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New champ Velasquez frustrates, outclasses Lesnar

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:58:12 EDT

Cain Velasquez pulled a Brock Lesnar on Brock Lesnar Saturday night.

Velasquez became the UFC heavyweight champion with a convincing TKO win over Lesnar at 4:12 of Round 1, causing the live crowd at UFC 121 to go in hysterics cheering for the kind-natured but highly skilled young fighter.

Lesnar was every bit the oversized, overly grumpy and freakishly strong athlete in this fight that he had been in his victories. But another of his more pronounced personality traits is his lack of patience. That came through in a series of awkward mistakes, such as swatting, backfisted jabs and an almost comical stumble across the cage to escape from a takedown.

You can't make mistakes like that at the championship level and expect to remain the champion. Especially not with a guy like Velasquez ready to capitalize on every error. Not only did Velasquez make the best of Lesnar's mistakes, but he also negated the things Lesnar did right. The result was a Brock Lesnar fight in which Lesnar, for the second time in as many fights, played the role of the punching bag.

Strikeforce live results: Overeem vs. Rogers

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:15:47 EDT

Alistair Overeem, Strikeforce heavyweight champion, has not fought for the promotion since November 2007, when he won the title.

He finally returns to defend the title against Brett "The Grim" Rogers, who earned some new fans in his hard-fought loss to Fedor Emelianenko last fall.

Round 1: They quickly engage but neither connects with anything solid. Overeem stalking Rogers. Straight punch by Rogers, Overeem answers with a leg kick. Overeem with more leg kicks. Rogers misses with a big left and clinches Overeem. Overeem "hulks out" of it, throwing Rogers to the mat.

Overeem follows him and starts grounding and pounding from the top. Overeem takes side control and throws some elbows from the top. Rogers scrambles up and almost lands in a guillotine choke, so he aborts the escape. Overeem holds Rogers in side control with his other side against the fence. Overeem with knees and elbows. He switches to fists, and Rogers eventually covers up. Overeem unloads with a ton of punches from the top, and referee

Strikeforce live results: Arlovski vs. Silva

Sat, 15 May 2010 23:39:42 EDT

Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei "Pitbull" Arlovski has lost his last two fights via KO or TKO in Round 1. He tries to bounce back here against Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva, who looks to rebound from his loss to Fabricio Werdum last November.

Round 1: Inside leg kick by Arlovski. Outside leg kick by Silva. Silva counters a leg kick with a right hand. Arlovski misses with a combo up the middle. Silva with another outside leg kick, then he grazes Arlovski with a jab. Arlovski with a double jab.

Silva connects with a left hook. Arlovski misses a left hook and ends up in close range, so Silva throws a four-punch combo. Arlovski takes a hard right hand and a pair of follow-up strikes without going down. Silva ties him up at the cage wall briefly, then they separate.

Strikeforce live results: 'Jacare' vs. Villasenor

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 3:12:53 EDT

DREAM fighter Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza looks for his second consecutive Strikeforce victory as he fights middleweight veteran Joey Villasenor.

Round 1: Souza uses an overhand right to set up a takedown attempt. He ties Villasenor up against the cage wall. Jacare finishes the takedown and ends up in half guard. Jacare throws some right hands down at Villasenor's head. He takes full mount and throws several more punches down at Villasenor.

Jacare lands a half dozen more punches and Villasenor walks up the cage to escape out the back door to his feet. Very nice escape while under fire. Villasenor throws some short strikes from the tie-up and Jacare takes him down again. Jacare lands many big strikes to Villasenor's face from above. Jacare backs off and Villasenor stands, eating a series of fists and knees for his trouble.

Strikeforce live results: Randleman vs. Gracie

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:57:50 EDT

Up next is Roger Gracie vs. Kevin Randleman at light heavyweight.

Round 1: Gracie has a very substantial height advantage. Gracie works the jab, wisely, to hold Randleman at bay. Left hand by Gracie. Randleman with an inside leg kick the sends Gracie's leg flying into the air. Gracie with some light jabs. Randleman ducks in and eats a right hook.

