UFC 107 comes to us live tonight from the Fedex Forum in Memphis, TN, headlined by another UFC Lightweight Title defense by "The Prodigy," B.J. Penn, when he takes on the very first winner of The Ultimate Fighter, Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez. Does Diego have what it takes to defeat the best fighter at 155 lbs? Can B.J. finish yet another top contender? We're about to find out tonight.
-The gladiator opening commences and Cheick Kongo lets us know that he's going to show what he does to people that show him no respect like Frank Mir. Mir says submitting Kongo in the first minute wouldn't even be impressive for someone of his abilities. Diego Sanchez says it's his destiny to win the belt tonight, and B.J. says he fights to prove himself as the best ever.
-Mike Goldberg welcomes the audience as always to the pay-per-view, and he and Joe Rogan run down the main event between Penn and Sanchez before breaking down the rest of the night's main card.
FIGHT ONE: PAUL BUENTELLO VS. STEFAN STRUVE (HEAVYWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Struve says he's going to use his size to his advantage. Buentello says he's going to find his openings and land punches when he has an opportunity. Struve says he's excited to be on the main card for the first time in the UFC and he wants to continue his streak.
ROUND ONE: Buentello comes out to the center early. Struve throws a high quick early. Buentello comes in and lands a punch. Struve lands a good body kick. Buentello catches another one and Struve tries to pull guard. He doesn't get it, but gets back to his feet and lands a big shot to Buentello on the cage. He takes Buentello down and gets to mount immediately. Buentello gives up his back and Struve locks on a body triangle and just rides on Buentello's back. He throws some shots from Buentello's back, with the body triangle locked on. Buentello's in trouble here. The crowd starts to boo and Struve finally gets Buentello off his knees and rolls him over. Struve tries to get the rear naked choke locked in but Buentello keeps his chin tucked nicely. The crowd again starts to boo. Struve moved his legs and Buentello was able to spin around and get into Struve's guard. Struve landed an elbow from the bottom and Buentello landed a double hammerfist as the horn sounded.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Struve. He wasn't able to finish that off even though he was in a dominant position for most of the round.
ROUND TWO: Buentello lands an early punch. Struve threw a leg kick. Struve tried to come in and slipped when he got hit. Buentello let him back up. Struve pushed forward and got Buentello clinched against the cage. He threw a couple of knees to the body. Buentello tried to take Struve's back but just rolled through to clinch Struve on the cage. Struve dropped down and went for a leg lock, but he couldn't lock anything on. Buentello landed a punch as Struve got back to his feet. Buentello landed a good body punch. Struve again pushed forward and landed a punch. He tried to jump forward at him with a knee and got dropped with an overhand right. He's not down an out and Buentello let's him get back to his feet. Back on their feet, Buentello landed another big right. He gets in a good jab and another punch before Struve pushes him to the cage. Struve lands a couple of good elbows, and as he comes forward again Buentello tags him. He throws a few and lands. They start swinging punches with both landing big shots. Struve backed off again and then they started trading punches again on the cage. Both are landing some hard shots but they're both gassing and losing power here. Struve clinched to rest and backed off with an uppercut. Buentello landed one of his own as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Buentello. The punches he dropped Struve with were the best of the round, but both guys are really tired here.
ROUND THREE: They delay the start of the third as Struve has a piece of his tooth in his mouthguard. They get it out and we're underway with Buentello pushing the action. Struve landed a good straight right and then a leg kick early. Struve got clipped with a right as he threw a leg kick. He went right back to it, though, and landed three consecutive leg kicks. Buentello keeps trying to come forward but Struve tags him some more with the leg kicks. Struve got hit with a right but responded with a three punch combo before clinching Buentello on the cage. He throws a really good elbow. Buentello lands a good combo to back him off. Struve lands another punch. He gets another leg kick in. Buentello lands a good punch as he comes forward. Struve again back to the leg kick. Struve catches him with a jab. Buentello landed a right and ate a leg kick. Struve again with another leg kick. He catches a leg kick but Struve hops back to get away. Buentello lands a jab and avoids a right from Struve with a jab. Another leg kick lands from Struve. Struve works the jab and leg kick a couple of times with little time left in the round. Struve trips against the cage and Buentello lands one shot before lettingStruve back up. Buentello comes forward and lands a good punch. They start trading punches until the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Struve. Buentello landed a couple of punches in there, but most of his offense was too little, too late and Struve landed a ton of leg kicks and a few punches of his own.
