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Round 1
Referee Don Turnage is in charge of the evening’s first contest.
The fighters are throwing heavy leather from the onset with
Melancon landing overhand bombs. Vallie-Flagg backs into the cage
and gets tossed to the canvas, where Melancon instantly goes to
side control. Briefly in full mount, Melancon finds himself bucked
off. Vallie-Flagg squirms and turtles and Melancon leaps onto his
back. He pulls Vallie-Flagg backward and works to sink in a
rear-naked choke, but Vallie-Flagg turns into it, guts the choke
out and works back to his feet. Vallie-Flagg lands a slow front
kick and Melancon puts another right hand over the top on the Greg
Jackson pupil’s face. Now it’s Vallie-Flagg looking for a takedown,
but Melancon grabs the cage to avoid the single-leg and is verbally
warned by referee Don Turnage. Vallie-Flagg tries to clinch and
takes another big right hand, then they repeat the front
kick-overhand sequence. Vallie-Flagg leaps with a couple flying
knees, but they don’t land and the pair clinch to the horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Melancon
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Melancon
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Melancon
Round 2
Vallie-Flagg opens the second round looking to duck in and strike,
and does find success with a few left jabs. Melancon’s right hand
is still finding its target, however. The men clinch on the fence
and Melancon comes over the top with a level elbow. Vallie-Flagg
puts his adversary on the cage and double-legs him down, but
Melancon won’t stay there. Two minutes down and Melancon throws a
few knees up the middle in the clinch and then shucks another
takedown attempt. Vallie-Flagg breaks off and the pair trade hard
shots. Referee Turnage pauses the action for Vallie-Flagg to
restore his mouthguard and they restart at center cage. They clinch
to another stalemate and are restarted, whereupon Vallie-Flagg
charges forward with punches, directly into a big right uppercut
from Melancon. Just before the horn, Vallie-Flagg lands a few knees
in the clinch.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Vallie-Flagg
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Vallie-Flagg
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Vallie-Flagg
Round 3
Vallie-Flagg is on the offense early in the final frame, but still
running into hard punches. Melancon eats a few leg kicks and shoots
a double from way out which Vallie-Flagg avoids. They clinch along
the cage and Vallie-Flagg scores with a jump knee, high and inside.
Melancon walks Vallie-Flagg down and puts another right hand on
him, then slams Vallie-Flagg to the floor. Vallie-Flagg nearly has
his back taken, but works to the fence and twists over, narrowly
avoiding another rear-naked choke attempt. They scramble to the
feet and both men throw tired body punches as they spin along the
fence. Vallie-Flagg puts some hard knees on Melancon’s ribs,
followed by a few nice elbows. Ref Turnage restarts them and
Melancon instantly gets a takedown. Vallie-Flagg tries to stand,
but Melancon suplexes him back down as time runs out.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Melancon (29-28 Melancon)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Melancon (29-28 Melancon)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Vallie-Flagg (29-28
Vallie-Flagg)
Official scores: Judge Kent Basinger scores it 29-28 for Melancon. However, judges Jesse Reyes and Dan Mathisen each see it 29-28 for the winner by split decision, Isaac Vallie-Flagg.
Round 1
Ray lands leg kicks in the opening 30 seconds before Burrell goes
low and dumps the Floridian to the mat with ease. High guard from
Ray as he throws elbows from underneath, then tries for an armbar.
Burrell slips out and Ray tries to isolate a leg. He can’t do it
and Burrell replies with a few hard hammerfists to the face. With
Burrell in half-guard on his right side, Ray grabs and wrenches at
the right arm of his opponent. It looks bad for a moment, but
Burrell pulls free and pops Ray with another few punches, then
takes side control. Ray stuffs him back to half-guard, Burrell
postures up and Ray grabs at a far-side armbar. Again, Burrell
escapes, but no sooner is he back in Ray’s guard than the American
Top Team fighter is going for another armbar. They stand and
Burrell rushes Ray into the fence, where Ray hunts for a standing
kimura. Burrell tries to spin him down with a single-leg, but Ray
winds up on top with an armbar. It’s almost fully extended, but
Burrell survives and rides out the round in guard.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Ray
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Ray
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Ray
Round 2
Burrell sticks Ray with a jab, backs out, and then lands another,
thwarting a spinning backfist attempt. He times a combo from Ray
perfectly, zaps him with a right and then plows him to the ground.
