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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief -The broadcast starts with the interviews, must have had some timing issues and missed the gladiator opening. No real loss. Nate Diaz mumbled his comments. It's that cotton mouth popping up again. But it's time for another Fight Night event on Spike TV! Let's do this.
-Mike Goldberg opens up the broadcast and hypes up The Ultimate Fighter debut for later tonight before welcoming Kenny Florian on commentary in place of Joe Rogan tonight, who is out filming a movie. Florian talks about the TUF guys going for their dream in the house. They then break down Nate Diaz and Melvin Guillard quickly before running down the rest of the card.
FIGHT ONE: NATE QUARRY VS. TIM CREDEUR (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
[Commercial Break]
PRE FIGHT: Quarry said their both going into the fight pretty much even, with both in the game about the same amount of time. Credeur said after tonight people are going to see a different type of Tim Credeur. Quarry said they both look to finish fights and it won't go to a decision. He then said "you don't become a legend winning decisions.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND ONE: Credeur pops forward first with a jab. He lightly throws a front kick as they're feeling each other out here. Quarry comes forward with a body shot. Credeur lands a couple of body kicks. Quarry lands an overhand right. He hits him with a straight left and then gets in with a jab. He comes in close and Quarry lands a three punch combo finished off with a big overhand right. Credeur pushes him back with a front kick. Quarry lands another body shot and Credeur just misses the counter. He steps forward and Credeur lands the straight left. Quarry avoids a few shots but eats an inside leg kick. Quarry goes back to the body shot and throws a light leg kick. Quarry with an overhand right and Credeur counters with a two punch combo. Credeur pushes in with a number of shots. He does it again and then Quarry pops in with a combo. Credeur pops in and lands another two punches to the jaw. Quarry lands another body shot. Credeur rocks Quarry and puts him down. He tried to get down on top of him and Quarry tried to roll out. Credeur quickly went for the rear naked choke and nearly had it locked in but Quarry somehow got out of it and back to his feet. He comes forward with a leg kick and a body punch. Credeur comes in with a big flurry as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Credeur. He's quicker than Quarry right now and landing a lot more punches. Plus he almost finished with that choke there. Good start, but nothing spectacular.
ROUND TWO: Quarry starts off with a leg kick and eats a big flurry from Credeur. Credeur starts teeing off and Quarry lands a big right hand that rocks Credeur. They start trading bombs and Quarry lands another huge right hand and drops Credeur. Credeur pulls guard as Quarry dropped onto him. Quarry postured up and lands a bunch of shots as he's trying to stay active. Credeur closes his guard and tries to control the body of Quarry. Quarry continues trying to land bombs from the top. Credeur keeps trying to transition and Quarry keeps working the top game. Credeur tries to grab for an armbar but Quarry gets out and keeps throwing punches in short intervals. He drops a couple of elbows. The action here has slowed a bit as Credeur's defending against much of what's being thrown as he still tries to go for the armbar against the cage. Quarry starts the short punches again. Credeur throws some shots from the bottom that land. He lands another nice right straight to the jaw from the bottom. Quarry lands some hard shots to the body as the round comes to a close.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Quarry. Excellent first two minutes to that round and Quarry held top position the rest of the round. Good fight thus far.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Quarry comes forward to start. Credeur walks him down and starts landing a flurry of shots. Quarry covers up and eats a ton of punishment before again unleashing a right hand that drops Credeur. He drops down again to start the ground and pound again. Credeur tries to work his way to his feet and finally does. Credeur is wobbly and Quarry lands another right. Credeur lands a few shots. Quarry starts landing a shots and avoiding counters. Credeur drops to his back after eating another few shots. Quarry again drops on top for the ground and pound. Credeur goes for a heel hook but Quarry rolls through and lands some elbows before Credeur rolls back to the butterfly guard. Quarry lands a good right to the jaw. Quarry continues to try to land shots as Credeur keeps moving his hips. They're stood up with twenty seconds left and both are exhausted. Credeur goes for a head kick and slips. He stands up and they trade shots to the finish.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Quarry. He looks the worse for wear there but he landed the more punishing blows and held top position again for much of the round and that will give him the nod. Good brawl.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Quarry via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-28)
POST FIGHT: Both guys hug and congratulate each other on a great war. Quarry said his game plan was simple so he wouldn't forget it, go in and fight. He said he forgot it for a bit and was standing and eating punches. The mouse under Quarry's right eye is sick. He gave Credeur a ton of respect on his performance. Credeur said a lot of people call him a jiu jitsu guy and he wanted to prove he's more than that. He said he'll always fight like this for the fans.
