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UFC 79 "Nemesis"
From Las Vegas, Nevada
December 29, 2007
Results By Matt Boone
Chat in our forums about UFC 79 (link opens in new window)
QUICK-MATCH RESULTS
-Mark Bocek def. Doug Evans via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after 3 Rounds.
-Roan Carneiro def. Tony DeSouza via TKO (ref stoppage - strikes) at 3:30 of Round 2.
-Dean Lister def. Jordan Radev via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after 3 Rounds.
-Manny Gamburyan def. Nate Mohr via Submission (ankle lock) at 1:31 of Round 1.
-James Irvin def. Luis Cane via Disqualification (knee on ground) at 1:51 of Round 1.
-Rich Clementi def. Melvin Guillard via Submission (rear naked choke) at 4:40 of Round 1.
-"Lyoto" Ryoto Machida def. Sokoudjou via Submission (arm triangle) at 4:20 of Round 2.
-Eddie Sanchez def. Sao Palelei via TKO (ref stoppage) at 3:24 of Round 3.
-Chuck Liddell def. Wanderlei Silva via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) after 3 Rounds.
-Georges St. Pierre def. Matt Hughes via Submission (armbar) at 4:54 of Round 2.
PRELIM FIGHTS
Fight #1:
-Doug Evans vs. Mark Bocek
Round 1: Round one opens with Bocek looking for a takedown immediately. No luck, but Bocek throws up a sloppy high kick that misses, which Evans responded to by landing a hard one-two combo that stunned Bocek. After defending more takedown attempts Bocek finally gets Evans down near the end of the round, but does nothing with the position. Likely 10-9 for Evans.
Round 2: Bocek comes out again looking for a quick takedown only to see it well-defended by Evans. A few attempts later, Bocek scores a double leg that puts Evans on his back. Evans works back to his feet only to be taken down again - this time by a big slam. Bocek works some solid elbows to close out the round, cutting Evans over the left eye in the process. 10-9 Bocek, with the last round likely deciding the winner.
Round 3: Bocek gets Evans down immediately to start the final round. He's not doing much with the position and the referee stands the two back up. Bocek again quickly gets Evans to the ground. Evans is now working for submissions from the bottom, but Bocek is avoiding them pretty easily. Referee again stands the combatants up as the round runs out. Should be Bocek's round and fight.
Mark Bocek def. Doug Evans via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after 3 Rounds.
Fight #2:
-Tony DeSouza vs. Roan Carneiro
Round 1: Carneiro gets a takedown quickly on DeSouza to open the first. DeSouza is working for submissions from his back but doesn't lock any up enough to finish. Carneiro gets DeSouza's back and is looking for the rear naked choke. He transitions to a kimura attempt but DeSouza uses it to sweep Carneiro and take top position. The two battle for position to finish out the first round.
Round 2: The two are clinched against the cage here early in the second. Not a lot going on and the referee has enough. We get a restart. Carneiro gets an easy double-leg takedown but as DeSouza quickly gets back to his feet, Carneiro takes his back. He has him back on the ground now and is pounding away. The ref jumps in to stop the action, giving Carneiro the victory.
Roan Carneiro def. Tony DeSouza via TKO (ref stoppage - strikes) at 3:30 of Round 2.
Fight #3:
-Dean Lister vs. Jordan Radev
Round 1: Lister is working for a takedown here in the first. He's landing leg kicks and a few kicks to the body, but is only trying to distract Radev to get him down on the ground. Lister tries pulling guard, but that isn't working either. Radev is defending well the whole round, but Lister is more aggressive in terms of offense - so as the boring round ends, it should be 10-9 for Lister so far.
Round 2: The second round isn't giving me much to type about (and I struggled in round one as it is to find stuff to write about) as it's very similar to the previous round. The crowd is letting them have it, filling the sounds of the air with "boo's." Lister finally gets a takedown - and a big one at that near the end of the round. Lister gains mount and is working for an armbar. No dice. Lister is landing elbows to Radev's face as the round ends. Another 10-9 for Lister. Boring fight so far. Final round up next!
Round 3: Lister comes out again looking desperate to get Radev to the ground. He's not having much success yet either. Lister finally gets a takedown about half way through the round and quickly passes to half-guard. Nothing much happens as he remains on top doing little in terms of offense as the horn sounds to end the round, and probably wake up 80% of the audience that fell asleep during this contest.
Dean Lister def. Jordan Radev via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after 3 Rounds.
Fight #4:
-Manny Gamburyan vs. Nate Mohr
Round 1: Gamburyan comes out aggressively seeking a takedown, but fails in two attempts. Gamburyan gets Mohr down on attempt numero tres, and quickly drops back for a leg submission that forces a tap out quickly in round one.
