Strikeforce: Hendo vs. Fedor Results

What a fight.

Those are the only three words that can be used to describe the explosive main event that emanated from the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois between legendary fighters Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson.

Pundits agreed that it was likely the two would bring the artillery, but few imagined just how much ammo both had in their tank.

From the opening bell Emelianenko rushed the centre of the cage, throwing heavy leather and landing big shots.

Henderson was not to be outdone and brought much of the same, forcing the crowd into an uproar. The two legends came to entertain and produced a masterpiece of a fight.

As the round was entering its fifth minute, Emelianenko put together a solid combination of punches that hurt Henderson, sending him down. When Emelianenko went to capitalize, Henderson popped out the back, landing a sneaky uppercut, dropping the all-time great.

Emelianenko went down to the mat and looked hurt as referee Herb Dean rushed in to call the fight, giving Henderson the monumental win.

The loss marks three straight for Emelianenko and more than likely his ticket out of Strikeforce.

In the co-main event, Marloes Coenen took on Meisha Tate in an attempt to defend her 135lb. championship.

As expected early, Tate used her wrestling to put the fight on the mat. Coenen, known for impressive submissions from her back, worked hard to reverse position and out grapple Tate, however struggled to gain advantageous positions.
Coenen took back control for most of the third, coming close to a rear naked choke on multiple attempts to no avail.

The fourth saw Tate kick things up a notch, going on the offensive and really pushing the pace. Tate shocked MMA fans around the world by submitting Coenen, who is widely regarded as one of the best female submission mixed martial artists on the planet.

Tim Kennedy continued his purge towards a rematch with middleweight champion Ronaldo Souza with an impressive unanimous decision victory over Robbie Lawler. His ability to mix up his striking game and integrate his wrestling proved too much for the MMA veteran.

Paul Daley did his best to fend off the young up and coming Tyron Woodley, but a lack of wrestling and ability to fend from the clinch cost the former title contender.

Daley tried to tee off, but Woodley showed impressive boxing and defence, getting to the inside and slowing the pace. It may not have been the most thrilling fight, but Woodley did enough to take a unanimous decision.

In a dismal performance, Scott Smith was thoroughly outworked by the younger, faster and better Tarec Saffiedine.
Through three rounds Smith looked flat, unable to pull the trigger and leaning against the cage while Saffiedine teed off. A late rally attempt came up short and Saffiedine took a unanimous dominant decision.

Main Card

Dan Henderson def. Fedor Emelianenko via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:12

Miesha Tate def. Marloes Coenen via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 4, 3:03 (to become new women’s bantamweight champion)

Tim Kennedy def. Robbie Lawler via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Tyron Woodley def. Paul Daley via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Tarec Saffiedine def. Scott Smith via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

Preliminary Card

Gesias Cavalcante def. Bobby Green via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Tyler Stinson def. Eduardo Pamplona via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:15

Alexis Davis def. Julie Kedzie via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Derek Brunson def. Lumumba Sayers via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:33

Gabriel Salinas-Jones def. Bryan Humes via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 3, 1:19

View the original article here

Bellator 47 – Quick Results

Event: Bellator 47

Date: 23rd July 2011

Location: Casino Rama, Rama, Ontario

Main Card

Pat Curran def. Ronnie Mann via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Marlon Sandro def. Nazareno Malegarie via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Chris Horodecki def. Chris Saunders via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Neil Grove def. Zak Jensen via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:00

Preliminary Card

Alexandre Bezerra def. Jesse Gross via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:28
Will Romero def. Dan Langbeen via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Alex Ricci def. Alka Matewa via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:40

View the original article here

UFC 133 Fight Card: Evans vs. Ortiz News and Predictions on the Night's Results

UFC 133 is set to take place on August 6 from the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, Pa. The event will be held at the Wells Fargo Center. 

The fight card will be headlined by a bout between former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans and the resurgent Tito Ortiz. It was originally thought that current light heavyweight champion Jon Jones would be meeting Evans on this card, but a hand injury to the champion prevented that fight from being booked.

Evans was then slated to meet the up-and-coming Phil Davis, but a training camp knee injury caused Davis to be scratched from the card.

