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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
UFC 119: MIR VS. CRO COP
SEPTEMBER 25, 2010
LIVE FROM INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
SPIKE TV PRELIMINARY CARD
-Mike Goldberg welcomes the crowd after running down the night's pay-per-view card and Joe Rogan joins him as always to talk about the top fights on the pay-per-view portion of tonight's card. We get right to action here with the heavyweight tilt.
FIGHT ONE: JOEY BELTRAN VS. MATT MITRIONE (HEAVYWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Mitrione lands a head kick early as he presses Beltran back to the cage. Beltran trying to circle and Mitrione walks him down. Mitrione lands a good body shot> Beltran lands a right but Mitrione gets a combo in to the body. Mitrione landed a good inside leg kick. Mitrione with a nice combo. Straight punch from Mitrione lands. Mitrioine throwing flurries and tagging Beltran with a ton of punches. Mitrione gets him to the cage but Beltran tagged Mitrione with a shot and went after him on the cage. Mitrione grabbed a Thai clinch and landed a few knees. Beltran then dropped for a double leg and took Mitrione down. Mitrione tried to grab a triangle choke but Beltran got out. Beltran is opened up. He knocked Mitrione's mouthpiece out witha punch. Mitrione goes after an arm again. Beltran continues to land punches but Mitrione is trying to stay active from the bottom. Beltran tried to pass and Mitrione tried to hold it off but Beltran got to north-south and landed some body punches. Beltran with some more body punches. Mitrione again goes for a triangle but Beltran got out and into side control. He finished out the round in side control.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Beltran. Mitrione started off well, but Beltran tagged him, got the takedown and worked his ground and pound the rest of the round. ROUND TWO: Mitrione came forward to start the second round. He threw a high kick but it was blocked. Mitrione swung with a flurry but Beltran pressed in, took the shots and landed a couple before clinching Mitrione on the cage. Mitrione got loose and landed a couple of punches. Beltran started swinging wildly and Mitrione responded. Mitrione tagged Beltran with a big shot and pressed in. Beltran recovered and then came back and tagged Mitrione and clinched at the cage. They both started winging punches again. Herb Dean halts the action as the tape is coming loose so he has the corner cut it. They restart and Mitrione presses forward. Mitrione lands a few. Beltran pressed in with another combo and clinched again. Mitrione pressed with a couple of punches and landed a few kicks to end the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Mitrione. He got the better of most of the exchanges and pressed the action.
ROUND THREE: Mitrione landed a punch early. Beltran tried to press in but Mitrione landed another combination. Mitrione continues to get the better of the exchanges here in this round. Beltran is trying to press but Mitrione is tagging him with shots as he comes in. Mitrione presses in again with punches. Beltran can take a punch, that's for sure. Mitrione throws another head kick. Mitrione continuing to move his feet and throw punches. Mitrione lands a few more. Beltran getting a little desperate and he starts swinging. He lands a couple but Mitrione lands some more. Both fighters start swinging punches as the round comes to an end and Mitrione just smiles as the buzzer sounds.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Mitrione. Beltran tried to do something throughout the round, but he kept getting tagged throughout and I think Mitrione takes it.
WINNER: Mitrione by unanimous decision
POST FIGHT: Mitrione said it takes a lot of balls to get in there and swing like that.
STAR RATING: (***-) Sloppy as all hell but very entertaining at times. It wasn't special, but it was an absolute brawl that got the crowd going. It did as expected.
FIGHT TWO: CB DOLLAWAY VS. JOE DOERKSEN (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Dollaway landed a jab and took a grazing kick low but he shrugged it off. Doerksen caught a kick and pressed for the takedown but Dollaway scrambled. Doerksen came back after him and got him down again but Dollaway scrambled and locked on a guillotine. He doesn't have it tight, but he's staying patient and trying to work towards locking it in tight. Doerksen tried to scramble out but Dollaway rolled with him with the guillotine in and they rolled through again and Dollaway still held it on and finally forced Doerksen to tap. Very, very impressive stuff from Dollaway.
WINNER: Dollaway via submission (guillotine choke) 2:13 of the first round
POST FIGHT: Dollaway said he couldn't believe he caught that submission and was preparing for a three round war.
STAR RATING: (***) Excellent, excellent submission from Dollaway. That was highly impressive. He showed great patience and technique and locked that on tight with a beautiful gator roll.
PRELIM FIGHT A: SEAN MCCORKLE VS. MARK HUNT (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: McCorkle holds off a quick rush early. He ducks under a punch and shoots but Hunt winds up on top in his guard. He goes for an arm and wrenches it straight and forces Hunt to tap. Wow. Hunt thinks he broke his elbow after that. Looks like he tapped right after it hyper-extended. Nasty.
