--Antonio Carvalho def. Daniel Pineda via KO at 1:11 of the first round
=====FX Preliminary Card=====
-Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan open up the televised broadcast discussing the night's main event between Urijah Faber and Renan Barao, setting the stage for the Interim Bantamweight Title bout. Then it's quick to the first fight of the night.
FIGHT ONE: BRYAN CARAWAY VS. MITCH GAGNON (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Caraway engaged first from the center. He landed a good left hook, but Gagnon took the blow. Gagnon landed a body kick. Caraway landed a right. He overthrew a punch and Gagnon took his back. Caraway rolled and put Gagnon in his guard. Gagnon posted up briefly and landed several solid strikes. Caraway spun and grabbed for an armbar. He tried to turn it to an omoplata, but Gagnon put his knee on Caray's throat to break out. He postured up and started dropping huge punches down onto Caraway. Caraway survived the onslaught. Gagnon stood, and Caraway used the opening to get up to his feet. Gagnon pressed Caraway to the cage in a clinch. Gagnon brought Caraway down but he hopped up. Gagnon did the same once again. One more brief takedown and Caraway popped back up and got turned around. Gagnon landed a hard knee in the clinch. Caraway finally got loose. He landed several strikes after separating. Then he scored his own takedown into half guard. Caraway tried to pass and got into mount, but didn't have much time to work with, and the round ended with Caraway on top.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Gagnon. Solid start to the fight. Gagnon may have tired himself out with his early ground attack, and Caraway seemed to have more in the tank by the end of the frame. We'll see if the tide turns, but the round was still Gagnon's to start the fight.
ROUND TWO: Gagnon landed an early leg kick. Caraway connected on a couple of left hooks. They traded strikes. Caraway shot in, but got stuffed. Gagnon landed a hard left. Caraway came right back at him. Caraway tripped him up but couldn't stay on him for the takedown. Gagnon landed a big elbow and a nice knee, causing Caraway to drop for a takedown. Gagnon went for a front choke but Caraway got out. Gagnon continued tagging Caraway on the feet against the cage. Caraway scored a takedown, then had to fight through a guillotine. He got Gagnon down and tried to take his back. Caraway landed a good series of strikes, waiting for an opening. The crowd booed as the action was a bit slow on the ground, but Caraway was staying patient. Caraway turned to a body triangle and it led to mount. Caraway landed a bunch of strikes on top. Caraway went for a mounted triangle, but Gagnon scrambled. Caraway stayed on him and took his back. Caraway went for the rear naked choke but lost it. Gagnon then spun out and took Caraway's back. Caraway scrambled and got to his feet and they separated. Caraway walked him down and landed a left, then ate a knee as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Caraway. Could be 10-10, could be Gagnon's round. The exchanges were sloppy, but vicious, and Gagnon had the best of them, but Caraway had positional control most of the round. Close frame, close fight.
ROUND THREE: Gagnon led in with a left. Both guys were exhausted to start the gram. They traded punches again. Caraway closed the distance and shot in. He finished the takedown, then took Gagnon's back. He got a body triangle locked on and looked for an opening. Caraway landed strikes to the body and head. Gagnon tried to break out and Caraway locked on the rear naked choke. Gagnon tried to fight out of it, but he finally had to submit. The crowd initially booed the finish, as Gagnon was the home country fighter here.
WINNER: Caraway via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:39 of the third round
STAR RATING: (**+) That was a fun fight. It was sloppy as all hell, and neither fighter showed off great card, but it was competitive with a decisive finish. Caraway's got a tough chin, as he took some really big shots throughout the fight, but he used his experience to ride through the storm and finish the fight.
FIGHT TWO: ANTHONY PEROSH VS. RYAN JIMMO (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Jimmo closed the distance, then landed an overhand right that knocked Perosh out cold. He landed one more strike on the ground and it was all over. He popped and locked inside the cage in celebration right after that. That may be the fastest KO in UFC history. The punch landed right behind the ear. Perfect placement.
