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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UFC 96 was headlined by a matchup between Keith Jardine and Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson – a bout that would determine the future top contender in the light heavyweight division.  Beyond the main event, the lineup was not very impressive, lacking in big names and matchups with title implications.  Though this event received very little hype, the less anticipated events often exceed all expectations, and UFC 96 was no exception.

Jim Miller vs. Gray Maynard (155 lbs)

Round 1: After Maynard got the best of the initial striking exchange, Miller clinched and attempted a takedown.  Maynard had no intention of going to the ground with Miller and defended the takedown, pummeling Miller who held on to the single-leg attempt.  When the fighters disengaged Miller had a bloody nose and a swollen eye, and Maynard finished the round strong, hurting Miller with a combination.  Round 10-9 Maynard

Round 2: Miller worked leg and body kicks; two of the kicks glanced off Maynard’s groin protector, causing referee Dan Miragliotta to warn Miller.  Maynard answered with punch combinations, some of which found their target. Miller attempted another takedown; Maynard defended and Miller pulled guard but Maynard stood right back up.  Neither fighter landed much in this round; Maynard gets the nod for keeping the fight on the feet.     Round 10-9 Maynard

Round 3: Both fighters slowed down a bit, and Miller was once again scoring with leg kicks.  Miller attempted another takedown; Maynard defended again and responded with a huge slam.  Miller went for a leg lock and used the submission attempt to get back to his feet.  Miller shot a single but ended up on the bottom, and was not able to do anything off his back.  Maynard landed punches from the top, easily winning the round.    Round 10-9 Maynard

All three judges scored the fight 30-27 Gray Maynard.

Fight Grade: 3/5

Aftermath: Great performance from Maynard, who picked up his fifth UFC win and positioned himself as one of the top contenders to the winner of the upcoming title bout between champion BJ Penn and Kenny Florian.  Jim Miller is dealt his first UFC loss, knocking him out of the Top 10 for the time being.

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