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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
UFC ON FOX 13
DECEMBER 13, 2014
LIVE FROM PHOENIX, ARIZONA
=====UFC Fight Pass Prelims=====
-Ian Entwistle def. Anthony Birchak via submission (heel hook) at 1:04 of the first round
Note: Entwistle got a hold of Birchak's leg, and didn't let go. Birchak tried desperately to roll out, but it was to no avail, and when he finally tapped he was visibly in pain.
Note: Michaud bled heavily from an elbow delivered by Whitely in the second round, but his top game was the difference. Not much of a fight, though.
=====Fox Sports 1 Prelims=====
-Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan welcome in the FS1 audience for the three-hour prelims broadcast here. Then it's a shift over to network TV for the main card.
-We've lost one of the fights on the card, as they announced that the Derek Brunson-Ed Herman fight is off, as Brunson has come down with a stomach issue.
PRELIM FIGHT ONE: JOE ELLENBERGER VS. BRYAN BARBARENA (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Very tentative opening minute with neither doing anything. Ellenberger scored an early takedown, but couldn't keep him down. Barbarena got to his feet, but Ellenberger connected on a big strike and scored another takedown. Barbarena got back up, landed a few elbows and got separation. They traded strikes. Barbarena did a little damage and Ellenberger failed on a reactionary shot. They each landed a couple more before the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Ellenberger. He was a bit more effective in his strikes, with a couple of takedowns thrown in as well.
ROUND TWO: Barbarena tried to push forward. Ellenberger threw out some strikes, but left his arms dangling at his sides. Barbarena tried to taunt and engage. He kept moving forward. Things slowed down for a bit again. Ellenberger swung out a few strikes that were nowhere near the mark. He jumped in with a good knee to the body. Barbarena continued trying to press in, landing some kicks and punches in the process. Barbarena landed a few strikes. Barbarena landed a few more, then Ellenberger clinched. Barbarena turned him around and separated with a few strikes. Ellenberger got in a solid left hook. Barbarena landed a kick to the body, and tried to rush with some strikes as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Barbarena. Not sure what Ellenberger was doing that round, but it wasn't effective.
ROUND THREE: Barbarena rushed in early, but Ellenberger got a hold of him and took him down. Barbarena got to his feet and started landing hard elbows. Ellenberger backed off. Barbarena moved in and landed a big right hand. He landed a left, then a knee, and he knocked Ellenberger down off balance. Ellenberger tried to defend off his back while Barbarena landed some strikes. Ellenberger rolled and Barbarena threw more strikes. He got in a few knees to the body and Ellenberger dropped down again. Barbarena continued landing elbows and punches from the top. Ellenberger was covering up, but not doing much else, and Herb Dean finally stopped it.
WINNER: Barbarena via TKO at 3:24 of the third round
STAR RATING: (*+) Ellenberger offered little in the way of offense after the first five minutes, and it just wasn't all that competitive or entertaining for most of it.
PRELIM FIGHT TWO: JAMIE VARNER VS. DREW DOBER (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Varner got in a quick two-punch combo, but Dober countered with a right hand. Varner landed a nice right hand. Dober landed a kick. Varner got in close and Dober clinched. They traded knees. Varner went for an attempt reversal for a takedown, but he ran into the cage, and Dober got right into mount. Varner gave up his back and Dober locked on a rear naked choke. Varner tried to fight it off, but he had to tap! Wow.
WINNER: Dober via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:52 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**) On replay, it looks like Varner knocked himself out on that throw attempt. Slammed his head on the canvas and briefly went limp, allowing Dober to transition to mount easily. Good on Dober for taking advantage of the situation, but Varner kind of beat himself there.
-Varner announces his retirement. Said he can't keep up with the young guys anymore, and he's been battling injuries left and right. Unfortunate way to go out.
PRELIM FIGHT THREE: JOE RIGGS VS. BEN SAUNDERS (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Riggs took the outside, and covered up as Saunders threw out a few kicks. Saunders threw another head kick, but Riggs caught it and drove him back to the cage. Riggs picked him up and took him down. Saunders used a high guard and pulled down tight and Riggs tapped! What just happened? Riggs grabbed at his neck and looked in pain as doctors checked on him. Wow. On replay, it looked like he may have injured his neck on the takedown attempt, as his head seemed like it jerked back as they hit the ground. Kind of a freak thing there.
WINNER: Saunders via submission (injury) at :57 of the first round
STAR RATING: (n/a) Freak injury, nothing to be done there. Riggs' arm apparently went numb off the landing, and it's clear with the replays that he was hurt on impact there.
