Contributors/Columnists
SHAWN ENNIS
JASON BENT
MATT PELKEY
ALEX WILLIAMS
JED GOODMAN
FRANK HYDEN
JASON BENT
JOHN TAYLOR
MAYNARD SWEENEY
MARC PATCHING
MIKE JARSULIC
BRUCE MITCHELL APPLY TO JOIN OUR TEAM
-Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to this on-going report of UFC 88: Breakthrough, coming to you live from Atlanta, GA. Stay tuned this evening for my Daily Audio Update with my quick thoughts on tonight's Pay Per View, and check back tomorrow for an audio round table review of the Pay Per View with myself and another member or two of the Torch staff.
-The pre-show breaks down comments from Matt Hamill and Rich Franklin, as well as the hype video for Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans. I'm excited for both of these fights, and we should get some good under card action on the main show as well. Chuck's performance tonight could put him next in line for a title shot, but Rashad could really catapult himself in this division with an upset tonight.
FIGHT ONE: DONG HYUN KIM VS. MATT BROWN(Welterweight Bout)
PREFIGHT: Brown gave respect to Kim and his accomplishments, calling him a good opponent for him to try and climb up the ladder. Brown came out to "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." Nice. Kim out to "Higher Ground," the Red Hot Chili Peppers version.
ROUND ONE: Brown out agressive early. They clinch, and Kim gets a takedown. Kim Takes browns back but Brown gets up. Kim is just wrapped around Brown and he's got a rear naked choke on Brown as he's standing. Brown pulls an arm away, but Kim again gets on his back again. Brown is finally able to angle Kim down to the ground and he gets on top. Kim gets back up to his feet and they finally separate. Brown with a leg kick but he gets caught with a punch to the face. Brown goes for a spinning back fist and misses, then he nicely defends a takedown attempt from Kim. Kim went for a throw, but Matt Brown holds onto a headlock from the side. Kim again gets Brown's back like earlier in the round. They hold in that position until the buzzer. Good first round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kim. He had multiple submission attempts and takedowns in that round.
ROUND TWO: Brown aggresive again coming out. Kim tries a jumping knee and slips. Brown is pushing the action. Brown defends another take down attempt nicely. Brown is landing some good shots. Kim winds up on his back. He lands a really nice leg kick. Brown drops down with what's almost a spinning back fist to the ground. He finally backs off and lets Kim up. Brown lands a nice knee from the clinch and they take it to the side of the cage. Brown ducks a shot and lands a nice combination. Brown stops another takedown and lands a couple of shots before settling in Kim's half guard. He attempted an arm triangle and then finishes up the round pounding him with a few more shots. Really good round for Matt Brown.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Brown. He was relentless in that round and stuffed multiple takedown attempts from Kim.
ROUND THREE: Brown realized he forgot his mouthpiece, so there's a quick time out. Brown aggressive and pressing the action with kicks again. Brown misses with a superman punch. Kim finally gets a takedown and takes side control. He tries for the pass to mount, but Brown was able to get up top his feet. They clinch at the cage, and Brown lands a couple more knees. Brown grabs a knee and lands some nice body shots. Kim lands a really hard elbow after they break the clinch. Brown with another stuff on a takedown attempt, but then he's eventually taken down again. Brown is defending well on the ground, avoiding damage, until Kim finally lands a couple of elbows, one of them cutting Brown open. This is going to be a tough round to score, but I don't know which one did enough to pull out the third round.
Penick's Scorecard: Brown did some damage early, and worked nicely on the ground, but he was taken down twice and cut open with some hard elbows. This fight could go either way, but I think Kim may have done enough damage to win it. 10-9 Kim.
RESULT: Kim via split decision. Like I said, really tough.
POST FIGHT: The crowd didn't like the decision, but that one honestly could have gone either way. Kim's translator said Kim's sorry for going to the decision, he doesn't like going to the decision, and he'll try to do better in his next fight. Brown said he was in danger for a second, but he recovered fine. He said he fights for the fans, not for judges or decisions.
