MMA Fight of The Year Nominees Part 2
MMA Fight of The Year Nominees Part 3
Have you gotten a good look at the cut on Brock Lesnar’s face in the aftermath of UFC 121? It’s pretty bad and you know it’s going to need stitches. Take a close look. It’s right underneath Brock’s left eye. That other thing? No, that’s not a cut. It looks more like Cain Velasquez opened a new orifice for Lesnar’s trash talking.
Brock Lesnar vs Cain Velasquez
There are fights that MMA fans watch only because they are interesting match ups. Brock Lesnar vs Cain Velasquez was not one of those fights. Lesnar defending his heavy weight title against Velasquez is one of those fights that truly deserve pay per view status. These two men and this match had the feel of a true main event fight. The general consensus, coming into the fight, was that Brock was the bigger, better, stronger wrestler. On the other hand, it was also accepted that Cain was a better all around MMA fighter. Cain has better stand up and he is known to have great conditioning. However, it remained to be seen whether that would be enough to overcome the tremendous size and athleticism of Lesnar.
So, how did the fight go?
Lesnar went on the attack immediately. He went for a takedown and used knees to attack. Lesnar was able to get a takedown, but Cain got back up. Lesnar pinned Velasquez against the fence. Once again, Lesnar got the takedown, but Cain immediately got back up. Velasquez shot in with a single, got the takedown, and ground and pounded Lesnar. Lesnar was able to get back up, but Velasquez quickly dropped him. Velasquez used ground and pound once again until the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
Velasquez won via TKO.
Jake Shields vs Martin Kampmann
Shields came into the fight with a lot of fan fare, with his great submission game and being the Elite XC and Strikeforce champion. As expected, Shields used strikes to get to the clinch. He was able to get takedowns and go for submission attempts. Kampmann was able to defend the multiple submission attempts by Shields. Kampmann was not able to do much to stop the takedowns until he landed a knee that rocked Shields. He used that opportunity to start to turn the fight in his favor. However, Shields recovered and went back on the offensive. Shields was clearly tired in the third round. Shields recovered and ended up taking Kampmann’s back to end the fight.
Shields won the split decision.
Diego Sanchez vs Paulo Thiago
In what could have been Sanchez’s most impressive performance in the Octagon, Sanchez looked spectacular. Sanchez used his athleticism and his great conditioning to push the pace of the fight. However, it was Thiago that won the beginning of the fight, getting a takedown and going for multiple choke attempts. Sanchez changed the fight in his favor in the second round. In a moment that the crowd enjoyed and cheered, Sanchez lifted Thiago and ran across the cage screaming before slamming Thiago. Thiago was clearly tired in the third round. Sanchez used his conditioning to dominate the final round. Sanchez was able to mount Thiago and take his back as well.
Sanchez won the unanimous decision.
Tito Ortiz vs Matt Hamill
Ortiz came out attacking, both with his hands and his legs. However, Hamill cut Ortiz above his right ear and below his right eye. Ortiz kept the pressure on with Hamill landing an occasional strike. For most of the fight, Ortiz would land combinations and Hamill would only land single shots. Hamill did get takedowns and used them to ground and pound. The most significant takedown came toward the end of the fight. Hamill shot in, got the takedown, and landed in side control. Hamill landed punches and elbows from that position and caused a lot of damage. Ortiz’s face was completely bruised, lumped, and cut by the end of the third round.
Hamill won the unanimous decision.
Brendan Schaub vs Gabriel Gonzaga
To begin the fight, Gonzaga took the middle of the Octagon and stalked Schaub. Schaub, however, was the first to connect. Schaub kept beating Gonzaga to the punch, completely out striking Gonzaga. Schaub was able to knock Gonzaga to the mat, to end the second round. Gonzaga did better in the third round, but the round was still just about even.
Schaub won the unanimous decision.
Court McGee vs Ryan Jensen
In round one, McGee looked completely outclassed. Jensen knocked McGee to the mat, and out struck him, time and time again. McGee started to turn things around in the second round. McGee landed a left hook that stunned Jensen. McGee even got a throw on Jensen to end the second round. McGee caught Jensen to open up the third round. He took the fight to the ground, and worked his way to the mount. Jensen was clearly exhausted. From the mount, McGee finished the fight with a ahead and arm.
