UFC Fight Night 26 (Mauricio Rua vs. Chael Sonnen)- FOX Sports 1 Main Card [LIVE Play-by-Play]

News, Results, Top Story

Hello all and welcome to InsideFights.com’s live coverage and play-by-play of UFC Fight Night 26 headlined by a five-round light heavyweight bout between Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua and Chael Sonnen. I’m Ryan Frederick and I’ll be covering tonight’s event from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Stay tuned for live play-by-play coverage of the night’s main card airing on FOX Sports. If you missed the night’s preliminary card, we have full coverage of both the FOX Sports 1 portion and the Facebook portion. Enjoy the fights everyone.

Joe Lauzon vs. Michael Johnson

Referee: Yves Lavigne

ROUND 1- Lauzon and Johnson get the main card kicked off. Johnson on the attack quickly with punches. Johnson with more punches on Lauzon as Lauzon counters. Johnson with a leg kick. Johnson lands a combo with an uppercut to end it. Johnson with a head kick. Johnson with another combo ending with an uppercut. Lauzon lands a right hand that forces Johnson to back up. Johnson with a grazing left hand. He lands some more lefts. Johnson drops Lauzon with a straight left hand. Johnson briefly goes to the ground with him but they get back up. Johnson lands some more punches. Johnson with a body kick and Lauzon is in a little bit of trouble. Johnson with more punches but Lauzon fires back. Lauzon looks to have to recovered. Johnson with a leg kick and another left hand. Lauzon is surviving but losing on the feet. Johnson lands a big uppercut and Lauzon is rocked again. Johnson with a straight left hand that drops Lauzon yet again. Lauzon stays on the ground and tries to bait Johnson down. Johnson with another combo and Lauzon falls to the ground as the round ends. Strong round for Johnson. 10-9 Johnson.

ROUND 2- Johnson with a right hand to start. Lauzon lands a punch of his own. Johnson lands a left hand and Lauzon forces a clinch and has Johnson against the cage with an underhook in. Lauzon looking for the takedown against the cage. Johnson defending well and they break. Johnson lands a combo ending with an uppercut. Lauzon misses a right hand. Johnson lands a nice combination of punches. Johnson misses a straight left. Lauzon lands a right and both are firing. Lauzon lands a right hand but Johnson bounces back with an uppercut. Johnson with a straight left hand. Lauzon lands on a nice combination and they tie-up. Lauzon lands a knee in the clinch. Lauzon lands a punch and they tie-up again. Johnson has Lauzon against the cage. Yves Lavigne warns them to work before they break. Johnson with a body-head punch combination. Johnson lands a nice one-two combo. Johnson gets another combination landed. Lauzon rushes in and Johnson gets a big takedown with just around ten seconds left. Johnson lands a hammerfist as the round closes. 10-9 Johnson. 20-18 Johnson.

ROUND 3- They touch gloves to start. Johnson with a straight left hand followed by a leg kick. Nice combo by Johnson and Lauzon can’t work in the takedowns. Lauzon’s left eye looks to be closing. Johnson lands a nice combo and lands a knee to the body. Lauzon is in trouble and looks for a takedown but can’t get it. Johnson attacks the body with punches. Johnson with another nice combination. Lauzon tries to fire back but Johnson escapes it. Johnson with two leg kicks. Johnson rocks Lauzon with a nice combo and Lauzon survives. Johnson lands some more punches and knees as Lauzon covers up. Lauzon is still in the fight but just barely. Lauzon lands a right hand. Lauzon lands a left hand but Johnson is unfazed. Johnson with a nice knee to the body as Lauzon rushes in. Johnson with more punches and a knee and then gets a big takedown to cap off the fight. Big win likely coming for Johnson. 10-9 Johnson. 30-27 Johnson.

Official Result: Michael Johnson def. Joe Lauzon by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25)


Uriah Hall vs. John Howard

Referee: Mario Yamasaki

ROUND 1- Hall looks to get back on track in this one. Hall goes for a quick takedown and gets it. Hall looks to improve but Howard looks to push him off. Hall looking to posture but Howard has a good grasp of him as the crowd begins to boo. Not much happening. Hall gets to his feet and is looking to throw down a punch. Hall with some leg kicks and lets Howard stand up. Howard with a leg kick. Hall lands one of his own and follows with a left hand. Hall misses a spinning wheel kick but lands a straight right hand. Howard with a leg kick. Hall using good movement inside the Octagon. Howard lands a left hand and pushes Hall against the cage. Hall switches positions and has Howard against the cage. Hall looks for the takedown but Howard is defending with punches. Howard with a knee. Hall with some punches to the body. Howard with an elbow as they split. Howard with a leg kick. Hall lands a knee. Hall goes for a takedown but it is stuffed. Howard then drops for a takedown and pushes Hall up against the cage. Hall forces a split and lands a knee before the break. Hall just misses on a spinning wheel kick and the round ends. 10-9 Hall.

