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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
UFC 120: BISPING VS. AKIYAMA
OCTOBER 16, 2010
TAPE DELAYED FROM LONDON, ENGLAND
Alright, Torch readers, I hope you've been able to keep yourselves spoiler-free tonight, as UFC 120 took place this afternoon but is just starting here in the U.S.
The broadcast opens up with Dan Hardy saying Carlos Condit was stupid to want to fight him in his home country, and Michal Bisping saying he's going to beat Yoshihiro Akiyama tonight in the main event. As Bruce Buffer will say very shortly, "it's time" for some UFC action free on Spike TV.
Mike Goldberg opens the show talking about Bisping and brings in Joe Rogan to run down the main event and the fights scheduled for tonight's three hour broadcast.
[Commercial Break]
FIGHT ONE: CYRILLE DIABATE VS. ALEXANDER GUSTAFFSON (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Gustaffson opens up with a leg kick. Diabate returned a body kick. Gustaffson lands a couple more kicks. Diabate staying patient. Diabate tagged Gustaffoson with a left but ate a shot. Gustaffson dropped him with a punch and Diabate recovers in half guard. Gustaffson passed to side control as Diabate tried to reverse. Diabate got it back to half guard. Gustaffson landed some punches as Diabate continued trying to work out of the position. He finally made his way back up to his feet but ate a couple of punches on the way up. Gustaffson shot in and grabbed a single leg. Diabate stuffed him against the cage. Gustaffson landed some hard punches as he separated and dropped Diabate again. Diabate got up to his feet but got tagged again and lost his mouthpiece. The ref halts it to give him his mouthpiece back and he's in bad shape right now. Diabate lands a body kick as he eats a right. He gets in a hard kick and lands a few punches in combination himself. He presses in and puts Gustaffson against the cage Gustaffson shot and Diabate initially stuffed it but rolled to his back and Gustaffson got into side control. Gustaffson tried to posture up and landed a few shots before passing back to side control. Diabate grabbed a leg and rolled into Gustaffson as the round came to an end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Gustaffson. Nearly a 10-8, but Diabate got in some offense of his own and it wasn't an entirely dominant round. Great start for the Swede though.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Gustaffson landed a punch early. Diabate is looking shaken up a bit still. He landed a nice two punch combo. Gustaffson then got a nice takedown and landed in side control. He threw a few knees to the body. He tried to posture and Diabate turned his body to get the half guard back. Gustaffson grabs for an arm but Diabate gets out but Gustaffson then passes to the full mount. Diabate gives up his back and Gustaffson grabs the rear naked choke. Gustaffson let it go and started throwing punches. Diabate is bleeding now as well. Gustaffson went for the choke again but it wasn't locked in tight. Diabate got out and Gustaffson landed a few more punches before locking it on once again. He forced the tap on the final attempt. Great stuff from Gustaffson.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Gustaffson via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:41 of the second round
STAR RATING: (***) Really excellent fight by Alexander Gustaffson. That was just a very impressive performance, and Diabate showed off a lot of toughness and heart to keep going after some of the punches he took there. Very good start to the event.
[Commercial Break]
FIGHT TWO: CHEICK KONGO VS. TRAVIS BROWNE (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Kongo landed a nice left that kept Browne at bay as he came in swinging. Kongo lands an inside leg kick. Another leg kick from Kongo, and then another. Kongo backs away from an attempted attack from Browne. Browne rushed in and missed every punch he threw. Browne again came in swinging but Kongo backed away. Kongo with another hard leg kick. He's staying patient here as Browne is rushing in. Kongo pressed in and landed a punch before eating a big right from Browne. Browne got Kongo against the cage but Kongo backed him off. Kongo landed a knee to the body but Browne grabbed a Thai clinch and landed a couple of knees of his own. Browne landed a couple of punches and pressed Kongo to the cage and threw a hard body punch. Kongo landed a body kick. Browne pressed and threw an overhand right that was partially blocked. Kongo ducked under a punch and tried to counter but just grabbed a clinch. Browne got loose and came forward with kicks. Kongo landed a couple of punches as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Browne. Fairly even round to start, but Browne rocked Kongo and did some damage there while continually moving forward. Close round though.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Kongo comes forward and lands a couple of leg kicks. He gets in with a nice right. He lands another right and presses Browne to the cage. He lands a knee low and the ref halts the action. Shades of the Cro Cop fight here. Kongo landed a right. Browne tried to press in and Kongo countered with a two punch combo. He's looking much better than in the first round. Kongo pressed in again and pushed Browne to the cage. He grabbed a Thai clinch and landed a knee before Browne shoved him to the ground. Kongo landed a big punch and followed up with some more before Browne clinched. Kongo landed more knees to the legs and body as he pressed him against the cage. Kongo with more knees to the thigh. He lands a couple of punches in there as well. They finally get separated by the ref. Browne tries to press in but Kongo avoids his punches. Browne grabs the clinch and puts Kongo against the cage but Kongo turns him around immediately and goes back to the knees to the thigh. They jockeyed for position before being separated again. Kongo landed another punch and Browne grabbed the clinch on the cage. He gets a takedown as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kongo. That late takedown doesn't steal the round. Kongo looked much better there, landed a ton of strikes and did damage to Browne's thighs in the clinch.