Here’s the results of the preliminary matches:
Jake O’Brien def Josh Shockman (Unanimous Decision)
James “Sandman” Irvin def Hector Ramirez (TKO -> Strikes, 2:36 R2)
Antoni Hardonk def Sherman “The Tank” Pendergarst (KO, 3:13 R1)
Nick Diaz def Gleison Tibau (TKO -> Strikes, 2:27 R2)
Gladiator opening.
Tim, Jeff, Matt and Georges talk about their championship matches.
We are LIVE in the Arco Arena in Sacremento, California. Your commentators are Mike Goldberg and UFC Hall of Famer Randy “The Natural” Couture. Where’s Joe Rogan? Dunno.
Rules of the Octagon:
– Three (allegedly competent) judges score the bout
– Bout Duration: 3 Five Minute Rounds
– Championship Bouts: 5 Five Minute Rounds
– Round Winner gets 10 points
– Opponent gets 9 or less
– Scoring based on effective striking, grappling, aggression and Octagon control
Fight #1 – Lightweights
Dokonjonosuke Mishima (17-4-2, 154.5lbs, Osaka, Japan) vs. Joe “Daddy” Stevenson (30-7, 155lbs, Las Vegas, NV)
I’ve heard that Mishima is a dynamic fighter. We’ll see how he does here. He comes out with a devil mask, bathrobe and a Snoopy doll. I got nothing there.
Your referee is Mario Yamasaki.
Round 1
Mishima gets a judo throw early, and Stevenson locks in a tight guillotine about 15 seconds in. Mishima tries to get a slam, and eventually gets out, but that choke was in for a good 35-40 seconds. Joe tries for the guillotine again, but Mishima gets out and goes to side mount. More tussling, and Stevenson again unsuccessfully tries for a guillotine. Mishima’s in guard again. One more time, and this time Mishima doesn’t have enough energy, and taps.
Joe Stevenson def Dokonjonosuke Mishima (Tapout -> Guillotine Choke, 2:07 R1)
Thoughts: Quick fight. There really wasn’t enough time for us to see what the hype about Mishima was all about, and hopefully they’ll put him in against a can so that we can see something from him.
Since we’re a captive audience, let’s take a look at the next PPV, and the main event – Liddell/Ortiz 2.
And let’s take a quick look at our main event.
Fight #2 – Heavyweights
Brandon “The Truth” Vera (7-0, 230.5lbs, San Diego, CA) vs. Frank Mir (9-2, 254lbs, Las Vegas, NV)
Your referee is Steve Mazzagatti.
Round 1
Mir takes the center of the Octagon, Vera peppering Mir with some punches, gets a clinch and lands some knees to the head. Mir goes down at 0:33 and Vera follows with some vicious elbows. Mir covering up but Vera is persistent and lands punches until Mazzagatti stops the fight.
Brandon Vera def Frank Mir (TKO -> Strikes, 1:09 R1)
Thoughts: That could be the last time we see Frank Mir in the Octagon, folks. Another quick fight, as Vera continues his climb up the heavyweight ranks. A fight versus Sylvia should be next, but I’d like to see Vera beat up some other big, tall heavyweight first before taking on Sylvia.
Let’s look at Hughes, Sylvia and GSP. And now let’s look at random cougars in the audience.
And now let’s plug UFC 66 again.
Fight #3 – Light Heavyweights
Drew McFedries (4-1, 202lbs, Bettendorf, IA) def Alessio “Legionarius” Sakara (14-4, 204lbs, Rio de Janeiro)
Your referee is Mario Yamasaki.
Round 1
High kick from McFedries to start. He’s banging away. Sakara responds, gets a clinch and lands some knees. MeFedries lands a combo and Sakara goes down. Drew gets some shots and stands back up. Now Sakara is landing some punches. A straight right knocks McFedries’ mouthpiece out. He’s landing tons of body shots and knees. He tries for a takedown but nothing doing.
The fight is stopped so Drew can put the mouthpiece back in. Restart, and Sakara again lands some punches. McFedries gets a takedown but can’t keep Sakara down. Sakara is landing some nice punches but McFedries lands a combo and takes over. Sakara drops down after an uppercut and McFedries jumps down and lands body shots until Sakara taps.
Drew McFedries def Alessio Sakara (Tapout -> Strikes, 4:07 R1)
Thoughts: Three fights, three losses in the Octagon for Sakara. He just seemed to gas out, and that’s not a good thing when you haven’t even gone one round in a three round fight.
Let’s look in the crowd again and find some Canadian flags. I think they’re rooting for GSP.
Yet another UFC 66 promo.
Preliminary Fight – Light Heavyweights
Hector “Sick Dog” Ramirez (6-1-1, 203lbs, Norwalk, CA) vs. James “Sandman” Irvin (11-3, 205.5lbs, Sacramento, CA)
Your referee is Mario Yamasaki.