Ortiz (16-8-1) will enter the Octagon after earning Submission of the Night honors by submitting Ryan Bader at UFC 132, which took place on July 2.

Evans (15-1-1) has not fought since May 29, 2010.  Evans' sole loss was at the hands of Lyoto Machida in a fight that saw Machida wrest the UFC title from Evans' grasp.

Ortiz and Evans have fought before, battling to a draw at UFC 73 in July 2007.

UFC 133 recently saw the co-main event of Rich Franklin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira dropped from the event when Nogueira sustained a training camp injury. The new co-main event will now be a middleweight bout between Vitor Belfort and Yoshihiro Akiyama.

The complete UFC 133 fight card is listed below:

Pay-Per-View
 

Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Vitor Belfort

Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara

Mike Pyle vs. Rory MacDonald

Dennis Hallman vs. Brian Ebersole

Spike TV Preliminary Bouts

Matt Hamill vs. Alexander Gustafsson

Chad Mendes vs. Rani Yahya

UFC Facebook Stream Preliminary Bouts

Johny Hendricks vs. Mike Pierce

Ivan Menjivar vs. Nick Pace

Costantinos Phillippou vs. Rafael Natal

Mike Brown vs. Nam Phan  

Bleacher Report will be your source for news, analysis and opinions on the upcoming fight card.

Check back often as the fight card nears for all the UFC 133 information you need.

View the original article here

Dream 17: Japan GP Final – Quick Results

DREAM 17 – Japan GP Final

July 16th

Ariake Coliseum

FW Title: Hiroyuki Takaya def. Kazuyuki Miyata via split decision

BW GP Final: Hideo Tokoro def. Masakazu Imanari via unanimous decision

LHW Title: Gegard Mousasi def. Hiroshi Izumi via TKO at 3:29 round 1

LW: Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Drew Fickett via TKO at 4:41 round 1

BW: Kenji Osawa def. Keisuke Fujiwara via unanimous decision

LHW: Tatsuya Mizuno def. Trevor Prangley via TKO at 4:41 round 1

175lb: Marius Žaromskis def. Eiji Ishikawa via unanimous decision

LW: Eiji Mitsuoka def. Bruno Carvalho via unanimous decision

View the original article here

UFC Live Prelim Results: Lauzon Spectacular in Steel City

Click below for prelim results from Sunday's UFC Live card in Pittsburgh... PITTSBURGH, June 26 – Shaking off his November loss to George Sotiropoulos, rising lightweight star Joe Lauzon impressively used his improving striking game to set up a first round submission win over England’s Curt Warburton in UFC Live prelim action at Consol Energy Center Sunday.

LAUZON VS. WARBURTON
Warburton was the busier of the two early on, but as if a switch was flipped, Lauzon started pouring it on, and a right-left sent the Brit sprawling to the canvas. Lauzon moved in for the finish and got it, securing a beautiful kimura that forced Warburton to tap out at the 1:58 mark. See post-fight interview

Lauzon ups his record to 19-6 with the win and took home an extra $50K for Submission of the Week; Warburton falls to 7-3.

GRIFFIN VS. GAMBURYAN

Tyson Griffin scored a much needed win against former WEC title challenger Manny Gamburyan, breaking a three fight losing skid with a close unanimous decision. See post-fight interview

Scores were 29-28 across the board for Griffin, who improves to 15-5 in his featherweight debut.

Gamburyan’s takedowns and control on the mat and against the fence allowed him to take the opening round. Griffin switched gears in the second round, and he fed Gamburyan (13-7) a steady diet of kicks that bruised the leg of “The Anvil.”

The action heated up in the final round, with Gamburyan desperately looking to take the fight to the mat while Griffin continued to drill him with leg kicks and hard shots as the two grappled against the fence.

STEVENSON VS. VAZQUEZ

It was difficult watching longtime lightweight contender and new featherweight Joe Stevenson drop his fourth fight in a row, but kudos go to the man who scored the three round unanimous decision win over the popular “Joe Daddy,” Javier Vazquez, who was in a similar position when he defeated Jens Pulver in the final WEC bout of “Lil’ Evil” in March of 2010. See post-fight interview

Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for Vazquez, who improves to 16-5; Stevenson falls to 36-14.

