By: Rich Bergeron
UFC 175 and The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale took center stage at Mandalay Bay this weekend as part of the biggest fight week of the year in Las Vegas.
First up was UFC 175, where the main event saw Chris Weidman (12-0) prove his doubters wrong by dominating Lyoto Machida (21-5) over the first three rounds. Weidman did have to weather a late storm from the Karate expert, who turned on the jets late in the fight and seemed to have Weidman in survival mode by the final bell. The champion retained his belt, but he told Color Commentator Joe Rogan that he didn't remember parts of the fight. This is concerning to many in the MMA media, but Weidman also tempered those remarks by saying he was just fighting in the moment. It also came to light after the bout that Weidman had one of his worst training camps ever and was still recovering from knee surgery and a camp injury. Either way, it looked like Machida was auditioning for "Dancing With The Stars" in the first few rounds. His style needs to be more aggressive through the entire fight if he wants to stay relevant in the division. Weidman was patient, and it paid off with the judges giving him a unanimous decision by a wide points margin.
"Rowdy" Ronda Rousey (10-0) took just 16 seconds to bulldoze over Alexis Davis (16-6). After a few punches were exchanged, Rousey executed a phenomenal Judo throw, holding onto Davis in a tight headlock as both fighters hit the ground. Rousey rained down at least seven straight shots to the face of Davis before the ref jumped in to save the day. Still, Davis fought on in zombie mode, first clinging to Rousey's waist and then trying to take the referee down before realizing what happened.
There was more to talk about in the post fight interview process there, as Rogan relayed a question from "the truck" in reference to the possibility of Rousey fighting at UFC 176. She replied that she'd have to talk to her team, but Dana White then appeared to berate Rogan after apologizing to Rousey for the suggestion. Obviously White and the truck weren't on the same page.
Further adding injury to insult was a backstage scene in which Rousey had to have her hand stitched up due to a knuckle injury she left untreated. A cyst developed in the previous cut that split open again in the fight. Rousey will also undergo arthroscopic knee surgery, which she said is already scheduled. She previously stated she wanted to take a long break after this fight, so we probably won't see her back in the cage until late this year.
Uriah Hall (9-4) weathered a broken toe to beat Thiago Santos (9-3) in one of the most gutsy performances of his career. Hall earned the unanimous decision despite the doctor almost stopping the fight when Hall came back to his corner after the first round with his toe just about twisted off his foot.
"The California Kid" Uriah Hall (31-7) appeared for the first time in a long time on the undercard Saturday night against a game Alex "Bruce Leeroy" Caceres (10-6, 1 N/C). Caceres gave Faber some trouble early on with his awkward style, but Faber used his wrestling and jiu jitsu to maintain control of the fight until he sunk a picture-perfect rear naked choke to end the fight at the 1:09 mark of the third round.
In Other Results:
Russell Doane (14-3) won a split decision against Marcus Brimage (6-3)
Kenny Robertson (14-3) earned a unanimous decision victory over Ildemar Alcantra (20-7)
Bruno Santos (14-1) edged out a split decision over Chris Camozzi (19-8)
Rob Font (11-1) demolished George Roop (15-11-1) with a knockout win at 2:19 of the first round.
Luke Zachrich (14-3) earned a unanimous decision win over Guilherme Vasconcelos (3-2)
Kevin Casey (9-3) made quick work of Bubba Bush (8-3) with a series of elbows to earn a 1st round KO
Sunday night featured another series of phenomenal fights headlined by the final fight in BJ Penn's career. The third bout between Frankie Edgar (17-4-1) and Penn (16-10-2) cemented Dana White's statements about "The Prodigy" needing to retire. Penn pulled guard for most of the fight, looking more like he was a break dancer working on his backspin than an MMA fighter trying to go out on top.
