It’s all tied up 300-300 after Michael Graves from American Top Team came back last week to tap Jason Jackson out. The final fight tonight will determine who wins the entire season. We’re going right to the weigh in just five minutes into the show! Vicente Luque is 170.25. Hayder Hassan is 171.
* Hayder Hassan (ATT) vs. Vicente Luque (Blackzilians)
Round 1
This fight is underway at 16 minutes into the show. Hassan is in the blue trunks and Luque the black. Hassan lands a good overhand right a half minute in and a left jab to the face 10 seconds later. Luque hits a strong right hook at 50 seconds. So far both men just want to stand and bang. Hassan ducks a big overhand. Luque keeps pushing forward. He’s landing a lot but taking a lot too. Big swing and a miss from Hassan. Luque with a really nice hook at 1:55. Leg kick by Luque. Luque’s nose is bleeding.
He’s covering up to avoid more shots to the face but some are getting through. Body kicks by Luque. Luque gets a takedown at 3:14. Hassan is back up at 3:27. Luque picks the ankle and gets him down to one knee but he gets right up. Luque’s corner is screaming STAY HEAVY. Hassan punches his way out. Big right hand by Hassan. Hassan stumbles avoiding a shot but Luque doesn’t pounce. Very competitive first round. Hassan’s corner tells him to “double the jab.” Luque’s corner yells “five more minutes!”
Round 2
Hassan nearly falls down when he tries to rebound off the fence. The Blackzilians think he’s gasses. Luque misses with a knee. Hassan is still jabbing and striking and a lot of the lefts are flush. Luque looks like he’s slowing down too – he’s not avoiding as much as he did in R1. He’s also not pressing forward as effectively.
Hassan complains that one of Luque’s kicks went low and they tap gloves. Very flush left hand by Hassan at 2:54. Power right follows. Luque throws kicks to back him away. Hassan returns them in kind. Hassan is now wearing the fight on his face as much as Luque. Luque tries to push forward for the final minute. Based on when the show started this is clearly going to a third round. Luque fails to get a takedown late and the horn makes them break.
Round 3
Our third round starts 35 minutes in. Hassan is throwing leg kicks and jabs. Luque goes for a takedown but Hassan rolls away from it back to his feet. He gets away clean at 54 seconds. The left side of Hassan’s face (camera right) is very swollen. Luque throws a high kick that’s checked. Hassan keeps popping Luque. A big right hook backs him up. And another. He throws a kick. They throw clashing leg kicks. Hassan eats a knee but avoids another. Hassan eats a left jab. Luque tries a flying knee and misses. Hassan is winging shots. Luque goes for the takedown at 3:20 but doesn’t get Hassan down clean until 3:28. He can’t keep him down as Hassan stands at 3:40 and immediately starts popping him again. Both of these guys seems to be carrying the whole season on their shoulders in the last minute. Hassan unloads with combos but Luque doesn’t fall. He goes for one last single leg and can’t get it before the horn. ATT puts Hassan on their shoulders for a victory lap, but we’ll wait and see after commercial.
Split decision. 29-28 blue corner. 29-28 red corner. 29-28 for the winner HAYDER HASSAN. ATT WINS THE SEASON!!
Dana White: “Holy shit. Now that’s a fight! That’s the fight we’ve been waiting for the whole season! Glenn has to be wondering how he let this happen. It couldn’t have gone any better. ATT pulls it out at the last minute. But it’s not over.” Now they have to pick their fighters for the TUF finale – where the winner gets a trophy and $300,000 – and only somebody who fought twice can qualify. Sabah Homasi: “Told you we were coming back! You didn’t believe me!” Hassan: “There was no way I was going to lose. I was ready to die tonight. This is something I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.”
Rashad Evans gives the Blackzilians a pep talk. “You have to be able to see the win even in a loss.” Robinson says they’ll get the TUF Finale fight worth $300,000 and “the last word.” Lambert: “I’ll put Hayder up against Godzilla right now.” Kamaru Usman seems to be the favorite. Lambert donates their ENTIRE $200,000 to the Wounded Warriors foundation at the behest of his team. White is blown away. Glenn picks Usman and Lambert picks Hassan as expected. That fight’s Sunday night! Enjoy the TUF 21 Finale!
The UFC announced Thursday that heavyweight Travis Browne had been pulled from all activities with the promotion this weekend after his ex-girlfriend posted photos last night on Instagram alleging domestic abuse.