Manny Gamburyan def. Nate Mohr via Submission (ankle lock) at 1:31 of Round 1.
Fight #5:
-James Irvin vs. Luis Cane
Round 1: Cane lands two big shots early in the round that hurt Irvin. Irvin decides to brawl back wildly himself. Cane is back-peddaling now and Irvin is bull-rushing in looking for a guillotine choke. While still on the ground, Cane crushes a knee into Irvin that knocks him out and ends the fight - but giving the the unconscious combatant the victory due to the finish being an illegal strike.
James Irvin def. Luis Cane via Disqualification (knee on ground) at 1:51 of Round 1.
PPV FIGHTS
Fight #6:
-Melvin Guillard vs. Rich Clementi
Round 1: The two have some exchanges before the fight. Guillard enters the cage and gets right up in Clementi's face and gives him the double-bird. Clementi does a D-X crotch crop back to him as Guillard starts running his mouth and the two are pulled apart. The real fight begins and the two start off a little slow. Clementi with a nasty leg kick that Guillard sells as a low blow. No stoppage and the two continue. Guillard is lunging in with big wide hooks, not landing them but putting some bad intentions behind them. Clementi is more tactical with his offense. Clementi picks Guillard up and carries him for longer than I've ever seen - as Guillard even puts his hands out to say "slam me already" - which Clementi obliges. He gets Guillard's back off the takedown. Guillard stands up but Clementi still has his back. Clementi takes him down again but Guillard ends up on top. Clementi quickly scrambles back to his feet. Guillard lands a nice shot that seemed to stun Clementi a bit, but Guillard got wild and slipped to the ground, giving Clementi just enough space to circle off the cage - where he was stuck with Guillard trying to finish. The fight hits the ground again with Clementi on top. Guillard scrambles to his knees and Clementi looks to take his back again. He does so and gets both hooks in. He flattens him out and has the rear naked choke secured with just over 30 seconds remaining. Clementi has a figure-four around the body and after a while Guillard taps. Clementi stands up over Guillard and does another D-X crotch chop. Guillard saw it though and started charging after Clementi after the fight. Herb Dean stops him, thank god - because I honestly thought we were about to see a bad brawl after the fight. Guillard looked pissed. Clementi messes with him again with another hand gesture. There on opposing sides of Herb Dean for the official announcement from Bruce Buffer - I'm still nervous about something bad happening. During the post-fight interview, Clementi says Guillard still hasn't learned his lesson and to get out of the cage. Guillard goes after him again and has to again be restrained. Back to the interview - Rogan laughs and Clementi says there's nothing worse than a person who talks shit and don't back it up. Rogan says Clementi talked a lot of shit but backed it up. Clementi kept going with the verbal jabs telling Guillard to go learn jiu-jitsu.
Rich Clementi def. Melvin Guillard via Submission (rear naked choke) at 4:40 of Round 1.
Fight #7:
-Sokoudjou vs. "Lyoto" Ryoto Machida
Round 1: Good punch from Sokoudjou early followed by a takedown. Machida quickly sweeps Sokoudjou and takes top position inside Sokoudjou's half-guard. Machida looking for a kimura - almost had it a few times but ends up losing it. Machida with some punches now - still in Sokoudjou's half guard. Machida has been working constantly to pass the half guard but Sokoudjou is doing a good job of keeping his leg tied up. Crowd is starting to boo the action. Machida with some elbows and hammer-fists now. Crowd is boo'ing again. The referee finally stops it to restart them on the feet. Not a lot going on standing up here either. Sokoudjou takes him down and has him up against the cage. He stands up voluntarily and Machida body-locks Sokoudjou as the round ends.
Round 2: Big head kick from Machida partially blocked. Big "ooooh" from the crowd for that one. Good leg kick from Machida. Typical Machida fight so far, landing the occassional kick and avoiding anything Sokoudjou attempts standing. Weakest leg kick in history misses from Sokoudjou. Crowd is starting to boo the action again. Sokoudjou bull-rushes looking for punches but Machida easily back-steps and avoids everything. Machida lands a big shot and Sokoudjou is down. Machida follows in with big elbows and punches looking to finish. Machida is in Sokoudjou's half-guard and is looking to pass the position. Machida has an arm-triangle locked in but lets it go in favor of passing to full mount. Two minutes left in the round. "Sokoudjou is getting owned in this fight, he has got to do something." - Joe Rogan. Rogan says Joe Silva (UFC matchmaker) just handed him a note that says "this ain't Japan" referring to Sokoudjou's performance. Machida has a full arm-triangle in and Sokoudjou taps out. And the myth of Houston Alexander - the second coming - ends.