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Browne pressed in right off the bat and pressed Kongo to the cage. He landed a knee Kongo landed one back. They traded knees again on the cage. They get separated pretty quickly. Kongo was holding onto the shorts and the ref took a point away. Wow. Kongo needs to finish the fight now. He pressed in and landed a punch before pressing Browne against the cage. He stomped Browne's foot, but he needs to win the fight now or at the best it will be a draw. They separated again. Kongo landed a leg kick. Kongo tried to press in. He landed a body shot and a body kick before trying a half hearted shot. Browne stood on the cage and Kongo landed some more knees to the thighs. They get separated again. Kongo landed a couple leg kicks and pressed in again. He landed a couple of punches and put Browne's back to the cage. He landed some hard punches against the cage and avoided the counter. Browne is really tired here. Kongo got in with a punch again., Browne pressed in and landed a right but Kongo clinched and pressed him to the cage. Kongo again grabbed the shorts as they were clinched and Brown pulled him to the ground as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 9-9. Kongo killed himself with that point deduction in this one. It was completely unnecessary and it will cost him the victory. It could still be a loss as well if the judges gave either of those last two rounds to Browne.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Unanimous draw (28-28, 28-28, 28-28)
STAR RATING: (**-) There was some action in there, but then Kongo decided to be stupid and illegally grab Browne's shorts throughout the third and stall the action and it led to a very underwhelming draw. Not a good fight, and Kongo cost himself a win.
[Commercial Break]
FIGHT THREE: JOHN HATHAWAY VS. MIKE PYLE (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Pyle landed a leg kick early as he bounced around the outside. Hathaway tried to close the distance to engage, but Pyle then shot in and took Hathaway down. Hathaway tried to walk up the cage and Pyle did a good job keeping him down for a bit, but then Hathaway got up and reversed position and wound up on top of Pyle against the cage. Hathaway separated and Pyle got to his feet. Hathaway landed an uppercut. Pyle tried to land a knee but missed. Hathaway got in a couple of punches as he walked Pyle down. Pyle tagged Hathaway with a right behind the ear. He landed another as he walked him down. Hathaway clinched and pressed Pyle to the cage. Pyle separated with an elbow. Hathaway tried to press in but ate a shot from Pyle. Pyle landed another good punch. Pyle began walking Hathaaway down. Pyle landed a good knee in the clinch and threw Hathaway down with a very nice trip. The round ended with Pyle on top.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Pyle. Hathaway doesn't look good right now. Pyle was able to effectively work throughout the round and Hathaway didn't do much of anything.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Hathaway landed a kick early. He tried to press the action as Pyle circled on the outside. Pyle does a good job of avoiding too much damage early. Hathaway landed a right. Pyle came in and tried to get a takedown but Hathaway held him off. Pyle landed a couple of overhand rights and then Hathaway grabbed a clinch and pressed him to the cage. He landed a short elbow and a left as they separated. Pyle landed a straight kick to the body. He tried to grab a clinch in the center and Hathaway pushed him off. Hathaway landed a nice knee in the center. Pyle got away. He pressed forward and landed a nice right and followed with another one. Pyle grabbed for a takedown and got it this time and got into side control. He landed a couple hard elbows and forearms. He got to a mounted triangle and Hathaway is in a lot of trouble. Pyle started landing punches and Hathaway just tried to cover his face. Pyle is landing a ton of shots here and Hathaway is in a really bad spot. Pyle continued to deliver punches to the face but Hathaway is still in the fight. Pyle with some more short punches and Hathaway is just surviving here. Pyle lands more elbows and punches but Hathaway is going to survive. Wow.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Pyle. He's way ahead here. That final two minutes was the very definition of dominance, but he couldn't finish Hathaway in that highly advantageous position. Hathaway needs to finish the fight in the third or he will lose a decision.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Hathaway needs to be desperate here. He comes forward and lands a good body kick. He tried to get a takedown but Pyle shook him off. Hathaway landed a couple of good punches and pressed Pyle to the cage. Pyle then turned him around and took Hathaway down. Hathaway tried to climb back up the cage and he got back to his feet. Pyle landed a couple of knees and then dragged Hathaway to the ground again. Hathaway landed some short punches and tried to get up again before getting brought down again. Hathaway tried to land some punches and elbows from the bottom. Pyle landed a big punch. Hathaway tried to throw his legs up but Pyle passes to side control. Hathaway gets half guard back. He got back to full guard with a minute and a half left. Hathaway tried to scramble but Pyle stayed on him. Hathaway got his back to the cage but Pyle stayed on him again. Pyle landed a couple of hard punches. Pyle landing more punches and Hathaway's time is running out. Pyle passed and got to north-south and then side control as the round came to an end and Pyle dominated this fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Pyle. He dominated this fight in extremely unexpected fashion, and has to have handed the Brit his first career loss.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Pyle via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
STAR RATING: (**+) Very impressive fight by Pyle, less than impressive fight from Hathaway. Very unexpected the way that fight went down.
