Source: http://www.fighters.com/02/24/hockey-fight-of-the-day-jody-shelley-vs-darcy-hordichuk
Wes Soldier Combs Ray Cooper Kit Cope Wesley Cabbage Correira Patrick The Predator Côté
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Hockey Fight of the Day: Jody Shelley vs. Darcy Hordichuk
Typically it takes a solid chunk of time for a hockey fight to be considered one of the season’s best but in the case of the Philadelphia Flyers’ Jody Shelley and Edmonton Oilers’ Darcy Hordichuk it’s worth making an exception. The two players faced off last night and packed as much action into a 30-45 [...]
Vegas Detour
Tyler Bledsoe, Jose Rojo, Cairo Foster, Nick Garcia and Devine Calloway hit the streets of Las Vegas...
Source: http://etnies.com/blog/2012/2/21/vegas-detour/
Kit Cope Wesley Cabbage Correira Patrick The Predator Côté Randy The Natural Couture Dan Cramer
Watch Georges St. Pierre get beaten by Japanese children in the cutest video ever produced
UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre headed to Japan for UFC 144. He visited a school for young kids and was promptly beaten by children wielding swords.
Seriously, watch the first two and a half minutes of this video. Your day will improve. Watch as GSP beams while the children warm up, then see him not keep up as they run through exercises with plastic swords. Finally, see how they suddenly turn on him and beat GSP over the head until he submits to strikes.
After he talks about how he would have rather played with swords as a kid than with a hockey stick, they show a visit to the mayor of Saitama, Japan, and a visit to a dojo where kids aged around seven beat each other up. But if you can't watch the whole six minutes, at least press play for the first two and half.
Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
? Sean Woods has Mississippi Valley State riding high in the SWAC
? Kobe Bryant suffered a mild concussion in the NBA All-Star game
? Dan Wetzel: The Daytona 500 in prime time is not a bad thing
Dan Hardy Lee Hasdell Musse Hasselvall Daiki DJ taiki Hata He Peng
Blagoi Ivanov stabbed, Bellator asks for 'thoughts and prayers'
Bellator is asking fans for their thoughts and prayers as Bulgarian heavyweight Blagoi Ivanov reportedly clings to life. Over the weekend, multiple reports stated the Bellator veteran was attacked by a group of men at a bar in Sofia, Bulgaria, and remains in critical condition after being stabbed in the chest.
"Right now, we do not have all of the details, but our thoughts and prayers are with Blagoi and his family," Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said.
Kultar Gill Allan Goes Takanori The Fireball Kid Gomi Akihiro Gono Gabriel Gonzaga
UFC on Fuel TV Predictions- Kamikaze Overdrive MMA
UFC on Fuel TV: Ellenberger vs Sanchez Predictions -- UFC on Fuel TV: Ellenberger vs Sanchez predictions for 3 main card fights. The rest of my predictions can be found @ kamikazeoverdrive.netCheck out my MMA Rankings for all 7 UFC divisions; the ...
Source: http://www.mmanews.com/video/mrj86/1147
Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama Gilbert Aldana
UFC 131 Weigh In Highlight: Dos Santos vs Carwin - UFC 131
Watch these two monsters of the Octagon square off tomorrow night at UFC 131 .Source: http://mmalice.com/ufc-131/ufc-131-weigh-in-highlight-dos-santos-vs-carwin-video_bbf20ac89.html
Dos Caras Jr Phil Cardella Roan Jucao Carneiro Shane The Engineer Carwin Jason Hollywood Chambers
Jack3d - Preworkout supplement
Been hearing lot of good things about this from credible sources, although im not taking it myself. Basically a combination of stimulants and creatine.
Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?77975-Jack3d-Preworkout-supplement&goto=newpost
Rich Franklin Ian Freeman Don Frye Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita
Monster Energy Supercross Returns to St. Louis
As Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, returns to St. Louis' Edward Jones Dome...
Melvin Guillard Cody Guinn Jorge Gurgel Andre Gusmao Alexander Gustafsson
UFC 144 Results: Ryan Bader dominates Quinton "Rampage" Jackson to earn decision win in Japan
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson blamed an injury in training for not making weight for his UFC 144 bout with Ryan Bader on Saturday night in Japan, and while he said the injury had healed prior to the fight, it was clearly affecting him in the cage.
Bader took advantage of a clearly not-on-his-game Rampage and pulled off a one-sided decision win, the biggest of his MMA career. Jackson was favoring his knee immediately after the fight was over, and he was slow and lethargic throughout the 15 minute bout.
Bader's speed was a key factor in the fight, and he used it to pop in and out with strikes in the first round. He also worked well in the clinch, and the pace took Jackson down a notch into the second. In the one piece of offense Jackson had in that second frame, he caught a knee from Bader, picked him up, and slammed him on his head. However, he couldn't follow-up, and Bader wound up taking him down shortly thereafter and controlling the rest of the frame.
In the third, Jackson had little energy left, and Bader rushed him again with a takedown, spending much of the final frame working in top position. The win was Bader's second straight after consecutive losses in 2011, while Jackson has now lost two straight of his own.
Penick's Analysis: Rampage was a completely different fighter tonight than he was against Jon Jones in September. He was out of shape compared to that fight, he was slow, plodding, and all of that has to due with the injury he was nursing. It looked to be a knee, and it's not making excuses for him because he decided to fight through it, but he was not himself in this fight, and it showed. Bader picks up a huge, huge win, and we'll have to see whether or not Jackson has any desire to return after this performance.
[Rampage Jackson art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
 |
Bader took advantage of a clearly not-on-his-game Rampage and pulled off a one-sided decision win, the biggest of his MMA career. Jackson was favoring his knee immediately after the fight was over, and he was slow and lethargic throughout the 15 minute bout.
Bader's speed was a key factor in the fight, and he used it to pop in and out with strikes in the first round. He also worked well in the clinch, and the pace took Jackson down a notch into the second. In the one piece of offense Jackson had in that second frame, he caught a knee from Bader, picked him up, and slammed him on his head. However, he couldn't follow-up, and Bader wound up taking him down shortly thereafter and controlling the rest of the frame.
In the third, Jackson had little energy left, and Bader rushed him again with a takedown, spending much of the final frame working in top position. The win was Bader's second straight after consecutive losses in 2011, while Jackson has now lost two straight of his own.
Penick's Analysis: Rampage was a completely different fighter tonight than he was against Jon Jones in September. He was out of shape compared to that fight, he was slow, plodding, and all of that has to due with the injury he was nursing. It looked to be a knee, and it's not making excuses for him because he decided to fight through it, but he was not himself in this fight, and it showed. Bader picks up a huge, huge win, and we'll have to see whether or not Jackson has any desire to return after this performance.
[Rampage Jackson art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_12616.shtml
Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama Gilbert Aldana José Aldo John Alessio
UFC 144 Fight Night Bonuses Awarded
By <a href="mailto:howie@mmanews.com">Chris Howie</a> <Br>
MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer<Br><Br>
UFC 144's top performers earned an extra $65,000 for their efforts inside the Octagon last night.<Br><Br>
Newly crowned UFC Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson and former Champ Frankie Edgar earned the fight of the night bonus for their five round contest.<Br><br>
Anthony Pettis stunned the crowd with a head kick K.O of Joe Lauzon to rack up the knock out of the night while Vaughan Lee picked up submission of the night for his win over Kid Yamamoto.<Br><Br>
Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM <a href=http://www.mmanews.com/forums
>Forums</a> and/or the MMANEWS.COM <a href=http://www.facebook.com/mmanewsdotcom
>Facebook</a>. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well <a href=http://twitter.com/mmanewsdotcom
>@mmanewsdotcom</a>.<Br><Br>
MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer<Br><Br>
UFC 144's top performers earned an extra $65,000 for their efforts inside the Octagon last night.<Br><Br>
Newly crowned UFC Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson and former Champ Frankie Edgar earned the fight of the night bonus for their five round contest.<Br><br>
Anthony Pettis stunned the crowd with a head kick K.O of Joe Lauzon to rack up the knock out of the night while Vaughan Lee picked up submission of the night for his win over Kid Yamamoto.<Br><Br>
Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the latest news in the MMANEWS.COM <a href=http://www.mmanews.com/forums
>Forums</a> and/or the MMANEWS.COM <a href=http://www.facebook.com/mmanewsdotcom
>Facebook</a>. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well <a href=http://twitter.com/mmanewsdotcom
>@mmanewsdotcom</a>.<Br><Br>
Source: http://www.mmanews.com/home.php
Chris Brennan Marcelo Brito Rob Broughton Mike Brown Junie Browning
MMA Marketplace: Frankie Edgar?s walkout shirt takes on Benson Henderson?s
It's time to break down the most important part of Saturday's title fight between the champion, Frankie Edgar, and the contender, Benson Henderson. Which man has the better walkout shirt?
The champ brings an Affliction shirt that is thankfully free of gold foil accents and gargoyle heads. It still looks like an Affliction shirt because of the frayed edges and upside down fleur-de-lis, but doesn't burn the eyes the way other Affliction shirt can. Henderson's Dethrone shirt has heavenly undertones behind his nickname of "Smooth."
What really sets the shirts apart is their price. The Edgar Affliction shirt retails for a whopping $58, while the Henderson Dethrone shirt is is just $27.99. Two Henderson shirts cost less than one Edgar tee. The winner here is clear: Benson "Smooth" Henderson.
More from Yahoo! Sports: Frankie Edgar fooled by fellow UFC fighter
Spencer Fisher Jon Fitch Kenny Florian Jesse Forbes Xavier Foupa Pokam
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Jay Marmont wins Manjimup
Great weather, great racing were the order of the day at “The 2011 WesTrac Manjimup 15000 MX Spectacular” which was run at the Cosy Creek MX track just outside Manjimup on the Foundation Day long weekend. ?I love racing at this event,? Marmont said after a long day. ?The track is easily one of the [...]
Source: http://www.superfreestylemotocross.com/blog/jay-marmont-wins-manjimup/
Tyson Griffin Karn Grigorian Karen Grigoryan Kendall Grove Clay Guida
Wheres my threads?
they both disappeared ? are links not allowed ?
Source: http://forums.ufc.production.sparkart.net/showthread.php?t=112998&goto=newpost
Kultar Gill Allan Goes Takanori The Fireball Kid Gomi Akihiro Gono Gabriel Gonzaga
Rousimar Palhares celebrates 32nd birthday with his first cake ever
UFC middleweight Rousimar Palhares is known for his crippling heel hooks and having extremely humble beginnings. As in, once lived in a tent city under a bridge in Brazil kind of humble beginnings. He didn't have the kind of upbringing that would allow for lavish birthday celebrations.
His teammates at Brazilian Top Team changed that last week when they surprised "Toquinho" with a cake.
That was really a big surprise for me. I became a child again because this was the first time in my whole life I celebrated my birthday with a cake. Everybody knows my family always had a very humble life. I thank my BTT partners to have given me this happiness. I hope this is going to be a year of much work and that God can continue giving me the opportunities to represent Brazil and show my talent inside the Octagon.
He turned 32, and this was the first time he ever celebrated his birthday with a cake. He doesn't know the joy of red velvet or angel food or German chocolate or ice cream cake or cupcakes or yellow cake with chocolate frosting. This cake could set up a scenario where the muscle-bound Palhares takes a nosedive into the seedy underbelly of too much cake. When visiting New York for next week's UFC on Fox 3 press conference, he could visit Carlo's Bake Shop in Hoboken, N.J., get a taste of Buddy from "Cake Boss" famous cake, and give up heel hooks forever.
Or, he could be so inspired by his teammates' kindness that he runs a giveaway of autographed shirts on his website.
Wilson Gouveia Jason Grace Crosley Gracie Gregor Gracie Ralek Gracie
As 'Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey' nears, Pat Healy stumps for fight-night bonuses
Pat Healy is happy being a Strikeforce fighter and said he now has the financial freedom to travel and train in different locations. But there's one little incentive that would be nice to have in the promotion: bonuses.