Other than a series of upkick attempts and some ineffective punches and elbows from his back, Penn looked hopeless in his final fight in the Octagon. Edgar used his superior wrestling and striking to stop Penn for the third time in the Hawaiian's career. Elbows and punches opened Penn up late in the third round with Referee Herb Dean stepping in to save Penn from further damage at the 4:19 mark of the round.
Penn told Rogan after the bout that he should not have even been in the cage for this fight, and it was time to call it quits. He's had a fantastic and memorable career, but unfortunately he may be most remembered for refusing to realize his time was up. Penn only managed one victory over the course of his last six fights, including the other two losses to Edgar for the lightweight title. To add insult to injury, none of Team Penn's fighters made it to the finale except for Dan Spohn, who was beaten soundly by Patrick Walsh earlier in the night.
Corey Anderson (3-0) earned his first official UFC win and The Ultimate Fighter trophy for this season's 205 pound class with a dominating performance against Matt Van Buren (6-3). Ironically, Van Buren said in the montage leading up to the bout that he was going to hit Anderson harder than he'd ever been hit in his life. It turned out the opposite way with Anderson unloading some heavy punches to quickly force his opponent's back against the cage. Anderson blazed forward with bombing lefts and rights, dropping Van Buren to the mat. Though Van Buren appeared to be covering up well on the ground, he did not fight back enough to keep the fight going. The fight lasted just one second over a full minute, and Van Buren never really had a chance to showcase any of his best skills in the bout.
Eddie Gordon (7-1) made the best of his time working with Matt Serra and Ray Longo after leaving The Ultimate Fighter house. Dhiego Lima (9-2) didn't have a chance to lock up one of his slick submissions thanks to an immediate attack from "Truck" to start the bout. In only took Gordon ten more seconds than Anderson to get the finish and earn his own trophy and become this season's Welterweight winner. He also used a blitz of punches to finish his opponent.
Both fights were more explosive and exciting than any of the experts predicted they would be, and both were also far better than any performance the winners displayed while on the show. Both fighters won a customized Harley Davidson motorcycle in addition to a cheesy crystal trophy. Can't the UFC afford something better for these guys considering what they go through to win the tournament?
Both Anderson and Gordon are sure to become serious contenders in their respective divisions. They both seem to realize now that dynamic striking is what keeps their fans and their bosses entertained.
Patrick Walsh (5-1) wound up getting a win in the preliminaries by almost entirely abandoning his hands-down approach to striking. He dominated the bulk of the first two rounds against Daniel Spohn (8-4) with his superior wrestling, all the while working to submit Spohn with a Kimura. Spohn looked doomed until the referee stood the two fighters up late in the third round. Walsh kept his hands up this time, but he also positioned them a bit too far away from his face. Spohn split the uprights and gave Walsh reason to panic with a series of heavy handed punches and elbows. It could have been curtains for Walsh if Spohn didn't make the mistake of trying to sink a guillotine choke, which Walsh always escaped from on prior attempts. Walsh escaped yet again, bleeding from a gash on his forehead. He rode out the final seconds in top control and earned a unanimous decision by 29-28 scores across the board. Congrats to Walsh, a fellow Massachusetts native and recent guest on our FNU Combat Sports Show.
In Other Results:
Derrick Lewis (11-2-1) scored a first round KO of Guto Inocente (6-3) at the 3:30 mark.
Dustin Ortiz (14-3) won a split decision against Justin Scoggins (9-1).
Kevin Lee (8-1) used smart defense and striking to edge out a split decision against Jesse Ronson (13-5)
Leandro Issa (12-4) pulled off an incredible comeback to submit Jumabieke Tuerxun (14-3) in the 3rd
Adriano Martins (26-7) knocked out Juan Manuel Puig (11-3) at 2:21 of the first with punches
Sarah Moras (4-1) notched a unanimous decision win over Alexis Dufresne (5-1)
Robert Drysdale (7-0) led off the card and made his UFC debut count with a Rear Naked Choke submission of Keith Berish (5-1)
UFC 175 and The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale took center stage at Mandalay Bay this weekend as part of the biggest fight week of the year in Las Vegas.
