-Mike Goldberg welcomes the audience to the prelim broadcast here on Spike TV and it's time for UFC 109! He and Joe Rogan run down the fights set for this hour long broadcast on Spike.
FIGHT ONE: MELVIN GUILLARD VS. RONNYS TORRES (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Guillard takes the center and tries a jumping knee early. He catches Torres with a right as Torres shoots in but Torres completes the takedown and pushes Guillard to the cage. Guillard stayed sitting for a minute but Torres got him to his back and took side control. Bad spot for Guillard here. Guillard gets his back to the cage but Torres pulls him down. Guillard scrambles and gets back to his feet. Guillard lands a good left. Torres lands a shot and then shoots in, getting another takedown. He gets into half guard and then got Guillard's back but Guillard reversed and got into Torres' guard. Guillard then got back up to his feet. Torres pushed forward with a jab and a flying knee but it didn't land. Guillard tried a spinning back fist but it didn't land. Guillard got an uppercut in but Torres countered with a good right. Guillard landed a good jumping knee as Torres shot in but Torres pulled his legs out and completed a takedown. Guillard held him in a closed guard as Torres tried to land a few punches. He pushed Guillard to the cage and landed a few punches to the body. Torres continued throwing punches as Guillard tried to scramble with his back against the cage. Guillard made it back to his feet and they exchanged punches. Guillard landed a good left as the round was coming to an end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Torres. Torres' takedowns and ground work won him the round but Guillard was impressive in his ground defense compared to where that part of his game has been in the past. An ice bag from Torres' corner broke and they took some extra time to clean it off the mat.
ROUND TWO: Torres comes out aggressive and tries for a single leg. Guillard gets out and Torres picks him up and nearly out of the cage but Guillard scrambles nicely. He lands a good leg kick to the thigh. Guillard lands a good one two combo. He comes back with another body kick. He lands a good left. Torres lands a left. Guillard with another left and then lands a knee as Torres shoots in again. Guillard throws another knee as Torres has a single leg. Guillard gets out of the takedown attempt again. He lands a good body kick. He gets in with a right and Torres counters. Guillard lands a good inside leg kick right hand combo. He goes for another one and Torres shoots in for a single. Guillard again gets the knee in and another punch. Guillard again lands a right. He gets in with another. Torres tries to push forward and Guillard gets away. Torres gets in close to clinch and Guillard gives up his back. He tries to roll out and lands on his back. Torres tries to grab a kimura but Guillard rolls through and gets out of it, landing in Torres' guard. Guillard drops an elbow. He postures up and drops another elbow. Torres pushes him off but Guillard ends the round dropping a right.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Guillard. Very nice round from Guillard with his striking and takedown defense taking center stage.
ROUND THREE: Guillard grazes Torres early with an overhand right. He feints another punch and lands a good overhand right. Torres shoots in but Guillard sprawls nicely. He again gets in with the overhand right. Guillard lands a nice jab. He gets in an inside leg kick. Torres lands a left hook. Guillard gets in with a good combo. Good jab lands by Guillard. Guillard lands a good uppercut as Torres shoots in. Torres grabs the single leg and completes the takedown and he gets to side control. Torres tries to advance his position but Guillard holds him off. Torres throws a few punches and an elbow. Guillard scrambles and then gets back to his feet. NIce. Guillard lands a body kick. He gets in with another jab. Torres pushes in and lands a right. Guillard again lands a punch as Torres shoots in. He stays on the leg and gets GUillard to the ground. Guillard is sitting against the cage as Torres continues to try to pull him down. Guillard plays to the crowd a bit as Torres is just holding him. Torres tries to throw a few punches and stays active. Guillard again gets to his feet. Torres takes him down but Guillard lands on top of him and unleashes a big late flurry as the round ends and he could have stolen it right there.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Guillard. Torres wasn't able to do much when he got it to the ground there and Guillard landed a bunch more in that round. Close final round that could make the judgin interesting.
WINNER: Guillard via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
POST FIGHT: Guillard said he was sorry to his fans that he couldn't get the knockout. He said this marks his new career and he doesn't need his other fights, he's 1-0 as of tonight.
STAR RATING: (**+) That was a highly competitive and very even fight. It was perhaps the best fight of Guillard's career, and he showed a much improved ground game as far as his defense is concerned. HIs standup was clearly better than Torres as well and that's what won him the fight.