STAR RATING: (**+) This was a good opener, and a really close third round brought the split decision. Despite the result, it was a good start to the show.
FIGHT TWO: MARTIN KAMPMANN VS. NATE MARQUARDT (Middleweight Bout)
PRE FIGHT: They had some technical difficulties before these video packages, with showing video of Michael Bisping and Chris Leben with audio talking about Liddell and Evans.
ROUND ONE: Marquardt strikes first with a quick in and out exchange. Kampmann lands a nice shot, but Marquardt then lands a head kick. He follows up with some knees and he tees off a bit. Kampmann is holding on. Marquardt is pouring on a ton of shots and Kampmann hits the ground, and the ref steps in.
RESULT: Marquardt via TKO at 1:22 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Marquardt said whatever he was given he would take.
STAR RATING: (**+) That was an exciting display from Nate Marquardt. Wow. I was expecting a more even fight, but once Marquardt landed that head kick, it was just a matter of time, and he was relentless until the ref stepped in.
RAMIFICATIONS: Marquardt gets back on the horse after the controversial loss earlier this summer to Thales Leites, and it's another step toward a rematch with Anderson Silva. Kampmann's first UFC loss comes against a great fighter, so he'll be back for more.
FIGHT THREE: DAN HENDERSON VS. ROUSIMAR PALHARES (Middleweight Bout)
PRE FIGHT: This is going to be good. This is a tough fight for Henderson, but if he can keep it standing he'll win this fight.
ROUND ONE: Definite feeling out process for the first 30 seconds and then Henderson lands a couple of nice hard right hands. Palhares shoots in, but Henderson sprawls nicely. Palhares is going leg kick to shoot, and Henderson is doing a nice job of avoiding it, and Henderson lands another hard right. Henderson lands a nice one-two combo. Palhares tried a flurry, but Henderson went on a combo and blasted him with a ton of shots. Henderson lands a nice jab. Palhares shot again, and finally got Henderson down. Palhares gets on top, and almost gets a knee bar as the buzzer sounds.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson. Henderson landed a ton of shots, and did a nice job avoiding take downs until the final 30 seconds, but he didn't take any damage while there.
ROUND TWO: Palhares is uber-aggresive, and Henderson tossed him down. Palhares lifted Henderson up and slammed him down. Ouch. That was a great takedown. Henderson lands a couple of shots from the ground. Palhares locks a heel hook but Henderson broke free and landed a shot before getting back to his feet. Henderson sprawls on another takedown attempt from Palhares and then they get back up. Henderson lands a couple of shots after another sprawl, and he winds up in Palhares's guard. Henderson is content on holding Palhares here until they're stood up. He gets it. Another good right hand lands from Henderson. Henderson presses as the buzzer sounds.
Penick's Scorecard: I've got to give it to Palhares for the stellar takedown, and the near submission. Henderson landed some shots, but Palhares looked much better in that round.
ROUND THREE: Palhares tried an interesting back kick from a wierd angle. Henderson landed a shot or two right before that. Henderson landed another punch, avoiding the Sweet Chin Music attempt from Palhares. Another great sprawl from Henderson. The action has slowed down a bit, and the crowd starts to boo a bit. Henderson lands a couple more shots. Palhares lands a jab. Palhares swings wildly but doesn't land anything. Good combo from Henderson. Henderson presses with a few shots with a minute and a half left. Palhares tries another take down, but Henderson sprawls again and lands a shot on the downed Palhares. Palhares slipped but almost locked Henderson in a leg lock as he fell. Hendo got out of it. Another good sprawl from Henderson. Three hard shots from Henderson to finish the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson. Not much to that round, but Henderson landed some nice hard shots and did more than enough to win that round. Great takedown defense shown by Henderson in this fight.
RESULT: Henderson via unanimous decision.
