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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Spike TV Broadcast
The Spike broadcast is underway, and once again we're guaranteed at least these two undercard fights during this hour long broadcast heading into the pay-per-view portion of the event. This should be another exciting night of fights, so stick with us here for round-by-round updates on all of the action as it's happening.
-Mike Goldberg once again introduces the event and he and Joe Rogan discuss the fights for the Spike broadcast. They run down the Schafer-Bader fight with the respective strengths of the two fighters.
FIGHT ONE: ANTONI HARDONK VS. PAT BARRY (HEAVYWEIGHT):
PRE FIGHT: Barry says he's trying to end careers with his leg kicks. Hardonk says he considers himself the strongest striker in the heavyweight division and wants to knock Barry out.
ROUND ONE: Hardonk refuses to touch gloves but Barry lands the first hard punch of the night. Barry lands a couple in succession as Hardonk walks him down. Hardonk lands a good leg kick and Barry responds with one of his own. Hardonk blocks a leg kick but Barry tosses a Superman punch. Barry switches legs and Hardonk lands an inside leg kick. He also pokes him in the dye and Brry needs a minute to recover. As they restart Hardonk lands a couple of good jabs and keeps pressing. He lands a good knee to the gut and goes back to the leg kicks. Barry may have been poked in the eye again but the ref isn't in there. Hardonk again lands a couple of good leg kicks. Barry lands one and bounces out. Hardonk with another kick. Hardonk tried to shoot in and Barry landed a really hard punch. Barry got on top of Hardonk and mover to side control. Hardonk tries to grab the half guard. Hardonk finally bucked Barry off him and he immediately came forward. Barry caught him with a few really good punches and then they slowed down a bit. Hardonk landed a good combo of kicks and punches, but nothing landed flush. Hardonk goes for a high kick and Barry responds with a jab. Barry switched stances and they traded shots before the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Barry. He did more damage and had a dominant position for awhile in side control. Good start to the fight.
ROUND TWO: Hardonk goes right to the inside leg kick and Barry throws one to the body. Hardonk tried to grab the Thai plum to throw a knee but Barry got away. Hardonk continued to walk Barry down and Barry popped in with a few big shots. He landed another combo and then dropped Hardonk with a punch and a leg trip. He let him get back up and landed another punch. Hardonk got in close and they clinched and Hardonk tried to bring Barry down but it didn't work. Hardonk landed a good jab. Barry with a straight jab that looked to hurt Hardonk. He popped in with another one. Barry with a straight left. Hardonk is getting picked apart right now. Barry with a big shot to the temple and Barry lands one big right to the downed Hardonk and he's out. Huge win for Barry. Awesome performance. He breaks down in emotion after the win, one that was much needed.
WINNER: Barry via TKO at 2:30 of the second round.
POST FIGHT: Barry said he was thinking "ouch" when he got poked. He said Hardonk is the man and that's why he wanted this fight, and he said this meant everything in the world to him right now. He finished it off by doing a back flip and then him and Hardonk embraced in the center of the cage.
STAR RATING: (**+) Hell of a performance by Barry. I was off on what the factor would be in this fight. It wasn't Hardonk's reach, it was Barry's quickness and ability to get through that reach with his power that made the difference. If he can get his ground game to a more advanced level he'll be a dangerous fighter for a long time to come. Hell of a win.
PRELIM FIGHT A: STEFAN STRUVE VS. CHASE GORMLEY (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Bit of a glitch as they put the graphic up for Schafer vs. Bader, but here we go with this one. Struve throws a leg kick as Gormley walks him down. He pushes him back with another leg kick. Struve tried to throw a high kick but missed a shot. Struve tried to grab a Thai clinch but Gormley took him down and got into his guard. He threw some shots from the top and then picked Struve up and dropped slammed him back down. Struve tried to grab wrist control as Gormley kept control from in his guard. Struve rolled for a leg lock and Gormley tried to grab one of his own. Struve held onto it as Gormley tried to roll it out. Struve let it go and then got on top of Gormley. Struve passed to side control and went for a choke but lost it. Gormley got back to his feet only for a second however as Struve took him right back down. Struve started throwing a ton of shots on Gormley. He kept landing a ton of shots but Gormley recovered and grabbed for a leg lock but Struve got out and moved over to the mount, then he locked on a triangle and got it on tight, forcing Gormley to tap.