Vazquez controlled much of the first round on the mat, not exactly pleasing the crowd, but doing enough to stay busy and pile on points. In the second “Showtime” began landing more and more strikes while standing, prompting Stevenson to look for a takedown, which only resulted in a guillotine choke attempt from Vazquez. Finally, the bout strayed to the mat, and Vazquez briefly took Stevenson’s back until the two rose.

Stevenson made a gallant last stand in the third round, but his punches were off again and again, allowing Vazquez to counter him like he had throughout the bout and sail to a big victory in his UFC debut.

ATTONITO VS. ROBERTS

Ultimate Fighter season 11 alum Rich Attonito made a successful drop to the welterweight division, scoring a clear-cut three round unanimous decision win over late replacement Daniel “Ninja” Roberts. See post-fight interview

“I feel great,” said Attonito of the drop to 170 pounds. “This is the weight class I belong in.”

Scores were 29-27, 30-27, and 29-28.

Attonito fought a good first round, holding the edge in the standup game and doing solid work on the ground as well, as he kept Roberts from scoring his own takedowns.

Roberts, who stepped in on short notice when Matt Brown was elevated to a main card bout, went all-out for the takedown as round two began, and he got it, dragging Attonito to the mat and almost securing a rear naked choke. Attonito broke free though, scoring his own takedown seconds later, and he was able to keep Roberts on the mat for the remainder of the frame, ground and pounding his way to even more points.

More confident than ever, “The Raging Bull” stalked Roberts in round three, using low kicks to stagger his opponent, punches to distract him, and a kick to the head to drop him. A follow-up series of punches looked to spell the end, but Roberts survived and got back to his feet, gamely trying to get back in the fight. Attonito wasn’t having it though, and he staggered him a couple more times while standing before closing out the round and the fight with a takedown and ground strikes.

With the win, Attonito ups his record to 10-4; Roberts falls to 12-3.

OLIVEIRA VS. LENTZ

What was an exciting lightweight bout between Charles Oliveira and Nik Lentz was marred by an unfortunate ending, as an illegal knee to the head of the downed Lentz allowed the Brazilian to score a second round submission victory. See Charles Oliveira post-fight interview

The first round was one of the best of the year thus far, with constant switches in momentum throughout the five minute period. But when a short right hand dropped Lentz, it looked like the end was near as Oliveira locked in a tight guillotine choke. Lentz escaped though and quickly went for his own guillotine, which Oliveira eventually escaped from. See Nik Lentz post-fight interview with MMA DieHards

Round two began just like the first, but when an illegal knee to the head by Oliveira while Lentz (23-4-2) was down wasn’t caught by referee Chip Snider, it was the beginning of the end for the Minnesotan, who took another knee, this one legal, before being finished with a rear naked choke at 1:48 of the round.

The crowd erupted in boos at the finish, but color commentator Joe Rogan announced that the commission will review the bout and the missed call.

“I’m sorry Nik Lentz, you’re a very tough fighter,” said Oliveira, now 15-1. “I didn’t have the intention to do this.” Lentz and Oliveira netted Fight of the Night bonuses of $50,000 each for their performances.

LAMAS VS. GRICE

In a clash of newcomers to the featherweight division, former WEC standout Ricardo Lamas played the role of “Bully” to the hilt, impressively finishing off Matt Grice in the opening round. See post-fight interview

Effectively nullifying the aggressive attack of Grice with accurate and varied strikes, Lamas never appeared to be bothered by anything his opponent had for him, and late in the round, he staggered Grice with a left kick to the head. A series of follow-up punches were next, and after Lamas dropped Grice with a shot to the head, referee Keith Peterson stepped in seconds later, ending the bout at 4:41 of the first.

With the win, Lamas improves to 10-2; Grice falls to 14-4.

JOHNSON VS. FAALOLOTO

In his first bout since his decision loss to Jonathan Brookins in the Ultimate Fighter season 12 finale last December, lightweight prospect Michael Johnson scored a punishing first round TKO win over Edward Faaloloto. See post-fight interview

“I had six months off, why not get in the gym every day and get stronger,” said Johnson, now 10-5.

