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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Georges St. Pierre [art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch]
UFC 94 is almost here! I'm at the moment having difficulties with Comcast, but as soon as it's resolved it'll be time to go for live coverage of UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn II! At the buzzer the guy on the phone comes through! I hate cable companies, but there won't be any delay in coverage tonight, so stick around as we go round-for-round with our live report here on MMATorch.com!
-Rogan and Goldberg open the show once again and break down both fighter's in our epic main event tonight. They also go through the attributes of our two undefeated's facing off, Thiago Silva and Lyoto Machida.
FIGHT ONE: NATE DIAZ VS. CLAY GUIDA (LIGHTWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Guida says Diaz is going to realize he's in there with a different kind of human. He predicted a second round knockout. Diaz says he's got to get out there and work harder than Guida. He said he trained his ass off for this and he's got to go get it done. Guida comes out to his music, "Hero" by the Foo Fighters, singing and hopping around on his way to the Octagon. Great energy from Guida to open the show. His brother slapped him a few times before he got in to the cage and did a couple of laps. Diaz out to Eminem's "Til I Collapse." I love that song as an entrance.
ROUND ONE: Diaz walks Guida down and they each get in a shot. Guida comes in for a short flurry and the grapple a bit. They separate and Guida gets a shot. They trade short punches and kicks. Guida gets a few shots in including a knee. Guida lands a great right hand with a counter. Diaz comes in with a couple of shots. Diaz lands a a jab and a body shot. Guida shoots in for a single leg but Diaz stays on his feet. Diaz with another jab landing. Guida lands a nice leg kick. Diaz shoots in and tries to pull guard but Guida almost drops into a mount but Diaz gets to the half guard and then gets a full guard. Guida moves to the back of Diaz as Nate tries to get back to his feet. Diaz keeps his balance for a minute before they go to the ground and Guida's used a full nelson to flip him over and get side control. Diaz moves to his back and gets up again. Guida's uses a body lock/single leg to pick Diaz up and drop him. Nice slam. Diaz moves to his knees again and Guida got back on top of him. He grappled him from the back as Diaz got back to his feet. As he turned around he ate a knee and they traded shots to end the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Guida. Good first round. Guida landed some shots, as did Diaz, but Guida's slam and ground dominance won it for him.
ROUND TWO: They trade some shots early and Diaz goes for a leg throw which Guida defends nicely. They grapple and clinch against the cage. They trade a few shots in the clinch and each get position with the other guy on the cage. Guida attempts a slam but is unsuccessful. Guida gets Diaz to the ground as Diaz was going for the standing kimura. Diaz gets Guida down and gets on top but Guida reverses it and grapples him again as they stand up. Diaz keeps going for Guida's arm and Clay just stays on him. This is a bit of a stalemate on the cage here. Diaz gets the leg throw this time but Guida's got his back from the side. Guida rolls around on top but Diaz still has a hold of the Kimura. Guida throws a knee to the body as the two get up again. Guida again keeps the back and Diaz gets another leg throw with Guida on top. Diaz almost gets in a triangle as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Guida. The simple control that Guida showed, even as he was thrown twice probably took it for him. Very close round with both guys struggling for position.
ROUND THREE: Diaz with some nice jabs and body punches to start off the round. Guida gets in a couple of counter shots himself. Diaz is getting the better of the exchange's until Guida lands a nice hard right. Diaz pushes in again and they clinch on the cage once again. Diaz gets himself out of it and they stand and trade a couple of shots. Diaz gets a couple of nice shots in and then taunts Guida with his arms up. He comes in and lands a bunch of shots against the cage. He's landing a bunch of shots here on the cage. Nice striking from Diaz until Guida ducks in for a single leg. Guida's getting nowhere here again and then Diaz again gets a leg sweep but Guida gets his back and they stand up again. Guida's got the back of Diaz again. Guida finally gets Diaz to the ground and then Diaz again gets to his feet. Guida again drags him down but Diaz gets up again. He's getting frustrated here. Guida started throwing knees. Guida hops over Diaz's back and Diaz gets a shot in as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Diaz. He gets the edge with a lot of shots landing early and another leg sweep but Guida controlled his body again for the last half of the round. This is going to be a close one.