WINNER: McCorkle via submission (kimura/straight armbar) at 1:03 of the first round
POST FIGHT: McCorkle said he was glad that was over. He said he hated having to fight him and called Hunt a legend.
STAR RATING: (**+) Nasty, impressive submission from McCorkle, making quick work of Hunt there. Good stuff.
-Joe Rogan interviews Frank Mir backstage.
PRELIM FIGHT B: THIAGO TAVARES VS. PAT AUDINWOOD (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Tavares presses in early. He lands a good punch. Audinwood looks like he's in a different weight class here. Tavares shoots in and works for a takedown. Audinwood tried to hold it off but Tavares nicely stayed on him. Audinwood worked defensively well to hold off much offense, but Tavares finally broke through. Tavares landed some punches in the guard. Audinwood got to his feet, walking up the cage and Tavares jumped up and locked on a guillotine. Audinwood is forced to tap to the standing guillotine. Good win for Tavares.
WINNER: Tavares via submission (guillotine choke) at 3:47 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Tavares said he was so happy to be there and talked about the win and thanked the fans.
-Dana White talks to Joe Rogan cageside to give the final sell for the pay-per-view.
PAY-PER-VIEW BROADCAST
-COMCAST TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES- The pay-per-view is not showing up on the screen at the start here. We'll pick up as soon as the video is up.
And we're back in time for the first fight.
FIGHT THREE: MELVIN GUILLARD VS. JEREMY STEPHENS (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Guillard misses a big punch and got dropped with a counter punch, but he was just off balance and got back to his feet and nodded at Stephens. Guillard landed a leg kick. Guillard tagged a punch in and rushed forward but couldn't connect. Stephens landed a body kick. Guillard landed a good body kick and then they traded body kicks. Guillard landed a nice counter right as Stephens threw a body kick. Guillard landed a two punch combo. Guillard avoided another kick. Guillard popped in nicely with a two punch combo. Stephens pressed in with a punch. Guillard is avoiding Stephens' offense well. He popped in again with a combo and avoided the counter. He's shaking his head no every time Stephens misses. Stephens got in a good body kick. Both fighters got in punches and kicks in combination. Stephens got in a leg kick. Another leg kick from Stephens. Guillard with another right and he backs out. Guillard presses strong with a combo before the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Guillard. Even first round for the most part, but Guillard avoided most of Stephens' blows while delivering more of his own.
ROUND TWO: Stephens landed a good leg kick early. Guillard got a short hook in. Nice right landed from Guillard. Two more punches from Guillard. Another two punch combo lands. Hard body kick lands by Guillard. He gets in a good right. Stephens starts backing up and Guillard tries to chase. Guillard landed a right and Stephens countered with a nice combo. Stephens landed a good body kick. Stephens presses forward as Guillard avoids again. Guillard kicks Stephens low and he gets time to recover. Stephens tries to walk him down again but Guillard pops in with a punch and avoids the counter. Guillard lands another punch. Short combo from Guillard again. Looks like an eyepoke hit Guillard but he comes right back. Stephens then kicks Guillard right on the cup and he's hurting. Stephens moves in and Guillard lands a right. He pops in with a few jabs and keeps Stephens at distance. Stephens tried to goad him to attack and got his wish as Guillard landed a short combo. He blocked a body kick from Stephens. Stephens got in another kick as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Guillard. Really close round, Stephens could get it for pressuring, but Guillard was landing more.
ROUND THREE: Stephens pressed in and landed a couple of punches and kicks early. The crowd starts to boo as neither fighter has engaged a whole lot here. They get in close and exchange short shots. Stephens landed another leg kick. He continues to walk forward and Guillard is circling on the outside. The crowd boos again. Stephens with a body kick as Guillard counters with a right. Guillard lands a leg kick. Guillard lands some more jabs on the outside. He throws a body kick of his own. Stephens lands a leg kick. Guillard continues to back up and avoid as the crowd again boos. Stephens lands a good body kick. Stephens landed a big left hook that stumbled Guillard but Guillard recovered. Guillard popped back in with a short combo. Stephens continued pressing and Guillard backed up. Another leg kick landed. Guillard landed a flying knee late. They started trading punches and Stephens landed a knee as the round ended and the crowd booed.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Stephens. Guillard did a lot less in that round while Stephens continually pressed the action. Either fighter can take it here. I'd expect a split.
WINNER: Guillard via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (*+) That's how I had it, but wouldn't have argued with Stephens taking the second round. The crowd hated that fight. Neither fighter wanted to engage, and Guillard simply landed more and better shots in the first two rounds. Some people will hate the decision, but really it's no robbery either way.
