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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
UFC 157: ROUSEY VS. CARMOUCHE
FEBRUARY 23, 2013
LIVE FROM ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA
=====Facebook Prelims Quick Results=====
-Nah-Shon Burrell def. Yuri Villefort via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
-Neil Magny def. Jon Manley via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
-Kenny Robertson via submission (leg lock) at 2:57 of the first round
=====FX Preliminary Card=====
-Mike Goldberg opens up the broadcast with the first of many comments about the "historic" nature of tonight's main event. Then a quick rundown of the prelims on FX before we head to the first fight.
FIGHT ONE: SAM STOUT VS. CAROS FODOR (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Fodot came straight ahead and Stout tried to clinch. Fodot landed a short right and Stout got a hold of him. They battled in the clinch with Fodor staying active in the clinch. He got loose and moved in. He landed a good right and a solid left. Stout landed a right and Fodor scored a takedown. Stout pulled off a nice switch and took Fodor's back and they went back to the clinch. They traded punches and knees in the clinch and Stout finally backed off. Fodor came ahead again and continued landing intermittent strikes. Stout clinched again. He missed an elbow over the top. Fodor landed a knee to the body. Fodor tried to get in a leg trip, but Stout wound up reversing and tripping him up. Stout passed to half guard as Fodor tried to stay active on the bottom. Fodor tried to sweep but Stout got to mount briefly. Stout took his back. Stout trainsitioned nicely to an armbar attempt, but Fodor defended it nicely to the horn. Solid first round.
Penick's Analysis: 10-9 Stout. Good ground work, but he was losing in the striking exchanges before getting that takedown.
ROUND TWO: Fodor immediately came forward and they went back to the clinch battle. They separated and Fodor came in with a nice two punch combo. Stout clinched again. He got in a good shot to the body. They separated again. They traded kicks. Stout landed a couple body shots. Fodor got in a nice short combination. Stout threw one of his own but got blocked. Fodor landed a nice left and Stout got in a counter. Fodor landed a left hook again. Fodor continued scoring with strikes. He got in an inside leg kick. He walked Stout down but couldn't complete an outside trip. Stout connected on a knee in the clinch. They separated again and Fodot moved forward, breathing heavily. Fodor ducked under a strike and landed a couple of rights. Fodor shot in and got stuffed. Fodor shot again and got Stout to the ground as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Fodor. He's having more success on the feet, but that was a much duller round.
ROUND THREE: Stout landed a body punch but Fodor scored with a couple strikes. Stout clinched. They traded strikes and Fodor finally got a brief takedown. They battled in the clinch again. Fodor got in a knee and then came forward. Fodor again went for a takedown and stuck with it against the cage. Stout continued to defend as Fodor kept with it. Stout got in a nice short elbow and turned Fodor to the cage in the clinch. They separated. They clinched again in the middle, Fodor scored a trip and Stout popped up. They traded strikes again. The clinch hit the cage again. Fodor got in a knee and tried the trip again. Stout tried to score a trip but failed as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Fodor. I guess. Really dull round with way too much of the deadlocked clinch battle.
WINNER: Stout via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (*) Dull fight. Lengthy clinch battles may be technical affairs, but they're not entertaining, and that's pretty much what we got in that fight.
FIGHT TWO: DENNIS BERMUDEZ VS. MATT GRICE (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Bermudez threw an early high kick which was blocked. He caught a kick and shot in, but got stopped in the clinch. They battled on the cage. Grice tried to pull off a throw, but Bermudez countered it and landed in mount. He finally got loose and to his feet. Bermudez held onto a head lock. Grice tried to pick him up and throw him but Bermudez stayed upright. Grice landed a few knees to the thigh before getting turned around and Bermudez got separation. Grice landed a leg kick. He landed a solid left hook. They traded leg kicks. Grice landed a hard straight right. Bermudez shot in but got caught in a headlock and stuffed him. He landed a huge left hook on separation. Bermudez landed a big right and a few more strikes behind it and pressed in. Grice stuffed him, then landed another huge strike. He dropped Bermucez with a huge right, but Bermudez recovered fairly quickly. Grice landed another strike, then got in a knee as Bermudez tried to clinch. They traded strikes in the center. Grice landed a spinning kick to the body. He caught a kick and landed a right. He landed a kick to the leg. Grice got in a nice combination as he closed the distance, ending the round in the clinch.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Grice. Huge knockdown, and a lot of really effective striking took the round back for him.