"Lyoto" Ryoto Machida def. Sokoudjou via Submission (arm triangle) at 4:20 of Round 2.
Fight #8:
-Eddie Sanchez vs. Sao Palelei
Round 1: Sanchez comes out quick swinging hard. I'll be using Palelei's first name in this due to time constraints. Sao working for a takedown but Sanchez is defending. Sao still working for this takedown but Sanchez finally stands fully back up. They're clinched against the cage and Sao catches a low blow. Ref stops the action to give Sao time to recover. The replay shows a knee that might've not been low after all. After replay ends, Sao is still selling it - so I guess he caught it. "Hey man, how's your package?" - Joe Rogan. Sao still not back in action yet. Longest recover period I've seen for such a questionable low blow. Action resumes and we're clinched against the cage again with Sanchez landing punches and knees in-close. Very boring round - ref stops for a restart. Sanchez throws a big right but Sao avoids it. Sao with a knee to the face. Sanchez lands a good punch on Sao. Sao throws a huge punch that misses. The punch was so heavily thrown the force put him on the ground all by itself. He quickly jumps back up and we're in another boring clinch against the cage. 20 seconds remaining. Yawn. Sanchez lands a huge right as the horn sounds. Was a good punch but not good enough for the crowd to cheer it after 5 boring minutes that preceeded it. 10-9 Sanchez.
Round 2: Round starts with Sanchez looking to score with strikes but we quickly move to a clinch against the cage. We're here for a while again with nothing going on. I seem to have to type that about a lot of UFC fights lately. Sanchez is working in-close but nothing of significance is landing. Ref stops for a restart - thank god. Sanchez's confidence is growing as he's becoming more aggressive with his striking. Sao lands a big overhand right and follows up with a clinch - against the cage. Ref breaks them for another restart. Sao with another big overhand right - and another. Where does that lead us? You guessed it - another clinch against the cage. Crowd is dead silent throughout this entire fight. Sanchez with a decent elbow inside. Sanchez gets a takedown and is in Sao's guard with just under two minutes remaining. Sanchez stands up and we're back on the feet. Sanchez leaving his head wide open as he throws some ugly jabs. Another clinch against the cage and the crowd immediately boo's. The boo's are getting louder. "You hear this whole place is boo'ing now." - Joe Rogan. Sanchez with a big punch followed by a huge uppercut that has Sao's legs buckling. And after five seconds of action - we're stuck in another clinch against the cage. Ref breaks them yet again. Sao's bleeding a bit. Sanchez with another uppercut. Sao with a knee that's blocked. Clinched against the cage again and the round ends. Crowd boo's. 10-9 Sanchez again.
Round 3: Round opens with ...a clinch ...against the cage. The two are breathing heavy enough to be heard clearly. I guess all this resting has them tired. Sanchez gets out of the clinch and lands some wide hooks. We're clinched again against the cage with Sao now bleeding all over Sanchez's back. Sanchez breaks the clinch again and is throwing some punches. Sanchez with a decent uppercut as we clinch against the cage again. Despite SOME action in this round, the crowd is still completely dead. Another clinch against the cage. I wouldn't be typing it this many times if I had something else to write about. Liddell-Silva and GSP-Hughes need to save this show in a bad way. Sao took a punch in the eye and you can see the swelling as he squints and complains to the ref. Ref breaks them and Sanchez yells "yeah, I won!" Looks like it was the punch in the eye that did it. Thank god that is over. After the fight, Eddie Sanchez cut the worst post-fight interview I've ever heard. Almost as boring as his victory ...almost.
Eddie Sanchez def. Sao Palelei via TKO (ref stoppage) at 3:24 of Round 3.
NOTE: It was just confirmed that Tim Sylvia vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will headline the UFC 81 "Breaking Point" pay-per view on February 2nd in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight will be for the "interim" UFC Heavyweight title.
The undercard of UFC 81 will feature the previously announced Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir fight as well.
Fight #9:
-Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva
Round 1: Good first round. Early on, Liddell had Silva hurt with a punch. He went in to finish but Silva stunned him back. That would happen a few times in the round as Liddell would rock Silva with a shot but when he went in to finish up, Silva would swing like a mad-man and almost always connect with something to earn Liddell's respect. You get the feeling Liddell is going to catch Silva eventually and knock him out. We'll see!
