Happy New Year, everyone. Tonight, UFC 125: Resolution takes place live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and Inside Fights will have all the rad-tastic live coverage that you’ve come to expect. We will have round by round updates and official results for the ION Television broadcast (beginning at 8:55 PM ET) and the main PPV broadcast at 10 PM ET.
UFC 125 features the second UFC Lightweight title defense by Frankie Edgar as the champion defends his strap against the only main to hold a victory over him, Gray Maynard. In the co-main event of the evening, The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 veteran Chris Leben will take on former WEC Light Heavyweight champion Brian Stann.
Also, check back with us after the show airs for Inside Fight’s “MMA Analysis” LIVE at 1:30 AM ET.
Check back often starting at 8:55 PM ET for the first live coverage of 2011!
Funny that ION parades out Timecop right before the UFC 125 prelims. Damn, Jean-Claude Van Damme was one rad dude back in 1994. Now, seeing Mia Sara in “mom jeans” is pretty disturbing.
Phil Baroni vs. Brad Tavares
Referee: Josh Rosenthal
Round 1
Leg kick from Tavares. Bobbing and weaving from Baroni leads to two body punches from Baroni, and Tavares chops at him with leg kicks. Big left hook from Baroni puts Tavares on the mat. Phil jumps in with body hooks and tries for a front choke, but Tavares slips free and gets Phil in half guard. Baroni presses Tavares against the cage and tries to get shots in but cannot. Tavares back on his feet, and gets free, eating a few knees toward the head. Out of the clinch, Tavares throws a head kick that misses. Tavares grabs Baroni and walks him to the cage. Control is reversed. Accidental knee to the groin of Tavares. On the restart, leg kick from Tavares connects. Big left hand follows from Brad Tavares and Phil Baroni is down. Big right punches on the ground against the fence that Baroni isn’t defending and Josh Rosenthal stops the contest.
Winner: Brad Tavares by knockout (R1, 4:20)
Josh Grispi vs. Dustin Poirier
Referee: Steve Mazzagatti
Round 1
Leg kicks from Poirier. Body kick from Grispi. Fast-paced kicks and punches from both fighters. Grispi jumps in the air onto Poirier, but decides not to pull him down. Grispi loses the better of the Thai clinch and Poirier is snapping off faster strikes. Grispi eats tons of front kicks and from Poirier who is showing a ton of composure. He’s here to ruin Grispi’s UFC debut. Poirier sweeps Grispi’s down with a front kick. The ref stands Grispi up after Poirier doesn’t advance. Another leg kick-jab-straight combo leads to 12-13 punches on the gloves of Josh Grispi. Grispi tries for a takedown, but it’s stuffed. Grispi has a kimura that Poirier gets free of.
Poirier 10-9
Round 2
Big takedown from Grispi, but Poirier reverses, despite Grispi having a triangle. Poirier gets past the guard and rains hammerfists down on him. Poirier lets him back up and gets him against the cage with a Thai clinch. Grispi eats knees against the fence. Grispi drops down for a takedown that Poirier stuffs. Poirier presses Grispi against the fence in the closed guard. Grispi gets a triangle, but Dustin Poirier lifts him for a big slam that gets him free. On all fours, Grispi eats some big punches before Poirier lets him up. Poirier gets him in the clinch again and lands three big knees on his head before letting go and firing off with right and left hooks.
Poirier 10-9
Round 3
Body kick from Grispi. Poirier grabs the Thai clinch and controls Grispi against the fence. Grispi is just being controlled throughout this fight and despite trying to get Poirier on the ground with the triangle or arm bar, Poirier gets free. Again, the entire fight, as everyone here at Inside Fights HQ has put it, has been “clinch by Poirier and missed takedown by Grispi.” Grispi finally gets a takedown on Poirier, getting him down. Grispi moves into side control, but cannot do anything dramatic. Grispi gets into side control and is trying for the submission, but Poirier is defending well. Grispi ends up back in half guard and cannot stage any offense before the fight ends.
Grispi 10-9
Winner: Dustin Poirier by (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Marcus Davis vs. Jeremy Stephens
Referee: Kim Winslow
Round 1
Stephens initiates contact and gets Davis against the fence. Knees to the body from Davis. Jab from Marcus Davis. Stephens shoots for a takedown and Davis defends it against the cage wall. Davis defends the takedown and reverses for the leg sweep takedown. Marcus Davis in half guard, trying to keep Stephens on the mat. Stephens gets back on his feet, but Marcus Davis presses Stephens against the cage for a minute. Leg kick from Jeremy Stephens is countered by a big left that wobbles Stephens. Davis has to clinch and cannot capitalize and they ride out the rest of the round against the fence.