ROUND TWO: Grice landed an early strike to the back of the head but Bermudez continued coming forward. Grice landed another combination as Bermudez got to the clinch. Bermudez separated and landed a strike. Grice landed another solid right in an exchange. Grice scored another knockdown, catching Bermudez off balance. He went for a choke, but Bermudez worked up to his feet and got out. Bermudez landed a short combo, then grabbed a headlock. Grice tried to work for a takedown. Grice took his back, but only briefly as Bermudez defended well. Bermudez scored a short strike and went back to the clinch. Bermudez landed a hard elbow, then Grice turned him around in the clinch. Grice shot in and missed a takedown and Bermudez threw a knee as he was down. Didn't look like it landed or it would have been illegal. Bermudez went for a choke as the round ended, but Grice rolled through.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Grice. He out-scored Bermudez for the second straight round.
ROUND THREE: Bermudez came out the aggressor in the third, and he rocked Grice with a combination against the cage. He pounced as Grice tried to recover. Bermudez landed a number of punches and elbows, but Grice survived and worked to his feet. He went for a takedown and got stuffed. Grice landed a punch, but Bermudez unleashed a flurry. Grice tried to fight back but Bermudez kept firing against the cage. He landed a huge knee but Grice would not go down. Grice caught a kick and worked it to a clinch. I don't know how Grice survived that onslaught. Bermudez defended a knee. Grice tried to throw a jumping knee. Bermudez backed off and landed another big right. He missed a spinning kick and Grice clinched. Bermudez landed some more big bombs against the cage and Grice continued to wobble around the outside. Bermudez landed a few knees and continued to unleash the assault. He had to stall in the clinch. Grice landed a strike as they separated. Grice landed a punch. Bermudez tried to get back in. Grice threw a few strikes. They each landed and kept firing at one another. Bermudez landed a front kick to the body and another strike as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Bermudez. One of the most insane rounds of fighting you will ever see. I don't know how Grice stayed up, but Bermudez left everything in the cage in one of the most thrilling comeback attempts in ages. Man, what a crazy fight.
WINNER: Bermudez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (****-) That final five minutes is one of the most thrilling stretches of action in a really long time, and of course the judges didn't score it correctly. Bermudez nearly had it finished on multiple occasions, but to Grice's credit he survived. I don't agree with the scores, because I don't see how Bermudez won either of the first two, but it should have been a 10-8 third so Grice didn't deserve the flat out win either.
FIGHT THREE: MICHAEL CHIESA VS. ANTON KUIVANEN (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Kuivanen got in first with an early strike. Chiesa landed a kick to the body. He got in a left. Kuivanen landed a solid jab. Kuivanen landed a front kick to the body. Chiesa got a brief clinch but Kuivanen got free. Chiesa slipped on a high kick but popped up. Chiesa got a clinch and they traded knees. Kuivanen again got loose. Kuivanen scored with a right and Chiesa smiled. Kuivanen rushed in but only scored the final left. He went for a flying knee but Chiesa took him down. Kuivanen countered, and swept, getting to his feet. They battled back to the feet and ended the round in the clinch.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kuivanen. He out-struck Chiesa in the round, was the aggressor, and not much happened with that takedown.
ROUND TWO: Kuivanen rushed in, but Chiesa ducked under the punch and desperately tried to score the takedown. Kuivanen did a good job defending on the cage. Kuivanen finally turned Chiesa around on the cage. In the clinch, Chiesa quickly transitioned and took his back. He dragged him to the ground and went for the choke. He locked on a body triangle and continued working for a choke as Kuivanen tried to defend. Chiesa got the choke locked in tight and Kuivanen was finally forced to tap. Wow, that was really good work by Chiesa.
WINNER: Chiesa via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:29 of the second round
STAR RATING: (**+) The first round wasn't anything special, but Chiesa pulled off a sick submission in a great sequence to bring that one up. Really entertaining stuff in that second round.