POST FIGHT: Guida thanked Diaz and his camp as well as his own camp. He says he knows it wasn't pretty, but it was a win and he's coming up the ladder. He thanks a ton of other people along the lines. He thanks everyone in the back as well.
STAR RATING: (**+) It wasn't the most exciting throughout, but Guida's relentless controlling in the wrestling aspect won him that fight. There were a couple of great back and forth flurries, but it probably wasn't quite what everyone was hoping for. Still a very solid fight to start off the show.
-We get a preview video for UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson, coming for free on Spike TV on February 21st.
FIGHT TWO: KARO PARISYAN VS. DONG HYUN KIM (WELTERWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Parisyan says he wants to start this year violently, and he wants to break Kim's legs with kicks. Kim said he's going to show the UFC fans why his nickname is "Stun Gun." Parisyan said he wants to dominate everywhere the fight goes. He said he wants Kim's face to look like a piece of beat up meat. Kim comes out to the "Numb/Encore" mash-up from Linkin Park and Jay-Z. Good intro songs to start the fights off so far. I have no idea what Karo's music is, however.
ROUND ONE: Kim with a leg kick to start and then Karo comes with a nice overhand right to push Kim back. Kim ends up getting the takedown and he took Karo down. He lands a couple of shots before a scramble and takes Parisyan's back. Kim tries to lock the hooks in as Karo is standing. Kim tries to throw a few punches and then Karo throws himself forward to try to get out of this position. Kim stays locked in however, and starts throwing some nice shots. Kim tries to play to the crowd and Karo is able to get back to his feet and he throws Kim down again, but Kim stays on him. Karo is going without a mouthguard here, as he lost it. Kim went for an armbar but Karo popped out and threw a shot. Kim almost locks in a triangle but Karo pops his head out. Karo throws a couple of body shots. They get back up to their feet and as Karo goes for a take down Kim counters it and takes Karo's back again. Karo got back to his feet once again. Kim throws some knees to Karo's legs that do some damage. They separate and throw a couple of strikes to finish the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kim. That was a pretty dominant round out of the Korean Judoka. Really an interesting dynamic with Kim not being able to finish even though having a dominant round.
ROUND TWO: Kim throws a grazing high kick and the two trade some shots. Karo shoots in and Kim ends up on his back against the cage. Karo gets a sweep takedown and moves himself to the top of Kim in a scramble. Kim gets himself back to his feet once again, however, and they clinch on the cage again. Karo goes for a single leg but Kim immediately gets out and gets to Karo on the cage. Karo pulls out a beautiful judo sweep to take side control. Kim gets himself back to his feet and they clinch at the cage once again. Karo throws a couple of knees against the cage. They separate and the get Karo's mouthpiece back in. Rosenthal says he'll take a point if it comes out again. They start it back up and Kim lands a couple of nice jabs. Karo throws a nice right hand. Karo presses forward with a couple of shots and Kim grabs a clinch. He throws a nice knee to the body and Karo pushes him to the cage. Karo backs out and lands a few shots as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Parisyan. He looked much better in that round. Landed some nice shots and had a great takedown in that round.
ROUND THREE: We get right to the clinch on the cage to start this round and then Kim gets a takedown of his own. Karo went to pull a triangle and threw an upkick to push Kim off of him and Rosenthal warns Karo to not let that kick hit the face as Kim is on the ground. They start up again and Kim tries to go for the back standing up again but Karo turns it around. Parisyan lands a knee. Kim throws a knee of his own. The action has stalled on the cage here. Kim with a nice knee to the body up against the cage. Karo steps back and lands a jumping knee. Karo pulls Kim down but he can't keep him there. The crowd starts to boo as they are at a stall again on the cage. Karo backs off and gets in a punch before going back to the clinch. He throws a knee. Karo almost gets another takedown but Kim gets back up immediately. Kim's going to need to do something or he may lose this fight to complacency. They struggle against the cage again and Karo gets a nice leg trip. They separate and trade shots as the round closes and the fans boo.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Parisyan. Barely. That was very tentative round that the crowd turned on. This is going to be a razor thin decision, as neither guy did much of anything in the third round.