On target with his strikes and takedowns from the opening bell, Johnson tagged Faaloloto repeatedly with hard shots, but the Hawaiian shook off everything, even opening a cut over his opponent’s left eye with an elbow. Eventually though, Faaloloto (5-2) was hurt with a left hand in the closing minute of the opening stanza, and Johnson pounced, dropping “Falo” and unleashing a series of strikes that prompted referee Marc Matheny to halt the bout at the 4:42 mark.

View the original article here

Official UFC 132 Weigh In Results

Below are the official weigh in results for Saturday’s UFC 132 event. UFC 132, which is headlined by the UFC bantamweight championship bout between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber and the middleweight battle between Wanderlei Silva and Chris Leben, airs live on Pay-Per-View from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada at 9pm ET / 6pm PT. Fans can also tune in to Spike TV at 8pm ET / 5pm PT to see live UFC 132 preliminary bouts, and those who “like” the UFC on Facebook can see the rest of the prelim bouts at 6:15 pm ET / 3:15 pm PT.

MAIN EVENT – UFC BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE
Dominick Cruz (134) VS Urijah Faber (135)

PPV
Chris Leben (185) VS Wanderlei Silva (186)
Ryan Bader (205) VS Tito Ortiz (205)
Dong Hyun Kim (171) VS Carlos Condit (170)
Matt Wiman (156) VS Dennis Siver (156)

SPIKE TV PRELIMS
Shane Roller (155) VS Melvin Guillard (155)
Rafael Dos Anjos (155) VS George Sotiropoulos (156)

FACEBOOK FIGHTS
Takeya Mizugaki (136) VS Brian Bowles (135)
Aaron Simpson (185) VS Brad Tavares (186)
Andre Winner (155) VS Anthony Njokuani (156)
Jeff Hougland (135) VS Donny Walker (135)

View the original article here

UFC Live Main Card Results: Reality Cheick - Kongo KOs Barry

Click below for main card results from Sunday's UFC Live card in Pittsburgh... PITTSBURGH, June 26 – The question leading up to Sunday’s heavyweight showdown between Cheick Kongo and Pat Barry was ‘who was the best pure striker?’ And for a while it looked like Barry, but it was Kongo who had the last word in the UFC Live main event with a crushing first round knockout victory that sent the crowd at the Consol Energy Center into a frenzy. See post-fight interview

“I had to win this fight,” said Kongo.

KONGO VS. BARRY
Both fighters traded thudding leg kicks in the early going in a painful game of ‘can you top this?’ Kongo used his reach advantage well, but when Barry got close, he dropped Kongo with a flush right hand. With Kongo appearing to be out, referee Dan Miragliotta looked closely, but Kongo got his bearings back and rose, only to get sent down a second time.

Again, Kongo rose to his feet, but just when it looked like Barry was about to score the knockout, the Frenchman fired back with two rights. The first one stood Barry up, and the second one sent him down and out, with Miragliotta having no choice but to call the bout off at the 2:39 mark.

With the win, Kongo improves to 26-6-2; Barry falls to 6-3. Kongo scored Knockout of the Night for the performance, which Joe Rogan called in-broadcast "the most amazing comeback I have ever seen."

BRENNEMAN VS. STORY

Saturday morning, Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania’s Charlie Brenneman expected to be just another spectator for Sunday’s UFC Live show, but within hours, after Nate Marquardt wasn’t medically cleared for his main event bout against Rick Story, Brenneman was called into duty and he made the most of it in front of his home state fans, winning a clear cut three round unanimous decision over the rising welterweight star. See post-fight interview

Scores were 29-28 across the board for Brenneman, who improves to 14-2; Story, who was coming off a win over Thiago Alves at UFC 130 on May 28th, falls to 13-4.

Brenneman, who was originally brought in to face TJ Grant before Grant withdrew from their bout due to illness, kept the home crowd happy in the opening round, smothering Story and not allowing him to get untracked. And that was before “The Spaniard” got the takedown and fired off strikes as he held Story at bay for the rest of the opening five minutes.