Ray instantly looks to isolate an arm underneath. Burrell stands
and drops back down to side control, then north-south, but
eventually winds up stalled out in Ray’s guard. Referee Turnage
stands them up. A left hook from Ray appears to stagger Burrell,
but Burrell immediately puts Ray down again. Hard hammerfists
coming from Burrell on top now; he stands and has to dodge upkicks
from Ray. Back in guard, Burrell has to spin to avoid another
leglock attempt from Ray, who turtles. Burrell drives a few punches
into Ray’s ribs at the end of the round.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Burrell
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Burrell
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Burrell
Round 3
Burrell stands out of range from Ray’s low and high kicks,
occasionally ducking inside to put one-twos on Ray’s chin. Left
high kick lands for Burrell, followed by a double-up left hook. Ray
lands a left kick to the body and both men take deep breaths.
Burrell charges forward, slugs Ray with a left, and eats a
slow-moving low kick in retaliation before driving Ray down and
delivering more hammerfists. The left side of Ray’s face,
particularly the corner of his eye, is showing the damage inflicted
by those punches throughout the round. Back standing, Burrell puts
Ray’s back on the fence and Ray jumps guard with a guillotine. It
looks deep, but Burrell waits it out and winds up on Ray’s back
with 90 seconds left. Ray stands and Burrell just misses a knee to
Ray’s jaw, then brings him back down. Burrell’s punches on the
ground don’t have a whole lot behind them at this point, but he’s
still racking them up. Ray kicks him off in frustration and Burrell
slugs him one last time at the horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Burrell (29-28 Burrell)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Burrell (29-28 Burrell)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Burrell (29-28 Burrell)
Official scores: It’s a unanimous decision with all three judges -- Brock Groom, Nelson Hamilton and Cecil Peoples -- scoring it 29-28 for Nah-Shon Burrell.
Round 1
Almeida lobs a low leg kick right away and eats a straight right.
The next pair of kicks land solidly, but also cause Heun to plow
the Brazilian to the mat. Almeida rolls underneath for a kneebar,
winds up in a bad spot and eats a few hammerfists. He won’t let go
of the leg, though, and Almeida wrenches a combination heel
hook-toe hold as Heun tries to escape. He does, but Almeida winds
up on top. Heun throws up an omoplata and Almeida backs out. He
dives back into Heun’s guard, which goes rubber as Heun throws a
barrage of elbows underneath. Almeida is tied up, can’t throw
anything in return. He’s just eating elbows and now Heun is talking
to him. This continues until there’s a minute left on the clock,
when ref Leon Roberts stands the lightweights up. The crowd boos
the decision. Back on the feet, Heun puts some cracking thigh kicks
on Almeida.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Heun
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Heun
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Heun
Round 2
Almeida is aggressive early in the second, though his punches
largely miss and his body kicks only half-connect. Heun gets an
underhook and clinches Almeida against a cagepost, trying for knees
inside and sneaky right hands. Heun wants to break, but Almeida has
hold of the arm now. Heun extracts it and shoves Almeida off,
sending the Brazilian straight into referee Roberts, who tumbles to
the ground. The official is fine and there’s no break in action as
Almeida gives chase and tries to leap on Heun’s back. He can’t, but
Almeida does press Heun onto the cage and land some more solid
knees. Heun reverses and puts Almeida on his back with just over
two minutes left. Almeida tries to sweep, but Heun keeps his
balance. However, he leaves his right arm open for an armbar
attempt from Almeida, and it’s a tight one with more than a minute
to go. Almeida is on his side, cranking the arm, while Heun lies
face-down on top, his arm laced between Almeida’s legs. Heun won’t
tap and the two scramble back up just as the round ends.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Almeida
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Almeida
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Almeida
Round 3
Heun looks the slightly fresher fighter as the final round starts,
circling outside and putting more zip on his leg kicks than
Almeida, whose punches come slowly, too. Nice jab from Almeida is
answered by a stiff right uppercut by Heun. The “Hurricane” puts
Almeida on his back with a double-leg in the middle of the cage,
but Almeida quickly finds the same position he had at the end of
round two. The armbar isn’t as deep this time and Heun squeaks out,
but Almeida winds up on top halfway through the round. Heun gets on
top momentarily by tying Almeida up, but then releases and finds
himself in a deep brabo choke attempt. Almeida clock-walks around
to try and tighten it, but Heun resists and escapes to Almeida’s
guard. Heun is dropping as many hammerfists as he can, as hard as
he can down the stretch, and Almeida finishes with one last armbar
attempt that has Heun backing up.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Almeida (29-28 Almeida)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Almeida (29-28 Almeida)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Heun (29-28 Heun)
Official scores: All three judges cageside -- Kent Basinger, Dan Mathisen and Cecil Peoples -- see the bout 29-28 in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Conor Heun.
