Taking place in Broomfield, Colorado, WEC 51 featured a very strong line-up.  The event was headlined by the featherweight champion Jose Aldo defending his title against a former UFC lightweight and ‘Ultimate Fighter’ finalist Manvel Gamburyan.  On the undercard, former WEC champions Miguel Torres (bantamweight) and Jamie Varner (lightweight) were taking on Charlie Valencia and Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone respectively.  The preliminary bouts featured another former champion, featherweight Mike Thomas Brown (whose bout with Cole Province didn’t make the televised broadcast), along with a highly hyped debut of WEC’s first Chinese fighter Tie Quan Zhang.

Leonard Garcia vs. Mark Hominick (145 lbs)

Round 1: As expected, Garcia is swinging big from the opening bell.  Hominick is more patient, stalking Garcia, countering Leonard’s wild strikes with clean jabs.  The fighters are mainly even in exchanges, neither doing significant damage.  A big leg kick by Garcia makes both fighters stumble from the impact. Garcia eats punches but only smiles and continues attacking.  Tough round to score.  Round 10-10 draw

Round 2: Similar to the first round, Garcia is looking for the knockout punch while Hominick evades and uses his jab to set up combinations.  Garcia is having some success in early striking, but as the time wears on he slows down, and his wild punches miss by a wide margin, leaving him wide open to Mark’s counters.  Both fighters are bleeding by the end of the round, but Hominick is now in firm control of most exchanges.   Round 10-9 Hominick

Round 3: Garcia starts out as the aggressor once again but Hominick evades or blocks most of Leonard’s attacks, and counters successfully.  Garcia is very tired, and his strikes don’t have much pop to them any more.  Hominick is picking Garcia apart, momentarily drops him with a hook but Garcia is game and continues fighting till the end.    Round 10-9 Hominick

Mark Hominick wins a split decision with the scores of 29-28, 29-28, 28-29

Ranking Impact: Mark Hominick rises 1 spot to #16 FW.  Leonard Garcia remains #26 FW.

Hominick asks for a title shot in the post-fight interview.  He is one of WEC’s top featherweight contenders, along with Josh Grispi and Chad Mendes.

Fight Grade: 3/5

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Taking place in Indianapolis, UFC 119 presented a rather pedestrian card, with Frank Mir taking on Mirko ‘Cro-Cop’ Filipovic in the main event after Antonio Rodrigo ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira withdrew from a scheduled rematch with Mir due to an injury.  In the co-main, Minotauro’s brother Antonio Rogerio Noguiera took on undefeated lightheavyweight prospect Ryan ‘Darth’ Bader.  The card was rounded out by a number of random matchups of little divisional significance.

Preliminary Card (Spike TV)

Joey Beltran vs. Matt Mitrione (HW)

Round 1: Mitrione is the aggressor, going after Beltran with combinations of punches.  Mitrione mixes in a high kick and leg kicks.  Beltran looking to counter and finally finds an opening, rocking Matt with a punch, pushing him against the fence and punching while holding his head.  Beltran changes levels and scores a takedown.  Beltran works from the top.  Mitrione looking for a triangle, but Beltran evades and passes into half-guard, north-south, then side control all while landing punches from the top.  Beltran got cut somewhere along the way, bleeding on Mitrione from his brow.  Round 10-9 Beltran

Round 2: Mitrione is again leading with punch and kick combinations.  Beltran charges with a flurry, backing up Mitrione against the cage and looking for a takedown.  Mitrione manages to remain on his feet.  They trade wildly, Mitrione rocks Beltran and looks for the finish but Joey hangs in there and lands a big shot of his own.  Beltran slows the pace down by clinching and attempting a takedown but can’t complete.  The action is stopped to cut off some tape that’s hanging off Beltran’s glove.  Fight resumes and they go back to trading windmill punches, and Mitrione finishes the round with a big flurry of punches and kicks.  Round 10-9 Mitrione