WINNER: Struve via majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
POST FIGHT: The Memphis crowd booed heavily the decision and continued booing as Struve tried to comment after the fight. He said he didn't feel like a winner after the fight and it felt like a draw (which one judge scored it). He said in the second round he was caught but wasn't really hurt, and he said he didn't have his best performance and apologized.
STAR RATING: (**+) There were some exciting exchanges in the first and second round, with the fight looking like it could be over in the first, but there was a lot of really gassed out action from the two that brought it down in excitement and enjoyment.
FIGHT TWO: KENNY FLORIAN VS. CLAY GUIDA (LIGHTWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Guida said a win over Florian removes him from the pack and makes him the number one contender. Yeah, not so much. He said the emphasis on this fight is finishing Kenny Florian. Florian said he's refined a lot of things and has a lot more weapons and he'll show them off tonight.
ROUND ONE: Both fighters come out quick and they exchange early jabs. Guida lands a leg kick. Florian lands a good combo to the body. Kenny gets in with a jab. Guida lands a right after Kenny circles. Kenny throws a high kick but it didn't connect and Guida dropped him with a counter. Guida landed a punch from the top but then Kenny grabbed wrist control and tried to hold him off. Kenny finally kicked Guida off him and got back to his feet. Kenny popped in with a good right and a left to follow. Guida is missing a lot of punches and Kenny lands a good combo. Guida checks a kick. Kenny misses a big right. Florian missed a knee right after. Kenny landed a good left and Guida countered with a right. They then exchange shots. Kenny drops down for a takedown and gets Guida to his back briefly before Guida gets back up. Guida shot in but Kenny sprawled and threw some punches. Guida goes for a throw but Kenny drops on him into side control. Guidarolls out and gets back to his feet though and both fighters are cut now. Kenny picks Guida up and drops him on the ground and unleashes a ton of shots on Guida. Guida works back to his feet and Kenny lands a big elbow. Guida is cut badly and is bleeding all over the place and they stop the fight to let the doctor check it. He's allowed to continue. Kenny lands a couple of jabs before the round comes to a close.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Florian. After a tentative start Florian really picked it up the last half of that round and did some damage there.
ROUND TWO: Florian lands an early jab as Guida comes straight out. He works the jab early and avoids a big overhand right attempt from Guida. Guida shoots in but Florian sprawls nicely and stuffs it. Florian got back to his feet as he got out of the single leg attempt. Guida's cut is opened up again. Kenny danced a little bit and landed a few shots. Guida tried to come forward wildly and Florian got in with a couple of punches. Florian landed a big left and dropped Guida with a right. He pounced and threw a ton of punches to a turtled Guida before snapping on the rear naked choke, threw his legs into the hook position and dropped back to force the tap and Guida is out. Excellent performance from Kenny Florian.
WINNER: Florian via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:19 of the second round.
POST FIGHT: Florian said tonight was his night. He said Guida is phenomenal and he thanked the UFC for putting this fight together and he thanked Guida. He said that finishing sequence was from tightening up his boxing. He said he's trying to get better and wants to get back to a Title shot.
STAR RATING: (***) That finishing sequence was excellent, and Florian at his best. A beautiful two punch combo sent Guida to the ground, and then Florian slapped on that rear naked choke in quick fashion for a huge win.
RAMIFICATIONS: Florian gets right back on track with a huge and impressive performance in this one. That was the Kenny Florian people were expecting to see in August, but regardless it's a sign that Kenny will work his way back toward another Title shot, because there may be no other lightweight that can beat him outside of B.J. Penn.
FIGHT THREE: JON FITCH VS. MIKE PIERCE (WELTERWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Pierce says this will be two great athletes battling it out. Fitch says he enjoys meeting the new guys and putting an early beat down on them. Pierce says he doesn't mind being the Octagon and he'll continue proving people wrong until he's number one. Fitch says he needs to get back on track, take it to Mike Pierce, smash him and finish this fight.
