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Undercard results:
Matt Wiman def. Michihiro Omigawa via unanimous decision
Christian Wellisch def. Scott Junk via heel hook submission, Round
Jeremy Stephens def. Diego Saraiva via unanimous decision
Rich Clementi def. Anthony Johnson via rear-naked choke submission, Round 2
Main card:
Thiago Tavares vs. Tyson Griffin
Get ready for a barn-burner. I'm not sure my fingers will be able to keep up with the action, but I'll do my best.
Round one: Tavares looks a little gunshy early as Griffin takes
control of the center of the octagon and stalks Tavares around the
ring. Griffin shoots in for a takedown about 1:30 into the round, which
shows that Griffin is extremely confident as Tavares is dangerous on
the ground. Griffin lands a heavy shot in the guard before the two
scramble to their feet. Tavares tried a judo throw takedown but Griffin
managed to reverse position and ended up on top. Griffin got into
danger during a scramble when Tavares briefly got his back, but Griffin
escaped. Griffin is getting the better of the standup. Good round with
Griffin getting the nod in my book.
Round two: Tavares landed a flying knee early that shook Griffin up,
and when Tavares ran in to close the distance, Griffin hammered him
with a right before Tavares got a takedown. Tavares worked himself into
full mount until Griffin tried to buck up, giving up his back. Tavares
locked in a body triangle with his legs and tried to sink in the rear
naked choke from a standing position. Griffin showed incredible stamina
and strength, holding Tavares up for a long time before he finally
shook him off. Tavares then nearly pulled an armbar. Great display by
both fighters. Griffin stood up and looked to punish his opponent with
punches, meanwhile Tavares looked for a submission opening at every
opportunity. Griffin tried a guillotine but Tavares worked his way out
and took Tyson's back. Griffin dropped down, basically pile-driving
Tavares face-first into the mat. Tavares head was cut as a result. This
was an unbelievable round. I score it for Tavares but it could go
either way.
Round three: Tavares shot in early for a takedown try, but Griffin's
had enough of the ground and stuffed the attempt. Griffin stuffed him
against the cage and threw shoulders into his face. Amazing sequence on
the ground when Tavares tried an omo plata and Griffin spun and wheeled
his way out. Just a thing of beauty. Griffin landed a big elbow against
the cage as the two faced off standing again. Tavares spent the last
minute and a half trying to take Griffin down and looking for a
submission. Wow, that is a tough round to score, and someone is not
going to be happy at the decision.
Winner: Tyson Griffin by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Lyoto Machida vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Round one: Machida landed a heavy body kick early on. The pair
clinched against the cage but neither did much with it. Nakamura tried
a judo throw but Machida ended up on top, in half-guard. The Brazilian
worked for a kimura briefly without success, and the two returned to
their feet. The crowd is decidedly uninterested so far. Nakamura
slipped down with about a minute left in the round, but Machida
struggled to pass his guard. Still, he managed a few elbows while in
top position. That's new for Nakamura as elbows weren't allowed in
Pride (but soccer kicks were, go figure). Machida won the round.
Round two: Machida came out with fury to start the round, unloading
and putting Nakamura down before landing heavy punches. Machida worked
for the mount and Nakamura gave up his back. Nakamura tried to spin out
of it, but ended up right back with Machida in mount again. Machida
sunk in a rear naked choke, but Nakamura fought it off and escaped.
Machida stayed patient and worked for full mount again. He's known for
being a patient counterstriker, but he's showing good aggressiveness in
this round. He did some damage before Nakamura found a way to scramble
to his feet. At this point, all Nakamura has been able to do is play
defense. Nakamura finally scored a takedown with 30 seconds remaining,
though he did very little with it as the final seconds of the round
slipped away. Another round for Machida.
Round three: Nakamura came out very aggressively, which is what you
like to see from a fighter who knows he's likely behind on the
scorecards. After the early flurry, he looked liked he began running
out of gas, and Machida sweeped him to the mat. Machida mounted him
again, but did nothing with the position as Nakamura bucked him off.
Machida landed what appeared to be a hard, straight left, though
Nakamura kept on forward, unfazed. Machida landed a knee to the head
and the body from the clinch with 30 seconds to go, then an elbow while
they fought agains the cage. The fans didn't love the fight, but it was
a strong performance from Machida.
Winner: Lyoto Machida via unanimous decision (30-27 on all judges' scorecards)
Diego Sanchez vs. Jon Fitch
Round one: Sanchez actually sprinted out to meet Fitch at the
opening bell, immediately going for a takedown. He abandoned the
attempt after a few seconds and the two went toe-to-toe. Sanchez again
went for the takedown but Fitch defended again. It will be interesting
to see how that affects Diego's gameplan. Fitch landed a couple of
short punches from in close but they went right back to the cage with
Sanchez leaning on Fitch. The crowd grew restless and Sanchez finally
took him down. Third time was the charm. Fitch got right back up and
returned the favor with a takedown of his own with two minutes left in
the round. Sanchez stayed active from the bottom, looking for a
triangle, then an armbar. Sanchez spun for an armbar again as Fitch
kept top position. This was a very close round. I'd give a slight edge
to Sanchez.
Round two: Sanchez went for the takedown immediately, but Fitch
ended up on top. The pair got back to their feet, and Sanchez scored a
takedown. Fitch tried to get up, lifting Sanchez's legs to take him
down. Fitch then took Sanchez's back and looked for a submission. A
crazy moment took place when Sanchez had his legs wrapped around
Fitch's head, and Fitch picked Sanchez up and slammed him down. Crowd
loved that one. This is just a back-and-forth scramble with neither man
able to gain momentum or do much damage. Fitch landed the best shots of
the fight with a pair of hammer fists late in the round that busted
Sanchez's nose. That round probably goes to Fitch.
