Nelson TKO 2 Slice…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
We’ve all seen boxing and MMA fights like the one just witnessed on Spike between Kimbo Slice and Roy Nelson on The Ultimate Fighter.
It’s not pretty, not really entertaining, but it’s what the guy (Nelson) needs to do to get the job done.
Kimbo simply had no answer for when he got close to Nelson. Once the distance closed, Nelson knew he could take him down and then use his advanced ground game (compared to Kimbo’s) and hold him down.
Kimbo stopped one takedown, and coach Rampage Jackson was quite happy about that. I thought it might have been over in the first when Kimbo used all his energy to try to flip over. That’s a risky move.
Nelson started to pepper him with shots. Not hard, fight-ending shots, but Kimbo was in a defenseless position when the bell sounded.
In round 2, Kimbo landed a couple of good shots before Nelson was able to get him down again and do the exact same thing he did in the first. Kimbo just couldn’t the 264-pounder off of him, so referee Herb Dean stopped the fight.
The old cliche ‘it is what it is.’ Kimbo showed heart and some improvement, but he still has a long way to go if he still wants to make a go at this. I give Nelson credit for not getting caught up in the hype and just sticking to a plan.
He didn’t earn me as one of his fans with tonight, but that doesn’t matter. He did what he had to do.
***
Ol’ boxing scribe Thomas Hauser is at it again. This is an amazing piece about the HBO boxing situation. Amazing.
Get a drink of your choice and get ready for a startling 10-15-minute read about the inner workings of HBO sports, circa 2009.
Fields inks with catBOX…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
In a major move for the up-and-coming local boxing promotion, catBOX Entertainment has signed cruiserweight Eric Fields.
Fields (12-1, 10 KOs) was knocked out in his bid for the vacant NABO, WBO championship 20 months ago by Ola Afolabi. But at 27, Fields definitely has what it takes to climb back up that ladder.
Fields is an Ardmore native, and he’s only fought once since his first loss, a TKO victory in the second round in January.
Fields and fellow catBOX fighter Oklahoma lightweight champion Noah Zuhdi will be at Remington Park in a couple of weeks for autographs on Oklahoma Derby weekend.
No word on when Fields’ first bout with his new promotional team will happen.
***
That was dominance by Vitali Klitschko against Chris Arreola. Arreola fought as hard as he could and for eight rounds, he wasn’t discouraged.
But in the ninth, you felt the will sapped away from him before it was called after the 10th.
I had Vitali up 9-1, giving Arreola the eighth round for his volume and pressure.
Klitschko fought the entire fight going backwards and did so successfully – that says something.
Great effort by Arreola, an even better performance by Vitali.
***
Reminder that Kimbo Slice takes on Roy Nelson on Wednesday night’s Ultimate Fighter episode on Spike. I should be home to see it, and I’ll post what I thought later that night.
Arreola ready, but will it matter?
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
The talk in the boxing community this week has bascially been people trying to get themselves to believe that Chris Arreola has a chance against Vitali Klitschko.
The public has just become so bored with the Klitschko brothers that it doesn’t really matter who is fighting them.
I would give Arreola a shot against Wladimir. Not a good one, but if Arreola could test his chin, who knows?
Vitali has a sturdy beard. He can’t be hurt by one shot. However, he has had numerous injuries, so perhaps he breaks down in the ring? I don’t know, that’s about the only way I see Arreola walking out with a win.
Arreola, for his credit, actually looks like he is coming to fight. He’ll never be in great shape, but he looked as good as I’ve seen him at the weigh-in Thursday.
He’s got good power, but more than anything, he’s got great energy. If he can get inside and make Vitali back up or fight back, that’s his chance.
But if Arreola is stuck at the end of that jab and Vitali is just hammerin’ him with those one-two shots, gonna be a long night.
I’m trying to convince myself that Arreola can win it, but I don’t see it happening. Go with Vitali by late-round TKO.
***
The numbers for Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez are mind-boggling. The AP is reporting near a million buys.
Wow.
Mayweather has been saying he’s a PPV attraction, but when you fight Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, of course you are. This would be a legit thing of saying “I brought the numbers.”