WINNER: Parisyan via split decision (29-28 Parisyan, 29-28 Kim, 29-28 Parisyan)
STAR RATING: (**) That third round was just not good. The first two were tentative, though provided a good back and forth between two great Judo practitioners. There just wasn't anything else to the fight. Kind of a disappointing start to the show so far, especially if Fitch-Gono does not make the main card.
FIGHT THREE: STEPHAN BONNAR VS. JON JONES (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Jones calls this a win-win opportunity for him. He said he'll reach in and grab what's his. Bonnar says he's "starving" to get back in there. He says he's ready to show everyone that he's not just a wild fighter and he's got some great technique as well. Bonnar said he doesn't care what Jones does to him, he's going to keep coming forward.
ROUND ONE: Jones misses a big overhand right. Bonnar with a nice leg kick. Jones misses a round house kick but lands a nice body kick. He follows with another. Bonnar comes in and they clinch. Jones lands a nice knee in the clinch. He pushes Bonnar forward and almost gets a takedown. They each land a knee in the clinch. Jones with a great leg sweep gets a takedown. Bonnar eats a couple of shots but gets back to his feet. Jones throws him again. That was nice. Jones lands a nice knee as Bonnar gets back up. They slow it down a bit and each land a shot. Jones comes in to grapple again and he lands a couple of knees to the body. Bonnar lands some knees to the thighs of Jones on the cage. Bonnar lands a knee to the body. Jones uses Bonnar's momentum and almost gets a takedown but Bonnar holds it off. Jones pulls off a suplex. They get back up and Jones drops Bonnar with a spinning back fist. Bonnar is able to recover and manages to get back to his feet but Bonnar's cut here. Jones lands a huge knee to the jaw and then gets a third takedown as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jones. Wow, what a round from Jones there. That's a great opening round for Jones's second fight in the UFC.
ROUND TWO: Bonnar pushes in to start and they trade shots. Jones lands a nice side kick. Bonnar went for a trip but Jones ended up getting his back. Bonnar got back to his feet. Jones catches a kick from Bonnar and lands a right hand of his own. He then gets a takedown out of that. Jones tries to trap Bonnar's arm from the half guard. Jones is almost in side control with a leg caught. Bonnar gets himself back to his feet again. Jones lands a nice body kick as Bonnar lands a shot. Jones lands a nice punch again. Bonnar gets Jones against the cage again. Jones pushes him off and lands a couple of shots. Bonnar lands a couple of hard shots of his own. Good back and forth here. Bonnar lands a knee to the body. They clinch in the middle of the cage and Bonnar lands a couple of elbows before they separate. Bonnar came in and Jones flipped him over. Wow. Bonnar gets up again. Jones went for a pro wrestling style drop toe hold to end the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jones. Another great round from Jones. His wrestling and throwing takedown skill is awesome at 21.
ROUND THREE: They land straight kicks at the same time early here. Bonnar gets in to clinch and then backs away. Bonnar lands a couple of shots and Jones lands a couple himself. Nice uppercut in the clinch from Bonnar. He throws a knee to Jones against the cage. They separate again. Jones lands a shot and Bonnar throws a few shots himself. Nice exchange. Bonnar lands a couple of straight forearms and couple of punches. They clinch and Bonnar tries to get a takedown but Jones just dropped him to the ground. Bonnar threw a couple of elbows from the bottom and went for a triangle but Jones got out of it. Jones throws a nice knee to the body and Bonnar makes his way back to the feet again. They separate with :90 left in the round. Stephan lands a shot and then they clinch again. They've both run out of gas by this point here. Bonnar tries to turn it up and push forward. Jones lands a knee. Bonnar lands a shot. Bonnar tries to again press the action but the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jones. Bonnar came out pushing the pace in that round but once again Jones was able to get the takedown and land shots himself. This was a great fight by Jones.