WINNER: Jimmo via KO at :07 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) Definitely a must-see KO, and gets some boost for tying the fastest KO record, but it was what it was: one punch, over.
-Antonio Carvalho's KO over Daniel Pineda makes the FX broadcast with plenty of time to spare.
FIGHT THREE: ROLAND DELORME VS. FRANCISCO RIVERA (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Delorme circled on the outside to kick things off. Rivera landed a couple of hard punches and Delorme backed away. He landed a hard jab and briefly backed Delorme to the cage. Rivera unleashed another combination. Delorme fired with a couple leg kicks. Rivera landed a good counter sright. He got in a hard leg kick and a straight kick to the body. Delorme tried to close the distance, but ate a big series of uppercuts. He tried to grab a leg, but ate a couple more punches. Rivera landed a hard leg kick. Rivera landed a hard punch to the body. Rivera got in with another right. Delorme reached with his punches but didn't find the mark. Rivera landed a few more hard strikes. Delorme landed a body kick, then ate a kick to the leg. They traded kicks. Rivera landed a few more leg kicks and Delorme was walking gingerly. Delorme closed the distance and landed a knee. He caught Rivera with a good right. They exchanged punches in the center. Rivera landed another hard leg kick. Rivera landed a quick left hook as Delorme came in that dropped him. He dropped a couple more strikes to him on the ground before the ref got there and Delorme was out cold.
WINNER: Rivera via KO at 4:19 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) That wasn't particularly competitive. Rivera had such an edge in the striking game that he made that look extremely easy. Delorme couldn't close the distance without getting hit, and he couldn't get the fight to the ground at all. He was taking the shots for awhile, but ultimately Rivera's technique and power won out. Good fight for him.
-Bathroom break time as the Facebook prelim between Anton Kuivanen and Mitch Clarke is broadcast. Not a bad fight, but it's already been seen once tonight. This means all the fights have made television tonight.
FIGHT FOUR: COURT MCGEE VS. NICK RING (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: McGee threw an early high kick that grazed Ring. He rushed in with a strike but got backed off. He caught a kick from Ring and landed one of his own. McGee ducked under a punch and landed a few to counter. Ring landed a hard body kick. They traded kicks. McGee landed a hard right to the body and a nice left to the jaw. Ring shot in and McGee stuffed it easily. He sprawled on another takedown attempt. Ring landed a good leg kick. McGee connected on a couple of kicks. Ring grabbed a leg, but ate a couple punches and let it go. McGee landed a solid left. McGee landed a hard right. Ring got in a body kick. Ring landed a hard straight left. McGee blocked a high kick. He got in one to the body. Ring landed a knee to the body. They traded punches. McGee got stuffed and ate a left. They traded punches again. McGee landed a leg kick. They traded strikes as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 McGee. Tough round to score, but I think McGee pressing the pace and landing a good series of strikes give him the edge for the first.
ROUND TWO: McGee looked to close the distance early in the round. He blocked a high kick and threw one back. He landed a kick to the body. The action slowed as both fighters got tentative. Both missed on a few strikes. McGee pressed Ring to the cage, but Ring circled away. They traded kicks. McGee landed a good combination in close and Ring had to back out. Ring landed a right. McGee landed an inside leg kick and a punch. McGee connected with another good combo. McGee landed a kick to the head, though Ring stayed up. McGee tried to close the distance again. He landed a hard left hook and an uppercut behind it. He landed a leg kick and an uppercut. Ring landed a hard straight left that backed McGee up. Ring tried to move forward to take advantage. McGee came back with a shot combo, then got hit with the left again. Ring again landed the straight left, it continued to be his best punch. McGee tried to close the distance again.Ring caught a kick up high, but McGee shrugged him off. Ring landed a couple of strikes. McGee shot in but got stuffed. McGee landed a good left hook before the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 McGee. Ring did some damage there down the stretch, but that was McGee's round. He was the aggressor, and was a lot more active throughout the round despite the three straight lefts from Ring.
