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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
UFC 159: JONES VS. SONNEN
APRIL 27, 2013
LIVE FROM NEWARK, NEW JERSEY
=====Facebook Preliminary Card Quick Results=====
-Steven Siler def. Kurt Holobaugh via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
-Cody McKenzie def. Leonard Garcia (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
=====FX Preliminary Card=====
-Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg open the broadcast discussing the night's pay-per-view card before heading to the preliminary card action up first on this two-hour broadcast.
FIGHT ONE: BRYAN CARAWAY VS. JOHNNY BEDFORD (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Carawy opened up with a couple nice counter left hooks as Bedford popped in. Bedford held off a couple of takedown attempts. Bedford accidentally got poked in the eye. Bedford popped in a quick uppercut. Bedford again held off a clinch from Caraway. Caraway scored with a left. He landed a nice straight kick to the body. They traded punches. Caraway got Bedford's back standing and then nicely dragged him to the ground against the cage. He landed a bunch of strikes from behind as he tried to loosen Bedford up for a choke. Bedford got up and Caraway lost the position. Caraway landed a nice jab. Bedford got in a hard right with a body kick behind it. He landed a left. He missed a wild strike. Caraway got in the left. Caraway threw a head kick. He got in an uppercut after Bedford missed a punch. Bedford landed a couple of strikes in combination, but Caraway took it. Caraway scored a nice takedown late and landed a few strikes from the top as he passed to half guard before the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Caraway. Strong first round for Caraway. Held his own on the feet and worked well on the ground. Not bad on five day's notice.
ROUND TWO: Caraway shot in a couple times quick in the round but got stuffed. Caraway landed a couple nice lefts and Bedford covered his eye. He landed another left. Bedford pressed in and landed a nice right and a knee against the cage. He was cut over the eye. Caraway landed another left. Bedford got in a jab and a leg kick. Bedford landed a leg kick. He got in a right to the body. Caraway got in a nice uppercut. He missed a straight kick as Bedford sidestepped it. Caraway landed another nice left. And another. He got a clinch and held off a trip with an uppercut. Caraway shot in and scored a takedown with two minutes to work in the round. Bedford landed a couple elbows. Caraway passed the guard and went to work on top. He landed a hard right. Caraway landed some elbows to the side of the head as he tried to maneuver to a more workable position. Caraway passed to side control. Bedford kicked Caraway off and tried to land an upkick as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Caraway. He's actually doing much better on the feet than I expected, and adding two minutes of top control helps him as well.
ROUND THREE: Caraway landed a couple strikes early and Bedford responded back. Caraway landed a jab backing up. He got in a punch. He looked like he got poked in the eye and Bedford connected on a few against the cage. Bedford landed a nice hook. Caraway got in a nice uppercut. Caraway shot in and Bedford hit a nice switch, but Caraway stayed on him and got on top. Bedford went for a triangle, then an armbar, but Caraway circled out. Caraway passed again to half guard. Caraway landed some strikes to the body, then got in a few hard shots to the face as Bedford turned over. Caraway continued working from the top, then attacked for a late guillotine and pulled guard. He got it locked on tighter as he rolled it to mount and forced the tap with only 17 seconds left. Big time performance on short notice.
WINNER: Caraway via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:44 of the third round
STAR RATING: (**+) Nothing special about the fight, but Caraway pulling off the sub with little time left after dominating a fight he took on short notice is worth a slight bump. Really good performance from Caraway start to finish.
FIGHT TWO: SARA MCMANN VS. SHEILA GAFF (WOMEN'S BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Gaff ran right out at McMann and got taken down immediately by the Olympic Silver Medalist. McMann worked from guard with short strikes, while Gaff tried to hold on and force a standup. McMann worked to the body as she tried to get separation. McMann landed more hard strikes to the side as Gaff held on. The crowd started booing as the action stalled out. Gaff held on long enough to get them stood up. McMann ran in again and got hit in the face. McMann grabbed a clinch as Gaff threw a few knees to the body. McMann scored another takedown and got to side control. She got a mounted crucifix and started raining down strikes. Gaff tried to buck out but she was stuck and not getting out. Though they weren't the hardest strikes, Gaff had no way to defend herself and the ref stopped it.