At the press conference for UFC 189, UFC VP of Public Relations Dave Sholler read a statement that said Browne had been pulled from all International Fight Week activities while an investigation by the company is ongonig.
“UFC is aware of the social media allegations made against Travis Browne. The organization requires all athletes to act in an ethical and responsible manner, as mandated by the UFC fighter code of conduct policy. The UFC will not tolerate domestic violence or any other violation of the policy. However, every athlete is deserving of due process, and this situation, as with any official allegations, will be thoroughly reviewed and thoroughly investigated by an independent party. As a results, Travis Brown will not be particiapting in International Fight Week activities.”
Jenna Renee Webb posted photos last night on Instagram showing bruises on her arms, face and legs. She did not specify who did it to her, but later, when someone asked her a question to clarify, she said, “Yes, it was Travis.”
International Fight Week is upon us this week, bringing two events to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas this weekend after a week full of fun activities for fight fans, including a fight card put on by Invicta Fight Championships, pool parties, charity bowling, a free concert by the Dropkick Murphys, and the annual UFC Fan Expo. The big UFC event of the weekend is the first one they produce, which is UFC 189 on Saturday night, headlined by Irish sensation Conor McGregor looking to become a champion, albiet an interim champion, when he meets Chad Mendes for the Interim UFC Featherweight Championship after Jose Aldo was forced out due to a broken rib.
In the night’s co-main event, UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler makes his first title defense against a man he holds a win over, Canadian Rory MacDonald, who fights for the title for the first time in his career. The event has become the highest-grossing UFC event in the United States, with an over $7 million gate in Las Vegas and various closed-circuit locations throughout the city, and while the loss of Aldo took some of the bigger buzz out of the event, there is still lots of buzz there and big expectations on pay-per-view. Let’s dive deeper into the action on the card and look at five storylines to keep an eye on for UFC 189.
1. UFC 189 is The Conor McGregor Show. Will he walk away victorious over Chad Mendes?
UFC 189 has become The Conor McGregor Show and this event rests solely on his shoulders. There is a $7 million gate. There are big expectations for solid pay-per-view numbers, though that has taken a hit with the removal of Jose Aldo from the main event. He has the country of Ireland coming over to support him, and this is the chance to truly establish himself as one of the top draws in the company. The biggest question is whether he can come out on top in the end against a tough opponent in Chad Mendes.
Mendes brings a different fight to McGregor than Aldo would have. Aldo is more dangerous and technical on his feet. Mendes is arguably the best wrestler in the featherweight division, and that is the biggest area that McGregor has yet to be tested in. McGregor was taken down briefly by Dennis Siver but was able to pop right back up and finish him in the second round. McGregor has passed every test that has been put in front of him, and he has been finishing opponents. The only UFC opponent he has yet to finish was Max Holloway, yet McGregor beat him with the takedown game and a torn ACL. By the way, Holloway hasn’t lost in the Octagon since losing to McGregor.
How will this fight play out? Mendes is coming into a five-round fight on 17 days’ notice, though he didn’t officially get the fight until 12 days before the Saturday event. He always trains hard and he does have a good gas tank, but going 25 minutes with that short of notice is a lot to ask for, though his last two fights have all been scheduled for five rounds. McGregor has ben training for months for a five-round title fight, and he will be in excellent shape. Both are going to be drained from big weight cuts, and that will play a factor in the later rounds. McGregor having more preparation time will make the difference there. I think this fight is a lot closer than people realize and I give the edge to McGregor due to just being more ready for a fight on July 11.
2. Who wins in the rematch between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald?
Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald meet for the second time in the co-main event of UFC 189. They fought at UFC 167 in November 2013, a bout won by Lawler by split decision. It came down to the final round, and Lawler was able to knock MacDonald down, and that made the difference. It led to Lawler fighting for the UFC Welterweight Championship, and while he came up short the first time, Lawler made his way back and captured the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 181 in December, capping off an incredible story of comeback and redemption. He makes his first title defense against MacDonald, who comes in riding a three-fight win streak since the loss to Lawler.
The title being on the line could play the big difference. MacDonald has recently claimed that he was injured and wasn’t mentally focused going into the first bout with Lawler. How much of that is the truth and how much of that isn’t and is just a tactic to dismiss the outcome of the first time is a question that MacDonald will need to answer. MacDonald looked fantastic in his win over Tarec Saffiedine in October. Lawler has looked fantastic in his three recent wins, with a dominant finish of Jake Ellenberger, a dominant 25-minute win over Matt Brown, and a close fight with former champion Johny Hendricks, but Lawler made it count late when it mattered, coming on strong in the closing rounds to earn the championship that was put around his waist.