Davis 10-9
Round 2
Two wild punches from Stephens miss. Switch kick from Jeremy Stephens. Leg kick from Jeremy lands; effectively taking Davis’ jab out of the equation. Spinning backfist misses by Stephens. Stephens presses Davis against the fence and controls Marcus Davis, who gets a takedown. Jeremy Stephens has a kimura from the takedown, but has to give it up when Davis gets to side control. Davis continues to work and gets free, into Stephens’ guard as both fighters work for points to end the round.
Stephens 10-9
Round 3
Jeremy Stephens comes out swinging to start the round and eats a jab. Big shots continue to miss from Jeremy, Davis is executing his boxing. Stephens gets two punches in and is pressing to take the round. Leg kick from Davis lands. Straight left from Davis. Davis misses with right and Jeremy Stephens comes over the top with the big right hook that puts Davis down. Stephens dives in for the finishing shot. If you need an example, think “Rashad Evans vs. Chuck Liddell”.
Winner: Jeremy Stephens by knockout (R3, 2:33)
Main Card (Live on PPV)
Clay Guida vs. Takanori Gomi
Round One
Will Cooling here, covering for Shawn Smith while he wrestles with Time Warner cable. The opener is Guida’s round, with Gomi clearly struggling to time his punches given the unorthodox movement of his opponent. Guida was literally dancing all around the ring like some crazed b-hopper. Guida has no such problems connecting cleanly with two big high kicks that hurt Gomi and being able to take the former Pride superstar down to the canvass on multiple ocassions. 10-9 Guida.
Round Two
More of the same in round two, with Gomi looking incredibly stiff and awkward as he’s confounded by the flat out odd movement of Guida. Guida dancing around on the outside and hitting Gomi with the odd right hand or high kick. Gomi does get a nice knee to the head in but Guida powers through and gets the takedown. Guida quickly moves to apply a choke, first working for an arm triangle and then when that was blocked by Gomi successfully moving to a guillotine choke. He rolls into and has got it applied tight. And Gomi taps at 4:27 of the second round. Not the Fight of the Night predicted by some given Guida’s disciplined if unorthodox fighting style.
Winner: Clay Guida via submission (R2, 4:27, guillotine choke)
Dong Hyun Kim vs. Nate Diaz
Referee: Yves Lavigne
Round One
Leg kick to start things offf for Kim. Diaz fires a leg kick back. Diaz popping out the jab. Brings in the right hand. Diaz tries to push the action standing, gets into range and is taken down by Kim. Diaz immediately goes for a kimura but Kim is able to escaple. Diaz is being very active off his back, using his guard to try to work an angle for the submission. Becomes something of a stalemate with Diaz being the busier but not being able to overcome the positional advantage of Kim.Diaz repeatedly attacks the leg of Kim and forces Kim to stand up by going for a heel hook late on. Superfically a difficult round to score given how busy Diaz was off his back but in reality Kim was the one in control throughout. 10-9 Kim.
Round Two
Diaz pushes the action with his boxing at the start of the round, with Kim having only limited success in staying out of range. Kim firing out the odd leg kick to keep Diaz at bay. Kim goes for two takedowns, getting the second one. Diaz’s takedown defense hasn’t looked too clever in this fight. Diaz again throws his legs up and tries to use his guard to work an angle for a submission. Kim is struggling to do anything on the ground and Diaz is eventually able to force him to stand up. But Kim again takes him down. Kim controls from the top but is reversed by Nate towards the end who briefly threatens. Another round to Kim though. 20-18 to Kim.
Round Three
Kim looks more confident standing, going close with a high kick and connecting with a right hook. Diaz decides to counter being taken down by taking Kim down first! He gets Kim down but Kim quickly gets back to his feet. Diaz tries to punish him up against cage but to no avail. Diaz tries to get a choke from the standing position, lands a knee to the head but gets pulled off Kim because Kim was judged a downed opponent due to having one hand on the canvass (which replays show may not have been the case). The break derails Diaz’s momentum, Kim taking the fight down to the ground again. Kim threatens with a submission but has to relinquish the hold when Diaz threatens with a leglock. They’re back on their feet. Kim tries to get another takedown but Diaz reverses. Diaz really lays into Kim in the final minute, connecting with a high kick and numerous punches up against the cage. Enough to secure the round and possibly the ‘moral victory’ but its Kim’s 29-28 on my scorecard.All three judges agree.