Randleman gets inside for the tie-up and Gracie throws a knee to the body. Randleman forces Gracie to the cage wall and starts some dirty boxing. Gracie applies a guillotine choke well enough that Randleman decides he'd better scramble out of it, and they're back to standup. More jabs by Gracie. Randleman with a trio of punches, mostly blocked. The round ends, and I have it 10-9 Gracie, but it's close.

Strikeforce live results: Britt vs. Feijao

Sat, 15 May 2010 22:17:36 EDT

Antwain Britt fights Rafael Feijao at light heavyweight to kick off the broadcast.

Round 1: Feijao fakes a right and lands a nice left hook. Britt lands a jab and then unloads with a flurry, all of which get blocked. Britt ties Feijao up and pushes him to the fence. Feijao reverses him and takes a Muay Thai plomb, throwing a few knees. Britt Blocks or dodges the majority of them.

Britt fires jabs up the middle and mixes in some shots to the body. Feijao ties him up. Feijao throws a knee to the side as Britt lands a pair of close-range uppercuts on the break. Feijao goes back to the Muay Thai plomb but switches to a standard body lock. Nothing much happening, so the referee breaks them up.

Feijao rushes at Britt and cracks him hard with a right hook. Britt is rocked. Feijao unloads with more fists to put Britt down for good.

Strikeforce live blog: Undercard results

Sat, 15 May 2010 21:58:58 EDT

We'll have a live blog of tonight's Strikeforce event in St. Louis beginning at roughly 10 p.m. ET. Refresh the main blog link for the latest updates and round-by-round details as the main card begins.

Here are the quickie undercard results from St. Louis:

Jesse Finney def. Justin DeMoney via submission to a guillotine choke at 3:22 of Round 1. (Wwt.)

Lyle "Fancy Pants" Beerbohm def. Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27) after three rounds. (Lwt.)

UFC 113 live results: Machida vs. Rua

Sun, 09 May 2010 10:07:37 EDT

In the main event, Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida defends his light heavyweight title against the man many believe was robbed out of a decision in their last fight, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

As the undercard fights were happening earlier tonight, word broke (via ESPN's Franklin McNeil) that an unnamed source said Rua injured his knee in training and will be fighting hurt.

Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole later commented on Twitter that Dana White denied the report. On one hand, If Rua was fighting hurt, I don't think he'd necessarily tell White (or anyone else) about it beforehand. And if White did know something, I wouldn't expect him to go chit-chatting about it on press row. I guess we'll know for sure once the fight starts.

UFC 113 live results: Koscheck vs. Daley

Mon, 10 May 2010 0:28:17 EDT

Knockout artist Paul "Semtex" Daley takes on Josh Koscheck here, in a fight that has implications on who will next challenge for Georges St-Pierre's welterweight title.

Unless Dana White signs Jake Shields (and by all appearances, he will) and hot-shots him into a GSP title fight immediately, the winner of Koscheck vs. Daley will fight GSP next.

Round 1: No touch of gloves to start the round. They've been calling each other terrible names for weeks now, so that's not a shock. Daley immediately tries a flying knee and misses. It's almost a minute before either guy attempts something with both being very cautious of the other's striking. Koscheck with a double leg takedown.

Daley tries to stand and gets taken back down. Koscheck is in side control trying to improve to mount, but he ends up stepping into half guard. Koscheck trying to throw strikes but he's not getting much in. Daley tries to scramble free and Koscheck takes his back, trying for a rear naked choke. Koscheck gets one hook in, still fighting for the rear naked choke. He nearly gets it, before Daley scrambles free. Daley throws a knee as Koscheck is trying to stand up.

UFC 113 live results: Stephens vs. Stout

Sun, 09 May 2010 1:57:05 EDT

Next up is Jeremy Stephens vs. Sam "Hands of Stone" Stout at lightweight.