This fight could play out like the first one, and that is reminiscent of Lawler’s triumph over Hendricks in December. It was close early on, but Lawler came on strong in the end to win the fight. MacDonald needs to be mentally ready for a 25-minute battle. He has been working hard to get the championship bout, and this is his first crack at it. Will he be mentally strong enough? His prior two opportunities to really break out resulted in losses- to Lawler and Carlos Condit. This is a different chance to break out- he has a championship he can win. Lawler has been around the block and his comeback has been one of the best stories in the history of the sport. MacDonald wants to end it, and I give him the oh so slight edge in the rematch.
3. This card has two fantastic bantamweight prospects in Thomas Almeida and Cody Garbrandt. What can we expect from them?
Thomas Almeida is already being hyped as the future of the bantamweight division by UFC President Dana White, and for good reason. He comes into UFC 189 on Saturday night undefeated in 19 professional fights, and 18 of those wins have come by stoppage. He has 14 wins by knockout and four by submission. To top it all off, he is just 23-years-old and has only been competing for just over four years. He has future star and title challenger written all over him after his trashing of Yves Jabouin at UFC 189 in April. He gets a quick turnaround and a tough veteran in Brad Pickett on Saturday night. Pickett returns to 135 pounds but has lost two straight fights. Pickett will bring the fight to Almeida and it is the opportunity for Almeida to break into the crowded prospect picture at 135 pounds.
Cody Garbrandt, like Almeida, enters UFC 189 on Saturday night with an undefeated record. Garbrandt has only six professional fights in his career, but all six wins have come by knockout. He is young as well at just 24-years-old, and he comes from some tough camps, splitting camp time between Ohio training alongside the likes of Stipe Miocic and Jessica Eye, and also training in California at Team Alpha Male with a who’s who of fighters. Garbrandt had an impressive UFC debut in scoring a third-round knockout win over Marcus Brimage, and he has the chance to keep his star rising when he meets Henry Briones on Saturday night. Briones has 21 fights in his career and a decent recent win streak, but is the type of match-up designed to get Garbrandt what should be a solid showcase victory.
4. Matt Brown and Tim Means square off in the featured prelim. Will they score fight of the night?
Headlining the slate of preliminary action is a welterweight bout that could produce a heavy dose of post-July 4 fireworks when Matt Brown meets Tim Means. Brown is looking to put an end to a two-fight losing skid that took him away from title contention, though those two losses came to Robbie Lawler, the current champion at 170 pounds, and Johny Hendricks, the former champion at 170 pounds. Brown has produced some of the most exciting moments in recent welterweight history, and has come back from nearly being cut following a stretch where he lost four of five fights to become a top-five ranked fighter.
Means was a fighter that was actually cut following two losses and issues making weight. He came back to the UFC on short notice and up a weight class, and while he lost his return to Neil Magny, he has since won four straight fights to get himself in a position to join the UFC rankings should he score the upset over Brown. His last two wins have been finishes, but he hasn’t fought the level of competition that Brown will bring. Means stepped in to replace Nate Diaz in this fight, and he has the chance to prove himself here against a contender. Both men throw hard punches and like to brawl, and this fight is capable of producing the fight of the night.
5. What else is there to look out for on the UFC 189 card? UFC 189 is one of the more solid top-to-bottom cards of the year capped off with the two title fights. In other main card action, featherweights Dennis Bermudez and Jeremy Stephens will square off. Bermudez hasn’t fought since UFC 180 in November where he suffered a first-round submission loss to Ricardo Lamas that ended his seven-fight win streak and knocked him out of title shot contention. Stephens enters Saturday night looking to put an end to a two-fight losing skid and get himself back into the top ten of the rankings.
Three other welterweight bouts highlight the card, which showcases ten welterweights overall. Gunnar Nelson and Brandon Thatch will meet on the main card as both men look to rebound from their first defeats inside the Octagon. Cathal Pendred comes in on short notice looking to extend his eight-fight win streak against John Howard, who is looking to end a three-fight losing skid. Also, Mike Swick, a member of the original cast of The Ultimate Fighter, returns after being out of action since December 2012 when he meets Alex Garcia, who is looking to rebound from a loss that ended a six-fight win streak.
