...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Todd Harris opens up the broadcast and brings in Stephan Bonnar as his second man on commentary. Bonnar breaks down the attributes of the night's main event fighters. Harris then brings up the co-main event between Miguel Torres and Joseph Benavidez, which Bonnar calls as his "Fight of the Night." They then run down the rest of the night's card before bringing it to the first bout of the night.
FIGHT ONE: BART PALASZEWKSI VS. KAREN DARABEDYAN (LIGHTWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Palaszewski said he's ready for whatever Darabedyan brings. Darabedyan said it's going to be a quick night. He said any opening given he'll take to finish this one.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND ONE: For the sake of quicker typing I'll just refer to these two as Bart and Karen tonight! Both fighters circle around the center to begin the fight. Karen gets Bart to back up and eats a kick to the body as he engages. Karen is pressing the action from the center around to the outside but he hasn't done much of anything yet. He eats a leg kick. He comes forward and connects on a big punch. He starts unleashing punches to Bart on the cage and then shoots in and takes him down. Bart tries to get a shoulder lock but Karen gets out. Karen postures up and unleashes a few more right hands. He drops down into the half guard. Karen stands back up and eats an upkick from Bart before dropping back down into his guard. He lands a few short forearms and keeps working punches. Bart tries to grab an arm but Karen drops down with a huge right hand and a few more punches. Bart holds onto an arm and throws his legs up again but Karen landed a big right. He drops another short forearm. Bart throws his legs up and gets a hold of an arm! He rolls Karen through and works on the armbar. Karen tries to hold it off but Bart finishes it and forces the tap. Hell of a come from behind there.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Palaszewski via submission (armbar) at 4:40 of the first round
POST FIGHT: Palaszewski said he likes to bang and put on a show for people, but it doesn't always work that way and you've got to win a fight.
STAR RATING: (**+) That was an excellent come from behind victory there. He didn't let the fight get late into the second or third round before the comeback, but in a round he was losing badly he pulled off a great submission to run his win streak to 3 fights. Very big win for Palaszewski.
-We get the first plug for UFC on Versus. The countdown special for the show airs immediately after the card tonight.
FIGHT TWO: DEIVIDAS TAUROSEVICIUS VS. LC DAVIS (FEATHERWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Davis said this fight is two evenly matched fighters going against each other. Deividas said it's going to be a war. Davis is looking to knock him out. Deividas said he'd like to see him try.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND ONE: Deividas pushes forward with an inside leg kick early. Both fighters are calmly feeling each other out here in the early going. Davis landed a leg kick. Deividas came in close and Davis clinches him and gets him to the cage. He lands a knee to the body. He lands a few punches and then another knee against the cage. Deividas throws a couple of knees up. They trade knees and punches on the cage. Deividas turns him around and lands some big knees. Davis again turns him around and they trade knees to the legs and body again. They're going nowhere with it and the ref separates them. Very even action in that position exchange on the cage. Davis lands a big counter right jab. Deividas pushes in again but Davis gets under and clinches to push him to the cage. Deividas lands a knee and Davis lands a big short forearm to the face. He lands a good right. They're trading shots on the cage with Deividas' back on it. Deividas finally turns it around and goes for a single leg. Davis holds him off and turns him around again and gets in a few knees. Such good jockeying for position right now. Very even fight. Davis landed a good knee and Deividas turns him and goes for a single leg. He grabs a body lock and tries to get Davis down but Davis holds it off. Great show of strength as the round comes to an end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Davis. Very close fight, but Davis landed the more damaging blows in the round with everything else fairly even. Good start.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: They both feint punches early. Deividas gets in a body punch. He shoots in for a single leg and Davis beautifully holds off the attempt on the cage and keeps himself upright. Deividas tried to stay on him with the single leg as Davis holds it off. Deividas finally completes the takedown. He lands a couple of rights as he tries to drag Davis all the way down. Davis uses the cage and gets back to his feet. Deividas keeps Davis' back against the cage and lands a couple of punches and a knee low. The ref didn't separate them. That's terrible. Davis keeps going and finally turns Deividas around. He lands some punches to the body. They trade more knees and punches. Davis got kneed low again and the ref just said he didn't see it. Deividas turns him around again and finally separates them with a minute left in the round. Davis lands a couple of punches. Deividas pushes in but gets shrugged off. Davis comes in and lands a couple of punches before Deividas dropped down for a single again. Davis landed a big knee and then turned Deividas around. The round comes to an end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Deividas. He got the takedown and was the aggressor through much of the round, but it wasn't a clear cut round. Unbelievable that the ref reacted that way to two low blows. That was Strikeforce: Challengers bad.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND THREE: They each get in a few punches back and forth and they get to the clinch on the cage again to the chagrin of some in the audience. Deividas gets the body lock again but Davis holds him off. Deividas lands a knee to the head. Deividas lands a good elbow but Davis turns him around and separates. Deividas throws a high kick but it gets blocked. Deividas gets in close again and Davis gets him to the cage. Deividas turns him around and the fans boo again. Deividas drops for a double leg but Davis holds it off. Davis lands a big left and then shoots in and completes a takedown. Deividas tries to gets his leg up for an omoplata as he trapped the left arm of Davis. He lands some punches to the side of the head as Davis is stuck in that position. The ref stood them up as Davis was stuck. With thirty seconds left Davis pushed in. He landed a punch and then Deividas shot in and they traded knees to the body against the cage with the crowd booing to end the fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Davis. Really tough fight to score, but Davis landed a couple of very good punches and got the takedown completed in that round to edge it. Would not surprise me in the slightest to see Taurosevicius get his hand raised, though.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Davis via majority decision (29-29, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**-) It was just a stalemate throughout the fight, both fighters were that evenly matched. The final round was probably the one that the lone judge had as a 10-10, but all three were really close.
