PENICK'S UFC 99 REPORT
JUNE 13, 2009
AIRED LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW
UFC 99 is set to air live here this afternoon. If you're watching tonight and want to avoid any spoilers on the event, check back to this report later tonight as the pay-per-view re-airs. For those watching during the day or who want to follow along with the live event, the show starts at the top of the hour. Refresh here throughout the event for round by round results and analysis.
***
-Cue Gladiator and opening video (with lots of subtitles!), it's time for UFC 99: The Comeback!
-The German crowd looks to be fired up and should be a good one tonight. Mike Goldberg opens the show setting up the main event with Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva. He then brings in Joe Rogan, who talks about this catch weight being an excellent weight for both guys.
-The rest of the main card is run down quickly as well.
FIGHT ONE: MARCUS DAVIS VS. DAN HARDY (WELTERWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Davis says he spends a lot of every day thinking about how he much he dislikes Dan Hardy. Hardy drops his "fake Irishmen" line and calls that a gimmick for Davis. Davis says the red and black mohawk and trash talking is the gimmick, not being proud of who you are. Davis says he's going to smash Hardy's face to pieces. The time for talking's done, ladies and gentlemen, it's time to get this started.
ROUND ONE: They feel each other out a bit in the early going. Davis throws a left kick. Hardy comes in with a leg kick of his own. Davis throws another kick to the body. Davis comes in with another big body kick and then he shoots in to Hardy on the cage. Hardy holds off the takedown attempt as Davis tries to trip him. Davis throws an inside knee. Hardy drops an arm and Davis throws a few shots in the clinch. Davis throws a few more shots in the clinch and finally drags Hardy to the ground and he immediately gets the mount. Davis starts throwing some shots and Hardy gets Davis to half guard and then to his guard. Davis tries to posture up for some ground and pound. Hardy throws his legs up for a submission attempt but Davis gets out and gets his back. Davis starts throwing some shots to Hardy from his back. Hardy grabs Davis' arms and tries to transition out. Hardy finally gets out of it and lands a knee as they get back to the feet. They separate with Hardy landing a big elbow. He unloads a few more shots but Davis recovers. Hardy gets the clinch and starts dropping foot stomps on Davis. Davis is cut and he gets another takedown but they get right back up. The round comes to a close in the clinch.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Davis. He got the takedowns and did some good ground work. Hardy got in some good damage near the end of the round, though.
ROUND TWO: Left body kick from Davis and Hardy responds with a high kick. He doesn't land it, though. Hardy throws a straight kick and then an inside leg kick. Davis comes in with a leg kick and another body kick. Davis with another body kick and Hardy lands a few shots and Davis responds in kind. Davis gets in a good left hand. Hardy misses and Davis lands the left again. Davis gets a leg kick in. They get to the cage and they start exchanging shots. Hardy comes in with a huge knee that drops Davis but Davis recovers on the ground and pulls guard. Hardy starts throwing shots from the top as Hardy is actively trying to work for something on the ground. Davis grabs an armbar and tries to lock it in. Hardy works out of it nicely and throws a few shots. Hardy throws an elbow and then postures up. Davis throws a few nice shots from the bottom. Davis lands another elbow and the ref stands them up. Davis comes in with a right hand and then clinches on the cage. Hardy grabs the Thai clinch and lands a good knee to the body. Hardy lands a good counter right. Davis lands a huge left hand. Davis then gets a takedown of his own. He starts throwing some shots and then gets to side control. He ends the round throwing shots.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hardy. Hardy did the most damage with that knee but it was really really close there as Davis came back with some big shots and a late takedown. This round was more like it.