FIGHT FOUR: SEAN SHERK VS. EVAN DUNHAM (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Dunham's much taller and definitely has the reach advantage here. He pops in with a couple of punches and circles on the outside. Sherk closes the distance, picks him up and slams him but Dunham grabs a guillotine. He doesn't have it in tight and Sherk got out into half guard. Sherk kept busy with short punches to the body and head. Dunham got his back on the cage and got to his feet but ate an uppercut. Sherk stayed on him on the cage. He landed a knee, dropped for a double leg, picked Dunham up again and slam him. Right into half guard again. Dunham got to a knee and Sherk grabbed a head lock. Sherk tried to hold off from landing a knee. Dunham almost locked on a guillotine but Sherk rolled out. Dunham had his back but Sherk rolled out of it. He landed an elbow that cut Dunham open badly. Dunham kicked Sherk off and got to his knees. Sherk held a headlock and the cut was pouring out onto the ground. The ref halted the action with 11 seconds to check the cut and the ref restarts.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Sherk. He opened up a huge cut, had two big slams and got out of a couple of bad submission attempts.
ROUND TWO: Dunham held off an early takedown attempt. Sherk landed a good left and then shot in. He grabbed for a double and then a single leg and Dunham tried to go for a guillotine. Sherk got out of it again. Dunham rolled to his knees and got back to his feet. Sherk held a body lock and landed a few knees to the thighs and grabbed another single leg. Dunham landed a couple of punches. Dunham again goes for the choke and Sherk scrambles. Dunham again tries to grab the choke but Sherk avoids it. Sherk backs off and leaves his head in with the double. He grabs a single and got the takedown. He grabs a headlock as Dunham stood again. Dunham got up and separated. Dunham got in close and Sherk landed a couple of punches. Sherk landed a left hook. Sherk landed a good leg kick. Dunham walked him to the cage and landed a good punch. They traded punches and Dunham landed a good one. Sherk blocked a high kick. Dunham landed another good kick. Dunham with a couple of punches and Sherk counters. They start throwing on the cage and both land punches. Dunham landed a good knee to the body and pressed Sherk to the cage. Sherk landed a few punches and ate another knee as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Sherk. Another very close round, but I think Sherk edged it with the takedowns, and landing some punches of his own. But it was much closer than the first.
Round Three: Dunham rocked Sherk with a high kick early but Sherk recovered and grabbed a clinch on the cage. He's leaving his head in again. Sherk grabs for the double leg but Dunham holds it off against the cage. He lands some elbows and short punches and Sherk completes the takedown. Dunham gets to his feet and Sherk lands a knee before going back for the double leg. Short punches and elbows land by Dunham as he holds off the takdeown. He tries to break free and Sherk stays on him. He finally pushes Sherk off of him. Sherk lands a left. Dunham pops in with a combo. He walks Sherk down and lands a combo. Sherk opens up the cut some more. Dunham lands a combo and Sherk grabs the clinch. He grabs a single leg and Dunham again goes for the guillotine. He landed a good knee and forced Sherk off. Dunham presses again and lands a good combo. They both exchange wildly in the center of the cage. Dunham presses him to the cage and they swing again. Dunham with a straight kick and a straight punch. Dunham lands a huge knee and another a la B.J. Penn and Sherk is bouncing back off the cage. Sherk presses back in as Dunham continues landing big shots. Dunham continues pressing and lands some big punches against the cage. He's laying the punishment. Sherk comes back with some big punches of his own and they swing to the end of the round and embrace. Both raise each other's hands at the end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Dunham. He turned it up huge, and while Dunham did more to win the fight in the third round, I think Sherk took the first two and it is going to depend on how the second round was scored here.
WINNER: Sherk via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
POST FIGHT: The crowd booed the decision, but Sherk did enough to win two rounds. Sherk said all the chokes were very tight but he has a thick neck so he was alright. Sherk said he knew he won the first round decisively, the second round was close. The crowd continued to boo, but it was not a robbery. Pride rules Dunham wins, Unified rules Sherk wins. The crowd sheers for Dunham as Rogan goes to interview him. Dunham said it was his goal not to go for those chokes because of how tough Sherk was. He said it is what it is but he'll improve.
STAR RATING: (***+) That was an exciting fight at times despite the boos, and though the decision will be widely derided, Sherk has a case for the second round and it's not a robbery at all.