First up was UFC 175, where the main event saw Chris Weidman (12-0) prove his doubters wrong by dominating Lyoto Machida (21-5) over the first three rounds. Weidman did have to weather a late storm from the Karate expert, who turned on the jets late in the fight and seemed to have Weidman in survival mode by the final bell. The champion retained his belt, but he told Color Commentator Joe Rogan that he didn't remember parts of the fight. This is concerning to many in the MMA media, but Weidman also tempered those remarks by saying he was just fighting in the moment. It also came to light after the bout that Weidman had one of his worst training camps ever and was still recovering from knee surgery and a camp injury. Either way, it looked like Machida was auditioning for "Dancing With The Stars" in the first few rounds. His style needs to be more aggressive through the entire fight if he wants to stay relevant in the division. Weidman was patient, and it paid off with the judges giving him a unanimous decision by a wide points margin.
"Rowdy" Ronda Rousey (10-0) took just 16 seconds to bulldoze over Alexis Davis (16-6). After a few punches were exchanged, Rousey executed a phenomenal Judo throw, holding onto Davis in a tight headlock as both fighters hit the ground. Rousey rained down at least seven straight shots to the face of Davis before the ref jumped in to save the day. Still, Davis fought on in zombie mode, first clinging to Rousey's waist and then trying to take the referee down before realizing what happened.
There was more to talk about in the post fight interview process there, as Rogan relayed a question from "the truck" in reference to the possibility of Rousey fighting at UFC 176. She replied that she'd have to talk to her team, but Dana White then appeared to berate Rogan after apologizing to Rousey for the suggestion. Obviously White and the truck weren't on the same page.
Further adding injury to insult was a backstage scene in which Rousey had to have her hand stitched up due to a knuckle injury she left untreated. A cyst developed in the previous cut that split open again in the fight. Rousey will also undergo arthroscopic knee surgery, which she said is already scheduled. She previously stated she wanted to take a long break after this fight, so we probably won't see her back in the cage until late this year.
Uriah Hall (9-4) weathered a broken toe to beat Thiago Santos (9-3) in one of the most gutsy performances of his career. Hall earned the unanimous decision despite the doctor almost stopping the fight when Hall came back to his corner after the first round with his toe just about twisted off his foot.
"The California Kid" Uriah Hall (31-7) appeared for the first time in a long time on the undercard Saturday night against a game Alex "Bruce Leeroy" Caceres (10-6, 1 N/C). Caceres gave Faber some trouble early on with his awkward style, but Faber used his wrestling and jiu jitsu to maintain control of the fight until he sunk a picture-perfect rear naked choke to end the fight at the 1:09 mark of the third round.
In Other Results:
Russell Doane (14-3) won a split decision against Marcus Brimage (6-3)
Kenny Robertson (14-3) earned a unanimous decision victory over Ildemar Alcantra (20-7)
Bruno Santos (14-1) edged out a split decision over Chris Camozzi (19-8)
Rob Font (11-1) demolished George Roop (15-11-1) with a knockout win at 2:19 of the first round.
Luke Zachrich (14-3) earned a unanimous decision win over Guilherme Vasconcelos (3-2)
Kevin Casey (9-3) made quick work of Bubba Bush (8-3) with a series of elbows to earn a 1st round KO
Sunday night featured another series of phenomenal fights headlined by the final fight in BJ Penn's career. The third bout between Frankie Edgar (17-4-1) and Penn (16-10-2) cemented Dana White's statements about "The Prodigy" needing to retire. Penn pulled guard for most of the fight, looking more like he was a break dancer working on his backspin than an MMA fighter trying to go out on top.
