Joe Stevenson
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We are live at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for an extra-special, on-the-scene liveblog of UFC 91. What does that mean for your life? It means preliminary results, witty observations about crowd members, and constant updates as to what Arianny Celeste is up to throughout the night. At the same time, I don’t want to miss out on all your hilarious quips about the live broadcast, including but not limited to the banter between Joe Rogan and the century man, Mike Goldberg, so please fill me in with your comments.
Liveblog begins after the jump. Hit refresh often. If you don’t want the prelims spoiled for you…too bad. Just suck it up and deal.
Matt Brown vs. Ryan Thomas
Round 1
The arena is barely more than half-full as the preliminaries begin. Matt Brown and Ryan Thomas both look a tad bit nervous anyway. Brown comes right across the cage and fires off some punches, but Thoms changes levels and looks for a takedown. They clinch and Brown executes a nice hip throw, but Thomas stays with him and reverses the position on the mat. He seems to be controlling Brown well and landing some decent punches.
Brown gets back to his feet, only to get taken back down. Brown grabs an arm and may have it locked in. Thomas rolls with it and fights his way out. Brown sweeps him, ends up in Thomas’ guard, but can’t do much damage. With under thirty seconds left in the round, Brown locks up a tight guillotine, but the wily Thomas slips out. Looks like 10-9 Thomas to me. Arianny is stretching.
Round 2
Thomas looks for a takedown right away and eventually gets it. Both men are starting to look a little fatigued. Brown locks up an armbar from the bottom. Thomas tries to slam his way out, but no dice. It’s Tapuary first, and rent’s due. A gritty performance by Brown results in a victory. Arianny appears to be texting. Naturally, her cell phone is pink.
Matt Brown def. Ryan Thomas via submission (armbar) at 0:57 of round two.
Alvin Robinson vs. Mark Bocek
Round 1
I just realized, after Bruce Buffer said it, that Robinson’s nickname is “Kid.” I think that’s awesome, in an old-timey kind of way. Bocek gets a takedown almost immediately and goes to work from Robinson’s guard. It’s not exactly an overwhelming work rate, but he’s staying busy enough. Bocek passes, gets to half-guard and does a little more damage with elbows, then gets to side control. Bocek moves to north-south and works for a d’arce choke in the last ten seconds. It looks tight, but Robinson toughs it out until the end of the round. 10-9 Bocek.
Round 2
Robinson lands a good straight right and gets Bocek moving backwards, but the Canadian pulls a sweet wizzer for a takedown. He looks for a guillotine, then flips Robinson over, then gets put on his back again. This continues a few more times. They’re all over the place now, a frenetic pace on the mat. Bocek is in control, taking Robinson’s back, working a little ground-and-pound, but can’t find a finish. He looks for an omaplata at the end of the round but Robinson is out. Great back and forth, but it’s definitely Bocek’s round, 10-9.
Round 3
Robinson looks for a standing guillotine to start the final frame, but Bocek slams his way out of it and then moves to side control. Now Bocek mounts Robinson. He’s controlling the fight, but his ground-and-pound isn’t as effective as it could be. No sooner do I type that, then he starts to open up and land some punches from the top. Robinson doesn’t care for this. He rolls and gives up his back. Bocek digs for a rear naked choke and gets it. Tappy, tappy, tappy.
Mark Bocek def. Alvin Robinson via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:16 of round three.
A guy somewhere behind me seems to know exactly what Robinson should have done to get out of that. Don’t worry, he’s letting the whole arena know about it. And here I was worried he might keep that knowledge to himself.
Rafael Dos Anjos vs. Jeremy Stephens
Round 1
And we have our first ‘Kick his ass, Sea Bass’ shout of the night. I can’t believe it took this long. Dos Anjos and Stephens are both tentative to start. They clinch against the cage, Dos Anjos looks for a single-leg, can’t get it, but gets around behind Stephens and gets him down with a suplex-type attempt. Dos Anjos is controlling Stephens on the mat, and fights his way through a guillotine attempt to get side control. His corner is screaming ‘Porrada!’ constantly. From what Brazilians tell me, that’s basically an exhortation to kick ass. Not necessarly the most helpful advice, but it’s a morale-builder.
Dos Anjos looks for a omaplata as the round nears its end, but Stephens suffers through it. 10-9 Dos Anjos. Arianny is playing with her hair and sitting next to Mario Yamasaki.
Round 2
We get a little stand-up action to start the round. Stephens is throwing big, looping rights, but Dos Anjos is defending well. He times one of Stephens’ punches perfectly and shoots for a double-leg. He scoops Stephens up high and slams him so that the whole arena feels it. Dos Anjos gets Stephens’ back and is porrada-ing the shit out of him right now. He transitions to an armbar, but Stephens sees it coming and escapes, giving him the opportunity to work some ground-and-pound of Dos Anjos’ guard. A few decent punches get through before the bell, and it might be enough to steal the round for Stephens. I gotta call it 10-9 for Dos Anjos, though.
Round 3
Some tentative jabbing and a few traded leg kicks start the final frame. Stephens backs Dos Anjos up to against the fence and then winds up and unloads with a huge right uppercut that knocks Dos Anjos on his ass. Stephens adds a few more unnecessary punches before the ref stops it.
