In the UFC’s continued quest for world dominance, UFC 110 took place in Sydney, Australia – another new location for the promotion.   The unofficial theme of the night was a reunion of some of Pride FC’s biggest stars – Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic, Wanderlei Silva, and Antonio ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira, all three fighting to maintain relevancy in the twighlight of their careers.

Mirko Filipovic vs. Anthony Perosh (HW)

Round 1: Mirko leads with a punch and misses with a head kick.  Perosh shoots for a takedown and Mirko sprawls, punching the side of Anthony’s head.  This sets the pace for the entire round, with Perosh’s takedown attempts repeatedly stuffed.  Mirko punishes Perosh on the feet with uppercuts and straight punches.  Perosh is persistent but unsuccessful with his shots, bleeding from the nose by the end of the round.  Round 10-9 Filipovic

Round 2: Perosh throws hands briefly, eats an uppercut and shoots for another takedown.  Mirko sprawls.  Perosh is still not having any success with his takedowns.  Mirko hurts Perosh with a body kick.  Perosh throws a couple of leg kicks and shoots again; Mirko stuffs the shot and punches the head of Perosh.  Perosh pulls guard and Mirko blasts him with an elbow from the top.  The elbow opens a huge, gushing cut on Anthony’s forehead.  The fight is stopped to check the cut and somehow allowed to continue.  Perosh attempts a few more failed takedowns and absorbs more punishment until the round finally ends.

The fight is stopped between rounds because of the severity of the cut, giving Mirko Filipovic the TKO victory.

Aftermath: This was a major mismatch, with the local fighter Perosh stepping in as a last-minute replacement for the ill Ben Rothwell who was originally scheduled to fight Filipovic.  Perosh never stood a chance in this matchup, and remains winless in the UFC.  Despite his willingness to fight on short notice, it’s unlikely he will get another UFC bout, unless perhaps they hold another event in Australia soon.

‘Cro Cop’ gets a much needed win, looking workmanlike against a outmatched opponent.  It looks like he will still take on Rothwell next – this should be a better indicator of just how far the mighty Cop has fallen.

Fight Grade: 2/5

Keep Reading

In the recent years, it has become a tradition for the UFC to put on a major event the night before Superbowl.  This year, UFC is still reeling from the string of illnesses and injuries suffered by key fighters in the past few months, and so the Superbowl event had a rather underwhelming card.  Headlined by the “seniors’ tour” matchup of Mark Coleman vs. Randy Couture, 109 piled on the nostalgia with Matt Serra taking on Frank Trigg on the undercard.  The rest of the event was mostly filled with matchups with little divisional significance, with the notable exception of Nate Marquardt taking on Chael Sonnen for the shot at the middleweight title.

Preliminary Card (Spike TV)

Melvin Guillard vs. Ronnys Torres (155 lbs)

Round 1: Torres ducks under a punch and takes Guillard down.  Torres passes into half-guard and works for a kimura.  Guillard escapes and stands up.  Torres leads in with a punch then takes Guillard down again but Guillard reverses and ends up on top, then stands up and backs away.  Guillard lands a couple of kicks.  Torres misses with a flying knee.  Guillard attempts a spinning back fist but misses as well.  Torres shoots for another takedown, eats a knee on the way in but completes the takedown.  Ground and pound from Torres but Guillard is able to stand up and blasts Torres with two hooks as the round ends.   Round 10-9 Torres

Round 2: An ice bag breaks up in Torres’ corner between the rounds, extending the break to several minutes.  Both fighters come out swinging and missing.  Torres attempts to slam Guillard, lifting him up high against the cage; Guillard prevents the slam and they trade punches.  Torres shoots in – right into a knee again, then eats another knee after Guillard breaks free.  Guillard defends another takedown attempt but Torres takes his back standing and Guillard rolls, ending up in Ronnys’ guard.  Torres looks for a kimura but Guillard escapes and lands a big punch.  Round 10-9 Guillard

Round 3: Guillard is throwing haymakers, looking for a finish.  Guillard defends a takedown attempt and punishes Torres with big punches.  Torres fires back then earns a takedown.  Torres passes into side control and once again works a kimura.  Guillard escapes to his feet.  Guillard rocks Torres with a punch but gets taken down again.  Torres picks up Guillard and attempts a slam but lands on his back, mounted by Guillard.  Guillard tees off from the top as the round ends.  Round 10-9 Torres

Melvin Guillard wins a unanimous decision, 29-28 on all scorecards.

Aftermath: Melvin Guillard gets back on the winning track, somewhat controversially.  He should be faced with the winner of the upcoming bout between Spencer Fisher and Duane ‘Bang’ Ludwig.

Ronnys Torres’ long awaited UFC debut has been delayed by a series of injuries, and he performed fairly well coming off a lengthy layoff.  Still, the loss places him near the bottom of the UFC’s lightweight division and he should prove his mettle by taking on either Mac Danzig or the fellow struggling Brazilian prospect Thiago Tavares.

Fight Grade: 3/5

Keep Reading

From Arco Arena in Sacramento, CA, WEC 46 was highlighted by the long-awaited return of the injured lightweight champion Jamie Varner, set to unify the belts with the interim lightweight champ Benson Henderson in the main events.  In other featured bouts, two former featherweight champions Urijah Faber and Mike Brown set their sights on the comeback trail, with Faber taking on Rafael Assuncao and Brown facing an unheralded WEC newcomer Anthony Morrison.

Mackens Semerzier vs. Deividas Taurosevicius (145 lbs)

Round 1:  After a brief exchange, Taurosevicius closes distance and takes Semerzier down.  Semerzier locks in a guillotine but Taurosevicius slams his way out of it.  Taurosevicius stands over Semerzier and eats a slapping up-kick.  Taurosevicius passes into side control and throws elbows.  Semerzier regains guard and gets back to his feet but is quickly taken down again.  Semerzier with another guillotine attempt and Taurosevicius responds with a big slam.  The action slows down on the ground and referee stands them up.  Taurosevicius shoots another takedown as the round ends.  Round 10-9 Taurosevicius

Round 2: Semerzier leads off with a series of kicks.  He stops Taurosevicius’ first takedown attempt but gets dragged down from clinch. Semerzier escapes but is quickly taken down again, then slammed on his next attempt to get up.  Semerzier looks for a triangle but Taurosevicius defends well.  Taurosevicius works from Semerzier’s guard; Mackens looks for submissions from the bottom and nothing comes close.  Semerzier attempts a leg lock near the end of the round; Taurosevicius powers out of it. Round 10-9 Taurosevicius

Round 3: An uneventful exchange starts the final round.  Taurosevicius catches a kick but Semerzier stays on his feet.  Taurosevicius shoots for a takedown and Semerzier attempts a d’arce choke, then switches to a kimura.  Taurosevicius is in danger but rolls out of the hold, giving up the top position.  Semerzier stands over Taurosevicius, landing body and head strikes.  Taurosevicius is bleeding.  Semerzier passes guard and works from side control.  Taurosevicius scrambles out and gets caught in a guillotine, but escapes as the round ends. Round 10-9 Semerzier

Deividas Taurosevicius wins by unanimous decision, 29-28 on all three scorecards

Fight Grade: 3/5

Keep Reading