He just can’t decide who he is. All this week he’s been humble and gracious but then that arrogance kicks in.
People are buying the fights to see him get beat. He’s the black hat part of the equation. And while he plays the role fine, I don’t think he’s comfortable with it at the end of the day. He wants to be liked, I think.
***
Big episode of The Ultimate Fighter coming up next week with Kimbo Slice going against Roy Nelson.
A lot of people are saying it’s the end for Kimbo, we’ll see. The fact people are talking about it is good and should lead to another huge rating for Spike and the UFC.
I’ve been watching the shows on the weekend, but I’m hoping I’ll be free Wednesday night to watch it when it happens.
Could Belfort give Silva a run?
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
MMA fighter Vitor Belfort will always have this special aura about him when it comes to how I perceive him.
He was such a breath of fresh air when he burst onto the scene. He was incredible. Fit as can be with the fastest hands I had seen from an MMA fighter.
And with his win against Rich Franklin at UFC 103 last Saturday in front of a sold out crowd in Dallas, he’s thrown himself back into the mix.
I don’t know if he deserves a shot against Anderson Silva, but now is the time to strike. An impressive first-round KO is all people are remembering about Belfort at this point.
I view Anderson Silva as the Ultimate Fighting Machine because I don’t think there is much the Brazilian star can’t do.
And while I wouldn’t give Belfort much of a chance if a proposed bout happened, I would watch it. But there is a window to this. This needs to happen by the summer of 2010. Just a gut feeling.
***
Applaud The Ice Man Chuck Liddell going on Dancing with the Stars. I’m no judge or anything, so I can’t comment on his performance. I just know as I’ve done with Floyd Mayweather and Evander Holyfield, I’ll be pulling for Liddell to go as far as possible. I like humanizing the fighters, and I like the fighters getting their name out there for as long as possible.
***
Speaking of Mayweather, he may be the most polarizing figure in the sport in years. You either marveled at his precision after a 21-month layoff in easily disposing of Juan Manuel Marquez. Or you were frustrated at him coming in over weight, not finishing JMM and being a jerk in the postfight activities.
I’ll put the fight on DVD on Saturday, but I prob won’t watch it again. I’d watch a highlight package of the big shots, but there are too many dull spots in this one, especially late in the fight. Mayweather looks like he’s ready to strike, but he just doesn’t.
The replay will be shown on HBO on Saturday as a prelude to the heavyweight championship bout between Chris Arreola and Vitali Klitschko. This is a bout that is everything good and bad about boxing. I’ll explain later in the week.
***
Moore resident Billy Wilson is watching The Ultimate Fighter 10 a little bit closer than the rest of us.
His cousin, Justin Wren, is one of the contestants on the show and is part of Team Rashad. TUF is on Spike on Wednesday nights. The season premiere did monster ratings.
Mayweather back in the saddle…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Boxer Floyd Mayweather continues to do what he does best: look superior to everyone inside the ring and just a troubled person outside of it.
The good: Mayweather’s performance vs. Juan Manuel Marquez was a thing of beauty. He dominated the Mexican star nearly every minute of the bout in earning an easy unanimous decision win.
Scores were 120-107 (like mine), 119-108 and 118-109 for the returning Mayweather.
We’ll never know if there was any rust after a 21-month layoff because Marquez never really pushed him to see.
JMM was content to play Mayweather’s game, and you knew early that it was going to be a long (and sometimes boring) night.
Mayweather dropped Marquez with a patented left hook midway through the second round. He knew JMM was more stunned than hurt and didn’t really move in for the kill.
The writing was on the wall after the weigh-in fiasco. The fight’s contracted weight was 144 pounds. Mayweather never tried to get that low and came in at a ready and comfortable 146.
He looked sculpted (as always). He wasn’t weight-drained because seems like he had no intentions on trying to make 144. Marquez weighed in at 142 and received $600,000 for Mayweather’s 2 pounds over the limit.
Mayweather pressed the action hard in rounds 10 and 11 to try for the knockout, but Marquez is a warrior in the highest degree out there. A bevy of lefts and rights tattooed JMM in those two rounds. Not only did Marquez not go down, he wasn’t even seriously hurt.