"Strikeforce guys have been asking about it since the (fighters) summit," Healy told MMAjunkie.com Radio. "I know it's a hot topic on a lot of people's minds. I really could see them doing it this fight."
Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah Terrance Aflague
Video gold: Just three years ago UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson was trying to get on TUF 9
There's all sorts of routes to UFC stardom. Benson Henderson is a great fighter, but his path to a fight with Frank Edgar could've been much different.
He graduated from WEC to UFC to the best fighter in the world's best division. How fast did it happe...
He graduated from WEC to UFC to the best fighter in the world's best division. How fast did it happe...
Ralek Gracie Renzo Gracie Rickson Gracie Rodrigo Gracie Roger Gracie
Dana says pettis get the title shot!
he said it in the post fight presser. what are your thoughts?
Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?77980-Dana-says-pettis-get-the-title-shot!&goto=newpost
Randy The Natural Couture Dan Cramer Alberto Crane Marcio Pe de Pano Cruz Luke Cummo
Ben Henderson Likely to Rematch Anthony Pettis for Title, Edgar Wants Rematch
Fresh off an instant classic that saw the UFC lightweight title go from Frankie Edgar to Ben Henderson it appears a rematch is already in order. Unfortunately for Edgar, it appears that rematch will be Henderson facing off against the last man to defeat him, Anthony Pettis.
Ricardo Arona Noboru Asahi Marcus Aurelio Mikhail Avetisyan Luiz Azeredo
UFC unveils complete list of Ultimate Fighter 15 competitors
The newest season of the Ultimate Fighter is less than two weeks away from its debut on FX after years of airing on Spike TV. The reality show?s new home is one of the numerous changes to TUF this time around with others including a slot on Friday nights and live fights each episode. However, [...]
Source: http://www.fighters.com/02/28/ufc-unveils-complete-list-of-ultimate-fighter-15-competitors
Alexander Gustafsson Jaime Gutierrez Dave Gomez Keith Hackney Matt Hamill
Benson Henderson out to become the best ever
Even before stepping inside the Octagon to face Frankie Edgar, streaking contender (now champion) Benson Henderson talked about his dream of wanting to go down as one of the greatest of all-time. Now, after claiming the lightweight title from Edgar in a thrilling five-round affair at UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson, ?Smooth? is on his [...]
Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2012/02/26/benson-henderson-out-to-become-the-best-ever/
Zelg Benkei Galesić Mauro Galvao Arman Gambaryan Manvel Gamburyan Sean Gannon
UFC 144 Results: Anthony Pettis knocks out Joe Lauzon with a head kick in the first
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Anthony Pettis returned to form on Saturday night in Japan, adding another highlight to an already extensive reel with a head-kick knockout of Joe Lauzon at UFC 144.
After two less-than stellar performances in 2011 to kick off his UFC career, the final WEC Lightweight Champion looked comfortable from the outset before making quick work of Lauzon. He came out in a southpaw stance, and mixed in some short flurries and strikes before unleashing a vicious head kick that dropped Lauzon.
The blow landed shin-to-chin and sent Lauzon to the mat, and after a couple of follow up strikes the ref finally got in to stop it.
Pettis may now be in line for a title shot in the lightweight division, while Lauzon goes back to the drawing board after his third stoppage loss in the UFC.
Anthony Pettis returned to form on Saturday night in Japan, adding another highlight to an already extensive reel with a head-kick knockout of Joe Lauzon at UFC 144.
After two less-than stellar performances in 2011 to kick off his UFC career, the final WEC Lightweight Champion looked comfortable from the outset before making quick work of Lauzon. He came out in a southpaw stance, and mixed in some short flurries and strikes before unleashing a vicious head kick that dropped Lauzon.
The blow landed shin-to-chin and sent Lauzon to the mat, and after a couple of follow up strikes the ref finally got in to stop it.
Pettis may now be in line for a title shot in the lightweight division, while Lauzon goes back to the drawing board after his third stoppage loss in the UFC.
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/quicknews/article_12612.shtml
Monday, February 27, 2012
Glover Teixeira Signs With The UFC
<B>By MATT MOLGAARD<BR>
MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer</B><BR><BR>
After years of chatter, failed visa issues and bogus rumors, Brazilian light heavyweight standout, Glover Teixeira has finally signed a contract to fight for the world?s largest mixed martial arts promotion: the UFC.<BR><BR>
Though still a fairly unknown product in America, Teixeira has been competing professionally since 2002. He?s put together quite the r�sum� in the last decade, amassing an overall record of 17-2; he?s finished 15 foes within the distance. Amongst those who have been dealt defeat by Glover are Ricco Rodriguez, Marcio Cruz, Marvin Eastman and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou; all of which he stopped courtesy of strikes inside the first frame, sans Cruz, who survived into round two.<BR><BR>
Teixeira currently rides a 15 fight win streak, having not come up short in competition since 2005 when he dropped a decision to Ed ?Short Fuse? Herman under the SportFight banner. The only other man to defeat him is Eric Schwartz, who stopped him with punches and elbows in his first professional fight.<BR><BR>
No word has been issued on who may serve as the Brazilian?s first opponent inside the octagon, but a summer debut looks to be likely. We?ll keep you updated as more info rolls in!<BR><BR>
Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the card in the <A HREF="http://www.mmanews.com/forums" target="_Blank"><B>MMANEWS.COM Forums</B></A> and/or the <A HREF="http://www.facebook.com/mmanewsdotcom" target="_Blank"><B>MMANEWS.COM Facebook</B></A>. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well <A HREF="http://twitter.com/mmanewsdotcom" target="_Blank"><B>@mmanewsdotcom</B></A>.<BR><BR>
MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer</B><BR><BR>
After years of chatter, failed visa issues and bogus rumors, Brazilian light heavyweight standout, Glover Teixeira has finally signed a contract to fight for the world?s largest mixed martial arts promotion: the UFC.<BR><BR>
Though still a fairly unknown product in America, Teixeira has been competing professionally since 2002. He?s put together quite the r�sum� in the last decade, amassing an overall record of 17-2; he?s finished 15 foes within the distance. Amongst those who have been dealt defeat by Glover are Ricco Rodriguez, Marcio Cruz, Marvin Eastman and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou; all of which he stopped courtesy of strikes inside the first frame, sans Cruz, who survived into round two.<BR><BR>
Teixeira currently rides a 15 fight win streak, having not come up short in competition since 2005 when he dropped a decision to Ed ?Short Fuse? Herman under the SportFight banner. The only other man to defeat him is Eric Schwartz, who stopped him with punches and elbows in his first professional fight.<BR><BR>
No word has been issued on who may serve as the Brazilian?s first opponent inside the octagon, but a summer debut looks to be likely. We?ll keep you updated as more info rolls in!<BR><BR>
Leave your feedback on this article by posting a comment directly below! You can also chat about the card in the <A HREF="http://www.mmanews.com/forums" target="_Blank"><B>MMANEWS.COM Forums</B></A> and/or the <A HREF="http://www.facebook.com/mmanewsdotcom" target="_Blank"><B>MMANEWS.COM Facebook</B></A>. If that wasn't enough, MMANEWS.COM is now on Twitter as well <A HREF="http://twitter.com/mmanewsdotcom" target="_Blank"><B>@mmanewsdotcom</B></A>.<BR><BR>
Source: http://www.mmanews.com/home.php
Tomasz Drwal Joe Hybrid Duarte Aldrin de Jesus Todd Duffee Marvin Eastman
Observations from My Couch: UFC 144 ?Edgar vs. Henderson?
A few observations from UFC 144: ?Edgar vs. Henderson?: -The sad thing about Zhang Tiequan losing is that his defeat pushes the date of the UFC event in mainland China back by about three years. -Really, it?s hard to believe Steve Cantwell was ever the champ of any organization. -The competition in high-level MMA has [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/zhkFlOTfAvg/
Matt Andersen Alex Andrade Jermaine Andrè Yoji Anjo Ao Hailin
Countdown to TUF Brazil with Coach Wanderlei Silva
Wanderlei Silva visits with fans and fighters in Brazil in this preview video for The Ultimate Fighter Brazil which kicks off on March 25. Pretty cool speech he gives to the fighters at the end of the video.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/Vx4dbw8SbNk/
Matt Andersen Alex Andrade Jermaine Andrè Yoji Anjo Ao Hailin
New Mods = Bad Idea
Can't take a joke. ruling with an iron fist. this place officially sucks now.
Source: http://forums.ufc.production.sparkart.net/showthread.php?t=112677&goto=newpost
Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen Alex Andrade Jermaine Andrè Yoji Anjo
Face Time & Sore Eyes with BK!
Interviews for the interwebs! Brian Kachinsky on ESPN & Sore Eye Sports.
Source: http://etnies.com/blog/2012/2/13/face-time-sore-eyes-with-bk/
Lee Hasdell Musse Hasselvall Daiki DJ taiki Hata He Peng David Heath
UFC 144 results: Tim Boetsch scores stunning comeback win over Yushin Okami
SAITAMA, Japan - Never count out Tim Boetsch.The tough-as-nails middleweight survived two lopsided and bloody rounds and then shocked a massive crowd that was clearly rooting for Japanese veteran Yushin Okami.
The stunning comeback victory was part of UFC 144's pay-per-view main card, which took place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitma, Japan. It followed prelims on FX and Facebook.
Grant Campbell Gesias JZ Calvancante Luiz Cane Dos Caras Jr Phil Cardella
Jason Miller meeting CB Dollaway at UFC 146
It appears colorful middleweight Jason Miller has been booked to face TUF veteran CB Dollaway on Memorial Day Weekend as part of the lineup for UFC 146. The fight is arguably a ?must win? situation for both, each coming off recent losses with Miller?s involving a particularly poor performance against Michael Bisping at the Ultimate [...]
Source: http://www.fighters.com/02/19/jason-miller-meeting-c-b-dollaway-at-ufc-146
Wesley Cabbage Correira Patrick The Predator Côté Randy The Natural Couture Dan Cramer Alberto Crane
UFC 144?s Bart Palaszewski Ready to Spoil Hatsu Hioki?s Homecoming
The UFC is returning to Japan for the first time since December 2000. Thirteen months after that last event in Japan, another milestone was being made, as Bart Palaszewski was making his professional MMA debut in January 2002. Since then, Palaszewski has risen through the ranks of many MMA organizations. Read how Palaszewski feels about fighting in Japan, along with what his future brings in this exclusive interview with MMAFrenzy.com
Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/27692/ufc-144s-bart-palaszewski-ready-to-spoil-hatsu-hiokis-homecoming/
Dan The Sandman Christison Logan The Pink Pounder Clark Steve The Snake Claveau Rich No Love Clementi Mark The Hammer Coleman
Sunday, February 26, 2012
UFC 144 Preview: Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson
MMAFrenzy concludes our main card coverage of UFC 144 with our breakdown of Saturday?s main event. The UFC lightweight title fight between Ben Henderson and champion Frankie Edgar caps off our preview of UFC 144 in a big way as writers Chris Leslie and Bryan Robison break down what each fighter needs to do to either obtain or retain the title.
Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/27693/ufc-144-preview-frankie-edgar-vs-ben-henderson/
Wes Soldier Combs Ray Cooper Kit Cope Wesley Cabbage Correira Patrick The Predator Côté
UFC 144 LIVE RESULTS: Penick's round by round coverage of "Edgar vs. Henderson" event in Japan
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
UFC 144: EDGAR VS. HENDERSON
FEBRUARY 25, 2012
LIVE FROM SAITAMA, JAPAN
=====Facebook Preliminary Card Bout=====
*Issei Tamura def. Tie Quan Zhang via KO at :32 of the second round
=====FX Preliminary Card=====
-Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan open up the FX broadcast and talk about the storied history of MMA and martial arts in Japan before running down the main event tonight. They then talked about the co-main between Rampage and Ryan Bader before throwing to our first fight of the night.
