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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
UFC ON VERSUS 3
MARCH 3, 2010
LIVE FROM LOUISVILLE, KY.
-After the gladiator intro, it's time for another UFC event on the Versus network. Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan open up the show and run down what's on tap for tonight's fights. First up is the rematch between Brian Bowles and Damacio Page after a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
FIGHT ONE: BRIAN BOWLES VS. DAMACIO PAGE (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Page swings heavy right off the bat. Page comes forward with a high kick and a big knee but Bowles takes it in stride. Bowles circles away from another attack. Page landed a couple of heavy leg kicks. He jumped up for another flying kick. He is coming in very aggressive to start this fight. Bowles came forward with an overhand right that grazed Page. Bowles countered a leg kick with a two punch combo. Bowles landed two and Page countered. Bowles missed a right and just barely avoided the counter. Page came in with a knee and landed a kick to the body. Bowles landed a nice right to the body. Bowles landed a left. He landed an uppercut that hurt page. He caught a kick from Page and put him on the ground. He started landing a number of strikes on the ground and then locked up a guillotine. Page tried to fight it off, but he went out cold.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Bowles via submission (guillotine choke) at 3:30 of the first round
POST FIGHT: Bowles said he was expecting Page to come out like he did and counted on his footwork like he did in the first fight and it worked. He said the guillotine was his signature move and he hits it in the gym all the time.
STAR RATING: (***) Awesome one round fight. There was a lot of back and forth with Page starting out strong and Bowles giving fans a little deja vu by ending that fight at exactly the same time and in the same manner as he did their first meeting in 2008.
[Commercial Break]
PRELIM FIGHT A: IGOR POKRAJAC VS. TODD BROWN (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Pokrajac came forward immediately and kept Brown's back against the cage early. He landed a number of good strikes and got in with a nice combination. Brown pressed Pokrajac to the cage two minutes into the round. The crowd booed. Pokrajac got in a knee to the head with his back on the cage. Nice. Brown landed an uppercut. He threw a couple of knees to the thighs before Pokrajac got loose. He landed a nice punch. Brown countered him with a good punch of his own. He got in for the clinch again and pressed him to the fence. He landed a knee to the thigh. Pokrajac landed an uppercut. Brown landed a coupld of punches in close and then backed off. Pokrajac landed a head kick. Brown tried to initiate a takedown but got shrugged off. Pokrajac landed a nice right. Brown tried to circle and Pokrajac dropped him with a punch and he tried to shoot in with 30 seconds left. Pokrajac stood again. He got Brown to the cage and dropped him with a knee to the jaw. He continued throwing punches for the next 20 seconds, and the ref should have stopped that before the bell, and Brown couldn't get up after the round. The fight was stopped between rounds.
WINNER: Pokrajac via TKO at 5:00 of the first round
POST FIGHT: Pokrajac called out Tito Ortiz after the fight and requested the fight from the UFC.
STAR RATING: (**+) Great end to the round for Pokrajac and a very good performance overall. Brown offered some resistance in the clinch and with his counter right in the middle of the round, but that was all Pokrajac and he devastated him with that knee at the end.
[Commercial Break]
-Joe Rogan interviews Jon Jones via satellite before his UFC 128 bout with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.
FIGHT TWO: ALESSIO SAKARA VS. CHRIS WEIDMAN (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Weidman took the center of the cage. He threw a high kick early but it didn't land. He slipped as he threw a right. Weidman is throwing some awkward looping punches. Sakara got off with a nice three punch combo and ended it with a leg kick. He got in another one after a brief combo from Weidman. Weidman threw a kick to set up the clinch and pressed Sakara to the cage. Sakara held him off, however, and got separation. Weidman landed a nice straight right. He got in with a leg kick. Weidman with a two punch combo. He covered up as Sakara threw a combo and he ate a leg kick. Weidman shot in for a single leg and turned it to a double against the cage. Sakara held him off. Weidman finally stood and separated with an elbow. Sakara got in another combination to the body. Weidman tried to land a knee to the head but missed. Weidman again shot in but was stuffed. Weidman landed a few punches. They traded punches in the center. Weidman landed a nice left. Weidman landed a left and kept Sakara's back on the cage. Weidman landed a few more punches as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Weidman. He was pressing the action throughout, landed a number of good combinations of his own and cut Sakara. Sakara scored with some strikes of his own and good combos, but Weidman just edged it.