Round 2: Silva starts the round off wild and stuns Liddell a bit with some punches that snuck through his defense. Silva again stuns Liddell with wild punches. Good left hook from Silva. Good right from Silva. Silva is opening up more than he did in the first round - Liddell the opposite ...so far. Good body kick from Silva. Leg kick from Silva. Liddell went down, Mike Goldberg called it a slip - I was typing when it happened. He got up quickly though so and is clear-headed so it's irrelevant. Silva lands a good shot. Silva caught Liddell and this time he definitely dropped him. Liddell got up quick though and Silva gave him respect in not bull-rushing in like you'd expect. Jab by Liddell jerks Silva's head back. Liddell with a big left that has Silva backing up. Silva is bleeding bad out of his right eye. Liddell looking to knock Silva out, landing big punches but Silva always swings back immediately and gets his respect. Man I wish this was a five round fight. Good right from Silva and now Chuck is bleeding. Silva is going berzerker mode but Liddell lands a big right. Liddell again has Silva hurt bad but Silva swings like crazy some more. Liddell takes Silva down and the round ends. Great round. Wow.
Round 3: Liddell goes immediately for the takedown in round three and gets it with ease. I did not see that coming. They quickly work back to their feet though. Silva with a big punch that finds the mark. Silva with a head kick that's partially blocked by Liddell. Silva with a good punch. Jab from Liddell. "Lots of time remains." - Mike Goldberg with 3:05 on the clock in the third round. If you say so. Leg kick from Silva. Spinning back fist from Liddell and Silva is hurt. Liddell goes to finish and Silva is swinging like a mad man but Liddell looks to have him this time. Liddell is tee'ing off on Silva. He backs up and looks at the clock. I thought we had a Henderson knockout set-up coming with that spinning back fist. Both guys look tired, breathing heavy out of their mouth and dropping their hands every so often. Good right hand by Silva. Liddell again looks at the clock on the big screen. Both guys are definitely tired with 45 seconds left. Silva misses with a big overhand right. Liddell takes Silva down with 17 seconds left to likely secure the final round and the fight as a whole. He does nothing on top and stands up a second before the horn sounds. Liddell should have this one.
Chuck Liddell def. Wanderlei Silva via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) after 3 Rounds.
Fight #10:
-Matt Hughes vs. Georges St. Pierre (Interim WW Title)
Round 1: GSP looks crisp and sharp with strikes here in round one. Good leg kicks from GSP. GSP gets a takedown with ease. GSP is in Hughes' full guard. Hughes opens his guard and is looking for submissions. GSP with some good punches inside Hughes' guard. GSP passes to half-guard. Two minutes remaining in round one. Good elbow from GSP. Mixture of "GSP" and "USA" chants in the crowd here in round one. GSP again passes to half-guard shortly after Hughes' retained full guard. GSP landing some heavy shots from half guard. Hughes is just holding on for dear life now and GSP is just slamming Hughes down trying to get him to break his hands. He's slamming him repeatedly trying to break Hughes' grip. GSP getting warned a few times for hitting in the back of the head. GSP breaks Hughes' grip loose and is punching away to close out the round. Hughes rolls and GSP takes Hughes' back. He goes for an armbar as the horn sounds. 10-9 GSP.
Round 2: In between rounds Jeremy Horn tells Hughes "you're alright" as Hughes replies, "I know" with complete confidence. Not sure why, he did nothing in round one. GSP easily takes Hughes down again. So much for Hughes going back to his wrestling roots, huh? GSP in Hughes' full guard and Hughes is opening the guard and moving his hips every once in a while looking for something. GSP passes to half guard. GSP warned for nearly thumbing Hughes in the eye. Looked unintentional as GSP's face was covered by Hughes' arm as he had his hand covering Hughes' mouth. Big "GSP" chant from the whole crowd. GSP stacks up as Hughes has him in his full guard. GSP settles back in and throws a few little punches. GSP passes to half guard again. GSP breaks loose and gets full mount. Hughes rolls and GSP has his back again, this time with just under two minutes left. Hughes breaks away but GSP quickly transitions and is on top of Hughes again trying to flatten him down to his back as they're stacked against the cage. Hughes switches and has GSP's legs looking for a takedown with GSP's back against the cage. One minute left in the round. Hughes with some knees to the body. GSP with a big throw-takedown and lands in full side control with 30 seconds left in the round. GSP puts a leg over Hughes head and is working on an arm. He has an armbar with only a few seconds left and GSP gets the tap out for the victory.
Georges St. Pierre def. Matt Hughes via Submission (armbar) at 4:54 of Round 2 to become the Interim UFC Welterweight champion.