Round 3: Mitrione begins the final round in the same manner as the first two.  Beltran is tired, covering up and absorbing a lot of punishment.  The pace slows down and Mitrione is landing on Beltran at will; Joey’s face is bloodied but he keeps coming forward and forcing Mitrione into sloppy exchanges.  Clear victory for Mitrione but Beltran is making a fight of it until the final second.  Round 10-9 Mitrione

Aftermath: An unlikely 3-0 in UFC (and his professional MMA career), Mitrione climbs the ranks with a hard fought victory.  He should next take on Stefan Struve, Roy Nelson, or the winner of an upcoming matchup between Brendan Schaub and Gabriel Gonzaga.   Joey Beltran should fight Patrick Barry or Sean McCorkle.  Better yet, get in shape and cut down to 205 lbs.

Both fighters earned a ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus for the sloppy but enterntaining bout.

Ranking Impact: Matt Mitrione rises 49 spots to #39 HW.  Joey Beltran falls 9 spots to #43 HW.

Fight Grade: 4/5

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To kick off Season 12 of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ reality series, Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Texas with another installment of UFC Fight Night.  The four-fight televised card was headlined by middleweight contenders Nate Marquardt and Rousimar Palhares trying to climb the rankings to a title shot, and backed up by a trio of lightweight bouts.

Cole Miller vs. Ross Pearson (155 lbs)

Round 1: The fighters circle and exchange.  Big reach advantage for Miller and he is finding Pearson’s face with the jab.  They trade leg kicks.  Pearson connecting with punches but Miller ducks under for a takedown.  Pearson defends, he eventually gets dragged to the ground but pops back up.  Miller attempts to jump guard but Pearson holds him up against the cage, refusing to go the the ground.  Miller lets go and it’s back to trading; Pearson starting to find his range and out-land Miller on strikes.  Round 10-9 Miller

Round 2: Pearson resumes his striking attack, landing solid body shots.  Miller shoots; Pearson sprawls and Miller ends up on the bottom.  Pearson stands up and motions Cole to do the same.  Miller jabs, then hurts Pearson with a right cross.  Pearson stumbles backwards and Miller runs at him with a flying knee, then floors his stumbling opponent with a hook.  Miller quickly takes Pearson’s back and locks in a rear naked choke, forcing a tapout from Ross.

Aftermath: Former ‘Ultimate Fighter: US vs UK’ winner Ross Pearson is handed his first loss inside the Octagon, while Cole Miller improves his UFC record to 6-2 (with hist last four wins coming by submission).  Miller next bout should be against Charles Oliveira, and Ross Pearson’s against Efrain Escudero.

Fight Grade: 4/5

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On the heels of two highly successfull Pay-Per-View events in UFC 115 and 116, UFC delivered another stacked card for 117. A middleweight title bout between the champion Anderson Silva and challenger Chael Sonnen was backed up by two potential contender matchups: Junior dos Santos taking on Roy Nelson for a crack at the heavyweight title, and a rematch between top welterweights Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves.

Junior dos Santos vs. Roy Nelson (HW)

Round 1: Nelson takes the center of the Octagon, holding his hands high.  Nelson’s advances while covering up; Dos Santos lands a body shot and Nelson shoots in for a takedown.  Dos Santos sprawls and they clinch agains the cage.  Dos Santos breaks up the clinch, landing a knee as they separate.  Dos Santos rocks Nelson with an uppercut.  Nelson goes down to his knees and looks for a single-leg takedown.  Junior backs off then blasts Nelson with another uppercut.  Nelson falls down but survives and keeps trying for takedowns.  Dos Santos patiently landing punches.  Nelson recovers and starts throwing back, landing several hooks and overhand rights towards the end of the round.  Round 10-9 dos Santos

Round 2: Dos Santos leads with a jumping knee to the body.  Nelson responds with an overhand punch that lands, then rushes in for a takedown but dos Santos blocks it.  Dos Santos keeps firing off shots; Nelson covering up and swinging back.  Nelson lands several punches that open up a cut underneath Junior’s eye.  Both fighters slowing down.  Dos Santos tries a half-hearted takedown attempt of his own but does not succeed.  Nelson keeps alternating strikes with double-leg and single-leg shots but Junior’s takedown defence is flawless.  Much closer than first round but dos Santos still outstriking Nelson by a large margin.  Round 10-9 dos Santos

