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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER 19 FINALE
JULY 6, 2014
LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
=====UFC Fight Pass Prelims Quick Results=====
-Robert Drysdale def. Keith Berish via submission (injury) at 2:03 of the first round
(Note: Berish's left knee got injured as Drysdale had his back attacking for a rear naked choke. He fell to the side and the knee just exploded. It was a worse visual than Anderson Silva's leg break.)
(Note: One of the rare fights where a fighter wins from the bottom, and it was a justifiable decision. Dufresne held top position, but did absolutely nothing with it, and she was exhausted by the end of the fight.)
=====Fox Sports 1 Prelims=====
-Fighters are in the cage as the broadcast starts.
PRELIM FIGHT ONE: PATRICK WALSH VS. DANIEL SPOHN (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Spohn landed a couple of leg kicks to start things off. Walsh got in a right hand. Spohn landed a hard left. Spohn went high with a kick that was blocked. Spohn connected in an exchange. Walsh rushed in and tried to take Spohn down. He completed it, and Spohn went for the guillotine from half guard. Walsh landed strikes to the body as he waited it out, then popped his head free. Spohn pulled him into guard. Walsh stayed busy on top and passed to half guard. He went for a kimura on the left arm of Spohn. He tried to work it into a straight armbar, but Spohn got his arm free. Walsh almost got to mount, but Spohn held him in the half guard. Walsh landed some strikes from the top. He went back to the kimura attempt. He lost it again. He landed more strikes to the body, passed to side control, and landed a few more strikes to the head. Spohn spun to get back to half guard before the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Walsh. Not a lot of high level stuff here, but that wasn't expected, either. Walsh did a good job working from the top, though.
ROUND TWO: Walsh landed a looping overhand left, then shot in. Spohn tried to hold it off, but Walsh worked nicely into a single leg and planted him. He landed some body strikes from half guard, then again looked for the kimura. It allowed Spohn to get on top, and he lost the hold. Spohn then worked from half guard. Walsh stood up and Spohn jumped up on his back. He lost it. Spohn went for a single leg, Walsh stuffed it, and they traded strikes. Spohn connected on a right hand. Walsh shot in, but this time Spohn stuffed it. Spohn grabbed a guillotine standing, but gave it up as Walsh transitioned. Spohn landed an elbow, then grabbed another front headlock as Walsh went for the takedown. Walsh finally picked him up and dropped him down, getting on top into half guard. He stayed busy, but didn't do a lot from there. This fight is as ugly as the fights they had on TUF this season.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Walsh. This is a bad fight. Neither belongs in the UFC, to be honest.
ROUND THREE: They traded strikes. Spohn connected on a hard left and Walsh was backed up. Spohn landed a knee in the clinch but Walsh got to him. He went for a single leg and easily took him down into half guard. Spohn gave up his back as he tried to turn out. Walsh went for a choke but didn't have position. Spohn got back to half guard, but again tried to escape. He got to his feet, but Walsh stayed on him against the cage. Spohn landed some hard elbows, but got taken right back down again. They were stood up after some inactivity. Spohn came forward with a frontal assault, landing several big strikes, then he grabbed for a guillotine and pulled guard, only to lose it. Just giving it away. He finally circled out and landed a couple of strikes to end the fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Walsh. Despite the late string of offense, not enough for Spohn. Awful fight.
WINNER: Walsh via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (*-) Just such a bad fight. Really ugly exchanges, bad fight I.Q., relative lack of talent, etc. These are the fights and fighters that the UFC doesn't need to be featuring on their events.
PRELIM FIGHT TWO: ADRIANO MARTINS VS. JUAN MANUEL PUIG (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Martins landed a couple of short combos early in the round. Puig connected on a leg kick. He moved forward as Martins circled on the outside. Martins landed a hard right hand. He connected again over the top. He caught a kick and landed several strikes. Puig bounced back up. Martins continued beating him to the punch. Martins got in an uppercut. Puig stepped in with a few kicks. Martins landed a straight left. Puig got in a couple of kicks to the body. Puig got back inside with a kick. Martins landed a big strike that hurt Puig, but then went down in a heap after Puig landed a kick to the groin. Action was halted, and Puig got time to recover from the strikes he took as well. They were trading strikes after the reset, and Martins connected with a right hook that knocked Puig out cold. He went down face first into the canvas and that was it. Nice win for Martins.
WINNER: Martins via KO at 2:21 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) Really nice fight out of Martins. He was putting his combinations together nicely, and that eventually led to the finish. Much better than anything we saw over the last two fights.