ROUND THREE: Davis lands a left early and Hardy goes down. Davis gets down into Hardy's guard. Davis starts throwing some shots. He lands a really nice short elbow. Davis passes to half guard. Davis throws some shots to the head and the body. Davis goes for and ankle lock. Hardy tries to roll out and Davis grabs a heel hook. Hardy rolls out of that again and finally gets back to his feet. Davis clinches Hardy to the cage. Davis throws a few shots. Hardy turns Davis to the cage and then pulls him down to the ground. Hardy lands a big elbow from Davis' guard. Hardy throws a few more left hands and Davis is cut pretty bad. The ref halts it to check the cut. The restart it with Hardy back in Davis' guard. Hardy tries to posture up and land some shots. He lands a few hammerfists. Davis tries to throw some shots from his back. The ref stands them back up with under a minute left. Hardy lands a left hook. Hardy lands a left kick as Davis lands a left. Hardy throws a high kick and Davis misses a shot. Hardy lands a hook and Davis runs in at him and they clinch as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hardy. The big elbow and more shots landed from Hardy there I think gave him that round after the first half was taken by Davis. I wouldn't be surprised if Davis took it from the first half, but his face was messed up and Hardy did a ton of damage.
WINNER: Hardy via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
POST FIGHT: Hardy said at this level of competition you need every advantage you can get and the psychological stuff was all leading up to it, but he respects Davis a lot. Hardy said he doesn't need to try to upset people, the mohawk upsets enough people. He apologized for it going to a decision, he said he wasn't planning on it, but Davis is a big guy so "what can you do?"
STAR RATING: (***-) It wasn't what everyone was expecting, but it was still a good, close fight. Hardy landed some really big shots in that fight, as did Davis, but Hardy was the better man on this night.
RAMIFICATIONS: This is a big win for Hardy, and a bit of a setback for Davis. It was close enough that Davis won't be dropped too far down from where he was on the ladder, but this should bring an immediate step up in competition for Hardy from here on out. Very good showing from him here in Germany.
FIGHT TWO: SPENCER FISHER VS. CAOL UNO (LIGHTWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Uno said he knows Fisher's a tough opponent and he'll put everything into the Octagon. Fisher says he has an advantage with how long Uno's been away from the Octagon. Uno wants to prove he's still one of the top lightweights in the world.
ROUND ONE: Fisher immediately comes out and throws a leg kick. They feel each other out a bit after that. Uno shoots in for a single leg and Fisher sprawls nicely. The audio starts going out a bit here. Uno finally pops back to his feet and presses Fisher against the cage. Fisher turns it around and gets Uno's back to the cage with double underhooks. Fisher throws a few knees to the body and they both start exchanging knees. Uno lands another knee to the body. Fisher tries to break out with an elbow but Uno holds on. Uno then gets Fisher's back to the cage. The crowd starts to boo the clinch on the cage. Yamasaki separates them. Uno lands a shot and Fisher misses a couple in response. Uno gets a right shot in and Fisher lands a left. Fisher lands a big leg kick to Uno's right leg. Fisher lands a big right hook in a short flurry.Uno goes for another leg and Fisher sprawls nicely again. Uno grabs a wrist of Fisher and they clinch on the cage again. Fisher throws a few knees and the round ends with the crowd booing.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Fisher. Really close round but Fisher landed a few good shots and sprawled on the takedown attempts nicely and overall did more with control. Close round though.
ROUND TWO: Fisher throws an early leg kick and lands a left hand but Uno shoots in and takes him down. Fisher moves to the cage and walks himself back up. He lands a knee to the body and gets himself away from Uno. Uno throws a straight kick but Fisher catches it. Uno shoots in again but Fisher sprawls nicely and kicks Uno in the body as he stands back up. Fisher lands a good leg kick. Uno lands a leg kick of his own. He lnads another and then shoots in again. Fisher sprawls but Uno rolls him out and gets into Fisher's guard. Uno tries to posture up but Fisher is defending well. He pushes Uno off of him and gets back to his feet. Uno clinches him again and fisher lands a knee to the body. Fisher takes Uno's back and Uno tried to roll him over but they stand again. They exchange punches against the cage and then clinch. Fisher tries to throw Uno but Uno lands on top of him. Fisher scrambles again and gets back to his feet. This is such an even fight here right now. Uno tries to throw Fisher down but Fisher again stays up. Uno drops and pulls guard and Fisher lands a few shots including some shoulders to the head. Uno gets to his feet and they clinch to finish the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Fisher. Even though Uno got a takedown he wasn't able to do much with it. Fisher overall is slightly overtaking Uno but it's extremely close right now. They're almost canceling each other out in every way.