ROUND THREE: McGee came out with a few uppercuts. Ring landed a left as he tried to circle away. Ring continued to circle on the outside as McGee tried to walk him down. McGee connected on a few strikes after Ring landed one. McGee landed a right, Ring fired back. McGee landed another strikes. Loose tape on Ring's glove brought about a brief stop in action. They restarted with McGee coming ahead once again. Ring landed the left. Ring lost his balance and McGee came after him with a couple of punches as he got back up. McGee landed a string of uppercuts and Ring tried to run away. McGee stayed on him. Ring landed a right. McGee landed another flurry of strikes. Ring landed a left. McGee landed a hard spinning back kick to the body. Ring continued running from McGee, and he started getting lit up by shots from McGee. McGee continued throwing uppercuts and short strikes. He landed a hard elbow from McGee. Ring tried to run out, but McGee stayed on him relentlessly. Ring fired back with a strike, but McGee stayed on him. McGee continued to land in flurries. Ring landed a hard right. McGee landed a couple more. He landed a few more strikes. Ring blocked a high kick. Ring was completely exhausted, though McGee wasn't far behind him. McGee continued landing strikes and Ring dove for a leg. McGee grabbed for an ill-advised choke and Ring rolled through on top. McGee got to his knees as the round ended, and unless he gets screwed by homer judges, this should be McGee's fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 McGee. Ring had some success in the round, but he was getting tagged by a much higher accumulation of strikes in this fight. Add the fact that he was running from McGee as often as he could, and this should be McGee's fight.
WINNER: Ring via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**) I can see the first round going to Ring, but I don't understand how he took the second at all. McGee was doing more offensively overall throughout the fight, and was the aggressor throughout. I just really don't agree with that decision at all.
=====Pay-Per-View Main Card=====
-Goldberg and Rogan breakdown the night's main and co-main events before running down the other action on the card. First up is Riddle-Clements.
FIGHT FIVE: MATT RIDDLE VS. CHRIS CLEMENTS (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: After a short feeling out process, Riddle landed a takedown. He didn't do a ton on the ground, and Clements got back to his feet. Clements closed the distance, and they traded strikes in the clinch. Riddle broke free. Clements threw a couple of wild overhand rights. He connected on a straighter right. Riddle landed a kick that landed to the liver, but Josh Rosenthal thought it went low and halted action for a second. Riddle landed a trip and got into half guard. Clements worked back to his feet and took a knee to the body. Riddle shot again. He was sprawled, but then he rolled around and got Clements' back. Clements rolled again and Riddle let him back up. Clements landed an uppercut. He landed another punch, then Riddle shot in again. He was stuffed as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Riddle. The grappling advantage has him ahead, but he's still too willing to trade strikes with Clements when it could get him in trouble.
ROUND TWO: Clements got in a spinning strike early in the round, but Riddle shot in for a takedown. Clements tried to fight it off, but Riddle was relentless and dragged him down. Clements gave up his back and Riddle got on a body lock. Riddle landed strikes to the head and body, looking for an opening. Clements tried to throw punches to Riddle behind his head. Riddle looked to transition to an arm triangle briefly, but stayed on his back and relocked on the body triangle. Clements landed a hard elbow behind him to Riddle's face. Riddle tried to pass to mount but had to settle for side control as Clements turned around. Riddle again took Clements' back. Clements landed some nice elbows. Riddle got his back again against the cage, but Clements worked back to his feet. He landed a hard body kick. He threw a spinning high kick that caught Riddle's back. Riddle shot and Clements stuffed it. Riddle rolled to his back and Clements dropped down into his guard with some big strikes before the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Riddle. More dominant position control on the ground for Riddle there.