Round 3: The fighters go right back to trading, though neither has much snap to their punches in the final round. Nelson’s defense blocks most of Junior’s punches but an occasional uppercut and body shots come through.  Dos Santos lands a slapping front kick to the head.  Nelson finds his target with a few big punches but Santos appears unfazed.  Dos Santos shoots for a takedown and scores; Nelson right back up.  Nelson is hanging in there, he looks very tired but is still looking for a knockout punch.  The time runs out and the fighters embrace.  Good fight and a clear-cut victory for dos Santos.  Round 10-9 dos Santos

Junior dos Santos wins a unanimous decision with the scores of 30-27, 30-27, 30-26

Aftermath: Both fighters looked good in an enterntaining fight.  Dos Santos showed great takedown defense and solid as usual striking, improving his UFC record to 6-0 and earning a title shot in process.  He will now face the winner of the upcoming title bout between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez.

Roy Nelson’s striking and takedowns both fell short of the mark, but he demonstrated that his chin – and his heart – match the size of his belly.  He may never be in the title picture but at the very least will make a great gatekeeper. His next fight should be against Mike Russow, or a rematch with his former IFL rival Ben Rothwell.

Ranking Impact: Junior dos Santos remains #5 HW.  Roy Nelson remains #26 HW.

Fight Grade: 4/5

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There’s been a famine of UFC events in the month of July.  After nearly a month-long hiatus, UFC returned with a fight card headlined by a light-heavyweight bout between Jon Jones and Vladimir Matyushenko, and broadcast on Versus network live from San Diego, California.  With a mediocre fight line-up, the most notable thing about this card was the UFC return of iconic MMA referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy, taking his place as the third man in the Octagon for this first time since 2007.

Takanori Gomi vs. Tyson Griffin (155 lbs)

Round 1: Both fighters circle, feint and jab.  Not much landing early.  They continue trading punches and Gomi catches Griffin with a left, then follows up with a right hook that drops Tyson face-first onto the canvas.  Gomi jumps on his fallen opponent and the referee quickly steps in to stop the bout.  Griffin not happy with the stoppage but it was justified.

Aftermath: After being submitted by Ken Florian in his UFC debut, former Pride FC champion Gomi showed a return to the old form, stopping Tyson Griffin for the first time in his career.  Gomi earned the Knockout of the Night bonus for his performance, and claimed in the post-fight interview that he “learned to fight like an American”.  The victory earns Gomi a return to the Top 10; however it is too soon for any talk of title contention.  For now Gomi can either fight another contender such as George Sotiropoulos, or Joe Stevenson, who was supposed to be Gomi’s original opponent for this event but was forced to withdraw with an injury.

Tyson Griffin was eager to get back into the Octagon after losing a decision to Evan Dunham at UFC 115.  Unfortunately stepping up as a short-notice replacement did not work out for him this time, and Griffin finds himself on a losing streak for the first time in his MMA career.  His next fight will be a must-win to remain in the UFC.  Sam Stout or Denis Siver would make for good ‘rebound’ opponents.

Ranking Impact: Takanori Gomi rises 7 spots to #10 LW.  Tyson Griffin falls 12 spots to #32 LW.