-With only two prelims left and an hour and a half to kill, they re-air the Ian Entwistle win over Anthony Birchak.
-After a significant delay, we move on to the next prelim fight.
PRELIM FIGHT FOUR: JOHN MORAGA VS. WILLIE GATES (FLYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Gates circled on the outside, landing some leg kicks. Moraga got in a couple of leg kicks of his own. Gates landed a nice combination in close as Moraga moved in close. Moraga landed a hard leg kick. He got one in to the body, then went high. Gates landed a left, avoiding a counter. Moraga got in another kick. Gates caught Moraga in the groin and they briefly paused. Moraga landed a left hand. Gates got in a couple of strikes. He landed another low kick, and it seemed Moraga was moving over for a break, but then Gates landed a right hand that dropped him. The hell? The referee just let it happen. Gates tried to take his back and get in a choke after the cheap shot. Moraga got back to his feet. Rogan says the replay showed the ref tell Moraga he didn't see the kick and he needed to fight, and Gates just capitalized. Moraga got in a couple of kicks before the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Gates. It was awkward, and looked dirty when it happened, but apparently he attacked right after the ref told Moraga to fight. Got to pay attention at all times, I suppose.
ROUND TWO: They circled around each other, with Moraga using his leg kicks again and Gates getting in a few strikes. Moraga closed distance and clinched Gates at the cage. Moraga backed off and threw a head kick. Gates tossed out a couple of kicks, but they weren't doing much. Moraga clinched again and drove him back. He got in a few strikes, but tried to wear Gates down. The clinch game wasn't going anywhere, and they were separated. Moraga didn't turn around right away, which could have again opened him up to a shot as the ref reset them. Gates got I a few strikes. He pressed in with a couple of kicks and a couple of punches, but Moraga clinched and turned him around.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Moraga. Not a ton of action, but he did more.
ROUND THREE: Moraga opened with a body kick. Gates landed a solid strike. Moraga shot in and Gates held him off at the cage. Wall and stall is the worst, you guys. Gates got himself loose, and Moraga landed a knee with a few more strikes before getting the clinch back. Gates was cut. Moraga grabbed a headlock and tripped Gates down. He got on top in the half guard and landed some hard strikes on the ground. Gates gave up his back. Moraga kept doing damage as he briefly got full mount. Gates rolled again. Moraga went for the rear naked choke, got it locked on, and Gates tapped.
WINNER: Moraga via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:06 of the third round
STAR RATING: (**) Another weird fight on an increasingly weird night. That first round knockdown from Gates seemed a bit dirty, but a big chunk of that turned out to be on Moraga for arguing with the ref. Regardless, he came back strong in the final nine minutes of the fight, and finished nicely at the end.
PRELIM FIGHT FIVE: CLAUDIA GADELHA VS. JOANNA JEDRZEJCZYK (WOMEN'S STRAWWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Gadelha came out to the center, and they traded strikes. Gadelha got poked in the eye, but shrugged it off. Both landed a few strikes in a solid exchange. They traded again, and Gadelha drove in with a clinch to the cage. She tried for a takedown, but was held off by Jedrzejczyk on the cage. They traded knees, and Gadelha stayed on Jedrzejczyk. She finally dragged her to the ground, going to work from half guard. Gadelha tried to set up an arm triangle choke from the top, but didn't have it in properly. Jedrzejczyk got her back to the cage and tried to scoot up. She got her knees on the ground and got to her feet. Gadelha stayed on her in the clinch. They traded knees. Gadelha got in another knee and dropped for a double leg. Jedrzejczyk finally turned Gadelha around and got in a nice elbow. Gadelha got in a knee to the body and Jedrzejczyk backed off. They traded punches. Jedrzejczyk knocked Gadelha down with an uppercut, and landed a few hammerfists. However, she let Gadelha get to the end of the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jedrzejczyk. She stole it late with that knockdown, as the takedowns and grappling were going Gadelha's way prior to that.
ROUND TWO: Gadelha shot in early and got a takedown. Jedrzejczyk got to her feet, and fought off Gadelha's attempt to take her back. They jockeyed for position. Jedrzejczyk started unloading with accurate combinations, doing some damage and keeping busy on the feet through portions of the round. Gadelha shot in late and scored another takedown, ending the round on top.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jedrzejczyk. Her striking was the most significant offense of the round.
