The crowd booed the inaction. Ebersole turned him around and landed a knee. Ebersole then scored a takedown, but Patrick locked on a guillotine choke. Ebersole stayed patient and worked out of it, getting into Patrick's guard. He passed to half guard. Patrick worked back up to his feet. Ebersole popped in with a right. Patrick came in and landed a knee and a left. Ebersole popped in with a good jab and a body punch. He shot in again and grabbed a double leg. Patrick held it off. Ebersole landed strikes to Patrick's legs and kept his back on the cage. The clinch battle continued to the end of the round, with Patrick getting in a couple more strikes as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Ebersole. With the takedown and clinch work, Ebersole edged the round, but there wasn't a ton going on there.
ROUND TWO: Ebersole landed a right early as Patrick pressed him to the cage. Patrick tried to walk him down but Ebersole avoided him. Patrick shot in and Ebersole stepped aside. Patrick got in a good left hand in close and a knee, but Patrick drove him to the cage. Patrick held off the takedown. Ebersole separated with an elbow and shot in again. He grabbed a single leg and tried to trip Patrick up, but he was held off. Patrick landed a knee with his back on the cage. Ebersole landed a knee. Ebersole separated again. Back to the clinch. THe action continued to stall in the clinch and they were warned to advance. They finally separated. Ebersole landed a left. Patrick tried to press in with strikes but Ebersole covered up. Patrick caught a kick and clinched Ebersole this time. He landed a knee to the body. Ebersole got one in to the legs. The clinch battle continued. They separated. Ebersole landed a kick. Patrick landed a hard right and then grabbed another clinch. Ebersole turned him around.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Patrick. He landed the more significant strikes, but nothing much at all is happening in this fight right now.
ROUND THREE: Ebersole shot in and Patrick sprawled. Ebersole tried to stay on it, and then turned Patrick over to finally complete it. He landed a few strikes. Patrick got to his feet, Ebersole took his back standing, picked him up and took him down into side control. Patrick rolled to his knees and then worked to his feet with Ebersole on his back. Ebersole tried to drag him down with a hook in. Patrick stood again and turned around. Back to the clinch. Ebersole tried to drag him down again but Patrick stayed up. Ebersole got Patrick down again, but Patrick grabbed for an arm. It moved to the sprawl and Patrick grabbed for a choke. Ebersole rolled over on top of him and they both stood up. Patrick landed a couple strikes but then got cracked with an uppercut. Patrick landed a body punch and a knee and Ebersole shot in. Patrick stuffed it. He went for the choke again, but lost it and Ebersole got into his guard and ended the fight on top.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Ebersole. Controlled the grappling aspect in that round, but who knows where the scores will be in this one. Not a good fight.
WINNER: Ebersole via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**-) It wasn't a good fight, but it was really a stalemate because both guys were pretty evenly matched here and neither was really able to gain traction. Scores could have been anywhere for this one.
FIGHT SEVEN: TITO ORTIZ VS. ANTONIO ROGERIO NOGUEIRA (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Both came out to the center to start the fight and Ortiz pressed Nogueira down. Ortiz landed a high kick and a big right. Nogueira tried to land a couple but Ortiz covered up. Ortiz shot in and drove Nogueira to the cage. Ortiz grabbed a Thai clinch but Nogueira hit him with a few strikes. Ortiz got in a couple of uppercuts with some dirty boxing on the cage. Nogueira landed a big strike on Ortiz and backed him off. Nogueira landed some big strikes on the cage. He then dropped Ortiz with a knee to the body and started landing punches on the ground. Ortiz regained guard and tried to recover. Ortiz threw his legs up but Nogueira continued landing strikes in the guard. He went to the body with punches and opened up to the head as well as Ortiz continued covering up. Nogueira's attack slowed down but he Nogueira kept throwing strikes to the body and the fight was finally stopped. Ortiz was in clear pain and grabbed at his ribs after the stoppage. Replay shows a left to the jaw out of the clinch started that stretch.
WINNER: Nogueira via TKO at 3:15 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) Strong performance by Nogueira to halt his two-fight losing streak. Ortiz started well with a few good early strikes, but Nogueira held off his takedown attempts and then delivered a brutal assault to Ortiz's body on the ground. Big win for Nogueira.
-Ortiz said Nogueira hit him in the same spot that Rashad Evans got him. He said he's got one fight left on his contract, and he hopes Dana White will let him get that.
-Constantinos Philippou's prelim win over Jared Hamman was replayed next.