WINNER: Struve via submission (triangle choke) 4:04 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Struve said he works on that all the time. He saw the opportunity and wanted to take it. He said he's only getting better with every fight and at 21 we'll be seeing a lot more of him.
STAR RATING: (***-) Awesome submission by Struve and a much improved overall game from the Dutchman. He set that triangle up beautifully from the mount and it was a great progression for him.
FIGHT TWO: RYAN BADER VS. ERIC SCHAFER (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Schafer says Bader's the huge favorite and he's got the position of huge underdog.
ROUND ONE: Bader immediately took the center and walked Schafer down. He landed a good right hand and continued coming forward. He landed another one and continued being the aggressor. Schafer tried to push Bader back with some jabs and Bader whiffed on a huge right. Bader landed another good combo. They each landed a left at the same time and then Schafer tried to push Bader back again. Bader popped in with a quick jab. Bader with a good right hand followed by a left to the body. He keeps trying to land the big right and keeps missing. He ran Schafer down and dropped him with two big right hands. He threw a ton of shots from the top but Schafer was able to pull guard. Bader stayed on him and as Schafer got to his feet Bader picked him up and slammed him down. Schafer got back to his feet again and ate some more shots until Bader dropped him with a punch. He got down on top of him and stayed on him with punches. Schafer tried to grab a kimura with Bader on his back and wound up back in his guard with Bader on top. Schafer got an omoplata but Bader got out and dropped another right hand down onto Schafer. Bader stood up and then let it go to the buzzer.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Bader. Were it not for the submission attempts and survival of the onslaught that was close to a 10-8 round.
ROUND TWO: Bader again took the role of stalker as Schafer walked backwards around the cage. Bader landed a good punch early. Schafer popped in with a shot that poked him in the eye and Bader was given time to recover. He was ok and got back to it. Schafer landed a good left hook. Bader popped in a jab but Schafer started walking him down. He landed a good couple of shots and Bader popped him with a right hand. Schafer lands a couple more here, and Bader has noticeably slowed from the first round. Schafer with another jab. Bader landed a left and right combo. Bader ducks under a punch and lands a body punch. He follows with a nice jab that lands on the jaw. Bader misses the loaded up right and Schafer landed a right hand. Schafer again lands the right. Schafer landed a good left hook after Bader missed another punch. Schafer with two quick right hands and Schafer is starting to get back into this. Bader landed a good counter right as Schafer overstepped him. Schafer with another combo and he'll take this round as it's winding down. Schafer again with a good right. Bader lands a leg kick. Bader tried to shoot in and it got stuffed. Schafer landed the right again and almost got a choke as Bader shot in again as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Schafer. He landed a ton of shots there and Bader seems out of energy here. He'll need a much better effort in the third to win this one.
ROUND THREE: Schafer landed a couple of early jabs as Bader came in. Bader landed a good left and then connected on a right hand that hurt Schafer and dropped him. Schafer pulled full guard as Bader missed the finishing blow. Bader finally popped out and let Schafer back up. The pause the fight to have the doctor's check on a cut that opened on the bridge of Schafer's nose. The fight continued. Schafer landed a good right hand and Bader again missed the knockout blow attempt. Bader barely missed the right again and backed away from the counter punch. Schafer came forward with a quick combo. Bader landed a quick jab and then they both exchanged punches. Bader with another couple jabs. Schafer landed a good punch and then Bader went for a takedown. He got it and tried to move to side control. He finally got his arm loose and tried to hold Schafer down. Schafer tried to get loose but Bader stayed on him and landed a couple of good right hands. Schafer got back to full guard and went for the omoplata as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Bader. He nearly finished it again with that big right hand and solidified the round with the late takedown.