ROUND THREE: Clements landed a solid kick to the body early. He rocked Riddle with a big right. Riddle popped up, but ate a bunch of strikes as Clements got in close. Riddle clinched. Clements broke free with a punch. Riddle went for a head kick as Clements spun with a kick to the body. Riddle ducked under a punch and scored a trip takedown. Clements worked quickly to his feet. He landed a couple of big strikes. Riddle ducked under a spinning back fist, grabbed an arm triangle standing up, then quickly brought it to the ground with a trip and forced Clements to tap. Great finish by Riddle.
WINNER: Riddle via submission (arm triangle) at 2:02 of the third round
STAR RATING: (***) That submission was fantastic. He ducked under the spinning back fist attempt, and as soon as he had it locked up he knew what he had. The awareness to keep that hold was great, and the trip to bring it to the ground was awesome as well. Easily Matt Riddle's best highlight in the UFC.
FIGHT SIX: BRIAN EBERSOLE VS. JAMES HEAD (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Ebersole shot in almost immediately, but was stuffed by Head. They stood back up and he shot in again shortly thereafter. Head with another sprawl, and he made him stand. Ebersole landed a solid right. Head backed him off and landed a body punch. He landed a good body punch again, then added a knee in. Ebersole landed a hard body kick. Ebersole blocked a couple more shots, then landed another body kick. Head landed a good knee. Head walked him down, then landed several knees and elbows. Ebersole landed another body kick. Ebersole landed a kick to the legs. Ebersole landed a good right. He got in with a good combination.Head pressed back, but got cracked with a short uppercut. Ebersole landed a couple of kicks. He shot in, but again got stuffed. Head went for a guillotine, and Ebersole gave a thumbs up, breaking out into half guard. Ebersole tried to pin Head onto the ground. Head tried to use the cage to kick off, but Ebersole stayed on top and landed a big punch. Head got to his feet. Ebersole went for the cartwheel kick and it partially landed, but Head dropped down into his half guard afterward, ending the round on top.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Head. He took the round with a good striking attack early, though Ebersole came back late.
ROUND TWO: Ebersole was stuffed on an early shot. Head came forward and landed a knee to the body, but ate a couple of strikes. They traded punches. Ebersole connected on a nice straight left. Ebersole tried to catch a kick, but Head got his leg free. Ebersole grabbed a body lock and dragged Head to the cage. Head worked free. Head landed a good left. Ebersole landed a swinging left. Ebersole shot in and again got stuffed. Ebersole got in with a leg kick, then an uppercut. Head landed a good right. Ebersole landed an elbow in close. He landed an inside leg kick and a jab. Head connected on a knee and Ebersole tried to drive through with a takedown. He put Head on his back with 50 seconds left. Ebersole threw some shoulder strikes on the ground. Head then swept him and again ended the round on top.
Penick's Analysis: 10-9 Head. I guess. Close round, could be 10-10 or 10-9 in Ebersole's favor, but he didn't do a whole lot, and was backed up throughout the round. I think he needs a finish here.
ROUND THREE: Ebersole again went for the quick takedown, only to get stuffed. Head landed a good right. Ebersole landed a good kick to the body. Ebersole again shot in and tried to pull guard, but Head spun out. He backed off and made Ebersole stand. Ebersole again went for a takedown, leading to boos from the crowd. Head again stood up. Head landed a combo, then got in a knee to the body. Ebersole landed a couple of strikes. Head landed a knee. Ebersole connected on a punch. Head took Ebersole's back standing, then tripped him. Ebersole tried to reverse, and Head escaped to his feet. Ebersole landed a kick to the body. He threw a couple more. He shot again to no avail. He swung a punch from his knees. Head continued to sprawl. Ebersole tried to crawl at him before being forced up. They traded punches in close. Ebersole landed a kick. The crowd booed the fight more. Ebersole landed a right. He connected on another one as Head walked in. Ebersole again shot in, only to get sprawled. Another awkward punch was thrown from his knees. He was forced up again. They traded strikes again. Head stuffed another takedown attempt. He went for a choke, but rolled to his back with Ebersole on top. Ebersole tried to set something up, then passed to mount as the round ended to more boos.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-10. Fairly ineffective offense from both fighters, not a whole lot else going on there. Not a good fight.