Round 1: Stephens with an outside leg kick, Stout answers with a right hand. A pair of fists by Stout. Takedown by Stephens. Nice left uppercut by Stephens, followed by a left hook. Stout with a leg kick, jab, then a jab fake into a leg kick. Both fighters land body punches. Stephens with a big right hook and Stout goes down, but he might have been off balance. Stout grasps for a takedown, then they separate and stand again.

Stout's nose is bloody. Spinning backfist by Stephens connects. Stout with a series of punches and leg kicks, the latter of which Stephens checks almost every time. Body kick and outside leg kick by Stephens. Stout lands a right to the gut. Stephens with a nice body kick and Stout tags him with a countering straight left. 10-9 Stephens on my scorecard.

UFC 113 live results: Kimbo vs. Mitrione

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:45:08 EDT

Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson is up next in a pseudo grudge match from The Ultimate Fighter 10, facing Matt Mitrione at heavyweight.

This is another fight where Kimbo's progress in the ground game shouldn't be such a big issue. Kimbo walks to the cage draped in a Bahamian flag and with American Top Team trainer Ricardo Liborio in tow.

Round 1: Mitrione has been grinning from ear to ear since the introductions. Kimbo throws a right hook. Mitrione throws a high kick. Kimbo catches the leg, lifts Mitrione up and slams him down to a huge crowd reaction. Mitrione immediately goes for a triangle choke. Kimbo tries to slam his way out of it. It doesn't work right away, but eventually Kimbo breaks loose and takes side control.

UFC 113 live results: Belcher vs. Cote

Mon, 10 May 2010 11:22:31 EDT

It's the long-awaited return of Patrick "The Predator" Cote to the Octagon, as he faces the very formidable test of Alan "The Talent" Belcher at middleweight.

If nothing else, Cote wins the nickname contest.

Round 1: The crowd is chanting for hometown fighter Cote right off the bat. Belcher with a low kick. More kicks to the ribs by Belcher. He throws an inside leg kick and nails Cote right in the cup. Cote shakes it off and we continue. Cote moving in with jabs as Belcher throws more kicks to the body. Belcher misses a boxing combo. Cote clinches and takes Belcher down.

Belcher is on the bottom working butterfly guard, trying to sweep. Cote advances to half guard and begins cranking on an armbar. The crowd is going nuts. Belcher escapes and sweeps, ending up in Cote's half guard. Belcher sinks in an arm triangle and advances to side control, but he can't hold onto the choke. Belcher moves to north-south position and Cote gets to his knees. The round ends with another Belcher arm triangle attempt. 10-9 Belcher.

UFC 113 undercard results

Sat, 08 May 2010 21:47:49 EDT

The main card of UFC 113 begins shortly after 10 p.m. ET in Montreal. I'll have round-by-round details and analysis as the fights happen, so be sure to refresh the main blog page throughout the evening to see the latest update.

Here are the quickie undercard results (potential spoilers, as fights may air on the pay-per-view broadcast as time permits):

Joe Doerksen def. Tom Lawlor via submission to a rear naked choke at 2:10 of ROund 2.

Marcus Davis def. Jonathan Goulet via TKO due to strikes at 1:23 of Round 2.

UFC 113 live blog

Fri, 07 May 2010 23:35:21 EDT

On Saturday in Montreal, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua gets a second chance to take the light heavyweight title away from Lyoto Machida at UFC 113.

I'll be live-blogging the show beginning at roughly 9:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, with round-by-round analysis and details as the fights unfold.

Here's the full card for UFC 113:

Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (Light heavyweight title)

Strikeforce live results: Shields vs. Henderson

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 17:13:16 EDT

The third title bout of the night closes the show, as Dan Henderson (25-7-0) challenges Jake Shields (24-4-1) for the Strikeforce middleweight title.

Henderson is a former PRIDE double weight class champion and recent UFC star. This is his first fight for Strikeforce since he made the jump over. Shields is not only defending his belt, but his 13-fight win streak as well.

