I’ve been slacking on reviewing the slew of MMA events in the past month, but we’re back with a vengeance for what was one of the most anticipated shows of the year this far. A huge (in every sense of the word) heavyweight title unification bout between champion Brock Lesnar and interim champ Shane Carwin was backed by a superstar of Japanese MMA Yoshihiro Akiyama taking on Chris Leben (a last-minute substitution for the legendary Wanderlei Silva who was hurt while training for the fight). A lightweight matchup between two streaking prospects Kurt Pellegrino and George Sotiropoulos capped off the undercard of UFC 116. And here’s how it all went down:
Preliminary card (Spike TV)
Seth Petruzelli vs. Ricardo Romero (205 lbs)
Round 1: They quickly engage and exchange kicks. Romero looks for a takedown. Petruzelli defends and hurts Romero with punches. Romero clinches to recover. Petruzelli backs up then lands another combination but slips while throwing a kick. Romero gets Petruzelli’s back in a scramble. Petruzelli sweeps and pounds away from guard. Romero with a reversal of his own and mounts Petruzelli. Romero looking for a submission; Seth rolls out of it and stands, dropping Romero with an uppercut. Romero holds on to Petruzelli’s leg as Seth lands some odd and sloppy ‘double axe-handle’ strikes. Round 10-9 Petruzelli
Round 2: Romero looks for a takedown early and eats a knee on the way in. He staggers but keeps trying for the takedown. Petruzelli takes his back in a scramble and transitions to an armbar; Romero reverses and ends up in top guard. Romero’s nose is leaking blood. Petruzelli attempts a triangle and Romero uses the submission attempt to pass into side control. Romero secures the crucifix position and looks for a kimura then turns it into a straight armbar. Petruzelli taps out, in obvious pain.
Aftermath: Romero’s UFC debut was unspectacular but a win is a win, and he will have a chance to do better in his next Octagon outing – maybe against Krzysztof Soszynski or Jared Hamman. Seth Petruzelli should take on Steve Cantwell or Kyle Kingsbury next.
Ranking Impact: Ricardo Romero, previously ranked at #77 HW, makes his LHW debut at #49. Seth Petruzelli falls 38 spots to #111 LHW.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Brendan Schaub vs Chris Tuchscherer (HW)
Round 1: They circle. They trade punches and Schaub is winning the exchange. Big right from Schaub and Tuchscherer falls. Schaub keeps on punching until the referee pulls him off.
Aftermath: Brendan Schaub breaks into the heavyweight Top 50 with his second consecutive first-round knockout win. Joey Beltran or Ben Rothwell would be good matchups for Schaub. Chris Tuchscherer falls to 1-2 in the UFC, his sole win much less memorable than his losses. Like Petruzelli, Tuchscherer may also be on the chopping block. If he does get another chance, it will be a must-win against someone like Todd Duffee or Patrick Barry.
Ranking Impact: Brendan Schaub moves up 90 spots to #41 HW. Chris Tuchscherer falls 18 spots to #54 HW.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Gerald Harris vs Dave Branch (185 lbs)
Round 1: Not much happens early as the fighters circle. They eventually start trading strikes, with neither man landing anything significant. Harris lands the first notable offense, wobbling Branch with a punch; Branch clinches to recover. Harris slams Branch with a double-leg and ends the round in Branch’s guard. Round 10-9 Harris
Round 2: Another wild exchange and a takedown from Harris. Harris tries to strike from guard. Branch escapes to his feet. Harris clinches and pushes Branch into the cage. Branch reverses and gets taken down again. Back to the feet and they trade punches as the second round ends. Round 10-9 Harris
Round 3: The final round is once again started with an exchange on the feet. Branch knows he needs a finish and jumps guard, locking in a flying triangle. Harris slams Branch, forcing him to let go. Back to the feet and they clinch against the fence. They stall for a bit causing the referee to separate the fighters. Branch once again attempts a flying triangle and Harris slams him hard; Branch is out on impact. Harris winds up for a big punch but pulls it at the last moment as he realizes his opponent is out, tapping Branch on the chest instead.
Aftermath: Capping off an uneventful fight with a spectacular slam KO, Gerald Harris continues his steady ascent. Now at 3-0 in the UFC (all three TKO finishes), Harris should take on Kendall Grove or Chris Leben. Dave Branch was dealt his first career loss in his UFC debut. Some likely opponents for his sophomore outings are Goran Reljic and Rich Attonito.