From Las Vegas, Nevada
December 29, 2007
Results By Matt Boone
Chat in our forums about UFC 79 (link opens in new window)
QUICK-MATCH RESULTS
-Mark Bocek def. Doug Evans via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after 3 Rounds.
-Roan Carneiro def. Tony DeSouza via TKO (ref stoppage - strikes) at 3:30 of Round 2.
-Dean Lister def. Jordan Radev via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after 3 Rounds.
-Manny Gamburyan def. Nate Mohr via Submission (ankle lock) at 1:31 of Round 1.
-James Irvin def. Luis Cane via Disqualification (knee on ground) at 1:51 of Round 1.
-Rich Clementi def. Melvin Guillard via Submission (rear naked choke) at 4:40 of Round 1.
-"Lyoto" Ryoto Machida def. Sokoudjou via Submission (arm triangle) at 4:20 of Round 2.
-Eddie Sanchez def. Sao Palelei via TKO (ref stoppage) at 3:24 of Round 3.
-Chuck Liddell def. Wanderlei Silva via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) after 3 Rounds.
-Georges St. Pierre def. Matt Hughes via Submission (armbar) at 4:54 of Round 2.
PRELIM FIGHTS
Fight #1:
-Doug Evans vs. Mark Bocek
Round 1: Round one opens with Bocek looking for a takedown immediately. No luck, but Bocek throws up a sloppy high kick that misses, which Evans responded to by landing a hard one-two combo that stunned Bocek. After defending more takedown attempts Bocek finally gets Evans down near the end of the round, but does nothing with the position. Likely 10-9 for Evans.
Round 2: Bocek comes out again looking for a quick takedown only to see it well-defended by Evans. A few attempts later, Bocek scores a double leg that puts Evans on his back. Evans works back to his feet only to be taken down again - this time by a big slam. Bocek works some solid elbows to close out the round, cutting Evans over the left eye in the process. 10-9 Bocek, with the last round likely deciding the winner.
Round 3: Bocek gets Evans down immediately to start the final round. He's not doing much with the position and the referee stands the two back up. Bocek again quickly gets Evans to the ground. Evans is now working for submissions from the bottom, but Bocek is avoiding them pretty easily. Referee again stands the combatants up as the round runs out. Should be Bocek's round and fight.
Mark Bocek def. Doug Evans via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after 3 Rounds.
Fight #2:
-Tony DeSouza vs. Roan Carneiro
Round 1: Carneiro gets a takedown quickly on DeSouza to open the first. DeSouza is working for submissions from his back but doesn't lock any up enough to finish. Carneiro gets DeSouza's back and is looking for the rear naked choke. He transitions to a kimura attempt but DeSouza uses it to sweep Carneiro and take top position. The two battle for position to finish out the first round.
Round 2: The two are clinched against the cage here early in the second. Not a lot going on and the referee has enough. We get a restart. Carneiro gets an easy double-leg takedown but as DeSouza quickly gets back to his feet, Carneiro takes his back. He has him back on the ground now and is pounding away. The ref jumps in to stop the action, giving Carneiro the victory.
Roan Carneiro def. Tony DeSouza via TKO (ref stoppage - strikes) at 3:30 of Round 2.
Fight #3:
-Dean Lister vs. Jordan Radev
Round 1: Lister is working for a takedown here in the first. He's landing leg kicks and a few kicks to the body, but is only trying to distract Radev to get him down on the ground. Lister tries pulling guard, but that isn't working either. Radev is defending well the whole round, but Lister is more aggressive in terms of offense - so as the boring round ends, it should be 10-9 for Lister so far.
Round 2: The second round isn't giving me much to type about (and I struggled in round one as it is to find stuff to write about) as it's very similar to the previous round. The crowd is letting them have it, filling the sounds of the air with "boo's." Lister finally gets a takedown - and a big one at that near the end of the round. Lister gains mount and is working for an armbar. No dice. Lister is landing elbows to Radev's face as the round ends. Another 10-9 for Lister. Boring fight so far. Final round up next!
Round 3: Lister comes out again looking desperate to get Radev to the ground. He's not having much success yet either. Lister finally gets a takedown about half way through the round and quickly passes to half-guard. Nothing much happens as he remains on top doing little in terms of offense as the horn sounds to end the round, and probably wake up 80% of the audience that fell asleep during this contest.
Dean Lister def. Jordan Radev via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after 3 Rounds.
Fight #4:
-Manny Gamburyan vs. Nate Mohr
Round 1: Gamburyan comes out aggressively seeking a takedown, but fails in two attempts. Gamburyan gets Mohr down on attempt numero tres, and quickly drops back for a leg submission that forces a tap out quickly in round one.