ROUND 2- They touch gloves to start the second round. Hall with a front kick to the body. Howard with a leg kick but Hall returns with his own. Hall with a big head kick and then to the body. Howard backs Hall up with some left hands. Hall goes for the takedown but Howard defends and has a guillotine attempt. Hall escapes and lands a combination on the break. Howard looks to set up a big punch and goes for the takedown. Hall with some elbows. Howard with some body shots but Hall lands some knees. Hall looks to set up a takedown but forces a reverse in positions. Mario Yamasaki splits them up to the center of the Octagon. Howard just misses a left hand. Hall lands a knee that Howard catches and pushes Hall against the fence. Hall goes for a kimura but spins and takes the back of Howard. Hall with some knees to the thigh of Howard. Hall looking for a slam. Howard looks for an arm and they break. Hall with a leg kick but Howard lands a combo that backs Hall against the cage. Howard drops down for the takedown and gets it. Howard with some short punches from the top. Howard riding the round out from the top but Hall lands some punches from the bottom. The round ends with a stalemate. 10-9 Howard. 19-19.

ROUND 3- This fight could be decided by this round. Both look relatively fresh. Hall quickly goes for a takedown but Howard knew it was coming. Howard misses a leg kick. Hall lands a kick. Howard with a left hook that rocks Hall. Howard misses a left and Hall uses good movement to cause separation. Hall lands a knee to the body and both exchange leg kicks. Hall goes for the takedown but it is blocked as they clinch against the cage. Hall looking for the takedown against the cage as Howard lands some punches. Howard with more punches as Hall tries to take him down. Yamasaki separates them again. Hall with a head kick. Howard with a leg kick. Hall lands a knee to the face and Howard counters with a takedown. Hall with an elbow. Hall gets back to his feet but Howard looks for another takedown. Howard tries to take Hall’s back but loses position and Hall spins for a takedown. Hall with a big takedown and that could steal him the round. Howard tries to get back up and Hall lands knees to the legs. They get up and split. Howard pumps the crowd up. Hall misses a spinning back fist. Hall falls on a spin kick attempt and Howard misses a jumping punch into the guard as the fight ends. Close round. 10-9 Hall. 29-28 Hall.

Official Result: John Howard def. Uriah Hall by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)


Matt Brown vs. Mike Pyle

Referee: Kevin MacDonald

ROUND 1- Touch of gloves to start this pivotal welterweight bout. Brown misses a head kick but lands a left hook to the body. Brown drops Pyle with a knee and starts throwing punches. Brown with hard punches and Pyle is out! Brown with a big knockout win! Six straight wins by Brown with this win.

Official Result: Matt Brown def. Mike Pyle by KO (punches) at :29 of Round 1


Urijah Faber vs. Iuri Alcantara

Referee: Yves Lavigne

ROUND 1- Alcantara quickly gets a throw and takes Faber down and has the mount on Faber. Faber tries to escape and Alcantara has an armbar. Faber moves and attacks the leg and Alcantara lands hammerfists. He takes the back of Faber and lands some punches. Faber is in a bad position. Faber is covering up but Alcantara still has his back. Faber looks to escape but Alcantara keeps his back and is landing hammerfists. Alcantara has Faber’s right arm trapped. Faber with a series of punches as he looks at the big screen to see if they land. Alcantara with more punches as he still has the back. Faber looks to transition out and Alcantara is looking for an arm. Faber escapes and picks Alcantara up and slams him down but Alcantara can get a triangle. Faber escapes it and lands an elbow from the top. Faber has Alcantara’s arm trapped and misses a big punch. Faber with two big elbows to Alcantara. More big elbows from Faber and Alcantara is in trouble. Faber moves back to the guard of Alcantara. Faber with some heavy and nasty elbows from inside the guard. Faber with more elbows. Several elbows but Alcantara is surviving. Faber has now stolen this round after being controlled the first half. More elbows from Faber. Alcantara is defending better now but still getting hit with some elbows. Close round ends. 10-9 Faber.

ROUND 2- Faber quickly rushes towards Alcantara to start this round. Alcantara falls down after getting hit with a left hand. Alcantara goes for a kimura but Faber gets him down and is on top against the cage. Faber tries to cause separation. Faber with another elbow from the top. Faber postures up and Alcantara tries to push him off. Faber comes back in with a knee to the body and looks to set up a choke. Faber gets back into Alcantara’s guard. Faber with a hard elbow from the top. Faber with some body shots from the top. Faber then switches back to landing some elbows. His ground-and-pound is on full display here. Faber with another elbow and Alcantara has been cut open. Faber gets to his feet and Alcantara tries to push off. Faber rushes in and looks to set up the guillotine. More hard elbows from Faber from the top. He’s completely dominating Alcantara in this round. Faber moves back into position for a guillotine choke. Alcantara survives but is eating more punches. Alcantara gets back to his feet and they are tied up against the cage. Alcantara goes for the takedown but Faber reverses and is on top and lands some more elbows. Big round for Faber. 10-9 Faber. 20-18 Faber.