Full UFC 189 Fight Card, Betting Odds and Predictions
MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
Interim UFC Featherweight Championship: Chad Mendes vs. Conor McGregor Betting Odds: Mendes (+150), McGregor (-170) Prediction: McGregor by knockout in round 3
UFC Welterweight Championship: Robbie Lawler(c) vs. Rory MacDonald Betting Odds: Lawler (+158), MacDonald (-180) Prediction: MacDonald by decision
Featherweights: Dennis Bermudez vs. Jeremy Stephens Betting Odds: Bermudez (-210), Stephens (+175) Prediction: Bermudez by decision
Welterweights: Gunnar Nelson vs. Brandon Thatch Betting Odds: Nelson (+158), Thatch (-180) Prediction: Thatch by knockout in round 2
Bantamweights: Brad Pickett vs. Thomas Almeida Betting Odds: Pickett (+625), Almeida (-950) Prediction: Almeida by submission in round 1
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
Welterweights: Matt Brown vs. Tim Means Betting Odds: Brown (-190), Means (+165) Prediction: Brown by knockout in round 2
Welterweights: Mike Swick vs. Alex Garcia Betting Odds: Swick (+325), Garcia (-400) Prediction: Garcia by decision
Welterweights: Cathal Pendred vs. John Howard Betting Odds: Pendred (-110), Howard (-110) Prediction: Pendred by decision
Bantamweights: Cody Garbrandt vs. Henry Briones Betting Odds: Garbrandt (-600), Briones (+450) Prediction: Garbrandt by knockout in round 2
UFC announced Monday that Gilbert Melendez tested positive for testosterone in his 6/13 loss to Eddie Alvarez. Because this offense took place before 7/1 when their new policies goes into effect, Melendez has been suspended for one year.
Melendez was supposed to fight Al Iaquinta on 7/15 in San Diego, CA, and the company is now looking for a new opponent for Iaquinta.
“I did not inject anything, but I am responsible and accept the consequences for the results,” said Melendez in a statement by UFC. “I will make sure I am better educated about the products I use and their implications. Going forward, I will ensure no products I use will contain banned substances. I am sincerely apologetic to everyone who supports me, including my fans, sponsors and the UFC.”
UFC announced today that Gilbert Melendez tested positive for testosterone in his 6/13 fight with Eddie Alvarez, that he lost. Because this took place before 7/1, when the new policy goes into effect, Melendez has been suspended for one year.
Melendez was supposed to fight Al Iaquinta on 7/15 in San Diego. The company is looking for a new opponent for Iaquinta.
“I did not inject anything, but I am responsible and accept the consequences for the results,” said Melendez in a statement by UFC. “I will make sure I am better educated about the products I use and their implications. Going forward, I will ensure no products I use will contain banned substances. I am sincerely apologetic to everyone who supports me, including my fans, sponsors and the UFC.”
Quick summary: The Blackzilians are up 300-200 with Nathan Coy narrowing their lead last week with a 20-18 unanimous decision over Valdir Araujo. American Top Team still needs to win the final two fights – if the Blackzilians win tonight it’s all over. The good news for ATT is that they have home gym advantage tonight.
Show Recap:
Glenn Robinson says there will be no more scoreboards and no more cigars for anybody in the camp until they’ve won the season. “It’s not over!!” Jason Jackson accuses some of his teammates of losing their hunger. Robinson: “We are gonna make our win in their house. That’s more satisfying. Maybe that’s how it was meant to be.”
Coincidentally Jackson is the guy they are zeroing in on to take this week’s fight. Jackson: “Of course man! I’m ready to do it. Let’s do this! If I don’t challenge myself, I don’t think I belong in the UFC.” Jackson last fought on week six of the show and beat Marcelo Alfaya in a close fight – a 20-18 X2 majority decision.
Top Team debates who should go. Dan Lambert seems to be suggesting Michael Graves should get some redemption after losing to Kamaru Usman in the first fight of the show. Lambert says he’s got a baby on the way and a lot on the line for his future. Graves: “I’m getting ready to get some points back for myself and my team. You’re about to see a whole different Mike Graves.”
This season it’s not a coach vs. coach challenge – it’s an OWNER vs. OWNER challenge. The winner gets $10,000 and all of the fighters on the winning team get $1,500 each. The challenge is a relay race – they can pick any three guys (including their coaches – it’s not limited to the fighters) but the owners have to run the final leg themselves.