A huge knockout for a comeback victory. Stephens flings himself at the Octagon fence in celebration. The crowd just woke up. Dos Anjos is starting to come around, too, albeit slowly.
Jeremy Stephens def. Rafael Dos Anjos via KO (uppercut/porrada!) at 0:39 of round three.
Jorge Gurgel vs. Aaron Riley
An especially sweet Buffer turn during the introduction of Riley. Bruce is feeling it tonight.
Round 1
After trading a few punches, Riley straight-up punts Gurgel’s testicles. The impact sounds like someone hitting an orange with a fungo bat. Gurgel doesn’t use much of his allotted time to recover, which always irks me for some reason, but he looks fine as he comes right back and delivers some punishing body kicks. They are going toe-to-toe with everything they’ve got now: punches, body kicks, head kicks, you name it. Gurgel is getting the better of it as the round winds down, but it’s a war that has both men looking battered. 10-9, Gurgel.
Round 2
We now resume our regularly scheduled brawling. Riley is starting to come on. He throws a head kick that Gurgel blocks but still seems to take some damage from. Later in the round Riley lands a good left that momentarily stuns Gurgel, but can’t capitalize. Jorge Gurgel is in a very exciting, fast-paced fight. I almost can’t believe what I’m seeing. Riley continues to be the aggressor and even tosses Gurgel to the mat once. It’s enough to win the round for him. 10-9, Riley. All square heading into the final round.
Round 3
Riley lands a left head kick that has Gurgel reeling. He follows it up with big left hands in close, working his dirty boxing in the clinch. Gurgel is looking wobbly, but he weathers the storm. The left hand continues to land cleanly for Riley. Gurgel slips on a leg kick and Riley helps him the rest of the way down with a kick of his own, but it isn’t long before Gurgel is back on his feet again. As the round winds down, Gurgel keeps shooting for takedowns, probably because he sees a decision slipping away. One such shot ends up with Riley briefing mounting Gurgel.
What a fight. I didn’t think Gurgel had it in him. In a fair world, it could easily be Fight of the Night, though Gurgel’s likely to lose the decision.
And so it goes. All three judges give it to Riley. Well-earned.
Aaron Riley def. Jorge Gurgel via unanimous decision.
After a brief coffee break, we’re ready to go live on pay-per-view. The house is pretty packed now. As soon as they see Lesnar’s big, square mug on the big screen, the fans voice their disapproval big time. These people love them some Couture. Lesnar says he isn’t just here to do his best. Is he saying my Little League was wrong?
Despite the excitement, Arianny is slouched in her chair, eyes closed, getting a scalp massage from the woman who appears to be the official UFC ring girl handler. Good work if you can get it.
Demian Maia vs. Nate Quarry
+10 points for Maia for coming out to the “Encore/Numb” mash-up. 50 Cent is in the house. This appears to please Arianny.
Round 1
Maia is making little secret of the fact that he would like this fight to be a grappling affair. A few perfunctory punches and then down we go. He’s all over Quarry and it isn’t long before he has The Rock’s back. Maia has a body triangle, is peppering Quarry with punches and hammer fists from behind. Maia slips his arm in for a rear naked choke and Quarry can’t tap fast enough. Damn, is Maia that good, or is Quarry that rusty? Maybe a little of both, but I tend to think it’s more the former than the latter. Take note, UFC middleweights.
Demian Maia def. Nate Quarry via submisision (rear naked choke) at 2:13 of round 1
Showing Brock Lesnar on the big screen is as guaranteed to elicit boos from this audience as showing Randy Couture is to garner cheers. If only we could find a way to harness all this energy.
Josh Hendricks vs. Gabriel Gonzaga.
Show me a person who doesn’t get pumped when they hear Danzig’s “Mother,” and I’ll show you a person I don’t want to party with. Gabriel Gonzaga is not such a person. It seems that Hendricks is sponsored by both Guns America and Jesus Didn’t Tap. What a combination. I feel a “U.S.A.!” chant coming on.
Round 1
Gonzaga is manhandling Hendricks early on, shoving him around, landing some hard shots. These punches have some stank on them. A hard right finds Hendricks’ chin and he crumples. Gonzaga adds a couple more for good measure while Steve Mazzagatti looks on approvingly. Welcome to the UFC, Mr. Hendricks. Enjoy your nap.
Gabriel Gonzaga def. Josh Hendricks via KO (punches) at 1:01 of round one.
Tamdan McCrory vs. Dustin Hazelett
Hazelett is sporting a Unabomber beard as he comes out to “Bad Moon Rising.” Interesting choices.
Round 1
The Barn Cat swarms all over Hazelett with a torrent of punches, but Hazelett covers up and looks mostly unfazed. McCrory slips and Hazelett tries to capitalize with a flying knee-type thing. When it doesn’t work he gives an ‘aw, shucks’ smile that is downright endearing. McCrory’s leg and body kicks are his most effective weapons thus far. In a scramble Hazelett locks on an omaplata, but McCrory is defending well. Hazelett turns it into more of a straight arm lock and McCrory has to tap. Impressive, technical performance from Hazelett. The replay confirms that McCrory’s arm is going to be sooooooore.