Round 1: Head kick by Shields is blocked. Henderson with a left hand that connects and a right that misses. Henderson throws another right hand that cracks Shields right on the temple, and Shields is down. Shields takes Henderson's leg before Henderson can follow up and Henderson is forced to defend a leglock rather than try to finish Shields on the ground. Henderson breaks free and they're standing again.

Strikeforce live results: Melendez vs. Aoki

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 22:41:42 EDT

It's champion vs. champion as Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez (17-2-0) defends his title against visiting champion from Japan's DREAM organization, Shinya Aoki (23-4-0, 1 NC).

The key for Melendez here is to avoid submissions, which is easily the biggest weapon in Aoki's arsenal. That may affect Melendez's strategy in that he could avoid engaging in a wrestling match and try to keep it standing. Or if it does hit the mat, Melendez will have to be sure not to get too careless with ground and pound.

Round 1: Melendez with a punch to the gut as he tries to establish his range. Right hand by Melendez. Aoki throws a right kick and Melendez catches the leg to trip him down. Melendez lets him up, wisely. Aoki circles with his back to the cage as Melendez stalks him. Another punch to the guy by Melendez and Aoki accidentally jabs him in the eye for a brief stoppage.

Strikeforce live results: Mousasi vs. King Mo

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:49:52 EDT

The Strikeforce light heavyweight title is up for grabs, as champion Gegard Mousasi (28-2-1) defends against Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (6-0-0).

Mousasi is on a 15-fight winning streak and is one of the most poised and impressive fighters in the sport right now.

King Mo is a former amateur wrestling standout that has had immediate success knocking guys out, so he's already a double threat. He figures to have a very bright future in MMA. It might be too early for a challenge like Mousasi, but a lot of people are picking King Mo for the upset tonight.

Round 1: Before the fight begins, the crowd is cheering for King Mo. Mousasi with a head kick, Mo checks it. Mo with an overhand right. Left hook by King Mo. Mo goes for a single leg and takes Mousasi down as Mousasi hammers away at his head. Mo working in Mousasi's guard. Mo looking for some ground and pound but Mousasi is defending well.

CBS Strikeforce quickie undercard results

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 20:38:59 EDT

Here are the results of the just-completed undercard bouts for CBS Strikeforce Saturday Night Fights, which goes live on the air at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

Spoiler alert: One of the fights below -- featuring Jason "Mayhem" Miller -- is scheduled to air tonight, possibly in highlight form. If you prefer not to have the finish of that fight spoiled, READ NO FURTHER and revisit this blog shortly after 9 p.m. ET for the live round-by-round analysis of the championship fights.

...

'Saturday Night Fights' live blog: 8:45 p.m. ET

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 13:16:58 EDT

Tonight, MMA returns to CBS with three big Strikeforce title bouts airing live from Nashville, Tenn., at 9 p.m. ET.

For those of you that can't be near a television -- or if you just want to add to your viewing experience -- I will be live-blogging the broadcast tonight starting shortly before 9 p.m. ET.

Here's an early look at the show's introduction to hold you over:

UFC 112 live results: Silva vs. Maia

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:24:57 EDT

Time for the middleweight title fight: Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia.

Silva looks more confident than ever coming to the Octagon. Nothing fazes this guy. They keep showing Georges St. Pierre at cageside and teasing that he's interested in this fight. I guess they're setting up Silva vs. St-Pierre after all.

But first, Silva vs. Maia...

Round 1: Maia stalking forward cautiously as Silva waits for his opening. Silva with a side kick to the shin. Interesting. Silva with an outside leg kick that spins Maia around on his feet. Silva head fakes a strike and Maia leaps backward, covering half the distance of the Octagon.

UFC 112 live results: Penn vs. Edgar

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:23:26 EDT

It's time for the lightweight title bout pitting champion BJ Penn vs. challenger Frankie Edgar.

Penn is one of the top fighters in the world at any weight class. Let's see if Edgar can crack the code.