RAMIFICATIONS: Torres had to shake off the rust here after a lengthy injury layoff, and even though he lost there's plenty of promise in the now 14-2 fighter. Guillard was much more patient than at any point in his career and it's clear the move to Greg Jackson's camp was a step in the right direction. This was a good victory for him but he's got a long way to being a Championship contender like he said he wants to be.
FIGHT TWO: MAC DANZIG VS. JUSTIN BUCHOLZ (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Bucholz took the center and threw a flying knee early but it didn't come close to landing. Danzig pushed forward with a combo. Bucholz tried to push him back but Danzig came in with another combo. Danzig backed away from Bucholz's offense and landed another combo. Bucholz pushed forward and landed a good jab. Danzig pushed back in and shot for a takedown but Bucholz held him off. Bucholz threw a couple of kicks that Danzig blocked. Danzig then landed a few good shots. He got in a knee and another combo. Bucholz threw a kick to the body. He threw a combo but Danzig covered up. Danzig pushed forward and landed a good left. Danzig landed a good leg kick as he pushed forward. Bucholz came in with a head of steam and landed a combo. Danzig landed a big punch. Bucholz landed a punch that wobbled Danzig. Danzig got back up immediately but Bucholz stayed on him with a combo. Danzig responded with a good right. He pushed forward with another good right. Danzig again pushed forward with a combo. Bucholz pushed Danzig back and teed off on the cage but Danzig covered up. Danzig then pushed Bucholz back and landed a good combo. Danzig landed a good straight right and got in with the clinch. He landed a couple of punches and then nearly knocked Bucholz down with a combo. Danzig had a high kick blocked as the round came to an end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Danzig. Very close round but I'll give it to Danzig for landing the cleaner shots more often. Both had their spots but a lot of Bucholz's offense was blocked by Danzig.
ROUND TWO: Danzig landed a punch early. Bucholz landed a straight kick. Danzig pushed in for a takedown after a combo but Bucholz held it off against the cage. Bucholz got loose from the clinch. Bucholz landed an inside leg kick and Danzig landed a right. Danzig again lands a punch. They both exchange punches. Danzig landed a punch and then shot in again. This time he picked Bucholz up and dropped him, getting to side control. Danzig landed a couple of punches as he tried to get to the mount. Bucholz got it to half guard and then tried to go for a kimura. Danzig got his arm back for a second and then got loose. He got back to side control and landed some elbows and knees to the body. Danzig then moved to the mount. He postured up and Bucholz gave up his back. Bucholz rolled through and Danzig lost the armbar attempt. Danzig started landing elbows from the bottom as Bucholz just held onto him. Danzig landed a few more punches and then reversed back to the mount as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Danzig. Much better round for Danzig and a more clear round to his advantage.
ROUND THREE: Bucholz pushed forward early but Danzig covered up nicely. Danzig pushed in with a combo and then shot in and got the takedown against the cage. Bucholz worked back to his feet and landed a knee and a punch. Bucholz landed another jab and then a great right to the jaw. Danzig got back in with a right. Danzig landed a good body shot. Bucholz again got back with a right and then he came in. Danzig clinched him and then truned him around agaisnt the cage. Danzig tried a throw but wound up on his back. Bucholz held off a kimura attempt and stayed in Danzig's guard. Danzig landed a few punches to Bucholz from his back. Bucholz landed a punch but he's just holding onto Danzig here and they get stood up. Danzig landed a good left as Bucholz tried to push in. Danzig lands a great combination. Danzig again with a combo and then a knee. He gets another jab to connect. He lands a good body shot combo and then a big punch. He then clinches and knocks Bucholz to the ground. He gets Bucholz's back late and starts throwing punches. He gets to the mount and lands some more punches. Bucholz gives up his back and Danzig tries to get a choke on as the round is coming to an end. Danzig keeps landing shots as the round ends and he'll get back on the winning track.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Danzig. The final minute sealed it, and he'll get back on the winning track with this one.
WINNER: Danzig via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
POST FIGHT: That first round is what probably went to Bucholz there, and I can see that. Danzig said he was tired and gave Bucholz credit for being a "great" fighter. He said it's such a tough division and said everyone, even those near the bottom of the rankings in the UFC are world class.
STAR RATING: (**) That was just an ok fight. They were very evenly matched, which made for neither being able to do too much, but Danzig was much better on the ground and had some very good flurries on the feet as well to take this one.