WINNER: Bader via unanimous decision (30-28, 29-26, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**+) Good back and forth fight but not entirely exciting throughout, especially the second round where Bader appeared gassed. Still a good fight between the two, though. Very even for much of it outside of the times Bader took control with punches.
-Dana White came in with Joe Rogan for the final hard sell for the night's pay-per-view. White says he expects a striking battle in the main event and then talks up the main eventers and what he says might be the best light heavyweight fight in a long time. They talk up Velasquez vs. Rothwell as well and now it's time for the pay-per-view portion of the broadcast.
Main pay-per-view card
-Goldberg and Rogan open up the pay-per-view portion and run down the night's pay-per-view card. We've got four fights to get through to the fight everyone's waiting for tonight, can't wait for this main event! Let's get to the show!
FIGHT THREE: ANTHONY JOHNSON VS. YOSHIYUKI YOSHIDA (CATCHWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Johnson said he's just going to go out there and do his thing. Yoshida said his game plan is to clinch him tight and get to the ground to finish it there. Johnson said his style of fighting is a big threat to anyone, and especially Yoshida.
ROUND ONE: Johnson took the center and walked Yoshida down. Yoshida landed a punch but Johnson landed a big shot and followed up with a number of shots, and Yoshida is in trouble. He finally landed the knockout blow with a right hand and that is all she wrote. Not unexpected in the least, though it happened a little earlier than maybe some were thinking. That was a quick one. Steve Mazzagatti stopped that one correctly.
WINNER: Johnson via TKO at :41 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Johnson said he's sorry to the UFC and the fans for missing weight, and he dedicated his performance to the fans. He said he'll move up in the future, but said he got heavy from his knee injury, but he took the blame for missing.
STAR RATING: (**) Quick fight, not much to it. That was quick work for Johnson there and an impressive finish for him. Yoshida was in a bad spot against such a larger fighter.
RAMIFICATIONS: Johnson continues his climb up the ladder in the welterweight division, though he'll likely jump that track for middleweight sooner than later. Yoshida's striking needs to improve or this will happen against many different welterweights with hands like that.
FIGHT FOUR: JOE STEVENSON VS. SPENCER FISHER (LIGHTWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Stevenson said he's throwing with bad intentions to get him to the ground. Fisher said he'll knee him in the face for his troubles. Fisher said everyone that has beat Joe has fought for the title and he wants to be the next guy to do it. Stevenson wherever Spencer goes he'll be hurt.
ROUND ONE: Stevenson circled around the outside and landed a right as Fisher threw a kick early. Stevenson landed a leg kick of his own. Stevenson quick on his feet on the outside at the outset. He landed a superman punch but ate a right from Fisher. Fisher threw an inside leg kick of his own. Stevenson with a good left and Fisher countered with a big right hand. Fisher landed a good body kick and pushed forward with a combo. He landed another punch and Stevenson opened him up with a combo. Stevenson shot in for a takedown and Fisher did a good job of holding it off. Stevenson stayed on him and pushed him to the cage and grabbed a double leg. Stevenson picked him up off his feet but Fisher nicely stayed on his feet as Stevenson stayed on him. Fisher threw a knee and Stevenson clinched him against the cage. The cut over Fisher's eye is dripping blood into his eye. Herb Dean separated them finally. Fisher threw a leg kick. Stevenson clinched and landed a short elbow to the eye. Fisher landed a big left and Stevenson pounced on him for a takedown. Fisher held it off for a moment but Stevenson got him down and tried to take his back. He unloaded with punches to a turtled up Fisher until the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Stevenson. Very even round until the final :30 seconds until Stevenson took over and tried to finish.