Round 1
The muscular lightweights trade single shots in the opening minute,
Cavalcante working the jab while Wilcox tries to send power shots
to the body and head. Wilcox catches a leg kick and shoves
Cavalcante down against the fence, but JZ works right back up.
Wilcox’s right hand is starting to find its mark, then a left hook
pops Cavalcante. The wrestler looks for a double-leg, but
Cavalcante is all over it and punishes Wilcox with a push kick.
Wilcox puts a nice right hook on Cavalcante’s cheek. The
Brazilian’s punches are missing wide over the top as Wilcox starts
to string together combos.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Wilcox
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Wilcox
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Wilcox
Round 2
Twenty-five seconds into the round, the jabbing JZ accidentally
sticks Wilcox with a finger in the eye. Referee Don Turnage
immediately calls “no foul” as the cageside physician comes in to
check on the “Silverback.” It’s a no-go, as Wilcox appears to tell
the doc that he cannot see. She immediately informs Turnage, who
waves off the contest. The bout is officially ruled a no-decision
31 seconds into the second round.
Round 1
After 30 seconds of feeling out, Griggs slips in behind a missed
Overeem head kick and clinches up. The “Gravedigger” uses a lateral
drop to put Overeem on his back in the middle of the cage and
punches away from half-guard. Overeem covers up and turns over, and
Griggs unloads. After about 20 unanswered punches, Overeem taps out
and referee Kerry Hatley steps in. The official time of submission
due to strikes is 2:08 of the opening round.
Round 1
The heavyweights touch gloves and Cormier goes to work, pumping a
jab on the circling Monson. Clinch is initiated by Monson and
Cormier scores with a few knees before they split. Cormier puts
another kick on the lead leg of the southpaw Monson, then a
one-two. He backs Monson into the cage with punches and the
“Snowman” shoots, but is easily stifled. Cormier takes the
advantageous position as he clinches on the fence with Monson, who
is trickling blood from a spot on the top of his head and also
appears to be cut near the left eye. Break, trade briefly, clinch
and break again. Cormier puts a right hook-left uppercut combo on
Monson. A replay after the round shows that the cut atop Monson’s
dome came from an accidental clash of heads.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cormier
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Cormier
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Cormier
Round 2
Cormier whiffs on a head kick, but puts three or four punches on
Monson’s jaw soon after. Monson throws a hard overhand right and
falls under the velocity. Cormier won’t follow him down and allows
the UFC vet to stand back up. Leg kick lands for Cormier, then a
right hand which causes Monson to clinch. Cormier puts Monson’s
back on the cage briefly, but Monson lands a nice right over the
top as they split. It’s a nice uppercut from Cormier as they lock
up in the center of the cage now. Monson is breathing heavy,
getting stuck with left jabs from Cormier, who ties up again with
two minutes on the clock. Cormier hugs Monson on the fence, but
then explodes with a wild, five- or six-punch combo to the head and
body. The wrestler puts another series of punches on Monson and
clinches again before the horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cormier
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Cormier
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Cormier
Round 3
The punches continue to add up for Cormier through the first minute
of the final frame. A left-right-left sends Monson backward, and a
left hook does further damage. Monson is in bad shape, bleeding
from the mouth, but he survives. They clinch on the fence, Cormier
on the outside, throwing intermittent knees. Half a round left and
Cormier looks on his way to a clear-cut decision win. The AKA
fighter explodes out with another flurry. The next one sends Monson
shooting, but Cormier stuffs it easily and motions him back up.
Cormier tries a takedown of his own; Monson hops and stays upright,
only to be bullied into the cage again. A few knees land in the
clinch for Cormier before he tosses Monson to the ground and backs
away. A head kick cracks Monson on the jaw, but he doesn’t budge
and still stands at the final horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cormier (30-27 Cormier)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Cormier (30-27 Cormier)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Cormier (30-27 Cormier)
Official scores: It’s a clean sweep for Daniel Cormier, who takes a unanimous decision with three scorecards of 30-27.