Manny Gamburyan def. Nate Mohr via Submission (ankle lock) at 1:31 of Round 1.
Fight #5:
-James Irvin vs. Luis Cane
Round 1: Cane lands two big shots early in the round that hurt Irvin. Irvin decides to brawl back wildly himself. Cane is back-peddaling now and Irvin is bull-rushing in looking for a guillotine choke. While still on the ground, Cane crushes a knee into Irvin that knocks him out and ends the fight - but giving the the unconscious combatant the victory due to the finish being an illegal strike.
James Irvin def. Luis Cane via Disqualification (knee on ground) at 1:51 of Round 1.
PPV FIGHTS
Fight #6:
-Melvin Guillard vs. Rich Clementi
Round 1: The two have some exchanges before the fight. Guillard enters the cage and gets right up in Clementi's face and gives him the double-bird. Clementi does a D-X crotch crop back to him as Guillard starts running his mouth and the two are pulled apart. The real fight begins and the two start off a little slow. Clementi with a nasty leg kick that Guillard sells as a low blow. No stoppage and the two continue. Guillard is lunging in with big wide hooks, not landing them but putting some bad intentions behind them. Clementi is more tactical with his offense. Clementi picks Guillard up and carries him for longer than I've ever seen - as Guillard even puts his hands out to say "slam me already" - which Clementi obliges. He gets Guillard's back off the takedown. Guillard stands up but Clementi still has his back. Clementi takes him down again but Guillard ends up on top. Clementi quickly scrambles back to his feet. Guillard lands a nice shot that seemed to stun Clementi a bit, but Guillard got wild and slipped to the ground, giving Clementi just enough space to circle off the cage - where he was stuck with Guillard trying to finish. The fight hits the ground again with Clementi on top. Guillard scrambles to his knees and Clementi looks to take his back again. He does so and gets both hooks in. He flattens him out and has the rear naked choke secured with just over 30 seconds remaining. Clementi has a figure-four around the body and after a while Guillard taps. Clementi stands up over Guillard and does another D-X crotch chop. Guillard saw it though and started charging after Clementi after the fight. Herb Dean stops him, thank god - because I honestly thought we were about to see a bad brawl after the fight. Guillard looked pissed. Clementi messes with him again with another hand gesture. There on opposing sides of Herb Dean for the official announcement from Bruce Buffer - I'm still nervous about something bad happening. During the post-fight interview, Clementi says Guillard still hasn't learned his lesson and to get out of the cage. Guillard goes after him again and has to again be restrained. Back to the interview - Rogan laughs and Clementi says there's nothing worse than a person who talks shit and don't back it up. Rogan says Clementi talked a lot of shit but backed it up. Clementi kept going with the verbal jabs telling Guillard to go learn jiu-jitsu.
Rich Clementi def. Melvin Guillard via Submission (rear naked choke) at 4:40 of Round 1.
Fight #7:
-Sokoudjou vs. "Lyoto" Ryoto Machida
Round 1: Good punch from Sokoudjou early followed by a takedown. Machida quickly sweeps Sokoudjou and takes top position inside Sokoudjou's half-guard. Machida looking for a kimura - almost had it a few times but ends up losing it. Machida with some punches now - still in Sokoudjou's half guard. Machida has been working constantly to pass the half guard but Sokoudjou is doing a good job of keeping his leg tied up. Crowd is starting to boo the action. Machida with some elbows and hammer-fists now. Crowd is boo'ing again. The referee finally stops it to restart them on the feet. Not a lot going on standing up here either. Sokoudjou takes him down and has him up against the cage. He stands up voluntarily and Machida body-locks Sokoudjou as the round ends.
Round 2: Big head kick from Machida partially blocked. Big "ooooh" from the crowd for that one. Good leg kick from Machida. Typical Machida fight so far, landing the occassional kick and avoiding anything Sokoudjou attempts standing. Weakest leg kick in history misses from Sokoudjou. Crowd is starting to boo the action again. Sokoudjou bull-rushes looking for punches but Machida easily back-steps and avoids everything. Machida lands a big shot and Sokoudjou is down. Machida follows in with big elbows and punches looking to finish. Machida is in Sokoudjou's half-guard and is looking to pass the position. Machida has an arm-triangle locked in but lets it go in favor of passing to full mount. Two minutes left in the round. "Sokoudjou is getting owned in this fight, he has got to do something." - Joe Rogan. Rogan says Joe Silva (UFC matchmaker) just handed him a note that says "this ain't Japan" referring to Sokoudjou's performance. Machida has a full arm-triangle in and Sokoudjou taps out. And the myth of Houston Alexander - the second coming - ends.