WINNER: Head via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (*) Awful fight. Not sure how Ebersole took two rounds for one judge, though it doesn't matter because Head didn't do a ton himself. That was just really not entertaining in the least.
FIGHT SEVEN: SHAWN JORDAN VS. CHEICK KONGO (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Jordan circled around the outside as Kongo held the center. Kongo connected on a leg kick. He backed Jordan up and landed a right, but Jordan clinched and turned Kongo around. They continued to battle in the clinch. Kongo tried to land short strikes. Jordan landed a hard strike, but then Kongo got behind him standing and landed a big strike. Jordan threw a big elbow behind him that caught Kongo low. That's a bit of karma right there. Kongo took his sweet time to regain his bearings, with five minutes available to him. They restarted and Rogan commented "somewhere at home, Cro Cop is smiling." Kongo landed a hard kick early, then briefly clinched before backing off. Jordan tried a side kick to the head, but it didn't get there. They eventually worked back to the clinch, with Jordan trying to work for a takedown, but Kongo landed a knee as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-10. Jordan was pressing the pace, Kongo got some striking in. Neither really clearly took it.
ROUND TWO: Kongo landed a big knee at the outset, and they went right into the clinch battle. Kongo landed a couple of knees to the body and Jordan turned him around. Jordan landed some knees to the body. The crowd booed the lack of action. Kongo landed another hard knee to the body. Kongo went for a shot and Jordan backed out. Kongo landed two hard right hands, then Jordan landed a punch before they clinched again. Kongo briefly got his back, but Jordan turned around. They separated. Kongo landed a hard right and closed the distance to clinch again. Kongo continued to work, and eventually dragged Jordan to his knees. However, Jordan then managed to get him turned around and he wound up on top in half guard. Jordan landed a few strikes. Jordan ended the round on top.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kongo. Despite Jordan winding on top at the end, Kongo's offense was the winner that time around, as little as there was.
ROUND THREE: Kongo pressed Jordan back with a few strikes, though Jordan landed a couple of his own. They clinched again, with Jordan pressing Kongo's back to the cage. Kongo took his back standing again, and the crowd again booed. Jordan got turned around and landed an elbow. Kongo got in a knee. They separated, and Jordan again went back to the takedown attempt, which again failed. Kongo turned him around and landed a knee. He tried to press through, but missed the takedown. Back to the clinch once more. Jordan couldn't get the takedown. The clinch battle continued on for the next couple of minutes as the crowd grew more and more restless. Konco landed a knee to the body. The round ended to boos.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kongo. I guess. Jordan just didn't have much offense, and Kongo's few moments of attack were more than anything he received. Bad fight, though.
WINNER: Kongo via unanimous decision (30-28, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (*-) Just really bad heavyweight MMA. It was a bad stalemate in the clinch, with very little else. A few striking exchanges, but the fight rarely got to the ground, and they continued bringing the card down after the last fight began to do just that. Bad main card thus far.