[Commercial Break]
-Todd Harris interviews Title challengers Donald Cerrone and Urijah Faber cageside. "Cowboy" said it's not going to go five rounds this time. He said he thinks Ben will get knocked the hell out this time. Faber says Aldo is extremely talented he's thinking the fight will be "bangin." He said he's looking forward to a battle of the ages and he's looking to get that belt back. Stephan Bonnar then runs down the card for that pay-per-view, which is completely stacked even if people are balking at the price (and I have).
[Commercial Break]
FIGHT THREE: JENS PULVER VS. JAVIER VASQUEZ (FEATHERWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Pulver said he's trying to get back to getting everyone that beat him, he said he's got a list. Vasquez said he wanted to fight Pulver in 01 and now he gets him now and he said his goal for this fight is to prove that he belongs. Pulver said he can still cause damage and he can't wait to get out there and prove that to everyone.
ROUND ONE: They both miss punches early. Vasquez caught a kick but Pulver got away. Pulver landed a good punch but Vasquez comes back. Vasquez shoots in for a takedown but Pulver grabs a guillotine. He nearly has it complete but Vasquez rolls through. Pulver stands up. Vasquez gets him down to the ground and Pulver tries to roll through but Vasquez got him back over. He nearly got his back but Pulver reversed into his guard. He stood up and landed a couple of kicks but Vasquez got right to him and got him back down. Vasquez moved to side control and then the crucifix and landed a bunch of shots with Pulver desperately trying to get out. He gets out of that position but gives up his back. Vasquez tries to get the choke but Pulver does a good job of getting out. Vasquez then throws up for an armbar and locks both of Pulver's arms so he can't even tap right away. He gives a verbal tap but it's too late by the time the ref gets there and he is hurting badly. The crowd doesn't like the result and cheer Pulver as he makes it back to his feet.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Vasquez via submission (armbar) at 3:41 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Pulver hugs Vasquez after the announcement. Vasquez said he is a huge fan of Pulver's himself so he'd never say a bad thing about Pulver. He said the fight went about as well as he could have expected. Jens came in and said he wanted to fix something for the crowd after the last fight put people to sleep. He said he knew Vasquez is great on the ground and said anyone that's been watching him knows he's not exactly the grappler. He said he'd never say never on fighting again, but he said he doesn't know how many times he can cry in front of the fans again and he loves the fans too much to put them through this again. He gave a very heartfelt statement to the fans and his family while apologizing for the loss before thanking Dana White for all that he had done for him.
STAR RATING: (**+) Very nice submission by Vasquez after a good defensive effort from Pulver. He was just outmatched on the ground in this one. It's sad to see again for Pulver, but perhaps this time it really will be the end.
[Commercial Break]
PRELIM FIGHT A: SCOTT JORGENSEN VS. CHAD GEORGE (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Joergensen stuffs a takedown from George early and then pushes him to the cage. He's got a nasty guillotine choke on and locks it in tight and chokes George out cold! George tapped right before he went out and he was motionless on the mat. He convulsed as he came to with the commission officials around him. On the replay he literally had George lifted up off his feet and against the cage. Sick, sick submission.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Jorgensen via submission (guillotine choke) at :31 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Jorgensen said his wrestling is one of the best in the division and if you shoot in on him from a distance he'll stop it. He said he just wants to see another fight and wants to keep active for the fans.