"Lyoto" Ryoto Machida def. Sokoudjou via Submission (arm triangle) at 4:20 of Round 2.
Fight #8:
-Eddie Sanchez vs. Sao Palelei
Round 1: Sanchez comes out quick swinging hard. I'll be using Palelei's first name in this due to time constraints. Sao working for a takedown but Sanchez is defending. Sao still working for this takedown but Sanchez finally stands fully back up. They're clinched against the cage and Sao catches a low blow. Ref stops the action to give Sao time to recover. The replay shows a knee that might've not been low after all. After replay ends, Sao is still selling it - so I guess he caught it. "Hey man, how's your package?" - Joe Rogan. Sao still not back in action yet. Longest recover period I've seen for such a questionable low blow. Action resumes and we're clinched against the cage again with Sanchez landing punches and knees in-close. Very boring round - ref stops for a restart. Sanchez throws a big right but Sao avoids it. Sao with a knee to the face. Sanchez lands a good punch on Sao. Sao throws a huge punch that misses. The punch was so heavily thrown the force put him on the ground all by itself. He quickly jumps back up and we're in another boring clinch against the cage. 20 seconds remaining. Yawn. Sanchez lands a huge right as the horn sounds. Was a good punch but not good enough for the crowd to cheer it after 5 boring minutes that preceeded it. 10-9 Sanchez.
Round 2: Round starts with Sanchez looking to score with strikes but we quickly move to a clinch against the cage. We're here for a while again with nothing going on. I seem to have to type that about a lot of UFC fights lately. Sanchez is working in-close but nothing of significance is landing. Ref stops for a restart - thank god. Sanchez's confidence is growing as he's becoming more aggressive with his striking. Sao lands a big overhand right and follows up with a clinch - against the cage. Ref breaks them for another restart. Sao with another big overhand right - and another. Where does that lead us? You guessed it - another clinch against the cage. Crowd is dead silent throughout this entire fight. Sanchez with a decent elbow inside. Sanchez gets a takedown and is in Sao's guard with just under two minutes remaining. Sanchez stands up and we're back on the feet. Sanchez leaving his head wide open as he throws some ugly jabs. Another clinch against the cage and the crowd immediately boo's. The boo's are getting louder. "You hear this whole place is boo'ing now." - Joe Rogan. Sanchez with a big punch followed by a huge uppercut that has Sao's legs buckling. And after five seconds of action - we're stuck in another clinch against the cage. Ref breaks them yet again. Sao's bleeding a bit. Sanchez with another uppercut. Sao with a knee that's blocked. Clinched against the cage again and the round ends. Crowd boo's. 10-9 Sanchez again.
Round 3: Round opens with ...a clinch ...against the cage. The two are breathing heavy enough to be heard clearly. I guess all this resting has them tired. Sanchez gets out of the clinch and lands some wide hooks. We're clinched again against the cage with Sao now bleeding all over Sanchez's back. Sanchez breaks the clinch again and is throwing some punches. Sanchez with a decent uppercut as we clinch against the cage again. Despite SOME action in this round, the crowd is still completely dead. Another clinch against the cage. I wouldn't be typing it this many times if I had something else to write about. Liddell-Silva and GSP-Hughes need to save this show in a bad way. Sao took a punch in the eye and you can see the swelling as he squints and complains to the ref. Ref breaks them and Sanchez yells "yeah, I won!" Looks like it was the punch in the eye that did it. Thank god that is over. After the fight, Eddie Sanchez cut the worst post-fight interview I've ever heard. Almost as boring as his victory ...almost.
Eddie Sanchez def. Sao Palelei via TKO (ref stoppage) at 3:24 of Round 3.
NOTE: It was just confirmed that Tim Sylvia vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will headline the UFC 81 "Breaking Point" pay-per view on February 2nd in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight will be for the "interim" UFC Heavyweight title.
The undercard of UFC 81 will feature the previously announced Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir fight as well.
Fight #9:
-Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva
Round 1: Good first round. Early on, Liddell had Silva hurt with a punch. He went in to finish but Silva stunned him back. That would happen a few times in the round as Liddell would rock Silva with a shot but when he went in to finish up, Silva would swing like a mad-man and almost always connect with something to earn Liddell's respect. You get the feeling Liddell is going to catch Silva eventually and knock him out. We'll see!