FIGHT ONE: TAKEYA MIZUGAKI VS. CHRIS CARIASO (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Cariaso threw a left body kick early. Mizugaki walked him down and landed a leg kick. Cariaso went high with a kick again but it was blocked. Cariaso closed the distance and clinched, then separated with a nice right. Cariaso connected on a couple more strikes. Mizugaki tried to get in with a takedown but Cariaso held him off. Cariaso landed a nice left that staggered Mizugaki briefly. Mizugaki landed a left, then the two clinched. Mizugaki scored a much needed takedown against the cage. He landed a left in the guard. Cariaso went for an omoplata, but Mizugaki got loose and dropped back into guard with a strike. Mizugaki landed a nice left, but Cariaso continued to mostly keep him in check. Cariaso landed a couple of short elbows from the bottom. Mizugaki connected on a few strikes, but Cariaso landed a few more strikes from the bottom and held him off.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Cariaso. Mizugaki is likely going to take it from the judges for being on top for half the round, but he didn't do much of anything and Cariaso was attacking from his back and was the better striker in the round.
ROUND TWO: Mizugaki got Cariaso to the cage early after eating a counter-strike. Cariaso got loose and they stood again. Cariaso threw a high kick that almost landed flush. Cariaso got in a nice left and he began stalking. Mizugaki walked him back and missed a couple of punches. Mizugaki shot in and clinched. Cariaso turned Mizugaki around. He landed a good knee to the body. Mizugaki then pulled off a trip takedown against the cage again and Cariaso got him into guard. Cariaso tried to kick Mizugaki off, but Mizugaki dropped back in with another big right. Cariaso pulled off an excellent sweep, but Mizugaki spun out and got to his feet. Cariaso clinched again and ate a short elbow as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Mizugaki. Cariaso wasn't as active on his back, though he did pull off that nice sweep, and wasn't as effective as in the first round to negate the takedown and strikes of Mizugaki.
ROUND THREE: Cariaso threw the head kick again early and Mizugaki clinched up. They jockeyed for position against the cage. Mizugaki landed a good knee, and Cariaso dropped for a single leg. Mizugaki held it off. Cariaso separated with short combination. He landed a straight left and shot in, clinching Mizugaki on the cage. Quick stat shows total strikes very close between the two. Cariaso landed another short combo. He slipped on a head kick attempt and Mizugaki dropped into his guard. Mizugaki was holding control, but wasn't doing much. He stayed busy enough to not be stood up, but didn't land much. Mizugaki tried to pass, but Cariaso put him right back into guard. Cariaso got to his feet, and they traded strikes to end the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Cariaso. Mizugaki again did nothing but stay on top when it got down, and he was getting out-struck for three minutes of that round before Cariaso slipped. This is going to be a close decision, with three very close rounds, but I'm expecting Mizugaki to have gotten the nod.
WINNER: Cariaso via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**-) It wasn't a terribly exciting fight, but there was some solid technical work from both, and Cariaso actually got rewarded for smart work off his back.
FIGHT TWO: RIKI FUKUDA VS. STEVE CANTWELL (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Fukuda scored a takedown quickly and began landing strikes to the body as Cantwell tried to keep control of him. Cantwell tried to attack from the bottom, but Fukuda got loose and started landing strikes from the top. Cantwell kicked Fukuda off and got to his feet. Cantwell broke free and landed a knee. Cantwell landed a good kick to the leg. He got in another good kick to the body. Cantwell landed a hard right. Fukuda tried to set up a takedown, but Cantwell stuffed it. Fukuda landed an inside leg kick. Cantwell held off another takedown attempt and Fukuda faceplanted. He got back up and ate a body kick from Cantwell. Fukuda landed the inside leg kick. Fukuda scored with a couple of strikes. Fukuda landed an uppercut. He backed Cantwell to the cage. Cantwell went for a superman punch but it didn't appear to land. He landed a right to the body, but ate a kick. Cantwell landed a right. Fukuda connected on a few leg kicks in succession. He blocked a high kick. Cantwell went for another one and jumped with a knee that missed as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Fukuda. Cantwell got in some good offense, but Fukuda effectively worked his ground and pound after the takedown, and got in some effective strikes standing as well.
ROUND TWO: Fukuda landed a body kick and a couple more to the leg. Cantwell landed a hard inside leg kick. Fukuda landed a nice kick. He shot in for a takedown but Cantwell caught him in a guillotine. Fukuda defended well and got free and they both stood. Fukuda landed a few good strikes in the clinch, Cantwell then returned some. Fukuda again landed a few strikes and then shot in. Cantwell stuffed that attempt. Cantwell landed a right. Fukuda connected on a nice combination, then landed a shot to the body. Fukuda landed a nice short flurry and Cantwell just backed up to the cage. Fukuda continued throwing strikes to the body and mixing in punches to the head. Cantwell went for a spinning elbow, but it missed, and Fukuda was picking him apart on the cage. He finally connected on a strike to get him off the cage. Fukuda landed the leg kick again and connected on a few strikes. Cantwell landed a left. Nice stat of Fukuda landing 19 clinch strikes to 8 for Cantwell. Fukuda landed a few more in close and effectively swayed away from the counter strikes. Fukuda landed a nice left uppercut. Another nice combination landed by Fukuda. Fukuda landed a kick low on Cantwell. Fukuda slipped on the kick a little bit and his toe went right into Cantwell's groin. Cantwell was alright to continue. Cantwell ducked under a punch and scored a takedown, but Fukuda stood right up as Cantwell tried to take his back at the end of the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Fukuda. Very nice round of offense from Fukuda. Cantwell can't allow himself to be stuck on the cage like that eating shots in the third.
ROUND THREE: Fukuda walked Cantwell down early. The total strikes stat shown was big in favor of Fukuda. Fukuda went back to the leg kicks. He clinched and landed an uppercut as Cantwell backed away. Cantwell landed a right. Fukuda connected on a straight right and a couple more strikes. Cantwell went high with a kick but it was blocked. Fukuda connected on another short combination, then went for the takedown on the cage. He completed it. Cantwell tried to go for an armbar, but Fukuda got out. Cantwell tried to kick out and landed on all fours with Fukuda on his back. He rolled and Fukuda got side control. Cantwell worked back to his feet. Cantwell was gassed, and Fukuda teed off on him against the cage with strikes to the head and body. Fukuda landed a couple of hard body kicks. Another big body shot. Fukuda started teeing off on Cantwell again. Fukuda continued landing hard shots to the body. He landed a straight left and another body kick. Excellent performance from Fukuda as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Fukuda. That was close to a 10-8 round, and Fukuda was immensely smart in mixing up strikes to the head and body throughout.
WINNER: Fukuda via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**) That was some excellent and smart offensive work from Fukuda in that fight. He drained Cantwell early, then just teed off on him in the second and third. Very good fight from him. For Cantwell, that was his fifth straight loss in the UFC, the first time any fighter has lost five straight in the Octagon.
FIGHT THREE: "KID" YAMAMOTO VS. VAUGHAN LEE (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Lee took the center and tried to walk Yamamoto down early. Both fighters felt each other out early. Lee got in and landed a few strikes. Kid clinched and then landed a kick to the body as he separated. Lee landed a short flurry that sent Kid down, but Yamamoto got back to his feet. Kid landed a huge right hook that staggered Lee and he went all out trying to finish. Lee covered up really well and recovered. Lee rushed in with a short combo and then connected on a flying knee that hurt Yamamoto. Great back and forth action here. Lee walked Yamamoto down again. Lee landed a big flurry that hurt Yamamoto, but as he rushed in Yamamoto took him down. He got right to a triangle choke, then turned it into an armbar, and Yamamoto was forced to tap. That was an incredible fight.
WINNER: Lee via submission (armbar) at 4:29 of the first round
STAR RATING: (***+) That was an incredible back and forth fight. Lee got caught by a tough punch and then smartly covered up to weather the storm, then he hurt Yamamoto twice before rushing in and getting taken down. Then he went for that triangle and turned it into the armbar. Brilliant stuff, and just an immensely exciting back and forth fight. Heartbreaking for Yamamoto's longtime fans, but what a great performance by Lee.
-They show a short video package of Rampage about his break in Japan in Pride. Rogan and Goldberg still haven't mentioned the fact that he missed weight as they talk him up.
FIGHT FOUR: TAKANORI GOMI VS. EIJI MITSUOKA (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Mitsuoka took the center and landed a couple of short punches early. He connected to the jaw of Gomi and then popped back out. Gomi left his arms hanging low. Mitsuoka landed a nice jab. He connected on a left hook. Mitsuoka got it to the cage and looked for a takedown. Gomi landed a few knees to the body, but ate a few strikes from Mitsuoka as well. Mitsuoka connected on a couple of solid punches. Mitsuoka again connected with a right. The offense from both slowed down for a bit. Gomi landed a right, but then he got caught by a ounce from Mitsuoka. Mitsuoka walked him down and landed a couple of strikes against the cage. He landed a left uppercut. Gomi landed a leg kick. He got in another but ate a right. Mitsuoka certainly not afraid to trade strikes with Gomi. He landed a few in combination. Gomi landed a body kick. Mitsuoka dropped Gomi with a big right. He got the mount and Gomi gave up his back. He got Gomi in a mounted triangle from the back, but Gomi made it to the horn. Wow.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Mitsuoka. He was already out-striking Gomi, but add in a knockdown and a very close submission at the end and that's a big start for Mitsuoka.
ROUND TWO: Mitsuoka came quickly across the cage. Gomi landed a couple of kicks. Mitusoka landed a short combo. Gomi started throwing wildly. He backed Mitsuoka up and landed a few but missed a lot more. Gomi started teeing off, but then Mitsuoka got Gomi on the cage and went for a single leg. Gomi stayed up and landed a few big uppercuts. He started landing some big punches but Mitsuoka got away. Gomi took a deep breath. He then landed another big flurry, and Mitsuoka went for a single leg. Gomi continued landing short strikes, then he rolled around and got Mitsuoka's back. He started throwing strikes and Mitsuoka was only covering up. The ref told him he needed to fight back, and as he failed to do that it was stopped. Wow, huge comeback by Gomi.
WINNER: Gomi via TKO at 2:21 of the second round
STAR RATING: (***) Another great back and forth fight. Mitsuoka nearly pulled off the upset in the first after knocking Gomi down and nearly pulling off the mounted triangle from the back. 30 seconds more in that round and it would have been over. Then Gomi rushed back in the second with a fury, and took the fight right back after a bad start. Awesome stuff, and a great way to cap off the prelims.
-Gomi took the microphone and spoke to the Japanese crowd to a big reaction.
-Joe Rogan and Dana White give the final hard-sell before the pay-per-view.
=====Pay-Per-View Card=====
-The pay-per-view opened with a cool short video package tracing fighter's roots to Japan with their return, then went to the new pay-per-view opening video package. After running down the night's card for those tuning in now for the pay-per-view broadcast, we go to the first of seven fights on this main card.
FIGHT FIVE: ANTHONY PETTIS VS. JOE LAUZON (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Pettis went with a high kick early but Lauzon blocked it. He landed an inside leg kick. Lauzon tried to walk him down and he got in with a short right. Pettis threw a short flurry with a couple getting through. Pettis again landed a short flurry. He threw a side kick to the body. He backed away from a rush by Lauzon. He landed a head kick that sent Lauzon crashing down. He followed up with a few strikes and the fight is all over! Lauzon was out cold. Holy hell.
WINNER: Pettis via KO at 1:21 of the first round
STAR RATING: (***+) Pettis stole the "Knockout of the Night" from Issei Tamura right there. Pettis is such a good striker, and he's capable of doing that in any fight. Another amazing highlight from "Showtime."
-Pettis said he knows this is where he belongs, he thinks he's the best in the lightweight division and he said he's coming for the belt. Pettis gave Ben Henderson credit for his run and he hopes Henderson wins so he can get his rematch.
