During the rigorous training that leads up to an MMA bout, fighters often get injured and are forced to pull out of a scheduled fight, leading to late substitutions and/or fight cancellations. Injuries can always be expected, but UFC 108 broke all records with the number of fighters who were once scheduled to be on the card but had to pull out with an illness or an injury. A string of bad luck leading up to UFC 108 left the card without a solid main event, which we’ve come to expect from UFC’s year-end events. In fact Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva and Joe Lauzon vs. Sam Stout were the only originally scheduled main card bouts that made it intact to the actual event. All other main card bouts and several of the prelims fell apart due to injuries, forcing UFC to scramble to come up with suitable substitutions.
Preliminary Card (Spike TV)
Dan Lauzon vs. Cole Miller (155 lbs)
Round 1: Miller moves forward and lands a combination. Lauzon fires back, dropping Miller with a left hook. Miller recovers and jumps up, eating a knee as he does. Miller clinches and throws a knee. Lauzon takes Miller’s back standing, but Miller reverses and ends up on Lauzon’s back with Dan on his knees. Miller locks his legs around one of Lauzon’s arms and looks for a kimura on the other arm. Lauzon defends until Miller rolls over, and Dan is forced to tap out.
Aftermath: Dan Lauzon was at 18 years old the youngest fighter to compete in the UFC when he lost his debut to Spencer Fisher back at UFC 64. After going on an eight-fight win streak in various promotions, his UFC return was spoiled, dropping him to 0-2 in the organization. He would be better off making a switch to the WEC’s lightweight division.
Cole Miller gets back on the winning track, earning himself a Submission of the Night bonus in process. He should fight Jeremy Stephens next.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Mike Pyle vs. Jake Ellenberger (170 lbs)
Round 1: Ellenberger starts off with a flurry, and Pyle backs away and pulls guard. Pyle’s guard cancels out all of Ellenberger’s offense as he looks for openings from the bottom. It’s a stalemate and the referee stands them up. Ellenberger takes Pyle back down and Pyle looks for a kimura. Ellenberger breaks free and lands a series of punches and hammerfists, stunning Pyle as the round ends. Round 10-9 Ellenberger
Round 2: Ellenberger again comes out swinging and drops Pyle with a right. He jumps on top of Pyle, following up with a barrage of punches until the referee stops the fight.
Aftermath: Hard-hitting Ellenberger earns his first UFC win in a dominant fashion. He should next take on Martin Kampmann or Mike Pierce. Pyle falls to 2-1 in the Octagon, having been finished in both losses. He will have to win his next fight to remain in the UFC – perhaps against Dustin Hazelett or Jacob Volkmann.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Martin Kampmann vs. Jacob Volkmann (170 lbs)
Round 1: The fighters trade and Volkmann moves forward with a flurry, tagging Kampmann with several punches. Martin fires back and momentarily drops Volkmann, who gets right up. Volkmann again attacks with a combination, cutting Kampmann’s forehead. Kampmann responds with a precise right hand that drops Volkmann for the second time. Kampmann follows him to the ground; Volkmann ties him up in guard. Kampmann lands several solid strikes on the ground. Dazed Volkmann gets to his knees and is caught in a modified guillotine choke. Volkmann taps quickly.
Aftermath: Martin Kampmann was originally scheduled to face Rory Markham, and was able to adapt well to the late opponent switch. He rebounds from the knockout loss to Paul Daley in his last bout, and should face Jake Ellenberger next.
Jacob Volkmann falls to 0-2 in the UFC, but his aggressive style and willingness to step up on short notice should earn him another chance – versus Mike Pyle or Dustin Hazelett.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Ryan Jensen vs. Mark Munoz (185 lbs)
Round 1: The fighters trade strikes and both miss. Jensen lands several low kicks. Munoz catches a knee and gets the takedown but is caught in a guillotine. Munoz works his way free and Jensen scrambles up and lands a punch combination that rocks Munoz. Munoz clinches and takes Jensen down. Munoz lands a series of hammerfists, dazing Jensen. Munoz pounds away and Jensen rolls over but is unable to escape the punches. Jensen looks like he is tapping out, then stops, then taps again as Munoz continues to land blows. Finally referee Mario Yamasaki stops the bout.
Aftermath: Mark Munoz continues to find success at middleweight, and should next face Jorge Rivera. Ryan Jensen falls to 1-4 in the UFC, and is likely to be cut from the organization.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Main Card (PPV)
Junior dos Santos vs. Gilbert Yvel (HW)
Round 1: They go right to trading. Yvel throws wild hooks and spinning kicks. Dos Santos beats him to the strike. Yvel throws a body kick and a head kick; dos Santos blocks and lands a big hook to the body of Yvel. Yvel looks sluggish and Junior is one step ahead, ducking under a hook and countering with one of his own that drops Yvel. Dos Santos punishes the fallen Gilbert with furious short strikes, and referee Herb Dean steps in to stop the fight. Yvel protests the stoppage but it looked justified.
Aftermath: Junior dos Santos continues his roll through the heavyweight division, stopping each opponent with strikes. With Werdum, Struve, Cro-Cop, and now Yvel under his belt, he solidifies his standing as a Top-5 heavyweight. With most of UFC’s top heavies tied up in matchups, Junior should next take on his originally scheduled opponent for UFC 108 – Gabriel Gonzaga, who dropped out of the fight due to a staph infection.