FIGHT FIVE: MATT SERRA VS. CHRIS LYTLE (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Lytle landed a couple of punches early in the center of the cage. Serra lands some good body punches. Lytle responds with some big punches of his own. Both are throwing tons of punches early here. Serra gets in with an uppercut. Lytle grabs a clinch and lands an uppercut. Lytle lands a jab. Serra goes back to the body. Lytle swings with some big punches. Serra presses in and lands a couple of punches. Lytle gets Serra to the cage and lands a couple of shots. Serra gets in a few more body shots. Serra with more body shots. Lytle presses in. Lytle ducked under a punch, Serra clinched and Lytle separated with a few punches. More punches exchanged. Sloppy, sloppy stuff from both but they are both landing a ton of punches. Lytle with a few more punches. Lytle with another combo. Serra pressed in and Lytle landed some more punches. Lytle with a good right. He lands another one and Serra lands a body punch. Serra thought about a spinning back fist as the round ended but the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Lytle. He's connecting on a ton of punches, but Serra's right there with him so far. Close round.
ROUND TWO: Serra lands a jab early. Lytle presses forward. He lands a couple of punches. Lytle rocks Serra with a punch but overshoots on his follow up and gets rocked himself. Lytle lands a few more punches. Lytle pressed forward again and landed punches. Both exchange again. Lytle rocked Serra with a big three punch combo. Serra took it and came back after him with a body punch. Both exchange punches again. Lytle with another big combo. Lytle lands a big punch. Lytle with some big punches. Serra comes back after him and Lytle lands some big ones. He rocks Serra with a couple more uppercuts. Serra's got a chin, that's for sure. Lytle with some more punches. Serra lands a right and Lytle comes back with more punches. Lytle lands another combo. He's putting the beating on Serra. He rocks Serra with a big flurry and Serra fights back off the cage. Serra throws a kick and comes back. Lytle lands another big punch.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Lytle. He's kicking Serra's ass right now, but Serra's one tough s.o.b. Really fun fight right now.
ROUND THREE: Serra comes out throwing and lands some more body shots. He rocks Lytle with a body punch but Lytle catches him with a big uppercut as he comes in. Both guys are landing big shots here. Lytle with another big punch. Serra tried to land a punch. Serra lands a couple of kicks. Lytle with another combination. This fight is seriously sloppy, but a lot of fun. Both land punches again in an exchange. Lytle with another jab and another combo. He lands a nice left hook. Serra presses in with a combo. Serra lands a leg kick. Lytle tags him with a few more punches. Lytle tags Serra with some more punches. Serra's got one hell of a chin, that's really all I can say about this craziness. Serra tries to press as the round ends and they embrace as the fight ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Lytle. He dominated this fight throughout.
WINNER: Lytle via unanimous decision (30-27 across the board)
STAR RATING: (***) That was an extremely fun fight. Lytle was landing a ton of punches throughout, and while Serra hung with him it was all Lytle in this one, and Serra's face was messed up there.
FIGHT SIX: ANTONIO ROGERIO NOGUEIRA VS. RYAN BADER (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Bader pressed in right off the bat. He got in a left hook. Bader landed a nice right. Bader pressing still and Nogueira lands a left as he backs up. Neither is landing much of anything yet as they are testing out the range. Bader gets in and gets a takedown. He lands some big shots as he postures up. He is landing some big punches and Nogueira closes his guard. Nogueira holds him tight and doesn't allow much to get through. Bader gets an arm loose and lands an elbow. He lands some more punches. Nogueira gets to his feet and gets separation with a minute left. Nogueira presses and lands a kick. Bader shoots but Nogueira shrugs it off. Nogueira landed a huge two punch combo but Bader shoots in and throws him to the ground. Nogueira gets back up and they each land shots as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Bader. Huge takedown and ground and pound, but he risks wearing himself out here.
ROUND TWO: Bader lands a leg kick early. Nogueira gets in with a good body kick. Nogueira lands a good left and another leg kick. Nogueira blocks a left. Nogueira pressing here and he tagged Bader with a right hand. Nogueira pressing much more here, but the action has slowed down. Bader got in a right. Nogueira landed a leg kick but Bader ducked down and took him down. Nogueira tried to control Bader's wrists and finally kicked him off and got to his feet. Nogueira lands a combo and then stuffs a takedown. Nogueira presses Bader to the cage and lands a couple of punches. He lands a big knee. Bader tries to muscle him down but Nogueira popped right back up. He pressed in and Bader clinched him. Nogueira landed a knee. He pressed Bader to the cage. Bader tried to shoot again and was shrugged off. Nogueira with another shot and he presses in with a body kick as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Nogueira. He pressed the pace, landed more shots and popped up quick after the takedown. Bader seems to be fading here.