FIGHT EIGHT: HECTOR LOMBARD VS. TIM BOETSCH (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Boetsch landed a hard leg kick to start things off. He landed a body kick. Lombard tried to throw a couple but missed. Boetsch went for a takedown but got stuffed. He stayed on him and they clinched. Lombard landed an uppercut. Lombard dropped and scored a takedown. Boetsch worked back to his feet and Lombard landed a strike on the separation. Boetsch landed an inside leg kick. He landed a right and Lombard clinched. He landed a knee to the body and separated. Lombard threw a hard left but it didn't land flush. Boetsch landed the inside leg kick again. Boetsch set up a shot with a front kick but didn't commit to it. They swung some wild shots at one another, each missing. Lombard landed a left. Boetsch landed the inside leg kick again. They traded punches. Boetsch again landed the leg kick. The crowd booed the relative inactivity. Boetsch again shot in and was stuffed. Boetsch landed a right. Lombard went high with a kick and it was blocked. Boetsch landed another leg kick. He got in a push kick as the round wound down. They traded punches at the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Boetsch. Lombard just didn't do much. He stuffed Boetsch's shots, and landed a couple of strikes, but there wasn't much else to the round, while Boetsch stayed active with his kicks on the outside. Not the frantic pace most expected.
ROUND TWO: Boetsch landed a right as the round began. Lombard tried to stalk and they both missed punches. Lombard landed a hard right. Lombard landed another right as a counter. Boetsch went back to the leg kick. The crowd got a bit impatient with the fight not going as expected. The boos started raining down more heavily. Boetsch landed an inside leg kick. Lombard landed a kick that seemed to hurt Boetsch. He rushed him across the cage and Boetsch grabbed for a leg to recover. Boetsch popped back to his feet as he recovered. Boetsch briefly bullied Lombard down, but the wound up back in the clinch. The round ended in the clinch with more boos from the crowd.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Lombard. I guess. This is just a weird, slightly unexpected performance from both fighters thus far.
ROUND THREE: Boetsch landed the leg kick inside to start again. Lombard landed a kick of his own. Lombard walked him down and Boetsch landed a kick. Boetsch got in a short combination. They traded punches after another segment of inaction. Boetsch shot in, but Lombard stuffed it and they popped back up. They clinched, and Lombard tried to pull off a trip. Boetsch defended well, though, and they popped up. Boetsch landed a jab. The crowd booed heavily with a minute left. Boetsch got in a knee. He landed a jab. They got into the clinch again and Lombard dropped for a takedown. He scored the takedown, but Boetsch got right back up and landed a knee to the body. He landed a few more knees to the body before the fight ended. Three really crappy fights in a row tonight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Boetsch. He was on the offensive at least for parts of the round. Just not the fight anyone thought they were getting tonight.
WINNER: Boetsch via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
-The crowd booed up until the decision, then cheered at Lombard losing.
STAR RATING: (*-) Man, this was just absolutely not what was expected, and it was terrible. This was the worst possible way for Lombard to debut, and there's not a chance he's anywhere near the title picture anytime soon. Boetsch doesn't gain a ton with how bad the fight was, but he has now won four straight at middleweight.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT NINE: URIJAH FABER VS. RENAN BARAO (INTERIM UFC BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
ROUND ONE: Faber took the center to begin. He tried to close the distance with a quick flurry and Barao countered. The crowd chanted for Faber. Faber landed a quick short uppercut. Faber went high with a kick but it didn't reach its target. Faber landed an inside leg kick. Barao got one in. Barao threw a spinning back kick but Faber blocked it. Barao tried to rush Faber with a high kick, then a jumping knee and a punch. Faber took it in stride. He popped in with a right. Faber landed a left, then ate a counter jab. He landed an inside leg kick. Faber landed a good body punch. Barao landed a solid jab. They traded leg kicks. Faber landed a straight right shortly before the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Barao. He had the more significant offense, though not by much. 10-10 would be acceptable here.