ROUND ONE: Fitch lands a good body kick early and they each trade shots in quick succession. Fitch catches a kick from Pierce and tries to take him down. He gets on his back and pulls him down. He then gets his back fully and gets both hooks in. He throws a few punches as Pierce tries to stay on his feet and shake him off. He drops to a knee and Fitch stays on him. He throws some punches underneath the armpit. He lands punches from the other side as well. The crowd starts booing stupidly as Fitch is trying to open Pierce up to finish. Pierce is holding Fitch off thus far and then gets free from the hooks. He then turns that into a double leg and gets a takedown of his own. Fitch worked his way back up the cage and got back to his feet. Pierce held him against the cage and threw a body punch. The referee then separates them with a minute left in the round. Fitch lands a leg kick. He gets in with a jab and then a left hook. Fitch gets a good uppercut in and another good punch but Pierce catches him with one as well. Fitch tries to shoot in and Pierce holds him off as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Fitch. Fitch had a big advantage in position there but Pierce was able to hang on and not give him any openings, still Fitch did enough to win the round.
ROUND TWO: Fitch lands an early inside leg kick. He pops in with a left hook. Pierce tries to close the distance and shoots for a double leg, eating a couple of punches in the process. Fitch holds off the takedown on the cage. He lands a knee to the body and Pierce lands a shot as he separates. Fitch lands a couple of good jabs and uppercuts. He gets the inside leg kick again. Fitch lands another jab. Fitch catches a leg kick from Pierce and takes him down. Fitch tries to ride his back and get the hooks in but Pierce held it off and got to the cage to get back to his feet. He tried to hold Fitch against the cage but Fitch got him to separate by grabbing for the Thai clinch and attempting a knee. Pierce landed a good right after eating a leg kick. He came forward and got in a couple of punches. Fitch landed a good right. Pierce gets in a good two punch combo. Fitch comes forward with a couple of punches. He catches Pierce with an uppercut. Fitch with a leg kick. Pierce tried to push the pace and then Fitch caught another kick and got a takedown again. He tried to take his back again and threw some knees to the body. He tried to pull Pierce's legs out from under him but Pierce held him off and was able to turn around. Fitch landed a good knee to the body before Pierce turned him around on the cage. Pierce pushed him off and landed a right. Pierce tried for a trip but Fitch tossed him down and landed a flurry to finish the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Fitch. Another good round for Fitch, but Pierce wasn't able to do much in that round.
ROUND THREE: Fitch lands an early body kick and a knee to the body. Pierce is swinging wildly here trying to land. Fitch attempts a takedown but it gets stuffed. He lands a right and feints a takedown attempt. Fitch lands some more short jabs and straight punches. Pierce cuts the distance and clinches against the cage. He throws some body punches and a knee. Fitch lands a good elbow from against the cage. Fitch threw a number of knees to the body and tried to get a clinch to land one to the head. THey separate but then Pierce comes at him again and tries to get a single leg against the cage, but Fitch holds him off. Pierce starts throwing a number of body punches. He lands a good left hook after popping up from a takedown attempt. Fitch got in a good straight right. He throws a head kick but it gets blocked. Pierce pushes forward with punches but doesn't land. Fitch gets in a good left hook. Fitch with a straight right, then an uppercut and then he gets a takedown. Pierce tried to throw elbows to Fitch's back but Fitch stayed on him, again trying to get his back. Pierce got out of it again. Fitch landed a good uppercut and a few more punches as Pierce tried to come wildly at him. Pierce catches Fitch with a few punches and rocks him. Fitch is wobbly with not a lot of time left in the round but Fitch is soldiering on. Pierce lands a few more but he's going to lose this one as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Pierce. It was too little, too late here, but Pierce did nearly finish the fight late in that round, wobbling Fitch nicely and getting him on the ropes right before the buzzer.
WINNER: Fitch via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
POST FIGHT: Fitch said getting cut early freaked him out a bit. Fitch said he was fine at the end, and he knew he'd been hit before but didn't want to get hit with the follow up.