Round 1
Irvin starts with low kicks, and Ramirez is defending well. Ramirez catches a kick and tries a takedown. He gets Irvin against the cage, and tries multiple takedowns until he gets one and takes Irvin’s back. He gets both hooks in and looks like he’s working for a choke, but he’s way high. Irvin goes from his knees to his side, and back to his knees, but he’s not in any trouble. He slips out and they’re back out. Irvin slips on two high kicks and Ramirez takes advantage of the second one and ends up in high guard. Ramirez stands back up and goes back down in side guard. He again gets Irvin’s back and rains down punches. With 10 seconds left Irvin stands back up, misses a backfist and lands a quick flurry as Ramirez gets a double leg takedown as the round ends.
10-9 Ramirez.
Round 2
Ramirez lands a nice combination about 40 seconds in and Irvin gets a kick to stop that. Irvin keeps landing those low kicks, but Ramirez hits a left hook. Circling, and Irvin his a Superman punch about 2 minutes in. Nothing’s really happening as they’re pacing themselves, then Irvin hits a straight right that drops Ramirez. Irvin thinks it’s over, but Yamasaki doesn’t stop it, so he follows up with a body kick and an elbow and THEN Yamasaki stops it.
James Irvin def Hector Ramirez (TKO -> Strikes, 2:36 R2)
Thoughts: Once again, Irvin wins by displaying his one strike power after getting dominated in the previous round. This probably earned Irvin another match in the UFC – where he’ll get taken to the ground and submitted in the first round.
Fight #4 – UFC Heavyweight Championship Match
“Snowman” Jeff Monson (24-5, 237.5lbs, Olympia, WA)vs. “The Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia © (24-2, 262.5lbs, Bettendorf, IA)
Monson comes in to John Lennon’s “Imagine”. I’m imagining what it would be like once someone gets the title off of Zzzzzzzyliva…
Your referee is “Big” John McCarthy.
Round 1
Monson immediately goes for a shoot and Sylvia with a sprawl to defend. Another one, and Sylvia sprawls and stays on top of him. Monson aggressively trying to get on top. Sylvia just lays there and the crowd boos. McCarthy stands them up at 1:20. Couture notes the socks Monson has for extra grip on the shoot. Another unsuccessful shoot for Monson. Jabs and yet another unsuccessful shoot for Monson. Crowd is cheering openly for Monson. Sylvia with jabs to keep Monson away. They’re just circling and the crowd boos. Sylvia misses a high kick at the end of the round. Close round, and I’ll give this one for Sylvia based on his defence.
10-9 Sylvia.
Round 2
Sylvia pushing forward a bit more, and blocks another shot by Monson. Occasional punches by both men, but again, nothing really happening. Another shot, and another sprawl by Sylvia. Monson lies on his back, and Sylvia kicks his legs. Monson stands back up, and Sylvia hits with a nice left. Another shot, and another block. Combination by Sylvia, but Monson blocks the shots. Monson misses an overhand right, and the crowd is again openly cheering for Monson, prompting Goldberg to say that there are plenty of Sylvia fans as well. I haven’t heard any in the crowd, though. The final seconds ends with yet another shoot blocked by Sylvia. Nice round from the champ, if a bit unspectacular.
10-9 Sylvia. The fight is so interesting we pan to a well dressed Josh Burkman in the audience.
Round 3
Monson finally gets a takedown against the cage, and ends up in Sylvia’s guard. He’s trying for the ground and pound, but he can’t reach Sylvia’s head from this position, so settles for body shots. Monson tries for a better position, but ends up pulling Sylvia away from the cage. Monson stands in the guard, but his punches aren’t really that effective. Monson gets side control, Sylvia tries to get up, and Monson grabs a guillotine. Sylvia rolls, and we’re back to a side mount by Monson. Monson tries for a north-south, and Monson again tries for a guillotine. Sylvia reverses and ends up on top, and stands up. Monson is cut from one of Sylvia’s elbows, and we get a stoppage to check the cut. It’s okay though, but Sylvia lands a couple of hard knees to end the round. That might have stolen the round for Sylvia.
10-9 Monson.
Round 4
Sylvia lands a couple of punches over the first minute, Monson goes for the shoot, and Sylvia ends up on top in side control. Monson gives up his back trying to gain control, and Sylvia ends up in half guard. He’s trying for an americana, but Monson defends that. Sylvia tries to get to a mount, but Monson sneaks out and ends up in Sylvia’s guard. Again, though, he can’t get the power to hit Sylvia. Sylvia tries for a triangle choke, but Monson defends that well. Monson’s eye is really swollen.
10-9 Sylvia.