McGee won with a head and arm choke.
Patrick Cote vs Tom Lawlor
Lawlor used his superior wrestling to dominate the fight. Cote spent the majority of the fight pressed against the fence or taking chingasos on the ground. Lawlor simply took down Cote at will. Lawlor not only threw chingasos, but he also went for submission attempts. He tried kimuras and head and arm chokes. At one point, Cote had to grab the fence to save himself from the head and arm choke. Lawlor completely dominated the fight.
Lawlor won the unamimous decision.
Mike Guymon vs Daniel Roberts
Roberts immediately threw a chingaso that caught Guymon. Guymon backed up as Roberts threw chingaso after chingaso. Roberts grabbed Roberts’s neck in a guillotine hold. Roberts switched to an anaconda and threw Guymon to the mat. Roberts rolled and finished the choke.
Roberts won via anaconda choke.
Sam Stout vs Paul Taylor
Stout won the split decision.
Chris Camozzi vs Dongi Yang
Camozzi won the split decision.
Jon Madsen vs Gilbert Yvel
Madsen got the TKO victory in round one.
It is not uncommon to hear the Internet tough guys come out and criticize every MMA card. UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez, will be difficult for anyone to criticize. The main event will feature the two best wrestlers in the heavy weight division. Cain Velasquez has shown that he is more than a mere wrestler and can throw chingasos, with his vastly improved striking. On the other hand, Brock Lesnar showed in his fight against Shane Carwin, that he can take a chingaso and keep on ticking. Who will win the fight? Look at our previous article for some insight.
In the meantime, here is the fight card for UFC 121:
Brock Lesnar vs Cain Velasquez
Jake Shields vs Martin Kampmann
Diego Sanchez vs Paulo Thiago
Tito Ortiz vs Matt Hamill
Brendan Schaub vs Gabriel Gonzaga
Court McGee vs Ryan Jensen
Patrick Cote vs Tom Lawlor
Mike Guymon vs Daniel Roberts
Sam Stout vs Paul Taylor
Chris Camozzi vs Dongi Yang
Jon Madsen vs Gilbert Yvel
Michael Bisping vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
After his last fight in the UFC, Yoshihiro Akiyama asked for this fight against Michael Bisping. Akiyama felt that he did not prepare correctly for the fight against Chris Leben, and that he should be able to defeat Michael Bisping. Bisping did not take well to Akiyama asking for this fight. Now on the action.
Akiyama threw a hard chingaso that caught Bisping, to open up the fight. Akiyama caught Bisping with a good left hook. Bisping decided to go for a takedown, but was unsuccessful. He got the second takedown, but Akiyama was able to quickly get back up. Each fighter landed a low blow. Bisping kept attempting takedowns and throwing chingasos when he did not complete the takedown.
Akiyama opened up round two with a one-two combination that landed. Bisping landed many times with the right hand. Akiyama was throwing too, but Bisping was able to stay away from his strikes. In the meantime, Bisping kept landing his own chingasos. As the round came to an end, Akiyama landed with a flurry of hard punches.
In the final round, Akiyama threw chingasos, but Bisping countered with a kick to the head. Bisping kept the pressure on with the hands. Unfortunately, Bisping also landed an extremely hard low blow that put Akiyama on the mat. When Akiyama recovered, Bisping kept throwing chingasos at a hard and fast pace. As the fight came to an end, Akiyama came forward, throwing chingasos. Bisping returned the favor, as both men connected. Bisping won the unanimous decision.
Dan Hardy vs. Carlos Condit
Both men used low kicks to feel each other out. They both did use their hands, as the round progressed, but they mainly kept using their legs. Finally, both fighters decided to let the hands loose. Both men threw a left hook, but Condit’s chingaso landed first and landed harder. Hardy ended up on the mat, and Condit got in two more chingasos before the referee jumped in to end the fight.