ROUND THREE: Uno immediately shoots after Fisher and they clinch at the cage. He tries to throw Fisher but Fisher throws a few shots and separates. He lands a huge right hand and then a knee. Uno grabs a leg and tries to drag Fisher down. He grabs Fisher's ankles and tries to pull him to his back. Fisher finally works back to his feet. Fisher lands another big knee. Uno again grabs a leg and Fisher holds him off again. He lands a shot to the side of the head as Uno gets back up. Yamasaki separates them from the cage again. Fisher lands a good one two combo. Uno lands a leg kick but slips to his back. Fisher lands a few kicks to the legs of Uno. Fisher lands a huge right hand and then gets Uno to the ground by countering an Uno takedown. Uno gets himself back to his feet. They clinch again and Uno goes for a takedown. Fisher lands a big knee and a few more shots. Uno again drops to get a takedown. He finally gets it and tries to get mount. He starts throwing a few shots and Fisher's in a bit of trouble. Uno starts throwing some more shots and tries to grab a choke. He lets it go and finally gets mount.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Uno. Uno takes the round with that last minute. He did more there than either did at any other point of the fight.
WINNER: Fisher via unanimous decision.
STAR RATING: (**) It was a good chess match fight, but both guys really canceled each other out and it was a stalemate at times. They didn't give the judges scores for some reason there, but Uno likely won the third while losing the first two.
RAMIFICATIONS: We'll see Uno back, but it was a good win for Fisher. His takedown defense was very much improved and this is another step up the lightweight ladder for him.
FIGHT THREE: MIKE SWICK VS. BEN SAUNDERS (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Saunders came in and pulls guard right away. Swick starts throwing a few shots as Saunders holds him down. Swick tries to throw more shots but Saunders has his body controlled a little bit. Saunders is just holding control as Swick tries to throw punches as he can. He lands a few body punches that are nice. Swick asks Saunders if he's going to "fu**ing hold him all night" and Saunders responds, "why don't you stand back up, bitch?" More of this stalemate and Swick backs out and Saunders lands an upkick. Swick drops back into the guard and finally they are stood up. Saunders lands a big body kick. Swick stalks him down and lands a few shots but Saunders responds with a big one of his own. They clinch on the cage and Saunders lands a few knees. He gets Swick's back to the cage and throws a few more knees to the body. Knee to the leg from Saunders and Swick turns him around. The round ends in the clinch.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Swick. Saunders didn't do anything but hold Swick for the first three minutes. He's going to have to do a lot more than that in this fight.
ROUND TWO: Saunders throws a body kick to start and then a high kick shortly thereafter. Swick comes in with a knee in a clinch and Saunders does the same. Swick trips Saunders up and gets the mount right away but Saunders immediately got back to guard. Swick is getting frustrated from the top as Saunders controls his body well. Saunders throws a few shots from the bottom and then they are stood up. Saunders throws a head kick. They trade shots and knees again. Swick tries to walk Saunders down and he lands a couple shots. Saunders lands a good leg kick and then another knee. Straight kick from Saunders lands. Swick comes in with a huge flurry of punches that takes Saunders to the ground and he finishes him there with the quick hands. The finishing shot was a right to the temple.
WINNER Swick via TKO at 3:47 of the second round.
POST FIGHT: Swick said he wanted to get him tired and then made him feel the power. He gave Saunders credit for being tough. Swick said he wants to fight top guys, he's 9-1 in the UFC now and wants to fight for a title at some point. He thanks his mom for believing in him always while growing up and going through the fight game.
STAR RATING: (**) Weird fight from Saunders there, but a big finish from Swick. I definitely didn't give Swick enough credit into this fight, but those hands are nothing but fast and he's got the power to keep putting guys away.
RAMIFICATIONS: Mike Swick deserves to fight a top guy. Swick vs. Jon Fitch would be an interesting bout for sure. Saunders goes back to the drawing board and is going to need to be much better the next time out.