Winner: Dong Hyun Kim via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Brandon Vera vs. Thiago Silva
Referee: Steve Mazzagatti
This is SMS again…thanks to Will for filling in and a big “what the eff” to Time Warner cable. Seriously. I hate them intensely and we’ve resorted to watching the show via UFC.com
Thai clinch from Vera to start. Silva gets free and misses with a hook. Outside leg kick by Vera who gets pressed against the cage. Vera reverses on the cage and Silva gets a single leg into half guard. In Brandon’s butterfly guard, Silva is trying to strike and pass into a better position. Thiago hasn’t been able to get in any solid shots yet, but pops through to side control. Big elbow from Silva, followed by several small hammerfists to keep Vera on his back. Silva switches to side control on the other side. Thiago Silva begins lighting up Vera with several shots, but Vera gets half guard. Silva falls back and tries for an ankle lock, but Vera gets free for an ankle lock of his own. Silva pops free quickly. The round ends with Silva in control
Silva 10-9
Post-round, Silva starts screaming at Vera, who gets in his face before heading to their corners.
Round 2
Vera comes out pissed to start the second round and is lighting up Thiago. Lefts and rights from Brandon, but he eats a punch from Silva for his effort and ends up against the cage. The crowd was definitely looking forward to a stand-up war, but right as I type this, Thiago Silva gets a big takedown on Vera. In closed guard, Vera eats a few punches, but doesn’t do much more than prevent Silva from advancing this time. He’s done very little from his back tonight. Silva stands up and steps over his right leg, posturing up and slipping into half guard with ease. Silva is connecting with short lefts, but Vera holds him in tight. Silva focuses on elbowing the knee of Brandon Vera, but all Vera can do is hold Silva in place. Silva postures up and lands two more punches, but with 15 seconds left, not much has changed in regard to position; Silva remains in control and Vera has no answer.
Silva 10-9
Round 3
Body kick from Silva is caught and Silva ends up on the mat. Vera throws up his hands like he’s won the world title…only kidding. Silva gets caught with a headkick and he clinches and presses Vera to cage. Silva takes Vera’s back and gets him to the ground. Silva gets one hook in. The crowd begins to boo as they are really bored with Silva’s gameplan. Vera begins to get his feet back under him, but he has Thiago Silva on his back. Silva rides Vera back down to the mat. Silva begins throwing palm strikes and beats on Vera’s back like a drum, but Vera lashes out with a big back elbow that connects. Silva rides Vera, slapping his butt and following with a punch to the head. The fight ends with Thiago still teeing off Brandon Vera’s nose is totally broken, Silva caught him with a left hook at the end of the round with a nasty blow that broke it.
Silva 10-9
As the fighters line-up for the judge’s decision, Brandon Vera is really getting a glimpse at how broken his nose is. Remember Rich Franklin’s nose after his loss to Anderson Silva? Yeah, it’s THAT sort of crooked. Gross.
Winner: Thiago Silva by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Chris Leben vs. Brian Stann
Referee: Josh Rosenthal
Round 1
Leben hits a leg kick and Stann hits a right hand. Leg kick and right hand land for Stann. Outside leg kicks from Leben land before Stann gets a hold of Leben and presses him to the fight. Leben tries for a takedown and misses and gets a half clinch for some dirty boxing that dazes Stann a bit. Leben tries for another takedown, but Stann keeps Leben on his feet and presses him against the cage. Body kick by Stann is caught, but Stann gets free. Big right hand from Stann hurts Leben. Stann rocks him with a big right hand as Leben is pressing in to punch him.several large punches, but Leben recovers. Another big flurry from Brian Stann begins to wobble Leben. Another flurry takes the feet out from under Leben. “The Crippler” gets back to his feet, but Stann smells blood. Big knee from Stann put Leben down and a standing Brian Stann begins to rain punches down that Leben cannot answer and Josh Rosenthal stops the fight.
Winner: Brian Stann by TKO (R1, 3:37, punches)
Chris Leben congratulates Brian Stann twice while still on the ground…dude’s just plain tough.