John Hathaway vs. Mike Pyle
Both men came out cautious, carefully feeling out each other. Pyle finally shot in and got a takedown. Pyle tried hard to keep the position, but Hathaway reversed him before the fight got back to standing. As the round progressed, Pyle tagged Hathaway with right crosses. Pyle threw Hathaway to the mat as the round ended.
In the second, the action slowed down a bit, but both men did keep busy. Pyle failed on takedown attempts, but finally got a throw to get the fight to the ground. Pyle trapped Hathaway with a mounted triangle. Pyle used the position to throw chingasos while slowly tightening the triangle. Hathaway survived the round.
To begin round three, Hathaway threw a kick to Pyle’s body then went for an unsuccessful takedown. Pyle got his own takedown and held Hathaway down. Hathaway worked hard to get back up, but Pyle was able to hold on and land chingasos. As the fight came to an end, Pyle passed to side control. Pyle won the unanimous decision.
Cheick Kongo vs. Travis Browne
Browne came out throwing wild chingasos. Kongo threw low kicks, and Browne countered with more wild shots. Kongo got aggressive, but Browne was able to counter and land a couple of good shots that hurt Kongo. While Browne kept throwing the wild blows, Kongo was more cautious for the rest of the round.
Kongo used good striking technique and landed shots on Browne, to begin the second round. Browne threw more wild shots, but it was Kongo that kept connecting. For most of the rest of the round, the two men clinched up against the fence. However, Browne threw Kongo to the mat to end the round.
Browne began the final round by shooting in immediately and pinning Kongo against the cage. The referee warned Kongo not to hold Browne’s shorts. He kept doing it, and the referee took a point away from Kongo. Despite losing the point, Kongo kept grabbing the shorts. Browne appeared to be tired, and Kongo was able to land. Browne went for and got a sacrifice throw right before the final bell. The fight ended up a unanimous draw.
Cyrille Diabate vs. Alexander Gustafsson
In the first round, both men came out throwing chingasos. Gustafsson hit Diabate with a left that knocked Diabate to the ground. Diabate got back up, but Gustafsson shot in and pinned Diabate against the cage. When they released, Gustafsson hit Diabate again with a couple of good chingasos.
To begin the second round, Diabate landed a couple of good shots. Gustafsson shot in and took down Diabate. Gustafsson got mount and transitioned to the back. Gustafsson went for the choke, released, threw more chingasos, and opened up a cut. Gustafsson went for the choke again, released, and threw more chingasos before finally finishing the fight with a rear naked choke.
Paul Sass vs. Mark Holst
Sass immediately pulled guard and went for a triangle. Holst pulled out and stood up. Sass threw chingasos to set up another guard pull. Sass again went for the triangle then for a toehold, as Holst was pulling away. The fight ended up on the ground again, and Sass went for a heel hook that Holst was able to defend. After the fight went to the feet, Sass pulled guard again, went for the triangle, and finally got the tap out.
James Wilks vs. Claude Patrick
Patrick used the top position all three rounds to throw chingasos. Patrick won the unanimous decision.
James McSweeney vs. Fabio Maldonado
Maldonado threw chingasos, both standing and on the ground, to wear down McSweeney. The referee had to stop the fight in the third round, as Maldonado was connecting with one chingaso after another.
Spencer Fisher vs. Curt Warburton
There was no doubt that this was an MMA fight. The fight had kicks, hands, clinching, takedowns, and submission attempts. The fight went the distance, with each fighter getting in his own action. Fisher got the unanimous decision.
Rob Broughton vs. Vinicius Queiroz
Queiroz won the ground battle for the first two round. However, Broughton was able to sink in a rear naked choke and get the submission in the third round.
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Nick Diaz faced KJ Noons in this Strikeforce event. The fight was a rematch that took three years to make. Diaz came into the fight looking to avenge the last loss in his career.
To begin the fight, the two fighters came out slowly, feeling each other out. Diaz threw a right cross that dropped Noons to the mat. Diaz moved to side control, but Noons was able to get up. Both fighters threw chingasos, but Noons landed more.