Fight Grade: 3/5

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I’ve been slacking on reviewing the slew of MMA events in the past month, but we’re back with a vengeance for what was one of the most anticipated shows of the year this far.  A huge (in every sense of the word) heavyweight title unification bout between champion Brock Lesnar and interim champ Shane Carwin was backed by a superstar of Japanese MMA Yoshihiro Akiyama taking on Chris Leben (a last-minute substitution for the legendary Wanderlei Silva who was hurt while training for the fight).  A lightweight matchup between two streaking prospects Kurt Pellegrino and George Sotiropoulos capped off the undercard of UFC 116.  And here’s how it all went down:

Preliminary card (Spike TV)

Seth Petruzelli vs. Ricardo Romero (205 lbs)

Round 1: They quickly engage and exchange kicks.  Romero looks for a takedown.  Petruzelli defends and hurts Romero with punches.  Romero clinches to recover.  Petruzelli backs up then lands another combination but slips while throwing a kick.  Romero gets Petruzelli’s back in a scramble.  Petruzelli sweeps and pounds away from guard.  Romero with a reversal of his own and mounts Petruzelli.  Romero looking for a submission; Seth rolls out of it and stands, dropping Romero with an uppercut.  Romero holds on to Petruzelli’s leg as Seth lands some odd and sloppy ‘double axe-handle’ strikes.  Round 10-9 Petruzelli

Round 2: Romero looks for a takedown early and eats a knee on the way in.  He staggers but keeps trying for the takedown.  Petruzelli takes his back in a scramble and transitions to an armbar; Romero reverses and ends up in top guard.  Romero’s nose is leaking blood.  Petruzelli attempts a triangle and Romero uses the submission attempt to pass into side control.  Romero secures the crucifix position and looks for a kimura then turns it into a straight armbar.  Petruzelli taps out, in obvious pain.

Aftermath: Romero’s UFC debut was unspectacular but a win is a win, and he will have a chance to do better in his next Octagon outing – maybe against Krzysztof Soszynski or Jared Hamman.  Seth Petruzelli should take on Steve Cantwell or Kyle Kingsbury next.

Ranking Impact: Ricardo Romero, previously ranked at #77 HW, makes his LHW debut at #49.  Seth Petruzelli falls 38 spots to #111 LHW.

Fight Grade: 3/5

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Back at the UFC’s home base, the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, UFC 114 was headlined by a light-heavyweight number one contender bout between Rashad Evans and Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson.  The fight was originally supposed to take place in 2009 when Jackson decided to place his MMA career on hiatus to play ‘Mr. T’ in a remake of The A Team.  After many bitter words were exchanged between Jackson and UFC president Dana White,  all parties finally came to an agreement, setting the stage for this long-awaited grudge match to finally take place at 114.

The co-main-event was slated to be a bout between Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Forrest Griffin – another light heavyweight fight with potential title implications.  However, Griffin was forced to pull out of the fight with a shoulder injury, and his short notice replacement Jason Brilz was not deemed suitable for a featured bout.  And so a lackadaisical middleweight matchup between Michael Bisping and Dan Miller was promoted to the co-main.  The remainder of the undercard was a motley mixture of bouts with very little divisional significance.

Preliminary card (Spike TV)

Efrain Escudero vs. Dan Lauzon (155 lbs)

Round 1: The fighter circle and fire off strikes from a distance.  Lauzon with head and body kicks, both blocked.  Jabs from Escudero.  Not much contact until Escudero grabs a clinch and lands a series of knees, most of which are blocked by Lauzon.  Escudero lets up and they circle around each other with some sporadic strike exchanges.  A cut opens on Escudero’s eyebrow.  Slow round.  Round 10-9 Escudero

Round 2: A few leg kicks from Escudero, then he rushes in with punches, backing Lauzon against the fence and firing off knees from the clinch.  Lauzon absorbs the knees and remains standing and so Escudero backs off.  Lauzon with a failed takedown attempt.  Lauzon starting to gas.  Escudero continues to work the leg kicks.  Escudero grabs clinch again and lands more knees but still can’t finish.   Escudero pushes Lauzon down but doesn’t follow him to the ground.   Round 10-9 Escudero

Round 3: More leg kicks from Efrain to start the final round.  Lauzon is more aggressive but doesn’t look to have much left in the tank.  Both fighters land a few punches.  Sporadic action, Escudero dances around and switches stances as the crowd boos.  Another clinch attack from Escudero; knees land but Lauzon remains standing and they separate.  A low kick catches Lauzon’s cup and he crumbles.  A point is deducted from Escudero.  They restart and both fighters flurry in the remaining few seconds.  Round 9-9 draw

Efrain Escudero wins the unanimous decision, 29-27 on all scorecards.