Mayweather won this fight with his jab. It’s a weapon he hasn’t utilized recently but it was out in full force on Saturday night.
Think JMM landed two significant punches in the entire fight. But he fought hard and was gracious enough to do a postfight interview (even demanding one). Man is a class act all the way.
Mayweather is now 40-0 with 25 KOs.
***
There was some tension in the postfight interview with HBO’s Max Kellerman. Mayweather was dodging the weight question. Kellerman pushed it and then moved on like a professional.
Then there was talk of a potential Shane Mosley bout, and Bernard Hopkins started jawing at Mayweather and his people. Mosley was just being Shane, but Hopkins looked like he wanted to go right there.
And when Floyd said Max talks too much and said he was going to conduct the interview, Kellerman rightly just said no and sent it back to Jim Lampley.
It’s a Floyd Mayweather in a nut shell: the greatest fighter of the last 20 years and maybe the most easily hated fighter of the same generation. Maybe “he gets it” but doesn’t care. I don’t know.
There are reasons why people don’t clamor to see him fight, and that postfight interview tops ‘em all.
Mayweather should fight Mosley. And the winner should fight the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto winner (that bout is Nov. 14). We’ll see.
***
Vitor Belfort continues to remain relevant. I seriously thought his best days were long gone.
Belfort scored a TKO victory against Rich Franklin in the first round at UFC 103.
From the reports, it didn’t look like a big shot that dropped Franklin. But once he was down, Belfort went in for the kill.
Belfort may be in line for a shot with middleweight champion Anderson Silva. I say why not? If Belfort is going to get a shot vs. Silva, it needs to be sooner rather than later.
In the other big bout, Junior Dos Santos stopped Cro Cop in the third round after Cro Cop couldn’t see after a right hand. It was set up by some good body work earlier in the round.
Mayweather-Marquez kicks off fall season…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Floyd Mayweather returns to the ring Saturday vs. Juan Manuel Marquez
I’m done harping on how frustrating it is that boxing is basically run like a network sitcom or drama.
All the sudden summer comes, and you don’t see anything new. September comes around, and there are all these season premieres and you welcome all the shows back with open arms.
Well, that’s what we (boxing fans) will be doing Saturday when the ‘highly’ anticipated showdown between Floyd Mayweather Juan Manuel Marquez takes place in Las Vegas.
I’ve enjoyed the 24/7 series to a certain extent when it comes to this bout. It’s been more about boxing again than the outside stuff. Glad for them that the Mayweather family has reconciled. Because of that, there hasn’t been much drama on the show.
Marquez has carried the weight well, but he doesn’t look that fast. He’s never been the fastest, but feels like he’s going for “blunt-force” blows to take out Mayweather. Interesting.
As for Floyd, I marvel at his speed. Whether it was the jump rope or the speed bag, I was in awe. How can someone be that fast? No, really, how?
Obviously, the most talked about part was Marquez drinking his own urine. It didn’t even make me blink. You hear all sorts of crazy things like that. Whatever it takes, no smart remarks from the Boneman on this one.
As for the fight, think Marquez should push early. Mayweather is so content to be economical with his punches. Add in 20-month layoff, and he’s going to take those first couple of rounds to get his feet under him.
Don’t let him.
Make him defensive from the start. Now I don’t think Marquez is going to touch up Mayweather, but if he’s aggressive early, do think he’s going to have some rounds in the bank and force Floyd to fight down the stretch.
And then the drama comes in. Can Marquez handle that weight when we get to the championship rounds? Where is Mayweather’s desire level at?
If I’m Mayweather (now there’s a dream), I’d give Marquez something to think about early to make the Mexican hero tentative. Marquez is one of the smartest boxers I’ve ever watched. Get him doubting himself, and the battle is halfway won.
Oscar De La Hoya went on record saying he knows Mayweather is the best fighter in the world, but that Marquez was going to win.
Not seeing it happen.
Marquez will have the drive, but I don’t think he’s going to have the tools to take out Mayweather.