Round 5
Monson really needs a submission or KO now. He tries for a shot 40 second in, but Sylvia defends and ends up in a north-south position. He stands up, knowing that he only needs to wait out the round, and stays defensive. Literally nothing happens for the next two minutes, prompting McCarthy to call time and tell them that they’re supposed to, you know, FIGHT. Monson gets one more shoot blocked, and stays down. Sylvia kicks the legs and the crowd again boos. Light exchanges, and this one, mercifully, is over.
10-9 Sylvia. And again we pan away from the fighters to look at Shonie Carter, Chick Liddell, and Sacremento King Mike Bibby.
The scores: 50-45, 49-46, 49-46 for the winner and STILL UFC Heavyweight Champion, Tim Sylvia! During his interview, he promises to knock out Brandon Vera, who steps into the Octagon and congratulates Tim.
Tim Sylvia def Jeff Monson (Unanimous Decision)
Thoughts: Where do I begin? OK, well, Sylvia had a nice sprawl, and was obviously prepared in his ground game. Unfortunately Sylvia didn’t really try to do anything standing up, other than pepper Monson with single shots. Sylvia is getting John Cena heat, and that’s not a good thing, folks. Let’s pray that Vera can take him out.
Let’s plug UFC Fight Night- is that 7 or 8 now? – and UFC 66.
Fight #5 – MAIN EVENT – UFC Welterweight Championship Match
Georges “Rush” St. Pierre (12-1, 169lbs, Montreal, QC) vs. Matt Hughes © (42-4, 170, Hillsboro, IL)
Your referee is “Big” John McCarthy.
Round 1
“USA” chant starts up, as GSP tries for low and high kicks. Both guys are trying for combinations, both are blocks. “GSP” chant starts up. Georges barely misses a spinning back kick. He’s keeping Hughes away with some jabs. GSP tries for an inside leg kick, and while the shin connects, it looks like the foot went a bit high. Georges bows to Hughes to apologize, and apology accepted. Restart, and GSP goes for the exact same kick, with the exact same result. Now Hughes looks annoyed. Can’t say as I blame him, although it didn’t really look like GSP hit the cup. McCarthy warns St. Pierre to be careful. The crowd reacts to the replay. Georges seems not be fazed by the warning as he goes back to the kicks. GSP gets a nice punch-kick-knee combo. He blocks a kick and takes down Hughes! He passes to get to half-guard, but Hughes gets up. Not before GSP hits a knee though. We’re nearing the end of the round and GSP is peppering Hughes with jabs. Hughes tries a takedown but St. Pierre stuffs him. A Superman punch with 5 seconds left rocks Hughes and a flurry almost finishes things before the horn goes.
10-9 St. Pierre.
Round 2
Georges is landing jabs and kicks. Hughes gets a clinch but St. Pierre gets away. St. Pierre sweeps the leg and trips up Hughes. Georges is bouncing around, like he’s trying to set up for something. Couture and Goldberg joke over Randy’s “Roganism”. GSP hits a high kick out of nowhere and Hughes goes down! St. Pierre is on top of him and raining down punches and elbows, and McCarthy stops it!
NEW CHAMPION!
Best T-Shirt in the crowd, btw – “Country Boy CAN’T Survive GSP”.
GSP vows to keep the belt in North American territory. Matt meanwhile, didn’t even know that he got nailed by a kick. And apparently, they want “the next one” to be in Montreal. Whether that’s GSP/Serra or GSP/Hughes III, I don’t know.
Georges St. Pierre def Matt Hughes (TKO -> Strikes, 1:25 R2)
Thoughts: Surprisingly one-sided. It seems like Hughes came in a bit too overconfident that he could beat GSP, and ended up getting dominated. GSP took away Hughes greatest asset – his slams, and picked him apart with his kicks. Full credit to Hughes for a great run as champion though, and it’s a feat that I hope GSP will be trying to match in the coming years.
We’ve got time, so let’s get one more fight in.
Preliminary Fight – Heavyweights
Antoni Hardonk (4-2, 242.5lbs, Los Angeles, CA) vs. Sherman “The Tank” Pendergarst (8-3, 247.5lbs, Bettendorf, IA)
Your referee is “Big” John McCarthy.
Round 1
Tank goes for a shoot but Hardonk blocks, gets a clinch and some Thai knees. Pendergarst gets him down and gets guard, quickly passing to half guard. Hardonk gets it back to full guard, but he’s up against the fence. Hardonk holding on, and Pendergarst can’t gain position. Hardonk tries for an armbar, but Pendergarst stacks him up and tries for some ground and pount. Sherman stands up, and now they’re both up. Hardonk his a jab and starts going to town on Pendergarst, who is gassed. Finally, a left jab followed by a chopping low kick to the leg finishes it.
Antoni Hardonk def Sherman Pendergarst (KO, 3:13 R1)
Thoughts: Pendergarst gassed, and Hardonk chopped him down. Good effort by a guy who took the fight on very short notice, but not as good as teammate McFedries.
That’s the broadcast. I can’t wait for UFC 66.