ROUND THREE: Noguiera pressed forward early and landed a punch. Bader tried to move forward and Nogueira came back. Nogueira accidentally poked Bader in the eye. Bader was ok to continue. Bader landed a kick to the body. Bader tried to shoot but Nogueira stuffed. Nogueira walked him down and they traded shots. Nogueira stuffed a couple of takedown attempts. Nogueira landed some shots as he closed the distance. He landed a big right. Bader shot in and got the takedown but Nogueira got right back up to his feet. Nogueira pressed back in and landed a few punches. He tagged Bader with a couple more. Bader got in a right. Nogueira continued to press and put Bader's back on the cage. He landed a few more punches. Bader landed a couple of shots. Nogueira got him to the cage again and landed a punch. They traded punches. Nogueira walked him down and they exchanged. Bader got a couple of good rights in. Nogueira landed a big punch and rocked Bader. He tried to follow up and Bader took him down. Bader just keeps the position and Nogueira throws his feet up as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Nogueira. Bader didn't do anything with either takedown and Nogueira pressed the action throughout, but it's going to be very, very close.
WINNER: Bader via unanimous decision (30-27 across the board)
STAR RATING: (**) Not a great fight. Close and competitive, but not terribly exciting. I don't know how Bader won the second round, and I don't agree with 30-27, but 29-28 Bader would have been fine. It was yet another close fight, but I think Bader might have a lot of trouble with Jones.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT SEVEN: FRANK MIR VS. MIRKO CRO COP (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Cro Cop lands the first combo of the fight. MIr tried to close the distance with a leg kick but he's staying patient. Mir landed a leg kick and then rushed in. Cro Cop sprawled and held off the takedown. Mir landed a good knee and pressed Cro Cop on the cage. Cro Cop threw a knee and caught Mir low and Mir went down. Ouch. Mir takes his time to recover, doing some reverse cowgirl without the cowgirl on the ground. Mir tried to press after they restarted. Cro Cop threw the high kick but it didn't come close. Very tentative here so far. Cro Cop lands a couple of punches. Mir grabs a clinch and lands a knee and then gets in an elbow. Cro Cop held off the takedown attempt with underhooks and got separation. Mir landed an inside leg kick and got in with the clinch again. He landed a couple of short punches and a couple of knees on the cage. Herb Dean separated them with 40 seconds left. Cro Cop got in a good body kick. Mir got in close and landed a nice left hook and clinched to end the round. Tentative and close first round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Mir. Close round, but Mir pressed the action and landed more strikes overall.
ROUND TWO: Cro Cop landed a punch early. Cro Cop landed a couple more punches. Mir tried to press forward, but he's still very tentative here. The crowd starts to boo as they're getting restless. Cro Cop holds off another takedown attempt by Mir. They exchange knees against the cage. Mir gets another good one in. Herb Dean separates them. Mir landed a kick. He pressed in for the clinch again as the crowd booed. Not a good fight here thus far. Mir lands a few knees. They get separated again. Mir lands a decent punch. Mir checks a leg kick. Mir drops his hands and Cro Cop throws a high kick as the round ends and the crowd boos heavily.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Mir. It isn't pretty, but he's pressing the action and winning the fight. This is not good.
ROUND THREE: Mir pops in with a short combo. Mir tries to clinch but Cro Cop shrugs him off. Cro Cop presses in and lands a short combo. They trade short punches. Cro Cop lands a knee to keep Mir off him. The crowd boos the fight again as they look like they're just sparring here. Cro Cop gets in a decent two punch combo. Mir clinches again and pushes Cro Cop to the cage. Cro Cop lands a knee and a short punch. More boos again. This fight has been terrible. They get separated again. Joe Rogan is begging for one of them to do something. Mir lands a short punch. Rogan says "who won this fight?" and answered his own question and said "not the fans." Right after that, Mir lands a knee to the chin that knocks Cro Cop out cold. Wow. Unbelievable.
WINNER: Mir via KO at 4:02 of the third round
POST FIGHT: Mir said his strategy was to take him down and do enough to take the fight to where Mirko's not as dangerous. He said he had a hard time out there. He said his wrestling needs to improve against the cage.
STAR RATING: (**) Terrible fight with a very good finish. Cro Cop got sloppy for a few seconds and Mir landed a perfect knee in the right spot to take Cro Cop out. That was not a good main event, but the finish brought it up a bit.
That's another event in the books. Thanks for sticking with us through the event tonight, and we'll be back with another big event on Thursday as WEC 51 hits Versus.
UNAIRED PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS
• T.J. Grant def. Julio Paulino via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Waylon Lowe def. Steve Lopez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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