STAR RATING: (**+) Not the most exciting fight in the world, but Fitch gets his eleventh win in the Octagon while Pierce stayed impressive in hanging in there like he did against Fitch.
RAMIFICATIONS: Fitch is still up there as one of the top two to three welterweights in the division, and outside of the loss to GSP pretty much all he does is win. Pierce will get another shot against an upper echelon welterweight with his ability to hang in there with Fitch tonight.
FIGHT FOUR: FRANK MIR VS. CHEICK KONGO (HEAVYWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Mir says he wants to make a statement, and says this could be the last time he ever gets to compete as an athlete. Kongo laughs it off. He says Mir's not a Champion, he's a big mouth and he's going to show him who he really is. Mir says he could beat Cheick five different ways. He says his longterm goal is Brock Lesnar's demise and his short term goal is Kongo tonight.
ROUND ONE: Kongo comes out to the Center of the Octagon. Kongo lands the first punch and then backs out to avoid the counter. Mir comes in and drops Kongo with a huge left hand right on the button. Kongo recovers and Mir tries to slap on a guillotine. He holds onto it, and just as it looks like Kongo's going to get out of it, Kongo goes to his knees and goes limp. Wow. Great performance from Frank Mir.
WINNER: Mir via submission (guillotine) at 1:12 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Mir says talent will only take you so far and he's really trying to work hard to do what he can to be a Champion. He says if he can't hear the crowd's reaction it's not worth it. He says on a personal level he hopes Brock's ok, and he tells him to get healthy so he can face him. He says he will beat him and hurt him and that will be the end of it.
STAR RATING: (***+) This is a must see performance from Frank Mir. To not only knock Kongo down first but then go right to the brutal guillotine it was one of his most impressive, and quickest, victories to date.
RAMIFICATIONS: Mir may just earn that third shot with Lesnar yet. Another performance like this along with a Lesnar victory over Shane Carwin if and when he returns and the rubber match will be a go.
PRELIM FIGHT A: ALAN BELCHER VS. WILSON GOUVEIA (CATCHWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Belcher and his terrible hair, tattoo and pink trunks comes out to the center of the Octagon and presses the action early. Belcher lands a jab early. Gouveia lands an inside leg kick as Belcher just misses a big overhand right. Gouveia circles on the outside as Belcher stays on him. Belcher lands a big right. Gouveia pushes forward with a flurry but Belcher covered up nicely. Belcher lands another punch. Gouveia responds with another punch in return. Belcher stayed on him and they traded shots on the cage. Gouveia pushed him back with a big flurry and they start trading shots. Belcher again lands another two punch combo. Gouveia responds with another flurry.Belcher switches stances and lands a couple of big punches. Gouveia again pushes him off. Belcher finally drops Gouveia with a shot on the cage and finishes him off with a few shots. Good performance from Belcher.
WINNER: Belcher via TKO at 3:03 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Belcher said he's happy because all his friends and family are all in the crowd. He says he could knock out everyone in the UFC and he's ready to step up and be the next contender.
STAR RATING: (***) Excellent battle in this one with both going toe to toe until Belcher finished this one off.
RAMIFICATIONS: He may want to be the next challenger, but there's a bit of a line in front of him before he's going to get a shot at the Middleweight Title.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FIVE: B.J. PENN VS. DIEGO SANCHEZ (UFC LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE BOUT)
PRE FIGHT: Diego says he will prove to the world that he's the best in the world at 155 lbs and it's been a damn long time that he's had to wait. B.J. says he's ready for a war.