PRELIM FIGHT A: PAUL SASS VS. MARK HOLST
ROUND ONE: Sass pulled guard early and nearly locked on a triangle choke, but Holst got out of it and they stood back up. Sass shot in and pulled guard again. Sass landed some elbows off his back. Holst tried to get out and Sass tried to grab the leg. Holst got out but Sass pulled him back down. Sass tried to get an omoplata but Holst got up and out and made Sass stand. Sass landed a spinning kick and Holst landed one of his own and Sass brought the fight back to the ground. He grabbed for a leg and went for a heel hook. Holst turned with it, scrambled and got up and out. Fun stuff here so far. Sass threw a punch and dove and brought the fight to the ground again. Sass threw up for the triangle choke and got it on this time. Holst tried to fight out but was finally forced to tap.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Sass via submission (triangle choke) at 4:45 of the first round
STAR RATING: (***) I really liked that fight. I'm not a huge fan of guys pulling guard constantly, but Sass was highly entertaining on the ground and slapped on a very nice submission to force the tap there. Great stuff and a very good debut for Sass.
-Cain Velasquez is interviewed via satellite about next Saturday's UFC 121 Championship fight against Brock Lesnar.
[Commercial Break]
FIGHT FOUR: DAN HARDY VS. CARLOS CONDIT (WELTERWEIGHT)
Unfortunately the outcome of this one was spoiled for me by Google Alerts, despite my best efforts to go into this without any spoilers. Ah well, still looking forward to seeing this!
[Commercial Break]
ROUND ONE: Condit took the center immediately. He landed a leg kick as the crowd loudly chanted for Hardy. More leg kicks from Condit land. Hardy comes back with one of his own. Hardy tried to walk Condit down and landed a couple of kicks. Condit got back in with a good kick to the thigh. Hardy landed a good left hook. Condit landed a straight kick to the thigh and then backed out. He landed a few more kicks to keep Hardy back. Hardy landed a punch and Condit countered with two. Condit landed a kick to the thigh as Hardy walked him down. Condit threw some more kicks. Condit landed a nice spinning back elbow. Hardy got in with a nice left hook. Condit landed a good body kick after blocking a high kick from Hardy. Condit landed a hard two punch combo and followed with a body kick. Hardy came back forward and landed a leg kick. Hardy cracked Condit with a left hook. Condit missed a punch and got tagged with a couple of punches. Hardy landed a leg kick. Condit landed a body kick and Hardy countered with the left hook. Condit got in with a good combination. Hardy with a left hook again. They exchanged punches and Condit knocked Hardy to the ground with a huge punch. He landed two more on the ground and it is all over. Holy shit, that was a hell of an exchange. That right there might be the runaway KO of the year.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Condit via KO at 4:27 of the first round
POST FIGHT: The replay showed two more punches on the ground that put Hardy out cold. That's the knockout of the year right now. Condit was booed afterward but gave a lot of respect to Hardy. Condit said had it gone to the ground he would have done well there too, but he was able to finish it on the feet this time. Joe Rogan then talked to Dan Hardy, who got a big ovation from the crowd. Asked what went wrong tonight, Hardy said "I got punched in the face." He said that's why it's a sport, and you can get caught at any time.
STAR RATING: (***+) Great back and forth first round with one of the best punch exchanges to finish a fight this year. That has got to be Carlos Condit's biggest career win, and it's one that everyone should see if they missed the event. Great, great win for Condit.
[Commercial Break]
-Brock Lesnar was interviewed via satellite by Joe Rogan about next week's fight with Cain Velasquez.