FIGHT FOUR: MIRKO CRO COP VS. MOSTAPHA AL-TURK (HEAVYWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Cro Cop says he doesn't know if he'll take the heavyweight title, but he'll die trying. He wants to shut the mouth of the people who say he's old or that he's done. Al-Turk says he's going to disappoint a lot of people and pull off the upset of the night.
ROUND ONE: Al-Turk comes out swinging. He lands a right hand and a few leg kicks. He comes for a takedown and Cro Cop threw him off. Al-Turk lands a left hand. Al-Turk misses a left and Cro Cop lands a left of his own. Cro Cop lands another straight left as Al-Turk comes in. Cro Cop feigns the left high kick. Al-Turk lands another leg kick. Cro Cop lands another straight left. Al-Turk again came in with a few punches but they don't land. Straight left again from Cro Cop. Cro Cop pushes forwartd with a huge left. Cro Cop keeps chasing him down with shot after shot and Al-Turk goes down. He recovers and Cro Cop lets him back up. Cro Cop accidentally pokes Al Turk in the eye and the ref didn't see it. Cro Cop keeps throwing shots and lands a few more that finish the fight. Unfortunate finish.
WINNER: Cro Cop via TKO at 3:06 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Cro Cop said he felt good and was satisfied with his performance. He said it's exactly five months after the surgery. Cro Cop apologizes for the eye poke, it wasn't intentional. Cro Cop grabs the mic and says something to the crowd in Croatian.
STAR RATING: (**) Al-Turk was game, but Cro Cop had him on the ropes even before the eye poke. It was unfortunate that the eye poke played a role in the finish, as Cro Cop was on his way to doing that anyway without it.
RAMIFICATIONS: That fight's not necessarily a sign that Cro Cop is back, but it's a positive step in the right direction for him. Al-Turk may get one more shot in the UFC because of the eye poke, but he also may be on the way out.
-We get the first hype video for UFC 100. Cannot wait for that.
FIGHT FIVE: CAIN VELASQUEZ VS. CHEICK KONGO (HEAVYWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Joe Rogan and Dana White sing Velasquez's praises here. Kongo says this fight will be war, and he will win. Dana says the winner immediately shoots himself to the top of the heap in the heavyweight division.
ROUND ONE: Velasquez comes right after Kongo. Kongo lands a couple of jabs and then rocks him with a big right. Kongo lands another shot that staggers Velasquez and Velasquez shoots in and takes him down. Kongo tries to work out of it and almost gets on top of Velasquez. Velasquez stays on him. Velasquez moves to mount and Kongo gives up his back. Velasquez almost gets a choke in but Kongo gives him the mount again. Kongo moves back to his feet but Velasquez picks him up and slams him down. Velasquez starts beating up Kongo on the ground as Kongo struggles. Velasquez keeps throwing shots and Kongo keeps struggling. Velasquez is completely controlling Kongo right now and throwing shots. Kongo again gets back to his feet but Velasquez picks him up again and drops him. Velasquez gets to mount and Kongo gives up his back again. He gets onto his knees but Velasquez is relentless. Velasquez throws a few more shots as Kongo grabs his leg and tries to move up. Kongo gets back to his feet and lands a knee as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Velasquez. That was damned impressive after Kongo rocked him that he was able to dominate from then on. Kongo's going to need to find a way to keep this on the ground.
ROUND TWO: Velasquez backs Kongo down right away and lands a few shots. Kongo drops Velasquez with a shot again and starts swinging for the fences but can't land another. He clinches Velasquez against the cage. Velasquez went for the throw but Kongo held it off. Velasquez gets out and takes Kongo down again and Kongo gives up his back. Velasquez throws a knee to the body and a few punches to the head. He starts throwing some more shots to the side of Kongo's head. Kongo has no answer for this. Velasquez keeps throwing shots. Kongo tried to stand up and Velasquez kept him down again. He keeps throwing shots and Kongo tries to stand up and throw elbows. As soon as he gets to his feet Velasquez took him down again. Velasquez tries to get mount again. Kongo throws a nice elbow from the bottom. Velasquez throws another big knee to the body as he's got the back side mount. Velasquez stays on him throwing shots and beating him up. More big knees to the body. Kongo's getting his ass kicked here right now. Another big knee to the body. Kongo's just trying to survive now as Velasquez moves him over and gets side control. He moves back to mount and stays on top as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Velazquez. Almost an identical round to the first with Kongo dropping him and then getting taken down and beat up.
