Following on the heels of the less-than-stellar UFC 101, MMA fans got another dose of action, with WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres defending his title against Brian Bowles in the main event of WEC 42.   The fight card included several additional bantamweight bouts to help determine the next contender for the winner of the main event.  The televised portion of the event began with Leonard Garcia looking to rebound from a knockout loss to the featherweight champion Mike Brown in his previous fight.

Leonard Garcia vs. Jameel Massouh (145 lbs)

Round 1: The first round is fairly even on the feet until Garcia scores a knockdown and follows Massouh to the ground trying to finish.  Massouh recovers and gets back to his feet, then takes Garcia down.  Massouh finishes the round with punches and elbows from half-guard as Garcia attempts submissions from the bottom.  Round 10-9 Garcia

Round 2: Garcia is looking for a knockout punch, and Massouh takes it to the ground early.  Garcia attempts a guillotine; Massouh escapes and passes into half guard.  Massouh locks on a brabo choke.  Garcia eventually frees himself from the hold, but it looks to have taken its toll as he is unsteady on the feet, and Massouh punishes Garcia with knees from clinch.  Round 10-9 Massouh

Round 3: The third round takes place mostly on the feet, with Garcia swinging for the fences.  Neither fighter has a significant advantage and both land a number of strikes, with Garcia edging out the round based on aggression.  Round 10-9 Garcia

Leonard Garcia wins a split decision with the scores of 29-28, 29-28, 28-29

Fight grade: 3/5

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UFC 101 ‘Declaration’ was the first event that the promotion held in Philadelphia, and as is often the case for UFC’s debut in a new market, the fight card left a bit to be desired.   The event was headlined by a lightweight title bout between the champion BJ Penn and top contender Kenny Florian, and co-headlined by the middleweight champion Anderson Silva going up to 205 lbs for the second time in his career, to take on the former lightheavyweight champ Forrest Griffin.  Besides the two headlining bouts, the remainder of the fights on this card had little significance.  And while sometimes events that look lackluster on paper end up very exciting, this was not the case for ‘Declaration’.

Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino  (155 lbs)

Round 1: After an initial exchange, Pellegrino capitalizes on a kick attempt by Neer, and slams Josh to the canvas.  Pellegrino attempts to pass guard while Neer looks for an armbar.  Neer locks on an armbar but gets slammed on his head and lets go.  Neer looking for a triangle, but Pellegrino maintains control and scores with short punches & elbows.  Round 10-9 Pellegrino.

Round 2: Neer is landing leg kicks and blocks the initial takedown attempt from Pellegrino, but Kurt perseveres and drags Neer down.  Neer looks for an armbar, then a triangle.  Pellegrino escapes and passes Neer’s guard, ending up in full mount.  Neer gives up his back; Pellegrino attempts to sink in a choke but Neer defends as time runs out. Round 10-9 Pellegrino.

Round 3: The fighters trade kicks; Pellegrino catches a leg and takes Neer down once again.  Neer is still looking for a submission but nothing comes close.  Pellegrino passes guard and mounts Josh; Neer escapes and ends up on top.   They stand and Pellegrino attempts another takedown.  Neer sprawls and lands a number of unanswered elbows to end the round.   Round 10-9 Pellegrino.

Aftermath: Pellegrino utilized takedowns and top control to improve his UFC record to 6-3, winning his last three bouts.  However the lightweight division is stacked with strong wrestlers, and I don’t see Pellegrino using this strategy with any degree of success against someone like Gray Maynard or Clay Guida.  Neer once again learned the hard way that working off your back does not win you a decision unless you submit your opponent.   All in all a rather boring fight between two mid-level fighters without much upside.

Fight grade: 2/5

Kurt Pellegrino wins the unanimous decision, 30-27 on all scorecards.

