Hey everyone. I've decided I'm going to blog tonight's UFC event that's airing on Spike TV/Rogers Sportsnet. I'm going to be giving round-by-round thoughts, along with a scorecard. My view is my own, and nobody else's. I won't be doing anything for the prelim fights, only the main card fights.
Here's the line-up:
Preliminary card
Heavyweight bout: James McSweeney vs. Travis Browne
Middleweight bout: James Hammortree vs. Chris Camozzi
Middleweight bout: Kyle Noke vs. Josh Bryant
Middleweight bout: Brad Tavares vs. Seth Baczynski
Lightweight bout: John Gunderson vs. Mark Holst
Main card
Middleweight bout: Jamie Yager vs. Rich Attonito
Lightweight bout: Spencer Fisher vs. Dennis Siver
Middleweight bout: Chris Leben vs. Aaron Simpson
Light Heavyweight bout: Matt Hamill vs. Keith Jardine
TUF11 Middleweight Final: Court McGee vs. Kris McCray
Bookmark and refresh throughout the night. I'll be updating at various points when the prelims start with results, and round-by-round once the event starts at 9pm EDT/6pm PDT.
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UFC: THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: TEAM LIDDELL vs. TEAM ORTIZ/FRANKLIN FINALE
TRAVIS BROWNE VS. JAMES McSWEENEY
Travis Browne def. James McSweeney via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 4:32.
CHRIS CAMOZZI VS. JAMES HAMMORTREE
Chris Camozzi def. James Hammortree via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27).
JOSH BRYANT VS. KYLE NOKE
Kyle Noke def. Josh Bryant via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 3:12.
SETH BACZYNSKI VS. BRAD TAVARES
Brad Tavares def. Seth Baczynski via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
JOHN GUNDERSON VS. MARK HOLST
John Gunderson def. Mark Holst via unanimous decision (no scores given).
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Intro thoughts: It's funny that in the intro video, they're still showing Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz, when Ortiz was removed from the show, and it was renamed Team Liddell vs. Team Franklin for the last episode of the season. Oh well. Also to note, gotta love the commercials (not).
MAIN CARD
RICH ATTONITO VS. JAMIE YAGER
Pre-Fight - Yager looks like a fucking Chia-Pet.
Round 1 - Yager starts with a kick that catches air. Both are dacing around, and exchange punches. Yager moves in, and lands a hard kick to the knee. Yager looking for punches, hits a couple. Yager has a huge reach with his stance, and lands a hard series of puches, backing Rich to the cage. Rick tries to take Yager down, and Yager is looking for a standing kimura when it comes to the takedown attempt. After about 10 seconds, Yager is finally taken down, but scrambles to his feet. Nice knee by Yager to the face of Rich. Yager's problem in the series has been his gas tank, as his fights don't go long. Yager throws another kick to the front leg that lands. Now he lands a punch. Rich misses a kick. Yager throws a kick, but has it countered with a hard punch. Yager lands a two punch combo. Both are starting to relax and find a rhythm. Rich with a nice left to the cheek, but does nothing. Rich catches Yager and back Yager up to the cage, attempting a takedown, but he's eating elbows to the side of the head. Yager with an elbow out of the clinch and tries for a kick. Rich eats a right, but answers with a kick. Yager is throwing kicks, both high and low. As the round closes, nothing more happens. Round 1: Yager 10, Attonito 9.
Round 2 - We start, and both exchange punches. Yager is trying to work the left hooking uppercut. Rich tries to fly in with punches, but ends up being the bull to the evasive mattador. Rich throws a head kick that doesn't land. Yager is being fairly elusive. Finally, Rich lands a kick. Now they trade at the centre of the Octagon. Yager lands a hard left hook, and Rich comes back with a kick to the legs. Yager lands a combo to the head, but it just polishes Rich's dome. Yager is slowing down, and is starting to take punches against the cage. Rich blocks a head kick. Yager tries a jumping knee, but airs it. Rich lands a hard right, again. Yager looks gassed as he eats some shots. Rich throws a few punches and then takes Yager down, and quickly takes the back. Rich going for a rear-naked choke. Back to the back-mount. Rich keeps working and is now raining blows like a fucking madman. Finally, referee Steve Mazagatti calls a stop to the fight. As they stand up, Yager and Rich embrace, showing good sportsmanship. Rich Attonito def. Jamie Yager via TKO at 4:25 of Round 2.