ROUND TWO: Faber switched up his stance a little bit. He popped in with a kick, but ate a right hand in a flurry from Barao. Both fighters remained tentative. Faber landed a left. Barao tried to close the distance and ate a left. Faber got in a short combo. He landed a right. Barao continued moving after him. Faber accidentally poke Barao in the eye. Brief delay, then they restarted. Faber avoided a few attacks from Barao, then he got cracked with a left and clinched. He landed a right to separate, then got in another right. He landed a good inside leg kick and a punch behind it. Barao landed a hard leg kick. Barao landed a body punch. They traded kicks. Barao grazed Faber's head with a kick. Faber landed a good right. Faber landed a good right again. Barao landed a kick. Faber landed a left, and they traded punches in an exchange. Barao landed a jab and a leg kick. Faber got in a good right. Barao landed a hard leg kick and Faber avoided a flurry before the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Faber. Another close round, but I think Faber's overall output was better that round. Barao hit some power strikes, but a lot of what he threw was missing.
ROUND THREE: Faber popped in with a couple of strikes early. Barao landed a big leg kick and strikes after. Faber tried to clinch and Barao popped out. Faber got stuffed as he tried to grab a hold of Barao. Faber landed a good front kick that sent Barao down, but Barao popped up. Faber landed a good right hand behind it. He landed a couple more straight kicks. Faber landed another fight. He landed a leg kick and Barao caught it and landed a punch to send him back. They traded strikes again. Barao got in a leg kick. He landed an inside leg kick. Faber landed a good right and avoided the counter. He rushed in with a shot and got stuffed again. Faber landed an uppercut. Barao got in a good right. Faber ducked under a punch and circled. Faber landed a right. Barao hit him with another leg kick. Faber landed another right. He landed a jab. He caught a kick but couldn't get the takedown. He caught another kick, but couldn't do anything with it. There were some boos from a restless crowd who had gotten a bad main card to that point. Faber landed a short combo before the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Faber. I know Barao is scoring with the leg kicks, and that seems to be all Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg are focusing on, but Faber's scoring with more punches overall and avoiding a lot of Barao's attack.
ROUND FOUR: They traded punches early. Barao continued moving forward and landed a kick. Faber landed a punch to the body. Faber landed a right. Barao poked Faber in the eye, drawing more boos from a crowd who has had enough tonight. Faber landed a leg kick, then a right, and ducked away from the counter. Faber caught a kick but couldn't get Barao down. They traded jabs. Faber landed a left. Barao threw a couple of spinning kicks but they were blocked and Faber almost took him down. Barao landed a hard leg kick. Barao landed a hard body punch. They traded strikes again before the round ended to more boos.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Barao. Faber's output slowed that round, and the leg kicks had more of an effect that time around. Add in a big body punch, Barao takes that. He may be up 4-0 right now, but I do think Faber was doing more in the second and third.
ROUND FIVE: Tentative action from both to start the frame. Barao landed a counter left. He continued to press the attack as it was more of the same. Faber tried to keep him at bay with front kicks. He landed a kick to the body. Faber grabbed for a leg and Barao shrugged him off. Faber landed a right. He landed a couple of jabs. Faber landed a leg kick and Barao landed two punches. Barao landed a huge left hook and another big strike behind it. Faber survived the attack. Barao kept Faber off. He landed a hard leg kick. Barao landed a two-punch combo. Barao went for the spinning kick again, though it didn't land flush. Barao connected on another left. The fight wound down with Barao keeping Faber at bay and throwing a spinning kick. The crowd booed as Barao celebrated what he expects to be a win.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Barao. He landed some of his most significant strikes this round, though there wasn't a lot going on. He didn't run away with all the rounds, and there were moments where it was close, but the real action-packed moments were few and far between.
WINNER: Barao via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 49-46)
-He was jumping up and down celebrating before he was officially announced as the winner, and the crowd was booing heavily.
STAR RATING: (**) It wasn't a bad fight, it was a strategic battle on Barao's part as he knew the dangers Faber could present. He was the harder striker, and his takedown defense was very good, and Faber just couldn't get going convincingly enough in the rounds to score.
-That's another event in the books, and it will easily go down as the worst pay-per-view card of the year, which is unfortunate for what it could have been. But thanks for joining us, we'll have reaction to the event throughout the week and more as we move towards the UFC on Fox event and a packed month of August!
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.