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Though UFC has put on much more than 100 events in its existence, UFC 100 was billed as an anniversary of sorts, with an appropriate amount of hype surrounding the event.  Coincidentally, it happened to be the 100th UFC event produced by the Zuffa – the current owners of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.  The fight line up was highlighted by the conclusion of the heavyweight championship mini-tournament, with Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir rematching to unify the heavyweight titles.  In addition, Georges St. Pierre defended his welterweight title against top contender Thiago Alves, and Dan Henderson took on Michael Bisping for a potential middleweight title shot.  The main card was rounded out by the UFC debut of Japanese standout Yoshihiro Akiyama, and a welterweight bout between John Fitch and Paulo Thiago.

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher (185 lbs)

Round 1: Belcher starts out with leg kicks; several find their target but one is a bit off and lands squarely in Akiyama’s groin. After a brief rest they start back and exchange combinations;  Akiyama catches a leg kick and answers with a big punch but Belcher comes right back and floors Akiyama with a big hook.  Akiyama recovers quickly and catches another leg kick, throwing Belcher to the canvas this time.    Round 10-9 Belcher

Round 2: Akiyama utilizes his judo background to score a takedown off a body lock early in the round.  Back and forth action on the ground, with Akiyama in a controlling position but not able to do much damage to Belcher.  Akiyama passes Belcher’s guard, which allows Alan to escape back to the feet, and the fighters close the round out with fairly even striking exchanges.  Round 10-9 Akiyama

Round 3: Akiyama looks beat up, his eyes are swollen but he continues standing with Belcher.  Belcher is winning most exchanges but Akiyama hangs in there and fires back, momentarily knocking Belcher off-balance.  Akiyama gets a late takedown to make it a very close round.  Round 10-9 Belcher

Akiyama wins a split decision with scores of 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28 Belcher

Fight Grade: 3/5

Aftermath: Though Akiyama did not dazzle in his UFC debut, a win is a win and a close fight with a very tough Belcher is nothing to sneer at.  Expect Akiyama’s next opponent to be a mid-level fighter with a high level of name recognition; perhaps a former ‘Ultimate Fighter’ contestant such as Nate Quarry, Chris Leben, or Ed Herman.   Belcher remains in a gatekeeper-like position.

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The ninth season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ reality series featured lightweight and welterweight fighters and pitted ‘Team US’, lead by Dan Henderson, against Michael Bisping-coached ‘Team UK’. The talent on this season of the show was seemingly of a much lower level than many of the previous seasons; as a result, only four of the contestants who did not make it to the finals were invited back for the live finale. The featured bouts were the welterweight final between Damarques Johnson (US) and James Wilks (UK), and the lightweight final between Ross Pearson and Andre Winner (both UK). The card was headlined by a lightweight bout with title shot implications, as Diego Sanchez took on Clay Guida. Here’s how it all went down:

Joe Stevenson vs. Nate Diaz (155 lbs)

Round 1: Diaz looks to strike but Stevenson immediately gets a takedown and gets caught in a guillotine.  Stevenson escapes and stays on top.  Diaz tries to roll out and ends up with Stevenson taking his back and securing a crucifix position from the back mount.  Stevenson maintains dominant position as Diaz attempts to escape, and eventually locks on a very tight guillotine on Diaz.  Just as it looks like Diaz is about to go to sleep, he rolls over, slips his head out and stands up.  Stevenson instantly goes for another takedown;  Diaz escapes and the round ends in a clinch.   Round 10-9 Stevenson

Round 2: Stevenson again starts with a quick takedown and gets caught in a guillotine.  Diaz briefly gains dominant position but Stevenson sweeps and ends up on top again.  Diaz scrambles up and gets taken down again; Diaz attempts submissions off his back but nothing comes close.  Stevenson dominates the round with wrestling and control though not doing much damage.  Round 10-9 Stevenson

Round 3: Stevenson once again works for a takedown but Diaz is doing a better job of sprawling and staying on his feet.  Diaz throws Stevenson from clinch and briefly gains a dominant position.  Diaz attempts a guillotine as Stevenson scrambles up to his feet.  Diaz fends off more takedowns and peppers Stevenson with ineffective punches;  both men appear winded as the round draws to a close. Round 10-9 Diaz

Joe Stevenson wins an unanimous decision, 29-28 on all three scorecards

Fight Grade: 3/5

Aftermath: A much needed victory assures that Joe Stevenson’s spot in the UFC’s lightweight division is safe for the time being.   Nate Diaz loses his second close decision in a row; it looks like Nate is falling into the same conundrum that his brother Nick suffered from during his UFC tenure:  his style of fighting almost guarantees that he will lose a decision whenever he is not able to finish his opponent.