RAMIFICATIONS: Plain and simple, Danzig keeps his spot on the UFC's roster while Bucholz won't. There's not much else to take from that one.
PAY-PER-VIEW BROADCAST
-Goldberg and Rogan open up the pay-per-view broadcast by discussing the night's main event. They then run down the rest of the night's scheduled broadcast before we get to the night's first bout on pay-per-view.
FIGHT THREE: MATT SERRA VS. FRANK TRIGG (WELTERWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Serra says he think it's going to be a fun and violent fight. Trigg said Serra's going to lose this fight and go home for good. Trigg said Serra's going to need to figure out how to get some more students because he'll need the extra income. Serra said he thinks Trigg's strengths go to his and he'll be able to take something home with him.
ROUND ONE: Serra lands an early body punch as they circle around one another. Serra again gets in with the body punch but Trigg lands a good combo in a counter. Trigg pops in with a couple of punches as Serra lands some more body shots. Serra again lands the body punch but eats a punch. Serra throws a high kick but it gets blocked. Serra again pops in with a couple of body shots. He lands a left to the head and steps back. Serra lands a good inside leg kick and then gets a big body shot. He rocks Trigg with an overhand right and then lands a bunch more punches on the ground before the ref stops the fight. Wow. Huge finish by Serra. Trigg tries to protest the stoppage but he ate a ton of uncontested shots on the ground. The replay showed he connected right on the jaw to drop Trigg and he hit him on the button three more times on the ground. That was a just stoppage there.
WINNER: Serra via KO at 2:23 of the first round
POST FIGHT: Serra said he's very happy. He said he was afraid he'd show up to his girl's one year old birthday next week looking like a cyclops but it didn't happen. he said he feels his power comes because he's so stocky. He said was working a lot on his left, but he'll take the right. He said he had a lot of respect for Trigg and said he didn't want to deal with Trigg's wrestling in this one.
STAR RATING: (**+) Excellent win by Serra. He worked the body punches beautifully before getting in with that overhand right. Big finish on the ground as well.
RAMIFICATIONS: You've got to believe Trigg won't be around for another fight, or if he is it could be a win or your out fight for him. Serra got another fight in to extend his career and keep any retirement talk on the back burner.
FIGHT FOUR: DEMIAN MAIA VS. DAN MILLER (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Maia said he's here to win and he's coming to forget the Marquardt fight. Miller said this is something everyone's going to be talking about. Miller said he's coming in to beat Maia to show that he's one of the best in the division. Maia said he's going to do everything he can do to make sure he wins this fight.
ROUND ONE: Maia takes the center of the cage and Miller tries to push him back a few times with feinted combos. Miller gets in with a good right to the body. Miller got in close and landed a couple of good punches, including a good uppercut. Maia got in with an uppercut of his own. Maia got in close and grabbed a single leg against the cage. Maia threw a couple of good knees to the thigh as he held Miller's back against the cage. Miller finally pushed off and got separation. Miller got in a good punch. He then got in a good inside kick. Maia continued to push forward. He landed a good kick to the body and shot in. He got a big takedown, but Miller scrambled to his feet. He appeared to eat a low blow as he got to his feet and Maia landed a big combo before the ref halted the action to give Miller some time to recover. They restarted with two minutes left in the round. Miller got in a good right as they both swung. Miller landed a good inside leg kick. Maia landed a good punch. Maia's standup is much improved here. Maia pushed in and got the clinch again with a couple of punches to set it up. Maia trips MIller up but Miller gets right back to his feet. Maia got a good left in. The round comes to a close with a right from Miller.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Maia. He pushed the action throughout, got a couple of takedowns and landed some good punches of his own in a pretty even standup affair.
ROUND TWO: Miller pushed forward with some punches early. Maia got in with a good body kick. Miller came in with a punch but ate a counter from Maia. Maia lands a good counter right as Miller comes in. Maia again lands a good combo as Miller gets close. Miller lands a good inside leg kick. Miller lands a body punch and Maia counters. Maia pops in with a couple of jabs. He gets a big left hand in that connects. He pops Miller with a right. Maia is looking awesome here right now. Miller lands a good inside leg kick. Miller with an outside leg kick as Maia continues to walk him down. Maia again gets a short combo in and Miller pushes back with a leg kick. Miller lands a good body punch. Maia lands a nice counter right. Miller gets a straight kick in. The crowd gets a little restless as the action slows. Maia gets in a good jab. He pushes in and lands a left again. He pops in once again. Maia lands a good left and backs away from Miller's attempt. Maia again connects. He blocks a high kick as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Maia. So much for the ground clinic I was hoping to see. Maia is actually controlling the fight in the stand up exchanges and is winning despite not getting it to the ground.