UFC Lightweight Championship
Frankie Edgar (c) vs. Gray Maynard
Referee: Yves Lavigne
Round 1
Both fighters feeling each other out; Frankie is just plain fast. Leg kick connects for the champ. Big left hook puts Frankie falling on the mat. Maynard just unloads on Frankie who backward rolls out of the potential takedown. Edgar is back on his feeet and scrambling to survive the round. Frankie has none of the spring in his step. He’s still very disoriented when he eats another left hand that puts him down on the canvas. Frankie against the fence and he is just fighting to stay on his feet. Maynard is bullying him all over the ring and Maynard is throwing bombs trying to get the finish. Maynard eats some small jabs to end the round, but Maynard might have erased the round from Frankie Edgar’s mind.
Maynard 10-9
Round 2
Big right hand over the top is the first major action of the second stanza. Frankie looks like he’s regaining his senses again, as his feet are really quick again. Big right from Frankie turned Gray sideways and follows it with an inside leg kick and head kick. Gray shoots for a takedown, but Frankie shrugs it off. Joe Rogan mentions that Gray Maynard threw 87 punches trying to end the fight in the first round. Wow. Frankie slips under a big punch and scoops Gray Maynard for a huge slam on the mat. Maynard maintains a tight clinch and both fighters get back to their feet. Left hook from Maynard lands. Frankie sprawls a takedown from Gray. Frankie blocks two punches. Maynard swings and eats two straight punches. Frankie and comes back with several punches to end the round.
Edgar 10-9
Round 3
Right hand from Frankie connects. Left body kick-left hand from Edgar. Edgar steps into a short left. Outside leg kick from Frankie. Edgar presses with the jab. Fake jab, straight right from Frankie connects. Gray reaches in for a takedown, but Edgar spins out and lands punches on the way out. Body punch, right hand from Gray. Body kick from Edgar is caught, but Frankie pulls free. Gray cannot get another takedown, as Edgar spins free. Maynard with a left hook. Maynard hits a body shot followed by a right. Uppercut from Maynard. Frankie eats a right hook. Switch kick by Edgar to the outside of the left leg. Maynard gets the takedown and Frankie tries for a kimura. Gray passes through to half guard and Frankie grabs a guillotine as the horn sounds.
Maynard 10-9
Round 4
Edgar hits an uppercut and goes for the takedown. Frankie gets the standing guillotine, but Maynard gets back to his feet. Frankie shoots in immediately and gets another big takedown on Maynard and has the challenger’s back. Edgar sprawls two consecutive takedown attempts by Maynard and connects with a jab. Maynard misses an uppercut. The punches are coming much slower from Gray now. Frankie gets Maynard down to a knee against the cage and hits Maynard with punches against the fence while standing. Maynard slips free and starts eating jabs. Edgar fakes a takedown and comes up with a left uppercut that barely misses. Maynard defends a takedown from Frankie and remains standing. Leg kick from Edgar.
Edgar 10-9
Round 5
Left hook from Gray misses. Leg kick from Frankie connects. Jabs from Maynard. Two big punches from Maynard miss wildly. Two quick hooks from Frankie connect. Big left from Maynard as Frankie circled away. Edgar sprawls a takedown from Gray. Maynard jabs and shoots again and Frankie defends and remains standing, landing a knee in the process. Maynard with another takedown attempt and grabs Frankie’s neck. Edgar shakes it off and continues fighting. Maynard cannot connect with another takedown as Edgar continues to stuff that attempt. Edgar lands a combination but both men continue to stuff one another’s takedown attempts. Right by Maynard, but Edgar lands a combo. Left by Maynard, but Frankie answers with several big shots. Maynard comes for another takedown, but there are repeated sprawls by Edgar. Frankie has the neck and both guys are putting it all out there for the final 20 seconds. This is going to be a razor-thin decision.
Edgar 10-9
Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard battle to a draw (48-46, 48-46, 47-47)
Anyone who didn’t see that result after the first round would be delusional. Great fight, great show by both fighters, but Frankie survived the first round by so very little.
That’s going to be it for our live coverage for tonight. Thank you all, as always, for tuning in and hanging out with us tonight. Be sure to tune in at 1:30 AM ET for “MMA Analysis” with the Inside Fights crew. Phone-in at (714) 333-3303 or you can also send questions or comments via email to sms@4sternstaging.com.
Have a great night, everybody.