The veteran Gilbert Yvel looked old and slow and was outgunned in his UFC debut. His time in the Octagon will likely not be long, and a rematch with Cheik Kongo is the next logical step for the Dutch striker.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Jim Miller vs. Duane Ludwig (155 lbs)
Round 1: Ludwig lands the first strike but Miller is content to trade with ‘Bang’. Miller throws a punch-kick combination. Ludwig responds in kind. Nothing significant lands until Miller floors Ludwig with a right. Miller jumps into mount; Ludwig tries to buck him off but Miller holds on to an arm and locks in an armbar. Ludwig is forced to tap out.
Aftermath: Jim Miller went through several opponent changes in preparation for UFC 108 – he was first slated to fight Tyson Griffin, then Sean Sherk, and finally Duane Ludwig. After this win, a bout with Sherk or Griffin still looks like a good option.
Duane Ludwig tastes his first loss in the UFC, returning on a very short notice nearly four years after his previous bout in the Octagon. If he does fight in the UFC again in near future, I would like to see him take on Mac Danzig or Efrain Escudero.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Joe Lauzon vs. Sam Stout (155 lbs)
Round 1: Lauzon ducks under a punch and takes Stout down, landing in half-guard. Lauzon lands several elbows and short punches, opening up a cut over Stout’s eye. Lauzon looks for a kimura and rolls with it. Stout miraculously escapes and gets back to his feet. Lauzon with another takedown but Stout is up quickly this time. Lauzon tries again but Stout defends and Joe pulls guard. Stout lands elbows from the top then stands up. Stout lands a good punch combination then several body shots. They trade for the remainder of the round, with Stout getting the best of the standup exchanges. Round 10-9 Lauzon
Round 2: Lauzon charges Stout and attempts a takedown. Stout sprawls. Stout lands a combination ending with a head kick that rocks Lauzon. Lauzon scores a desperate takedown. Stout eventually works back to his feet. Lauzon shoots and Stout shrugs him off. Stout’s cut is bleeding again as he peppers Joe with combinations. Lauzon fires back but is outgunned on the feet. Lauzon attempts a takedown but Stout sprawls and ends up on top. Stout stands and Lauzon pulls guard again. Stout scores with elbows from the top. Round 10-9 Stout
Round 3: Lauzon looks tired and is desperately shooting for takedowns. Stout employs a sprawl-and-brawl strategy, making Lauzon pay for his failed shots. Stout is landing a wide variety of strikes on a gassed Lauzon. Lauzon finally secures a takedown and passes into half-guard then mount, but gives up mount to attempt a guillotine and Stout has an opportunity to escape back to his feet. Stout punishes Lauzon on the feet as the fight ends. Round 10-9 Stout
Sam Stout defeats Joe Lauzon by unanimous decision, with the scores of 30-27, 30-27, 30-26
Aftermath: This was not a good night for the Lauzon brothers. Joe should next take on Matt Wiman or Melvin Guillard. Sam Stout should have a rubber-match with Spencer Fisher.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Paul Daley vs. Dustin Hazelett (172 lbs catchweight)
Round 1: Hazelett starts off with a drunken monkey roll, Daley steps out of the way. Daley blocks a high kick from Hazelett. Daley throws kicks then circles away. Hazelett has an odd stance and is looking to strike with Daley. Hazelett lands a front kick then another, and charges in swinging. Daley lays Hazelett out with a counter left hook. Daley follows up with strikes to his downed opponent before the referee stops the fight.
Aftermath: Paul Daley scores another brutal knockout in his second UFC bout, earning the Knockout of the Night bonus. He has established himself as one of the top welterweights in the division, and should next face a top contender such as Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, or Josh Koscheck.
Dustin Hazelett, stepping in for an injured Carlos Condit, utilized an unwise strategy – attempting to trade strikes with ‘Semtex’. He should go back to his jiu-jitsu roots with a bout against another submission grappler – Mike Pyle or Jacob Volkmann.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva (205 lbs)
Round 1: Evans rushes in with punches, then clinches and pushes Silva against the fence. Evans switches levels and scores a takedown. Silva works his way up the cage but Rashad picks him up and slams him back down. Evans in mount but Silva escapes to his feet. Silva throws a knee and gets taken down again but gets up quickly. Uneventful exchanges on the feet, then clinch. Silva lands a low kick. They clinch and Evans earns another takedown but can’t keep Silva down. Round 10-9 Evans
Round 2: Evans again opens up with punches, closing the distance and clinching against the cage. Evans is using a Randy-Couture like strategy of pressing up Silva against the fence ans smothering him in clinch. Silva finally breaks free but is taken down instantly. Silva uses an armbar attempt to try to get back to his feet but Rashad responds with a big slam. Silva is able to get up and lands a combination but is starting to look tired. Evans with another takedown and Silva is back up, and they end up clinched against the cage one more time. Round 10-9 Evans
Round 3: Silva defends the first takedown attempt of the round, but Evans is persistent and drags him down eventually. Evans attempts to take back and Silva scrambles up. Silva taunts Evans, trying to goad him into trading. Silva is fighting with his hands at his hips and breathing heavy. They exchange punches and Silva rocks Rashad with a 1-2 combination. Evans is wobbly and Silva follows up with several more punches and knees. Evans is a big trouble but Silva completely runs out of gas and backs off. Evans comes to his senses and attempts another takedown. Silva defends and they end up in clinch again. Round 10-9 Silva
Rashad Evans defeats Thiago Silva by unanimous decision, 29-28 on all three scorecards
Aftermath: After squeaking by Silva, Rashad Evans will go on to fight Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, presumably some time in the spring. Thiago Silva manages to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory, and after improving his endurance he should take on Antonio Rogerio Noguiera or the winner of the upcoming bout between Brandon Vera or Jon Jones.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Despite a shaky and often-changed fight line-up, UFC matchmakers did the best they could with this event, and all the fights delivered good action.