STAR RATING: (***) The third round took it down slightly, but the first two rounds were stellar, and it was a good fight. Awesome, highlight reel slam from Palhares in the second round.
POST FIGHT: Henderson gave Palhares a ton of respect and said he had a great chin. He apologized for not being as aggresive.
RAMIFICATIONS: Henderson gets his first victory in the Octagon in years, and wins the first non-title fight he's had in years.
-Joe Rogan interviews Heavyweight Champ Randy Couture in the crowd.
FIGHT FOUR: TIM BOETSCH VS. MICHAEL PATT (Light Heavyweight Bout)
PRE FIGHT: Patt says he's a relative unknown, but his record speaks for itself. Boetsch says he's ready for this fight.
ROUND ONE: They both exchange a shot right off the bat. Boetsch comes in with a nice shot, and Patt tries to clinch. Boetsch lands another shot before they clinch. Boetsch lands a body kick. Good leg kick from Patt. Boetsch takes a kick and drops Patt with a hard right hand. He follows up and throws a bunch of punches until Herb Dean steps in.
RESULT: Boetsch via TKO at 2:03 of the first round.
STAR RATING: (**) Good action early, and then Boetsch had a nice TKO victory. Good stuff from Boetsch and a nice, exciting quick fight.
RAMIFICATIONS: Boetsch picks up another impressive victory after the loss to Matt Hamill, but he's still at the bottom of the light heavyweight ladder. Patt didn't show much in this fight, but I suspect he may get another shot with at some point in the future with his record.
FIGHT FIVE: RICH FRANKLIN VS. MATT HAMILL (Light Heavyweight Bout)
PRE FIGHT: Hamill says whoever's in 205 is in the way. Hamill says he's strongest on the ground, and Franklin says we'll see if he can take him down. This should be another exciting fight. Hamill out to Skynard's "Simple Man." Good stuff.
ROUND ONE: Franklin strikes first with a couple of inside leg kicks. Hamill with a nice right hand. Franklin contniues the leg kicks. Hamill lands a nice right uppercut. Franklin with a few more kicks. Hamill opened a cut under Franklin's right eye. Franklin landing more kicks, and he followed with a couple of shots as well. Hamill is trying to bob and catch Franklin with the right uppercut but it's not landing so far. Hamill with a takedown. Hamill tries to drop a shot on Franklin and almost gets caught in an armbar. Franklin lands a knee as they stand back up. He lands another knee before the round ends. Hamill's cut as well now.
Penick's Scoredcard: 10-9 Franklin. He landed a ton of kicks and some good punches and knees, and almost picked up a submission with that armbar.
ROUND TWO: Franklin all smiles at the start of the round. Franklin with a leg kick that Hamill catches, but Franklin pulls it out. Franklin with a nice combo, including a shin to the face. Yamasaki calls time to check on Franklin's cut. He allows the fight to restart. Whew. Hamill catches a leg, but he can't get Franklin down, and he eats some shots on the way back up. Hamill eats another leg to the face. Franklin catches Hamill low. Straight kick from Hamill. Hamill getting very aggressive and Franklin is landing a ton with Hamill swinging wildly. Hamill with a nice jab, but Franklin follows with combination. Hamill lands a few shots. Hard body kick from Franklin. Another leg kick from Franklin. Hamill grabs a foot and lands an uppercut. Franklin just looks so good right now. Bad round for Hamill.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Franklin. I don't know what's going on with Hamill right now, but he's not trying to shoot much, and he's getting picked apart on his feet.
ROUND THREE: My god is Franklin's cut nasty. Franklin lands a knee, and then another kick to the gut sending Hamill down and thats the fight.
RESULT: Franklin via TKO at :39 of the third round.
STAR RATING: (**) Just absolute domination from Franklin in that fight, and he picked Hamill apart. I really don't know why Hamill decided to stand the whole fight.