Not straying from the gameplan, Brenneman kicked off round two with another takedown, but Story was able to reverse position and briefly catch his foe in a guillotine choke before the two broke and stood up. Brenneman made sure he didn’t stay there long, as he took Story down again, and controlled the pace and location of the fight. Story tried to catch Brenneman in a guillotine again, but the Pennsylvanian was never in trouble, and he moved into side control briefly before the bell sounded.

Story came out swinging in the final round, trying to turn things around, but he wound up on the mat in the opening 30 seconds. After a standup and a return trip to the canvas, Story worked for a submission, but to no avail.  Changing gears, Story got into the mount position, but Brenneman held on, leaving Story little room to operate in order to pull off the miracle comeback.

BROWN VS. HOWARD

It wasn’t pretty, but welterweight Matt Brown salvaged his UFC career, breaking a three fight losing streak with a three round unanimous decision win over John “Doomsday” Howard. See post-fight interview

All three judges saw the bout 29-28.

The first round was a tough one to score, with Howard’s leg kicks and takedowns being countered by Brown’s more accurate and punishing striking to the head. The pace slowed in round two, with Brown (14-10) controlling most of the action on the mat, but he was unable to put Howard (14-7) in any significant danger. The same could be said for the final round, but with Howard getting more offensive light than in the previous frame. That didn’t appease the fans though, as they booed the lack of action in what was expected to be a Fight of the Night candidate.

MITRIONE VS. MORECRAFT

The Matt Mitrione Experience continues to captivate the MMA world, as the former NFL lineman moved to 5-0 in the main card opener with a second round knockout of fellow heavyweight prospect Christian Morecraft. See post-fight interview

After some sloppy striking from both men to start the bout, Mitrione drew first blood with a straight left that produced a flash knockdown. Morecraft rose quickly and rushed his opponent, but Mitrione calmly parried the attack and bloodied his foe’s mouth. With under two minutes left, Morecraft scored with his first good combination of the fight, yet Mitrione’s answering shot put the ball back in his court. Moments later, Mitrione dropped the Ithaca product, but as he moved in, he didn’t land the finishing blow flush. Morecraft was able to smother Mitrione on the mat to make it out of the round, yet it took him a few moments to get to his corner.

Mitrione continued to pepper his tired foe early in round two, but two minutes in, Morecraft (7-2) was able to score his first takedown of the bout. After a brief stall, Mitrione got to his feet, only to get taken to the mat again. After a restart, Morecraft looked spent, and Mitrione, sensing it, closed the show with a three punch combination to the head. Morecraft dropped to the mat hard, and Mitrione simply walked away as referee Marc Matheny waved off the bout at 4:28.

View the original article here

UFC 132 Main Card Results: Leben KOs Silva in 27 Seconds

Click below for UFC 132 main card results... LAS VEGAS, July 2 – Middleweight slugger Chris Leben had made no secret of his desire for a fight with his fistic hero Wanderlei Silva, and after getting the dream bout, he quickly turned it into a nightmare for the Brazilian legend, stopping him in just 27 seconds in the UFC 132 co-main event Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. See post-fight interview

“Wanderlei is my hero," said Leben. "He’s always been my favorite fighter. I only visualized a three-round war. I never envisioned a knockout. It’s unbelievable.”

Both fighters engaged immediately, with Silva landing some hard shots at close range. The steel-chinned Leben took the punches well and in response he swung a left hand that clipped Silva and took his legs away. Leben then fired off a series of lefts that sent Silva face first to the mat. Referee Josh Rosenthal moved in quickly, stopping the bout and stunning the packed house.

With the win, Leben ups his record to 22-7; Silva falls to 33-11-1 with 1 NC.

ORTIZ VS. BADER

With his job on the line, former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz resurrected his storied career with a stunning first round submission win over Ryan Bader. See post-fight interview

“It’s such a great feeling to get this win,” said Ortiz. “I’m reinventing myself.”

After some tense standup, which saw Bader land his vaunted right hand with little effect, Ortiz sent a short right hand of his own down the middle, rocking Bader and sending him to the canvas. Ortiz pounced, but instead of his trademark ground and pound, he shocked Bader with a guillotine choke, which forced the former Arizona State University wrestler to tap out at the 1:56 mark.