Other than a series of upkick attempts and some ineffective punches and elbows from his back, Penn looked hopeless in his final fight in the Octagon. Edgar used his superior wrestling and striking to stop Penn for the third time in the Hawaiian's career. Elbows and punches opened Penn up late in the third round with Referee Herb Dean stepping in to save Penn from further damage at the 4:19 mark of the round.
Penn told Rogan after the bout that he should not have even been in the cage for this fight, and it was time to call it quits. He's had a fantastic and memorable career, but unfortunately he may be most remembered for refusing to realize his time was up. Penn only managed one victory over the course of his last six fights, including the other two losses to Edgar for the lightweight title. To add insult to injury, none of Team Penn's fighters made it to the finale except for Dan Spohn, who was beaten soundly by Patrick Walsh earlier in the night.
Corey Anderson (3-0) earned his first official UFC win and The Ultimate Fighter trophy for this season's 205 pound class with a dominating performance against Matt Van Buren (6-3). Ironically, Van Buren said in the montage leading up to the bout that he was going to hit Anderson harder than he'd ever been hit in his life. It turned out the opposite way with Anderson unloading some heavy punches to quickly force his opponent's back against the cage. Anderson blazed forward with bombing lefts and rights, dropping Van Buren to the mat. Though Van Buren appeared to be covering up well on the ground, he did not fight back enough to keep the fight going. The fight lasted just one second over a full minute, and Van Buren never really had a chance to showcase any of his best skills in the bout.
Eddie Gordon (7-1) made the best of his time working with Matt Serra and Ray Longo after leaving The Ultimate Fighter house. Dhiego Lima (9-2) didn't have a chance to lock up one of his slick submissions thanks to an immediate attack from "Truck" to start the bout. In only took Gordon ten more seconds than Anderson to get the finish and earn his own trophy and become this season's Welterweight winner. He also used a blitz of punches to finish his opponent.
Both fights were more explosive and exciting than any of the experts predicted they would be, and both were also far better than any performance the winners displayed while on the show. Both fighters won a customized Harley Davidson motorcycle in addition to a cheesy crystal trophy. Can't the UFC afford something better for these guys considering what they go through to win the tournament?
Both Anderson and Gordon are sure to become serious contenders in their respective divisions. They both seem to realize now that dynamic striking is what keeps their fans and their bosses entertained.
Patrick Walsh (5-1) wound up getting a win in the preliminaries by almost entirely abandoning his hands-down approach to striking. He dominated the bulk of the first two rounds against Daniel Spohn (8-4) with his superior wrestling, all the while working to submit Spohn with a Kimura. Spohn looked doomed until the referee stood the two fighters up late in the third round. Walsh kept his hands up this time, but he also positioned them a bit too far away from his face. Spohn split the uprights and gave Walsh reason to panic with a series of heavy handed punches and elbows. It could have been curtains for Walsh if Spohn didn't make the mistake of trying to sink a guillotine choke, which Walsh always escaped from on prior attempts. Walsh escaped yet again, bleeding from a gash on his forehead. He rode out the final seconds in top control and earned a unanimous decision by 29-28 scores across the board. Congrats to Walsh, a fellow Massachusetts native and recent guest on our FNU Combat Sports Show.
In Other Results:
Derrick Lewis (11-2-1) scored a first round KO of Guto Inocente (6-3) at the 3:30 mark.
Dustin Ortiz (14-3) won a split decision against Justin Scoggins (9-1).
Kevin Lee (8-1) used smart defense and striking to edge out a split decision against Jesse Ronson (13-5)
Leandro Issa (12-4) pulled off an incredible comeback to submit Jumabieke Tuerxun (14-3) in the 3rd
Adriano Martins (26-7) knocked out Juan Manuel Puig (11-3) at 2:21 of the first with punches
Sarah Moras (4-1) notched a unanimous decision win over Alexis Dufresne (5-1)
Robert Drysdale (7-0) led off the card and made his UFC debut count with a Rear Naked Choke submission of Keith Berish (5-1)
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