RAMIFICATIONS: Franklin's got a lot of opponent's to go through in the stacked light heavyweight division, but he looked really good against a stronger guy here, and he picked apart Hamill throughout the fight.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT SIX: CHUCK LIDDELL VS. RASHAD EVANS (Light Heavyweight Bout)
PRE FIGHT: Rashad is really, really cocky coming into this fight. Chuck wants to get back to that Light Heavyweight Title, and Rashad wants to make his case for getting there himself. This should be a brawl.
ROUND ONE: Feeling out process early here, and Chuck comes in with the first shots. Very tentative early on here. Chuck with a jab. Rashad lands a hard looping right hook. Liddell presses and lands a hard right. Rashad lands a hard body kick. Chuck with a left as Rashad comes in. Good leg kick from Rashad. Rashad with another nice right hand. Another leg kick from Rashad. Inside leg kick by Rashad. Chuck presses late and lands a shot, but Rashad gets out of that. Chuck presses again and almost lands a leg kick after the buzzer.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Evans. Very tentative round, but Rashad landed some good kicks and landed a few shots, and opened a small cut on Liddell on the right cheek as well.
ROUND TWO: Chuck presses Rashad into the corner, and they exchange punches. Chuck with a good right hand. Chuck with a nice left hook. Rashad lands a few shots, and then a few more as Chuck presses. Rashad knocked Chuck out cold with an right hook! Oh my God! Wow. That was an absolutely devastating drop. Holy shit, I can't believe that just happened. That was right on the button. Rashad Evans is one hundred percent for real. No one should take him lightly after this performance.
RESULT: Evans via KO at 1:51 of the second round.
STAR RATING:(****-) The sheer shock of that knockout and that upset elevates this fight, as the first round was really tentative. The second round picked up with a couple of flurries, and Evans just got himself the highlight of his career.
POST FIGHT: The crowd boos him mercilessly, but he said that he knew he couldn't expect to take Chuck down all night.
RAMIFICATIONS: Well, Rashad just gave a great case for getting a title shot. I think Lyoto Machida should get one before Rashad, and maybe that should be the next fight for both to determine that number one contender.
PRELIM FIGHT: JASON MACDONALD VS. JASON LAMBERT
ROUND ONE: MacDonald pressed early and took Lambert down, but Lambert held him in a headlock. MacDonald popped his head out and found himself in Lambert's guard. He threw down a bunch of body shots and some other shots from the top. MacDonald landed some elbows from that same position. MacDonald is landing some nice shots to the face from the top here, and he's doing a ton of damage in this position. Some more hard body shots from Jason Macdonald. Lambert pulls up on a guillotine, but Jason Macdonald throws some punches and Lambert ran out of time in the round and MacDonald is saved by the buzzer.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 MacDonald. MacDonald dished out a ton of punishment, and he held out twice on that guillotine from Lambert.
ROUNT TWO: They trade punches early and then MacDonald gets a takedown. MacDonald passes, and gets full mount. Lambert gave up his back, and MacDonald slaps on a body triangle and then a rear naked choke for the submission win.
RESULT: MacDonald via submission at 1:20 of the second round.
STAR RATING: (***) Great fight, some good short exchanges in the stand up, and some great ground work from both guys. Great submission by MacDonald, too. Big victory.
POST FIGHT: MacDonald said he saw the screen at the end of the first round and said he could hold his breath for six seconds.
RAMIFICATIONS: Good win for MacDonald, but he'll need to continue climbing back up the ladder after his loss last month to Demian Maia.
-Submission of the night goes to Jason MacDonald, no question on the knockout of the night.
-They showed Chuck walking, dejected, backstage.
Well, that was another good show, with one of the most shocking knockouts in memory, the return of Rich Franklin to 205, and some good undercard action. Stay tuned tonight for my Daily Audio Update with my quick thoughts on the show tonight, and come back tomorrow for the MMATorch Audio Round Table on UFC 88. Thanks for sticking with our coverage tonight here on MMATorch.com!
