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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
UFC 117: SILVA VS. SONNEN
AUGUST 7, 2010
LIVE FROM OAKLAND, CALIF.
In the opening black and white interview snippets, Chael Sonnen got in one more comment before the fight: "This show is called Sonnen vs. Silva, they should have named it the Anderson Silva retirement party, hosted by Yours Truly." Silva said simply tonight he'll do anything to defend the honor of being the UFC Champion.
-Mike Goldberg opens up the show discussing the talk from Chael Sonnen before bringing in Joe Rogan. They run down the night's fight card and it's time to get this under way with a massive heavyweight #1 contender fight.
FIGHT ONE: JUNIOR DOS SANTOS VS. ROY NELSON (HEAVYWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Dos Santos said he thinks he can knock out everyone in the UFC. Nelson said JDS is going to say "I'll never fight Roy Nelson again" after this fight. JDS says if Nelson tries to attack him, he will knock him out. Nelson said whoever the better fighter is will win this fight. Nelson, as always, comes out to Weird Al's "Fat," which is simply one of the best entrance music picks for any fighter, and I love that the card is starting out with this fight.
ROUND ONE: Nelson has his hands high and he tries to walk Dos Santos down. They trade punches and Nelson gets in a right. Dos Santos just missed an uppercut and Nelson tried to counter. JDS landed a body shot. Nelson got in with a right and then dropped to grab a leg. He got to his feet and clinched Dos Santos against the cage. Nelson keeps a hold of his body and Dos Santos stays on his feet as Nelson drives him across the cage. Dos Santos gets free and lands a knee to separate. Nelson comes forward again. Dos Sanots lands a big punch and rocks Nelson with a one two punch. Nelson is hurt and Dos Santos comes after him with a flurry. Nelson is taking a ton of punishment here. He's covering up and eating the punches as Dos Santos stays on him. Dos Santos backs off and decides to stay patient here. I can't believe Nelson is still standing. Dos Santos lands the uppercut again and Nelson backs up to the cage and falls. Dos Santos stays on him but Nelson gets back to his feet and covers up. Dos Santos lands a big knee to the head but Nelson pushes him back with a right of his own. Dos Santos landed a punch to the body. Nelson tried to walk in but got held off with a right. Dos Santos lands a nice jab. He lands a couple more uppercuts and a knee as Nelson comes in. Nelson comes forward and lands a knee. Nelson comes forward and lands a right. He covers up and Dos Santos throws some more body punches. Nelson lands a jab and keeps coming forward. Dos Santos lands a two punch combo. Nelson lands a right. Dos Santos with another big right and gets in with one more before the round ends. How Nelson is still standing is beyond me. Awesome start to the fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Dos Santos. Close to a 10-8 with the amount of punches he landed, but Nelson is a freaking gamer and kept coming forward and landed some big shots of his own. this fight is awesome already.
ROUND TWO: Nelson comes forward again. He lands the big right and tries to clinch but Dos Santos throws him off. Nelson covers up as Dos Santos engages with the uppercuts again. Nelson keeps coming forward and covering up. Dos Santos lands a two punch combo. Nelson lands a left and Dos Santos counters with a right. Nelson throws the overhand right but misses. Dos Santos tags Nelson with a few jabs, but Nelson keeps coming forward. Nelson lands a left. Dos Santos lands a good combination to the body. Nelson comes forward with a two punch combo of his own. Nelson drives in for a double leg but Dos Santos holds him off. He grabs a body lock and tries to complete the takedown but can't. Nelson holds him against the cage. Dos Santos tries to get out and land a knee but Nelson lands a big right. Dos Santos shoots but Nelson sprawled. Both guys are tiring out here. Dos Santos lands the uppercut and lands a right. He gets in another right. Both fighters take deep breaths. Dos Santos lands a combo and hits Nelson with another big left. Dos Santos with another nice left hook. Dos Santos barely misses a big overhand right. He gets in a few more punches. Nelson drives for a takedown as time ran out in the round but Dos Santos threw him aside and landed a combo as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Dos Santos. Both are tiring out here, but Dos Santos is still doing a lot more on the feet and Nelson can't get the takedown. He'll need to finish it here to win.