PRELIM FIGHT THREE: JUMABIEKE TUERXUN VS. LEANDRO ISSA (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Issa moved forward with leg kicks and stalked Tuerxun. They traded strikes. Issa went high with a kick. Issa continued to make Tuerxun uncomfortable on the feet, but then landed a kick low inside and brought a brief halt to the action. As they restarted, Issa kept up the attack with leg kicks. Tuerxun tried to toss out some strikes. Issa kept himself active. Tuerxun got in a body kick. Issa returned one of his own. Things got a bit tentative, but Issa continued getting the better of exchanges. Tuerxun got in a jab. They traded kicks. Tuerxun rushed in with a few hard strikes, but he was getting a lot blocked. Issa landed some counter strikes. Tuerxun finally connected and dropped Issa with a left. Tuerxun stayed on him and landed another that sent Issa scrambling. Issa shot in, but Tuerxun wound up on top. He landed a few strikes as Issa tried to get to his feet before the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Tuerxun. It was well on its way to being Issa's round, but then he got caught and took the most damage of the round.
ROUND TWO: Issa opened with several kicks. Tuerxun landed some strikes and drove forward. Issa fired more kicks. Tuerxun landed another hard right hand and drove Issa back. He connected on a left hand that hurt Issa. Issa tried to shoot in but gave it up. Tuerxun stuffed another attempt and this time got on top. Issa used the cage to pull himself to top position, but got a point deducted for the blatant rule violation. They restarted on the feet. Issa threw out some body kicks. Tuerxun landed a left. Tuerxun connected on a right hand after taking a leg kick. Issa shot in and timed that one well, getting on top into half guard. Tuerxun escaped and got back to his feet. Issa landed a couple of jabs, then went to the leg for a kick. They traded jabs. Both missed some big strikes. Tuerxun connected with a body kick. Issa landed a couple of hard left hand strikes. Issa shot in and got stuffed. Issa landed several jabs. Issa went high but it was blocked. Issa landed a hard leg kick. Tuerxun shot in, then Issa grabbed for a choke as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 9-9. Could be 10-8 Tuerxun, though. Close round, the point deduction hurts Issa either way.
ROUND THREE: Issa worked the leg kicks off the bat. He went high and grazed Tuerxun in the face. Issa shot in and scored a takedown into half guard less than a minute in. Tuerxun tried to escape but Issa held position, then passed to side control. Tuerxun scrambled to his knees. Issa went for a guillotine and tried to roll on top with it. They scrambled and he locked it on again, this time getting to the mount with the choke. He lost the choke, but held onto mount. He landed some elbows. Tuerxun escaped to half guard. He trapped Tuerxun's arm and landed several hard strikes. He passed to mount again and landed a combination. Tuerxun escaped, but Issa locked on an armbar and locked it on tight, forcing the tap. Excellent third round from Issa when he likely needed a finish. He got it with a great armbar, locking it up under the armpit for added leverage.
WINNER: Issa via submission (armbar) at 3:49 of the third round
STAR RATING: (**+) Solid fight, great finish. Issa came back in a fight he was on his way to losing and got a late finish. Can't ask for much more than that.
PRELIM FIGHT FOUR: KEVIN LEE VS. JESSE RONSON (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Lee immediately shot in off a kick and drove Ronson to the cage. Ronson stuffed it nicely and Lee backed off. Lee landed a body kick. They traded strikes in the center. Ronson landed a leg kick. Lee shot in again for a single leg, but again got stuffed at the cage. Lee landed a hard knee to the body, then backed off with a kick to the body. Ronson connected on a straight left. Ronson kicked Lee's leg out but Lee popped back up. Lee got in with a nice straight right. Ronson got in a kick to the body. Lee came back with one of his own. Ronson landed a couple of hard strikes. He stuffed a shot and got in a knee. They traded some strikes. Ronson landed a left. Lee got back to the body with a kick, and the ribs were starting to look a little sore on the left side of Ronson's body. Lee scored some hard strikes in a couple of exchanges. Ronson got in a hard leg kick. Lee shot in and got a body lock in the center. Really nice takedown defense from Ronson again. Lee got in a knee. He dropped at the cage to a double leg and got in a slam, but Ronson moved right back to his feet. He landed a knee as Lee went for a single leg. Lee backed off a bit, scored several hard strikes, then scored another takedown. He snuck around and took Ronson's back. He didn't have much time to do anything with the position as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Lee. Competitive round. Lee had a lot of offense and finally scored a couple of takedowns late.