Round three: Sanchez looked for a guillotine and it looked like he
had it, but Fitch amazingly flashed a thumbs-up sign, letting the crowd
and his corner know he wasn't in danger. Sanchez held it for at least
30 seconds, until Fitch popped out of the hold and threw a couple
punches. Sanchez then looked for a kimura but could never clear Fitch's
arm. Fitch stayed in top position for most of the rest of the round.
Sanchez tried a triangle choke but Fitch pulled out again. Sanchez was
trying to apply it again as time ran out. Another tough round to score,
but I give Sanchez the nod for his many attempts to finish the fight.
Winner: Jon Fitch by split decision (30-27 Fitch, 29-28 Sanchez, 29-28 Fitch)
That's 14 straight wins for Fitch, who will at least finally gain
some mainstream exposure for the win. Sanchez took the loss well,
saying, "he beat me fair and square, and I'm going to take it like a
man."
Joe Rogan again brought up the issue of scoring in the UFC, and it
will continue to pop up in close fights like this one, where Sanchez
was busy constantly trying for submissions yet Fitch escapes with the
win because of his positioning. In this case, it almost appears that
judges are giving more credit for takedown than for submission
attempts. In this writer's opinion, that's a mistake. While both moves
signal offensive aggression, a submission attempt is a try to end the
fight, a takedown is not.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Forrest Griffin
Round one: Shogun looks for the early takedown and Forrest defends
well as Rua ends up on the ground. Shogun scores with a takedown a
little over a minute in, and follows up with a couple elbows from the
guard. Forrest did an excellent job early controlling Shogun in his
guard. He used underhooks to get back to standing. Shogun showed his
trademark aggressivness coming forward, but Forrest used it against
him, taking Rua down. Griffin landed a hook and a right. Rua has a knot
on the left side of his head. Shogun shot in for another takedown,
putting Griffin right against the cage, but Griffin reversed it and
threw punches as time ran out. An excellent first round and Griffin has
already survived longer than many thought.
Round two: Shogun took Griffin down with a single-leg takedown and
fell right into his guard. Rua landed his first big shot, an elbow from
the guard, but Griffin popped up and back to his feet. Griffin then
scored a takedown and started hammering Rua. You can see that Shogun
wants this fight on the ground. He tried another single leg, this time
Forrest was ready and defended, adding a few hammer fists before the
two returned to standing. Rua looks tired now. He's renowned for his
engine, but it looks like it's idling. He's exhausted as he throws a
lazy punch and Forrest takes him down. Griffin lands elbows and
punches, scoring at will and beating Shogun down. Wow. I expected
Forrest to give him a run, but he's threatening to win this thing. He
wins the round.
Round three: Shogun took Forrest down to start the round, and
Griffin looked for a triangle, then an armbar. That would've been the
shock of the century if he pulled it off. Rua couldn't do much with the
position as the stalemated for a time. Eventually, Shogun did land a
couple elbows. Griffin then nearly shocked Rua again with an omo plata
try which eventually left Griffin in top position. Griffin took
advantage with shots. Rua looks physically depleted again. With a
minute to go, the crowd cheered on Griffin as he tried to mount the man
many in the world consider the best in the world at 205. Forrest sinks
in the rear naked choke and OH MY GOODNESS, he just shocked the world.
He finished Shogun with a rear naked choke. He submitted a Brazilian
jiu-jitsu black belt who many thought would walk through him and to a
title shot. This is a huge upset.
Winner: Griffin via rear naked choke, Round 3
The look on Griffin's face as he felt Rua tap out against his leg
was absolutely priceless, a mixture of joy and elation. Good for him.
Chuck Liddell vs. Keith Jardine
Round one: Jardine looks like he wants to throw those leg kicks that
he often uses to chop down his opponent. Probably a good idea. Liddell
caught him with a big right hook on the chin, but Jardine stayed
upright. Liddell started to measure him and cut the distance by backing
Jardine up near the cage. A Liddell left hook caused a cut over
Jardine's right eye. Jardine is doing a good job keeping Liddell
off-balance with leg kicks and combos. Of course, even an off-balance
Chuck is a dangerous Chuck as many have learned over the years. Liddell
caught Jardine late with a hard right but Jardine backed away and
smiled. Liddell wins the round, but Jardine survives, which should be a
confidence-booster.
Round two: Jardine caught Liddell with a hard right that put Liddell
back on the canvas, but Liddell seemed to recover quickly and Jardine
couldn't do anything to add to the damage. You can see Jardine's
confidence growing as he actually stuck his chin out towards Liddell
with his hands down at one point. Jardine is landing right hands and
Chuck is really having trouble finding the range. Jardine is bleeding
on both sides of his face. Liddell finished a scramble with a rare knee
to the head. Liddell looks fresher than Jardine right now, but my
opinion may be skewed by the blood decorating Jardine's face. Jardine
lasts the round and probably sneaks it out on some scorecards.
Round three: Jardine has done an impressive job with his leg kicks.
He uses the weapon better than most fighters. He hits another leg kick
followed by a hook that lands on the jaw of the ex-champ. This pace is
to Jardine's liking, with no particular flow or rhythm. The left side
of Chuck's body is red and his left leg must be the same color. The
crowd is stunned at what they are witnessing as Jardine lands a couple
of hooks with 1:30 to go. With 30 seconds to go, both men open up
trying to steal the round. They trade punches, Liddell throws a reverse
leg kick and Jardine scores on a hook. Stop the presses, a Chuck
Liddell fight has gone the distance. Jardine may have just pulled off
an upset.
Winner: Keith Jardine by split decision (29-28 Jardine, 29-28 Liddell, 29-28 Jardine)
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