ROUND TWO: Weidman shot in for a single leg and completed a takedown very quickly into the round. Wiedman worked in the guard and then passed into side control. He landed a hard elbow and Sakara's bleeding profusely. Weidman is landing some good, hard strikes here early in the round. Sakara tried to escape and Weidman kept him down. Sakara finally swept Weidman and hopped to his feet. He landed a big combination. Weidman got back in close and took Sakara down again. Sakara was able to get back to his feet again. They pause the action to check Sakara's cut but let him return. They traded strikes. Sakara landed a nice combination to the body late in the round before it came to an end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Weidman. He messed Sakara up early and survived the late onslaught. Good round for him.
ROUND THREE: Sakara landed some vicious body shot early and Weidman landed a knee to the head. Weidman shot in and completed another takedown into side control. Sakara tried to work off the cage, but Weidman moved him away. Weidman landed some strikes in side control and opened Sakara back up. Weidman is continuing to land big strikes and Sakara is in trouble. Sakara got half guard back but Weidman continued to work. The ref stood them up with two minutes left. Terrible, terrible standup. Weidman shot in and again took Sakara down against the cage into side control. Weidman worked short forearm strikes to the face. Sakara tried to escape but Weidman kept him on his back. He got to half guard and landed more strikes. Sakara got back to his feet but just briefly as Weidman took him down again. He landed a number of strikes against the cage as the fight came to an end.
Penick's Analysis: 10-9 Weidman. That was another great round to seal it for him after a close first round that could have gone either way. Considering this was only his fifth fight, that was a very good performance.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Weidman via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
POST FIGHT: Weidman thanked the UFC for the opportunity and said he wanted the win really bad. He said he came in there to stop him but isn't surprised he wasn't able to finish him considering he's a veteran.
STAR RATING: (**) It was a good performance from Weidman, but not an entirely thrilling fight. Sakara just didn't have an answer for the takedowns as the fight went on and took a ton of damage down the stretch.
[Commercial Break]
-Joe Rogan interviews Mauricio "Shogun" Rua via satellite ahead of UFC 128.
FIGHT THREE: C.B. DOLLAWAY VS. MARK MUNOZ (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Dollaway came forward and landed a hard leg kick early. Munoz tried to get in close but Dollaway got in and took him down. He almost got a good position but ended up letting Munoz stand up. Munoz cracked him with a huge right and came back at him and landed another big uppercut that sent him sprawling back. Dollaway fell to his back and Munoz landed two hammer fists and Mario Yamasaki stopped the fight. That was too early of a stoppage by Yamasaki. Dollaway was in trouble, but he was still reacting and attempting to grab Munoz. He got hit hard with four punches there.
WINNER: Munoz via TKO at :54 of the first round
POST FIGHT: Joe Rogan said Dollaway went out, I'm seeing those replays differently, but he was definitely hurt. It was quick, but Munoz had him in a bad, bad spot.
STAR RATING: (**) That ended really quickly, and the stoppage may have been a bit early, but it's still a big win for Munoz. It's a rough setback for Dollaway, and brings an end to his three fight win streak.
[Commercial Break]
PRELIM FIGHT B: THIAGO TAVARES VS. SHANE ROLLER (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Roller landed a couple of jabs early. He pressed Tavares and landed a couple of punches. He circled away as Tavares came forward. Roller blocked a head kick. Roller landed a left and avoided the overhand right from Tavares. Roller landed a leg kick. Tavares responded with one of his own. Roller got in a body punch. Roller rushed in and missed a combo but ended nicely with a straight kick. Tavares rocked Roller with a combo and a number of strikes on the cage. Goldberg called him a mini Vitor Belfort. Not quite, Mike. Roller recovered, but he was definitely in a bad spot there briefly. He landed a couple of nice jabs on Tavares. He shot in but was held off by Tavares. Roller landed a good leg kick. Tavares blocked an overhand right. Roller pressed Tavares to the cage and landed a straight kick. They got in the clinch and Tavares landed a knee as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Tavares. He did the most significant damage in the round, and though Roller was aggressive and had some good combos of his own, Tavares did more in the round.
ROUND TWO: Tavares got in with an early combination. Roller landed a kick and Tavares returned one of his own. Roller popped in with a straight right. Tavares shot in and took Roller to the ground. Roller got back to his feet nicely, but Tavares kept a body lock on the cage. Tavares finally let it go and separated. Roller then knocked Tavares out with a right out of nowhere! He followed up with a few unnecessary punches on the ground and the fight is stopped. Huge right from Roller. Tavares fell straight back like Nate Quarry when he was knocked out by Rich Franklin.
WINNER: Roller via KO at 1:28 of the second round.
POST FIGHT: Roller said he wasn't using his movement in the first round, but in the second got some feints in and landed the right.
STAR RATING: (***-) The first round had some good back and forth action, but it was the knockout in the second that brought this fight up. Huge, huge right hand from Roller and a great win. Coming off the win over Jamie Varner, Roller is on a good roll right now.