ROUND TWO: Lee landed a couple of counters. He landed a hard body kick with a strike behind it. Ronson threw a few strikes that were blocked. Ronson landed a solid counter. He tried to walk Lee down and got hit by a body strike. Lee caught a kick and shot in. Ronson tried to break free, but Lee stayed on the attempt as he dragged him to a knee. Ronson nearly got free and landed a knee. He managed to get separation. Lee landed a three punch combination. He connected on a straight right. Ronson landed a knee, but Lee completed a takedown. Ronson tried to grab for a guillotine, but Lee patiently worked his head free. Lee landed some strikes from the top, but Ronson quickly rolled to his knees. Ronson controlled his wrist and used it to stand. He moved in with an uppercut that landed. He got in a body kick. Ronson shot in for a single leg of his own, trying to even up the takedowns. He let it go and landed a knee. He got in a few strikes in combination. Lee shot in again, but got held off on the cage. Ronson stuffed it to the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Lee. Barely. Could go the other way in each of these rounds, some very close exchanges.
ROUND THREE: Lee shot in early and Ronson tried to attack for a kimura. He used it to get separation. They traded body kicks. Each connected on some punches. Ronson landed a left and had Lee backing up. Lee shot in again but got stuffed. Lee landed a left. Lee again connected with the left. Lee got in a short combo, but got stuffed. Ronson then did the same but scored his takedown. Lee tried to turn into him, but Ronson took his back. He got in a choke under the chin but didn't have any hooks in, and Lee escaped and got on top into side control. Ronson tried to escape and Lee took his back. Ronson got to his feet with Lee still on his back. He tried to shake Lee off and eventually did. They exchanged strikes. Lee landed a hard left. He fired off a few strikes that missed. Lee landed a hard left. Ronson got inside with a kick. Lee landed a few strikes. They traded strikes to the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Lee. Not the greatest of fights, but not all that bad. This was Lee's clearest round of the three.
WINNER: Lee via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**-) Again, not horrible, but there wasn't much to that one.
=====Fox Sports 1 Main Card=====
MAIN CARD FIGHT ONE: DUSTIN ORTIZ VS. JUSTIN SCOGGINS (FLYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Ortiz rushed in early and Scoggins turned him around in the clinch. They jockeyed for position, and Ortiz scored a takedown into half guard. Scoggins tried to scrambled out with butterfly guard. He attacked for an armbar. Ortiz tried to defend and Scoggins held position. Scoggins got the arm belly down and flattened out, but Ortiz didn't tap and wound up escaping! Scoggins stayed on him in the clinch as they stood. Scoggins grabbed a single leg, landed a strike, and briefly took him down. He tried to take Ortiz's back standing. He landed some knees to the leg. He backed off with a left hand. Ortiz tried to rush in. He scored a couple of strikes, then took Scoggins down briefly with a throw. He stayed on Scoggins' back and tried to drag him down. Scoggins tried to escape, but Ortiz held onto him. Scoggins turned him around in the clinch. Ortiz landed a knee to the body. Scoggins ducked under and snuck behind Ortiz. He got reversed and Ortiz nearly got on top. Scoggins escaped and brought the clinch back to the feet. Fun sequence there. Scoggins took Ortiz's back again standing and tried to drag Ortiz down, but couldn't keep him there. Ortiz backed him off with a hard two-punch combo before the horn. Awesome round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Scoggins. Really close round, but the armbar was the closest either came to doing major damage in that round. Great exchanges.
ROUND TWO: Scoggins opened with a jab and a hard leg kick. Ortiz connected with a kick to the body. He got in with a left hook. Scoggins landed a kick. Ortiz shot in for a single. Scoggins rolled with him. He tried to trap Ortiz's leg. Ortiz pulled off a nice reversal and got into side control. Ortiz landed a knee to the body. Ortiz tried to pass to mount, but Scoggins defended and held him in half guard. Ortiz landed some strikes from the top. Scoggins tried to attack from his back, but Ortiz stood and reset with a strike back into half guard. Ortiz tried to keep him down, but Scoggins worked to his feet. Ortiz drove him back down, and landed some strikes to the body. Scoggins turned back to his guard. Ortiz landed some hard strikes to the body from the top. He continued to stay busy with punches and elbows. Scoggins tried to get his legs up for the armbar again, but Ortiz wasn't having it. He landed a few strikes after escaping, and threw a few more to the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Ortiz. Very competitive fight here, and Ortiz had a really good round to even things up.