Thoughts: Jamie Yager really needs to work on his conditioning and not trying to finish the fight early. After dropping the first round, Rich Attonito had an AWESOME second round. Bright future for this guy if he can remain injury free.
Between-Fight: We get to see the TUF 11 finalists getting their hands wrapped. I wonder how Court McGee fights seeing as he's a heavy glasses wearer outside the cage. Hmmm. Yay, commercial. Anyone else excited for July 3rd? Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship. I'll be honest, I'm going with Brock. Woot! Rock'em Sock'em Lightweights time! But first, another commercial, but this time, a preview of TUF 12: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck. If there's one thing GSP could give to his team, it's closed captioning.
SPENCER FISHER VS. DENNIS SIVER
Round 1 - We have a lovely female referee named Kim Winslow taking charge of the cage for this fight. Figher and Siver are trading air kicks. Figher lands an outside kick, and then throws an inside kick to the nuts. We have a break, and a replay. After a minute, we're back to action. Figher lands a hard punch, and now a kick while avoiding a counter punch from Siver. Another kick from Fisher, and a couple return including a front kick to the face by Siver. The two clinch, and Siver pushes away landing a punch. Another kick by Siver, but Siver has a cut over his eye. Trading punches at the centre of the cage. Fisher lands a kick to the body. Blood is really coming down the side of Siver's face. Fisher is really moving around, while Siver keeps the centre of the Octagon. Siver with a leg kick and some punches. This is really turning into a strong kickboxing match. Ouch! Hard kick to the body by Fisher. Both are trading punches, and Siver's left side of the face is really bloody, mostly from dried blood. Both continue to trade standing kicks, and Siver lands a hard punch. Fisher with a kick to the knee. Fisher tries a side hook kick, but misses. Siver throws a spinning back kick, but takes a light head kick. Round over. Fisher 10, Siver 9.
Between rounds: Wow, that cut is DEEP! And we get the copyright riot act from Mike Goldberg.
Round 2 - Siver again in the center to open the round. Fisher circling left, into Siver's power hand. Fisher kicks low. moves in but eats a counter. Siver now kicking low again. Patient attacks. Fisher lands a nice straight left, then follows with a firm low kick. Fisher continues to circle into Siver's power hand, and Siver just misses a big right. Siver works a pair of low kicks. Siver catches a kick and lands a right hand that sends Fisher down. He pops back up, but Siver looks energized. Fisher has a high kick blocked, but he then lands a 1-2. Fisher with a Superman, then a follow straight. One minute left. Both fighters still firing shots, though the action comes in spots. Siver lands a kick to the body. Front kick lands for Siver, but he's too close on another spinning strike. Close round. Siver 10, Fisher 9. Tied 19-19 after 2 rounds.
Round 3 - Siver opens with a high kick. A low kick then catches Fisher in the groin, and we have a short break. High kick from Fisher answered with punches from Siver. Fisher's corner wants him to press. Siver still has the center of the cage. Siver lands a few punches and whiffs on a kick. Siver really starting to become the aggressor and looks much more comfortable than he did in the first. Siver lands a jab, though Fisher slips the right. Front kick from Siver. Two minutes in. Fisher starts to open up with punches and kicks, and a knee lands clean. Siver closing the distance now. Looping shots fired by both, though Siver throwing with more frequency. Fisher slowing down again. Siver slips a Fisher attack and fires back counters. Both guys willing to trade, but Siver seems to have the timing down at this point. Straight punch for Siver. Less than a minute. Siver wobbles momentarily. Front kick from Siver. Spinning backfist from Fisher. Siver shoots at the bell. Siver 10, Fisher 9. Final score: Siver 29, Fisher 28.