ROUND THREE: Maia pushes forward and gets in a left again. Miller pops in with a short combo. Maia pushes in and clinches Miller against the cage. Maia lands a good knee but Miller backs him off with an uppercut. Miller landed a punch to the body and he tried to pull guard but didn't have MIller. He got back to him and stayed on Miller and completed a takedown against the cage. Maia postures up against the cage and lands a number of lefts to the head. Maia stays on MIller but MIller got back up against the cage and got separation. Maia landed a punch and shot in again. Miller held it off but then Maia took his legs out from under him. Maia tried to pass as Miller held him in the half guard. Miller tried to scramble but Maia stayed on him and landed a punch. He landed a few more against the cage from the half guard. Miller is showing some good defense here as Maia continues to attempt to improve his position. The crowd starts to boo as the round is winding down and Maia is getting stalemated here. Miller throws up for a triangle but Maia gets out and drops down into Miller's guard with a left. They exchange punches and elbows on the ground as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Maia. This was his all the way. Miller didn't land enough on the feet and got taken down a few times in that round. He did great on defense but didn't do nearly enough to have a chance at taking this fight.
WINNER: Maia via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
POST FIGHT: Maia said he came to show he can fight stand up as well as on the ground. He said his boxing's not the best but he did what he could. He said it was his choice to stand for the first two rounds, and he said he made it harder on himself and then he thanked the fans.
STAR RATING: (**+) That was a much improved Maia on the feet but MIller showed some very good defense throughout. Unfortunately for him he just wasn't able to get anything going in that one and Maia was able to do plenty to take it on the judges scorecards.
RAMIFICATIONS: Maia gets back on the horse in the middleweight division, and MIller drops down the ladder a bit. Both fighters are still in the middle of the pack but Maia moved a step further while rebounding from his first career loss.
PRELIM FIGHT A: BRIAN STANN VS. PHIL DAVIS (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: They circle each other early to begin the round. Stann lands an inside leg kick early. He lands another and Davis misses a kick. Davis ducks down and pushes in for the clinch against the cage. Stann holds off the trip attempts and breaks loose. Davis lands a good straight kick. Davis misses an overhand right. Stann lands another inside leg kick. Davis again misses on a combo. Davis lands a body kick. He misses on another overhand right. He finally shoots in again and gets the takedown right to side control. Stann gets it to half guard. Stann tries to scramble and Davis stays on him. Stann gives up his back and Davis gets both hooks in. Stann rolls through and Davis is in the mount. He again gives up his back and then rolls back and Davis is still in the mount. Davis throws a couple of bombs and Stann again gives up his back . Davis continues throwing shots and Stann eats them all before the round comes to a close.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Davis. The final two minutes were all Davis after a tentative start.
ROUND TWO: Stann lands a good body kick to start off the second. Stann pushes forward and grazes Davis. Davis lands a couple of body kicks. He lands an inside leg kick and a big body kick. He throws the overhand right and then shoots in for the takedown and gets it. He gets to half guard and throws a few punches. Davis gets right to the mount after a bit. Davis lands a couple of punches. Stann bucks him off a bit and gets back to half guard. Davis goes for a kimura but Stann defends it. Davis moves back to side control and then back to the mount. Stann gives up his back and Stann tees off briefly. Stann rolls back and Davis is mounted. Davis continues to land punches and Stann again gives up his back. Davis stays on him with punches and gets mount again as Stann rolls back. Davis lands a few more punches as he continues to control Stann. Stann tried to roll out and Davis got back on him and on hie back. He starts landing some huge knees to the body from side control. He throws a few more and Stann is just getting brutalized here. Stann is going to survive another round but Davis lands another big knee as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Davis. Stann didn't do much in that round while Davis kept complete control on the ground. His inexperience is showing here but he's dominating.