FIGHT FOUR: BRENDAN SCHAUB VS. LAVAR JOHNSON (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Schaub scored an early takedown and immediately passed to side control. He wasn't looking for a striking battle in this one. Johnson got him to half guard. Some in the crowd booed the takedown from a heavyweight. Schaub went for a choke. Johnson tried to fight out of it with strikes as it turned to an anaconda choke. Schaub lost the choke and got to side control. Johnson worked to his feet and furiously tried to separate. He then scored a trip takedown into half guard. Schaub attacked for a leg and used it to sweep to half guard himself. The crowd got restless again as things slowed down a bit. Johnson rolled to his knees and got back up, but he got taken right back down. Schaub rode out the end of the round on top.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Schaub. He was doing well with top position, but he may have tired himself out going for that choke.
ROUND TWO: Schaub again looked for the takedown early. They traded punches to the body. Johnson landed some knees in the clinch. Johnson landed a good knee, but got taken right down into half guard. Johnson landed some elbows to the thigh from the bottom. Johnson continued trying to fight from his back and held off Schaub as he attempted to pass to mount. They were stood up with two and a half minutes left. Schaub landed a big right, then shot in, but got stuffed. Schaub landed another right, then scored a takedown into Johnson's guard. The crowd booed the action - or lack thereof - on the ground. Schaub passed to half guard. Johnson landed some body strikes. The round ended with Schaub on top to boos.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Schaub. Bad fight so far. Johnson just shrugged his shoulders as the round ended.
ROUND THREE: Schaub missed a big early strike. Johnson tried to score a big strike but got taken down again, much to the chagrin of the crowd. A cut opened up on Schaub and he was bleeding on top. Johnson was talking from the bottom. They were stood up. Johnson overshot a strike and got taken down into half guard. Schaub moved and got himself to mount. Johnson escaped to half guard. Johnson kicked Schaub off, but Schaub went for the choke again. He lost it in the roll and we're back to half guard. The fight continued this way with the crowd booing to the end. Just an awful, awful fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Schaub.
WINNER: Schaub via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (-*) Godawful fight. Just, really bad, both-fighters-should-be-cut nothing of a fight. I don't have much else to say on that.
=====Pay-Per-View Card=====
-Goldberg and Rogan welcome the pay-per-view audience again running down the fights set for tonight's pay-per-view card. After a prelim card on FX featuring both the best and worst UFC fights of 2013 thus far, hopefully we see more of the exciting part of that equation.
FIGHT FIVE: JOSH KOSCHECK VS. ROBBIE LAWLER (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Koscheck came straight ahead and threw an early head kick that was blocked. Koscheck ducked under a strike and scored a takedown. Lawler nearly escaped to his feet but Koscheck held onto a head lock. Lawler worked to his feet on the cage and Koscheck went for a single leg. Koscheck dragged him down again into half guard. Koscheck transitioned to his back, but Lawler turned it around. He walked up the cage again. Koscheck stayed on the single leg as the crowd booed and Lawler continued to hold him off. Lawler got in a knee as Koscheck shot in. Lawler hurt Koscheck with a big strike and started unleashing strikes. He saw Koscheck was hurt and landed a big flurry that forced Herb Dean to step in. Koscheck was barely covering up, but he disagreed with the stoppage anyway.
WINNER: Lawler via TKO at 3:57 of the first round.
STAR RATING: (**) That was shaping up to be a dull first round, then Lawler scored a big strike and followed up with a bunch of quick strikes in vicious fashion. That's a huge, huge win for Robbie Lawler in his UFC return.
FIGHT SIX: COURT MCGEE VS. JOSH NEER (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: McGee came straight ahead and threw a few strikes. Neer landed a hard right. MCGee landed some strikes from the outside and circled. Neer's left eye looked like it was taking some damage. He landed a right to the back of the head. McGee landed a few strikes in a short flurry. McGee landed a hard inside leg kick. Neer continued to move in. McGee landed a hard left that staggered Neer, and he followed with some solid strikes in combination. Neer landed a hard leg kick. McGee continued to land from the outside, circling away from the counters. They traded leg kicks and McGee again circled out. McGee landed some big strikes to the legs and body. He got in a nice flurry in the center. McGee again connected to the body. Another right landed from McGee. He landed a couple jabs. Neer tried to close the distance. McGee landed another flurry of strikes to the body. McGee hurt him with a strike to the body. He hurt him again and continued going to the body. Neer just buckled and McGee continued on. McGee stopped attacking the body, then went for a choke as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 McGee. That was all McGee. I'm surprised he allowed Neer to survive that round, because body shots should have stopped it there.