Round 1
Noons flies across the cage before his cornermen are even off the
cage skirt and the lightweights get to trading. Noons throws a left
up top, right hand to the body, then connects with a right
uppercut. Masvidal throws a hard leg kick, but is forced to back up
as Noons charges in with more punches. Noons ducks low and Masvidal
grazes with a knee. When Masvidal comes in for a shot, Noons tries
the same, but winds up on his back. Noons shrimps at the base of
the cage with his legs stuck between Masvidal’s, leaning for an
armlock on Masvidal’s right arm. It’s a stalemate and Noons lets
go, and the men work back to their feet with 1:40 left in the
first. When they do, Noons is spouting blood from a cut right up on
his hairline. In the span of 30 seconds, it completely coats Noons’
face in red. Masvidal is getting the better of the boxing now and
floors Noons with a right hand. Noons is a bad way as Masvidal
pounces and pounds, slamming the Hawaiian with vicious right hands
as he sprays more blood on the canvsas.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 Masvidal
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-8 Masvidal
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Masvidal
Round 2
Noons is patched up for the second round, but there’s bad swelling
on his forehead and left eye. Nonetheless, “King James” presses
forward, attacking the body and head of Masvidal. A hard left
uppercut gets through as Masvidal covers up. Ninety seconds into
the round, Noons’ face is a mess again. Masvidal scores a takedown,
though it lasts only seconds. He gets another, a single-leg this
time in the center of the cage, and he moves into Noons’ closed
guard. Masvidal swings elbows over the top while Noons tries to tie
up. Noons scoots into the fence and stands, then creates space and
throws a leg kick. Step-in knee from Noons is answered by a hard
right from Masvidal and a body shot for “Gambred.” Another
single-leg attempt from Masvidal finds the lightweights stalled out
on the cage. Noons half-pulls guard, then stands and punches down
at Masvidal. In the waning seconds, Masvidal jacks Noons’ jaw with
a knee, then sticks out his tongue at the horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Masvidal
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Masvidal
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Masvidal
Round 3
Noons is putting together combinations now. His forehead and eye
are so swollen, though, that Noons doesn’t appear to see Masvidal’s
peppering left hooks as they come in. Noons’ face is all lumps and
red now, but he won’t stop coming forward. An uppercut and a left
hook land flush for Noons, though they don’t appear to faze
Masvidal. Takedown struggle from Masvidal pays off after a few
seconds. Noons stands right back up from the single-leg, only to be
dropped again. Masvidal works from side control with 90 seconds to
go in the fight. He gift-wraps Noons’ arm and lands a few short
punches before letting go. Noons goes to stand, but before he’s
even vertical, Masvidal has hold of a single-leg and drags him back
down. Noons hunts for a last-second leg- or armlock, to no
avail.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Masvidal (30-26 Masvidal)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Masvidal (30-26 Masvidal)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Masvidal (30-26 Masvidal)
Official scores: All three judges have it the same, 30-27, in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Jorge Masvidal.
Round 1
Rogers throws a low kick and Barnett closes the distance, first
looking for a single leg, then lifting and slamming “The Grim” to
the floor. It’s side control for Barnett, who leans from Rogers’
left to right and postures up for an armbar. Rogers puts Barnett
back in half-guard, but the former UFC heavyweight champ hops into
full mount with nearly three minutes left. Rogers is trying to push
off the cage with his feet and escape, but Barnett has his hips
anchored and pounds with hard punches. Rogers is trying everything
he can and finally manages to buck Barnett off around the 1:10
mark. However, Barnett effortlessly moves back to full mount and
tries for an arm-triangle choke which is really more of a smother.
He finishes the round in full mount.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Barnett
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-8 Barnett
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Barnett
Round 2
Rogers ties up and tries for a takedown this time, but Barnett
again winds up on top and jumps to full mount less than a minute
into the round. Barnett sinks in an arm-triangle -- a real one this
time -- and hops off to Rogers’ right side to finish it off. Before
he can, Rogers is tapping. Referee Kerry Hatley shoves Barnett off
at 1:17 of round two, sending Barnett through to a semifinal
matchup with Sergei
Kharitonov.
Round 1
There’s an intense staredown between Overeem and Werdum as ref Leon
Roberts gives final instructions, and no touch of gloves once the
bout starts. Overeem ducks an early head kick and stuffs a long
shot from Werdum. He catches a kick from the Brazilian and throws
him onto his back. Overeem stuffs another shot and Werdum rolls
through, trying to lure the Strikeforce champ into his guard.
Overeem won’t play, though, and motions Werdum back up. Every time
Werdum shoots or tries to clinch, the hulking Dutchman just shucks
him off. Both men very tentative on the feet through two minutes.