Ranking Impact: Gerald Harris rises 10 spots to #31 MW. Dave Branch falls 27 spots to #109 MW.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
George Sotiropoulos vs Kurt Pellegrino (155 lbs)
Round 1: The fighters trade strikes and Sotiropoulos rocks Pellegrino with a hook and jumps onto his back. Pellegrino recovers and gets back to his feet. Sotiropoulos is beating Pellegrino up on the feet, and Kurt uses a takedown to shift the momentum. Sotiropoulos is up quickly; they resume striking but the exchanges are more even at this point. Pellegrino gets another takedown. Sotiropoulos neutralizes him with rubber guard. Round 10-9 Sotiropoulos
Round 2: Pellegrino attacks aggressively, landing punches and kicks. Sotiropoulos grabs a kick and completes a takedown while getting punched in the head. Sotiropoulos attacks the head and body from half-guard. Pellegrino is trying to escape but he is stuck against the cage. Eventually Pellegrino is up and lands a solid knee as the round ends. Much closer than the first round but still goes to Sotiropoulos. Round 10-9 Sotiropoulos
Round 3: They trade early. Mostly even until Sotiropoulos hurts Pellegrino with a combination. Kurt responds by going for a takedown. Pellegrino lands punches from guard; Sotiropoulos responds with elbows off his back. Sotiropoulos closes his guard then escapes to the feet. Pellegrino leaps forward with a knee, dropping Sotiropoulos. Pellegrino follows up with a flurry of punches; Sotiropoulos is badly hurt but saved by the bell. Round 10-9 Pellegrino
George Sotiropoulos wins a unanimous decision with the scores of 30-27, 30-27, 29-28
Aftermath: George Sotiropoulos narrowly escaped defeat in the third round to extend his UFC win streak to six. He has positioned himself as one of the top contenders in the division. With the winner of BJ Penn – Frankie Edgar title bout likely to face the winner of Ken Florian – Gray Maynard, Sotiropoulos should take on the loser of Florian-Maynard on his quest for the title.
Kurt Pellegrino claimed that he will retire from MMA if he does not win against Sotiropoulos. It would be unfortunate if he were to follow through on his promise as he put in a great effort in the loss and remains a player in the division. If Pellegrino defers retirement, I would like to see him take on Sean Sherk or Clay Guida.
As an aside, the 30-27 score from two of the judges is yet another drop in the overflowing bucket of bizzare, off-the-wall MMA scoring.
Ranking Impact: George Sotiropoulos rises 2 spots to #8 LW. Kurt Pellegrino falls 13 spots to #27 LW.
Fight Grade: 3/5 1 point deduction for the 30-27 scores
Stephan Bonnar vs Krzysztof Soszynski (205 lbs)
Round 1: Bonnar leads with a kick. Soszynski flurries, backing Bonnar up. Soszynski fires off a series of kicks; Bonnar catches one and tosses Soszynski to the ground. Bonnar working from guard. Soszynski threatens an armbar then gets back to the feet. Bonnar clinches and scores with knees and elbows from up close. Soszynski fires back with a flurry, and Bonnar turns his back and sprints out of range. They engage again and trade punches and kicks. Bonnar’s face is bloodied by the end. Wild round. Round 10-9 Soszynski
Round 2: Both come out swinging. Soszynski with a big flurry that forces Bonnar to turn his back again. Bonnar quickly recovers and fires back but gets rocked with a big punch. Bonnar still hanging there, scoring from clinch. Bonnar with a takedown. Soszynski gets up and eats a huge knee. Soszynski is down and Bonnar swarms him with punches. He keeps swinging away until the referee stops the bout. Both of Bonnar’s eyes are rimmed with blood, making for a scary sight as he strikes a victory pose and mean-mugs the camera. Amazing fight.
Aftermath: After losing his last three outings, this was a must-win fight for Bonnar and he delivered above all expectations. This was a classic fight, made of the same stuff as Bonnar vs Griffin I. Bonnar just secured his spot on the UFC roster for at least four more fights. His next opponent should be Jason Brilz or Ricardo Romero.
Krzysztof Soszynski gets stopped for the first time as a light-heavyweight. He should next take on Alexander Gustaffson in what should be another classic slugfest. Bonnar and Soszynski earned a ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus for this brawl.