-They air a preview for UFC 145 "Jones vs. Evans"
FIGHT SIX: HATSU HIOKI VS. BART PALASZEWSKI (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Hioki dropped Palaszewski early with a left, but Palaszewski popped back up. Hioki landed a kick to the body. Hioki landed a few jabs. He got in another punch, then a couple of kicks to the body. Hioki landed another hard jab. Hioki grabbed for a single leg, but Palaszewski grabbed a guillotine choke. Hioki popped out and got into half guard. He passed excellently into side control and went for the mounted crucifix. He landed a series of short strikes as Palaszewski tried to cover up. Palaszewski continued to cover up, then gave up his back. Hioki took it, then went for an armbar. Palazewski rolled through, and wound up in an omoplata. He got him back to the ground but Palaszewski regained guard. Great sequence. Hioki postured up and landed a nice elbow. He postured up and landed some more strikes on the ground. Palaszewski tried to control his wrists with time running out in the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hioki. Excellent, excellent start by Hatsu Hioki. He looks completely different than he did in the fight against George Roop and he could be well on his way to a win that gets him a title shot here.
ROUND TWO: Hioki landed a kick to the body early on. He went high with a kick but it didn't connect. Hioki continued aiming strikes at the body. Palaszewski connected on a nice two punch combo. He landed a leg kick on the outside. Hioki landed a left. Another strike to the body landed from Hioki. Hioki went high with a kick that just grazed Palaszewski. Palaszweski got in a hard punch to the body. Hioki connected on a nice jab. Palaszewski came forward with a leg kick. He connected on another one. Hioki landed a body kick. Palaszewski got in with another jab. Hioki got in a few leg kicks, and Palaszewski returned the favor. He landed a hard leg kick again, then a body punch. Hioki has slowed considerably. Palaszewski landed another leg kick. Hioki connected on a low kick but Palaszewski restarted immediately. He landed a nice jab and an inside leg kick. That one may have gone low, and Hioki took a second to recover. Palaszewski landed an nice right. He rushed in with a short combo. Hioki landed a couple of body kicks. Palaszewski landed a nice two punch combo. Hioki shot for a takedown late but didn't complete it.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Palaszewski. Hioki's output slowed considerably, and Palaszewski picked it up in the latter half of the round. Close round, but I'm leaning towards Palaszewski.
ROUND THREE: Palaszewski came out swinging, and connected on a couple of strikes. Hioki shot in and Palaszewski held him off in the clinch. Hioki completed a trip and got the fight to the ground. Palaszewski tried to hold control of him, but Hioki got to side control. Palaszewski regained half guard. Hioki got back to side control again and landed a couple of elbows. Palaszewski's time is running out to get back in this fight. Palaszewski landed knees to Hioki's back, but ate a bunch of strikes. Palaszewski tried to spin out, but gave up his back. He tried to stand, but Hioki got the hooks in. Hioki went for the rear naked choke, but Palaszewski defended well. Hioki landed a nice elbow. Hioki pulled Palaszewski down and landed strikes with both hooks in. Palaszewski continued to defend and Hioki landed a few more elbows. Hioki went for an arm as the round ended to take the fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hioki. He took the fight back by going to his major advantage here, and had another great round against a tough Palaszewski here.
WINNER: Hioki via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**+) Solid fight. Hioki had an excellent first round and a more than serviceable third round to pick up a very good second win in the UFC. He looked a lot more like a title-worthy contender in this bout than he did against Roop, and a fight between Hioki and Jose Aldo is a very intriguing matchup.
FIGHT SEVEN: YUSHIN OKAMI VS. TIM BOETSCH (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Boetsch landed a couple of strikes early. He barely missed a big right. Okami got in a nice left. Okami landed a hard right and Boetsch put his hand up to his face. Okami landed another right that briefly staggered Boetsch. He threw a high kick that was blocked. Okami again connected on the straight right. Okami connected on another left. Boetsch tried to land a couple of strikes. He shot in but Okami shrugged him off. Boetsch was cut open under the left eye. Okami with another big combination. Boetsch tried to reach in with a big right but it didn't land. Okami connected on a high kick to the face. Boetsch landed a few hard body kicks. Okami again landed the jab. Boetsch landed a leg kick inside. Okami tagged him with a jab. Okami went for the head kick but Boetsch blocked it. Boetsch landed a nice counter right. He connected again on a right. He started walking forward. He landed another nice right after covering up. Boetsch again with a right. Okami landed a hard knee to the body. The round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Okami. Very good start for Okami on the feet. His striking is crisp, and he's already cut Boetsch open on both sides of his face.
ROUND TWO: Okami landed a few early punches, and got in another hard knee to the body. Boetsch went up high with a kick but it was blocked. They clinched as Okami missed a punch and he pressed Boetsch to the cage. Okami tried to work for a takedown, but Boetsch held him off. He completed a takedown, but Boetsch grabbed a guillotine. Okami got to half guard. Okami stayed patient and defended the choke, and finally popped out. Okami tried to pass to mount but Boetsch avoided that. Okami continued to try to pass, but Boetsch kept him in half guard. Okami went for a kimura and used it to pass to mount. He stayed on the arm, but then let it go. He started landing some big strikes in the mount, but Boetsch tried to buck him off. Okami finished the round landing strikes on top.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Okami. Another clear round for Okami, and he's putting forth an excellent performance right now.
ROUND THREE: Boetsch came out swinging and landed some nice strikes early. He hurt Okami with a big punch then started following him up. He landed a huge series of uppercuts on the cage that had Okami wobbled. He continued landing strikes and Okami dropped hard to the canvas. Boetsch landed a few more strikes on the ground and the fight was stopped. That was an incredible, incredible, and unlikely comeback. Wow.
WINNER: Boetsch via TKO at :54 of the third round
STAR RATING: (****-) That was one of the craziest come from behind wins in UFC history. Okami was dominating this fight, bullying Boetsch for ten minutes and just beating him up on the feet and on the ground. Then Boetsch came out with that flurry and, holy hell, those uppercuts against the cage! That was an incredible finish, and an incredible fight.
FIGHT EIGHT: JAKE SHIELDS VS. YOSHIHIRO AKIYAMA (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Akiyama came forward immediately and took the center. Shields threw a few leg kicks. He connected on a right and tried to grab a hold of Akiyama but didn't have a good grip. Shields landed a left and a body kick. Shields shot in for a single leg. Akiyama tried to hold him off and Shields got him to the cage. Akiyama held off the takedown attempt nicely. Shields landed a hard knee to the body. He got in a right. Akiyama landed a left and put Shields' back on the cage. Shields shot in again but failed to get the takedown. He landed a couple of nice body kicks. Shields landed a right. Akiyama connected on an uppercut. Shields got a trip on Akiyama, but Akiyama popped back up and Shields clinched on the cage. Shields landed a knee low, but the ref missed it. Shields tried to take Akiyama's back standing and got it. Akiyama grabbed the fence to stay up and then got away from Shields. Shields landed a leg kick and a couple of jabs. They traded jabs. Akiyama then got in and pulled off a beautiful trip, but Shields popped back up. Shields landed a body kick. Shields landed a right again and the round came to an end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Shields. Rogan's talking up Akiyama, but he didn't do anything but defend the takedowns and get that one quick trip and he was out-struck by Jake Shields.
ROUND TWO: Akiyama landed an early right. He stuffed another takedown attempt and went for the trip. Shields landed a jab. Shields tried to grab a clinch. Akiyama went for the spinning back fist but it didn't land. Shields landed a body kick. Akiyama got in a right. Akiyama shrugged off another takedown attempt. Akiyama landed a jab and then ate a body kick. Shields landed another combination. Shields caught a kick and grabbed a clinch, but Akiyama got loose again. Shields landed an inside leg kick. Shields landed a few jabs. Shields landed a few more strikes in close. Shields was bleeding from the nose. He landed a body kick. Shields landed another right. Akiyama landed a hard leg kick. He caught a body kick from Shields but Shields got away. Rogan continued to ignore the offensive output of Shields and concentrated only on Akiyama's takedown defense. Akiyama pulled off a beautiful throw, but Shields again popped right back up and got the clinch on the cage. He landed a knee. He took Akiyama's back standing again, but Akiyama again held him off. He tried to break free but Shields held the clinch to the end of the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Shields. Akiyama's not doing much at all offensively, regardless of what Rogan is trying to portray tonight. This is one of the times where he's doing a disservice to the fight because he's ignoring what's actually happening.
ROUND THREE: Shields landed a few more strikes. Shields landed a few more and Akiyama landed a left. Shields landed a good body kick. Akiyama landed a jab. Shields landed a hard leg kick. Shields landed a few more. He connected on a good body kick again and ate a punch to grab a clinch, but again he was shrugged off. Akiyama got in a nice uppercut. Shields landed a right. Shields went for the takedown but again was stuffed by Akiyama. Akiyama turned him around and landed a few body shots. Akiyama landed a couple of shots. Shields continued landing strikes and then shot in again. Akiyama tried to fight it off. Shields finally got Akiyama down but it was only for a second. Shields landed some knees to the body as he continued to work in the clinch. They were separated with a minute left. Shields landed a jab. He landed a hard body kick and a right. He ducked under a punch and took Akiyama down. He tried to roll down and Akiyama grabbed the fence twice to stay up. Shields took his back with 30 seconds. Akiyama defended as Shields had the choke on as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Shields. Great final minute for Shields after a fairly even first four. Akiyama should have been docked the point as he held the cage twice as Shields almost had him down.
WINNER: Shields via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**) It wasn't the prettiest fight, and Shields' striking is definitely ugly, but he won a stand-up fight against Akiyama when he couldn't get him down. Akiyama simply didn't do much of anything in the fight outside of two beautiful trip takedowns, while Shields was continuously staying busy with strikes throughout. It wasn't pretty, but it was effective, and he nearly finished it in the third round. Big win for Shields after losing two straight last year.
FIGHT NINE: CHEICK KONGO VS. MARK HUNT (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Hunt slipped after Kongo caught his leg kick, and Kongo rushed him into a clinch. Hunt turned him around, but Kongo held onto the clinch. They separated. Kongo landed a leg kick. Hunt swung a big left hook but Kongo backed away. Kongo landed a straight kick to the body. Hunt landed a nice jab as Kongo tried to engage. Hunt landed a leg kick. Hunt dropped Kongo with a big left, but let him get back up. That was a great punch. Nice patience from Hunt. He landed a crushing right that hurt Kongo, then dropped him with a series of strikes on the cage. He followed up with a few more strikes and Herb Dean stepped in. No comeback for Kongo tonight.
WINNER: Hunt via TKO at 2:11 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) That was an awesome knockout by Hunt, but how crazy is it that we're in 2012, and Mark Hunt is 3-0 in his last three UFC fights? What kind of alternate universe are we inhabiting right now? Regardless, he's as dangerous as any heavyweight if you don't get him down and submit him, and he showed Cheick Kongo that tonight.
FIGHT TEN: QUINTON "RAMPAGE" JACKSON VS. RYAN BADER (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Rampage rushed out to the center and tried to walk Bader down. Bader landed a couple of kicks and Jackson shot in. Bader grabbed the clinch and pressed Jackon on the cage. Bader got in a short left. Bader landed a knee to the thigh and a nice hook to the body. Bader separated and backed away. Bader connected on a kick to the leg. Bader almost connected on a big right, but it just grazed Rampage. Bader stunned Jackson with a left. He got in another nice inside leg kick. Bader swung the overhand right again and it grazed Jackson as Bader grabbed a clinch. Rampage landed a knee to the body. Jackson landed a good elbow, and Bader backed away again. He landed an inside leg kick. Bader threw a left but it was blocked. Bader shot in and drove Jackson against the cage again. Jackson landed a knee to the body. Bader almost scored a trip but Jackson stayed up. Bader landed a nice uppercut, then grabbed a head lock and threw a good knee. Jackson put his hand on the ground. Jackson shot in and Bader shrugged him off. Rampage threw a couple of good strikes at the end of the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Bader. Good start for Bader. He's landing good strikes, working well in the clinch, and is much faster than Rampage thus far.