ROUND THREE: Jedrzejczyk landed an early combination. They clashed heads accidentally, and it opened a nasty cut under Gadelha's left eyebrow. The doctor allowed her to continue. Jedrzejczyk immediately went after here on the restart. Gadelha fired back with a few strikes of her own. Gadelha scored a nice trip takedown. She passed to half guard. Jedrzejczyk got herself to the cage and tried to get up, but she got dragged back down. Gadelha landed several strikes as Jedrzejczyk got to her feet on the cage again. Gadelha stayed on her and tried again to drag her down. She did briefly, but Jedrzejczyk got back up to her feet. Gadelha remained on her on the clinch, and kept trying to drag her back down. She landed some punches, but then Jedrzejczyk finally got her turned around. Jedrzejczyk did some damage, then Gadelha tried to turn her around. They separated late in the round, and Jedrzejczyk came forward with strikes. Jedrzejczyk landed several big strikes. They each landed strikes just at the horn. On replay, Gadelha threw a punch after the horn with the ref in between them. Wow. Not a good look there, Claudia.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Gadelha. Wouldn't be opposed to a DQ for the late hit.
WINNER: Jedrzejczyk via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**+) Fun fight. Jedrzejczyk probably secured the next title fight against the champ crowned last night, Carla Esparza.
=====Fox Main Card=====
-To start the Fox broadcast, they completely bury Nate Diaz. They run down him missing weight, criticizing CM Punk, missing an open workout, and then they show video of him walking out on a pre-fight interview for the event. I think it would be surprising if he fights in the UFC again after tonight. More chance of that if he wins, but the UFC just played their hand with their thoughts on him in that segment.
MAIN CARD FIGHT ONE: GABRIEL GONZAGA VS. MATT MITRIONE (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: They circled around for the first 20 seconds, then Gonzaga threw the first combo. Mitrione stumbled a bit, then fired back. Gonzaga landed another right hand that sent Mitrione stumbling a bit. May have stepped on his foot actually. Mitrione rocked Gonzaga with a right hand and a left hook behind it! He followed up with strikes on the ground, there was a stall as Gonzaga stopped fighting back, then Mitrione landed one more brutal blow and Herb Dean stepped in. That's a really good win for Mitrione. On the replay, it was yet another strange moment on the card, as Gonzaga reacted like it was over, but Dean hadn't stepped in, so Mitrione landed that last strike.
WINNER: Mitrione via TKO at 1:59 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**) Good win and finish for Mitrione. Gonzaga hit him with a couple of hard strikes early on, but Mitrione kept with it, then landed a really nice combination to score the knockdown.
MAIN CARD FIGHT TWO: ALISTAIR OVEREEM VS. STEFAN STRUVE (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Struve tried to walk Overeem down, and Overeem circled on the outside. Tentative opening minute. Overeem shot in, then landed some knees in the clinch as he pressed Struve's back to the cage. He landed a hard knee to the body and separated. Struve threw a nice front kick to the body. Struve got in a knee to the body. Overeem swung out a right hand but it was partially blocked. Struve moved in and Overeem countered the rush with a solid trip into Struve's guard. Struve tried to keep Overeem off of him in the guard. Overeem postured up and landed a right hand. Struve landed a left from his back. Struve kicked Overeem off, but Overeem stood above him and looked to re-engage. The crowd booed as Overeem just stood above him. Struve tried for an upkick but missed as Overeem dropped back into his guard. Struve grabbed wrist control, then kicked him off again. He landed some kicks to Overeem's knees. Overeem moved in and started landing big strikes. He hurt Struve badly, and Struve stopped defending. Overeem delivered a few more brutal punches on the ground and "Big John" McCarthy finally stepped in. Struve was out there.
WINNER: Overeem via KO at 4:13 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) More for the finish from The Reem there. He had a very smart gameplan for this fight, took Struve down, and avoided the reach altogether, while giving himself a better opening with his ground and pound. It was smart, and it was effective.
-They take a ton of time to hype the Jon Jones-Daniel Cormier fight at UFC 182, then bring in Jones via satellite to have another interview, with Cormier standing next to Joe Rogan in the split-screen. Then Dana White comes in for the hard sell of that fight.
MAIN CARD FIGHT THREE: RAFAEL DOS ANJOS VS. NATE DIAZ (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Dos Anjos tried to press forward. Big "Diaz" chants. Dos Anjos threw out a jumping kick. He landed a hard kick to the body. He landed a left hand and avoided the counter. Dos Anjos got in a hard leg kick. Dos Anjos got in a short combo. He landed another hard leg kick. Diaz got in a knee off a brief clinch. Dos Anjos landed a nice left. Back to the leg kick. Diaz looks completely disinterested in this fight here. Dos Anjos kept going to the leg kicks. He landed a combo. Diaz fired off a few strikes. Diaz finally started throwing out a few. Dos Anjos hurt Diaz's lead leg badly with the kick. Diaz got in close and Dos Anjos just shrugged him to the ground. Dos Anjos tried to do some damage from the top. Diaz rolled to his knees. He rolled for a leg. He stepped back over into side control, then the north south position. Diaz tried to escape, but ate some big strikes from the top as the round came to a close.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 dos Anjos. Dominant round. Did a ton of damage with those leg kicks, and was the better fighter on the ground as well.