ROUND ONE: They rush out to the center and B.J. pushes forward first. Diego bursts out with some punches but B.J. backs off nicely. B.J. drops Diego with a punch early and then gets right on him with punches. Diego ate a ton of punishment before rolling through for a leg lock. B.J. stayed on top of him and got to side control against the cage. Diego makes it back to his feet, but he was nearly out there. He throws a high kick that is nowhere near the mark. B.J. calmly starts stalking again. Diego pushes forward and B.J. nearly drops him again but Diego shoots forward and grabs a single leg. He then moves up to the clinch and lands a nice elbow as he separates. Diego pops forward but gets hit with a jab. B.J. again is stalking him here. He throws a high kick that gets blocked. He pushes forward and lands a body kick. Diego again tries to push forward but B.J. lands a few punches as he comes in. Sanchez shoots in and B.J. stuffs it. Diego tries to push in with a combo again but doesn't land. B.J. again lands a jab as diego tries to get a knee in. B.J. again rocks Diego with a right. He lands another right as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Penn. Diego landed one elbow in that round for really his only effective offense. How he's still in this fight is incredible after the first knockdown punch.
ROUND TWO: B.J. takes the center again to start this round. Sanchez backs away. Diego pushes in, misses an overhand right and goes for a single leg. Penn hits him with some short punches as he holds him off on the cage. Diego misses a punch as he backs away. Penn pushed forward with a combo and moves away as Diego tries to shoot in again. Diego pops in and gets in an uppercut. He has another high kick blocked. B.J. gets Diego to the cage and nearly lands a couple of big punches but Diego gets away. Diego lands only a body punch in a flurry that B.J. was able to slip in and out of. Diego goes for a takedown and B.J. gets out. He tries a high kick and nearly gets taken down himself. B.J. lands a good counter left and then pops forward with a good quick two punch combo. Diego lands a right. B.J. comes forward and Diego ducks down and goes for a double leg. He gets him down briefly as B.J. throws some more punches to his head. The round ends in the clinch.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Penn. More dominance from Penn, and he's staying very patient and fighting a very smart fight right now. He's showing he's just on a whole other level right now.
ROUND THREE: Diego pushed forward early and landed a right, but it was only a grazing shot. He threw the head kick again that got blocked. B.J. landed a good left hook. Sanchez dropped down and again went for the single leg. B.J. held off the takedown on the cage and landed a couple of short elbows. Diego stays on the leg and B.J. keeps throwing punches as Diego can't complete the takedown. He finally lets go of the single leg. B.J. lands another good left hook. Diego's nose looks to be busted here and he's bleeding. B.J. again comes forward and Diego tries to drop for the single leg again. B.J. landed a good knee and then an elbow as Diego came up. B.J. lands the left again. He ducks under a punch and lands another counter. B.J. in complete control here. Diego again pushes forward and this time clinches, but B.J. turns him around and lands a couple of knees to the body. Diego turned him around and again went for the single leg but finds no success. B.J. throws some more punches as he holds off the takedown. B.J. drops down and then pops right back up to land a couple of shots before the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Penn. As Joe Rogan said at the end of that round, this is just a B.J. Penn clinic tonight. Diego can't do anything.
ROUND FOUR: Penn rushes in here to start this round. He lands an early punch. Diego throws up the high kick but B.J. completely avoids it. B.J. lands another quick combo. Diego again goes for a takedown that B.J. quickly slips out of. B.J. comes in and lands another big right hand. Diego again feints a punch and tries to shoot in to no avail. Diego lands a right with his back on the cage and gets Diego off of him. B.J. comes in with another right. Diego tries to rush forward again with a combo, with nothing landing, before going back to the single leg. B.J. holds it off again. Diego tries to pop up with a punch but it doesn't land. Diego again shoots in and the crowd boos him. B.J. lands a couple of elbows and pushes him away from him. Diego again went for the high kick but it gets blocked again. Diego still not able to do anything. B.J. lands a knee late and another punch before the round ends and we'll get a fifth round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Penn. This really isn't much of a fight anymore, and B.J. is content to let Diego expend energy missing shots and attempting takedowns he has no chance of completing.
ROUND FIVE: Diego tries to go back to the high kick early, but it doesn't get through. He again goes for the single leg and B.J. just stays on the cage. B.J. grabs the Thai plum but Diego drops down again. B.J. hits the switch but Diego holds onto his leg. B.J. slaps him and then Diego drops to his side and then B.J. gets the sprawl. He lets him back up as the crowd chants "B.J." B.J pushes forward with a big right and then a big head kick. Diego again goes for the single leg to regain his breath. B.J. drags him to the ground in a sprawl. Diego is a bloody mess as he gets back up and they stop the fight to check on the cut. It's a huge gash over the left eye of Diego Sanchez and there's no way they let this continue. That's just nasty and they stop the fight.