Jason Jackson tries his best to give Glenn Robinson a huge lead with his long stride, but Dan Lambert is in better shape and outruns him in the last leg for the money. Lambert: “I can’t really take a lot of pride when you beat Glenn in something physical.”
Weigh-in day and Jackson and Graves step forward, and Graves weighs in first – he’s 170 even. Lambert: “Mike Graves says he has a lot more to offer than he showed in taht first fight.” Jackson is 170.25. Dana White believes Jackson wants this more than anyone.
This isn’t going to be a long fight – they pad the heck out of this show with drama in the house and interview segments until there are only 15 minutes of air time left.
* Michael Graves (American Top Team) vs. Jason Jackson (Blackzilians)
Graves is in red trunks and Jackson is sporting black. Graves lands a solid left hook about a half minute in. Jackson lands a kick to the body that looks like it might have gone to the nuts, but the red didn’t stop it and Jackson tries to swarm and finish him with knees against the fence. Graves is doing his best to cover up and survive. Jackson just keeps pouring on knees to the body. The ref gives him a warning for shots to the back of the head as he tries to hammer out a finish. Graves survives, turns around, and gets a takedown at 2:20. Not only that he takes the back and immediately goes for a rear naked choke. Jackson taps at 3:01!!
Amazing come from behind finish. Glenn Robinson is pissed saying the fight should have been stopped when Jackson was pouring it on with knees and hammers. He’s screaming at the officials, he’s screaming at the refs, everybody’s telling him to calm down. “The guy didn’t defend himself for over a minute!”
Robinson keeps barking at the officials as they walk out. “I’m gonna post this on the internet with your picture!” Meanwhile back inside the gym everybody is giving Graves daps and hugs. Lambert: “That’s one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen in my life.” Hard to argue – Graves went from nearly being finished to getting the tap moments later. Lambert: “I was surprised the ref did not stop it.” That’s only going to rile Robinson up MORE. Dana White: “The only one who got screwed in that fight was the Top Team, not the Blackzilians! He (Graves) overcomes three fouls!”
It is what it is though – a 300-300 tie with one fight left to go – the season finale airing next week!
Dana White just appeared on ESPN’s Sportscenter to announce that UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo is out of UFC 189 on July 11 due to his rib injury. Conor McGregor will now take on Chad Mendes for the interim UFC Featherweight Championship in the main event of UFC 189 on July 11th.
Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 70: Machida vs. Romero from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The event is headlined by a five-round middleweight bout between former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida and Olympic medalist Yoel Romero. The preliminary card action kicks off at 8 PM eastern time on FOX Sports 2 before moving over to FOX Sports 1 for the main card at 10 PM eastern time.
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 2- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
BANTAMWEIGHTS: DANNY MARTINEZ VS. SIRWAN KAKAI
First round: Kakai took him down. Martinez up. Martinez back with punches, but Kakai dropped him and he’s hurt. Kakai landing jabs. Knee by Kakai. Nice left by Martinez. Knees by Kakai. Another knee by Kakai. Elbow by Kakai. Hard elbows by Kakai. Martinez landed a nice left and grabbed a guillotine. Kakai out. Uppercut by Kakai. Martinez back with punches. Hard right by Kakai. Head kick by Martinez and now he’s landing. Great round 10-9 Kakai.
Second round: Martinez landing good shots Nice left by Martinez. Front kick by Kakai. Kakai took him down. Knee by Martinez. Another takedown by Kakai. Kakai moved to his back. Another takedown by Kakai. Martinez up and landing punches. Flying knee by Martinez. Kakai 20-18.
Third round: Both throwing punches. Martinez with body shots. Hard right by Martinez. Head kick by Martinez. Knee by Martinez. Takedown by Kakai. Martinez back up. Knee by Kakai. Martinez landing more punches. Martinez missing punches big. Good fight. Close third round, I have 30-27 Kakai.
Scores: All three have it 30-27 for Kakai.
WELTERWEIGHTS: STEVE MONTGOMERY VS. TONY SIMS
First round: James Warring referee. He’s doen boxing, kickboxing, MMA and pro wrestling. Not too many people have done all four. Left by Sims. Montgomery landed a knee. Head kick by Montgomery. Sims dropped him with a left and finished him with a punch on the ground. It was a hell of a left to the jaw. One more punch and Warring stopped it.