And I don’t see Mayweather pushing the fight, opting for a comfortable unanimous decision in the neighborhood of 116-112.
Either way, you can follow me on Twitter @BPrzybylo as I’ll have round-by-round scores.
***
With the Ultimate Fight Night event in town, UFC 103 was on the backburner for me. I’m excited to see what Vitor Belfort has left in the tank against Rich Franklin (corrected). And I’m excited to see what the Dallas crowd is like.
But I’m more excited to see the buyrates as this is the first time I can clearly remember there being a UFC PPV and a boxing PPV going head-to-head. The numbers should tell a story.
So, what’d ya think?
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Nate Diaz celebrates after making Melvin Guillard tap to a guillotine choke.
I gotta say of all the memorable moments from last night’s Ultimate Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard event, nothing tops the emotion of when Bruce Buffer was saying “we are LIVE from the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, OKLAHOMA….” and the roar of the crowd as it went live on Spike.
Seriously, I will not forget that moment.
You would think after all I’ve written about the event I would be blogged out. Ha, you would be wrong.
A fantastic night of fights and an even better night for the state’s prospects about getting another major MMA show.
Now I want to hear from you (as always). What are your thoughts on UFN 19? Did it convert new fans? Were the fights better/worse than you thought? Sound off.
Thoughts and observations
- Was that the loudest bass you’ve ever heard? That was nuts. It was just as crazy at 9 p.m. as it was at 3:30. I thought my ears would pop with the way that was.
- C.B. Dollaway was the winner against Jay Silva, but Dollaway needed to be carried off. Word on the street is Dollaway was very sick Tuesday night but chose to fight anyway.
- Phillipe Nover is perfectly fine. He came back and watched the night’s bouts. For whatever reason (fainted, seizure), he just couldn’t fight Sam Stout. The medical testing for MMA/boxing is about as in-depth as possible, so it was just a freak thing.
- I like Jeremy Stephens. I like what he brings to the game, that rush of adrenaline. That cut he caused for Justin Buchholz, yeah, has to be seen to be believed.
- You know I love a great chess match, but what Nate Quarry and Tim Credeur did is something I can appreciate, too. Picture of the night was Quarry at the postfight presser. Face is all swollen and purple-looking. But man, he was like the happiest guy there. Outstanding fight.
- Carlos Condit showed heart by getting up three times vs. Jake Ellenberger. But still not sure he did enough to get the W. He was a class act in the presser and realizes he has a long way to go, so I appreciate the honesty. I might have to watch this one again. Still say draw with a lean toward Ellenberger.
- Roger Huerta was too hesitant for my taste on this night. I know he had the long layoff ‘n all, but I thought he would step it up in the final two rounds. As is, if that is his last fight in the UFC, he goes out with a whimper (but a pretty face). Hope Huerta comes back, though.
- Hard to say “tough break” to Melvin Guillard. He got caught being a clown and Nate Diaz was ready to pounce. That’s what professionals do. Guillard was in firm control of the bout. But after getting caught, that bravado came into play, and he got careless. Big win for Diaz.
- $30,000 Bonuses: Fight of the Night – Nate Quarry vs. Tim Credeur (like there was any other choice). Submission of the Night – Nate Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard (cinched in the guillotine, and it was good night). Knockout of the Night – Jeremy Stephens vs. Justin Buchholz (clean shots, nasty cut, not much more you could ask for).
More coverage
If you want more coverage, you can read about the Diaz victory here. If you want some random notes such as UFC President Dana White being thrilled about the live attendance and gate, go here. And if you want a photo gallery, ace photographer Bryan Terry has put one up here that you can view.
Shout outs
I want to thank the UFC and Spike for their tremendous cooperation in coordinating things for me this last week. Also, a big thumbs up on fight-night operations. That ran smoothly. Also would like to thank UFC president Dana White for allowing me to watch one of the fights with him and have a casual Q&A about everything. Initial response is positve, maybe the UFC will be back sooner than later.
Quotes from UFN 19…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Here are some quotes from the postfight press conferences after UFN 19: Diaz vs. Guillard.