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UFC 99 was broadcast live from Cologne, Germany – marking the organization’s first foray into continental Europe.  UFC was not exactly welcomed with open arms, as the local legislators attempted to block the event, citing the brutality of the sport.  In the end their efforts were futile, and the event went on (as usual, there were several late substitutions due to injuries).  As it has been the case with most of UFC’s overseas cards, there were no title bouts in this event.  Instead, the headlining bout was a ‘super fight’ between Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva at a catch weight of 195 lbs.  The fight card also featured a bout between top heavyweight contenders in Cheik Kongo and Cain Velasquez, as well as the UFC return on Caol Uno and Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic.

Marcus Davis vs. Dan Hardy (170 lbs)

Round 1: The fighters circle and exchange leg kicks, then Davis rushes in and clinches Hardy against the fence.   Not much action until Davis gets a takedown and quickly mounts Hardy.  Davis throws strikes, Hardy regains guard but ends up giving up his back as he tries to get back to the feet.   Hardy rocks Davis with an elbow and follows up with knees from clinch; Davis goes for another takedown as the round ends.  Round 10-9 Davis

Round 2: The round starts with a heated exchange, seemingly even until Hardy drops Davis with a knee.  Hardy jumps into Davis’ guard; Marcus regains his composure and nearly catches an armbar.  Hardy throws elbows from the top; Davis defends and the fighters are stood up by the ref.  The fighters exchange again, with both men connecting solid strikes.  Davis takes down Hardy and finishes the round with strikes from the top.  Round 10-9 Hardy

Round 3: The initial exchange ends with Davis landing a punch on an off-balance Hardy and knocking him down, though Hardy does not look hurt.  Davis attempts to work from Hardy’s guard then quickly transitions to a leg lock.  Hardy spins out and stands up, then gets a takedown of  his own and mauls Davis with elbows.  Davis is bleeding profusely and the referee stands them up to check the cut.  The fight is allowed to continue, and the action slows down until the ref calls for another stand up.  Davis’ has blood in his eyes and a huge mouse over the left one.  Davis finishes the round aggressive but loses based on damage taken.  Round 10-9 Hardy

Dan Hardy wins by split decision.

Fight Grade: 4/5

Aftermath: Hardy solidifies his position as a Top 10 welterweight.  Davis remains in a gatekeeper role – surely he will soon find another “grudge” to keep himself relevant in the division.  I would like to see Hardy and Davis face the winner and the loser of the Swick-Saunders bout, respectively.

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Over the weekend, MMA fans were treated to a double-header of exciting action, with the Strikeforce ‘Lawler vs. Shields’ broadcast on Showtime on Saturday, followed by WEC 41 shown on VS. channel on Sunday. With one event full of UFC veterans, and the other featuring some of the top featherweights in the world, I had high expectations going into the weekend. Needless to say, I was not disappointed!

Strikeforce ‘Lawler vs. Shields’

While there were no title belts on the line, or any bouts of major significance on this card, it was packed full of very familiar names and most fights had a promise of non-stop action – at least on paper.   In the main event and namesake of the card, the welterweight standout Jake Shields took a step up in weight to face Robbie Lawler at a catch weight of 182 lbs.  The commentary for this event was provided by a trio of Gus Johnson, Frank Shamrock, and Mauro Ranallo.  The televised broadcast began with a former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman taking on a one-time ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ participant Mike Whitehead.