[Commercial Break]
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FIVE: MICHAEL BISPING VS. YOSHIHIRO AKIYAMA (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Akiyama landed a hard right early on in the round and tried to follow up. Bisping covered up nicely, however and recovered. Akiyama popped in with a right. Akiyama landed a nice left hook as Bisping tried to pop in. Bisping landed a leg kick. Akiyama landed a leg kick of his own. Bisping shot in and drove Akiyama to the cage and landed a knee. He drove forward and got Akiyama down but Akiyama got right back to his feet. Akiyama looked to get hit low but the ref said he didn't and Bispsin landed a couple of free punches before Akiyama could react. Bisping landed a body kick after getting a couple of punches in. Bisping got in a good right. He landed the overhand right again. Bisping got in with the right again. He shot in for a single but let the leg go and landed a right. He got in a good leg kick. Akiyama landed a couple of leg kicks. Akiyama again lands a few more kicks but Bisping walks him down. Bisping landed a body kick and avoided a spinning back fist from Akiyama. Bisping threw a few more kicks and then shot in. Akiyama held him off. Bisping landed a flying knee and a punch to end the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Bisping. He ate the worst shot of the round, but he recovered well and won the rest of the round.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Akiyama landed the right early. Bisping got in one of his own. Akiyama caught a kick but wasn't able to capitalize. Akiyama landed another right and both started throwing wildly with not much landing. Bisping got in a body kick. Bisping got poked in the eye but they were restarted right away. Akiyama landed a left. Bisping got in a nice right hand. He landed a couple of jabs. Bisping again got in with the right hand. He shot in but got stuffed immediately. Bisping landed a hard right. Akiyama got in with the right. Akiyama landed a jab. Bisping with a right. He landed a really hard overhand right. Akiyama lnaded a kick and a jab. Bisping with another combination. He barely missed a spinning back fist. Bisping got in again with a short combo. Bisping with a combo again ending with a body kick. Akiyama landed a left hook. He landed a body kick but was countered by Bisping. Akiyama landed a huge right but Bisping just took it in stride. Bisping with some more punches. He landed another nice right. Bisping landed a good side kick. Bisping with another nice right hand but Akiyama hurt him with a right. He came in and landed some really hard punches as the round came to a close.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Bisping. Akiyama nearly stole it late, but it wasn't enough to take the round with the amount of work Bisping did in that round.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: Bisping landed a couple of short punches early and avoided Akiyama's big punch. Akiyama then got in and landed the right. Bisping stayed busy but Akiyama pressed in with a combo. Bisping returned fire and rocked Akiyama with a head kick. He got in another one and a few punches that hurt Akiyama. Bisping landed two big punches that hurt Akiyama again. He backed off from a big attempt by Akiyama. He landed a kick low that crumpled Akiyama. Ouch. The ref gave Akiyama some time to recover and they restarted. Bisping apologized in the center for the low kick. Bisping continued to work with kicks and punches. Akiyama is getting a little desperate and he pressed in with punches and kicks that didn't find their mark. Bisping stayed busy on the outside. Bisping got in a good kick to the body. Akiyama looked up to the clock with two minutes left. Bisping landed a big combination and then followed with another one. Bisping landed a nice right again. Another overhand right from Bisping. He's thoroughly outstruck Akiyama in this fight. He landed another big combination. Bisping once again landed the right. A few jabs and another right. He landed more shots as Akiyama stood and took them. More punches land from Bisping and he's absolutely picking Akiyama apart in this fight. Akiyama missed the big right again and ate a bunch more from Bisping. Akiyama pressed in with a flurry and they both threw punches to the bell. Good fight, but a clear win for Bisping.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Bisping. He just picked Akiyama apart there in that round. Akiyama was a gamer to the end, but that was all Bisping in this fight.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Bisping via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
POST FIGHT: Bisping said he was seeing double after the big punch from Akiyama in the first.
STAR RATING: (***) That was a very good main event fight. Bisping picked Akiyama apart, took the best that he had to offer
and had one of his more impressive performances in the UFC. That was a very good performance out of Bisping and a big win in the middleweight division.
That's another event in the books. Thanks for sticking with us on our delayed coverage of the event, and make sure to check back throughout the week as we head into next week's massive UFC 121 event from Anaheim, Calif.
=====UNAIRED PRELIMINARY RESULTS=====
• Fabio Maldonado def. James McSweeney via TKO at 0:48 of the third round
• Spencer Fisher def. Kurt Warburton via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Rob Broughton def. Vinicius Quieroz via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:43 of the third round
• Claude Patrick def. James Wilks via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
DON'T GO YET... WE SUGGEST THESE MMATORCH ARTICLES, TOO!
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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