ROUND THREE: Both fighters traded rights early. JDS gets in the jab and throws a rare leg kick. Nelson gets in a combo. Dos Santos walks him down with a combo. He throws a straight kick to the face! Nelson can take a ton of punishment, and that's been made clear here. Dos Santos gets in another combo. He gets in with another uppercut and a shot to the body. He lands another hook to the body. He gets in a left and Nelson parries a right. JDS shoots in and takes Nelson down against the cage. He then stands and lands an uppercut as he lets Roy to his feet. Dos Santos again with a combination. He lands a body punch. And another and he goes to the uppercut. Nelson went to throw the overhand right but Dos Santos knocked him off balance with a jab. Dos Santos again comes forward with a combination. He ducked under a punch. He landed another jab to the gut. He landed a knee to the gut. Nelson threw a leg kick. Dos Santos with more uppercuts and he avoids more from Nelson. JDS with another right and then a left. He comes forward with a right. He grabs for the Thai clinch but can't get the knee in. Nelson fights him off. He lands more punches to the body. Dos Santos drives him to the cage and lands a knee to the body. He lands another right and a left that rocked Nelson. Nelson tried one more desperate overhand right and they traded shots until the end of the round. Awesome fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Dos Santos. Another clear round for him.
WINNER: Dos Santos via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
POST FIGHT: Dos Santos said he trained so much to be here, and this victory makes him happy. He said he thinks both Velasquez and Lesnar are harder tests than Nelson, and he'll get ready for that fight.
STAR RATING: (***) Very good fight with a ton of heart and toughness shown by Nelson. Dos Santos stayed on him and learned a ton from this fight even with a dominating win.
RAMIFICATIONS: Dos Santos now takes on the Velasquez-Lesnar winner sometime early in 2011, but I don't know that he's got the gas tank to go five rounds with either of those guys. And based on fights we've seen from both guys, I think they can survive the punishment that Dos Santos brings to them, so it's going to be a really tough challenge for him. I can't wait to see how that one goes down, though.
-Randy Couture is interviewed cageside about his UFC 118 fight with James Toney later this month. Couture said Toney's trash talk isn't Chael Sonnen level. Nice. Couture said realistically Toney's nine months are not enough to stop his takedowns, but anything can happen.
FIGHT TWO: MATT HUGHES VS. RICARDO ALMEIDA (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Both fighters circle early. Almeida lands a left. Almeida gets in with a right as they both continue to circle. Almeida lands a leg kick. Hughes throws a kick but Almeida avoids it. Almeida lands another kick but Hughes partially blocks it. Slow start to the fight so far. Hughes tries to walk in with a punch but Almeida avoids it. Almeida catches a kick and lands a nice right. Hughes got in for a clinch but Almeida landed a nice short right before separating. Almeida lands an inside leg kick. Almeida lands a jab that threw Hughes off slightly. Hughes rushed in in the clinch and Almeida got away. He came forward with a short combo. Hughes knocked Almeida down with a left hook and then rushed in. He grabbed a choke in a modified headlock in the sprawl, and Almeida goes unconscious! Holy shit that was awesome.
WINNER: Hughes via submission at 3:15 of the first round
POST FIGHT: Hughes said he learned that back in college and it was an old wrestling move and he was happy to beat a Brazilian with a wrestling move. He said he's going to take some time off and talk to the UFC early next year.
STAR RATING: (***) Highlight reel submission, and like Rogan said something that may not have been seen before in the Octagon. Hughes still has plenty left in the tank. He knocked Almeida down with a great left hook to the chin and then how he locked on that sick choke and Almeida went out.
RAMIFICATIONS: Well, the Hall of Famer's still got something left in the tank. That's a tough loss for Almeida, but Hughes is still a high level fighter and he proved it.