Denis Siver def. Spencer Fisher via unaminious decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Post-Fight: This was a great kickboxing fight. Loved it! Siver definately moves up in the rankings, and is probably in the top 7 or 8. Give him a televised PPV fight, please. Oh, and referee Wilson has a nice smile.
Between Fights: Wow. Ummm...Epic. Fucking. Promo for The Expendables. August 13 can't come fast enough. They're recapping the hell out of this past season of The Ultimate Fighter, which was WAY better than last season's Heavyweights. Basically, this is a commercial-fest right now, as they probably want to get them all out of the way so they can show a couple fights with little-to-no commercials. If that's the reasoning, I don't blame them. But then again, UFC = money.
CHRIS LEBEN VS. AARON SIMPSON
Round 1 - Referee Josh Rosenthal oversees this middleweight affair. Simpson rakes the center and stalks. Leben circling. Smpson fires the first flurry and immediately moces on fore th takedoewn. Leben hits the deck, and Simpson takes side control.L eben scrambles up, but Simpson controls the head and lands a knee. Simpson looks like he's tryin for the choek, but he lands another knee and moves away. Leben presses into the clinch and works in a few footstomps. Simpson circles off the cage. Nothin gin the clinch, and they reset. Simpson lands a stiff left, followed by a right Halfway through the frame. Simpson pushes in again. Simpson lifts LEben and tosses him to the floor. A few punches score to the face before Leben can scramble up. Leben fires of a few big lefts, but they miss. Simpson counters with a few stiff straights. Leben looks a bit winded moving forward, but he fires off shots when he has space. Simpson avoiding well and moves into the clinch. Less than a minute. Simpson throws a few knees, and Leben answers with some short punches to the head, but the round ends. Round 1 score: Simpson 10, Liben 9.
Round 2 - Leben opens on the attack, and Simpson tries to counter with a takedown. Leben shucks it off and fires in the pocket. Simpson absorbs a few shots and fires back. The pair resets and moves across the cage, and it's a firefight. Simpson's back to the cage, and Leben firing hooks. Simpson slows things down with a clinch. Leben breaks and chases. Simpson tries for another takedown, but Lebe remains upright. Leben lands a nice jab, but Simpson looks unfazed. Two minutes left. Simpson against the cage, and Leben throwing front kicks and left hands. Simpson firing back when he can, but his punches starting to tire. Leben firing off sots, and Simpson is rocked. He falls, and Leben pounces. Leben fires off punches as Rosenthal watches. Simpson crawls back to his feet and tries to scamper away. As he does, another pair of shots land, and Simpson stumbles to the canvas. Tough to tell how hurt Simpson was versus being well off-balance, but Rosenthal has seen enough.
Chris Liben def. Aaron Simpson via TKO at 4:17 of Round 2.
Post-Fight: Wow, this was a great finish. A Chris Liben special, if you will. Man, this guy's matured. Still loves to have fun, though.
MATT HAMILL VS. KEITH JARDINE
Round 1 - Herb Dean the third man in the cage for the evening's co-main event. Hamill misses with a left hand and Jardine flurries. Into the clinch, but no real offense. Hamill works in a few jabs with Jardine's hands low. Jardine kicks low. Hamill jumps in and eats a low kick. Jardine landing and moving. Hamill kicks low but eats a right hand. Now Jardine kicks and catches a left counter. Jardine lands a kick to the midsectionrion. Halfway through. Jardine rushes forward with punches, though Hamill blocks most of them. Jardine lands a slapping low kick. Hamill shoots in, but Jardine saw it coming and defends. Traded jabs. Another low kick for Jardine, who follows with a combination that ends with an uppercut. Hamill getting thought in spots, but Jardine landing more shots. Jab for Jardine. Hamill blocks most of a combination. Jardine misses on a big right. Very close round. Jardine 10, Hamill 9.