ROUND TWO: Dos Anjos kept going to the leg kick early in the round. Diaz was having a hard time walking. Dos Anjos kept going to Diaz's right leg, and he had to switch up his stance. Dos Anjos went to the other leg. Diaz pawed out a couple of strikes. Dos Anjos went to the body. He landed a hard left. Diaz was hurt, but dos Anjos decided to take him down. Diaz was cut open by his right eye. Dos Anjos dropped down some hard elbows from the top. Diaz kicked him off and tried to stand on the cage. He got dragged back down. Dos Anjos backed off, then went right back to the kicks to Diaz's lead leg. Action was halted to check on the cut. They let him continue. Dos Anjos landed a hard body kick. He got back to the leg again. Dos Anjos landed another hard kick to the lead leg. Diaz is a mess right now. Dos Anjos with another leg kick and a right hand behind it. Dos Anjos dropped Diaz with a jumping kick. He landed some strikes from side control to ride out the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 dos Anjos. Just complete domination right now. Diaz's leg is too messed up for him to do anything effective on the feet.
ROUND THREE: Turns out the doctor was called in last round to look at his leg, not the cut. Makes sense. Dos Anjos came forward with more kicks. He landed a leg kick. Dos Anjos then scored a takedown in the center of the cage. Diaz held him off a bit, but dos Anjos managed to pass. He landed a few strikes, then stood. He threw a hard kick to Diaz's leg. Diaz's right leg was purple and bleeding from those kicks. Dos Anjos postured up with strikes. Diaz tried to control him, but ate a few hard elbows. Dos Anjos stayed patient, and landed some more strikes from the top. Diaz threw some punches off his back. Dos Ajos landed another hard elbow. Diaz was talking to him on the ground, but kept getting cracked by intermittent strikes. Dos Anjos with another elbow. More elbows from dos Anjos on the top. He kept throwing hard strikes to the body and head. Diaz landed some open hand slaps, so dos Anjos returned the favor, and unleashed a flurry of strikes as the fight ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 dos Anjos. Just complete and utter domination from dos Anjos in this fight start to finish. Yeah, I'm alright with Pettis-RDA in March.
WINNER: dos Anjos via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (***-) Fascinatingly one-sided performance from dos Anjos. He destroyed Diaz's lead leg, which opened up plenty of other options for him offensively, and he utilized everything he had on the feet and on the ground to do more and more damage. Big win for dos Anjos.
-Back to the desk again. Pacing sucks on these cards. Main event up shortly.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FOUR: JUNIOR DOS SANTOS VS. STIPE MIOCIC (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Slightly tentative to start. Dos Santos landed a right hand. Miocic moved in, closed the distance, and clinched. He landed a knee to the body. Dos Santos defended, tried to circle out, then had to defend again. He got in a knee to the body to break free. Miocic landed a left. Dos Santos connected to the body. Dos Santos wound up a big right hand, but missed. Miocic tried to chase him down for a takedown, then tagged him with a couple of strikes as dos Santos got free. Dos Santos landed a couple. Miocic landed some in return. Dos Santos landed a couple of hard strikes. Miocic landed a hard left. Dos Santos is leaving himself open in this one. Miocic clinched, then landed a right hand, but he got cracked by a right hand from dos Santos. Heavy leather being thrown. Dos Santos pressed in and landed a right hand. He threw an overhand right that was partially blocked. Dos Santos got in an uppercut. Miocic tried to chase dos Santos down and landed a couple of hard right hands. Dos Santos is really bad with that tonight. He's running around the cage with his hands down, and he gets tagged. Dos Santos came out bleeding from that one. Dos Santos landed several hard left hand strikes before the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Miocic. Lots of damage done by both, but I think Miocic was a bit more effective to start.
ROUND TWO: Dos Santos defended an early takedown attempt. They traded strikes. Miocic shot in, but again got stuffed as dos Santos sprawled. Miocic landed a jab. Dos Santos tried to pop in with a right, but missed. He landed a counter combo as Miocic moved in. Dos Santos landed a left hand, but ate a couple jabs. Miocic landed a hard right hand. Both fighters were bleeding. Miocic clinched and pressed dos Santos to the cage. Miocic landed a right hand. Dos Santos fired back. Miocic kept him in the clinch, but dos Santos turned him around. Dos Santos landed a hard left hand. Dos Santos landed a nice left hand. He got in a hard body punch. Miocic landed a hard jab. Dos Santos landed a couple of strikes. Miocic landed a hard right hand and clinched. Miocic scored a late takedown, but dos Santos got back to his feet quickly. The round ended in the clinch.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Miocic. He's being slightly more effective. Dos Santos has not looked very good in this first ten minutes.