Reminder of the results: Nate Quarry def. Tim Credeur; Carlos Condit def. Jake Ellenberger; Gray Maynard def. Roger Huerta; Nate Diaz def. Melvin Guillard.
Fighter Quotes
Nate Quarry:
I knew this was going to be a war. Tim is a family man, he’s fighting for his family. Everyone was asking about my next fight, but I knew I couldn’t look past Tim. It was a great fight.
I’ve been to Oklahoma before. I did videos with Randy Couture and Dan Henderson. I love the city and would love to come back.
Carlos Condit:
I persevered. It was a tough fight, but I was able to weather some storms. I definitely felt I did enough to win that fight. I have a long way to go, and I know I have to fix some things in my game.
Gray Maynard:
That was a lot tougher than I thought. You hit him, and then he starts flailing his arms everywhere (mimics the movement). There’s still a lot for me to learn. I don’t know if this puts me in line for a title shot, I’m just happy with the win.
Nate Diaz:
I knew I had a better stand up game than he did. I was comfortable on my feet.
I came in too quick and he dropped me. I recovered. Sometimes you have to take a seat before you can come back. I see a lot of fighters bounce up too fast to show they’re not hurt. I just had to stay composed.
I knew he was dangerous. That’s one of the reasons I was looking forward to this fight. I knew he would want to fight with me every step of the way.
It was a packed house and the fans were behind me. It was a real cool environment.
UFC 103: Vitor Belfort vs. Rich Franklin is Saturday night in Dallas.
UFN Live Results…
I’m going to try it but bear with me if it doesn’t always work.
Bout 10 – Lightweights: Melvin Guillard vs. Nate Diaz
Round 1: Guillard drops Diaz with a right. Back up. Wild miss by Guillard. Another swing and a miss and Diaz takes Guillard to the ground on a takedown. Guillard throws Diaz and is in top position. Guillard wants to stand up. Diaz again gets Guillard down. Guillard looks comfortable, though. Back up. Guillard wants to trade, no doubt about that. Diaz with a nasty cut over his right eye. Diaz lunging in, has to know he must make something happen because of that cut. Diaz misses on a left as both men taunt each other. Quick jab by Guillard. Diaz swinging wildly. Guillard proving to be too fast for Diaz so far. End of the round.
Boneman scores it: 10-9 Guillard
Round 2: Diaz pressuring but not really landing anything. Guillard gets on top but wants to stand up. Guillard with a waist lock that goes nowhere. Good shot by Diaz. And a nice combo. Guillard plays a little rop-a-dope but is getting caught in a guillotine and is forced to tap.
Winner: Nate Diaz via guillotine choke in round 2
Bout 9 – Lightweights: Roger Huerta vs. Gray Maynard
Round 1: Maynard rushing Huerta but not much to show for it. Strong Mexican-American contingent on hand for this one. Huerta looks a little hesitant, working off the rust. Huerta gets caught coming in but recovers. Huerta no stalking Maynard. Huerta lands a nice combo. And another one up against the fence. Maynard with a right hand. Good jab by Maynard. Maynard trying for a takedown, no dice. Huerta trying to flurry at the end.
Boneman scores it: 10-9 Huerta
Round 2: Huerta tries a leg kick. Maynard scores with a right hand. Both men refusing to be the first to commit a mistake. A right by Maynard has Huerta off balance. Huerta responds with aggression but no results. Jab puts Huerta down momentarily. Huerta can’t find Maynard right now but Maynard won’t press the action. Who do you score a round like for?
Boneman scores it: 10-9 Maynard
Round 3: Huerta with a body kick. Maynard scores a double leg takedown on Huerta. Both men back up but Maynard takes him down again. Maynard starting to pound with limited success. Maynard working on a submission but Huerta fights it off (no matter how disgusting his arm looked). Maynard with another takedown of Huerta. Final 30 seconds. Maynard takes the round. Is it enough?