FIGHT THREE: CLAY GUIDA VS. RAFAEL DOS ANJOS (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Dos Anjos takes the center and tries to walk Guida down early. Guida, as always, circles hyperactively on the outside. They trade punches. Guida lands a high kick after Dos Anjos missed one but Dos Anjos just ate it. Dos Anjos lands a big inside leg kick after missing a combination. He walks Guida down and lands a punch but Guida sends him back with a bigger combo. Dos Anjos lands another hard inside leg kick> He gets in with it again. Dos Anjos shoots in, but Guida stuffs it and turns him around on the cage. Dos Anjos is setting up for a guillotine. Guida lands a hard knee to the thigh. Dos Anjos lands a knee as he continues to hold off the takedown attempt. Guida stays on the single leg. He lands another knee to the thigh. Dos Anjos lands a couple of elbows. The crowd starts to boo as the action stalls on the cage. Dos Anjos breaks free with a nice knee. He throws a jumping knee but Guida holds it off. Dos Anjos lands a hard leg kick and a nice left hand. Guida circles again on the outside. Dos Anjos shoots and gets stuffed. He walks Guida down again and lands a kick. He gets in a counter combo as Guida lands a punch. He lands the inside leg kick again. He throws a high kick. He gets in a good punch and shoots in and gets a takedown. Guida tries to get up and eats a big punch and a knee as he makes his way to his feet at the end of the round. Good start to the fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Dos Anjos. Good start to the fight. Dos Anjos is landing some good punches and got the late takedown.
ROUND TWO: Dos Anjos moves forward again to start the round. They exchange. Dos Anjos lands the leg kick. Guida presses him off. The crowd starts chanting for Guida. Dos Santos lands a left and walks Guida down and clinches as he fails on another takedown attempt. Dos Anjos continues to come forward but both fighters are just avoiding what's being thrown by the other right now. Dos Anjos lands a right. Dos Anjos lands another inside leg kick. He throws a high kick but it gets blocked. Guida throws a right and it's blocked. Dos Anjos lands a combo in close. Guida drives in for a takedown and gets it. Dos Anjos almost gets an omoplata but Guida breaks to the guard. Dos Anjos does a good job of holding Guida down. Guida tries to advance, but isn't able to do much here. Guida moves to half guard. He lands a couple of body punches. Guida is bleeding. It's not a Guida fight if he isn't cut open, I guess. He tries to pass out of half guard. Dos Anjos gets it back to guard and holds off any more damage as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Guida. That takedown midway through the round and getting a pass, keeping Dos Anjos on the ground for two minutes took the round. Even going to the third.
ROUND THREE: Guida comes forward to start this round. Dos Anjos slips up on a kick and Guida comes in with a short combo before backing out. Dos Anjos misses a punch and Guida shoots in for a single leg. He picks Dos Anjos up and slams him down. He got right into half guard and landed a couple of knees to the body. Guida locks in an arm triangle against the cage and Dos Anjos has to tap! Wow. May not have actually been a choke there. Dos Anjos is holding his jaw and it may have just been the pressure on the jaw. It looks like it was a neck crank against the cage with Guida's shoulder against his jaw and throat, and it might have been just the injury that made him tap.
WINNER: Guida via submission at 1:51 of the third round
POST FIGHT: Guida thanks Dos Anjos for taking the fight and apologized for causing an injury as he wasn't trying to. Looks like he broke Dos Anjos' jaw in the first round.
STAR RATING: (**+) Another good fight, and Guida with another good performance. He just wore Dos Anjos down after losing the first round, and it looks like a two punch combo in the first really hurt him.
RAMIFICATIONS: Guida continues moving back up the ladder in the division, but it's hard to tell where his ceiling is exactly. He's working with Greg Jackson now, but he's still never going to contend in the lightweight division.
-James Toney is interviewed by Joe Rogan cageside. Toney slurs through whatever he's trying to say here. He said boxers are better than MMA fighters. Man, why is he allowed in any cage or ring? He's clearly got some problems already developing. That speech impediment is bad.
PRELIM FIGHT A: STEFAN STRUVE VS. CHRISTIAN MORECRAFT (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Morecraft gets in close and gets a takedown right into side control early. Struve gives up north-south position. Struve gets it back to full guard. Morecraft postured up and dropped down some hard shots. Struve pulled him back down into guard. He then threw up for a triangle, but Morecraft rolls over and gets out of it. Struve goes for a guillotine but Morecraft gets out. He drops down with some more hard punches. He lands some more big ones to Struve, who is just taking a ton of punishment. He throws up for a triangle and almost gets it but Morecraft gets out again. Morecraft postures up with some more big shots. He's hurting Struve badly here. He landed some more and Struve continues to just take shots here. Morecraft stands up and drops some more right hands and Struve is just laying there and taking it. Morecraft moves and passes to the mount with over a minute left in the round. Struve tries to push him off. Morecraft gets high in the mount and drops down with some big shots. Struve tries to get a leg but Morecraft moved out. He grabs a standing guillotine and drops to the ground with it but Struve survives. Morecraft lands some more punches in half guard as a dominant round comes to an end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Morecraft. That was total destruction, and I don't know how Struve survived.