Werdum steps up with a knee and puts a right on Overeem’s cheek,
then pulls guard, but Overeem stands right back up. Werdum pulls
guard again and Overeem backs out, raising his arms in the air.
Outside leg kick from Werdum and the heavyweights appear to clash
heads as they both lean in. Another pair of takedown attempts are
blocked by Overeem. He clips Werdum with a left hook and “Vai
Cavalo” falls to his back, wagging his finger. Werdum stands and
flops to guard again; this time, he puts his hands together,
mock-pleading for Overeem to follow him to the floor. Werdum pulls
guard with 10 seconds left and finishes the round with Overeem in
his guard.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Overeem
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Overeem
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Overeem
Round 2
Overeem comes out lobbing bombs, but surprisingly it’s Werdum
stringing together a series of straight punches. Werdum tries
another takedown and is shucked off again. Werdum stands, lands a
knee, then a flurry of punches in close quarters. Werdum pulls
guard and Overeem backs out; this time, Werdum is noticeably slower
to stand. Another guard-pull from Werdum and Overeem lets him up,
again slowly, before teeing off with punches. They’re only up for
seconds before Werdum ties up and sucks Overeem into his guard.
Overeem seems content to stay there for a moment this time, but
eventually backs out when Werdum’s legs begin creeping up high.
Werdum looks simply exhausted as he climbs to his feet yet again.
Surprise: another guard-pull from the Brazilian. The round ends
there.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Overeem
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Overeem
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Overeem
Round 3
Werdum grabs Overeem’s neck and tries to unload with a bunch of
punches as the final round begins. He tries to go to guard again,
though, and winds up turtling with Overeem on his left. Werdum
tries to roll through, prompting Overeem to stand. Seconds later,
on the feet, Werdum takes a right upside the temple and jumps
guard. Overeem tries to flatten his man out from open guard; Werdum
has swelling around his left eye now. Overeem stands and Werdum
taunts him from his back, then jumps to his feet and pops the
“Demolition Man” with a few short rights. The punches don’t seem to
bother Overeem and Werdum is forced to pull guard again. It’s slow
going on the mat, just short punches from Werdum and not much from
Overeem on top. One minute left and Werdum starts shifting, looking
to latch on to an arm underneath. Overeem just stands back up. They
clinch and Werdum desperately pulls guard one last time, the fight
ending with an unperturbed Overeem in a leglock attempt.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Overeem (30-27 Overeem)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Overeem (30-27 Overeem)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Werdum (29-28 Overeem)
Official scores: Judge Nelson Hamilton scores the bout 29-28, while judges Cecil Peoples and Kerry Hatley see it 30-27 for the winner by unanimous decision, Alistair Overeem. The reigning Strikeforce heavyweight champion moves on to meet Antonio Silva in the semifinals of the Strikeforce 2011 heavyweight grand prix.
Round 1
Moore takes the center of the cage and pumps his jab from his
southpaw stance. Bronzoulis kicks low, but Moore stands his ground.
Bronzoulis pushes Moore up against the cage, but he punches his way
out. Nice straight left and low kick from Moore, who seems relaxed
and in control. Bronzoulis misses a wild spinning-back kick with
just under a minute to go. Not much else going on. Moore gets the
first 10-9 in a slow round.
Round 2
Round two kicks off with Bronzoulis moving forward and pushing
Moore up against the cage. Moore punches out with a three piece and
pushes a retreating Bronzoulis to the cage. They move back to the
middle and Bronzoulis lands a nice kick to the body. Bronzoulis is
much more aggressive this round, but neither is really throwing
anything too hard. Bronzoulis changes that with a stiff combination
that ends with a hard knee. Moore catches another knee and sinks
Bronzoulis to the mat. He works some ground-and-pound to the bell.
Bronzoulis takes a close second, 10-9.
Round 3
Bronzoulis turns up the heat a bit in the third. He bullies Moore
in the clinch and lands a nice standing elbow. He pushes him to the
cage and peppers Moore's now-swelling face. Bronzoulis shows some
good dirty boxing skills and is taking over. He lands another combo
punctuated by a kick to the body. Moore gets a takedown along the
cage but Bronzoulis is right back up. And back down he goes.
Bronzoulis pushes the head down and works his way back up again.
The fighters are spent with 45 seconds to go. They trade punches
and Moore shoots again. He is stuffed and the fight comes to a
close. Sherdog scores the third round 10-9 for Bronzoulis.
Official scores: All three judges see the bout 29-28 for Moore, the winner by unanimous decision.
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