Dustin Hazelett def. Tamdan McCrory via submission (arm lock) at 3:59 of round one.
When Anderson Silva is shown on the big screen, the crowd lets him know that they still love him, no matter what anyone says.
Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson
Florian and Stevenson come out to Jay-Z and 50 Cent, respectively. Arianny is digging it. She’s up out of her chair and dancing for the first time all night. Go on, girl. Florian takes the center of the Octagon and bows. His banner reveals that he’s sponsored by Versa Climber. How bout that.
IMPORTANT: If you’re enjoying this liveblog — hell, even if you’re not — please, please, please Digg it. Seriously, do us this one favor.
Round 1
Florian is the more active fighter at the start, outdancing Stevenson and slipping in a few decent punches. Stevenson clinches and looks to get the action to the mat. He picks Florian up and KenFlo briefly grabs the cage before going down, which earns him a stern rebuke from referee Herb Dean. Bakc on their feet, Florian tries a high kick to Stevenson’s dome, then slams him to the mat a few second later. Florian mounts and drops some punches. Stevenson gives his back, and the choke follows soon thereafter. Over here on press row, Franklin McNeil doesn’t hide his pleasure at seeing his MMA Live co-host get the win.
Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Couture
Lesnar comes out to some black album-era Metallica. It’s probably the closest I’ll ever come to being won over by him. Couture is coming out to Aerosmith’s “Back in the Saddle.” Predictable? Maybe. Totally fucking sweet? Definitely. They’re chanting Randy’s name in the MGM Grand. And he is loving it.
Buffer is selling this shit hard. He must be watching old videos of the Pride lady. His enthusiasm is almost frightening. I want him drug-tested.
Round 1
It is immediately apparent when they square off just how much bigger Lesnar is. Lesnar controls him in the clinch at first, but Couture gets some space and fires off a good right. Lesnar tries for a takedown, but settles for another clinch. Single-leg by Lesnar put Couture on his back. Couture works his way back up bit by bit and almost takes Lesnar’s back before getting slung back to the mat. Lesnar’s strength is thus far making up for his lack of polish. A couple punches from Lesnar get through, but Couture is back to his feet, pressing Lesnar against the cage. Couture picks the big man up for a quick moment, but it doesn’t go anywhere. The round ends just as they separate. Looks like a 10-9 for Lesnar from where I’m sitting.
Round 2
They exchange punches and Lesnar lands a good right. Couture plays it up and Lesnar charges in, but it seems like a savvy veteran trick more than anything else. They stand and bang in the middle of the cage, with Couture getting the better of it. Lesnar is cut around his right eye. A right hand behind the ear from Lesnar drops Couture. The big man pounces and lands about thirty hammer fists in his patented ‘angry four-year-old’ punching style. Couture may be out. The ref is giving him lots of leeway. He attempts to roll off his back, but Lesnar is overwhelming him. Yamasaki stops it. And we have a new UFC heavyweight champ.
Lesnar hops atop the cage and surveys his kingdom. The crowd does not appreciate it.
Brock Lesnar def. Randy Couture via TKO (punches) at 3:07 of round two.
He gives Couture props for coming in after a year off and facing “a young buck like me.” Even when he’s giving someone else credit he manages to sound a little dickish. Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta chat with Lesnar during Couture’s post-fight interview. They seem…pleased.
That’s it for me, Potato Nation. I’m off to the press conference. Hope you enjoyed the evening as much as I did. If you haven’t dug our liveblog yet, do it now before I get pissed.
Written by admin on November 15th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on results and liveblog and UFC 91 and Arianny Celesete and preliminary and Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan and Randy Couture and UFC and Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson and Brock Lesnar and MMA.
Rampage and Opie battle for the light-heavyweight belt, Cote and Alemeida scrap for the #1 middleweight contender spot, Joe Stevenson tries to keep his blood inside his head, Josh Koscheck and Chris Lytle try to make it two in a row…and that’s pretty much it. Not an awesome card, but UFN 14 is just two weeks from now, and sometimes quantity is quality. Results from the UFC 86 undercard and live updates from the PPV broadcast are after the jump; refresh your browser every few minutes to read all the latest, and share your reactions in the comments section.
UNDERCARD RESULTS
Justin Buchholz def. Corey Hill via submission (rear-naked choke), 3:57 of round 2
Melvin Guillard def. Dennis Silver via TKO, 0:36 of round 1
Cole Miller def. Jorge Gurgel via submission (triangle choke), 4:48 of round 3
Gabriel Gonzaga def. Justin McCully via submission (kimura), 1:57 of round 1
We are back in beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada, and the light-heavyweight title is on the line. Mike Goldberg says “this card is stacked top-to-bottom.” LOFL!
Tyson Griffin vs. Marcus Aurelio
Griffin comes out to “Eye of the Tiger.” A bold statement. But then again, he’s predicting a stoppage win at the end of the first round, so it’s a bold kind of night for him overall.