ROUND TWO: Struve landed a hard leg kick early and Morecraft clinched at the cage. They start trading pucnhes and Struve knocked Morecraft down with a huge right. He then landed a ton of shots on the ground and forced the ref stoppage. Holy shit what a comeback. That was awesome.
WINNER: Struve via TKO at :22 of the second round
POST FIGHT: Struve said he was really weak. He said he puked before the fight so his energy was gone. If he was sick beforehand and did that then that's even more impressive.
STAR RATING: (***+) That was an amazing comeback. The fight should have been stopped about four punches before it was, as Morecraft was clearly out with his arm behind his back when he went down, but what a finishing exchange. Excellent and exciting fight.
FIGHT FOUR: JON FITCH VS. THIAGO ALVES (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Fitch comes forward early and they each throw a couple of punches but neither lands clean. Alves lands a left as Fitch gets a leg kick. Fitch throws a high kick. Fitch goes for a takedown. He gets a body lock and takes Alves' back. Alves curls up against the cage and tries to hold off as Fitch tries to get a hook in. He gets the first hook in but loses it as Alves works to his feet. He throws some knees to the body as Alves tries to turn around. Fitch drags him back to the ground. Alves again tries to get up and Fitch throws some more knees and suplexes Alves down into side control. Alves pulls off a nice scramble and reverses and gets into Fitch's half guard. Fitch gets back to full guard and Thiago hasn't done anything. He steps up and lets Fitch get back to his feet. Fitch lands a left. He grabs a Thai clinch in close and lands a knee. Alves lands a nice right. Fitch lands a nice three punch combo. He gets another combo in. Fitch shoots in but gets stuffed. Alves engages and gets a body lock, but Fitch turns it around and takes him down, nearly getting his back as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Fitch. Good back and forth round. Fitch is employing the gameplan he always does, but Alves is definitely a tough opponent.
ROUND TWO: Fitch lands a good inside leg kick as Alves tries to close the distance. Fitch lands a good right. Alves lands a jab as he comes in. Fitch ducks under a punch and takes Alves down. Alves tries for a guillotine on the way down but doesn't have it locked in and Fitch gets out. Fitch postures up and lands a couple of shots and Alves tries to get to the cage to walk up. Fitch drags him down again. Alves kicks him off and briefly gets to his feet but Fitch takes him right back down. Alves got to his feet again and Fitch stayed on his back. He dragged him down again into half guard and landed a couple of punches. He lands an elbow and Alves tries to scramble. Fitch keeps him down and pulls him down against the cage again. Alves kicked him off but Fitch was right back on him. Alves got back to his feet but Fitch stayed on him with a single leg and brought it back to the ground. Alves briefly got to his feet and Fitch pulled him down again. The crowd started to boo as Fitch had Alves back. Alves turned around and pushed off to get back to his feet. He landed a leg kick. He threw a superman punch that missed and landed a combo. Fitch threw a high kick. Alves got in close for a clinch and they stayed against the cage as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Fitch. That was a typical Jon Fitch round, and the crowd turned on it by the end. Thiago needs to finish in the third to win here.