STAR RATING: (***) It was sloppy, it wasn't pretty, but it had some flashes of greatness in the brawl. They were both loopy from taking a ton of punishment but both showed a ton of heart to the end. Good start to the show.
[Commercial Break]
FIGHT TWO: CARLOS CONDIT VS. JAKE ELLENBERGER (WELTERWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Condit calls Ellenberger a legit opponent and he expects fireworks in the fight. Ellenberger said he's going to put Condit to sleep by his hands or by choking him out. Condit said he needs to get a win under his belt and Ellenberger is in his way.
[Commerical Break]
ROUND ONE: Ellenberger comes out and takes the center of the Octagon. Condit throws a kick but Ellenberger catches it and drops him with a right hand and pounces into his guard against the cage. Condit tries to pull rubber guard. Ellenberger tries to throw a couple of short punches as Condit tries to get up the cage. Condit lands an elbow from the bottom and another punch. Condit works his way to his feet and lands a knee but Ellenberger lands a hard right himself. Condit pushes him back and they separate. Condit with the leg kick getting caught again and Ellenberger rocks him. He follows up with another two right hands that hurts Condit. Condit worked back to his feet and landed a knee to the jaw. Ellenberger again lands the right hand and hurts COndit. Condit somehow survives and rolls through on top of Ellenberger. He gets mount but loses position as he goes for an armbar. Ellenberger locks on a guillotine as they stand back up and nearly locks it in but Conit gets out of it. They get back to their feet again and Ellenberger pushes in and lands a head kick. Condit recovers again. He tries to land a knee and slips a bit. Condit lands a good body shot and shoots in for a single leg. Ellenberger holds him off and lands a couple more shots as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Ellenberger. Crazy start to the fight. How Condit is still standing is beyond me. He curled up in the fetal position twice but somehow survived.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Condit comes out and throws a big right that misses. Ellenberger barely misses the counter. Ellenberger pops in and gets a takedown. Condit throws some punches to the back and then tries to pull rubber guard. Ellenberger holds that off and tries to do some damage against the cage. Condit does a good job in the guard of controlling Ellenberger and trying to move up the cage. He tried to slap on the triangle and Ellenberger landed a right hand. Condit tries again to move up the cage but Ellenberger holds him down. Condit goes for a Kimura. Ellengerger gets out but Condit sweeps and gets into the mount. He lands a number of shots. Ellenberger gets him to half guard but Condit moved it back to mount. He again went for a submission and Ellenberger transitioned out and got into Condit's guard. Condit pushed him off after a short time and got back to his feet. Condit went for a flying knee and then landed two punches as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Condit. Ellenberger may have had the takedown, but he didn't do anything with his position as Condit was continually active. He steals it slightly here.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Ellenberger catches Condit with a nice left. Condit went for a kick and Ellenberger grabbed him and took him down. Condit goes to the butterfly guard and lands some short shots from the bottom. He throws the elbow down to the head of Ellenberger. Ellenberger postured up and landed a big right elbow. Condit pushed him off finally and got back to his feet. Ellenberger landed a kick. Condit shot in and went for the single leg. Ellenberger grabbed a guillotine but Condit got out and got into half guard. He thought about a kimura but let it go. Condit landed a number of punches from half guard as Ellenberger tried to get up. Condit stayed on him on the cage and landed a bunch of shots. Ellenberger goes to his knees and Condit gets on his back and tries to lock the hooks in. He lands a ton of punches and goes for an armbar but Ellenberger escapes and gets into Condit's guard. He lets him up with a minute left. Ellenberger went for a single leg and Condit held it off. He lands a ton of elbows to the side of the head and then takes Ellenberger's back again. Ellenberger tried to get out and Condit flattened him out and finished the round with a ton of shots to Ellenberger.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Condit. He had the better gas tank here and he was able to do a ton of damage in some good positions. Ellenberger had some nice sweeps and stayed alive, but he didn't have anything left there and Condit stayed on him until the end.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Condit via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
POST FIGHT: Some of the crowd was booing, but I don't know why. Condit said he was seeing stars for a second in the first round but he knew he needed to keep fighting. He said he's looking forward to seeing who was put in front of him next.