ROUND TWO: Bader landed an inside leg kick. He missed a right and backed away from the big counter. Jackson was swinging some wild punches. Bader grabbed a clinch and Jackson landed a couple of strikes to the body. Rampage caught a knee from Bader, picked him up and dropped him on his head in a nice spot. Bader got back to his feet. Jackson landed a hard body kick and Bader looked to be hurting a bit. Jackson landed a hard body punch, but then Bader scored a takedown into half guard. Bader landed a few short elbows and strikes to the body, but he didn't look to pass right away, leading to boos from the crowd. Jackson landed a couple of elbows from the bottom. Bader landed a few body punches. Bader pressed Jackson to the cage and landed some short elbows and punches. Bader kept Jackson down but Rampage regained guard. Bader took Rampage's back as Jackson got to his feet. He landed some knees to the thighs of Jackson, then picked him up and dropped him down. He landed a nice body punch and a good on to the head. Jackson tried to work back to his feet, but Bader kept him down. Bader landed some more strikes. Rampage threw a few from his back. Bader ended the round on top.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Bader. Jackson had an edge with his first slam, but Bader came back and took control the rest of the frame. He's exhausted right now, though.
ROUND THREE: Jackson landed a good early jab. Bader grabbed a clinch early and pressed Jackson to the cage. Rampage landed a couple of knees. Bader landed a good left as they separated. Bader shot in but was stuffed. Both were looking tired. Bader rushed in and scored a takedown into side control. He landed a couple of knees to the body. He continued to throw knees to the side of Jackson, then added an elbow. Jackson regained guard. Rampage got to his feet with Bader on his back. Bader took him down again. Jackson landed an uppercut, but got rolled to his back. Bader continued to work and passed to half guard. He grabbed for a kimura, but Jackson got his arm free. Bader got into side control. Jackson tried to explode but Bader grabbed a choke as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Bader. Very smart performance from Bader tonight. He got a bit tired after the second, but then took Jackson down and controlled him in the third, and worked some decent offense in as well. Very big win for him.
WINNER: Bader via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**) It was a smart fight by Bader, but there wasn't a ton to the action outside of the slams in the second round. This was probably the worst Rampage has looked in his UFC career.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT ELEVEN: FRANKIE EDGAR VS. BEN HENDERSON (UFC LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
ROUND ONE: Henderson took the center and pawed out with the jab. Edgar connected first with an inside leg kick. Edgar caught a leg kick from Henderson and drove him back. Henderson jumped and nearly took Edgar's head off with a roundhouse kick but it missed. That would have been insane had it landed. Henderson threw a couple of high kicks and Edgar blocked them both. Henderson engaged and Edgar threw him down but let him back up. Edgar caught the leg kick again but Henderson got away. Edgar landed a hard inside leg kick. Henderson popped in with a kick that went low. Edgar was ready to go right away, though. Edgar caught another kick and chopped away at Henderson's back leg with kicks. Edgar landed a nice right and caught another kick. He landed a good body shot. Another caught kick by edgar. Henderson connected to the body with a knee. Edgar landed nice right. Edgar landed a nice hook to the body and Henderson landed a good left. Edgar shot in and scored a takedown. Henderson got back to his feet, though. Henderson landed a good knee from the clinch. Edgar went for a spinning kick but Henderson engaged. Edgar threw Henderson down again and landed a right as he got up. He caught another kick and landed a good right at the end of the frame.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Edgar. Very close round, but Edgar is doing well with kicks and punches, and is catching a lot of Henderson's attacks.
ROUND TWO: Edgar caught another kick and landed a few to Henderson's back leg. Henderson landed a hard straight right and tried to walk Edgar down. Another caught kick and they exchanged punches with Henderson hopping on one leg. Edgar landed a short combo but ate a big jab. Edgar's face is getting marked up, but he's still connecting on good strikes of his own. Henderson landed a good left, then got in with a knee to the body. Edgar went for a spinning back fist but it missed. Henderson threw a jumping kick to the body. Edgar landed a nice short combination. Edgar scored a takedown. Henderson got to his knees and Edgar grabbed a headlock. He took Henderson's back but Henderson got to his feet. Edgar landed a nice right and popped out. Edgar landed another leg kick. Henderson got in a left. Henderson barely missed a big knee. Edgar landed a nice right. They exchanged punches by the cage. Henderson landed a nice right. Edgar scored another takedown into Henderson's guard. He landed a few strikes in the guard. Henderson threw his legs up, but Edgar got out. Henderson landed an upkick that stunned Edgar and he finished the round with a couple of elbows. That up-kick split the bridge of Edgar's nose.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson. UPDATE: Changed my mind right after posting that. The upkick and damage was more significant than anything else there.
ROUND THREE: The cut opened up early. They exchanged strikes by the cage. Henderson was on the offensive now and landed a short combination. Edgar tried to score a takedown and was stuffed. Henderson landed a hard knee and Edgar countered with a right. Edgar landed the right.Henderson tripped up Edgar and stayed on him to score a takedown. Edgar's left eye was getting closed up. He worked back to his feet and blocked a high kick. Edgar landed a right. Edgar landed a hard right. They traded strikes in the center. Edgar landed an inside leg kick. Henderson landed a hard kick that Edgar again caught. Edgar threw Henderson down but couldn't stay there. Henderson landed a good right and Edgar responded. Edgar shot in and scored a late takedown.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson. He turned up the offense and is really doing damage to the Champion right now. Edgar's nowhere near out of this, but this is a very good fight right now.
ROUND FOUR: Henderson rushed in with a leg kick but Edgar caught it again and landed a right. Edgar landed a leg kick but Henderson connected on a jab. Edgar got in a good right. Henderson connected on a kick low. Edgar took a few moments to recover and then they restarted. Edgar landed a right. Henderson rushed with a short combination. Henderson landed a big knee. Edgar pulled off a big takedown but wound up in the nasty guillotine of Henderson. Edgar popped out of it into Henderson's guard. Henderson got out and got to his feet again. Henderson dropped his hands and landed a left. Edgar caught another kick but wasn't able to capitalize. He did it again, but then ate a knee as he got close. Edgar landed a hard right. Edgar nearly had a nice trip but Henderson stayed up and landed a good kick. He landed a jab. Henderson landed a kick. Edgar got in with a right at the end of the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson. He's still doing more damage on the feet, and nearly locked on that guillotine. Edgar has to think he's behind, he needs to be in finish-mode in this final frame.
ROUND FIVE: Edgar landed a good right to start the final frame. Edgar caught another kick and landed a punch. Henderson connected on a big strike. Edgar landed an uppercut. He landed a big straight left. Edgar threw Henderson down and took his back, but Henderson again grabbed for a kimura and got to his feet. Edgar landed a right again. He landed an inside leg kick. Edgar landed a big combination. Edgar connected again. He slipped on a kick, but got right back to his feet. Edgar landed a right. Henderson landed a kick to the body. Edgar dropped Henderson with a big punch. He tried to take his back, but Henderson worked back up. Edgar landed a right again. Edgar landed another right. Edgar landed another left. Edgar caught another kick and drove Henderson to the cage. Edgar landed a nice kick after getting a takedown stuffed. Henderson landed a flying kneed and went for a guillotine, then landed a strike to end the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Edgar. The Champion had a great output in that round and dropped Henderson during the frame as well. We may get another immediate rematch for Edgar.
WINNER: Henderson via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 49-46)
STAR RATING: (****) Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson each involved in another epic five-round title fight? Who would have thought? This was another fantastic 25-minute bout, and while there will be some controversy as it was close rounds in each and every frame, Henderson deserved that win just as much as Edgar. Will we see another immediate rematch? Only time will tell.
-Edgar said he thought he did enough to win, but gave Henderson credit for his performance. He wasn't ready to make a decision on whether or not he'd drop to featherweight or not after this. I say let's see Pettis-Henderson II and Edgar-Jose Aldo for the Featherweight belt.
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FEBRUARY 25, 2012
LIVE FROM SAITAMA, JAPAN
=====Facebook Preliminary Card Bout=====
*Issei Tamura def. Tie Quan Zhang via KO at :32 of the second round
=====FX Preliminary Card=====
-Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan open up the FX broadcast and talk about the storied history of MMA and martial arts in Japan before running down the main event tonight. They then talked about the co-main between Rampage and Ryan Bader before throwing to our first fight of the night.
FIGHT ONE: TAKEYA MIZUGAKI VS. CHRIS CARIASO (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Cariaso threw a left body kick early. Mizugaki walked him down and landed a leg kick. Cariaso went high with a kick again but it was blocked. Cariaso closed the distance and clinched, then separated with a nice right. Cariaso connected on a couple more strikes. Mizugaki tried to get in with a takedown but Cariaso held him off. Cariaso landed a nice left that staggered Mizugaki briefly. Mizugaki landed a left, then the two clinched. Mizugaki scored a much needed takedown against the cage. He landed a left in the guard. Cariaso went for an omoplata, but Mizugaki got loose and dropped back into guard with a strike. Mizugaki landed a nice left, but Cariaso continued to mostly keep him in check. Cariaso landed a couple of short elbows from the bottom. Mizugaki connected on a few strikes, but Cariaso landed a few more strikes from the bottom and held him off.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Cariaso. Mizugaki is likely going to take it from the judges for being on top for half the round, but he didn't do much of anything and Cariaso was attacking from his back and was the better striker in the round.
ROUND TWO: Mizugaki got Cariaso to the cage early after eating a counter-strike. Cariaso got loose and they stood again. Cariaso threw a high kick that almost landed flush. Cariaso got in a nice left and he began stalking. Mizugaki walked him back and missed a couple of punches. Mizugaki shot in and clinched. Cariaso turned Mizugaki around. He landed a good knee to the body. Mizugaki then pulled off a trip takedown against the cage again and Cariaso got him into guard. Cariaso tried to kick Mizugaki off, but Mizugaki dropped back in with another big right. Cariaso pulled off an excellent sweep, but Mizugaki spun out and got to his feet. Cariaso clinched again and ate a short elbow as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Mizugaki. Cariaso wasn't as active on his back, though he did pull off that nice sweep, and wasn't as effective as in the first round to negate the takedown and strikes of Mizugaki.
ROUND THREE: Cariaso threw the head kick again early and Mizugaki clinched up. They jockeyed for position against the cage. Mizugaki landed a good knee, and Cariaso dropped for a single leg. Mizugaki held it off. Cariaso separated with short combination. He landed a straight left and shot in, clinching Mizugaki on the cage. Quick stat shows total strikes very close between the two. Cariaso landed another short combo. He slipped on a head kick attempt and Mizugaki dropped into his guard. Mizugaki was holding control, but wasn't doing much. He stayed busy enough to not be stood up, but didn't land much. Mizugaki tried to pass, but Cariaso put him right back into guard. Cariaso got to his feet, and they traded strikes to end the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Cariaso. Mizugaki again did nothing but stay on top when it got down, and he was getting out-struck for three minutes of that round before Cariaso slipped. This is going to be a close decision, with three very close rounds, but I'm expecting Mizugaki to have gotten the nod.
WINNER: Cariaso via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**-) It wasn't a terribly exciting fight, but there was some solid technical work from both, and Cariaso actually got rewarded for smart work off his back.
FIGHT TWO: RIKI FUKUDA VS. STEVE CANTWELL (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Fukuda scored a takedown quickly and began landing strikes to the body as Cantwell tried to keep control of him. Cantwell tried to attack from the bottom, but Fukuda got loose and started landing strikes from the top. Cantwell kicked Fukuda off and got to his feet. Cantwell broke free and landed a knee. Cantwell landed a good kick to the leg. He got in another good kick to the body. Cantwell landed a hard right. Fukuda tried to set up a takedown, but Cantwell stuffed it. Fukuda landed an inside leg kick. Cantwell held off another takedown attempt and Fukuda faceplanted. He got back up and ate a body kick from Cantwell. Fukuda landed the inside leg kick. Fukuda scored with a couple of strikes. Fukuda landed an uppercut. He backed Cantwell to the cage. Cantwell went for a superman punch but it didn't appear to land. He landed a right to the body, but ate a kick. Cantwell landed a right. Fukuda connected on a few leg kicks in succession. He blocked a high kick. Cantwell went for another one and jumped with a knee that missed as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Fukuda. Cantwell got in some good offense, but Fukuda effectively worked his ground and pound after the takedown, and got in some effective strikes standing as well.
