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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