Aftermath: This was not an impressive showing for either fighter.  Escudero was successful in rebounding from the first loss of his career but failed to dazzle in his performance.  He should next take on Aaron Riley, who took a unanimous decision over Joe Brammer on the undercard.

Lauzon remains winless in his three UFC bouts, and will likely be gone from the organization on the heels of back-to-back losses and his well publicized conflicts with his brother and training partners.

Ranking Impact: Efrain Escudero rises 35 spots to #103 LW.  Dan Lauzon falls out of the LW Top 250.

Fight Grade: 2/5

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UFC 113 took place in Montreal, Canada and was headlined by a long-awaited rematch between the light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua.  Machida defeated Rua at UFC 104 in a highly controversial decision – most observers, including myself, disagreed with the judges and felt that Shogun deserved the nod in their first fight.  The other featured matchup on the card was a welterweight title shot eliminator bout between Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley.

Alan Belcher vs. Patrick Cote (185 lbs)

Round 1: Belcher comes out throwing leg and body kicks.  Cote responds with punches.  Belcher’s kicks are finding their target until one lands in Cote’s groin.  The fight is paused briefly then they resume trading.  Both fighters land punches in an exchange.  More kicks from Belcher until Cote catches one and trips Alan to the ground.  Cote looks for a kimura, it’s locked in as he passes Belcher’s guard but Belcher is able to sweep and ends up in top guard.  Belcher passes into half guard, attempts an arm triangle then steps over into side control.   Round 10-9 Belcher

Round 2: Belcher once again leads with low kicks.  Referee Mario Yamasaki halts the action – turns out Belcher forgot to put his mouth guard back in between the rounds.  The fight resumes and Cote flurries with punches, landing several solid ones.  Belcher clinches and pushes Cote into the fence.  They separate and trade punches; Cote gets the best of the exchange then follows up with a takedown.  Belcher scrambles to his feet; Cote looks for another takedown but as he is attempting a double-leg, Belcher elevates him in the air and slams Patrick flat on his face!  Cote is stunned and Belcher hops onto his back and locks in a rear naked choke.  Cote submits, tapping on his opponent head.

Aftermath: Alan Belcher, continuing his rise up the middleweight ranks, should next fight Demian Maia.   A #1 contenders match with Vitor Belfort is also a good possibility.   Belcher earns the ‘Submission of the Night’ award for his performance.

Patrick Cote receives a harsh welcome back in his first fight since the loss to Anderson Silva, and should next take on CB Dollaway or Tim Credeur.

Ranking Impact: Alan Belcher rises 3 spots to #11 MW.  Patrick Cote, unranked for inactivity, returns at #52 MW.

Fight Grade: 4/5

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After two weekends of sub-par MMA events, it was left up to the usually exciting WEC to wash out the bad taste left in the fans’ mouths after digesting UFC 112 and last week’s Strikeforce.   The ‘Aldo vs. Faber’ event took place in Sacramento, CA – Urijah Faber’s hometown.  The event was somewhat of an anomaly for WEC: normally the organizations events are broadcast on the Vs network; this one was broadcast on Pay-Per-View, with the preliminary card shown on Spike TV.  Due to some sort of contractual issue between  networks, the WEC brand was nowhere to be seen except for the championship belts.  The event was branded simply as ‘Aldo vs. Faber’, and the usual WEC team of announcers and commentators was replaced by the UFC’s lineup of Joe Rogan, Mike Goldberg, and Bruce Buffer.