WINNER: Jones via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (***) That was a hell of a performance out of Jon Jones. The 21 year old is a star in the making and is going to be a force in the UFC for a long time. He's entertaining as well as talented so that helps his chances at getting embraced by the crowd, which he will be with more fights like that.
FIGHT FOUR: LYOTO MACHIDA VS. THIAGO SILVA (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
PREFIGHT: Thiago doesn't think anything can stop him. Machida says Silva has no idea what he's bringing to this fight. Machida says he wants a title shot and Silva is in his way.
ROUND ONE: Machida comes in with a shot to start off. Machida comes in for another short flurry. Leg kick from Machida. Machida gets another leg kick in. Machida lands a low blow and the action is halted. Silva lands a kick as they restart. Machida comes in and trips up Silva for a takedown. Machida gets back up and lets Silva up. Machida comes in and lands a big knee and a big left that drops Silva. Machida gets down and into Silva's guard. Silva lands a left as Machida gets back to his feet. Silva lands a few nice kicks from his back to the legs of Machida. Maschida drops down with a punch back into Silva's guard. Silva is active from his back trying to land a shot. Machida steps out and Silva gets back up. Machida lands a couple of nice kicks. Machida drops Silva with a big combo and he follows him down to the ground and gets to side control, and then the mount for a second before he moves to his feet. Machida pushed Silva headfirst into the cage. Silva gets back into a clinch with Machida. They trade shots, Machida throws Silva down and drops down with a punch that knocks Silva out right before the buzzer! Oh. My. God. That man needs a title shot pronto.
WINNER: Machida via ko at 4:59 1/2 of round one.
POST FIGHT: Machida says he's very happy to be there. He said Thiago's a tough guy, but he was the better fighter tonight. He thanked his fans and said he feels at home in Las Vegas. He asked the crowd if he deserved a title shot, after a positive response he said he's ready.
STAR RATING: (****-) Anyone else want to call Machida boring? That was a great display with an absolutely unexpected finish. That was awesome.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FIVE: GEORGES "RUSH" ST. PIERRE VS. B.J. "THE PRODIGY" PENN (WELTERWEIGHT TITLE BOUT)
PREFIGHT: It's finally here. It is time for this most anticipated rematch in UFC history. Awesome "here we go" video before the entrances. The crowd is insane right now as B.J. Penn comes to the cage. I can't even imagine what the atmosphere is live in that arena right now, as it's coming across really well on pay-per-view.
ROUND ONE: Penn pushes in and they clinch immediately. They trade knees as St. Pierre pushes Penn to the cage. GSP lands some more knees to the body up against the cage. GSP grabs a single leg but B.J. defends it. Penn continues to defend against the cage as GSP holds the single leg. Penn throws a punch. Penn throws a knee to the body and they separate. They trade shots after Penn lands one. Georges lands a knee and they clinch again. Penn again defends against GSP's takedown attempt. Penn tries to grab a Muy Thai clinch but GSP backs it off. Penn lands a short combo. GSP comes in and lands a jab to the body. GSP lands a nice right and knocks Penn's head back with a nice jab. GSP again pushes in and clinch's Penn at the cage. They separate and trade shots. GSP lands a nice right hand. Body jab lands from GSP. he lands another nice shot as round one closes.
Penick's Scorecard: Very tough to score as Penn's takedown defense scores some points but GSP landed more shots and had some good movement. 10-9 GSP.