Noons landed combinations to begin the second round. Noons cut Diaz as they both continued the trash talking that preceded the fight. Noons landed more shots and repeatedly went to the body. Noons kept on jabbing, going to the body, throwing hooks, and throwing upper cuts. Noons dominated the round.
Diaz shot in to begin round three, but Noons easily stuffed it. Both fighters stayed in the pocket and threw chingasos. Some of the strikes were quick ones, but others were thrown with intentions of ending the fight. Neither fighter landed many hard chingasos, but both fighters did land plenty of times.
The fourth round continued where the third left off. However, Diaz did land enough to draw blood from Noons’s nose. Both men kept landing blow after blow as the round continued. This round Diaz started going to the body.
In the fifth and final round, Diaz once again started with a takedown attempt. And, Noons once again stuffed it with the fight continuing standing. Both fighters continued by throwing chingasos, as they did the previous rounds. Diaz ended the fight with a gash right on his right eyebrow. Noons’s face ended up beat up as well. According to the stats, Noons threw and landed more chingasos. However, Diaz took the unanimous decision over Noons.
Josh Thompson vs. JZ Cavalcante
Cavalcante landed a chingaso on Thompson’s right temple, to begin the fight. Thompson started going down, and Cavalcante went immediately for a guillotine. He held it tight, but he could not finish. Thompson ended up on top and threw his own chingasos. Thompson got a bit sloppy and Cavalcante went for submissions from the bottom. Thompson got to half guard, trapped an arm, and went for an arm triangle. The round ended.
In the second round, the two men clinched up and ended up against the fence. They jockeyed for position before Thompson finally got Cavalcante to the ground. Thompson got Cavalcante’s back and threw chingasos while controlling Cavalcante. Cavalcante was able to get back to half guard. Thompson threw more chingasos as the round ended.
Thompson went for a takedown to start the third round but just ended up in the clinch. Cavalcante ended up getting the takedown and went straight to the mount. Thompson got out and momentarily held Cavalcante with the rubber guard. The fight went to the feet again, but only for a moment. Cavalcante ended up on top and threw a chingaso that caught Thompson. The fight ended with Cavalcante on top inside the guard. Thompson got the unanimous decision.
Sarah Kaufman vs. Marloes Coenen
In round one, the two ladies met in the middle and immediately started throwing chingasos. They clinched up, got against the fence, and the referee broke them up as the action slowed down. Coenen landed a couple of hard blows. They clinched up again, and once again the referee stepped in. Coenen landed hard chingasos to end the round.
In round two, Coenen used her height and reach advantage to control the striking. The ladies clinched and Kaufman used her strength to hold Coenen against the cage. Coenen threw a kick that landed on Kaufman’s body. Kaufman grabbed the leg and used the opportunity to press Coenen against the cage. The referee broke it up again. Coenen used her jab to stifle Kaufman. When they clinched, Coenen went for a hip toss, but Kaufman immediately reversed, as they hit the ground. Kaufman landed some chingasos, and Coenen went for the submission as the round ended.
In the third round, Coenen threw Kaufman to the ground, but Kaufman reversed. Kaufman threw hard chingasos and landed many of the shots. Coenen trapped Kaufman’s right arm, rotated her hips, and went for the armbar. Kaufman tapped and the referee stepped in to end the fight. Coenen is now the new Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Champion.
Tyron Woodley vs. Andre Galvao
To begin the fight, neither of the two men worried much about the feeling out process. They each threw a few chingasos to get the fight started. Galvao decided to shoot in, but he got stuffed and took some pounding. Galvao shot in again, got stuffed, and took more chingasos. Woodley let Galvao get up, but Galvao wobbled and had a hard time standing straight. Galvao approached Woodley and shot in for a single again. Woodley cocked back and threw a chingasos that got Galvao perfectly. The referee stepped in to stop the fight.
Undercard:
Jess Bouscal vs. Luis Mendoza
Bouscal defeated Mendoza via an arm triangle choke in the second round.
Ron Keslar vs. Josh MacDonald
MacDonald defeated Keslar via unanimous decision.
James Terry vs. David Marshall
Terry defeated Marshall via unanimous decision.