“I just woke up in a guillotine,” said Bader. “I got rocked with a big punch and next thing you know, I was in a guillotine. I thought I was doing well with my footwork, but I talked to my coaches and realized I made some mistakes.”

The win, which lifted the 36 year old Ortiz’ record to 17-8-1, was his first since a 2006 defeat of Ken Shamrock. During that span, Ortiz went 0-4-1 while battling a series of injuries. Bader falls to 13-2.

“The key tonight was the guys that I’ve been training with,” said Ortiz. “It’s such a positive group of guys and anytime I thought I wanted to let up in training, they kept pushing me. I put my private life on the backburner for this training camp so that I could focus on performing like I’m capable of performing.”

SIVER VS. WIMAN

Germany’s Dennis Siver scored his fourth win in a row in lightweight action, but his three round unanimous decision win over Matt Wiman wasn’t a popular one with the MGM Grand Garden Arena crowd, which filled the venue with boos after the 29-28 verdict was announced. See post-fight interview

“I’m glad to win this fight,” said Siver. “It was a very hard fight. My striking was a little bit better. My takedown defense was a little bit better. Altogether, I was just a little bit better tonight. Again, it was a very tough fight.”

As expected, neither fighter opted for a feeling out process; instead, both got right down to business, with Siver’s harder punches edging out Wiman’s quicker shots and ground work.

Wiman (13-6) went all-in for the takedown in the second round, eventually getting the bout to the mat. While there, Wiman was able to cut Siver on the forehead, and it prompted the Ultimate Fighter season five competitor to keep firing away with strikes to the face of his bloodied foe, who was kept on his back for the remainder of the round.

Siver (19-7) was the busier of the two on the feet in the final round, and Wiman had difficulty getting his opponent to the mat until the final minute. But when the bout did stray there earlier, Wiman was actively looking for submissions, making the round a tough one to score.

“I did a lot of damage,” said Wiman. “Maybe he got the decision because he threw more punches, but they weren’t effective. Effective striking and grappling is what they say and he didn’t have that at all.”

CONDIT VS. KIM

Welterweight contender Carlos Condit electrified the crowd in the main card opener, handing Korean standout Dong Hyun Kim his first loss via first round TKO. In the process, he made a strong case for a shot at Georges St-Pierre’s 170 pound crown after his fourth consecutive win and third straight knockout. See post-fight interview

Confident from the start, Condit set up his strikes beautifully, and even reversed position on Kim after the “Stun Gun” took him down early. But nothing prepared Kim for what came next, as a flying right knee to the head by Condit landed flush and dropped him. A follow-up series of punches then forced referee Steve Mazzagatti to stop the fight at 2:58 of the round.

Condit improves to 27-5 with the win; Kim falls to 14-1-1 with 1 NC.

Watch UFC 132 here: http://www.ufc.tv/ufc/event/cruz-vs-faber/541

View the original article here

UFC 132 Prelim Results: Another Night, Another KO Win for "The Young Assassin"

Click below for the UFC 132 prelim card report.... LAS VEGAS, July 2 – Lightweight contender Melvin Guillard made it five wins in a row in perhaps the sport’s most competitive division, blitzing and blasting out Shane Roller in the first round of UFC 132 preliminary card action at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

GUILLARD VS. ROLLER

Guillard, light on his feet and firing off an array of strikes from all angles, showed little respect for Roller’s standup game, but the former college wrestling standout held his own until Guillard stopped being flashy and instead became dangerous. A short left hook dropped Roller the first time, but he made it back up to his feet. After a second knockdown though, “The Young Assassin” lowered the boom, with a ferocious series of ground strikes that forced referee Josh Rosenthal to halt the bout at 2:12 of the round.

“I’ve been saying all week that speed kills," said Guillard. "I came here in the best shape of my life and I was really comfortable in there tonight. I knew that I could break him. I knew that with my speed and my pace, I could make it a rough night for him.”

With the win, Guillard improves to 46-9-3 with 1 NC. Roller falls to 10-4.

Watch Guillard's post-fight interview.

DOS ANJOS VS. SOTIROPOULOS

Rafael dos Anjos made a spectacular return to the Octagon after nearly a year off, knocking out highly regarded lightweight contender George Sotiropoulos in less than a minute.