Round 2 - Hamill’s corner instructs him to take Jardine down. He attempts to do so in the round’s first 30 seconds, but Jardine easily defends it. Hamill tries to box with Jardine and he gets pelted with three low kicks. Hamill attempts to kick the head and Jardine checks it. Hamill catches a low kick, but he can’t drag Jardine down. The Greg Jackson product is picking Hamill apart. Hamill jabs and finds some success with a right hand. Jardine goes right back to the legs with low kicks. Hamill charges forward and glances the face of Jardine, who’s now bleeding from a cut near the left eye. Hamill lands a head kick and the momentum has changed. Hamill with uppercuts from the clinch and then he goes down. Hamill covers his face and complains of an eye poke. Replays show a thumb accidentally connect with the right eye. Herb Dean takes a point regardless. The fight is restarted and Jardine bulrushes with punches and Hamill gets the best of an exchange before getting a takedown. Jardine stands and Hamill pours it on with punches from the clinch. Jardine is now cut over his right eye. Jardine is a bloody mess. Hamill 10, Jardine 8 (Jardine was deducted 1 point). 19-18 Hamill after 2 rounds.
Between Rounds: Blood on the camera lense, blood on the body, blood on the trunks...Got blood?
Round 3 - The fighters pick up where they left off, though with a bit less zip. Hamill lands the stiffer shots, though Jardine returning fire. Hamill pushes in and secures the takedown. Jardine's reddened from the blood, and he tries to stand. A second effort gets him back standing, though Dean wants doctors to check the cut. It's over the right eye, but they let Jardine carry on. Jardine lands a nice right that pops Hamill's head back. Hamill tries to shoot, but Jardine scampers away and resets. Jabs from both. Jardine has abandoned the low kick. Hamill popping jabs, though Jardine not going anywhere. Two minutes left. Jardine's face a mess. He's retreating, but Hamill in control. Dean calls for a break as Jardine has lost his mouthpiece. Hamill shoots in on the restart. Jardine defends, but he's blasted by a knee to the face. Jardine lands a right. Hamill shoots again. Jardine defends well and resets. Less thana minute. Both fighters justifiably tired. Jardine more active in the closing second. Overhand right lands for Jadine, but the bell sounds to end the fight. Hamill 10, Jardine 9. Final Score: Hamill 29, Jardine 27.
Matt Hamill def. Keith Jardine via Majority Decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28).
TUF11 FINAL: COURT McGEE VS. KRIS McCRAY
Round 1 - Referee Steve Mazagatti in the cage with the "TUF 11" title on the line. McCray gets the best of an early flurry, and the two move into the clinch. Nothing doing, and they reset. McCray reaches on a punch and nearly gets caught with a counter. Battle for the trip in a clinch, and McGee sets up on top. McCray has guard. Fight moves to the cafe, and McCray works himself back to his feet. Not there long as McGee sucks him up and back on to the floor. McCray's head against the cage. McGee postures and lands a shot as he passes into half-mount. McGee lands a few shots and tries to get a headlock as McCray stands. McCray fires off a few shots on the feet, but it's McGee who lands the cleaner blows. In the clinch, and McGee again drags the action to the mat. McCray works free when McGee looks for a choke, and it's back to the feet. McCray throwing his hands, but it's again McGee who lands the better shot.McCray lands a stiff right in the closing seconds. Round Score: McGee 10, McCray 9.
Round 2 - McCray fires off a few powerful punches, and he's looking a bit more active than round one. McGee wies him up and lands a knee. A scramble as the two hit the deck, and McGee is on top. McGee tries for a side choke from mount, but McCray slips out. McCray not absorbing any damage underneath, but he's still mounted. McGee lands a few left hands to the ribs. McCray rolls to escape, but McGee stays on the back. McCray spins free, and they're back on the feet. Traded shots on the feet, and McGee drives through for a takedown. McCray trapped, and McGee presses in and moves to the back. Left hook is in, and McGee sinks in the choke. McCray tries to relent, but he's forced to tap with no room to escape.
Court McGee def. Kris McCray via submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:41 of Round 2, and wins the Ultimate Fighter 11 Middleweight Tournament.
Post-Fight: McGee is a true success story. Someone who came back from battling his addictions and demons to win this big fight. Congrats!
Goodnight, everyone!
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