ROUND TWO: Fukuda landed a body kick and a couple more to the leg. Cantwell landed a hard inside leg kick. Fukuda landed a nice kick. He shot in for a takedown but Cantwell caught him in a guillotine. Fukuda defended well and got free and they both stood. Fukuda landed a few good strikes in the clinch, Cantwell then returned some. Fukuda again landed a few strikes and then shot in. Cantwell stuffed that attempt. Cantwell landed a right. Fukuda connected on a nice combination, then landed a shot to the body. Fukuda landed a nice short flurry and Cantwell just backed up to the cage. Fukuda continued throwing strikes to the body and mixing in punches to the head. Cantwell went for a spinning elbow, but it missed, and Fukuda was picking him apart on the cage. He finally connected on a strike to get him off the cage. Fukuda landed the leg kick again and connected on a few strikes. Cantwell landed a left. Nice stat of Fukuda landing 19 clinch strikes to 8 for Cantwell. Fukuda landed a few more in close and effectively swayed away from the counter strikes. Fukuda landed a nice left uppercut. Another nice combination landed by Fukuda. Fukuda landed a kick low on Cantwell. Fukuda slipped on the kick a little bit and his toe went right into Cantwell's groin. Cantwell was alright to continue. Cantwell ducked under a punch and scored a takedown, but Fukuda stood right up as Cantwell tried to take his back at the end of the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Fukuda. Very nice round of offense from Fukuda. Cantwell can't allow himself to be stuck on the cage like that eating shots in the third.
ROUND THREE: Fukuda walked Cantwell down early. The total strikes stat shown was big in favor of Fukuda. Fukuda went back to the leg kicks. He clinched and landed an uppercut as Cantwell backed away. Cantwell landed a right. Fukuda connected on a straight right and a couple more strikes. Cantwell went high with a kick but it was blocked. Fukuda connected on another short combination, then went for the takedown on the cage. He completed it. Cantwell tried to go for an armbar, but Fukuda got out. Cantwell tried to kick out and landed on all fours with Fukuda on his back. He rolled and Fukuda got side control. Cantwell worked back to his feet. Cantwell was gassed, and Fukuda teed off on him against the cage with strikes to the head and body. Fukuda landed a couple of hard body kicks. Another big body shot. Fukuda started teeing off on Cantwell again. Fukuda continued landing hard shots to the body. He landed a straight left and another body kick. Excellent performance from Fukuda as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Fukuda. That was close to a 10-8 round, and Fukuda was immensely smart in mixing up strikes to the head and body throughout.
WINNER: Fukuda via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**) That was some excellent and smart offensive work from Fukuda in that fight. He drained Cantwell early, then just teed off on him in the second and third. Very good fight from him. For Cantwell, that was his fifth straight loss in the UFC, the first time any fighter has lost five straight in the Octagon.
FIGHT THREE: "KID" YAMAMOTO VS. VAUGHAN LEE (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Lee took the center and tried to walk Yamamoto down early. Both fighters felt each other out early. Lee got in and landed a few strikes. Kid clinched and then landed a kick to the body as he separated. Lee landed a short flurry that sent Kid down, but Yamamoto got back to his feet. Kid landed a huge right hook that staggered Lee and he went all out trying to finish. Lee covered up really well and recovered. Lee rushed in with a short combo and then connected on a flying knee that hurt Yamamoto. Great back and forth action here. Lee walked Yamamoto down again. Lee landed a big flurry that hurt Yamamoto, but as he rushed in Yamamoto took him down. He got right to a triangle choke, then turned it into an armbar, and Yamamoto was forced to tap. That was an incredible fight.
WINNER: Lee via submission (armbar) at 4:29 of the first round
STAR RATING: (***+) That was an incredible back and forth fight. Lee got caught by a tough punch and then smartly covered up to weather the storm, then he hurt Yamamoto twice before rushing in and getting taken down. Then he went for that triangle and turned it into the armbar. Brilliant stuff, and just an immensely exciting back and forth fight. Heartbreaking for Yamamoto's longtime fans, but what a great performance by Lee.
-They show a short video package of Rampage about his break in Japan in Pride. Rogan and Goldberg still haven't mentioned the fact that he missed weight as they talk him up.
FIGHT FOUR: TAKANORI GOMI VS. EIJI MITSUOKA (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Mitsuoka took the center and landed a couple of short punches early. He connected to the jaw of Gomi and then popped back out. Gomi left his arms hanging low. Mitsuoka landed a nice jab. He connected on a left hook. Mitsuoka got it to the cage and looked for a takedown. Gomi landed a few knees to the body, but ate a few strikes from Mitsuoka as well. Mitsuoka connected on a couple of solid punches. Mitsuoka again connected with a right. The offense from both slowed down for a bit. Gomi landed a right, but then he got caught by a ounce from Mitsuoka. Mitsuoka walked him down and landed a couple of strikes against the cage. He landed a left uppercut. Gomi landed a leg kick. He got in another but ate a right. Mitsuoka certainly not afraid to trade strikes with Gomi. He landed a few in combination. Gomi landed a body kick. Mitsuoka dropped Gomi with a big right. He got the mount and Gomi gave up his back. He got Gomi in a mounted triangle from the back, but Gomi made it to the horn. Wow.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Mitsuoka. He was already out-striking Gomi, but add in a knockdown and a very close submission at the end and that's a big start for Mitsuoka.
ROUND TWO: Mitsuoka came quickly across the cage. Gomi landed a couple of kicks. Mitusoka landed a short combo. Gomi started throwing wildly. He backed Mitsuoka up and landed a few but missed a lot more. Gomi started teeing off, but then Mitsuoka got Gomi on the cage and went for a single leg. Gomi stayed up and landed a few big uppercuts. He started landing some big punches but Mitsuoka got away. Gomi took a deep breath. He then landed another big flurry, and Mitsuoka went for a single leg. Gomi continued landing short strikes, then he rolled around and got Mitsuoka's back. He started throwing strikes and Mitsuoka was only covering up. The ref told him he needed to fight back, and as he failed to do that it was stopped. Wow, huge comeback by Gomi.
WINNER: Gomi via TKO at 2:21 of the second round
STAR RATING: (***) Another great back and forth fight. Mitsuoka nearly pulled off the upset in the first after knocking Gomi down and nearly pulling off the mounted triangle from the back. 30 seconds more in that round and it would have been over. Then Gomi rushed back in the second with a fury, and took the fight right back after a bad start. Awesome stuff, and a great way to cap off the prelims.
-Gomi took the microphone and spoke to the Japanese crowd to a big reaction.
-Joe Rogan and Dana White give the final hard-sell before the pay-per-view.
=====Pay-Per-View Card=====
-The pay-per-view opened with a cool short video package tracing fighter's roots to Japan with their return, then went to the new pay-per-view opening video package. After running down the night's card for those tuning in now for the pay-per-view broadcast, we go to the first of seven fights on this main card.
FIGHT FIVE: ANTHONY PETTIS VS. JOE LAUZON (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Pettis went with a high kick early but Lauzon blocked it. He landed an inside leg kick. Lauzon tried to walk him down and he got in with a short right. Pettis threw a short flurry with a couple getting through. Pettis again landed a short flurry. He threw a side kick to the body. He backed away from a rush by Lauzon. He landed a head kick that sent Lauzon crashing down. He followed up with a few strikes and the fight is all over! Lauzon was out cold. Holy hell.
WINNER: Pettis via KO at 1:21 of the first round
STAR RATING: (***+) Pettis stole the "Knockout of the Night" from Issei Tamura right there. Pettis is such a good striker, and he's capable of doing that in any fight. Another amazing highlight from "Showtime."
-Pettis said he knows this is where he belongs, he thinks he's the best in the lightweight division and he said he's coming for the belt. Pettis gave Ben Henderson credit for his run and he hopes Henderson wins so he can get his rematch.
-They air a preview for UFC 145 "Jones vs. Evans"
FIGHT SIX: HATSU HIOKI VS. BART PALASZEWSKI (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Hioki dropped Palaszewski early with a left, but Palaszewski popped back up. Hioki landed a kick to the body. Hioki landed a few jabs. He got in another punch, then a couple of kicks to the body. Hioki landed another hard jab. Hioki grabbed for a single leg, but Palaszewski grabbed a guillotine choke. Hioki popped out and got into half guard. He passed excellently into side control and went for the mounted crucifix. He landed a series of short strikes as Palaszewski tried to cover up. Palaszewski continued to cover up, then gave up his back. Hioki took it, then went for an armbar. Palazewski rolled through, and wound up in an omoplata. He got him back to the ground but Palaszewski regained guard. Great sequence. Hioki postured up and landed a nice elbow. He postured up and landed some more strikes on the ground. Palaszewski tried to control his wrists with time running out in the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hioki. Excellent, excellent start by Hatsu Hioki. He looks completely different than he did in the fight against George Roop and he could be well on his way to a win that gets him a title shot here.
ROUND TWO: Hioki landed a kick to the body early on. He went high with a kick but it didn't connect. Hioki continued aiming strikes at the body. Palaszewski connected on a nice two punch combo. He landed a leg kick on the outside. Hioki landed a left. Another strike to the body landed from Hioki. Hioki went high with a kick that just grazed Palaszewski. Palaszweski got in a hard punch to the body. Hioki connected on a nice jab. Palaszewski came forward with a leg kick. He connected on another one. Hioki landed a body kick. Palaszewski got in with another jab. Hioki got in a few leg kicks, and Palaszewski returned the favor. He landed a hard leg kick again, then a body punch. Hioki has slowed considerably. Palaszewski landed another leg kick. Hioki connected on a low kick but Palaszewski restarted immediately. He landed a nice jab and an inside leg kick. That one may have gone low, and Hioki took a second to recover. Palaszewski landed an nice right. He rushed in with a short combo. Hioki landed a couple of body kicks. Palaszewski landed a nice two punch combo. Hioki shot for a takedown late but didn't complete it.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Palaszewski. Hioki's output slowed considerably, and Palaszewski picked it up in the latter half of the round. Close round, but I'm leaning towards Palaszewski.
ROUND THREE: Palaszewski came out swinging, and connected on a couple of strikes. Hioki shot in and Palaszewski held him off in the clinch. Hioki completed a trip and got the fight to the ground. Palaszewski tried to hold control of him, but Hioki got to side control. Palaszewski regained half guard. Hioki got back to side control again and landed a couple of elbows. Palaszewski's time is running out to get back in this fight. Palaszewski landed knees to Hioki's back, but ate a bunch of strikes. Palaszewski tried to spin out, but gave up his back. He tried to stand, but Hioki got the hooks in. Hioki went for the rear naked choke, but Palaszewski defended well. Hioki landed a nice elbow. Hioki pulled Palaszewski down and landed strikes with both hooks in. Palaszewski continued to defend and Hioki landed a few more elbows. Hioki went for an arm as the round ended to take the fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hioki. He took the fight back by going to his major advantage here, and had another great round against a tough Palaszewski here.
WINNER: Hioki via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**+) Solid fight. Hioki had an excellent first round and a more than serviceable third round to pick up a very good second win in the UFC. He looked a lot more like a title-worthy contender in this bout than he did against Roop, and a fight between Hioki and Jose Aldo is a very intriguing matchup.