ROUND THREE: They both came out firing, with Scoggins getting the better of the first exchange. Ortiz fired back in with a hard right hand. They traded strikes again. Ortiz connected with a left, then got in a few strikes to the body. Scoggins fired out a few strikes. He landed a hard left hand. Scoggins landed a leg kick. Ortiz landed a big straight left to the jaw. Scoggins missed a spinning kick. Ortiz connected on a strike and Scoggins took him down. Scoggins passed to half guard. Scoggins tried to set up an arm triangle choke, but Ortiz scrambled out. Scoggins landed a punch as they separated on the feet. Ortiz clinched and they traded knees. His takedown attempt got stuffed, and Scoggins pressed him to the cage. Scoggins dropped down and got Ortiz down. Ortiz tried to grab for a kimura, then landed some elbows. Ortiz pulled off the switch and got to his feet. He looked for his own takedown but got stuffed. Scoggins tried to turn him around, but Ortiz turned into him and took him down. Scoggins tried to counter, but Ortiz nicely rolled through and stayed on top. He pressed Scoggins to the cage and landed some body strikes. He rode out the round on top with strikes.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Ortiz. Another really close round. That was a very competitive fight, but I think it should be going to Ortiz. Hard to say 29-28 for either is wrong.
WINNER: Ortiz via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (***) Very good fight. Scoggins took a step up in competition, but Ortiz is a very good flyweight and never should have been considered a three to one underdog. This was a really good, really close fight, and Ortiz gets a good win in the division. No shame for Scoggins in the loss; he had an argument for the win, and will learn from this one.
-Ortiz called out Chris Cariaso after the fight for his next bout.
MAIN CARD FIGHT TWO: DERRICK LEWIS VS. GUTO INOCENTE (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Lewis opened with a couple of spinning kicks but Inocente was out of range. Tentative early action with both trying to find an opening. Inocente landed a push kick. Lewis closed the distance and clinched. Lewis tried for a takedown, but Inocente escaped. He missed a strike and Lewis rushed another clinch. Inocente got in a knee to the body as Lewis drove him to the cage. Lewis backed off and threw a right hand but it was partially blocked. He missed an uppercut in the clinch before Inocente backed off. Inocente landed a hard leg kick, but it was caught and he was put on his back. Inocente landed some upkicks to the legs and body. Lewis missed a big right hand as he dropped in. Inocente tried to roll. Lewis then started throwing right hands and connected on several in a row and Inocente went out cold. Just big power from a 264 lb. heavyweight.
WINNER: Lewis via TKO at 3:30 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**) Not much to assess here. Tentative heavyweight action ended with big power on the ground from Lewis.
MAIN CARD FIGHT THREE: DHIEGO LIMA VS. EDDIE GORDON (TUF 19 MIDDLEWEIGHT FINALS)
ROUND ONE: Gordon tried to close distance early and Lima landed a left with his back on the cage. Lima landed a left and covered up on the counter. Lima landed a couple of lefts. Gordon connected on a couple of strikes. Lima landed a jab. Lima landed a left, but Gordon hurt him with a right hand and hurt Lima. Gordon started unleashing a bunch of strikes and a ton of them were getting to the back of the head. No warning or anything as he was just unleashing back of the head strikes. He mixed in others and Lima was in bad shape. Gordon kept up the assault and Yves Lavigne finally stopped it. On replay, there were just a bunch of ridiculously blatant back of the head strikes that were completely obvious yet went uncalled. Man. Wasn't the only part of that assault, and wasn't what started or finished it, but that absolutely contributed to some of it.
WINNER: Gordon via TKO at 1:11 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**) Lots of violence from Gordon, but he just was indiscriminate in his strikes; those back of the head shots have to be called in a flurry like that, the ref has the authority to halt things and reset. His future opponents should be sure to make refs aware of that lest they be on the receiving end.
MAIN CARD FIGHT FOUR: COREY ANDERSON VS. MATT VAN BUREN (TUF 19 LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT FINALS)
ROUND ONE: Anderson landed a hard two punch combo early and Van Buren stumbled back a bit. Van Buren landed a couple kicks. Anderson landed a big combination and Van Buren was hurt bad. Anderson continued the assault, but Van Buren worked back to his feet. Anderson came back after him. He landed a bunch of strikes, threw Anderson down, landed some strikes, and Van Buren turned to his knees. Anderson kept throwing strikes. Mario Yamasaki told Van Buren to show him something, he didn't, so he stepped in. Van Buren was complaining after the fact, but he was done. Anderson lit him up. Should have been stopped earlier though, especially if that's where you're going to stop it.