Round 1: Aurelio gets a light right hook in after some feeling-out. Crowd booing after 45 seconds, but Griffin shuts ‘em up with a right hook to Aurelio’s dome. Griffin misses a leg kick. Griffin trips Aurelio down and throws in a punch. Aurelio trying to work sub attemtps from the guard while Griffin punches from his feet. Aurelio grabs Griffin’s arm and wraps his legs around him in high guard. Upkick by Aurelio, then he kicks Griffin off after some shots traded on the ground. Back on the feet, Griffin throws a good punch combo. Hard leg kick by Griffin, then a hard punch to the body. Another leg kick, and one more. Aurelio shoots, but is rebuffed by Griffin, who clinches against the cage until the bell rings. Probably a 10-9 round for Griffin.
Thiago Alves is in Aurelio’s corner. “Proud Brazilian, speak the Portuguesa,” says Goldberg.
Round 2: Leg kicks from Griffin stagger Aurelio. Griffin’s looking sharp, landing some tight punches. Aurelio’s reach advantage is being totally negated. Aurelio rushes in for a takedown and Griffin clinches him against the cage, as before. Griffin working knees to Aurelio’s legs, and foot stomps. Aurelio gives a couple knees right back. Griffin slams Aurelio after a breif stalemate. Aurelio reverses, gets up, and takes Griffin’s back. Griffin rolls and gets on top, throwing some punches to the head. Aurelio nearly gets a triangle, and hits Griffin with an upkick when Griffin shakes out. Big elbow to Aurelio’s face. Aurelio controls Griffin’s body as the round comes to an end, and Griffin bounces back to his corner, very fresh. The round was definitely Griffin’s.
In the audience, Criss Angel is identified, but not Sully from Godsmack. Joe Rogan is offended.
Round 3: Griffin with a leg kick and a right hook. Aurelio shoots but Griffin sprawls. Good punch combo from Griffin. The pace is slowing down a bit, but Griffin is still ownung the standup exchanges. Another takedown attempt from Aurelio is stuffed. Griffin nails Aurelio with a punch, but Aurelio gives one back. Griffin looks like his leg might be hurting him, but he shoots for a takedown and gets it. Aurelio grabs an arm and nearly stretches Griffin out. And again. Griffin frees his arm and throws down an elbow. The last bell sounds as Aurelio continues to threaten Griffin’s arm.
Tyson Griffin wins the unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it 30-27.
Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Lytle
Lytle whiffs on some big punches and a kick. Koscheck staying “elusive.” Lytle taps a leg kick and lands a body kick. More swinging and missing from Lytle, who’s being the aggressor. Kos ain’t pulling the trigger. Kos throws a head kick, falls on his ass, then pops back up. Lytle gets a body kick in; Kos takes Lytle down but almost falls into a guillotine. Koscheck in Lytle’s half-guard. Lytle kicks Koscheck off, but Kos dives back on, in Lytle’s full guard. Koscheck landing a couple strikes from the top. Lytle rolls, Kos briefly takes his back, then Lytle rolls again and Kos is back in his guard. A couple hammer fists from the top from Kos as the round ends. A slow and uneventful round that the judges probably gave to Josh.
Round 2: Leg kick from Koscheck. Koscheck goes for the single-leg takedown, gets it briefly but Lytle springs up and takes a knee in return. Koscheck takes Lytle down again and almost gets caught in a guillotine again. Koscheck pops out and throws some shots down on Lytle against the cage. Lytle’s cut. Koscheck with a slashing elbow from the top. More shots; things are looking bad for Lytle. Koscheck is just teeing off; Lytle’s blood flies onto a camera lens. Yeesh, that’s distasteful. The cameraman wipes it off as Koscheck continues to rain down damage. Lytle’s face is Stevenson-esque. Koscheck drops about a dozen light punches into Lytle’s head as the round ends. Lytle has trouble getting to his feet, but his corner tells him “you’re fine, you’re fine, you’re fine Chris.”
Joe Rogan remembers Marvin Eastman’s cut as “like a goat’s vagina.”
Round 3: Lytle is wobbly. Koscheck shoots in and pushes Lytle against the cage. Koscheck takes Lytle down, Lytle again goes for the guillotine, Koscheck spins out. Lytle tries for it again, Kos gets out again. Koscheck puts Lytle against the cage again and throws down more elbows. This is one of the bloodiest UFC fights of all time. There are big puddles on the mat. There’s no way Lytle can see through it. Koscheck’s elbow is covered in gore. A couple more punches, and Yves Lavigne stands them up. Barbarian! Everyone thought it was going to be a stoppage. Lytle swings hard and almost gets Kos in trouble with punches. They clinch, Koscheck trying to ride out the clock. Yves separates them against the cage and Lytle throws every punch he has left at Koscheck. Kos survives it. The horn sounds. Fucking bloodbath.
Josh Koscheck wins the unanimous decision, and is booed loudly by the crowd.
I was referring to Aurelio as “Almeida” in the 2nd round of the Griffin fight? Cripes. Fixed now.
Joe Stevenson vs. Gleison Tibau
Tibau comes out to “Iron Man.” Props. And he looks huge for a lightweight.