WINNER: McMann via TKO at 4:06 of the first round
STAR RATING: (*+) Not much of a fight. McMann completely out-classed Gaff, who came out with no semblance of a gameplan in this one. But McMann's wrestling is going to be a significant advantage for her against most in this newly formed division.
-Joe Rogan welcomes Tommy Rowlands of the Committee for the Preservation of Olympic Wrestling to bring attention to the sport after the IOC decided this year to take it out of the Olympics.
FIGHT THREE: OVINCE ST-PREUX VS. GIAN VILLANTE (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: St-Preux threw a couple kicks. Villante caught a kick and tried to drive forward for a takedown. OSP stuffed it against the cage. St-Preux landed a strike and held over the top of the cage to keep himself upright. Villante finally backed off and OSP landed a punch on the break. St-Preux landed a couple of straight lefts. Villante landed a body kick. St-Preux threw a few winging strikes. He blocked a head kick from Villante. St-Preux hurt Villante with a combination and drove him to the cage. Villante grabbed a clinch and recovered. St-Preux landed a knee and backed off. He landed a hard left. He missed a strike and Villante shot in. St-Preux stuffed the takedown attempt again. Villante got things paused to cut some loose tape off, then they continued with a minute to go. St-Preux threw a wild right and shot in, but Villante stuffed it. He landed an elbow as he broke loose. St-Preux connected on a right. He threw a head kick that was blocked. Villante landed a hard side kick to the body at the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 OSP. He had Villante hurt in the middle of the round, and had the only really effective offense.
ROUND TWO: Villante landed a hard leg kick that tripped St-Preux up to start the round. St-Preux landed a straight left. Villante landed an inside leg kick and blocked as OSP threw a few strikes. St-Preux threw a nice left to the body. He landed a left that was partially blocked. Villante landed another hard inside leg kick. St-Preux telegraphed a shot and Villante easily moved him aside and grabbed a headlock. He landed a couple strikes as he broke away. Villante landed an inside leg kick. OSP looked very tired as the action slowed significantly from an already slow first round. Villante landed a couple of strikes in close as OSP missed. Villante landed a body kick, then a hard outside leg kick. St-Preux finally connected on a left. The crowd booed the tentative action. Villante landed an inside kick. St-Preux was complaining of an eye poke, but the ref didn't see anything and made him continue. The crowd continued booing. Villante got in an overhand right before the horn. Bad round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Villante. Really bad round. St-Preux wasted his energy in the first and did almost nothing that frame, while Villante didn't do much more but was at least active.
ROUND THREE: OSP threw an early kick. Villante took an eye poke. Referee Kevin Mulhall didn't see it, but asked Villante if he could see. He responded "I can't see" and Mulhall immediately called the fight because he said he couldn't see. Villante was incensed as he was calling the fight and was arguing with Mulhall, but it's all over regardless.
WINNER: OSP via majority technical decision (30-28, 30-29, 29-29)
STAR RATING: (n/a) Updating this reaction as the scores have come in. ALL three actually scored 10-10 in the final round, one had it 20-18 OSP into the third, another 20-19 with a 10-10 second, and the final had it even at 19-19.
FIGHT FOUR: RUSTAM KHABILOV VS. YANCY MEDEIROS (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Both fighters tested out the range early, but it took a body kick from Medeiros 30 seconds in for the first strike to land. Medeiros landed a nice right hand. Things slowed a bit again, then Khabilov popped in with a right. He missed an uppercut. Khabilov missed on another rush. He got a clinch and tripped Medeiros down. He got behind him and went for a suplex, but Medeiros blocked it with his leg. He got turned around but Khabilov looked to take him down again. He got back up and there was an issue with his hand. He dislocated and/or broke his thumb! Ouch. Another early end to a fight. Very unfortunate.
WINNER: Khabilov via TKO (injury) at 2:32 of the first round
STAR RATING: (n/a) Another unfortunate end to a fight, but this one was a lot more reasonable. That thumb was nasty, pointing in directions a thumb isn't supposed to, and it's just too bad because that fight was picking up.
-With no Facebook prelims to air, they rebroadcast the McMann-Gaff fight from earlier on the FX broadcast.