Boneman scores it: 10-9 Maynard
Winner: 29-28 Huerta, 30-27 Maynard, 30-27 Maynard (Maynard by split-decision)
Bout 8 – Welterweights: Jake Ellenberger vs. Carlos Condit
Round 1: Ellenberger drops Condit with a right hand. Condit not hurt. Ellenberger with Condit against the fence. Both men back up. Another right hand drops Condit, this time he is hurt. Another right floors Condit after Condit had some success with knees. Both men back to their feet. Ellenberger working on a guillotine. Condit gets out. Kick to the head wobbles Condit. Fantastic round for Ellenberger.
Boneman scores it: 10-9 Ellenberger
Round 2: Ellenberger on a takedown. Condit reverses to full mount. Condit looks to have more energy. Ellenberger caught in Condit’s guard. Both men back up. Final seconds. Close round.
Boneman scores it: 10-9 Condit
Round 3: Both men look spent. A quick takedown by Ellenberger after a Condit kick. And both men back up. Condit goes for a single leg and gets it. Ellenberger trying for a guillotine but Condit gets out of it. Condit takes Ellenberger’s back. Ellenberger scrambles and gets on top. Both men back up. Ellenberger gets a single leg takedown. Condit again takes Ellenberger’s back. Pounding away in the final seconds Was it enough?
Boneman scores it 10-10, 29-29 Draw
Winner: 29-28 Condit, 29-28 Ellenberger, 29-28 to the winner by split decision…Carlos Condit. Crowd not too happy about that one.
Bout 7 – Middleweights: Tim Credeur vs. Nate Quarry
Round 1: Credeur attempts a kick. Quarry tries a punch to the body. Quarry trying to feel his way through with that right hand. Right hand lands. Credeur responds with a body kick. Both guys trying to work at a comfortable distance. Quarry getting closer, lands a body shot. Left by Quarry snaps the head back. Credeur floors Quarry (missed the shot). Credeur trying for a rear-naked choke. Looks like he has it but Quarry fights back. Big knee by Credeur. Back on their feet. Credeur with a right hand. Solid first round. Replay shows it was a right to the temple.
Boneman scores it: 10-9 Credeur
Round 2: Couple of huge right hands by Quarry drop Credeur was moving in for the kill. This crowd is loving it. Quarry in Credeur’s guard. Quarry trying to conserve some energy. Neither fighter able to accomplish much in final two minutes. Good round for Quarry.
Boneman scores it: 10-9 Quarry
Round 3: Credeur looks the fresher of the two (by a midge). Quarry with another big shot puts Credeur down but not out. More right hands by Quarry. They’re trading in the center of the cage. Credeur goes down again from a right hand. Ref Herb Dean watching closely. Fans chanting “Quarry” who has won this crowd over. Final 20 seconds. Credeur goes for a home run kick. Great fight. Gotta be Quarry.
Boneman scores it: 10-9 Quarry
Winner: 29-28, 29-27, 29-28 all for Nate Quarry
Bout 6 – Brian Stann vs. Steve Cantwell. The crowd is totally against this fight. And we’re less than 10 minutes away from being LIVE on Spike, so it feels rushed. I’m thinking they weren’t quite ready to get right on out there. Got some writing done during this one. Gut feeling is Stann.
Winner: Brian Stann by unanimous decision.
Bout 5 – Mike Pyle vs. Chris Wilson. Pyle won via guillotine in the third round. I apologize as UFC president Dana White asked that I sit and watch a bout with him. Great experience. Much more Thursday on some of the things White touched on.
Winner: Pyle.
Bout 4 – Middleweights: Jay Silva vs. CB Dollaway
Round 1: Dollaway tries a kick, blocked. Silva looks very relaxed for a newcomer. Dollaway really trying with those kicks to start out. Dollaway gets a leg and takes Silva down. Dollaway working on a guillotine. Silva gets out. Dollaway with a knee and takes Silva down again. Dollaway lets him up. Silva comes in with a one-two. Dollaway still trying those kicks but goes under to take Silva down again. Dollaway lets Silva up with 15 seconds left. Silva tries a big kick that is caught as Dollaway punctuates a great first rond.