Round 1: Stevenson sticks Tibau with a jab. He lands another punch, dives on and almost sinks on a guillotine. Tibau gets out, and almost gets an anaconda choke. Back on the feet, clinching against the cage. Tubau takes Stevenson down, but Stevenson gets back up. Stevenson dirty boxes his way out of the clinch, then rushes back in for a double-leg takedown. Tibau working his guard, and clamps on an omoplata. Joe’s in trouble. Tibau throwing some punches at Stevenson’s head. Stevenson is just sitting there in a stalemate, waiting for a good moment to pop out. Stevenson can’t do anything, but he’s not getting submitted. He rides the clock out.
Joe Rogan says “chess match” like three times.
Round 2: Tibau lands a left hook. Stevenson rushes forward and pushes Tibau against the cage. Tibau takes Stevenson down briefly, but Joe bounces back up. Tibau gets another takedown and passes into side control, then full mount. Stevenson bucks to get out, and does. Back on the feet. Tibau gets a takedown, but falls into an arm-in guillotine. Joe uses his Daddy-strength to crush out a submission despite the arm. Wow.
The official call: 2:57 of the second round. ‘Bout time we had a stoppage. Stevenson shouts out his son and said he had a bone-bruise coming into the fight.
Patrick Cote vs. Ricardo Almeida
Cote says he doesn’t care if Almeida trained “with Gracie, or the Pope, or whoever.” Yes, because the Pope is notorious for his ground game. Almeida comes out to “Fortunate Son.” Double-props.
Round 1: Almeida goes for a flying guillotine, and pulls Cote into his guard. Damn! Almeida seems to be looking for a gogo, but Cote gets out and to his feet. Almeida ties Cote up, looking for a takedown. Cote tries to shake out, but Almeida is tenacious with his clinch. Finally, he gets the takedown. Almeida on top, throwing some shots, with Cote trying to keep some distance with his legs. Almeida in Cote’s half-guard, punching Cote in the ribs. Cote attempting to upkick after pushing Almeida off, but Almeida closes the distance, lands a couple punches and returns to Cote’s full guard. Almeida returns to his feet, throwing shots down from a distance. The horn sounds; the round was all Almeida.
Almeida’s glove is torn, and is re-taped. It’s not good enough. Finally, Herb Dean says it’s cool.
Round 2: Cote pops Almeida with a punch. Almeida drags Cote to his guard, and into “crackhead control” (feet around Cote’s neck), but Cote slips out and gets up. Almeida is dropping his hands a bit too much; bad opponent for that strategy. Cote lands a nice right straight from a clinch. Cote pushing the pace with punches, and winning the round. Almeida clinches and falls to the ground, but Cote avoids. Almeida with another clinch against the cage; the crowd gets antsy. Almeida tried for the flying guillotine after a clinch, but Cote gets out. Cote bumrushes Almeida, who falls to his back after taking a punch, and the horn sounds.
Round 3: More clinching. Cote snaps a leg kick after they separate. And another hard one that staggers Almeida. Almeida is not looking great in this fight. Cote misses on a punch combo, then eats a jab. Good leg kick from Cote, and another. Slow round, but Cote’s on his way to winning the fight. Almeida lands a punch, and absorbs a leg kick. Cote pushes forward, fists first. Almeida chases back and hits air, but he scores a takedown. Cote pushes off, but Almeida attempts a choke. Cote gets on top as the round ends. Kind of a tossup, but it may go to Cote for aggression.
Talk about a fight that didn’t live up to the hype. Both men are far from ready for Anderson Silva.
The scores are 29-28 Cote, 29-28 Almeida, and 29-28 Cote. Cote takes the split decision.
Our man Gerald Harris is in Rampage’s dressing room running through some grappling drills. WAR HARRIS!!!
Bangkok Dangerous commercial, yo. Nicolas Cage is in it, and he picks the worst fucking movies to star in lately. This does not bode well.
Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin
Forrest, as usual, comes out to “Shipping Up to Boston” by the Dropkick Murphys, and the white people in attendance are psyched. Rampage walks out and gets in the face of Wilmer Valderamma, who maybe pisses his pants. War Fes? Griffin smiles in the cage, while Rampage looks deathly serious. David Spade and Mandy Moore are in the audience. Not together, of course. Yves Lavigne is reffing this one. Big responsibility for the Frenchman.
Round 1: Both guys exchange punches. Forrest slips in a leg kick. Forrest throws a head kick off Rampage’s glove. Forrest gets another leg kick, and a body kick, wisely keeping his distance. Rampage whiffs a haymaker. Rampage nails him with a left hook, then a knee. Griffin throws some kicks. He lands two leg kicks. Big punches from Rampage, then a leg kick. Griffin fires back with some punches of his own. Griffin punches out of a brief clinch. Griffin lands a nice left hook, then a leg kick. Rampsge punches Forrest to the ground. Rampage pushes Forrest against the cage on the ground. Rampage in Forrest’s closed guard, landing some punches as Griffin gets to his feet. Punches landed by both men in an exchange. Great first round. Hard to call; Forrest got rocked and knocked to the ground, but he controlled the majority of the round.
Round 2: Griffin fires off two leg kicks that clearly hurt Rampage. Forrest scores two big knees in a clinch and takes Rampage down! Forrest in Rampage’s half-guard. Forrest trying to work some short elbows from the top. Forrest passes to side control, and briefly goes for an Americana. More short elbows. Rampage is lost on his back. Another Americana attempt, then Forrest passes to full mount, dropping punches and elbows. Total domination by Forrest, who’s a relentless blanket of doom on Rampage. The horn sounds. 10-8 round? Rampage lookin’ rough in his corner, getting his bum knee iced.