=====Pay-Per-View Broadcast=====
-After continuing to oversell Chael Sonnen's wrestling in a breakdown of tonight's main event, Goldberg and Rogan ran down tonight full main card. Given the preliminary card fights, we're not likely to get much fluff on the pay-per-view card tonight.
PPV FIGHT ONE: JIM MILLER VS. PAT HEALY (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Miller landed a couple early strikes as Healy tried to move in. Miller landed a nice combo. He landed a hard inside leg kick that tripped Healy up and landed a nice left behind it. He landed another nice left. Healy got in a kick. Miller briefly clinched and Healy got loose with an elbow. The New Jersey crowd was fully in Miller's corner. Miller landed a hard uppercut, then scored a takedown and dropped into Healy's guard. Healy tried to get an armbar set up but Miller defended. He tried for an omoplata, but Miller got out and tried to go for a crucifix on Healy's back. Then Miller tried to go for a kimura. He switched it to an armbar belly down, but Healy held the arm and got free to stand up. Healy got in a knee to the body as they clashed. Miller landed a nice inside leg kick. Healy got in a right. Healy shot in and scored a takedown. Miller tried to go for a leg lock but ate a bunch of punches and Healy took his back. Healy landed some strikes, but Miller got up. Healy suplexed him and took his back. Miller then spun out and got on top. Healy tried to attack from the bottom and Miller ended the round with a huge series of strikes. A few more seconds and that might have been over. Awesome round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Miller. Healy nearly took over there late, but Miller got control again and ended the round with some brutal ground and pound.
ROUND TWO: Healy closed the distance early and clinched, then scored a brief trip, but Miller got his balance and pressed Healy to the cage. Healy landed an elbow on the break. Miller landed a leg kick. Miller landed a left and drove Healy back in a clinch again. Miller landed an elbow, but Healy then scored a takedown. He moved to half guard, but Miller regained guard quickly. Healy landed some elbows from the top as Miller tried to kick him off. He dropped down with a left. Miller tried to get going off his back, but Healy landed some big strikes that were opening Miller up. Miller gave up position trying to attack a leg. He got to a knee and Healy tried to take his back. Miller tried to work to his feet and Healy grabbed a rear naked choke. Miller tried to turn toward the choke and he got out. Then he used the cage to escape the mount and tried to attack the arm. Healy stayed on him and Miller tried to drop with a choke attempt. He got to his feet and ate a knee. Healy landed a couple strikes as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Healy. Big comeback round for Healy to even things up, but this is a fight right here. Both still very much in this.
ROUND THREE: Healy closed the distance but Miller shrugged him off. Miller landed a nice strike. He got to the side of Healy and took him down, but Healy got loose and to his feet. Miller landed a kick. He got in an uppercut and an elbow. Healy grabbed a clinch and got in a knee to the body. Miller landed an inside leg kick. Healy landed a right that tagged Miller. Healy landed another knee low on the cage but it wasn't seen. Healy grabbed a body lock on the cage and dragged him down in half guard. Miller tried to get separation, but Healy landed some hard elbows from the top. He tried to set up for an arm triangle but let it go. Miller went to a high guard but Healy got out. Healy continued working and trapped an arm. Miller tried to get to his feet as Healy took his back, but couldn't get up. Healy got a choke locked on tight. Miller tried to fight out of it, but he went out! Wow.
WINNER: Healy via technical submission (rear naked choke) at 4:02 of the third round
STAR RATING: (***+) Just a fantastic effort from both guys. Miller started out really strong, then Healy started showing why he's one of the strongest bullying fighters in the division as it wore on. That's as impressive a fight as you could have against Jim Miller, and Healy should get respect from everyone after that fight.
-Side note: Bruce Buffer screwed up announcing a name. It was bound to happen, but he announced Jim Miller as the winner and had to stop himself to get in that it was Healy. Very funny.
PPV FIGHT TWO: PHIL DAVIS VS. VINNY MAGALHAES (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Magalhaes came out throwing kicks, scoring with several before clinching early. Davis got free. He came forward throwing strikes. Magalhaes tripped briefly. Davis threw a high kick that partially got through. Magalhaes was a little wobbly and Davis stayed on him. Magalhaes got his legs back and backed away. Magalaes caught a kick and took Davis down. He quickly took Davis' back and tried to tie an arm up. He lost the arm and Davis got free. Davis got in a few strikes and tried to keep the pressure on. Magalhaes rushed in and missed a few strikes. Magalhaes landed a nice short uppercut. Davis got in a few jabs and a couple strikes behind it. Magalhaes landed a kick.