ROUND THREE: Velasquez comes right out at Kongo. Kongo lands another big shot and Velasquez shoots in. Kongo sprawls and gets Velasquez down but Cain pops back up and gets to the same back side control position on Kongo. Velasquez unleashes shot after shot in identical fashion to the first two. Velasquez keeps throwing shots. Velasquez pulls Kongo to the ground and tries to get mount but Kongo gets himself back to his knees. Velasquez keeps throwing these shots and Kongo gets himself back up. He stuffs a takedown and throws a couple of knees in the clinch. Kongo lands a few shots and rocks Velasquez again and Velasquez gets him down again and gets side control. He tries to trap an arm for the crucifix. He gives that up and gets to the full mount. He lands a good elbow and some more shots in there but Kongo is trying to throw shots from the bottom. Velasquez finishes the round on top throwing a ton of shots to Kongo.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Velasquez. More of the same in that round. He couldn't finish Kongo, but he beat the hell out of him for three rounds after taking some big shots of his own.
WINNER: Velasquez via unanimous decision.
POST FIGHT: Velasquez said the performance wasn't good enough for him. He said he could have done better. He said he took those big heavy shots and he said he needs to get tons better. He thanked Kongo for taking the fight on short notice.
STAR RATING: (***) That was an exciting fight in spurts but for the most part was Velasquez beating up Kongo without being able to finish him. He answered the question of whether he had a chin though.
RAMIFICATIONS: I don't think that performance puts Velasquez in line for a title shot, because while he was able to control Kongo throughout, he was rocked by some big shots and against a heavyweight with a better ground game that would have been a different fight. Cheick Kongo's not going to get a heavyweight title shot anytime soon. He was terribly outclassed on the ground and couldn't take advantage when he hurt Velasquez multiple times. Perhaps Velasquez can be lined up against the loser of Mir-Lesnar or even take on Shane Carwin down the line, but he's not ready for a title shot yet, and I think he even was thinking that in his post fight interview when he talked about needing to get a lot better. Give Kongo tons of credit for not giving up in that one, but he was simply outclassed by a phenomenal wrestler. Big win for Velasquez, but he still needs to get better before getting a title shot.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT SIX: RICH FRANKLIN VS. WANDERLEI SILVA (CATCH WEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Franklin says he prefers to stay on his feet. He says it's the first time fighting someone who wants to throw down so he's looking forward to it. They run down the reasoning for the catchweight with Rich moving up and Wanderlei heading down. No more, it's time to fight.
ROUND ONE: Rich walks Wanderlei down a bit as they feel each other out. Franklin feigns a right. Franklin goes for a shot and Wanderlei missed a counter shot. Franklin gets in with a straight left. Silva throws a leg kick. Rich gets in with another left. Silva lands a right and Franklin backs out. Franklin comes in with a left and right combo. Franklin lands a body kick and Silva counters with a punch. Silva goes for a high kick that just grazes Franklin. Silva lands a body kick. Franklin lands a big left and then a right and then goes for a body kick. Silva catches the body kick and takes Franklin down. Silva tries to posture up for a shot. Franklin throws a few shots from the bottom. Silva lands a few good ones from the top. Franklin lands a couple of good punches from the bottom and works his way to his feet. Silva tries to hop into a guillotine and Franklin throws him off and gets on top. Rich starts throwing shots from the top and lands a bunch more as Silva works back to the feet. Rich lands a few more shots as the round closes.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Franklin. He did a lot more in that round overall with Octagon control and picking shots. Despite the takedown, Rich landed more and hurt Silva in that round.