Boneman scores it: Dollaway 10-9
Round 2: Good body kick by Dollaway, thumping sound. Silva trying to get his striking game going. And does, Silva in control but Dollaway regroups and gets Silva on the ground again. Good action. Silva going for an arm. Dollaway fights it off. Dollaway in foull mount, takes Silva’s back. Looking for a rear-naked choke. Has it cinched in, Silva fighting for all he’s got. Doesn’t have it quite locked in under the chin. And Silva gets out of it. Dollaway still on Silva’s back. Silva with nothing left in the tank. Silva won’t quit but can’t get out.
Boneman scores it: Dollaway 10-9
Round 3: Silva with huge shots to open it up. Dollaway scrambling. Dollaway might be more gassed than Silva. Dollaway simply laying on Silva now, not really attacking. Silva rolls around and is now almost in side mount. Silva decides to stand up. Jumping knee puts Dollaway down but Silva can’t take advantage. Dollaway gets on top. If Silva can get out and back to stand up, he might have him. Silva is going to run out of time.
Boneman scores it: Silva 10-9
Winner: C.B. Dollaway unanimous decision 29-28 on all cards (Boneman’s too)
Bout 3 – Lightweights: Justin Buchholz vs. Jeremy Stephens
Round 1: Stephens blocks a kick and taunts Buchholz. Stephens looking for the early kill. Buchholz with a big shot that lands. Buchholz trying to work the kicks in but Stephens is blocking ‘em. Buchholz backing Stephens up. Stephens hits a huge knee, a series of knees. Buchholz slumps down but gets back up. Good leg kick by Stephens and a left hand. The wide left hooks are finding a home for Stephens. The combo of knees and left hooks, and we have a blood timeout. And it’s over. That is one NASTY cut. I mean NASTY that deserves all caps.
Winner: Jeremy Stephens at 3:20 into round 1 by TKO
Bout 2 – Welterweights: Mike Pierce vs. Brock Larson
Round 1: Pierce goes in for double leg. Larson snuffs it, up against the cage. Pierce drops Larson, no major damage. Pierce has Larson up against the cage but neither man is really being able to do anything in the first three minutes. Back to their feet and Larson flurries. Larson lands some good shots to end an otherwise uneventful first round.
Boneman scores it: 10-9 Larson
Round 2: Pierce gets Larson into the cage as both men jockey for position. Larson attempting knees with his back against the fence. Larson gets a little too anxious and Pierce takes him down. Pierce is taking the initiative but right now it’s not really leading to anything substantial. Larson now has Pierce in his guard, and it’s back to the position most of this fight has been contested in to close it out.
Boneman scores it: 10-9 Pierce
Round 3: Good shots by Larson to start it off. Now it’s Larson with Pierce’s back against the fence. Pierce able to move Larson into the fence. Pierce able to get Larson on the ground. 1:40 left in the bout. Larson just hasn’t been able to break free and turn this into a fight. Good effort by both men, not much action.
Boneman scores it: 10-9 Pierce
Winner: Mike Pierce unanimous decision 30-27 (Boneman had it 29-28).
Bout 1 – Middleweights: Steve Steinbeiss vs. Ryan Jensen
Steinbeiss landed a couple of good shots before Jensen took him to the ground and Steinbeiss was in full guard. Jensen started to pound Steinbeiss from the ground before they started scrambling. It looked like Jensen was going to allow Steinbeiss up and then went in and struck with the guillotine. Technically, think it’s a ref’s stoppage. Didn’t see a tap, so think it goes to the discretion of referee Gary Ritter. Either way, it’s a win for the 12-year pro from Nebraska, Jensen. Not a popular win with this crowd, but a win nevertheless. Ritter checked on Steinbeiss, and it looked like Steinbeiss gave a thumbs up.
Winner: Ryan Jensen TKO 1 3:56 into 1st round.
LIVE from the Cox Convention Center…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Hopefully the connection remains solid here at Cox. I have issues in the past with it not working the way it should. I have arrived and the masses are filing in for UFN 19: Diaz vs. Guillard. First fight is, oh, about 30-45 minutes away.
I’m just glad it’s here as I haven’t been able to sleep all week just thinking about it. Finally got to bed around 5 in the morning before waking up at 8.
If the live blog goes awry, you can follow me on Twitter @BPrzybylo as well for fight coverage.