ROUND TWO: Fisher threw a high kick early that Stevenson blocked. Stevenson landed a good left as Fisher threw a kick. Fisher is the aggressor here and is trying to walk Stevenson down to the cage. Stevenson is doing a good job of pouncing in with short punches here to stave off that attack. Leg kick from Fisher again. Fisher lands a body kick and Stevenson grabbed it and took Fisher down. He got into Fisher's guard and tried to posture up. He slowly pushed him to the fence as Fisher tried to land elbows from the bottom. Stevenson landed a good left elbow. Fisher tried to push him off by going for a leg lock but Stevenson instead passed to his half guard. Stevenson got mount briefly but got pushed back to half guard where he threw some more elbows. He lands some really hard short right elbow shots and he's cut Fisher open again. He traps a wrist and lands a number of right hand punches to the face and then passes to side control. He traps the arm in the crucifix and throws a ton of elbows forcing Herb Dean to stop the fight.
WINNER: Stevenson via TKO (elbows) at 4:03 of the second round.
POST FIGHT: Stevenson gave it up for the LA fans and gave his coaches their due. He said his sisters used to pull that move on him to put make-up on him when he was little, so that was all pent up anger from school.
STAR RATING: (***) That was one of Stevenson's best career performances. He wasn't able to get the takedown early but stuck with the game plan and worked his superior ground game in the second round.
RAMIFICATIONS: If Stevenson can continue to get better he'll be back into a Title fight, he's still young enough to get back there.
PRELIM FIGHT B: YUSHIN OKAMI VS. CHAEL SONNEN (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: The Okami fight made the broadcast! Let's see how this finish goes down. Sonnen lands a leg kick early. He tries to walk Okami down and then shoots in, but Okami stuffs it. Sonnen landed a punch to the body but Okami moves him around and puts his back on the cage. Sonnen trips up a leg and takes Okami down. Okami moved back to his feet but Sonnen stayed on his back and picked him up and slammed him down. Okami moved up the cage back up to his feet and Sonnen landed some knees to the thigh of Okami while staying on his back. He stomped down onto the feet of Okami and stayed on his back against the cage. He jumped up to grab double hooks and Okami used his right arm against him to get out of that position and away from the cage. Sonnen worked the leg kick and tried to pick some spots against Okami. Okami landed a good jab. Ikami landed another combo but Sonnen popped in with a punch. Sonnen mixing it up nicely with combos both punches and leg kicks. Sonnen continues setting up punches with his inside leg kick and then he shot in and got the takedown. Okami got back up again though. Sonnen landed a big left hand and then Okami landed one of his own. They popped in and both landed some solid punches in an exchange. The round ends with Sonnen holding Okami at bay.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Sonnen. Very impressive start from Sonnen. I didn't give him nearly enough credit coming into this one.
ROUND TWO: Sonnen with a quick jab but Okami lands a couple of punches of his own. They're both swinging fast and furious here and Okami tagged him with a big punch. Sonnen keeps coming forward and lands a couple of punches. Sonnen again shoots in for the takedown. Okami holds it off and tries to stay on his feet but Sonnen gets his back standing against the cage. Sonnen tried to drop him down by pulling him down but Okami scrambles out of it. Sonnen lands a good right jab. He comes in with a spinning side kick to the body next. Sonnen's putting together some nice combos here. Sonnen again lands the right jab. Okami lands a couple of big shots and Sonnen responds with a couple of his own. Sonnen lands another one and gets Okami to the cage. Okami again lands a good left. Sonnen again keeps him at bay with a right hand. Okami lands a right himself. They both land shots while trading combos. Body shot from Sonnen. Okami lands a leg kick but Sonnen catches it and lands a good straight left. Another left from Sonnen. Sonnen with another combo, landing a big right. Left hand lands from Sonnen and Okami responds with a jab. Sonnen stays on him and lands a couple more shots with Okami's back on the cage. He stays on Okami and lands a spinning side kick to end the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Sonnen. Sonnen is fighting a hell of a fight right now. Okami's continually backing up in this fight and Sonnen is landing a ton of shots. Okami needs to finish or this fight is Sonnen's.