STAR RATING: (**+) That's an early submission of the year candidate with him lifting George off his feet. That was just nasty. Another big win for Jorgensen, who seems to get all of his fights onto the broadcast whether he's scheduled on a main card or not. Man is he fun to watch.
[Commercial Break]
FIGHT FOUR: MIGUEL TORRES VS. JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ (BANTAMWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Benavidez said this is the biggest fight of his life. Torres said this one will set the tone for the rest of his career. He said he knows what he had, he knows what he lost and he knows what he needs to do to get it back. He said his two goals are to get his rematch with Bowles and to get his Title back and he doesn't care what order they come in. Benavidez said he's going to show everyone that he's one of the best fighters in the world by beating Torres tonight.
ROUND ONE: Torres circles quickly around the outside as Benavidez stays in the center. Torres lands a good inside leg kick and backs out. Benavidez beats him to the next kick. Torres tried to counter a leg kick by Benavidez but misses. Benavidez pops him with a couple of punches but Torres takes them and keeps moving. Torres circles and gets in a good body kick. Benavidez got close and ate a leg kick to right hook combo for his troubles. Benavidez landed a good leg kick. Torres steps in and they trade punches. Both are taking shots and moving here. Benavidez catches a kick from Torres and drops him. Torres scoots at him before stepping back up to his feet. Benavidez throws a right and then tries to shoot in on Torres against the cage. Torres holds him off and turns him around. He lands a couple of big knees before Benavidez pulls off a beautiful trip. Torres tries to kick him off and land an up kick but Benavidez holds it off and tries to lock in a guillotine. Torres rolls up and defends nicely. He pulls Benavidez back to half guard. Benavidez tried to posture up to land a punch and Torres got him banck to full guard. Torres ends the round with an armbar attempt and then an upkick and gets back to his feet.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez. Very nice start for him. The trip takedown was just pretty and he held control of Torres on the ground for much of the round.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Torres lands a good body kick early. Benavidez starts to walk him down. He got in and landed a good right to the body and an overhand right to the head but the latter just grazed Torres. Torres landed a jab. Torres lands a good right and then backs off before the counter. Benavidez pushes in with a kick to the body. Torres lands a body punch and backs off. Jab from Torres lands nicely. Torres gets in a nice hook and then another nice jab, but he needs to pick it up to take a round here. Just as I type that Benavidez shoots in quickly and takes Torres down. He lands a good elbow that cuts Torres open. Torres is cut badly. Benavidez gets Torres down again and locks on a guillotine choke. Torres tries to roll through and Benavidez holds on as blood is pouring out of Torres and he forces the tap! Yeah, that just happened.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Benavidez via submission (guillotine choke) at 2:57 of the second round.
POST FIGHT: They're still working on Torres cut, man was that bad. Benavidez said he went in there to fight a fight and he's been waiting for the fight forever.
STAR RATING: (***+) Unbelievable performance out of Benavidez in the fight of his life. He said it was the biggest fight of his career and he pulled out his best performance and had the upper hand from the beginning. Dropping to guard with the choke after opening that cut was just a great sequence and a sick visual as the force of the choke forced the blood to pour out of Torres' head. Benavidez absolutely earned himself a Title shot with that, there's no doubt about that.
[Commercial Break]
PRELIM FIGHT B: DANNY CASTILLO VS. ANTHONY PETTIS (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Castillo walks Pettis down against the cage but doesn't engage. Pettis lands a combo and Castillo returns with a punch. Castillo landed a good kick. Castillo shoots in and gets the takedown. Castillo stood up and tried to drop down but Pettis caught him with an upkick. He stood back up and Pettis kicked him in the shin and got right back up. Pettis tried for a flying knee but wasn't close enough. Castillo came in and clinched and landed a knee low. Ouch. At least the ref saw it in this one and gave him time to recover. Pettis lands a couple of jabs. Pettis then pushes forward and knocks Castillo out with a head kick to the side of the head! He lands a few unnecessary shots on the ground before the ref could get there as Castillo was out before he hit the ground. Wow, what a kick.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Pettis via KO at 2:17 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Pettis said he took care of injuries coming off a loss. He said he's got more of that coming, just watch his next fight.
STAR RATING: (***) Hell of a knockout by Pettis. That, along with the triangle he pulled off in his WEC debut, just goes to show that he's quite an exciting fighter. Awesome KO against a good fighter in Castillo.
[Commercial Break]
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FIVE: BRIAN BOWLES VS. DOMINICK CRUZ (BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
PRE FIGHT: Cruz said he's always looking for the finish but he's got five rounds to use if he needs to. Bowles said Cruz isn't hungrier than he is and he's not going to let the belt go easily. He said he's looking to choke someone and knock someone out every time he fights. Cruz said he's excited to be in this fight. He said Bowles won't be able to find him and he's going to pick him apart and eventually find him.