Ranking Impact: Stephan Bonnar moves up 44 spots to #39 LHW. Krzysztof Soszynski falls 11 spots to #47 LHW.
Fight Grade: 5/5
Chris Lytle vs Matt Brown (170 lbs)
Round 1: Brown as usual flies at Lytle with a kick as soon as the fight begins. Lytle responds with punches. They clinch and break up; Brown with a glancing head kick then trips Lytle to the ground. Brown gets north-south position in a scramble and works an anaconda choke. The hold looks tight but Lytle defends well and eventually escapes. Back to trading and Lytle slips and falls down as the round is ending. Round 10-9 Brown
Round 2: Lytle comes out swinging this time. Brown responds with kicks. Lytle hurts Brown in an exchange and grabs a guillotine as Brown attempts to bring the fight to the ground. Lytle doesn’t complete the guillotine but uses it to pass into mount. From there Lytle gets side control then locks an upside-down triangle around Brown’s head as he cranks Matt’s free arm into a straight armbar. Brown is trapped and forced to verbally submit – a rather unusual finish.
Aftermath: For the first time in his long UFC career, Chris Lytle has won three fights in a row (with a ‘Submission of the Night’-worthy performance in two of those three, including this fight.) Up next: John Hathaway or Dong Hyun Kim.
Matt Brown once again loses by submission after a starting the fight with a dominating performance – a repeating pattern in Brown’s fights. His next bout will be a must-win affair against someone like Forrest Petz or Nick Osipczak.
Ranking Impact: Chris Lytle moves up 4 spots to #19 WW. Matt Brown falls 5 spots to #73 WW.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs Chris Leben (185 lbs)
Round 1: Leben throws a leg kick which Akiyama catches, tripping Leben to the ground. Leben gets up and rushes forward with punches. Akiyama is happy to trade with Leben. They exchange kicks and Akiyama grazes Leben’s groin, causing a pause in action. The fight resumes and Akiyama throws Leben to the ground. Leben works for an armbar from the bottom. Akiyama defends; Leben keeps trying. Akiyama passes into side control and threatens with an arm lock of his own. Akiyama looks for a choke but Leben escapes and gets back to the feet. They trade then Akiyama scores another takedown. Round 10-9 Akiyama
Round 2: Leben with a high kick, slips and falls. Leben back up and they commence trading. Akiyama lands a spinning back first, Leben responds with a right hand. Both fighters hurt but neither one falls or backs down – they just keep swinging. It’s a wild brawl until Akiyama finally scores a takedown. Akiyama is able to control Leben on the ground for a bit; eventually Chris gets back to his feet. Leben attempts a guillotine. Akiyama shrugs it off and they go back to trading punches. Close round with crazy action. Round 10-9 Akiyama
Round 3: Leben leads with leg and body kicks. Similarly to the first round, Akiyama catches a kick and throws Leben down. Leben looks for an armbar off his back; Akiyama seems close to tapping but pulls his arm out at the last moment. Akiyama is tired and mainly resting in Leben’s guard, while Leben is active with elbows and punches off the bottom. Leben locks in a triangle, punching and elbowing at Akiyama’s trapped head. Eventually Akiyama falls down and a tap follows shortly, giving Leben the submission victory.
Aftermath: This was the biggest win of Chris Leben’s career, and on the heels of his TKO of Aaron Simpson at the Ultimate Fighter finale only two weeks ago it has been a good month for Leben. To make it even better, both fighters were awarded an $75,000 ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus (a rare occasion with multiple ‘FOTN’ bonuses being awarded in the same event). In the post-fight interview, Leben asked to face the man he stepped in to replace: Wanderlei Silva. However Silva will not return to action any time soon, and so Leben’s next fight should be against Gerald Harris, Nate Quarry, or Kendall Grove.
Yoshihiro Akiyama, who initially balked at the last-minute opponent change, did not live up to the hype in his second UFC outing despite delivering a very enterntaining fight. Undersized for a middleweight, Akiyama should seriously consider cutting weight and dropping down a division.
Ranking Impact: Chris Leben rises 12 spots to #13 MW. Yoshihiro Akiyama falls 9 spots to #22 MW.