ROUND THREE: Miocic tried to pressure in, but dos Santos avoided his strikes. Miocic shot in, and nearly had dos Santos down, but dos Santos countered and got on top, then to his feet. Miocic landed a hard right hand back standing. He clinched, but dos Santos circled out. Dos Santos landed a couple of body punches. Miocic missed a couple of strikes. Dos Santos missed a wild uppercut. This is getting really ugly as both fighters are getting quite tired. Dos Santos landed a couple of body punches. Miocic landed a hard right hand. Dos Santos rocked Miocic with a left hand. Miocic grabbed for a leg, but dos Santos landed a few strikes and stepped out. Dos Santos stood and came forward. Dos Santos landed a left. He got in another. Miocic shot in, but dos Santos stepped out. Dos Santos pawed out a few minor strikes. He landed an overhand right, but not flush. Miocic tried to rush in late, but missed. Dos Santos landed a hard body punch. He cracked Miocic with a right hand at the cage. He missed an overhand right just before the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 dos Santos. He's evened things up with some big strikes, but they're both real tired and hurt right now.
ROUND FOUR: Miocic landed a hard kick to the cup early and dos Santos was given time to recover. They restarted and it was dos Santos moved forward. Miocic shot in, and tripped dos Santos up briefly, but dos Santos popped back to his feet. Dos Santos landed a nice left. Dos Santos pressed forward. Miocic came back ahead, but dos Santos fired out several strikes. Dos Santos missed another uppercut. He got in a left. Miocic pressed him back and landed a couple of right hand strikes. Dos Santos circled out, but missed an overhand right. Miocic landed a hard right hand. He landed again. And again. And again. But dos Santos pressed back and threw a few strikes. Dos Santos landed a good left. Miocic walked him down with a right hand. Dos Santos got in a nice elbow in the clinch. He tripped Miocic up and started throwing strikes in Miocic's guard. He needed that. Miocic tried to get back up on the cage. Miocic hit the switch, though, and got back to his feet. Dos Santos landed a couple of strikes before the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Miocic. He had the most damaging strikes of the frame. Dos Santos needs to finish to win this, I think.
ROUND FIVE: They traded jabs. Dos Santos got in some body punches. Dos Santos landed a combo to the body and head. Miocic tried to press forward, but dos Santos beat him to the punch. Miocic kept trying to land in return, but didn't connect. He finally landed a right, but ate a counter punch. He got in a jab, and dos Santos circled away. Dos Santos landed a hard combination. Miocic pressed in but ate another strike. Dos Santos kept landing body punches. They traded punches in close. Dos Santos kept throwing body punches. He landed a hard right hand, but Miocic stayed standing. Dos Santos again connected on a big combination. He hurt Miocic again, but Miocic stayed up. Dos Santos backed him up. Miocic landed a right hand. Miocic connected on another hard right. They traded punches. Miocic backed dos Santos up with a flurry. Dos Santos clinched and turned him around. Miocic looked up at the clock and tried to walk dos Santos down. Dos Santos clinched. He landed a nice left. He landed several body strikes as Miocic pressed in. Miocic landed a good combination. Dos Santos returned. Miocic rushed with a few strikes. Dos Santos landed a huge left hook on a break. They traded jabs. Back to the clinch. Dos Santos got in a knee at the horn. Hell of a fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Dos Santos. Strong final round even as Miocic had his moments. One of the more entertaining and competitive heavyweight fights in quite some time.
WINNER: dos Santos via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
STAR RATING: (***+) Grueling, violent, and entertaining, that fight was at the high end of what you're going to get out of a heavyweight fight. Both were extremely tired midway through, but it's because of all the damage done during the matchup. I don't agree with JDS winning 49-46, and I think there's more of a case for Miocic four rounds to one than that score, but dos Santos had the narrowest of cases for the first round to the point I can see that score. Regardless, I thought Miocic had done enough to win, and even though he didn't get the nod, he's the only fighter outside of Cain Velasquez to give JDS that type of brutal fight.
-That's another card in the books! Head to the main listing now to follow Rich Hansen's report of the two World Series of Fighting title fights still to come on NBCSN tonight!
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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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