Round 3: Inside leg kick from Forrest, who then misses a head kick. Rampage gets him with a hard punch and Forrest backs up. Rampage misses some punches, then lands some nasty ones. Forrest misses a leg kick, then gets one on Rampage’s thigh. Rampage catches Forrest with a right. Rampage looking a little better now, finding his rhythm with the punches. Both men clash with punches. Forrest’s leg kicks are looking a little weaker. Good 1-2 combo from Rampage, and a solid body shot. Injside leg kick from Forrest. Rampage tags him with a left hook. Forrest pushes forward with punches, and Rampages blasts right back. Much closer round, that possibly belonged to Rampage.
Round 4: Rampage scores a hard punch combo, and another in a clinch. Forrest goes for a takedown but falls onto his back. Forrest is cut. Forrest going for a triangle; it’s sunk in, but Rampage slams out of it, Arona style! Rampage back on top on the ground. Big cut over Forrest’s eye. Rampage gets an elbow in, but not much else. Forrest gets to his feet but gets caught with a big punch on the way up. Forrest throwing some kicks that miss. Rampage gets in two more big punches. And two more as the bell rings.
Stitch rubs a glob of goo in Forrest’s gaping cut.
Round 5: Leg kick from Forrest, and another. Rampage scores with a punch. Two more leg kicks from Forrest. And another big one. Rampage with a big right hand, and Forrest answers with his own. Forrest brushes Rampage back with a head kick. He’s clearly the aggressor in this round. More leg kicks from Forrest, but Rampage scores a head/body punch combo. Big right hand from Forrest. Rampage gets in his own. Rampage’s leg is clearly bothering him, but his punches still look dangerous. Knee from Forrest in the clinch, and an uppercut from Rampage. And they slug it out in the closing seconds to the bell. Amazing fight.
The official decision, people. 48-46, 48-46, 49-46 all to Forrest Griffin. OPIE IS THE NEW LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION! Forrest Jardine’d Rampage to death!
Forrest says that he was never “hurt-hurt,” but every punch Rampage threw “hurt.”
Rampage said “he jacked my leg up. I tried to pretend, I ain’t that good at acting.” He says his leg got a chance to recover when he was on the ground all through the 2nd. Afterparty at Prive! Rampage vows to never take that much time off from the cage ever again, and limps off.
They’re showing the Guillard/Siver fight now. Guillard rocks Siver to the ground right off the bell, but Siver gets to his feet. Two dead-on punches knock Siver to the ground, and Guillard jackhammer-punches him into unconsciousness. By default, he’s getting the Knockout of the Night bonus. “He didn’t even get a chance to say uncle,” Guillard quips.
Submission of the Night goes to Cole Miller for his triangle choke of Jorge Gurgel in the fight’s closing seconds. Well done.
Joe Rogan talks about a Rampage/Wanderlei rematch like it’s already booked. Feel our goosebumps! And that’s the end of the broadcast. So, maybe a solid 3 out of 10 overall, but the main event delivered all it could short of a knockout. Good night, and good luck…
Written by admin on July 5th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Ricardo Almeida and liveblog and UFC 86 and Rampage and Joe Stevenson and Forrest Griffin and UFC and Quinton Jackson and Josh Koscheck and Patrick Cote and MMA.
You may think that typing out a sentence about what a no-talent mama’s boy some fighter is has no real effect on anything, but Joe Stevenson begs to differ. In a recent interview with MMA Rated he admitted to scouring the internet in the past to read what people were saying about him:
In (the) rankings, you know, I don’t really check the Internet too much, I stay off of it because when I first started, I remember the headache that I would get from watching people say, ‘oh yeah, this that and the other’ and, I mean, emotionally it does hurt you. You’re like, ‘wait a minute! You jerk!’ You know, it doesn’t really matter if it’s a 13-year-old kid with acne or if it’s a 27-year-old guy that thinks he can do it or someone that’s really legit and has an opinion. It still hurts, words hurt.
As our Cage Potato comments pie chart revealed, the internet is a place for all the negative/racist/sexist/nonsense things people can’t say in polite company, so it’s probably best for Stevenson not to take it to heart. Of course, by writing that I’ve probably opened the door for some thirteen-year-old kid with acne to call me a Stevenson nuthugger while perhaps also questioning my sexual preference.
Also in the interview, Stevenson looks back on his loss to B.J. Penn, especially the now infamous moment where Penn licked his blood off his own gloves.
JS: I didn’t see it. I didn’t see that until after the fight and watching it on the videotape. I was pissed off for a minute, it was like, ‘oh you jerk!’ It’s cool though, I mean we all pass a blood test [laughs] so I guess it’s OK.
AH: When you saw him do that on the tape, did you feel insulted in any way?
JS: I was more emotionally pissed off that I lost at that time, so I didn’t really care about anything. Then after when I saw it, yeah, I freaked out for a second and it was like, ‘dude!’ My father-in-law is Hawaiian and my wife is Hawaiian and he was like, ‘he’s a savage,’ and I was like, ‘fair enough.’