Fight Grade: 5/5
Champion Brock Lesnar vs Interim Champion Shane Carwin (HW title unification bout)
Round 1: A bit of close-range circling to start off the main event. They engage and Carwin lands a solid punch, Lesnar feels it and immediately shoots for a takedown. Lesnar completes the takedown but Carwin instantly reverses and gets back to the feet, landing a knee on the way up. Carwin follows up with an uppercut that hurts Lesnar; Brock turns his back and flees with Carwin giving chase while landing more punches. Lesnar goes down and Carwin is all over him; Lesnar is doing nothing but covering up his face with his massive forearms but some of the punches are getting through. The ref is letting the fight go on and Lesnar is hanging in there. Carwin lands a series of elbows that open a cut by Lesnar’s eye. Carwin may have punched himself out as he moves into half guard and rests. Lesnar uses the momentary break in action to get back to the feet. They clinch and stall to finish the round – it’s a shock Lesnar survived this one. Round 10-8 Carwin
Round 2: A crazy stare down between a bloodied Lesnar and and a determined Carwin, as both smile and wink at each other then slap hands to start the second round. Carwin is visibly tired and Lesnar easily scores a takedown, landing in half-guard. Lesnar throws a few short punches then jumps into mount, locks in an arm triangle choke as he moves into side control and applies pressure. Carwin’s head turns purple and he has no choice but to tap out. Brock Lesnar is now (once again) the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.
Aftermath: In Brock Lesnar’s return after a lengthy layoff due to health issues, he showed serious gaps in his standup but was able to weather the storm and pull off a win in a comeback worthy of a champion. Now that the HW title is once again unified, Cain Velasquez will provide the next challenge for Lesnar, with the winner of Junior Dos Santos vs Roy Nelson looming in the distance.
Shane Carwin did what he does best – destroy his opponent in the first three minutes of the first round. Unfortunately for Shane, Lesnar was the first of Carwin’s opponents to withstand the initial assault; it turned out Carwin had nothing left in the tank for the second round. Carwin is still a legit threat to any heavyweight, and may still be the biggest threat to Lesnar once he works his way back up the ladder. In the meanwhile he should take on the loser of Dos Santos vs Nelson.
Ranking Impact: Brock Lesnar remains #1 HW and moves up 6 spots to #3 on the Division Dominance list. Shane Carwin falls 2 spots to #6 HW.
Fight Grade: 5/5
Kendall Grove vs Goran Reljic (185 lbs)
Round 1: They circle and jab. Both fighters miss head kicks. Slow start to the round, mostly shadow-boxing (and kicking) from both with nothing connecting. Reljic scores a takedown from clinch. Reljic stands over Grove and eats a huge upkick that drops him to his butt. Grove hops up and they resume the uneventful exchanges. Round 10-9 Grove
Round 2: Reljic is aggressive early but Grove walks through his offense and takes him down. Reljic uses an omoplata to sweep. Reljic stands over Grove again, this time more aware of the upkicks, though he still eats a couple before diving into Grove’s guard. Grove uses his long legs to control Reljic in guard, and the fight comes to a grinding stall. Eventually referee stands them up, and they finish the round with more shadow-boxing. Round 10-9 Reljic
Round 3: Grove hurts Reljic in an early exchange and forces Goran to shoot for a takedown. Grove defends. Either Grove has found his range or Reljic is tired as Grove is now getting the best of striking exchanges. Reljic shoots again and Grove grabs a guillotine. He lets go of the hold and jumps up with a knee to the chin. Reljic eventually completes a takedown and passes into side control then north-south, but can’t capitalize before the round ends. Round 10-9 Grove
Kendall Grove wins a split decision with the scores of 30-27, 29-28, 28-29
Aftermath: This fight was originally slated to be televised on Spike, but was pulled after Grove badmouthed Spike TV and ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ in an interview. Instead, it was broadcast after the main event, and was a snoozer compared to all of the PPV fights. The consistently inconsistent Grove picks up a win and should next face John Salter or Gerald Harris. Goran Reljic falls to 1-2 in the UFC, losing both of his fights as a middleweight after making an impressive UFC debut at 205 lbs. He may only get one more chance to salvage his UFC career, against a mid-level middleweight such as Tom Lawlor or Dave Branch.
Ranking Impact: Kendall Grove moves up 2 spots to #45 MW. Goran Reljic rises 1 spots to #100 MW.
Fight Grade: 2/5
After a slow start with some mediocre preliminary fights, the main card delivered beyond all expectations, with two instant classics and an incredible main event. This makes for two great UFC events back-to-back, and makes me very excited for all the upcoming shows.