ROUND TWO: McGee came straight ahead again. He landed a few kicks. He got in the body kick again. He landed a left. Neer fired back. McGee got in another combination, ending with a body kick. Neer threw a right. McGee caught a kick and tripped him with a right hand. McGee grabbed a body lock, then clinched on the cage. He landed some boy strikes. Neer landed a solid uppercut to break McGee off. McGee tagged him with a few jabs and rights in combination. McGee landed an inside leg kick. McGee landed another combination. Neer landed a left. Neer landed a few solid strikes as he backed McGee up. Neer landed a hard right. McGee came back with strikes in combination. Neer landed a knee as McGee came in for a clinch. McGee stayed busy and Neer landed some good strikes. McGee connected on another combination. He landed a kick to the body. They traded strikes again. Neer got in some body shots. They traded strikes again. Neer landed a left hook. McGee connected on a number of strikes again. Neer landed the left again. McGee shot in and got stuffed. They fired strikes at each other again. Neer landed a knee. McGee threw a spinning kick and Neer gave him a look as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 McGee. Neer came on strong late, but McGee's accumulation of strikes was still greater in that round.
ROUND THREE: Neer landed an early leg kick. McGee tried to close the distance. They traded strikes in combination. McGee landed a nice right. Neer connected with a right. He stuffed a takedown and landed a body shot. McGee brought him to the cage, but Neer held off the takedown. McGee landed a series of rights in the clinch. McGee kept him on the cage, landing strikes. Neer finally got out. McGee came right back at him and landed a solid right. He got in a good combination. McGee finally scored a takedown two minutes into the round. Neer worked back to his feet and McGee tried to sneak behind him. McGee scored another takedown and got in a nice elbow. McGee surpassed Nick Diaz for most significant strikes in a welterweight fight. McGee stood up and landed some strikes. Neer tried to grab a leg lock. McGee scrambled and took his back. He almost got in a one-armed choke, but Neer got to his back. McGee continued landing strikes from the top and ended the round on top.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 McGee. Dominating round that he needed after a close second.
WINNER: McGee via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**+) Good brawl. McGee looked good at welterweight, but his finishing instincts left something to be desired in that first round. He didn't seem to fully recognize how hurt Neer was from the body shots, and he failed to capitalize. Still, he won the fight, and that's what matters.
FIGHT SEVEN: URIJAH FABER VS. IVAN MENJIVAR (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Faber looked to engage early and Menjivar tried to swing him off. Faber went for a takedown and Menjivar threw him. Then Faber immediately swept to get on top. Nice grappling sequence. Menjivar tried to scramble and got Faber into his full guard. Faber landed a few strikes and elbows from the top. Menjivar tried to attack an arm but Faber recognized it, defended well and dropped back to guard. Faber landed a few more elbows in brutal fashion from the top. Faber continued to unleash the elbows from the top. Menjivar tried to roll out and landed an upkick to Faber. Faber landed a kick to the leg as he stood over him. Menjivar threw a couple more upkicks, but Faber dropped back in with more brutal elbows from the top. Menjivar popped to his feet and Faber just climbed on him to get to his back. He locked the rear naked choke on in quick fashion with Menjivar still standing. Menjivar's face went purple and he was forced to tap. Faber is still elite at bantamweight.
WINNER: Faber via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:34 of the first round
STAR RATING: (***+) That was something special from Faber right there. That spider monkey crucifix that led to him taking Menjivar's back was a crazy sequence, then locking on the body triangle and getting the choke. It's even more significant because Menjivar hasn't been stopped in a fight in over a decade. Faber's fallen short in several title fights in a row, but he remains better than nearly everyone in the bantamweight division.
-Kenny Robertson's sick hamstring pull submission on Brock Jardine gets airtime on the pay-per-view.