Round 1: Edgar with a leg kick, moving in and out very quickly to try and avoid the accuracy of Penn's strikes. Edgar whiffs on a few feeler jabs, then gets out again to avoid a counterstrike. Left jab by Penn connects. Both guys throwing strikes conservatively. Leg kick by Edgar. Edgar uses a punch to set up a single leg, but Penn stuffed the attempt and landed a few good punches in the process.

Edgar moves in quickly and still eats a fist combo before getting back out of range. Edgar with a combo of body punches into a quickly aborted takedown attempt. Edgar with another punch into a body lock, but Penn throws him off. End of the round, and I'd give it to Penn 10-9, but he's already got a mouse under his left eye.

UFC 112 live results: Hughes vs. Gracie

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 14:23:19 EDT

Matt Hughes (43-7-0) vs. Renzo Gracie (13-6-1, 1 NC) is up next at welterweight. This is a pair of legit MMA legends fighting each other for the very first time.

This is Renzo Gracie's first fight since an underwhelming DQ victory over Frank Shamrock at the first EliteXC show (remember those guys?) way back in February 2007. He is making his UFC debut at the age of 43.

Round 1: Hughes looking to stand with Gracie early. He whiffs on a body kick. Gracie looks very tentative. Hughes with a leg kick. Gracie with a left hook, but he still looks hesitant to follow up. Gracie with a nice one-two combo up the middle. Hughes reverses his back to the fence with a body lock. Gracie escapes before Hughes can work him over. Hughes moves in for another body lock and throws a knee to the ribs. Gracie breaks free again.

UFC 112 live results: Etim vs. Dos Anjos

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 13:47:29 EDT

Up next is Terry Etim (14-2-0) vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (13-4-0) at lightweight.

Etim is looking for his fifth straight win in the UFC. He finished his last three opponents in the second round. Dos Anjos has fought in the Octagon four times, winning three, with the only loss coming at the hands of Tyson Griffin.

Round 1: Outside leg kick by Etim. Dos Anjos is working from a southpaw stance. Right head kick by Etim is blocked. Dos Anjos with a double leg takedown, and Etim slaps on a guillotine choke on the way down. Etim's holding on to the choke, but Dos Anjos is patiently waiting for a chance to pull free. He's not in immediate danger. Etim also has a body triangle applied from the bottom. Dos Anjos slips free and passes to the side.

UFC 112 live results: Grove vs. Munoz

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 13:25:53 EDT

We kick off the main card with a middleweight bout pitting Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove (11-6-0, 1 NC) vs. former All-American collegiate wrestler Mark Munoz (7-1-0).

Munoz is looking for his third UFC win in a row, after debuting in the promotion with a loss to Matt Hamill a year ago.

Round 1: Grove has an eight-inch reach advantage, which is par for the course for him. Munoz tries to get inside, but he's wary of the reach. He moves in and catches a knee to the ribs. Munoz goes for a takedown and Grove unsuccessfully tries to sprawl. Munoz lands a nice right hand to the face from above, then tags Grove three more times as he stands up.

Munoz shoots for another takedown and eats a basty-looking right uppercut that puts him on his backside for a couple of seconds. Munoz regroups and tries to finish the takedown as Grove hammers away from above. Munoz is still fighting for a takedown as Grove defends with his back to the fence. The referee separates them.

UFC 112 undercard results

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 12:57:08 EDT

Here are the quickie undercard results from UFC 112 so far, as reported by Ariel Helwani of MMAfighting.com and Kevin Iole of Yahoo !:

Phil Davis def. Alexander Gustafsson via submission to an anaconda choke at 4:55 of Round 1. (Light Hwt.)

Rick Story def. Nick Osipczak via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. (Wwt.)

DaMarques Johnson def. Brad Blackburn via TKO due to strikes at 2:08 of Round 3. (Wwt.)

UFC 112 live blog: Saturday, 12:45 p.m. ET

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:04:27 EDT

New time, same blog.

UFC 112 happens this Saturday from the unique outdoor setting of Abu Dhabi, headlined by a championship doubleheader.