ROUND THREE: Sonnen works the jab nicely to begin here. Sonnen shot in again but Okami stuffed it and popped up. Sonnen gets in with more jabs and combos. Okami lands a punch but Sonnen lands a few more. Sonnen with a good left and Okami lands a left himself. Okami with a good two punch combo. Sonnen lands a left himself. Sonnen pops him with a jab again. Sonnen kept Okami backing up and Okami landed a good kick and a jab. They both trade shots. Okami starts walking Sonnen down briefly, landing a couple of shots. Sonnen finally shoots in again and picks Okami up and slams him down. He gets on his back and gets both hooks in. He starts throwing punches to the side of the head and Okami finally explodes to his feet against the cage, Sonnen still on his back. Sonnen threw knees to the thigh of Okami and Okami tried to break free from the grip of Sonnen. Okami goes for a kimura and drops down. With :45 seconds left Okami has a hold of the arm but can't pull it out. Sonnen pops out and lands a ton of punches to Okami in the guard. He rolls around and takes his back as Okami gets to his feet again and Sonnen will take this as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Sonnen. Another very good round for Sonnen and he'll take this one handily.
WINNER: Sonnen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (***) That was a very good fight, and a great performance from Sonnen, one of his best for sure.
RAMIFICATIONS: Well, the talk of Okami deserving a Title shot has been ended by Chael Sonnen, but where does Sonnen belong in the middleweight heirarchy now? It's tough to say with his two consecutive wins after the loss to Demian Maia, but more wins and performances like this will help him climb up that ladder.
FIGHT FIVE: JOSH NEER VS. GLEISON TIBAU (CATCHWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Neer says he's going to gas Tibau out and finish him. Tibau says he doesn't want this fight to go to a decision. He says Josh is dangerous, but he's got holes that he can exploit. Neer says he wants to finish the fight.
ROUND ONE: Neer came forward and got Tibau to the cage and they both started swinging. Nothing really landed, though. Tibau then explodes and gets a huge slam on Neer, but Neer holds him off and gets right back to his feet. Neer lands a good inside leg kick. He lands another big kick. Tibau again shot in for the takedown and lifted Neer off his feet to drop him down. Neer pushed him off and threw some up kicks. Tibau tried to drop down but Neer held him off and moved back to his feet again. Neer walked Tibau to the cage again and landed the inside leg kick. Tibau lands a good straight punch. Neer continues to come forward and get Tibau's back to the cage, but again Tibau shoots in and gets the takedown. Neer threw him off again however and gets back to his feet. Neer tried for a head kick but Tibau blocked it. Neer walks him down and throws a good straight kick. Tibau lands a good left. Neer lands a good kick and tries to land a good punch but Tibau again takes him down. Neer gets his back to the cage and moves himself back to his feet again. Neer lands an inside leg kick and walks Tibau down again. He keeps moving forward and keeps swinging. He lands a good uppercut just before the buzzer.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Tibau. Relentlessly brutal takedowns but he couldn't keep Neer down. Good start to this one.
ROUND TWO: Neer again stays the aggressor, but Tibau again shot in and took him down. Neer goes back to the up kicks and he got back to his feet again. Neer got in on Tibau again against the cage and they clinched briefly. Neer then landed a couple of punches but Tibau dropped him with a takedown again. Upkicks again from Neer and he gets back up again and immediately comes forward. Neer lands an inside leg kick and keeps walking Tibau down. Tibau again gets the takedown. Neer holds him off and tries to push him off with the up kicks but Tibau gets the full mount. Neer gave up his back and tried to get to his feet with Tibau high up on his back. Neer gets him out and over him but Tibau grabs an arm bar and then Neer winds up on top. Neer tried to stay on him but Tibau got back to his feet. Neer continues to push the pace. Neer just missed an uppercut but then landed a good right hand. He lands another uppercut and pushes Tibau to the cage. He lands some more punches on Tibau on the cage. Another takedown and Neer pops right back up. Neer continues to to push forward. He keeps trying for the knockout punch but he's barely missing on all of them. He lands a good straight hand and stays on him until the buzzer.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Tibau. He had more takedowns and the mount and a near submission with the armbar, but he's slowing and Neer's defense has been excellent on the ground.