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UFC 98 took place in Las Vegas and featured a lightheavyweight title bout with two undefeated fighters: challenger Lyoto Machida and the champion Rashad Evans. The undercard was highlighted by a long-overdue ‘grudge match’ between former welterweight champions Matt Hughes and Matt Serra. Here’s how it went down:

Sean Sherk vs. Frankie Edgar (155 lbs)

Round 1: In the opening round of the televised broadcast, Sherk chose to stand and trade strikes with Edgar, despite a clear reach disadvantage.  Sherk stalked Edgar but most of his strikes didn’t find their target while Edgar circled away and landed counters.  Sherk shrugged off Edgar’s takedown attempts, until Edgar caught a leg kick and attempted a guillotine.  Sherk escaped to finish the round on his feet. Round 10-9 Edgar

Round 2: Sherk continued to stalk Edgar and had some success with his punches early on.  Eventually Edgar picked up his rhythm and began scoring with jabs, kicks, and combinations while evading Sherk’s strikes.  Round 10-9 Edgar

Round 3: Sherk finally changed his strategy and quickly took Edgar down, but Edgar escaped and successfully defended all subsequent takedown attempts.  In the final seconds of the round, Sherk shot for another takedown and was caught in a tight guillotine as the time ran out.  Round 10-9 Edgar

Frankie Edgar wins the unanimous decision, 30-27 on all scorecards.

Fight Grade: 2.5/5

Aftermath: With no clear-cut challenger for the winner of an upcoming lightweight title bout between champion BJ Penn and Kenny Florian, Frankie Edgar positioned himself as one of the top contenders.  Sherk’s decision to be a kickboxer has cost him this fight, and he needs to go back to his roots as a ground-and-pound wrestler if he wants to contend for the title again.

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UFC 97 took place in Montreal, Canada. Several milestones were on the line in the main event: the middleweight champion Anderson Silva was looking to defend his title for the fifth time, and add an unprecedented ninth consecutive UFC win to his career record. In the second featured matchup, the former lightheavyweight champion Chuck Liddell faced off with Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua in a bout where the winner would be propelled into title contention, while the loser would likely be looking at the end of his UFC career. The historic event broke the North American MMA attendance record. Here’s how it all went down:

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WEC 40 took place in Chicago, IL – the hometown of the reigning WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres, who was set to defend his title against Brian Bowles in the main event.   When Bowles pulled out of the fight with an injury, he was replaced by one of Japan’s premier 135 lbs fighters – Takeya Mizugaki.

Raphael Assuncao vs. Jameel Massouh (145 lbs)

Round 1: Assuncao slips in an early exchange but Massouh fails to capitalize.  Assuncao takes the upper hand in standup, knocking down Massouh with a punch.  Assuncao follows Massouh to the ground and works strikes from the top.  Massouh has an active guard and attempts several submissions; Assuncao stays out of danger and eventually the fighters get back to their feet.  Assuncao lands a solid combination then grabs a guillotine as the round draws to a close.  Round 10-9 Assuncao

Round 2: Mostly standup action in this round, with Assuncao clearly dominating.  Massouh attempts a takedown but has no luck bringing the fight to the ground.  Massouh throws a high kick and slips, ending up on his back with Assuncao working from half-guard to finish the round.  Round 10-9 Assuncao

Round 3: Massouh comes out aggressively, likely knowing that he needs to finish his opponent to win this fight.  Massouh is once again losing the standup battle and pulls guard.  Assuncao passes Jameel’s guard and gains full mount, but Massouh reverses and ends up on top.  After a struggle Assuncao sweeps Massouh; Jameel attempts submissions but is unable to do much off his back.    Round 10-9 Assuncao

Raphael Assuncao takes a unanimous decision with scores of 30-27 from all three judges.

Fight Grade: 4/5

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UFC Fight Night 18 took place in Nashville, Tenn. and kicked off the ninth season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ reality show.  The card was headlined by the UFC debut of the WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit, taking on Martin Kampmann in the main event.

Cole Miller vs. Junie Browning  (155 lbs)

After a brief striking exchange, Browning shoots for a takedown.  The fighters end up back on their feet after a scramble, then Miller latches on to a guillotine and pulls guard.  Browning quickly taps out.

Fight Grade: 3/5

Aftermath: In the post-fight interview, Miller called out the winner of the upcoming bout between Spencer Fisher and Caol Uno.   This will be a big step-up in competition for Cole.  Junie Browning will likely be relegated to the untelevised undercard in his next outing.

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