ROUND 3- Faber starts the final round with a leg kick. Faber goes for a takedown but Alcantara moves out of position. Faber with an overhand right. Both men looking to land a solid shot. Alcantara with a head kick. Alcantara lands a straight left which prompts Faber to shoot for a takedown. Alcantara stuffs it. Alcantara misses a punch and Faber takes his back and gets the takedown. Faber is inside the guard of Alcantara. Faber with some more ground-and-pound from the top. Faber mixes his strikes between the body and head very effectively. Faber gets back to his feet and looks to set Alcantara up for something. Faber goes back into the guard and lands some more from the top. Alcantara tries to wall walk but Faber lands several more punches. Faber with more pressure and ground-and-pound from the top. Alcantara tries to roll for an armbar but Faber escapes for a moment but Alcantara still has his arm. Faber tries to get out and they end in a north-south position. Faber rolls and takes the back of Alcantara and lands some punches. Faber has control as the horn sounds to end the fight. Faber should take the decision easily. 10-9 Faber. 30-27 Faber.

Official Result: Urijah Faber def. Iuri Alcantara by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)


Alistair Overeem vs. Travis Browne

Referee: Mario Yamasaki

ROUND 1- Browne has a big height advantage on Overeem. Overeem tags Browne early and ends with a knee to the body and has Browne clinched against the cage. Overeem with a knee to the body. Browne tries for a Thai plumb and Overeem escapes. Overeem backs Browne up with some punches ending with a body punch. Browne lands a flying knee but goes down and Overeem grabs a guillotine choke. Browne escapes and gets up. Overeem lands a knee to the body and Browne goes down and Overeem swarms on him with tons of punches. More knees and punches from Overeem and Browne is in serious trouble. Browne survives and fights back and is out of trouble. Overeem may have landed an illegal knee. Browne survives but Overeem has him in the clinch. More knees from Overeem and an elbow over the top. Overeem looks for the takedown and gets it but they get back to their feet. Browne with a front kick. Browne lands a head kick. Browne misses a right hand as Overeem ducks under and forces a tie-up against the fence. Nice punches from Overeem before they break. Browne with a head kick. Overeem with a left hand and Browne lands a knee to the body. Overeem clinches against the cage but they break. Browne with three body kicks then lands a huge kick to the face and Overeem goes down. Overeem is in serious trouble and a punch from Browne finishes Overeem!  It was a front kick to the face followed by two hammerfists that finished Overeem. Big win for Browne.

Official Result: Travis Browne def. Alistair Overeem by KO (strikes) at 4:08 of Round 1


Mauricio Rua vs. Chael Sonnen

Referee: Herb Dean

ROUND 1- Here we go with tonight’s main event to cap off a fantastic fight card. Sonnen immediately goes for the takedown and gets it against the cage. Rua tries to get back up and does and reverses positions. Rua takes Sonnen down and is on top. Sonnen landing from the bottom. Sonnen looks to posture up and Sonnen has a guillotine locked in. They get to their feet as Rua escapes. They tie up and Sonnen gets a throw takedown and is in half-guard. Rua tries to sweep but Sonnen has an arm controlled. Rua gets his arm loose and is looking for another sweep. Sonnen lands some ground-and-pound from the top. Sonnen will attack with a ton of punches in this position. Sonnen with body shots. Sonnen gets back in Rua’s guard and starts dropping big punches. Sonnen passes guard but Rua rolls and Sonnen is back into half-guard. Sonnen with punches to the body followed by one to the head. Sonnen with some more ground-and-pound as he mixes punches and elbows. Sonnen with more punches as he looks to set up a choke. Rua is having trouble getting off of the bottom as Sonnen unloads punches. Rua tries to sweep but Sonnen goes for a guillotine choke. Sonnen locks in the guillotine choke and he taps Rua out! Let me repeat that- Chael Sonnen submitted Shogun Rua. Big win for Sonnen!

Official Result: Chael Sonnen def. Mauricio Rua by submission (guillotine choke) at 4:47 of Round 1

Ryan Frederick has been a diehard mixed martial arts fan since he saw UFC 1 at the age of 7. Since then he has yet to miss a show. He also has loves for football, baseball and fine whiskey. He fell in love with covering MMA after having also covered baseball and football, both professional and college, while working towards a journalism degree at Texas Christian University. His work has been seen on FOXSports.com, InsideFights.com, WrestlingObserver.com, Bleacher Report and ToughTalkMMA.com.