STAR RATING: (***+) Very, very good fight there. Ellenberger nearly had the fight finished in the opening frame but Condit came back greatly in the second and third rounds. He nearly finished it on a couple of occasions in each round and stayed continually active on the ground. Good stuff here.
[Commercial Break]
-They show a preview for Saturday's UFC 103 and Mike Goldberg interviews Rich Franklin via satellite. Franklin talked about the public being down on the proposed rematch with Henderson and said while he wants that fight, he doesn't want to put on fights the fans don't want to see. He said he's going to need to move his head a lot and use his footwork to avoid the hands of Vitor Belfort.
FIGHT THREE: ROGER HUERTA VS. GRAY MAYNARD (LIGHTWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Maynard said he's counting on a 100% Huerta. Huerta said he's the most excited he's ever been, and he feels like it's his first UFC fight all over again. He said he's more than ready for this fight. Maynard said a win over Huerta means he's one step closer to being at the top of the lightweight division.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND ONE: Huerta comes out and takes the center of the Octagon. Roger lands an inside leg kick as Maynard stalks him down. Maynard pushes in and clinches for a second and they separate almost immediately. Very tentative start with both guys getting a feel for the other. Maynard continues to press forward and Huerta pushes him back. Maynard comes in and lands a right and they trade shots in a quick flurry. Roger pops after him and Maynard lands a counter. Maynard lands another shot as Huerta comes in. Huerta throws a leg kick. He comes back with a body kick. Maynard lands a left and Huerta lands a right in response. Maynard lands a quick right and pops out. He comes in with it again. Roger continues to walk Maynard down. He misses a shot. Huerta catches Maynard with a flurry on the cage and keeps stalking him down. Maynard lands a right. Maynard throws a body shot. Roger lands another combo as the action picks up. Maynard pops Huerta with a jab. Maynard goes for a takedown and Roger holds him off against the cage. Maynard stays on him and lands a knee as they get back to their feet. Huerta lands another flurry as they separate again. The round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Huerta. Maynard was landing some little shots early but Huerta came back with some great aggression and a few nice flurries, as well as stuffing that late takedown attempt.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Roger avoids a punch early. He gets in with a punch. Roger lands a couple of leg kicks and Maynard lands an overhand right to the chest. Maynard comes in with a good overhand left. Huerta lands the inside leg kick. He gets another one in as he walks Maynard down. Maynard counters with a short left. Roger keeps moving forward with the leg kicks. Maynard lands the overhand right. Roger stalks him down and lands a couple of shots. Maynard lands a body shot. Huerta keeps stalking him and Maynard buckles him with a jab but Huerta pops right back up. He lands another leg kick. He pushes forward with a flurry and lands a couple of good rights while missing a couple. Huerta pushes Maynard to the cage and they trade shots. Huerta ducks under a punch. He grabs a leg as Maynard throws a knee but he lets it go. Roger again throws the leg kicks. Maynard lands the right hand again. Roger gets an overhand right in as he counters. Huerta lands another combo. He pushes forward with more combinations as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Maynard. Tough round because neither landed a ton there. Maynard seemed to have more of an effect and was the aggressor for much of the round so he steals it, but just barely. That round could have gone either way but Maynard did a bit more damage and takes it because of that.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Huerta lands a body kick as Maynard lands the right. Maynard then gets in a good short left hook. Huerta pushes forward and keeps Maynard's back on the cage. Huerta counters a punch and lands a few of his own. Maynard gets the right hand in. Huerta lands a couple of quick jabs. Maynard finally shot in and grabbed a takedown. Roger tried to walk up the cage but Maynard held him down. Huerta got to a sprawl position and tried to scramble back up. Maynard held control of him, however. Maynard scrambled to take Huerta's back as Huerta got to his feet and he grabbed a double leg and took him down. He landed a cople of hammer fists. Huerta threw some shots from the bottom. He rolled through and Maynard got to side controla and Huerta grabbed half guard. Maynard grabbed a sick kimura and Huerta held on and tried to scramble through. He got on top of Maynard and threw a couple of knees. He got to the north-south and Maynard popped up and tried to take him down again. He got him down for a third time this round. Huerta tried to work to his feet again and clinched and landed a few shots on Maynard against the cage. They traded punches and knees in the clinch as the round ended. It's going to come down to how the second round was scored.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Maynard. The takedowns and near submission take the round and depending on how the second round was scored he takes the fight as well.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Maynard via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**+) Tentative fight with neither doing a whole lot to the other in that one outside of the near submission in the third round. I don't understand the 30-27 score, but Maynard won that fight with that third round performance for sure. Huerta's shoulder was nearly pulled out of its socket there, but he held on to the end. Disappointing loss, surely, and we'll see if he will decide to re-up or if this was his last fight in the UFC for a while.