FIGHT EIGHT: FRANK MIR VS. ANTONIO RODRIGO NOGUEIRA (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Nogueira took the center and walked Mir back early. Nogueira landed a left early and peppered Mir with a couple of jabs after that. Nogueira shot in and grabbed a clinch on the cage, landing a few strikes against the cage. Nogueira landed a few more before Mir turned him around. They continued to jockey for position on the cage. They traded body strikes. Mir then scored a trip and got on top in half guard. Nogueira escaped and got back up to his feet back into the clinch. Nogueira landed a short forearm. He got in a good right and another elbow. He landed a nice knee on Mir. He landed a big strike. He hurt Mir. Mir just crumpled down. Nogueira tried to lock on a guillotine, but Mir recovered and turned around. He ended up on top and went for a kimura on Nogueira. Nogueira rolled but Mir rolled with him. Mir held onto the hold and wrenched it back, and Nogueira tapped right after his arm popped out. Wow!
WINNER: Mir via submission at 3:38 of the first round
STAR RATING: (****) That was an incredible fight. Incredible. Nogueira looked like he was seconds away from winning as he dropped Mir, but Mir then somehow wound up in that spot to grab the kimura, rolled through with it, and broke Nogueira's arm and became the only person to submit him, on top of being the first person to KO him. That's an amazing stat.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT NINE: JON JONES VS. LYOTO MACHIDA (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
ROUND ONE: Jones crawls out to the center as he did against Rampage and then stood in the center. Machida circled on the outside. Jones went for a jumping side kick but Machida avoided it. Jones missed an overhand right. He missed a left and then grazed Machida's gut with a spinning back kick. Machida landed a leg kick. Jones switched stances. He landed a hard leg kick on Machida's lead leg. He landed a kick and blocked Machida's counter-strike. Jones landed a straight kick to the leg. He landed a hard leg kick and Machida almost caught him with a counter. The crowd chanted for the challenger. Machida pressed in and Jones clinched and landed a knee on a break. Both fighters are a bit tentative to engage here. Jones landed a good body kick and pressed Jones back. Jones missed a high kick. Jones landed a kick to the leg. Machida returned one. Jones missed the overhand right again. He landed a leg kick. He missed a punch again and Machida countered. Machida cracked Jones with a left but the Champ recovered quickly. He pressed in with a body kick. Jones barely missed the spinning back kick. He went up high and it was partially blocked. Machida landed one more strike as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Machida. Pretty close start to the fight, but Machida cracked Jones with a few good counter strikes and they were the most significant of the round.
ROUND TWO: Jones again took the center to start. Jones landed a leg kick. Machida rushed in with one of his own. Jones landed a spinning kick to the body. Jones popped in a good kick high. Jones landed a leg kick. Machida stayed patient on the outside. Jones landed a body kick. Jones got in a leg kick. Still a really tentative fight free. Machida caught a kick to the body and landed a few strikes. They exchanged shots in close but neither really landed anything flush. Jones landed a big right to Machida's jaw. He got in close and took Machida to the ground against the cage. He landed a hard elbow and Machida is already bleeding badly. Jones looked to set up for a choke as Machida got to his knees and his feet. Jones stayed on him as they got up. Machida's got a huge gash on his forehead. and "Big" John has the doctor check it. They were restarted in the clinch. Jones landed a big knee to the body. He missed an elbow on the separation. Jones walked in and dropped Machida with a left. He grabbed a headlock as Machida got up. Jones grabbed a standing guillotine and Machida went limp! WOW! Jon Jones is incredible.
WINNER: Jones via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:26 of the second round
STAR RATING: (***+) Jon Jones is unbelievable. He had a poor first round (for him, anyway), but then turned things on in the second. He knocked Machida down twice, and that standing guillotine was a thing of beauty. It was ridiculously deep, and Machida had no chance of getting out of it once he had it on. Jones is now the first Light Heavyweight Champ since Chuck Liddell to defend the belt twice, and he's done it over former champions in one year.
Jones gave Machida credit for working his range well and being a tough puzzle to figure out. He said he knew Machida was a black belt and was expecting more movement on the bottom. Jones said the finish wasn't a move he practices, but it is something he knew from wrestling.
Replays of prelim fights will close out the broadcast tonight. Thanks as always for joining us for our live report tonight, we'll have plenty more in reaction to the fights later tonight, tomorrow, and more this week!
DON'T GO YET... WE SUGGEST THESE MMATORCH ARTICLES, TOO!
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.