ROUND THREE: Davis lands a body kick early. He gets in a good combo and backs away. Davis lands a good front kick. Stann tries to push in and Davis drops down. He grabs the double leg and then picks Stann up and completes the takedown. He gets to half guard against the cage. Davis then takes his back. Stann rolls and pushes it to half guard but Davis stays on him. Davis moves to side control. Davis moves to the mount again and then goes for an Americana. He can't get the hold in but lands a few punches in the mount. Stann tries to escape but Davis gets right back to the mount and then gets Stann's back again. Davis locks the body of Stann and then moves back to mount. Davis lands an elbow and then a couple of punches. Davis again postures up and lands a few punches. Stann again gives up his back and Davis gets the hooks in. Davis continues to stay on him but can't finish and gets back to mount. He jumps over for an armbar that would have finished it but the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Davis. He couldn't finish again but it was all Davis all the time in this fight. Stann just couldn't do anything.
WINNER: Davis via unanimous decision
STAR RATING: (***-) Great debut from Davis in that one. His superior wrestling absolutely outclassed Stann and he picked up a dominating win in his UFC debut.
FIGHT FIVE: MIKE SWICK VS. PAULO THIAGO (WELTERWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Thiago said when he beats Swick he'll got to the top of the division. Swick said he's well prepared and has the key to go in and win this fight. Thiago said he wants to show the world how good his jiu jitsu is and he wants to choke Swick out. Swick said he's going straight after Thiago and he's going to finish him.
ROUND ONE: Thiago takes the center of the cage as Swick circles on the outside. Both are very tentative early here. Thiago throws a head kick but it gets partially blocked. Swick throws an overhand right but it doesn't connect. Thiago throws a left hook but it gets blocked. Nothing connecting early. Thiago trips Swick with a leg kick and almost lands a combo. Swick lands a good left. Swick is starting to stalk here. Thiago avoids a combo and then they go back to circling. Swick lands a leg kick. Thiago gets in with a big leg kick. Swick got in with a good left hook. Pretty even thus far. Swick walks Thiago back against the cage as the crowd gets a little restless. He lands a good leg kick and backs off. Swick throws a number of punches and a body kick but only the kick landed. Thiago pushed in with a combo that didn't land. Swick landed a good counter left as Thiago pushed in. Swick pushed in and got a late takedown and got into the butterfly guard of Thiago. He landed a few body punches and a punch that may have stolen the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Swick. He definitely stole it with the late takedown as neither had done much of anything to that point. This could be a 10-10 round but the takedown's going to earn it for Swick.
ROUND TWO: Swick pushes in and lands a couple of early jabs. Thiago lands a good leg kick. Thiago then gets in a good body kick. Swick got in a body kick of his own that was almost caught. Swick threw the overhand right but it was blocked. Swick got a good left in. Swick got a good straight right in. He went in for another one and then Thiago dropped Swick with a left. He then locked in a D'Arce choke on the ground and choked Swick out. Wow. That was a quick change right there. Huge win for Thiago.
WINNER: Thiago via submission (D'Arce choke) at 1:54 of the second round.
POST FIGHT: Thiago said he trained a lot of stand up for this fight. He said it's all about getting that choke in like an anaconda and then said he wanted to be in the UFC's video game.
STAR RATING: (***) The finishing sequence made that fight. A great left to drop Swick was followed by a beautiful choke to finish him off, and Paulo Thiago picked up his most convincing win in the Octagon.
RAMIFICATIONS: That was a huge victory by Thiago, and moves him up the ladder in the welterweight division. That's a tough second loss in a row for Swick, and he'll need a big rebuilding effort to move back up the ladder in the division.
-They plug April's WEC pay-per-view debut with Urijah Faber vs. Jose Aldo on the show. Good thing for them to do to get as many people to tune in for that fight as possible. They can make this a success if they market it well, but it's going to take a major effort for sure.
FIGHT SIX: NATE MARQUARDT VS. CHAEL SONNEN (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Marquardt says everything Sonnen does, he does better. Sonnen says it'll come down to who's tougher.
ROUND ONE: Marquardt lands a straight kick early. Sonnen tries to push in and Marquardt lands a combo. Sonnen pushes in and gets Marquardt against the cage. Marquardt gets separation. Marquardt tags Sonnen and then Sonnen shoots in. Sonnen completes the takedown and Marquardt had a guillotine. He couldn't complete it, hoever and Sonnen wound up in his gaurd. Sonnen landed a few shots and Marquardt landed a good elbow from the bottom. Sonnen pushed him to the cage and landed a number of punches and elbows. He's landing some big shots from the top right now to the body and face. Sonnen continued to work the ground and pound but Marquardt pushed him off and got back to his feet. He landed a flying knee but Sonnen got in and took him down again. He went to the body shots and landed some more punches and elbows. He got in an elbow again and some short forearms and Marquardt is just trying to lock him up now. Sonnen landed a big elbow to the face and then a few more. He's putting a beating on right now. Sonnen is fighting a great first round right now. Another elbow from Sonnen. Sonnen lands a few more punches to the body. Marquardt lands an elbow from the bottom. Sonnen throws a few more punches. Marquardy pushes him off as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Sonnen. Excellent first round by Sonnen, who brought the beating to Marquardt in that round. Nate needs to figure out a way to get off his back or he could be in trouble here.