ROUND THREE: Neer again the aggressor moves forward on Tibau and again he takes him down. This time he passes to half guard and Neer moves him back to full guard. He again sweeps and gets back to his feet. He walks Tibau down again and lands a few punches. Neer clinches and lands a good elbow. Tibau tried to go for a takedown again and Neer finally stuffs one. Neer keeps coming forward. Tibau tries for another takedown and gets stuffed. Neer keeps coming forward. Tibau with another half hearted takedown attempt that Neer stuffs. Neer landed a good right hand and keeps trying to get Tibau against the cage. He lands a couple of punches. Tibau again gets the takedown. Neer lands some elbos from the bottom and then gets back up again. He needs to do something drastic here with a minute and a half left. Neer landed an inside leg kick but his shin is hurting an dhe grimaced. He keeps coming forward but Tibau dropped him with another takedown. He again gets back up to his feet. Neer went for a high kick but Tibau holds it off. Tibau again takes him down. Tibau takes his back and the round ends to the boos of the crowd for some reason. Rogan calls those booing "LA douchebags."
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Tibau. Neer pushed the action and was able to get out of trouble on the ground, but he didn't land anything of significance in the striking department either. It's tough because neither fighter was ever in trouble, but the takedowns will give this one to Tibau.
WINNER: Tibau via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**) There just wasn't much of anything in terms of significance, and though Neer stayed aggressive he could not stop those takedowns from Tibau.
FIGHT SIX: CAIN VELASQUEZ VS. BEN ROTHWELL (HEAVYWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Velasquez says he can take somebody down and put them through hell. Rogan and Dana White talk up Rothwell in his debut here. Rothwell says he's invested ten years into this and he's not going to let Velasquez ruin that.
ROUND ONE: Velasquez has the crowd support in this one, with Rothwell getting a large amount of boos with his introduction. Velasquez threw an early kick and Rothwell landed a couple of shots. Velasquez threw some body kicks and Rothwell landed some punches. Velasquez shot in for a takedown, and after Rothwell held it off for a minute Velasquez got him down. Rothwell eventually got to his feet after being lifted up and slammed once more. On the feet both fighters landed punches. Cain went for the single leg and he finised it off and landed a few shots from side control. He moved to north-south and then to side control again. He landed a short elbow and Rothwell rolled out and got back to his feet. He was taken down immediately again and started throwing elbows. Rothwell moved him off a bit and Velasquez dropped down a number of big right hands. He moved to full mount but only briefly. He stood up and dropped down with some big right hands. He moved back to side control and then full mount and teed off with punches. This is a great display from Velasquez. Rothwell rolls around and gets to his feet and Cain stays on him. He takes him down again and lands some more punches. Rothwell turtles up but then moves back to his feet after eating a ton more shots. Rothwell's a tough man and survives to the second round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Velasquez. That was a beating by Velasquez, and I'm coming back to buying the hype. If he can finish a very tough Rothwell he's right in the mix in this division. Great start by Cain.
ROUND TWO: Rothwell threw an early high kick but it was nowhere near landing. Velasquez goes for the single leg and gets the takedown and lands a number of punches from under the arm of a turtle Rothwell. Rothwell crawled to the cage and tried to get to his feet. Velasquez landed a number of shots as Rothwell was walking up the wall and Mazagatti stopped the fight right as he got to his feet. That was a bad stoppage. He wasn't out, he was eating shots and trying to get to his feet. Really bad stoppage from Mazzagatti, but Velasquez was well on his way to the win.
WINNER: Velasquez via tko at :58 of the second round.