Magalhaes got hit with an eye poke and Dan Miragliotta told him to keep going. These refs and eye pokes are getting ridiculous. That rule needs to be changed to allow five minutes like groin strikes. Davis continued pressuring and landed several strikes before the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Davis. Well, the fight has turned into a kickboxing bout, which is a little unfortunate, but smart for Davis, who has been the better striker thus far.
ROUND TWO: Davis went to his jab early. Magalhaes landed a nice right over the top and an uppercut behind it. Davis missed a front kick and Magalhaes just missed a counter. He landed a hard leg kick. Davis shot in and tried to take his back. Magalhaes pulled guard and Davis stood above him before making him stand. Davis got in a good right and Magalhaes' nose began bleeding. Davis landed a hard two punch combo. Magalhaes got in a nice left and a head kick. He landed a hard leg kick. Davis continued to press him back with a jab. The action stalled and brought out the boo birds. Davis caught a kick and tripped Magalhaes up. He landed a strike before making him stand. He landed a nice body punch. Magalhaes landed a few kicks. Davis popped his head back with another jab. Magalhaes landed a hard left hook. Davis started picking up his strikes. Magalhaes shot but Davis easily stayed on his feet. He landed another hard punch. He tagged Magalhaes again and then the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Davis. He's just in complete control on the feet. Magalhaes needs to get it to the ground or he's done.
ROUND THREE: Magalhaes tried to press in and Davis continued scoring with jabs. Action stalled again as neither connected on much in the opening minutes. Davis clinched briefly and Magalhaes tried to pull guard to no avail. Davis landed a nice overhand right. Magalhaes covered up. Davis landed a nice left. No desperation out of Magalhaes. Davis landed a right. Davis landed a body punch. Magalhaes landed a couple leg kicks. Davis landed a hard right. Davis continued pressing in and pitter-pattering him with strikes. Magalhaes tried another shot that failed and Davis made him stand. He ran in with a left. Magalhaes landed a nice kick to the body. The crowd booed the tentative action. Magalhaes threw a straight kick that was blocked. Davis landed a jab. The round and fight finally come to an end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Davis. Magalhaes had the opposite problem of Gilbert Melendez last week on a sense of urgency scale. His corner told him he was behind, it was clear, and he still had no sense of urgency whatsoever in that third round.
WINNER: Davis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**) Not an entirely horrible fight, just not the fight I wanted to see. Davis was the better striker clearly, and played it smart by staying on the feet. Magalhaes had one real shot in that first round, and after he lost the position he kind of gave up on his ground game for whatever reason. Unfortunate on his part.
PPV FIGHT THREE: ROY NELSON VS. CHEICK KONGO (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Nelson immediately walked down Kongo and initiated a clinch on the cage. Kongo tried to get Nelson off the cage, but failed to. Nelson was working with a body lock trying to take Kongo down and Kevin Mulhall separated them. He's having a good night. Nelson tried to walk Kongo down on the cage. Nelson landed the overhand right, then landed one more on the ground and it was all over. Just brutal.
WINNER: Nelson via KO at 2:03 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) Nelson might just make his way into the title picture in the heavyweight division by knocking out everyone in his way. That's three straight. Now he needs to do it against elite talent.
-Nelson wants a title shot against whomever wins at UFC 160. Probably won't get it, but he's making his way.
PPV FIGHT FOUR: MICHAEL BISPING VS. ALAN BELCHER (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Belcher came out throwing out a couple of kicks. Bisping threw a leg kick that was checked. Belcher landed a kick to the body. He threw one to the legs that crawled up to Bisping's groin. Bisping tried to close the distance and Belcher pressed him back with a side kick to the body. He landed a nice leg kick. Bisping again tried to walk him down. Belcher got in a good body kick. Belcher landed a good jab. Bisping got in a kick to the body. Belcher tried to pop in with a right that missed. Belcher got in an overhand right. The crowd booed at tentative action. They traded punches. Bisping got in an overhand right. Belcher landed a nice right. Bisping got in a jab after Belcher checked a kick. Bisping got in a short combo. Belcher showed no concern about Bisping's striking. Bisping took an eye poke and Belcher got a warning. Belcher landed a kick to the body and tripped up. Bisping tried to rush in, but Belcher pressed him back with a kick to the body. Bisping landed a hard right at the end of the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Bisping. He pressed the action for the most part and was overall more active.