ROUND TWO: Marquardt lands a good punch early but Sonnen immediately shoots in and gets the takedown. Marquardt lands an elbow from the bottom. Sonnen lands a big elbow. Marquardt tries to go for a kimura. Sonnen throws some elbos to the side. Sonnen gets out of the hold. He throws some more punches as he's in Marquardt's half guard. Marquardt gets to the butterfly guard as Sonnen lands some more punches. Marquardt tries to push him off to no avail. Sonnen lands a few more shots. Marquardt lands a shot that cuts Sonnen. Sonnen steps up and lands a big right. He postures up and lands a few bombs and Marquardt goes for a leg Sonnen gets out and gets Marquardt's back but he's bleeding badly. Marquardt threw a nice elbow behind him that landed. Marquardt lands a few more of those. Sonnen is bleeding profusely right now. Sonnen starts throwing elbows to Marquardt's legs. He keeps control and Sonnen can't get up. Marquardt finally scrambles and gets to his feet but Sonnen takes him right back down. Sonnen gets to half guard and lands a few punches again and ends the round landing shots to Marquardt.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Sonnen. Marquardt needs to do something major in this third round or there goes his Title shot. The cut over Sonnen's eye is bad, though. Marquardt had some power from the back with a huge elbow.
ROUND THREE: Marquardt tried to take Sonnen down to start the third but couldn't and then Sonnen got him to his back again. Not good for nate. Sonnen landed some more strikes to the body and head. Sonnen postures up a bit and throws down some more shots. Marquardt tried to kick Sonnen off but Sonnen took his back as he got to his feet. Sonnen dragged him down again. Marquardt again tried to roll out and Sonnen stayed on top and landed some more punches. Sonnen continued landing punches from Marquardt's half guard. Marquardt finally got back to his feet. He landed a good knee as Sonnen camne in an Marquardt locked on a guillotine as he came in. Sonnen's trying to survive and finally pops out. That was Marquardt's only chance in this fight. Marquardt kicks him off again and scrambles and gets on top of Sonnen! He's only got 50 seconds. Sonnen holds onto him in norht-south position here. Marquardt pops up and tries to unload punches as the round is ending but Sonnen holds on and he's going to take this one.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Sonnen. Marquardt did a little more there and had a near guillotine but he got manhandled throughout that fight and Chael Sonnen is your new number one contender for the Middleweight Championship.
WINNER: Sonnen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
POST FIGHT: Sonnen said the he was hurt from the first round and the last minute was horrible. He said he was scared the cut was going to stop the fight. He said the third round guillotine was deep and tight in the last round. He said he's here to be the king of the mountain or he'll move on in life. Marquardt said he executed his gameplan the wrong way. He said he felt he let Sonnen take control with the takedowns. He said he wanted to use more footwork and got caught trying to slug with him. He said the end was kind of a joke because he couldn't do anything in that position. He said it's a setback but he'll be back. He said next time hopefully it's five rounds.
STAR RATING: (***+) That was an even better performance by Sonnen than he had against Okami. Marquardt's never been manhandled like that before, and it's a major setback for him.
RAMIFICATIONS: Sonnen earned himself a Middleweight Title shot with that fight. He'll be able to challenge the winner of Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort later in the year. For Marquardt, he needs to figure out what went wrong in this fight and it will be a few more fights before he'll have a chance to fight for the Title again.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT SEVEN: RANDY COUTURE VS. MARK COLEMAN (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Coleman said he hopes for fans this will be a war, and he's going to find a way to win this fight. Couture said Coleman's going to find his back against the fence with no way to get out of it.