Preliminary Card (Spike TV)

Alex Karalexis vs. Anthony Pettis (155 lbs)

Round 1: The fighters circle for a bit, then Pettis lands a head kick that rocks Karalexis.   Karalexis attempts a takedown; Pettis defends but it gives Alex a chance to recover.  Pettis throws another kick; Karalexis catches it and tosses Pettis to the ground.  Karalexis lands several punches from the top then Pettis escapes back to the feet.  Pettis lighting up Karalexis with leg and body kicks.  Karalexis goes for a takedown but doesn’t succeed.  Pettis misses with a head kicks.  More leg kicks from Pettis;  Karalexis with another takedown attempt and drags Pettis down just as the round ends.  Round 10-9 Pettis

Round 2: Karalexis comes out swinging, closes the distance and takes Pettis down.  Pettis escapes and lands more solid leg kicks.  Another takedown for Karalexis;  Pettis locks in a triangle from guard, while simultaneously pounding the face of his trapped opponent until Alex taps out.

Ranking Impact: Anthony Pettis rises 12 spots to #77 LW.  Alex Karalexis remains unranked.

Fight Grade: 4/5

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For their second event on broadcast live on CBS, Strikeforce went all out, stacking the fight card with three title bouts.  With the lightweight, middleweight, and light-heavyweight belts all on the line, and a worthy line-up of champions and challengers, this was promising to be an amazing night of MMA.  Unfortunately things don’t always go as planned:

Champion Gegard Mousasi vs. Muhammed Lawal (205 lbs title bout)

Round 1: Mousasi leads with a high kick.  Lawal uses a combination of punches to set up a takedown.  Mousasi sprawls; Lawal eats several shots but completes the takedown.  Mousasi attempts a triangle.  Lawal passes into side control and tries to work his ground-and-pound.  Mousasi regains guard, blocks most punches and counters with up-kicks.  Mousasi back to the feet; he blocks another takedown attempt and punishes Lawal with punches.  Lawal is persistent and scores another takedown but Mousasi gets up quickly.  Round 10-9 Lawal

Round 2: Lawal is blocked on the first takedown attempt.  He succeeds on the second one but Mousasi is active with hammer-fists and up-kicks off his back and Lawal can’t control him from the top.  Mousasi gets up and is taken back down but once again does more damage off his back.  They stand up and Mousasi lands a solid combo backing Lawal up, then jumps on his back and looks for a choke as the round ends.  Round 10-9 Mousasi

Round 3: Lawal looks tired and Mousasi lights him up with kick and punch combinations.   Nevertheless Lawal scores another takedown.  Very little action on the ground;  Lawal is laying on top of Mousasi throwing an occasional punch.  Mousasi is starting to look tired as well, and is not able to get off his back.  Round 10–9 Lawal

Round 4: Mousasi lands leg kicks to start the fourth round and is taken down again.  Not much happens on the ground and the referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy calls for a standup.  It doesn’t last long as Lawal takes Gegard right back down.  Very little action on the ground; both fighters are tired and the fans boo.   Round 10-9 Lawal

Round 5: Lawal’s face shows signs of damage.  Mousasi needs a knockout or a sub at this point.  Mousasi swings for the fences but is taken down again.  Mousasi lands an up-kick as one of Lawal’s knees is on the ground; referee catches the foul and deducts a point from Gegard.  They restart in the same position.  Mousasi escapes and is looking to strike but Lawal slams him down again.   Up and back down, not much action but Lawal has controlled almost every round for an easy win.  Round 10–8 Lawal

‘King Mo’ Lawal defeats Gegard Mousasi by unanimous decision (49-46 on all scorecards).  Lawal is the new Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion.

Aftermath: Muhammed Lawal passes his first big test and wins a title.  Unfortunately there is very little competition available for him at this weight outside of the UFC.  Should he remain in Strikeforce, the only obviously available options for King Mo’s first title defense would be Renato Sobral or Dan Henderson.

Many fans have doubted Gegard Mousasi’s ability to defend against a strong wrestler, and he showed that the concerns were valid.  Having recently signed a contract extension with Strikeforce, Mousasi is now facing the same problem as Lawal: lack of available competition at his chosen weight class.

Rankings Impact: Muhammed Lawal makes his debut at #4 LHW (he was previously ranked at #16 HW).  Gegard Mousasi falls 6 spots to #10 LHW.

Fight Grade: 2/5

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