ROUND TWO: Wanderlei comes forward early here. He throws a high kick and Franklin landed a punch. Franklin went for a high kick and Silva almost caught it. Franklin landed a nice right and Wanderlei got in a body kick. They exchange shots with both landing a couple of solid shots. Inside leg kick from Franklin. Silva gets a good right hand shot. Franklin lands a quick flurry and Silva lands a few shots in response. Rich drops Wanderlei with a right but Silva gets right back to his feet. Silva goes for a high kick but Franklin blocks it. Inside leg kick lands from Franklin. They trade shots with both landing punches to the head. Franklin with a big right hand. Silva lands a good shot but comes in too eager and misses a shot. Franklin lands a good jab. Franklin comes in for another shot. Silva catches another body kick and lands a punch. Silva throws the high kick again. Silva lands a flurry that rocks Franklin. They start swinging wildly. Silva's landing some good stuff here. Franklin buckled again but he recovers to throw some more shots of his own. He slipped on a high kick but Silva slipped too. They end the round with a quick flurry in the last ten seconds.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Silva. Silva did a bunch of damage in that round and had Franklin on the ropes for a minute.
ROUND THREE: They show each other respect to start the third here. They come in and throw bombs at each other. Rich lands a good right. Silva comes in with a big shot. Franklin lands another big punch. Franklin lands a big straight left. He lands a body kick and a left. He barely misses a big left. He lands a good right jab and then a kick but the kick goes low. Silva shakes it off and they restart. Franklin again gets in with a combo. Big flurry again from Franklin as Silva swings wildly and misses. Silva grabs a Thai clinch and lands a knee and then plays to the crowd a bit. Franklin lands a couple more shots. Rich lands a big right. Rich misses a left and then blocks a high kick. Franklin with another good body kick. He lands a right jab. Franklin throws a left and slips. Franklin throws a body shot. Silva runs Rich to the cage and tries to throw a bunch of shots but Franklin avoids nicely. Franklin takes him down. Silva moves himself to his feet and Franklin throws a few shots. Silva throws elbows with Franklin on his back as Rich throws punches and the round comes to a close.
Penick's Scorecard: Franklin 10-9. Silva was throwing wildly but he wasn't landing on a lot of it. Franklin landed his spots and got a late takedown to seal it.
WINNER: Franklin via unanimous decision.
POST FIGHT: Franklin gave Silva credit for being a great warrior and too tough to go down from what he was throwing. Franklin agreed with Rogan that if there was a 195 lb. weight class he'd fight there, but until then he'll stay at 205. Wanderlei mumbles something about the crowd. He says his fans are his victory, and he says they are the reason he's still there today. He says he feels well, and says it's the best event in the world. He mumbles something more about Dana, Lorenzo and Frank as well.
STAR RATING: (***+) That was a high energy, back and forth fight. Both fighters looked really good and both fighters had some shining moments in the fight.
RAMIFICATIONS: Well, if Wanderlei can successfully make the cut to 185 lbs he may be able to continue his career for awhile. This was a win Franklin needed to get back on track and he fought a great fight. He's a fighter that can fight his way back up the ladder for an eventually shot in the deep waters of the Light Heavyweight Division.
-Terry Etim was given "Submission of the Night" on the undercard.
-That's the show for today. Thanks for checking out our report this afternoon (or tonight if you're watching the replay). It wasn't quite up to what many expected the show could be, but Franklin and Silva gave the fans an exciting back and forth main event and Cain Velasquez, Mike Swick and Mirko Cro Cop all had good performances of their own. Stick around for fallout from this show and more as we head towards next weekend's Strikeforce Challengers event and Ultimate Fighter season nine finale. Check back right here on MMATorch.com!
FYI, Swick and Fitch have said they won't fight each other since they're
part of the ridiculous Welterweight squad at American Kickboxing Academy.
TheConstantComplainer.com
13 Jun 2009, 22:42
Great site and thorough summaries. I just read through the fight card and
got caught up. I'm a big Rich Franklin fan, so it was great to hear that
he won. Thanks.
jarrod miller
14 Jun 2009, 00:23
must say thanks..cant swing the PPV now a days... you guys give the best
reports anywhere...thanks
J
Boles
14 Jun 2009, 18:20
Get some friends and split the cost. Good luck with that.