Round 2: Silva starts the round off wild and stuns Liddell a bit with some punches that snuck through his defense. Silva again stuns Liddell with wild punches. Good left hook from Silva. Good right from Silva. Silva is opening up more than he did in the first round - Liddell the opposite ...so far. Good body kick from Silva. Leg kick from Silva. Liddell went down, Mike Goldberg called it a slip - I was typing when it happened. He got up quickly though so and is clear-headed so it's irrelevant. Silva lands a good shot. Silva caught Liddell and this time he definitely dropped him. Liddell got up quick though and Silva gave him respect in not bull-rushing in like you'd expect. Jab by Liddell jerks Silva's head back. Liddell with a big left that has Silva backing up. Silva is bleeding bad out of his right eye. Liddell looking to knock Silva out, landing big punches but Silva always swings back immediately and gets his respect. Man I wish this was a five round fight. Good right from Silva and now Chuck is bleeding. Silva is going berzerker mode but Liddell lands a big right. Liddell again has Silva hurt bad but Silva swings like crazy some more. Liddell takes Silva down and the round ends. Great round. Wow.
Round 3: Liddell goes immediately for the takedown in round three and gets it with ease. I did not see that coming. They quickly work back to their feet though. Silva with a big punch that finds the mark. Silva with a head kick that's partially blocked by Liddell. Silva with a good punch. Jab from Liddell. "Lots of time remains." - Mike Goldberg with 3:05 on the clock in the third round. If you say so. Leg kick from Silva. Spinning back fist from Liddell and Silva is hurt. Liddell goes to finish and Silva is swinging like a mad man but Liddell looks to have him this time. Liddell is tee'ing off on Silva. He backs up and looks at the clock. I thought we had a Henderson knockout set-up coming with that spinning back fist. Both guys look tired, breathing heavy out of their mouth and dropping their hands every so often. Good right hand by Silva. Liddell again looks at the clock on the big screen. Both guys are definitely tired with 45 seconds left. Silva misses with a big overhand right. Liddell takes Silva down with 17 seconds left to likely secure the final round and the fight as a whole. He does nothing on top and stands up a second before the horn sounds. Liddell should have this one.
Chuck Liddell def. Wanderlei Silva via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) after 3 Rounds.
Fight #10:
-Matt Hughes vs. Georges St. Pierre (Interim WW Title)
Round 1: GSP looks crisp and sharp with strikes here in round one. Good leg kicks from GSP. GSP gets a takedown with ease. GSP is in Hughes' full guard. Hughes opens his guard and is looking for submissions. GSP with some good punches inside Hughes' guard. GSP passes to half-guard. Two minutes remaining in round one. Good elbow from GSP. Mixture of "GSP" and "USA" chants in the crowd here in round one. GSP again passes to half-guard shortly after Hughes' retained full guard. GSP landing some heavy shots from half guard. Hughes is just holding on for dear life now and GSP is just slamming Hughes down trying to get him to break his hands. He's slamming him repeatedly trying to break Hughes' grip. GSP getting warned a few times for hitting in the back of the head. GSP breaks Hughes' grip loose and is punching away to close out the round. Hughes rolls and GSP takes Hughes' back. He goes for an armbar as the horn sounds. 10-9 GSP.
Round 2: In between rounds Jeremy Horn tells Hughes "you're alright" as Hughes replies, "I know" with complete confidence. Not sure why, he did nothing in round one. GSP easily takes Hughes down again. So much for Hughes going back to his wrestling roots, huh? GSP in Hughes' full guard and Hughes is opening the guard and moving his hips every once in a while looking for something. GSP passes to half guard. GSP warned for nearly thumbing Hughes in the eye. Looked unintentional as GSP's face was covered by Hughes' arm as he had his hand covering Hughes' mouth. Big "GSP" chant from the whole crowd. GSP stacks up as Hughes has him in his full guard. GSP settles back in and throws a few little punches. GSP passes to half guard again. GSP breaks loose and gets full mount. Hughes rolls and GSP has his back again, this time with just under two minutes left. Hughes breaks away but GSP quickly transitions and is on top of Hughes again trying to flatten him down to his back as they're stacked against the cage. Hughes switches and has GSP's legs looking for a takedown with GSP's back against the cage. One minute left in the round. Hughes with some knees to the body. GSP with a big throw-takedown and lands in full side control with 30 seconds left in the round. GSP puts a leg over Hughes head and is working on an arm. He has an armbar with only a few seconds left and GSP gets the tap out for the victory.
Georges St. Pierre def. Matt Hughes via Submission (armbar) at 4:54 of Round 2 to become the Interim UFC Welterweight champion.
and GSP dominated. he was making a point by taking down hughes, who's known for his wrestling, and submitting him. great fight by GSP...he's officially solidified himself as the top in his class, and possibly the best pound for pound fighter in the UFC.