Maybe I’m missing something, but was Stevenson’s father-in-law saying that Hawaiians are generally savages, or just Penn? And is it okay for him to say it since he’s Hawaiian? I’m not so sure that the whole ‘he’s a savage’ argument would make me feel better in that situation, but I guess you have to take what you can get.
As for the most awkwardly touching moment in the interview, there’s this:
AH: Do you still harp on the loss to Penn?
JS: Well, this is a funny story: I got my hair done, you know, I got it lined up and stuff, and the dude had cut the scar because it hadn’t healed all the way. It totally was bleeding again, and I saw that and that kind of perturbed me.
Perturbed is an interesting word choice there. It might mean he was annoyed, or it might mean he had some disturbing flashbacks. Guess we’ll never know.
Written by admin on July 1st, 2008 with comments disabled.
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Joe Stevenson and his wife just had another kid (their second) — Maximus Stevenson (8 lbs 1 ½ oz.).
That now makes four boys total for the 25-year-old, who was the season two winner of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) back in 2005.
Talk about a small army.
“Daddy” is set to take on Gleison Tibau at UFC 86 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 5, in a lightweight showdown. Chances are he’ll look to put on show and get his hands on some of that bonus money.
Kids are expensive.
Congrats, Joe.
Written by admin on April 9th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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“I think I did good. I just got cut. I think it was getting better and better for me and sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you…. I just opened up a new school here in my hometown of Victorville and I want to take about 5 months off before my next fight. I want to do everything right. I got another baby on the way with my beautiful wife. I want to keep everything in line and go out there with no distractions.”
– Joe Stevenson tells FightHype.com that he plans to take some time off after his submission loss to BJ Penn at UFC 80: “Rapid Fire” during the fight for the vacant lightweight championship. In the first round of the match “Daddy” was cut with a well-placed elbow and bled like a stuck pig. It more than likely had a significant impact on the relatively quick result of the fight.
(Thanks to FightLinker.com for the tasty blood squirt image.)
Written by admin on January 25th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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On a night (or afternoon) where many fans complained of a lack of “exciting” match ups for UFC 80, we were graced with several exciting finishes.
In fact, out of the nine fights on the card only two ended in decision. There were SIX knockouts/technical knockout and one thrilling, blood-soaked submission.
Former welterweight champion BJ Penn solidified his place in history with a dominant win over Joe Stevenson in the main event to earn the vacant lightweight title, becoming just the second person ever to hold a belt in two different divisions (Randy Couture is the other).
It’s an achievement he has been chasing since a loss to then 155-pound champion, Jens Pulver, in 2002 and a disappointing draw with Caol Uno in 2003.
Last night it’s safe to say Penn looked better than he has ever looked in his career. Clearly, he needs to be mentioned with George St. Pierre, Anderson Silva and Rampage Jackson as the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
There is a lot in store for Penn in the future. First and foremost, however, we now know that he will defend his belt against former champion Sean Sherk most likely in May.
That match up should be exciting and filled with animosity, especially if the scene inside the Octagon immediately following the championship fight is any indication.
Fireworks.
Looking even farther ahead if Penn beats Sherk then he might be on a b-line for a rematch with St. Pierre. He wants that fight bad. With a win he’d also be the first man to hold two belts in two separate UFC weight classes at the same time.
Clearly, the 170-pound division is stacked. But UFC president Dana White is a shrewd businessman and he knows a big score when he sees one.
Of course, if Penn defeats Sherk he can then fight Kenny Florian (if he can beat Joe Lauzon on April 19). However, if Lauzon wins it’s doubtful that Penn would take on his young student.
St. Pierre vs. Penn II would be one for the ages and I am one of the fans who believe Penn deserved the decision victory in their first encounter.
I for one think this fight NEEDS to happen if all the cards can fall into place.
For now we’ll just all enjoy the ride. “The Prodigy” is at the top of his game and he has declared that Sherk is a “dead man.”
That’s a showdown that can’t come soon enough.
The rest of UFC 80 was extremely interesting and exciting.
In the co feature of the evening Fabricio Werdum weathered the early storm of vicious leg kicks by Gabriel Gonzaga to knockout “Napao” in round two. Gonzaga looked great in the first round, but once again his conditioning was his downfall as he came out in the second stanza looking sloppy and gassed.
Werdum capitalized and put on a much more exciting fight than his previous scrap with Andrei Arlovski to earn some respect in the heavyweight division. Werdum now needs to be considered a top five heavyweight.
Gonzaga needs to re-evaluate his career so that we don’t begin to think he is the man who got lucky with a head kick against Mirko Cro Cop and thats it. I wouldnt mind seeing Gonzaga and Cro Cop tangle again. It’s a rematch that could sell tickets and be extremely interesting.
The rest of the main card action was quick and fast.
Jorge Rivera took his career off life support with a devastating knockout of up-and-comer Kendall Grove. It’s good to see a guy like Rivera get a victory to save his career. How can you not respect a man who is fighting to support his family and not to become a millionaire?
Grove, on the other hand, seems to have let his head become way too big. This latest result is back-to-back devastating losses for Grove. And you have to wonder if he’s training hard enough or if he’s trying to live the superstar life before he’s a superstar.