ROUND THREE: Alves tried to push in. Fitch landed a hard leg kick and moved his feet well. They eschanged punches and Alves continued walking him to the cage. Alves got in with a couple of left hands. Fitch got in a good knee before backing off. He landed a nice right. Fitch landed a combo. Alves got in a high kick. Fitch shot in for a single leg and Alves sprawled and stayed on his feet. Alves landed a leg kick and a punch in combination. He got in an uppercut, but Fitch ducked under the next punch and took Alves' back. The crowd started booing as Fitch dragged him to the ground. He got one hook in. He tried to get the second one in. He landed some punches as he postured up and got a body triangle. Alves is in a really bad spot here. Fitch took the back, but he was more on the side. He flattened it out some more and landed some punches. Alves tried to hold off the choke attempts and he tried to lock on an arm triangle. Thiago rolled over and got into Fitch's guard, but Fitch still had the body triangle locked in. Fitch lets go of the body triangle and he kicks Alves off and goes for a leg. Alves landed a couple of punches as the round ended and Fitch got to his feet.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Fitch. Another clear round for him, but didn't inspire any great urge to see him against GSP again. He has earned the second shot, but there's no reason to believe it's going to be anything different. Still a fifth straight win since losing to GSP speaks volumes.
WINNER: Fitch via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**) There was some excitement early in the fight, and Fitch nearly got a choke in during the third round, but really it was another typical Fitch fight where he dominated positionally and not much else happened.
RAMIFICATIONS: He's going to get his honestly well deserved second shot at GSP, but I don't think the result will be much different. Still 13 wins in the Octagon against the level of competition he's faced is nothing to scoff at, and he's absolutely the second best welterweight in the world.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FIVE: ANDERSON SILVA VS. CHAEL SONNEN (MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
ROUND ONE: Sonnen came straight out and ate a right hand. Sonnen tried to throw a knee and Silva caught it. Sonnen landed a body kick. Silva landed a right. The crowd loudly chanting for Silva. Silva caught a kick and Sonnen rolled through. Silva landed a hard kick. Sonnen landed a huge right on Silva. Sonnen got another one and Silva is hurt! Silva recovers Silva takes Chael down. Sonnen got in again and hurt Silva after getting back to his feet. Sonnen shot in and took Silva down, and we've got a freaking fight on our hands. He got to half guard and landed a few punches. He trapped an arm and landed some more. He got in a big elbow. Silva got his back on the cage. Sonnen keeps wrist control and lands some big shots on Silva and takes his back. He tries to lock in a choke as Silva is on his knees. Silva rolls and gets back to half guard. Sonnen dropped down with an elbow. He postured up and landed a right. He dropped a huge right onto Silva. He got back down to half guard. He landed a short uppercut and pinned the left arm and landed an uppercut. Silva moved back to guard. Sonnen postured and landed a couple of punches. He is landing some hard shots. Sonnen steps up and drops back down with a huge right into side control. Silva gets him back to half guard. He postures up with another combo. The round ends with Sonnen on top. Holy hell.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Sonnen. What a round from the challenger. Silva's never been dominated like that in his UFC career, and perhaps his entire MMA career. Sonnen came out and did exactly what he said he'd do.
ROUND TWO: Silva hurts Chael with a leg kick early. But Sonnen comes in and takes him down again. Silva starts throwing some hard elbows from the bottom. Silva tried to hold onto his body as the crowd moved to a chant of "U.S.A." Sonnen started slamming his hands into the side of Silva's head. Sonnen slams Anderson's head onto the ground as Silva keeps the body lock. Sonnen tries to get out and Silva lands an elbow. Sonnen postured up and landed a big left. Sonnen landed some short back and forth punches. Sonnen landed some short hammer fists, postured up and landed some more punches. Silva landed an elbow from the bottom. Sonnen lands another hard elbow. Silva tried to go for an armbar but Sonnen got out. He postured up and landed a huge right. He got down with another right. Silva again controlled the body. Silva throws up for a triangle and Sonnen got out of it. Sonnen landed another elbow. He started throwing some elbows to the thigh. Sonnen landed another short elbow. Silva tried to get up the cage and Sonnen took his back. Silva grabbed a kimura but Sonnen got out. He almost locked on a leg lock but Sonnen got out and landed an elbow before the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Sonnen. He's taking the fight to Anderson, but Silva is much more active and is now looking for submissions. Can Chael keep this up for three more rounds?