ROUND ONE: Couture circles on the outside and lands a jab early. He lands another. And another. Randy got a good right in. Couture again got in with the right. Couture started to walk Coleman down a bit. Randy with a good left. Coleman responded with a good counter right and got Randy to back off a bit. Coleman landed a good jab. Couture pressed with a right. Randy rocked Coleman with a right and a couple of knees. Randy connects on another straight right and then he clinched him against the cage. Couture landed a left and then an uppercut in the clinch. Couture with some more dirty boxing against the cage. Randy with a big elbow. He's controlling Coleman big time here. He lands another big uppercut. Couture lands a knee to the body. He backs off a bit and lands a couple of uppercuts. He lands another left and keeps Coleman against the cage. He keeps COleman agains the cage and lands another knee to the body. He lands two more big uppercuts and stays on Coleman. Randy continues to press Coleman agains the cage and lands some more uppercuts. Couture again with a right. Couture finishes with a couple more lefts as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Couture. That was a great start to the fight by Couture. He had a big combination that rocked Coleman and he kept him against the fence the rest of the round.
ROUND TWO: Coleman lands an early jab. They exchange jabs. Randy presses in an tags Coleman with another shot. He gets Coleman against the cage and takes him down right into the mount. He starts pummeling him and Coleman gives up his back. Couture locks in the rear naked choke and chokes Coleman out cold! That was awesome. Couture's best performance in a long, long time.
WINNER: Couture via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:09 of the second round.
POST FIGHT: Couture said he feels like he's improving every time he gets out there and he feels great being so active. He said he's been working on the chokes a bunch. He said sometimes it works out. He said he's 46 years young. Coleman was very dejected and said Couture was very tough and he was very disappointed. Tito Ortiz yelled something into the cage and Coleman yelled back "Fuck you, Tito" and "Anytime, douchebag." Coleman said he doesn't know what happened but he won't quit.
STAR RATING: (***+) That was just an awesome, awesome performance by Randy Couture. Leaps and bounds better than the win over Brandon Vera and as good as he's looked since defeating Gabriel Gonzaga in 2007. I just can't get over how great that performance was.
RAMIFICATIONS: Couture is likely going to get the next Light Heavyweight Title shot as he looked great in that fight. If Coleman's going to continue fighting it's not going to be against top tier competition. He's got a fight with Tito ready made, that's for sure.
PRELIM FIGHT B: ROLLES GRACIE VS. JOEY BELTRAN (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Gracie shoots in almost immediately and pushes Beltran to the cage. Gracie lands a couple of knees to the body. Gracie throws a punch and clinches again after Beltran had separation. Gracie gets him to the ground and gets to the mpount. Beltran rolls and gives up his back and then rolls over again and Gracie is still in the mount. Gracie tried to posture up but Beltran rolled him over and got into Gracie's guard. Beltran backed out and stood back up. Gracie tried to throw a high kick but ate a right hand. Gracie landed a good right hand and then clinched against the cage. Gracie lands another right. Beltran lands a right. Gracie shoots down and goes for a takedown but Beltran holds it off. Beltran lends a left. Gracie lands a right. He lands another and another and he starts trading with Beltran. These are ugly exchanges. Beltran landed a right. Gracie shot in late and Beltran sprawled and landed a number of shots as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Gracie. Beltran tried to steal it late but Gracie landed some more shots and had the ground work in there. This is an ugly fight thus far, though.
ROUND TWO: Beltran tries to push the action early. Gracie shoots but Beltran holds him off. He landed a big knee as Gracie shot in again. Gracie is out of gas here. Gracie tried to shoot in again and Beltran sprawled and started unleashing punches. Gracie just laid on the ground and Beltran continued landing punches until the ref stopped it. Wow. That was extremely ugly but Beltran picks up a huge win in his debut.
WINNER: Beltran via TKO at 1:31 of the second round
STAR RATING: (**-) That was extremely ugly. Gracie was out of gas halfway through the first round and Beltran just stayed alive in the first round. He launched a bunch of punches to finish him off but Gracie seemed to already have a foot out the door by the end of that one. Ugly fight but good win for Beltran.
-Couture gets the "Submission of the Night" for his rear naked choke over Mark Coleman.
UNAIRED PRELIM RESULTS
-Chris Tuchscherer def. Tim Hague via Majority Decision
-Rob Emerson def. Phillipe Nover via unanimous decision
That's another event in the books. Thanks to all for tuning into our live coverage tonight. Stay tuned for the fall out from tonight's event tomorrow and throughout the week as we head towards the UFC's first event in Australia later this month.
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