Usually I wouldnt question a fighters desire, but seeing Grove’s undeniable talent in his three straight victories over Ed Herman, Chris Price and Alan Belcher makes you wonder where his hunger and drive went. The talent is still there, yet hes been knocked out in two straight versus fighters with less talent but more heart.
Hopefully, this will be a wake up call for Grove and his career because he has the talent to be a top caliber fighter in his division.
Wilson Gouveia threw a left hook out of nowhere for a stunning victory over Jason Lambert.
Before the blow Lambert dominated the entire fight from start to finish and had Gouveia on his heels. But he got sloppy and took one on the chin.
This is real tough tough loss for Lambert and an escape for Gouveia. I wouldn’t mind seeing these two fight again.
Marcus Davis showed he should be considered a top five 170-pound fighter. With his dominant knockout over Jess Liaudin, Davis now needs to be mentioned with the big boys after a string of impressive victories.
I for one wouldn’t mind seeing him tangle with Jon Fitch.
Alessio Sakara picked up a much-needed and solid victory over a well respected James Lee. Sakara was being dominated with the ground game; however, he found a way to unload a barrage of right hands and he took the win.
Sakara now should have his career back on track and some momentum heading into his middleweight debut in his next contest. With a few convincing victories there he could work his way towards the top the talent shallow division.
Paul Kelly and Paul Taylor put on a Liddell/Silva-type exchange to start off the fight and set the tone for what was a great fight.
Taylor was sharp on his feet and won the stand up exchanges, but Kelly was also game and never backed down. In the end Kelly’s dominance on the ground proved to be the difference.
Both these fighters should see some more days in the UFC and deservedly so they put on a great fight.
Antoni Hardonk made quick work of Colin Robinson with a vicious leg kick and cross that put Robinson to the ground.
Hardonk was finally able to show his stand up skills that made him a feared heavyweight. However, if he cant develop something that resembles a ground game he will end up being nothing more than a gatekeeper for the heavyweight division.
Sam Stout won a lackluster decision over Per Eklund. And although his standup still looked crisp as usual you have to wonder if Stout will also ever be more than a gatekeeper who’s capable on putting on a great standup show when the match up is right.
All in all it was a great night for MMA.
Tonight’s fights cleared up some of the muddy waters in the heavyweight and welterweight divisions with Werdum and Davis’ wins.
In addition, Penn cemented his legacy as one of the greatest fighters of all time, but I think this is just the beginning of the peak of his career great things are still to come.
Take note Sean Sherk. You’re a dead man!
For detailed UFC 80: “Rapid Fire” results hit up or blow-by-blow commentary post right here.
Written by admin on January 20th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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BJ Penn seemed to just outclass Joe Stevenson standing and on the ground. Stevenson was cut badly by an elbow in the first round, so he had to contend with blood on his face, but even still, I’m not sure who can beat BJ Penn in the UFC lightweight division. He stopped Joe Stevenson via RNC, round 2.
Written by admin on January 20th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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Click the banner above or right here for up-to-the-minute results and blow-by-blow coverage of UFC 80: “Rapid Fire.”
Quick results of the prelim fights will begin to flow around 1:30 p.m. ET and LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of the main card action will start at 3 p.m. ET sharp!
If you’re going to leave comments and discuss the fights with all the other MMAmania.com readers be sure to do it on the main UFC 80 results post and not this one.
Spoiler Alert: UFC 80 will also air via tape delay at 10 p.m. ET. Therefore, don’t click through to see the results if you don’t want to see them!
Written by admin on January 19th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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The field of 18 fighters for UFC 80: “Rapid Fire” all tipped the scales earlier today at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England, for the pay-per-view (PPV) event that is set to go off tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. ET.
All fighters made weight without incident.
Here are the official results from UFC.com:
155 lbs.: BJ Penn (154) vs. Joe Stevenson (154)
Hvywt.: Gabriel Gonzaga (255) vs. Fabricio Werdum (247)
170 lbs.: Marcus Davis (169) vs. Jess Liaudin (170)
205 lbs.: Jason Lambert (204) vs. Wilson Gouveia (205)
185 lbs.: Kendall Grove (186) vs. Jorge Rivera (185)
Hvywt.: Antoni Hardonk (244) vs. Colin Robinson (238)
170 lbs.: Paul Taylor (170) vs. Paul Kelly (170)
205 lbs.: Alessio Sakara (206) vs. James Lee (206)
155 lbs.: Sam Stout (155) vs. Per Eklund (155)
*Note: Fighters are allowed to be over the division weight limit by one pound in non-title fights.
There check out the video highlight package of the UFC 80 weigh-in click here.
Reminder: The televised portion of the pay-per-view (PPV) event begins Saturday, January 19, at 3 p.m. ET. We will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of the main card action at this time.
UFC 80 quick results, however, will begin to flow earlier than that here at MMAmania.com at about 1:30 p.m. ET with the prelim fights.
Remember that the PPV will also air via tape delay at 10 p.m. ET. Therefore, please be aware that if you plan to watch the recorded version that there will be spoilers located on this site. We’ll do our best to hide them, of course, but just please keep that in mind.
See you all tomorrow.
Written by admin on January 18th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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