ROUND THREE: Silva lands a huge right to start the round. He circles and lands a spinning back kick. Sonnen tries to get in. He gets the takedown Silva goes for an arm and Sonnen takes his back. He starts landing knees to the thigh and then throws punches to the side of the head. Silva's got to do something here. He rolls through and Sonnen stays on him into his guard. Sonnen lands a few punches. The crowd starts chanting for Sonnen and Silva puts a body triangle on from the bottom. Sonnen lands some short rabbit punches. He lands a couple of body shots as well. Sonnen goes back to the body. Sonnen has dominated from the outset here and we're halfway through the fight. Sonnen continues to hold top position, and Silva's going to need to finish this fight somehow now. Sonnen stays active from the top. Silva lands a couple of blows from the bottom and the round ends with Sonnen on top again.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Sonnen. He's taken every round here, but he needs to survive two more rounds. Silva needs to finish it.
ROUND FOUR: Sonnen comes right out and Silva lands a left. He rocks Chael with an elbow. Silva comes after him and lands a kick. They're trading punches. Silva misses a few punches and Sonnen shoots. Silva sprawls and ends up on top. He lands an elbow to the body in half guard. Sonnen grabs him and sweeps to the top. Man, what a fight from Sonnen right now. He throws some rabbit punches. Silva grabs a hold of the body and tries to control Sonnen, who lands a number of punches. Sonnen isn't doing much here, but he's keeping top control. Silva tries to use the butterfly hooks to kick him off and can't. Sonnen lands a few more punches to stay active enough. Sonnen goes to body punches and Silva tries to grab a body lock again. Time is running out on Silva here. He lands a number of elbows from the bottom in a short flurry. Sonnen lands some hard short punches. Sonnen is cut open from the elbows from Silva from the bottom. He rides out the round in Silva's guard, and it comes down to this final round. Wow, what a fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Sonnen. He has taken this fight at every step, but it all comes down to this last five minutes.
ROUND FIVE: Silva lands a straight kick. Sonnen tried to shoot and Silva shook it off. Silva slipped and Sonnen got into Silva's guard. That could be it. Sonnen moved to half guard and went for an arm triangle. He tried to use it to get to the mount but Silva got back to guard. Sonnen landed a punch to the body. Silva tried to to get out but Sonnen stayed on him. Sonnen continued to throw punches to stay active on the top. Sonnen landed some more right hands and Silva has very little time left here with two and a half minutes left. Sonnen postured up and landed some short punches and the crowd started to boo. Silva landed a punche from the bottom and locked on a triangle! Chael is in trouble. He tapped and Josh Rosenthal stopped the fight! But Sonnen is saying he didn't tap. What the hell is going on! The replay showed that Chael tapped. Holy shit! And Silva holds onto the title! He tried to pull a Paulo Filho and say he didn't tap, but the replay showed he tapped.
WINNER: Silva via submission (triangle choke) at 3:10 of the fifth round
POST FIGHT: Silva said he doesn't have any excuses. He thanked the fans and gave Chael credit for a tough fight. He said he was losing the first four rounds. He said a week ago he hurt his ribs, but "not to make any excuses" he still came in and fought. He said the doctor's told him not to fight in this one. Silva, in English, thanked the fans and his friends in Brazil.
Chael is talked to next. Sonnen said it was a tough fight, Silva's a tough guy. He said he came in second. He said he can't say much because he got his shot. He said he's only there to be number one, if he's not the best he'll move on in life, but for now he's got the Silver medal.
STAR RATING: (*****) That is one of the most epic title fights in MMA history. Sonnen backed up absolutely every word he said and battered Anderson Silva through four and a half rounds, and was just "that" close to winning the UFC Middleweight Championship before once again getting caught in a submission. Silva was forced to fight, landed some hard punches throughout while getting taken down multiple times in the fight. He overcame everything in that fight and slapped on the submission when it counted. Unbelievable fight and by far the greatest fight Anderson Silva's had in the UFC.
That's another event in the books, and an epic one it was. Outside of Jon Fitch having a typical Jon Fitch fight, every fight was highly entertaining and the event ended with one of the great title fights in UFC history. It's been a great start to this crazy month of August, and the call for GSP-Silva is going to be even greater from here on out.
UNAIRED PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS
• Rick Story def. Dustin Hazelett by TKO in the second round
• Phil Davis def. Rodney Wallace by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), R3
• Johny Hendricks def. Charlie Brenneman by TKO in the second round
• Tim Boetsch def. Todd Brown by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), R3
• Dennis Hallman def. Ben Saunders by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28), R3
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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