174 LB CATCHWEIGHTS: LEANDRO SILVA VS. LEWIS GONZALEZ
First round: Takedown by Silva, and then he got a second takedown. Gonzalez reversed and trying for a guillotine. Silva escaped. Body kick by Silva. Another body kick by Silva. Gonzalez took him down. Silva working for a heel hook. He gave it up. He tried again by Gonzalez reversed out of it. Knee by Gonzalez. Gonzalez got another takedown. Close round 10-9 Silva.
Second round: Trading elbows. Silva landed a left. High slam by Silva. Silva got his back. Silva controlled him on the ground. Silva’s round, so up 20-18.
Third round: Silva with lefts. He wanted a takedown but didn’t get it. Gonzalez pushed him into the cage. Right by Silva. Gonzalez bleeding from the right eye. Silva in with punches and a knee. Silva has his back again. Gonzalez reversed standing, but Silva reversed back and threw a few punches at the end of the round. 30-27 Silva
Scores: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for Silva
The 29-27 score announced for Silva was a mistake in tallying and it was actually 29-28.
WELTERWEIGHTS: ALEX OLIVEIRA VS. JOE MERRITT
First round: Oliveira has him against the fence. Oliveira got him down and got his back. He’s working for a choke. Merritt defending. Oliveira has a body triangle. Oliveira is working for a choke. Marrett turned into him and is on top. Merrett landed a few short elbows. Oliveira up. Merritt landed a shot. Merritt did well late but I still have Oliveira 10-9.
Second round: Oliveira tried a high kick and slipped. Oliveira landed a counter shot. Oliveira on top in the mount blocking Merritt’s takedown attempt. Nice reverse by Merritt. Merritt with an elbow and a knee standing. Oliveira bleeding from the right eye. Oliveira working for a takedown. Oliveira got the takedown and got his back again. Oliveira again working for a choke. Merritt escaped. Merritt reversed to the top. Another close round, Oliveira 20-18.
Third round: Oliveira working for a takedown. Oliveira got behind him standing and dragged him down but Merritt landed on top in the mount. Oliveira up. Merritt hit a hard knee and a knee to the body. Oliveira is behind him again. Oliveira took him down Merritt back up. Oliveira has his back. He’s again working for a choke. Oliveira was working for a choke as time ran out. 30-27 Oliveira.
Scores: All three judges have it 30-27 for Oliveira.
MAIN CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
FEATHERWEIGHTS: HACRAN DIAS VS. LEVAN MAKASHVILI
First round: Dias landing low kicks, Makashvili wiht a right. Body shot by Dias. Crowd booing the fight. Makashvili tried a takedown but couldn’t get it. Hard right by Makashvili. That was the best punch of the fight. Low kick by Makashvili. Dias got the takedown which should win him the round. Dias 10-9. Crowd booed the round.
Second round: Takedown by Makashvili. Dias working for a Kimura. Dias got his back. Makashvili got him of. Makashvili on top and Dias working for a triangle. Makashvili is in trouble. Makashvili broke the triangle with a hard power bomb. Dias with a takedown. Makashvili went for a takedown but couldn’t get it. Dias shot in and got another takedown. That’s going to win him this round. 20-18 Dias.
Third round: Makashvili fighting for a takedown. Makashvili still pushing for a takedown and not getting it. Now Dias trying for a takedown and not getting it. Most of the round is a Greco-Roman clinch. Knee by Makashvili. It’s a battle for a takedown but that means nothing because Makashvili is losing even if he wins the round. Dias is now working for the takedown. Crowd booing this round heavily. This round was a Greco-Roman stalemate most of the way. Makashvili got a momenary takedown. He tried a gut wrench but dropped Dias and Makashvili landed on top. Makashvili’s round so 29-28 Dias.
Scores: 29-28 Makashvili 29-28 Dias 29-28 Dias. Fans booed but he won the first two rounds.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS: THIAGO SANTOS VS. STEVE BOSSE
First round: Santos killed him dead with a high kick. It was a left high kick and that was a knockout of the year contender.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS: ANTONIO CARLOS JUNIOR VS. EDDIE GORDON
First round: Carlos huge at middleweight. He looks like a 220 pound guy. He fought in UFC as a heavyweight the first time out. Both in a clinch. Carlos, known as Shoe Face, because he looks like a shorter Kurrgan, can’t muscle the smaller guy around. Carlos took him down. Gordon back up. Carlos has him against the fence. Carlos got a second takedown. Hard elbows on the ground. Carlos landing a lot of punches on the ground. He threw a knee to the body. Carlos 10-9
Second round: High kick by Carlos. Body kick by Carlos. Takedown by Carlos. Carlos landing more punches. Carlos 20-18.