Sotiropoulos roared out of his corner, intent on cutting off any dos Anjos escape routes. The Brazilian wasn’t flustered by the aggressive stalking, and when he swung a swooping right hand at Sotiropoulos, it landed flush on the chin, sending the Australian hard to the canvas. Referee Yves Lavigne stepped in immediately, stopping the bout at the 59 second mark.

“I wanted to stay standing, but if it went to the ground, I was confident in my jiu-jitsu,” said dos Anjos. “I wanted to show the fans my striking tonight and I’m happy I got this knockout. I went through a rough patch after my last fight, but I came back and truly believe I’m better than ever. A few years down the road, I can see myself winning the world title. This is a big win for me.”

With the win, Dos Anjos, who was sidelined due to a jaw injury suffered in a loss to Clay Guida, improves to 15-5; Sotiropoulos falls to 14-4.

Watch Dos Anjos' post-fight interview.

BOWLES VS. MIZUGAKI

Former WEC bantamweight boss Brian Bowles made it two in a row in the Octagon, as he unanimously decisioned Takeya Mizugaki over three rounds.

Scores were 29-28 and 30-27 twice for Bowles, who ups his record to 10-1; Mizugaki falls to 14-6-2.

Mizugaki got off to a good start in a first round fought at a measured pace, nailing Bowles downstairs with kicks and upstairs with hard and fast punches. As the round progressed though, Bowles began landing more of his flush right hands, certainly getting the attention of his opponent and the crowd.

Having found his range, Bowles began to up his work rate in the second stanza, and a straight right hand forced Mizugaki to seek refuge on the mat. Bowles immediately took his foe’s back, working for a rear naked choke before the bell interrupted the action.

Bowles controlled much of the final round with a takedown and his ability to take Mizugaki’s back while the two stood against the fence, but a late flurry of activity by the Japanese slugger made things interesting in the closing seconds.

SIMPSON VS. TAVARES

Aaron Simpson’s close-range wrestling and Octagon control was too much for Brad Tavares in their middleweight bout, as the “A-Train” did what he needed to do to secure a unanimous three round decision win.

Scores were 30-27 across the board for Simpson, now 9-2.

“I’m going to be honest,” said Simpson. “I didn’t think I was at my best tonight. Brad is very talented and he has very flexible hips. Some guys at 185 are easy to hold down and maneuver. He felt heavy and was strong and made it a tough fight. This win is something to build off of.”

Tavares (6-2) had some success in the first with his long-range striking, but unfortunately for him he didn’t have much of an opportunity to do it, as Simpson kept him locked up against the fence for the majority of the first five minutes.

There was little change to this pattern for the first three minutes of round two until a thudding slam by Tavares, which actually allowed Simpson to get the upper hand, as he shot up and nearly locked a choke in on the Hawaiian. After this burst of action, it was back to Simpson pinning Tavares to the fence while firing off sporadic punches and knees.

The final round started out in a promising manner, with some good exchanges on the feet and mat, but things soon reverted to form, with Simpson dominating at close range, not allowing Tavares room to breathe or score.

NJOKUANI VS. WINNER

Lightweight prospect Anthony “The Assassin” Njokuani was at his ferocious best early on against Andre Winner, nearly finishing off his foe in the first round before being forced to settle for a shutout three round decision win.

Scores were 30-27 and 30-26 twice for Njokuani, who improves to 15-5; Winner falls to 12-6-1.

Winner had no qualms about staying in the pocket with the Muay Thai striker, but the Brit paid for his courage, as the deadly accuracy of Njokuani was present throughout the round, but especially during a late stretch when dozens of unanswered blows wouldn’t have had anyone complaining if referee Yves Lavigne halted the bout.

“I thought he was gonna be (knocked) out there in the first round,” said Njokuani. “He survived and proved that he’s a tough dude.”

Miraculously, Winner made it out of the round, and the second as well, but after 10 minutes, the banged up former Ultimate Fighter finalist was clearly in survival mode as Njokuani piled up the points.

Winner tried to make a fight out of it in the third, but his gutsy effort wasn’t nearly enough to make a miraculous comeback, as Njokuani did enough to wrap up another round and the fight.