WINNER: Penn via TKO (cut) at 2:37 of the fifth round
POST FIGHT: Penn said he was keeping his mouth shut, but he always wanted to fight Diego Sanchez. He said he knew for years that Diego wanted to fight him even though he didn't outright say it, and as always said for more go to BJPenn.com. He thanked Dana White, the Fertitta's and the fans. Diego said this happens, B.J. is a great Champion. He said he did his best, B.J. came out on top and he'll be back.
STAR RATINGS: (***+) It wasn't an epic Lightweight Title bout, but it was one of the best performances of B.J. Penn's career. Diego Sanchez literally could do nothing against B.J. in this fight and he was beaten and bloodied by the end.
RAMIFICATIONS: I'd say that you should give Kenny Florian a rematch with Diego Sanchez if Diego hadn't been damaged as much as he was. The cuts will take time to heal, but he'll still be favored against much of the lightweight division going forward. B.J. Penn is simply that much better than everyone else at 155 lbs.
PRELIM FIGHT B: DAMARQUES JOHNSON VS. EDGAR GARCIA (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Garcia threw a heavy overhand right that missed. Johnson lands a good right as Garcia lands a good leg kick. Johnson lands a good left hook. He gets in a good leg kick and then circles on the outside. He pops in with a nice jab. Garcia lands a short flurry to the body. Johnson with another good left and a counter right. Johnson with a good jab. Johnson throws a body kick but Garcia catches it and takes him down. DaMarques grabbed the leg of Garcia and tried to trip him up. He sweeps and tries to roll over and Garcia tries to lock on the Peruvian necktie. Johnson gives a thumbs up to referee Herb Dean and then finally Garcia has to let it go and both fighters pop back to their feet. Garcia lands a good leg kick. Johnson comes in and Garcia lands a good leg kick. Garcia then clinches and pushes Johnson to the cage. He lands a number of good shots against the cage. Johnson likes it and gives him props and powers up before getting dropped with a right. Garcia starts throwing tons of punches on the ground. DaMarques lands an upkick and then immediately locks on a triangle choke and forces the tap from Garcia. Wow, what a hell of a finish.
WINNER: Johnson via submission (triangle choke) at 4:03 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Johnson said that choke that Garcia had on him was "pretty f***ing tight" but he decided he needed to go out or fight out of it. He said the finish was straight up Horn fight-jitsu.
STAR RATING: (***+) Excellent, excellent round of action with Garcia coming close to winning the fight before Johnson ultimately pulled it off. Huge win that got Johnson the "Submission of the Night" bonus.
-Goldberg and Rogan run down the action from the night before closing out the show. That's another pay-per-view event in the books, and another great night of action on hand. B.J. Penn once again proved his dominance in the lightweight division, while Kenny Florian showed while he came up short in August he may be the second best in the division still. On top of that, Frank Mir pulled out a near career best performance in destroying Cheick Kongo just over a minute into their bout. Here are the rest of the night's results for the unaired bouts:
-T.J. Grant def. Kevin Burns via TKO (strikes) at 4:57 of the first round
-Rousimar Palhares def. Lucio Linhares via submission (heel hook) at 3:21 of the second round
-Matt Wiman def. Shane Nelson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
-Check back tomorrow and throughout the week for more fallout from this event and more as we head into our two-shot Saturday night with the WEC and Strikeforce next Saturday, December 19th. As always, thanks for sticking with us tonight here at MMATorch.com!
Diego Sanchez looks emaciated at that weight. He looks less and less like
Diego Sanchez every time I see him. And he just got his emaciated ass
whooped . . .
me
13 Dec 2009, 01:06
Diego needed more grease, then he would have won decisively.
Boles
13 Dec 2009, 06:32
There was nothing unpredictable about this fight. Diego looked exactly
like everyone knew he would look like. He's at his perfect weight. He was
just up against the best LW of all time.