FIGHT SEVEN: YUSHIN OKAMI VS. TIM BOETSCH (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Boetsch landed a couple of strikes early. He barely missed a big right. Okami got in a nice left. Okami landed a hard right and Boetsch put his hand up to his face. Okami landed another right that briefly staggered Boetsch. He threw a high kick that was blocked. Okami again connected on the straight right. Okami connected on another left. Boetsch tried to land a couple of strikes. He shot in but Okami shrugged him off. Boetsch was cut open under the left eye. Okami with another big combination. Boetsch tried to reach in with a big right but it didn't land. Okami connected on a high kick to the face. Boetsch landed a few hard body kicks. Okami again landed the jab. Boetsch landed a leg kick inside. Okami tagged him with a jab. Okami went for the head kick but Boetsch blocked it. Boetsch landed a nice counter right. He connected again on a right. He started walking forward. He landed another nice right after covering up. Boetsch again with a right. Okami landed a hard knee to the body. The round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Okami. Very good start for Okami on the feet. His striking is crisp, and he's already cut Boetsch open on both sides of his face.
ROUND TWO: Okami landed a few early punches, and got in another hard knee to the body. Boetsch went up high with a kick but it was blocked. They clinched as Okami missed a punch and he pressed Boetsch to the cage. Okami tried to work for a takedown, but Boetsch held him off. He completed a takedown, but Boetsch grabbed a guillotine. Okami got to half guard. Okami stayed patient and defended the choke, and finally popped out. Okami tried to pass to mount but Boetsch avoided that. Okami continued to try to pass, but Boetsch kept him in half guard. Okami went for a kimura and used it to pass to mount. He stayed on the arm, but then let it go. He started landing some big strikes in the mount, but Boetsch tried to buck him off. Okami finished the round landing strikes on top.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Okami. Another clear round for Okami, and he's putting forth an excellent performance right now.
ROUND THREE: Boetsch came out swinging and landed some nice strikes early. He hurt Okami with a big punch then started following him up. He landed a huge series of uppercuts on the cage that had Okami wobbled. He continued landing strikes and Okami dropped hard to the canvas. Boetsch landed a few more strikes on the ground and the fight was stopped. That was an incredible, incredible, and unlikely comeback. Wow.
WINNER: Boetsch via TKO at :54 of the third round
STAR RATING: (****-) That was one of the craziest come from behind wins in UFC history. Okami was dominating this fight, bullying Boetsch for ten minutes and just beating him up on the feet and on the ground. Then Boetsch came out with that flurry and, holy hell, those uppercuts against the cage! That was an incredible finish, and an incredible fight.
FIGHT EIGHT: JAKE SHIELDS VS. YOSHIHIRO AKIYAMA (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Akiyama came forward immediately and took the center. Shields threw a few leg kicks. He connected on a right and tried to grab a hold of Akiyama but didn't have a good grip. Shields landed a left and a body kick. Shields shot in for a single leg. Akiyama tried to hold him off and Shields got him to the cage. Akiyama held off the takedown attempt nicely. Shields landed a hard knee to the body. He got in a right. Akiyama landed a left and put Shields' back on the cage. Shields shot in again but failed to get the takedown. He landed a couple of nice body kicks. Shields landed a right. Akiyama connected on an uppercut. Shields got a trip on Akiyama, but Akiyama popped back up and Shields clinched on the cage. Shields landed a knee low, but the ref missed it. Shields tried to take Akiyama's back standing and got it. Akiyama grabbed the fence to stay up and then got away from Shields. Shields landed a leg kick and a couple of jabs. They traded jabs. Akiyama then got in and pulled off a beautiful trip, but Shields popped back up. Shields landed a body kick. Shields landed a right again and the round came to an end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Shields. Rogan's talking up Akiyama, but he didn't do anything but defend the takedowns and get that one quick trip and he was out-struck by Jake Shields.
ROUND TWO: Akiyama landed an early right. He stuffed another takedown attempt and went for the trip. Shields landed a jab. Shields tried to grab a clinch. Akiyama went for the spinning back fist but it didn't land. Shields landed a body kick. Akiyama got in a right. Akiyama shrugged off another takedown attempt. Akiyama landed a jab and then ate a body kick. Shields landed another combination. Shields caught a kick and grabbed a clinch, but Akiyama got loose again. Shields landed an inside leg kick. Shields landed a few jabs. Shields landed a few more strikes in close. Shields was bleeding from the nose. He landed a body kick. Shields landed another right. Akiyama landed a hard leg kick. He caught a body kick from Shields but Shields got away. Rogan continued to ignore the offensive output of Shields and concentrated only on Akiyama's takedown defense. Akiyama pulled off a beautiful throw, but Shields again popped right back up and got the clinch on the cage. He landed a knee. He took Akiyama's back standing again, but Akiyama again held him off. He tried to break free but Shields held the clinch to the end of the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Shields. Akiyama's not doing much at all offensively, regardless of what Rogan is trying to portray tonight. This is one of the times where he's doing a disservice to the fight because he's ignoring what's actually happening.
ROUND THREE: Shields landed a few more strikes. Shields landed a few more and Akiyama landed a left. Shields landed a good body kick. Akiyama landed a jab. Shields landed a hard leg kick. Shields landed a few more. He connected on a good body kick again and ate a punch to grab a clinch, but again he was shrugged off. Akiyama got in a nice uppercut. Shields landed a right. Shields went for the takedown but again was stuffed by Akiyama. Akiyama turned him around and landed a few body shots. Akiyama landed a couple of shots. Shields continued landing strikes and then shot in again. Akiyama tried to fight it off. Shields finally got Akiyama down but it was only for a second. Shields landed some knees to the body as he continued to work in the clinch. They were separated with a minute left. Shields landed a jab. He landed a hard body kick and a right. He ducked under a punch and took Akiyama down. He tried to roll down and Akiyama grabbed the fence twice to stay up. Shields took his back with 30 seconds. Akiyama defended as Shields had the choke on as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Shields. Great final minute for Shields after a fairly even first four. Akiyama should have been docked the point as he held the cage twice as Shields almost had him down.
WINNER: Shields via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**) It wasn't the prettiest fight, and Shields' striking is definitely ugly, but he won a stand-up fight against Akiyama when he couldn't get him down. Akiyama simply didn't do much of anything in the fight outside of two beautiful trip takedowns, while Shields was continuously staying busy with strikes throughout. It wasn't pretty, but it was effective, and he nearly finished it in the third round. Big win for Shields after losing two straight last year.
FIGHT NINE: CHEICK KONGO VS. MARK HUNT (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Hunt slipped after Kongo caught his leg kick, and Kongo rushed him into a clinch. Hunt turned him around, but Kongo held onto the clinch. They separated. Kongo landed a leg kick. Hunt swung a big left hook but Kongo backed away. Kongo landed a straight kick to the body. Hunt landed a nice jab as Kongo tried to engage. Hunt landed a leg kick. Hunt dropped Kongo with a big left, but let him get back up. That was a great punch. Nice patience from Hunt. He landed a crushing right that hurt Kongo, then dropped him with a series of strikes on the cage. He followed up with a few more strikes and Herb Dean stepped in. No comeback for Kongo tonight.
WINNER: Hunt via TKO at 2:11 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) That was an awesome knockout by Hunt, but how crazy is it that we're in 2012, and Mark Hunt is 3-0 in his last three UFC fights? What kind of alternate universe are we inhabiting right now? Regardless, he's as dangerous as any heavyweight if you don't get him down and submit him, and he showed Cheick Kongo that tonight.
FIGHT TEN: QUINTON "RAMPAGE" JACKSON VS. RYAN BADER (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Rampage rushed out to the center and tried to walk Bader down. Bader landed a couple of kicks and Jackson shot in. Bader grabbed the clinch and pressed Jackon on the cage. Bader got in a short left. Bader landed a knee to the thigh and a nice hook to the body. Bader separated and backed away. Bader connected on a kick to the leg. Bader almost connected on a big right, but it just grazed Rampage. Bader stunned Jackson with a left. He got in another nice inside leg kick. Bader swung the overhand right again and it grazed Jackson as Bader grabbed a clinch. Rampage landed a knee to the body. Jackson landed a good elbow, and Bader backed away again. He landed an inside leg kick. Bader threw a left but it was blocked. Bader shot in and drove Jackson against the cage again. Jackson landed a knee to the body. Bader almost scored a trip but Jackson stayed up. Bader landed a nice uppercut, then grabbed a head lock and threw a good knee. Jackson put his hand on the ground. Jackson shot in and Bader shrugged him off. Rampage threw a couple of good strikes at the end of the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Bader. Good start for Bader. He's landing good strikes, working well in the clinch, and is much faster than Rampage thus far.
ROUND TWO: Bader landed an inside leg kick. He missed a right and backed away from the big counter. Jackson was swinging some wild punches. Bader grabbed a clinch and Jackson landed a couple of strikes to the body. Rampage caught a knee from Bader, picked him up and dropped him on his head in a nice spot. Bader got back to his feet. Jackson landed a hard body kick and Bader looked to be hurting a bit. Jackson landed a hard body punch, but then Bader scored a takedown into half guard. Bader landed a few short elbows and strikes to the body, but he didn't look to pass right away, leading to boos from the crowd. Jackson landed a couple of elbows from the bottom. Bader landed a few body punches. Bader pressed Jackson to the cage and landed some short elbows and punches. Bader kept Jackson down but Rampage regained guard. Bader took Rampage's back as Jackson got to his feet. He landed some knees to the thighs of Jackson, then picked him up and dropped him down. He landed a nice body punch and a good on to the head. Jackson tried to work back to his feet, but Bader kept him down. Bader landed some more strikes. Rampage threw a few from his back. Bader ended the round on top.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Bader. Jackson had an edge with his first slam, but Bader came back and took control the rest of the frame. He's exhausted right now, though.
ROUND THREE: Jackson landed a good early jab. Bader grabbed a clinch early and pressed Jackson to the cage. Rampage landed a couple of knees. Bader landed a good left as they separated. Bader shot in but was stuffed. Both were looking tired. Bader rushed in and scored a takedown into side control. He landed a couple of knees to the body. He continued to throw knees to the side of Jackson, then added an elbow. Jackson regained guard. Rampage got to his feet with Bader on his back. Bader took him down again. Jackson landed an uppercut, but got rolled to his back. Bader continued to work and passed to half guard. He grabbed for a kimura, but Jackson got his arm free. Bader got into side control. Jackson tried to explode but Bader grabbed a choke as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Bader. Very smart performance from Bader tonight. He got a bit tired after the second, but then took Jackson down and controlled him in the third, and worked some decent offense in as well. Very big win for him.
WINNER: Bader via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**) It was a smart fight by Bader, but there wasn't a ton to the action outside of the slams in the second round. This was probably the worst Rampage has looked in his UFC career.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT ELEVEN: FRANKIE EDGAR VS. BEN HENDERSON (UFC LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
ROUND ONE: Henderson took the center and pawed out with the jab. Edgar connected first with an inside leg kick. Edgar caught a leg kick from Henderson and drove him back. Henderson jumped and nearly took Edgar's head off with a roundhouse kick but it missed. That would have been insane had it landed. Henderson threw a couple of high kicks and Edgar blocked them both. Henderson engaged and Edgar threw him down but let him back up. Edgar caught the leg kick again but Henderson got away. Edgar landed a hard inside leg kick. Henderson popped in with a kick that went low. Edgar was ready to go right away, though. Edgar caught another kick and chopped away at Henderson's back leg with kicks. Edgar landed a nice right and caught another kick. He landed a good body shot. Another caught kick by edgar. Henderson connected to the body with a knee. Edgar landed nice right. Edgar landed a nice hook to the body and Henderson landed a good left. Edgar shot in and scored a takedown. Henderson got back to his feet, though. Henderson landed a good knee from the clinch. Edgar went for a spinning kick but Henderson engaged. Edgar threw Henderson down again and landed a right as he got up. He caught another kick and landed a good right at the end of the frame.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Edgar. Very close round, but Edgar is doing well with kicks and punches, and is catching a lot of Henderson's attacks.