[Commercial Break]
-Unless this one ends quickly they're going way over the two hour timeslot and will push back the Ultimate Fighter debut. Hopefully people DVR'ing the show recorded after.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FOUR: NATE DIAZ VS. MELVIN GUILLARD (LIGHTWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Diaz said he wants to finish the fight. He said he's glad to finally fight a guy who will fight him. Guillard said he's going to beat him up. Guillard said Diaz will be going to sleep early. Diaz said he's technically better than Guillard everywhere. Diaz said tonight he's going to bring the ass whooping. Guillard said he'll bring the streets of New Orleans, Diaz can bring the streets of Cali, they can both talk their smack in the cage and see what happens.
ROUND ONE: No touching of gloves in this one. Guillard drops Diaz almost right off the bat but Diaz recovers on the ground. He lets Diaz back up to his feet. Diaz tries to throw some looping shots and Guillard avoided them all. Diaz lands a leg kick. Guillard comes in and tries to land the overhand right but Diaz shoots in and takes him down. Guillard pops up and throws Diaz, and then once again lets him up. They start jawing at each other, goading the other to come in. Diaz again gets the takedown and GUillard scoots to the cage again. Diaz tries to pull him to his back but Guillard is keeping his back up against the cage nicely. He works back to his feet again. He separates again and Diaz is cut open here. Diaz lands a left as he comes forward. Guillard is doing a good job with his head movement here. Guillard lands a good elbow and another overhand right and Diaz lifts his hands in the air like "so what?" Guillard lands a good left. Diaz comes forward and lands a body kick as Guillard is again getting out of the way. Diaz pushes forward with the jab but Guillard is staying out of harm's way. Guillard throws a nice body kick. Diaz lands a good left hook near the end of the round and then tries to grab a standing kimura as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Guillard. He rocked Diaz right off the bat and avoided damage throughout. Good start for Guillard.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Diaz lands a straight left early. Guillard comes back with a body kick. Diaz tries to chase Guillard down and they clinch at the cage. Diaz lands some knees in the clinch. Guillard again gets the throw on Diaz and stands back up. Diaz landed a straight right jab. Guillard tried to lock his body up as Diaz went for a kimura. They separate again. Guillard lands a big combo. Guillard feigned being hurt as Diaz hit him with a two punch combo and then shot in. As he took Diaz down, however, Diaz locked in a sick, tight guillotine and forced Guillard to tap. Guillard was nearly in tears on his knees afterward. Diaz went over and shook his hand and helped him up. Big win for Diaz.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Diaz via submission (guillotine) at 2:13 of the second round.
STAR RATING: (**+) Decent fight with a nice finish from Diaz. Guillard looked good in the first round, but Diaz did what he's done a lot of, take a small opening and turn it on your opponent.
-That's another event in the books, so thanks for sticking with us here tonight. They went right to the Ultimate Fighter season 10 debut, so check back for reports and thoughts on episode one later tonight, and then stick around for more as we head to UFC 103 on Saturday night.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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