POST FIGHT: The crowd booed Mazzagatti's stoppage but cheered Velasquez. Cain said he thought the fight could have continued, as he was hitting him as he was standing but planning on going for the takedown as soon as Rothwell got back up. He said he's happy with this and he wants to keep getting better.
STAR RATING: (***-) That was a beating that Velasquez gave Rothwell, but that was an absolutely terrible stoppage. Rothwell has taken harder shots before and he's kept fighting. Velasquez was absolutely winning the fight and it may have only been a matter of time until he finished it anyway, but Mazzagatti robbed Rothwell of a chance to come back there.
RAMIFICATIONS: Cain is right in the mix in the Title picture in the heavyweight division, and he may get the next shot at the winner of Lesnar vs. Carwin. It was very impressive how he stayed on Rothwell and worked his ground and pound, but Rothwell also wasn't able to test his chin, so that may still be a question against Carwin or Lesnar, who both have ridiculously large hands that hit very hard.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT SEVEN: LYOTO MACHIDA VS. MAURICIO "SHOGUN" RUA (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE BOUT)
PRE FIGHT: Machida's English has gotten a bit better here. He says being the Champion is his dream. Shogun says he needed his boxing to be much better against Liddell and it was. They let Dana White and Joe Rogan sell these two for the main event.
ROUND ONE: Shogun tries to walk Machida down and lands a kick and a punch but Machida grabs a Thai clinch and lands a number of knees and a couple punches to push him back. Shogun lands a kick and Machida backs out. Machida lands a body kick. Shogun cuts the distance and clinches Machida against the cage. He tries to throw a few knees to the legs of Machida. He tries to push him off but Machida breaks free. Machida throws a high kick and Shogun counters with a leg kick. Machida lands a big knee and Shogun goes for a takedown. Machida holds it off against the cage. Machida again breaks free. Shogun pushes forward and misses a kick and punch combo as Machida moves out of the way. Machida lands a couple of big punches as Rua lands a good body kick. Machida misses a leg kick and Shogun tried to move in with a kick of his own. Very methodical from both fighters here in the first round. Rua landed a hard leg kick but Machida landed a counter punch. Machida with a body kick and Shogun with a counter right. Rua lands a body kick. He pushes forward and misses a punch. Very close round as it comes to an end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Shogun. I've got to give him the round, he was the aggressor, and with most things even there he's taking the first round Machida's lost, in my opinion here.
ROUND TWO: Shogun missed a spinning kick. Machida landed a kick of his own. Rua pushed forward and landed a leg kick. Machida landed a good straight right, and followed with a few more punches to push Shogun back. Shogun landed a body punch. Machida nearly got a leg trip on Shogun. He then landed a big knee as Shogun shot in for a takedown. Machida held him off and they separated. Machida landed a good leg kick. He moved past and nearly tripped up Rua with a knee to the thigh. Rua pushed forward and landed a good body kick. Machida comes in with a good body kick. Shogun tries to come forward with a combo but only lands the body kick. Machida throws a leg kick. He counters a charging Rua with a punch. Rua lands a good body kick again. Shogun lands a leg kick as Machida backs off. Machida landed a good knee to the body and Rua clinched. Rua landed a knee that looked like it might be low, but Machida was fine. They traded knees in the clinch, and Rua threw some more. Machida broke him off as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Machida. He landed harder shots and more of them in that round, though it was still close.
ROUND THREE: Rua landed a good kick and Machida countered with a good punch. Machida came in with a right hand and a good kick. Rua countered with a kick. Rua keeps working that body kick. Machida landed a good body kick as they've both slowed a bit. Rua landed a leg kick and Machida threw a big right. Rua shot in and clinched Machida but he was thrown off almost immediately. Shogun landed a good leg kick as Machida missed one. Machida landed a huge body kick again. Machida landed a huge right as Rua lands a body kick. Rua tried to push forward with a combo and Machida sidstepped it. Machida lands a body kick and Shogun pushes him back and lands a big leg kick. Machida comes in with a knee in the clinch and they separate. Machida pops in with a big right and has Shogun on the ropes. They trade shots there and Shogun actually got a right hand in there. The round ended after they separated.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Machida. Good exchange near the end, but both are trying not to make a mistake in a close fight right now.