Middleweight champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva defends his title against BJJ ace Demian Maia . Lightweight champion BJ Penn welcomes the challenge of Frankie Edgar .

The main card begins at 1 p.m. ET due to the massive time difference with Abu Dhabi. Therefore, my UFC 112 live blog will begin at roughly 12:45 p.m. ET Saturday afternoon.

UFC 111 live results: St-Pierre vs. Hardy

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 12:11:36 EDT

UFC welterweight champion Georges "Rush" St-Pierre defends his title vs. Dan "Outlaw" Hardy in GSP's first fight since UFC 100 last summer.

If Hardy manages to win this fight, it will rank among the biggest upsets in MMA history. And if Hardy wins, it almost has to be via TKO or KO, since Hardy's fists are about the only way he gets out of this with a W.

The more likely scenario is that overwhelming favorite GSP takes this kid to school and leaves the cage with the gold. Place your bets.

Round 1: They each land a right jab. St-Pierre takes Hardy down with a double leg. Hardy pulls his leg up into triangle position but can't keep it there because St-Pierre is passing to side control too quickly. Hardy scrambles to his knees and St-Pierre takes his back. St-Pierre starts with a rear naked choke attempt and tries to transition to an armbar, but Hardy escapes to top position. Hardy stands up and is instantly taken back down by St-Pierre.

UFC 111 live results: Mir vs. Carwin

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 9:36:28 EDT

Here come the big boys. Frank Mir takes on Shane Carwin for the interim heavyweight title, and a shot at Brock Lesnar -- the actual UFC heavyweight champion -- presumably this summer.

Mir is obsessed with fighting Lesnar again and beating him, while Carwin was supposed to challenge for Lesnar's belt way back in November, before Lesnar's career-threatening medical drama unfolded.

If the winner of this fight turns up with an injury, the real winner would be Cain Velasquez, who would step in as Lesnar's challenger while Mir or Carwin heals.

Brock Lesnar is standing next to Dana White at cageside as the fight begins.

UFC 111 live results: Pellegrino vs. Camoes

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 23:18:13 EDT

Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino takes on Fabricio Camoes in our next fight, at lightweight.

Pellegrino has strung together three straight UFC wins and is looking for a fourth, while Camoes made his UFC debut with a draw vs. Caol Uno at UFC 101.

Round 1: They immediately lock up and Camoes lands a nice knee to the body. Camoes tries a throw, almost an arm drag, and gets Pellegrino to the mat long enough to take his back. Pellegrino stands up with Camoes hanging onto back control with one leg hooked in. Pellegrino reaches down to try to loosen the hook and Camoes sinks in a rear naked choke.

Pellegrino stands all the way up and leans forward, trying to shake him off, and head-plants him. Pellegrino then reverses Camoes into a full mount (as the hometown New Jersey crowd erupts with cheers), then ends up in guard. Camoes traps the arm and attempts an omoplata but Pellegrino escapes. Pellegrino with side control, throwing elbows to the head. Camoes applies a D'Arce choke from the bottom but can't hang onto it.

UFC 111 live results: Fitch vs. Saunders

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 23:35:39 EDT

Jon Fitch fights Ben Saunders in a welterweight bout thrown together with about two day's notice.

Fitch's original opponent was supposed to be Thiago Alves, but Alves wasn't cleared to fight due to some concern over his pre-fight CAT scan. At first, it was thought that Fitch was off the show due to the UFC having no time to find a suitable replacement, until Saunders -- scheduled to fight Jake Ellenberger on the undercard -- contacted Dana White and asked for Fitch.

Round 1: Saunders with a leg kick. Saunders with a counterpunch as Fitch lunges forward. Saunders takes a clinch but his first knee attempt is blocked, as Fitch takes double underhooks. Fitch with a takedown, and now he's hammering at the body with ground and pound. Saunders trying to push off and escape from the bottom, but Fitch is staying active with strikes. Saunders takes half guard.