ROUND ONE: Cruz comes out dancing and lands a leg kick early. He comes in with another one as Bowles lands a right. Cruz got a good right in. Bowles lands a left as Cruz counters nicely. Bowles misses a right and a high kick. Cruz lands a good punch. Man is he moving fast in the cage. Cruz comes forward and misses a two punch combo. Bowles caught a kick and landed a right and missed the follow up. Cruz lands a good jab. Cruz connects on Bowles as he comes in but then gets rocked right after by Bowles. Bowles comes in and gets tagged with a punch by Cruz that appears to hurt him. He recovers. Cruz gets in and out quick again with a combo. Cruz again catches Bowles as the Champ is charging in with a combo. Cruz gets in and lands a good punch. Bowles rushes in with a combo and then tries to drop down with a guillotine but doesn't have it locked in. Cruz backs up out of the guard and lets Bowles back up. Cruz got in with a good combo. Bowles countered with a right. Cruz landed two more shots as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Cruz. Great first round from the challenger. He was really quick in and out with combinations and landed more shots overall.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND TWO: Cruz again is moving around the outside. Bowles lands a good uppercut as Cruz came in. Cruz caught him with a counter right as he came forward. Cruz bounced on the outside and landed a good leg kick. Bowles lands a big straight right as Cruz missed a punch. Cruz gets a jab in. Cruz with an inside leg kick. Bowles catches a kick and tries to follow with a punch but Cruz backs up nicely and counters with a right of his own. Cruz pushes Bowles down and lands a big combo and trips Bowles with a leg kick. Bowles is getting backed up here and is having trouble figuring Cruz out here. Cruz in with another punch and then backing out. Bowles caught a kick and landed a hard right. Bowles lands the body punch. Cruz gets in with another good combo ending with a hard leg kick. Bowles blocks a punch. He catches a leg and tries to get a takedown but Cruz holds him off. Cruz lands a kick low as he threw a knee up. Bowles is given time to recover and then they restart. Bowles comes in quick with a flurry and lands a few punches. Cruz backs him off with one of his own. Bowles lands a big left hand on the cage and Cruz counters again. Cruz shoots in with twenty seconds left and scores a late takedown. Bowles holds onto him and forces him off as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Cruz. He's fighting a great fight right now, but you can't help but get the feeling if Bowles is just able to land one of this big shots flush it could be all over. Good fight so far.
[Commercial Break]
-Apparently during the break the doctors came in and determined Bowles was unable to continue and the fight was stopped, giving the Title to Cruz. He may have broken his hand as they cut the glove off of him.
WINNER: Cruz via TKO (doctor's stoppage) after the second
POST FIGHT: The crowd is mixed in their reaction with quite a few boos with the way the fight ended. Cruz pleaded to the crowd not to boo as they were both fighting their heart off. He dedicated the belt to his mom, who comes in the cage and has the belt placed on her by Cruz. He said he felt he needed to move a lot and he executed the gameplan and that was all. Bowles said he broke his hand with the first punch thrown in the fight and it weighed on his mind the rest of the way.
STAR RATING: (**) It was the beginnings of a really good back and forth fight, but with the unfortunate stoppage due to injury it ends very anti-climacticly.
UNAIRED PRELIM RESULTS
-Chad Mendes def. Erik Koch via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
-Leonard Garcia vs. George Roop ends in split draw (29-27, 27-29, 28-28)
-Fredson Paixao def. Courtney Buck via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:39 of the first round
-Ricardo Lamas def. Bendy Casimir via KO (knee) at 3:43 of the first round
That's another WEC event in the books on Versus, and it was again a good night of fights. A bit of an anti-climactic ending to the main event, but it sets up to huge rematches in the division with Cruz and Benavidez winning, as it will lead to Bowles vs. Torres II as well. Benavidez had the biggest win of the night and will need to go back to see what he did wrong in the first fight with Cruz to find a way to get that belt around his waist. Thanks everyone for checking us out tonight, and make sure to tune in tomorrow to BlogTalkRadio.com as we debut our new weekly Sunday Livecast from 2-4 pm ET. Details and call-in information is below:
***
Just a reminder, this Sunday afternoon, join editor-in-chief Jamie Penick and columnist Matt Pelkey from 2-4 p.m. ET (11-1 PT) for a live call-in show at BlogTalkRadio.com.
Set a reminder notice now or Sunday visit the following URL to listen:
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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