[Commercial Break]
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FOUR: DIEGO SANCHEZ VS. MARTIN KAMPMANN (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Sanchez came out to the center of the cage but they both tentatively felt each other out early. Kampmann engaged first with a short combination. Sanchez grabbed a thai clinch and landed a knee. He got in a decent short combo. Sanchez with a punch to the body. Kampmann stalked Sanchez but ate a straight right. Sanchez shot for a single leg and pressed Kampmann to the cage. Kampmann stuffed it, turned Sanchez around and landed a knee to the body. Kampmann dropped Sanchez with a straight right and grabbed a front headlock. Sanchez pulled a switch on the cage and got to his feet. They separated and Kampmann continued the striking assault. He landed a nice knee as Sanchez dropped down for a shot. He then stuffed the shot. Sanchez landed a nice pucnh. Kampmann sprawled another shot and just missed a knee. Sanchez landed a good punch to the body. Kampmann came back forward and landed a good short combination. Kampmann landed another counter right and Kampmann is battering Sanchez's face up. Sanchez shot in for a double leg again and got stuffed. Sanchez ate a counter left before the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kampmann. Sanchez didn't look good in that round. Kampmann out-struck him, messed his face up and stuffed his takedowns throughout the round. Could be a long night for the newly nicknamed "Dream."
ROUND TWO: Sanchez tried to grab a leg early but Kampmann held him off. Sanchez went right back in for a double leg, landed a knee to the thigh, but still couldn't get Kampmann down. Kampmann stalked him down and landed a nice combination. Kampmann again landed more punches as he walked him down to the cage. Sanchez shot in again and pressed Kampmann to the cage. Kampmann stuffed him again and landed a few more strikes. Sanchez shot in again, but once more could not get the takedown. Kampmann landed a good strike. Sanchez pressed Kampmann to the cage and started swinging and he landed a bunch of punches. He hurt Kampmann there and Kampmann is bleeding. Sanchez shot in again but was stuffed yet again. Sanchez threw a high kick that was nowhere near landing. Kampmann landed a few counter-strikes. Sanchez pressed in and landed a few punches in combination. They traded punches in the center. Sanchez continued landing strikes against the cage and hurt Kampmann again before the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Sanchez. He stole the round by doing more damage overall and he hurt Kampmann a number of times. Big round and this fight is even into the third.
ROUND THREE: Both fighters exchanged strikes in the center of the cage. Sanchez landed a hard right. He popped in with a hard right again. Sanchez with a right to the body. He shot in for a single and Kampmann stuffed him again. He landed a knee as Sanchez got back up. Kampmann landed a left. Diego landed a nice punch. He came forward with another combo and landed a couple of the punches thrown. Sanchez tried to shoot again and Kampmann stuffed him once more. Sanchez landed a nice left and followed it up with more punches. Sanchez shot in once more and finally completed a takedown into side control. Kampmann gave up his back but Sanchez slipped off and Kampmann got to his feet. They traded punches again. Sanchez scored with another short combo. He landed a number of big punches. Kampmann landed a nice counter punch with a minute left. Sanchez pressed Kampmann to the cage and landed a big combination. Sanchez landed another combo against the cage and he's pressind the action. Sanchez's face is bleeding profusely. He tries to chase Kampmann down but misses and gets hit even more.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kampmann. Sanchez missed a lot of those punches and Kampmann lit him up late in the round. This was a close fight, and both had their moments, and really either fighter could win this one with the second and third being really close.
WINNER: Sanchez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
POST FIGHT: The crowd boos the decision. Sanchez said they both got caught with some big shots, they both got caught, but he thought he won the fight by controlling the pressure. He thanked the fans in Louisville. Sanchez's face is just messed up right now. Kampmann said he thought he won the fight and the crowd cheered for him. He said he thought he won all three rounds, but just look at Diego's face. He said he felt he landed the cleaner shots. He said Diego's a tough warrior but he's very disappointed.
STAR RATING: (***+) This was a really good fight, regardless of your thoughts on the decision. It was a close fight, especially in the second and the third. Sanchez missed a lot of his flurries, but continuously pressed the action, and did land a lot of damage when they started trading punches at the cage. Kampmann is in a position where once again he feels he won a fight but didn't do enough himself to outright claim it. It's the continuously spouted adage about not leaving it in the hands of the judges, and Kampmann simply couldn't do enough tonight to take it from the judges.
-That's another event in the books. Thanks for joining us tonight for our live round by round coverage of the fights. Be sure to stick with us for fallout this weekend, and check in Saturday night as we'll be live from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, for Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson, airing live on Showtime.
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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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