Third round: Trading low kicks. Carlos got another takedown. He’s got his back and working for a choke. Carlos got the submission with a choke.
WELTERWEIGHTS: SANTIAGO PONZINIBBIO VS. LORENZ LARKIN
First round: Larkin moved in with punches and a body kick. Santiago back with punches. Front kick by Larkin. Trading shots. Spin kick by Larkin. Left by Larkin. Low kick by Santiago. Santiago going for a takedown Larkin doing a good job of takedown defense. Low kick and body kick by Larkin. Uppercut by Larkin. 10-9 Larkin.
Second round: Nice right by Larkin. Both throwing. Body kick by Larkin. Left and right by Larkin. Front kick by Larkin. Low kick by Santiago . Santiago in with punches. Larkin may be tired. Both landing pucnhes. Low kick by Larkin. Nice right by Santiago. Big right by Santiago. Great round. Right and an elbow by Larkin. Larkin knocked him down and trying to finish it on the ground. Larkin landing a lot of punches on the ground. Santiago back up but Herb Dean stopped it because he was rocked. This was a great round.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS: LYOTO MACHIDA VS. YOEL ROMERO
First round: Fans chanting Machida even though Romero is out of South Florida. Low kick by Machida. Machida is a little slower. Body kick by Machida. Body kick by Romero. Body kick by Romero. Romero hurt him with a right. Body kick by Romero. Knee by Machida. Right by Machida. Body kick by Machida. Spin kick by Machida. Left by Machida and Romero back. 10-9 Machida.
Second round: Both landed. Romero has power. Romero missed a high kick. Low kick by Machida. Romero chants. Body kick by Machida. Low kick by Machida. Left by Machida. Body kick by Machida. Right and a knee by Romero. Left by Machida. Low kick by Machida. Romero with a right. Romero with a left. Body kick and low kick by Machida. Big left by Romero. Body kick by Machida. Left by Romero. Body kick by Romero. Romero missed a haymaker left. Body kick by Machida. Romero off the fence landed two punches, really cool spot. Romero’s round close 19-19.
Third round: Right by Romero. Low kick by Romero. Low kick by Machida. Body kick by Machida. Body kick by Romero. Romero took him down and he beat the crap out of him with elbows on the ground and it’s over. Romero threw him down, once he landed the elbows he rocked him and it was over after the fifth elbow.
MMA Fighting has an interview with UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo’s head coach Andre Pederneiras in which he says that the Brazilian doctors that examined Aldo say he has fractured ribs.
He said the American doctors looked at the X-rays and said they were not fractured. Pedernairas said that he isn’t a doctor so he doesn’t know which is correct. Aldo is undergoing treatment, but right now is in great pain and is doing no training. Pederneiras said that UFC has not put pressure on Aldo to take the fight.
Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of the UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Romero weigh-ins from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida kicking off at 5 PM eastern time. The event airs on Saturday, with the preliminary card kicking off at 8 PM eastern time on FOX Sports 2 before moving over to FOX Sports 1 at 10 PM eastern time for the main card. This marks the Octagon’s first trip to Florida in 14 months.
The event will be headlined by a five-round middleweight bout as former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida looks to rebound from a loss to Luke Rockhold when he takes on Yoel Romero, owner of a five-fight win streak. The event features only a nine-fight card and a lot of fighters making their UFC debuts and fighting on short notice as visa issues forced the postponement of several key bouts.
MAIN CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT):
Lyoto Machida (186) vs. Yoel Romero (186) Santiago Ponzinibbio (170.5) vs. Lorenz Larkin (170.5) Antonio Carlos Junior (185) vs. Eddie Gordon (184.5) Thiago Santos (185.5) vs. Steve Bosse (185.5) Hacran Dias (145.5) vs. Levan Makashvili (145)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 2- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT):
Alex Oliveira (170) vs. Joe Merritt (169) Leandro Silva (170) vs. Lewis Gonzalez (174) Steve Montgomery (170) vs. Tony Sims (170) Danny Martinez (135.5) vs. Sirwan Kakai (135.5)