FIGHT EIGHT: DAN HENDERSON VS. LYOTO MACHIDA (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Henderson threw a leg kick early as Machida took the center. He again threw a leg kick to the lead leg. Machida threw a straight kick. Henderson tried to close the distance with the kick again. Henderson sporting the knee brace. Henderson got in with the leg kick again but Machida backed away. The crowd loudly chanted "U.S.A." for Henderson. Very tentative start early. Machida landed a hard straight kick to the body. Henderson tried to rush and Machida side stepped it. Machida got in a good kick to the body. Henderson briefly clinched but let it go. Machida landed a nice counter right as Henderson tried to pop in. Henderson missed a right. Henderson connected on a right, but Machida was alright and avoided the second strike. Henderson shot in, but Machida stuffed him in the center. They tied up again. Henderson landed a couple of knees. Machida pulled off a nice trip and ended the round with a flurry on the ground.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Machida. It was close, and I was leaning Henderson, but the most significant offense came with that trip and that final flurry.
ROUND TWO: Machida again avoided Henderson early, and landed a nice front kick while backing away from the rush right after a minute in. Machida landed a couple of strikes and barely avoided the overhand right. Henderson tried to walk him down and measure him up for the strike, but Machida remained just out of reach. Machida landed a hard knee as Henderson popped in and Henderson landed a short strike. Machida landed a jab. Machida landed a hard kick, Henderson clinched and landed a knee. He faked a right and almost got in the actual shot. Machida tripped him up but Henderson popped back to his feet. Machida landed the right and avoided the counter. Henderson connected on a left after taking a knee. Machida blocked the right. Machida landed a straight kick to the body. Henderson swung with a couple more right hands. He rushed in with another strike and kick but couldn't land flush. Machida threw a hard spinning back kick to the body. Henderson looked frustrated at the end of the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Machida. Henderson's moving forward, but it's Machida landing the only significant offense.
ROUND THREE: Henderson again tried to rush in and missed. Machida landed a hard body kick with a jab behind it. Machida slipped as Henderson got close and Henderson wound up on top. He needs to find a way to finish here. Henderson landed some body shots. Henderson landed a series of elbows to the body. Henderson landed a forearm to the face. Machida escaped and got to his feet. Machida landed a nice inside leg kick. Henderson checked the next one. Machida engaged with a right but backed away. He tried to feint a few things and landed the front kick to the face. He got in with a head kick but it was partially blocked. Machida landed a right. Henderson tried to rush in and couldn't land and the round ended. Disappointing fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson. Very little offense from both again, but the takedown was significant, and I don't think Machida did enough to negate it that round. Could be some controversial scores here, but I don't think either gets that next title shot.
WINNER: Machida via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (*) Tentative, highly disappointing fight. Machida's not getting a title shot with that win. Just not what anyone hoped for, and what most feared.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT NINE: RONDA ROUSEY VS. LIZ CARMOUCHE (WOMEN'S BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
ROUND ONE: Rousey landed a jab and chased Carmouche down at the cage. Carmouche tried get free with strikes, but Rousey dragged her down with a head lock. Carmouche then transitioned to Rousey's back and Rousey got to her feet. Carmouche cranked her neck, and Rousey somehow shrugged her off. Carmouche fell to her back and Rousey stood above her, landing a few strikes. Carmouche went for a leg and Rousey just slickly transitioned to side control. Rousey landed some strikes as she held a head lock. Carmouche tried to get back into the back control transition, but Rousey continued landing strikes as she held the head lock. Carmouche began bleeding from the nose. Carmouche continued trying to break out. Carmouche landed some knees to the back. She tried to get a triangle, then Rousey rolled through to attack the arm. Carmouche tried to defend. Rousey stayed with it, and pulled the arm through with 15 seconds left. Carmouche tapped with 11. Amazing. Just absolutely amazing.
WINNER: Rousey via submission (armbar) at 4:49 of the first round
STAR RATING: (****) Incredible. Incredible moment and exactly the type of performance that can catapult her. She fought through adversity, Carmouche nearly pulled off the upset, Rousey somehow survived, and then she once again pulled off a first round armbar. That was absolute insanity and easily one of the best fights of the year thus far.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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