WINNER: Anderson via TKO at 1:01 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**) One sided beating. Both TUF finals had more action than the rest of season 19 combined.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FIVE: B.J. PENN VS. FRANKIE EDGAR (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Penn moved in with a few left hands. Edgar circled around with a few strikes. Edgar continued moving and jabbed in some more as the crowd chanted for Penn. Edgar landed a short combination. He landed a hard leg kick. Edgar got in an overhand right. Penn landed a knee. Edgar got in a hard combination. Edgar shot in and scored an easy takedown. He stood up and landed some kicks to the legs. He dropped down with a right hand. Penn tried to attack from his back. Edgar backed out and dropped down a right hand. He did it again but got in a couple of strikes. Penn threw some punches from his back. Edgar stepped out again and threw some kicks to the legs. The crowd booed a bit, not wanting Edgar to get the edge. He dropped back in again with a strike as Penn utilized butterfly guard. Edgar postured up for a strike. Penn tried to throw a kick to the head from his back but it was blocked. Edgar moved in and missed a strike. Penn spending the round on his back without any attempt to get back to his feet. The action stalled a bit in Penn's guard and Edgar stood up again. He landed a hard leg kick and Herb Dean made Penn get up finally. Edgar landed a hard body kick. The crowd chanted for Penn again. Edgar landed a hard left hook. Penn kept moving forward, but it was Edgar popping in with combinations. He landed another big left hook. He got in a leg kick at the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Edgar. Penn's not offering up much offense, and Edgar on the feet is just much faster and throwing a lot more thus far.
ROUND TWO: Edgar again opened up circling around and landing strikes in combination. Penn was throwing out a few jabs, but Edgar was getting in a few strikes for every one thrown by Penn. Edgar grabbed a single leg, but dropped it to land a right hand. They exchanged strikes with Penn finally throwing more than one at a time. Edgar threw the overhand right again and circled out. Edgar shot in and scored another takedown. Penn didn't allow much damage there, so Edgar stood and threw some more kicks to the legs. He dropped down again and landed a couple of right hands. Edgar tried to pass but couldn't, so he landed a few strikes instead. He connected on a few strikes again after posturing up. I really don't know what Penn's trying to do here. Edgar continued to work from the top. Penn briefly kicked him off, but Edgar dropped back down with more strikes, and he passed to half guard. Penn tried to kick him off but Edgar landed a big ground combination. He started throwing elbows and he was getting through. He landed a huge flurry of punches and elbows. More strikes from Edgar to the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Edgar. We didn't need to see this fight again. This is what we saw in Boston four years ago, with Penn doing less, and now we're getting a little of what GSP did to Penn the year before that.
ROUND THREE: Edgar continued to work with several strikes in a row. Penn landed a jab. Edgar missed a straight kick but avoided the counter-punch. He's firing on all cylinders, while Penn's just slowly going through the motions. Edgar landed a left hook at the tail end of a combination. He connected to the body and head in combination. Multiple shots from Edgar almost every time. He went high with a kick that was blocked. Edgar landed a hard right hand. He pawed out the jab and landed a few more. Edgar just threw Penn down with a leg sweep. Edgar landed some strikes from the top and tried to pass but Penn held him in butterfly guard. Edgar poured on elbows and punches. Penn got cut open by the left eye. He was bleeding badly. Edgar continued landing strikes. More elbows. Edgar postured up and landed a bunch, then passed briefly to half guard. He got back there and unleashed a big flurry of strikes. Edgar just rained down a bunch of left hand strikes. Penn tried to get him back to butterfly, and Edgar just kept throwing strikes from the top. More elbows and punches from the top and Herb Dean stopped it. That was merciful. Fight never needed to be made.
WINNER: Edgar via TKO at 4:16 of the third round
STAR RATING: (n/a) I don't even want to rate that. Look, Edgar was fantastic, but he essentially had to give up a full prime fighting year to film TUF and then score a completely one-sided win over someone whom he'd already handily dispatched of the last time they fought four years ago. The fight didn't have to happen, and it was an even sadder B.J. Penn performance than what we saw from him against Rory MacDonald. It was right there with how bad he got beat against Nick Diaz. No one wants to see Penn get beat up like that in fight after fight. This was just a sad viewing experience for fans, and didn't tell us anything we didn't know. Edgar's the better fighter in 2014.
-Edgar said it was a bittersweet victory and he almost feels bad about stopping him like that. Even Edgar didn't want to do this! He wants a title fight or a fight to get him to a title bout. Penn said he shouldn't have come back. That's probably an understatement.
-Well, that's an unfortunately downer ending to a long weekend and long eight-day stretch of fights, but thanks for sticking with us here. We'll have reactions and more throughout the week to this, and we'll get a little break next weekend before we're right back at it on July 16 for the third of five events this month from the UFC.
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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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