ROUND FOUR: They trade leg kicks after feeling each other out for the first minute. Machida lands a kick and Rua counters with one of his own. Rua with another inside leg kick. Machida with a good counter punch. He pushes in with a good high kick. Machida slipped on a kick and Shogun pounced to try to take him down. Machida got to his feet however and sprawled on the cage and they were back to their feet. Rua with the leg kick and Machida landed a few counter punches. Rua landed a couple of knees in close as well. Leg kick from Rua. Machida lands a right as Shogun clinches. Rua breaks off with an elbow. Machida lands a punch and Rua lands a knee to the body. Rua with another leg kick. The round ends after some more posturing.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Rua. He was the more active and landed more. I think we're even coming into the final round.
ROUND FIVE: Rua landed the inside leg kick again. Machida with a straight punch. Machida landed a counter punch as Rua landed the body kick. Rua pushed forward with the inside leg kick again. Rua with another body kick. Machida with a body kick, Rua counters with the leg kick. The Champ needs to do something here. Shogun landed a huge knee and another and then Shogun clinched. He landed a knee in the clinch, and another. Herb Dean then separated them. Rua with another big body kick. Machida landed another big knee to the body. Rua separated with an elbow and a right hand. Machida with another knee as Shogun comes in. He needs to do something major here or he's losing his belt. Rua pushed forward again as Machida missed a knee. Rua stalks Machida down and they trade shots and Machida pushes him off with the buzzer going off.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Rua. We're going to have a new Light Heavyweight Champion on our hands. It was a very competitive and extremely close fight but the leg and body kicks, along with the aggression from Rua were enough to give him the nod.
WINNER: Machida via unanimous decisions (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
POST FIGHT: The crowd booed the decision, and justly so, that was not Machida's fight. I understand that you need to beat the Champion, but Rua won at least three of those rounds, and an argument can be made for four of them for him. Machida said that was the most difficult fight he's had in the UFC. He said there are three judges, and if they gave it to him that's all he can do. He says whenever on a rematch with Shogun, and they'll need to do that again. A lot of boos for the Champion. Rogan went over to talk to Shogun and the crowd erupted in cheers. He said he trained hard and his corner told him that he was winning but a fight is a fight and "what can I do."
STAR RATING: (***) It was a very competitive fight, and it was interesting to see Machida get pressured like that through five rounds. Rua had a great gameplan, but apparently without taking the Champion out he wasn't going to be given that decision.
RAMIFICATIONS: Well, Shogun's definitely back as a legit top three or four light heavyweight, and he very well should have won that fight tonight. It's hard to call it a robbery when it's as close as that fight was, but in all honesty Rua could have been given at least four, if not all, of the rounds due to his aggression. I'm quite shocked by the decision, but Machida stays undefeated. The fans that he won with his last two fights may be less in numbers after a fight that many will feel he didn't deserve to win, but he's the Champion and he'll be awaiting his next challenger.
Unaired Prelim Results
-Kyle Kingsbury defeated Razak Al-Hassan via split decision.
-Jorge Rivera defeated Rob Kimmons via TKO in the third round.
Well that's another event in the books, but with a disappointingly controversial decision for the reigning Champ. I'm extremely surprised that fight went his way, but we saw both him and Rua pushed through a five round fight and to the limit. For whatever reason, Machida wasn't able to fight his fight throughout, and he got a bone thrown to him with the decision. Rua against anyone will be exciting to see next and we're going to need to see more out of the Champ the next time out.
Thanks for sticking with us here tonight for our live coverage, we'll be back with more coverage on the show tomorrow and throughout the week as we move our attention to the insanely packed month of November!
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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