ROUND TWO: Belcher came out more aggressive and they traded early strikes. Belcher landed a right and ducked away. Bisping landed a good leg kick. Bisping went high with a kick but didn't land flush with it. Belcher got in a hard left. Bisping connected on an overhand right. Bisping landed a short combo. Bisping landed a leg kick. Belcher missed an overhand right and Bisping countered. Bisping walked him down and landed another overhand right. Belcher wasn't responding with much. Bisping landed the overhand right again. Bisping connected on a few strikes. The crowd didn't like the still somewhat tentative action, then Belcher landed a right. Bisping stuck in the center and landed a combo. He hit belcher again with a short flurry. Belcher's just letting him dictate everything in the fight. Belcher landed a hard left hook to the temple. He landed a hard right. Then another one. He pressed Bisping back and ate a few strikes. He ate a few more as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Bisping. Belcher finally got a rhythm on a few strikes late, but he wasn't doing anything the rest of that round. Very strange performance.
ROUND THREE: Belcher ran in and Bisping countered. Belcher tried to press in and Bisping smiled and jawed at him. Belcher smiled back and talked some more. Bisping landed a hard right. He landed a real hard overhand that Belcher walked through. Bisping landed a left. The crowd tried to goad more action. Bisping landed another right. Belcher continued to keep his hands down. Bisping landed a head kick. He landed a left. Belcher landed a body kick, then a body punch, and another kick. Bisping landed a few strikes. Belcher landed a right. Bisping landed another hard overhand right. Then another. Bisping landed a nice combination of strikes to the head and body. He landed a left and a straight right. Belcher continues to take them, but he's just letting himself get hit. He shot in and got stuffed easily. Bisping landed another overhand right. Bisping then caught Belcher with a bad eye poke and Belcher just crumbled in pain. And his eye is bleeding! Oh no! This is a guy who had his retina detached before. Awful way for that to end.
WINNER: Bisping via technical decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**) Not a great fight, but Bisping was well ahead before the unfortunate end. Belcher was allowing him to take complete control and hit him at every opportunity. The eye poke was especially unfortunate given Belcher's history, though and I can only hope he's alright.
PPV MAIN EVENT FIGHT FIVE: JON JONES VS. CHAEL SONNEN (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
ROUND ONE: Sonnen tried to come straight ahead at Jones, Jones ducked under and put Sonnen on his back. Sonnen got to his feet and threw a number of punches in the clinch. Jones pressed him to the cage and they traded knees. Sonnen threw a ton of strikes with his back on the cage. Jones dropped down and took him down again, landing a big elbow. Sonnen got up to his feet again, but Jones stayed on him in the clinch. Sonnen tried to throw on a guillotine and Jones immediately got out of it. Jones landed an uppercut and an elbow. He threw a spinning elbow. He landed a few uppercuts to the body as Sonnen tried to land some knees. Jones ducked down again and scored another big takedown into the guard. He landed a hard elbow. Sonnen tried to tie up. Jones landed a hard elbow. Jones got in another elbow and a couple of punches as he stayed active in guard. Jones landed more elbows, then wrapped Sonnen's arm. Jones hurt Sonnen. He landed a big knee to the body, then started throwing strikes and beating Sonnen up on the ground. Sonnen wasn't doing a ton to defend himself outside of covering up and the ref stepped in. Chael stood up quick and tried to half-heartedly protest as his face was a bloody mess. Was it ending much differently?
WINNER: Jones via TKO at 4:33 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**) Look, this wasn't going to go much different than what happened. Sonnen was going to give everything he had until it was clear he was outmatched. Jones was the better fighter, he was always the better fighter, but it can't be said that Chael Sonnen shies away from anything.
-Jones broke his toe! And didn't realize it until he looked down at his foot. Oh my.
-Sonnen said after that Jones was the better fighter, he didn't have any issue with the stoppage, and essentially retired.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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