Watch Njokuani's post-fight interview.

HOUGLAND VS. WALKER

Bantamweight newcomers Jeff Hougland and Donny Walker got the night started off right with a competitive three round scrap won by Hougland via close but unanimous decision.

Scores were 30-27 and 29-28 twice.

Things didn’t look too promising for Walker in the first portion of the opening round, with Hougland dominating on the mat and nearly sinking in a guillotine choke. Once Walker escaped though, he turned the tables and finished strong with his own ground attack.

Hougland dominated round two, bloodying and bruising Walker’s face before another guillotine choke attempt. This one was even tighter, but the bell kept him from finishing.

Walker made every effort to turn things around in the final five minutes, but Hougland’s solid bottom game and superior wrestling ruled the day and secured the victory.

With the win, Hougland improves to 10-4; Walker falls to 14-7.

Watch Hougland's post-fight interview.

View the original article here

UFC 132 Main Event Results: Remember His Name – Cruz Outpoints Faber

Click below for the UFC 132 main event report... LAS VEGAS, July 2 – It might sound cheap to say that the first 135-pound title fight in UFC history was the best one ever, but Saturday’s UFC 132 main event that saw Dominick Cruz retain his bantamweight championship with a five round unanimous decision win over Urijah Faber at the MGM Grand Garden Arena certainly set a standard that will be hard to top.

Then again, with Cruz ruling the division, excitement may always be on the menu.

Scores were 50-45, 49-46, and 48-47 for Cruz, the former WEC champion who defended his belt for the first time. Faber had defeated Cruz in a March 2007 bout for the WEC featherweight belt.

Cruz landed with his first punch of the fight, a straight right to the head, but Faber shook it off. Moments later, Faber locked up with the champion, and after being unable to secure a takedown, he ended the grappling sequence with an elbow to the head. Faber was swinging hard with each shot, and two minutes in, a looping right hand sent Cruz to the canvas. Cruz bounced up quickly from the flash knockdown, but a message had been sent by the challenger. As the round got into its final two minutes, Cruz began to get his rhythm, and he effectively mixed punches in with leg kicks. Faber responded by bulling Cruz to the fence and again landing a hard elbow before the two broke loose.

Dominick Cruz post-fight interview - Urijah Faber post-fight interview

The pace stayed high in round two, yet both fighters were being more selective with their attacks early on. That didn’t last long though, as both Cruz and Faber tagged each other with hard strikes that got the crowd roaring. What may have been most impressive as the round progressed was Cruz’ stellar defense and movement, both of which kept Faber guessing long enough to get hit. Faber wasn’t backing down though, and in the second half of the round he scored his second knockdown of the fight. But it was Cruz with a hard flurry at the end that left the final impression.

Cruz appeared to be taking deep breaths in round three, but his workrate didn’t slow an ounce. Faber was just as busy, and nearly three minutes in, he scored a takedown, yet he got reversed by Cruz, who quickly got back to his feet to resume his standup attack, which he varied nicely between punches upstairs and kicks to the legs and head. With under 30 seconds left, Cruz shot for his own takedown, but was rebuffed.

Showing more urgency, Faber raced out of his corner to begin round four. Cruz calmly met his charge with some quick shots, but another big right hand dropped Cruz for a third time. Cruz responded with a quick takedown, but it was the Faber knockdown that did the most damage, and the crowd chanted his name in appreciation. Cruz started mixed in more takedown attempts into his offense as the round wore on, though Faber defended them well, and by the end of the round, he was the stalker.

With a flying knee, a flurry of punches and a takedown, Cruz roared out for the fifth round determined to keep his crown. Faber got up immediately from the trip to the canvas, and though Cruz got another quick takedown, he almost got caught in a guillotine choke for his trouble. Cruz didn’t stop pressing, sending Faber southward four more times. The challenger rose immediately each time, but the points Cruz scored were important ones in such a close fight, one that earned the ovation the crowd gave at the final bell.

With the win, Cruz improves to 18-1; Faber falls to 25-5.

Watch UFC 132 here: http://www.ufc.tv/ufc/event/cruz-vs-faber/541                      

View the original article here