ROUND TWO: Penn lands an early jab. GSP gets a jab in to the body. Penn pushes forward and lands a left. GSP pushes in and throws some knees in the clinch. He launches an elbow in their as well. GSP grabs a single leg as Penn throws shots to his head and he finally gets a takedown. Penn tries to pull rubber guard right away but GSP stays in his guard. He pops out and lands a nice elbow to the face. GSP postures up and throws some big bombs before dropping down and passing to side control. He starts throwing a bunch of shots as Penn tries to keep himself composed. St. Pierre unloads a big knee to the body. GSP keeps throwing shots to the head of B.J. As Penn gets back to guard GSP landed a big right hand. Georges tries to posture up and throw some bombs again. One gets through. Georges lands a few elbows to the face of B.J. GSP stands up and throws a ton of shots again and moves to side control. B.J. moves it back into guard in a nice defensive position. GSP lands some more elbows and is moving nicely in Penn's guard here. GSP unloads a ton more punishment in the last fifteen seconds and the round ends. Great, great round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 GSP. That was very close to a 10-8 round, as GSP dominated B.J. there.
ROUND THREE: GSP lands a few quick jabs early and snother nice shot after that. He's bloodied Penn's nose. He snaps B.J.'s head back with another jab. Penn gets in a shot. Georges comes in with another shot and works to another takedown. He's in B.J.'s half guard. He gets in a couple of shots but Penn defends well here early on. GSP postures up again to throw a couple of shots. Big elbow lands from GSP. Georges throws some more shots and adds some hammer fists but then Penn pops up and clinch's GSP on the cage. He grabs a single leg on GSP on the cage now. GSP regains position and lands a knee to the body. GSP grabs a double leg and takes Penn down again. He's got him right up against the cage. He throws a couple of punches followed by an elbow. He lands another big elbow. He steps up and lands four or five big big punches. He lands another elbow. The round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 GSP. This is an awesome fight. GSP is in dominating form right now. B.J.'s corner sounds worried as they try to pump him up into this fourth round.
ROUND FOUR: GSP lands a leg kick, jab, leg kick, jab combo right off the bat. He grabs another takedown after a few more shots and moves to side control. GSP starts unloading the punishment and has Penn's arm trapped. Penn gets his arm out but he's getting dominated. GSP almost gets to the mount as Herb Dean warns him of shots to the back of the head. Penn grab the half guard and GSP pops right back to side control. GSP unloads a ton of shots to the face of B.J. This is decimation by GSP right now. He pops another half guard into side control and throws some more shots. He keeps trying to trap B.J.'s arm as he throws a ton of shots. B.J. tries to get away and GSP pulls him right back to position. GSP just continues to unload with big shots from side control. B.J. is getting his ass kicked here. GSP keeps throwing shots and B.J. barely hangs on to finish the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 GSP. That was an unbelievable showing of dominance from the Welterweight Champion. This is a beating on another level. Oh my god, B.J. can't make it out for the fourth round and it's all over!!!!
WINNER: GSP via tko at 5:00 of the fourth round.
POST FIGHT: GSP said he's been training for this fight since September, and he had a lot of pressure. He said he wanted to finish him this time. He said his strategy was to stiffen him up by wrestling him in the first two rounds. GSP says Thiago Alves is the number one contender, and he says he thinks Thiago is next. Alves came in and said he looked great and he was a big fan. That's going to be a fun fight.
STAR RATING: (****+) With all of the hype, and all of the accolades being thrown onto this fight, it absolutely lived up to the hype. Georges St. Pierre cemented himself as quite possibly the best fighter in the UFC. Once the Alves fight is over, GSP/Anderson Silva needs to happen. If B.J. would have been more competitive in the final three rounds this is a straight up five round fight. I expected a bit more from Penn, but GSP was on another level and didn't even let Penn get a chance to do anything. That was absolutely an incredibly dominant performance from the Welterweight Champion.
That's another show under our belts and we've got a calming down period now in the UFC. We've got a Fight Night event next week and UFC 95 and 96 up, but we'll have a bit before we need to get majorly hyped up for another event. Thanks for sticking with us through this great main event and a good, not spectacular rest of the card. Stay tuned tomorrow and throughout the week for more fallout and reviews from this gigantic mega fight, as well as for live coverage of next weekend's UFC Fight Night 17.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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