ROUND TWO: Edgar caught another kick and landed a few to Henderson's back leg. Henderson landed a hard straight right and tried to walk Edgar down. Another caught kick and they exchanged punches with Henderson hopping on one leg. Edgar landed a short combo but ate a big jab. Edgar's face is getting marked up, but he's still connecting on good strikes of his own. Henderson landed a good left, then got in with a knee to the body. Edgar went for a spinning back fist but it missed. Henderson threw a jumping kick to the body. Edgar landed a nice short combination. Edgar scored a takedown. Henderson got to his knees and Edgar grabbed a headlock. He took Henderson's back but Henderson got to his feet. Edgar landed a nice right and popped out. Edgar landed another leg kick. Henderson got in a left. Henderson barely missed a big knee. Edgar landed a nice right. They exchanged punches by the cage. Henderson landed a nice right. Edgar scored another takedown into Henderson's guard. He landed a few strikes in the guard. Henderson threw his legs up, but Edgar got out. Henderson landed an upkick that stunned Edgar and he finished the round with a couple of elbows. That up-kick split the bridge of Edgar's nose.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson. UPDATE: Changed my mind right after posting that. The upkick and damage was more significant than anything else there.
ROUND THREE: The cut opened up early. They exchanged strikes by the cage. Henderson was on the offensive now and landed a short combination. Edgar tried to score a takedown and was stuffed. Henderson landed a hard knee and Edgar countered with a right. Edgar landed the right.Henderson tripped up Edgar and stayed on him to score a takedown. Edgar's left eye was getting closed up. He worked back to his feet and blocked a high kick. Edgar landed a right. Edgar landed a hard right. They traded strikes in the center. Edgar landed an inside leg kick. Henderson landed a hard kick that Edgar again caught. Edgar threw Henderson down but couldn't stay there. Henderson landed a good right and Edgar responded. Edgar shot in and scored a late takedown.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson. He turned up the offense and is really doing damage to the Champion right now. Edgar's nowhere near out of this, but this is a very good fight right now.
ROUND FOUR: Henderson rushed in with a leg kick but Edgar caught it again and landed a right. Edgar landed a leg kick but Henderson connected on a jab. Edgar got in a good right. Henderson connected on a kick low. Edgar took a few moments to recover and then they restarted. Edgar landed a right. Henderson rushed with a short combination. Henderson landed a big knee. Edgar pulled off a big takedown but wound up in the nasty guillotine of Henderson. Edgar popped out of it into Henderson's guard. Henderson got out and got to his feet again. Henderson dropped his hands and landed a left. Edgar caught another kick but wasn't able to capitalize. He did it again, but then ate a knee as he got close. Edgar landed a hard right. Edgar nearly had a nice trip but Henderson stayed up and landed a good kick. He landed a jab. Henderson landed a kick. Edgar got in with a right at the end of the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson. He's still doing more damage on the feet, and nearly locked on that guillotine. Edgar has to think he's behind, he needs to be in finish-mode in this final frame.
ROUND FIVE: Edgar landed a good right to start the final frame. Edgar caught another kick and landed a punch. Henderson connected on a big strike. Edgar landed an uppercut. He landed a big straight left. Edgar threw Henderson down and took his back, but Henderson again grabbed for a kimura and got to his feet. Edgar landed a right again. He landed an inside leg kick. Edgar landed a big combination. Edgar connected again. He slipped on a kick, but got right back to his feet. Edgar landed a right. Henderson landed a kick to the body. Edgar dropped Henderson with a big punch. He tried to take his back, but Henderson worked back up. Edgar landed a right again. Edgar landed another right. Edgar landed another left. Edgar caught another kick and drove Henderson to the cage. Edgar landed a nice kick after getting a takedown stuffed. Henderson landed a flying kneed and went for a guillotine, then landed a strike to end the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Edgar. The Champion had a great output in that round and dropped Henderson during the frame as well. We may get another immediate rematch for Edgar.
WINNER: Henderson via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 49-46)
STAR RATING: (****) Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson each involved in another epic five-round title fight? Who would have thought? This was another fantastic 25-minute bout, and while there will be some controversy as it was close rounds in each and every frame, Henderson deserved that win just as much as Edgar. Will we see another immediate rematch? Only time will tell.
-Edgar said he thought he did enough to win, but gave Henderson credit for his performance. He wasn't ready to make a decision on whether or not he'd drop to featherweight or not after this. I say let's see Pettis-Henderson II and Edgar-Jose Aldo for the Featherweight belt.
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_PPVs_6/article_12602.shtml
Mikey Burnett Murilo Bustamante Grant Campbell Gesias JZ Calvancante Luiz Cane
Lance sucks at Undisputed 3
http://www.ufcundisputed.com/overeemredeem
Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?77933-Lance-sucks-at-Undisputed-3&goto=newpost
Chris Brennan Marcelo Brito Rob Broughton Mike Brown Junie Browning
UFC 144 results: Jake Shields tops Yoshihiro Akiyama via decision
SAITAMA, Japan - Jake Shields' relentless pressure may have earned him a decision win over Yoshihiro Akiyama. But the margin by which he did it was highly suspect. After three rounds, judges awarded the welterweight every round of the fight.
The fight took place on the main card of UFC 144, which took place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. It aired live on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and Facebook.
Rich No Love Clementi Mark The Hammer Coleman Wes Soldier Combs Ray Cooper Kit Cope
MX Adventures - A1 Supercross 2010
The first Supercross of 2010 was spectacular, to say the least. Many of you know the first race starts with a few pre kick off parties, media events, and a big press conference the Thursday before the race.
It's kinda' like a big adventure for all of us at Supercross.com as we get set to embark on this remarkable 17 race journey across the country for the 2010 AMA / FIM Supercross Series!
Source: http://www.supercross.com/rss-features/mxadventures-a1-supercross-2010
Andrei Arlovski Ricardo Arona Noboru Asahi Marcus Aurelio Mikhail Avetisyan
RJ Says: Phoenix Supercross 2012 thoughts, Los Angeles Supercross preview
First off, I want to congratulate KTM, Roger De Coster, and Ryan Dungey for KTM's first Supercross Class main event win. It's huge. I know of all the work they have done in the past few years in developing winning machines, teams, and more. Look at what they did with Stefan Everts and Pit Beirer in developing the 350 SX model - two world championships so far with Antonio Cairoli.
KTM in America has been working on the new 450 that Ryan races. It's a new effort, on a new bike. For Ryan Dungey, his win last Saturday in Phoenix goes a long way in many areas, but I feel the most important is that it adds confidence to the team and Ryan.
Luke Cummo Jeff Big Frog Curran Dai Shuanghai Mac Danzig Karen Darabedyan
WWE RAW/SMACKDOWN Review: Broskis Before Hoskis
In honor of�WWE?s decision to air a live Smackdown on Tuesday night, this week?s review will be super-sized, discussing action from that show in addition to Monday Night RAW. Both featured moments equating to multiple steps down the “Road to Wrestlemania” so let?s get right into it, shall we? My initial reaction to Eve Torres? [...]
Source: http://www.fighters.com/02/23/wwe-rawsmackdown-review-broskis-before-hoskis
Fighter misses out on UFC debut with ankle issue: Sean Loeffler suffers injury in warm ups
What a bummer for Sean Loeffler. The 29-year-old was set to make his debut at UFC on Fuel TV 1, but apparently injured himself just before the fight.
MMAjunkie reported that Loeffler's opponent Buddy Roberts, also making his debut, was paid his win and show money. Loeffler was also paid his show money. That's a great gesture for two guys who were minutes away from laying it on the line.
Sean Gannon Edgar Garcia Leonard Garcia Andrew Gardner Tiki Ghosn
James Toney and Ken Shamrock Nearly Fight at a Press Conference - James Toney
James Toney and Ken Shamrock are supposed to fight sometime in the fall of 2011. The two had a short press conference in Van Nuys, California to announce the fight, but started to get physical a little early.Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah
What shows do you like?
Anyone watch always sunny in Philadelphia? Gotta love Charlie and frank
Community is ok not as good this seasOn
Downloaded seasOn 1 of bored to death I'll give that a shot one day
The office is...
Community is ok not as good this seasOn
Downloaded seasOn 1 of bored to death I'll give that a shot one day
The office is...
Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?77964-What-shows-do-you-like&goto=newpost
Jason Hollywood Chambers Ryo Piranha Chonan Dan The Sandman Christison Logan The Pink Pounder Clark Steve The Snake Claveau
?UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson? Fight Bonuses
After a spectacular night of MMA action, UFC president Dana White awarded four fighters each an additional $65,000 for their special performances Sunday at ?UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson.? Anthony Pettis (Pictured) nailed Joe Lauzon with a devastating head kick to collect his second straight win and ‘Knockout of the Night’ honors. Vaughan Lee served [...]
Source: http://www.5thRound.com/106811/ufc-144-edgar-vs-henderson-fight-bonuses/
Yasubey Enomoto Mark Epstein Tom Big Cat Erickson Martinsh Egle Eric Butterbean Esch
Saturday, February 25, 2012
RJ Says - Speed or Consistency?
After the Anaheim II Supercross, it?s looking like a four man race for the coveted title of 2012 AMA Supercross Series Champion.
With everybody still healthy and strong, this is shaping up to be one of the most competitive years in Supercross ever. Most seasons in the past the title has come down to one or two guys - but right now there is a major the contrast in the consistency of Chad Reed and Ryan Dungey versus the brutal speed of Ryan Villopoto and James Stewart.
Source: http://www.supercross.com/rj-says/rj-says-speed-or-consistency
Marcelo Brito Rob Broughton Mike Brown Junie Browning Paul Buentello
Thursday Fight Night: TUF 3 champ Kendall Grove alive, kicking and with a new attitude
Diego Sanchez fought his rear end off last night in losing to Jake Ellenberger. The lead in to the fight was very revealing as Sanchez admitted he hadn't taken all elements of his career seriously enough. He seemed apologetic.
Just like the Season 1 "Ultimate Fighter" champion, Kendall Grove knows he's made mistakes along the way too, but he's not about to say he's sorry.
The headstrong Grove, who won TUF 3, is back fighting tonight in Las Vegas with a smaller promotion. Grove is headlining Superior Cage Combat 4 at the Orleans Arena. It's a solid card dotted with several UFC veterans. He may not be in the biggest show in the world, but Grove is happy with where he's at in his career.
"UFC was good, no doubt. But when I wanted to fight more it was 'no wait, wait. We'll tell you when you can fight.'� It's more easier on my head," Grove told ESPN1100/98.9 FM. Don't get me wrong, I love competing with the best fighters in the world, but not all thebest fighters are in the UFC. There's other fighters out there."
Tonight, he faces another UFC veteran in Jay Silva (7-5, 0-2 UFC). He's looking for the finish. That's something he wasn't doing in his last few fights with the UFC.
"I kind of stalled in my UFC career ... just trying to survive and keep my job. I'm at the highest level, you don't want to go back down," said Grove. "That's where I messed up. I was just trying to survive."
Grove (14-9, 7-6 UFC) said in his mind he was a scrub and lucky to be there. His mindset has changed. He's fighting as often as possible. In fact the turnaround for this tilt was less than four weeks. Grove took out Japanese legend Ikuhisa Minowa back on Jan. 21 in Honolulu.
John Gunderson faces Justin Buchholz for the SCC lightweight title. TUF 13 alum Jamie Yager is also featured on the card. Two other UFC vets Terry Martin and Jesse Taylor were slated to square off, but the fight was canceled according to MMAWeekly.
SCC 4 weigh-in:
Kendall Grove (185) vs. Jay Silva (184) - Middleweight
John Gunderson (154.5) vs. Justin Buchholz (155) - Title fight
Danny Davis Jr. (170) vs. Jamie Yager (170) - Welterweight
Dominique Robinson (156) vs. Paulo Bananada (155) - Lightweight
Brandon Bender (145) vs. Shorty Weikel (144) -Bantamweight
Walt Harris (255) vs. Anthony Hamilton (265) - Heavyweight
Jimmy Jones (145) vs. Joao Victor (145) - Bantamweight
More from Yahoo! Sports: Frankie Edgar fooled by fellow UFC fighter
Rich Franklin Ian Freeman Don Frye Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita
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