UFC 101: Declaration

[Marquis]

MAIN CARD

B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian
Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin (non-title fight)
Johny Hendricks vs. Amir Sadollah
Ricardo Almeida vs. Kendall Grove
Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellgrino

PRELIMINARY CARD

Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley
John Howard vs. Tamdan McCrory
Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara
Dan Cramer vs. Matthew Riddle
Rob Emerson vs. George Sotiropoulos
Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort

Not looking forward to this card at all.


Penn Vs. Florian. Really the only match I'm looking forward to on this card. We finally get to see BJ go up against a decent striker, its been a long time since he has gone up against one. I see this one mainly being a stand up fight, since both will probably cancel each other out on the ground with both being BJJ black belts. Although Kenny does look like he has quite a long reach, from what i looked up he doesn't have a reach advantage on BJ. So it will come down to who has the better technique. I think Kenny will take this one via unanimous decision. Kenny has some decent leg kicks, i have a feeling BJ won't check them and get out pointed.

Anderson Vs. Griffin. As i said in the thread i made about this fight a few weeks ago, i don't see Griffin winning this one at all. Griffin is tailor made for a counter striker like Anderson. Griffin who likes to be aggressive, is the type of fighter that Anderson is best fit for. Though i won't count out Griffin just yet like everyone else probably will. Griffin does have Couture in his corner, a good game plan to combat Anderson is very likely. Will his plan whatever it is work?, i doubt it, but in this sport anything can happen. I got Anderson by round 2 TKO, but i will be cheering for Griffin to win.

Amir Vs. Hendricks. Well well, Amir finally gets his ass in the cage. The poor guy has had some pretty bad luck with constant injuries. Its been more then a year since Amir won the ultimate fighter, and this will be his first fight since then. Its hard to make a concrete opinion about him considering he only has 1 professional fight, and 4 amateur fights. Hendricks is also a relatively new fighter with not much of a record, being 5-0 and only two televised matches from the WEC. Since both of these fella's really don't have much to show to form a concrete opinion on, I'll just say Amir takes this one via TKO. Why? Cause he used to wear CroCop tights with checkers on them during his amateur fights. So that instantly makes him cool in my book, and CroCop tights give you KO power.

Almeida Vs. Grove. This one seems like more of a under card fight then a main card fight. I think Grove will take this one. I see Grove's reach advantage just being too much for Almeida. Almeida will probably be looking for the takedown here to submit Grove, but i can't see Grove being kept down for too long being no slouch on the ground himself. I say Grove takes this one by TKO, don't really care for this fight at all.

Neer Vs. Pellgrino. Maybe its just because I've been spoiled by the past couple of MMA events, but this main card is pretty god damn bad. In his fight against Diaz, Neer showed some pretty good BJJ defense, which is impressive against a Diaz brother. So i don't think Pellgrino will give him any problems on the ground. I see Neer scrambling from takdowns and submission attempts to keep the fight standing. On the feet i feel Neer would take it, so i say Neer takes this one via Decision most likely.

Thales Leites Vs. Alessio Sakara. Only fight on the under card that really stands out to me. I'm a bit shocked how this fight gets stuck on the under card, yet Neer/Pellgrino doesn't. Typical grappler vs striker match up, but what some may overlook do to his last fight against Anderson, Thales is actually a alright striker. He does have power behind his hands, that's for sure. And if he wasn't afraid to stand with Marquardt, i doubt he will be against Sakara. I see Thales knocking down Sakara on the feet, then jumping on him for him with the kill via Submission.

 

[Mr. TM]

I was sitting Watching UFC 100 tonight and I thought that this would be a good UFC pay per view based on a great card. But guess what, UFC Declaration, live from Pennsylvania will be a better overall pay per view. There are some great matches are booked for it, BJ Penn with his long break since getting his ass handed to him by Georges St. Pierre. Florian is everything you want to see in a fighter and he is willing to go the length. Silva is great. Great card in place. Mir vs Lesnar was a a lot better than I expected, but it could have been shit. UFC 101 however will for sure be great.

 

[jmt225]

I am very, very excited for this card. You're just not a TUF fan Marquis, which is why it doesn't draw to you I think.

B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian is going to be epic, it's as simple as that. Kenny Florian has improved and improved these past couple of years that it's unbelievable. His Muay Thai is fantastic, and his ground game continues to impress. He's also great at cutting people open. However, I still don't think he has what it takes to defeat someone like BJ Penn. I think BJ will be able to avoid the clinch and have his boxing out shine Florian's Muay Thai. And on the ground... while Florian might be stronger, BJ is just far superior technically, and there's no way Florian will be able to hold BJ down like GSP did. Florian might be decently strong for a Lightweight, but he's no where near GSP's league in that department. I expect BJ to win this fight by TKO in the 3rd. It'll be a great one, though.

I don't think Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin will go past the 2nd Round, but I do think those first 5/8 minutes of the fight will be spectacular. I expect Forrest to come right in and attack Anderson Silva on the feet. He'll pay for it, and he probably knows that, but he has too much heart and pride not to do so. It'll definitely be a sight to witness and I, for one, cannot wait.

I'm excited to see Amir Sadollah finally enter the octagon again. That should be good. I don't know much about his opponent, but he's undefeated and has two wins in WEC, so he must not be a chump. I think someone's going to made and someone's going to be broken in this fight. Should be a good one.

I am a HUGE Kendall Grove fan, so I'm always excited to watch him fight. Hopefully he can kick some ass and continue his way up the Middleweight Division ladder. It won't be easy against someone like Ricardo Almeida, but I'm looking forward to seeing what new tools Kendall has developed since his last fight.

Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino should be a great fight. I mean, both of these guys got their asses handed to them by Nate Diaz, but both guys are still two very exciting fighters and should put on a show. I'll be rooting for Pellegrino though, because Neer comes off as a douchebag to me.

And the undercard interests me. I'm a big fan of Shane Nelson, Matthew Riddle, and George Sotiropoulos, so I'll be heavily rooting for them. And I'm very interesting in seeing what happens in the Thales Leites/Alessio Sakara fight.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Bump and stick.

I'll actually psyched for this card, though there's a terrific chance I am missing it due to a bachelor party. I like the BJ Penn vs Ken Florian match because I think Florian is one of only two men who have a legit shot at taking the belt off of Penn. And that man is Diego Sanchez, whom I believe has to be considered a front-runner for a title shot at this point. It wouldn't surprise me is Sanchez watches this fight with the honest belief that he's got winner.

Silva vs Griffin is a terrific fight with little to know actual meaningful outcome. If Griffin wins, his size advantage gets blamed. If Silva wins, it re-affirms that he's the best in the world and begs the question whether it's time he moved up to LHW permanently. But overall, this is a fight of two guys who are both too good and too marketable to risk giving them shit opponents. If Griffin got a lower ranked fighter and got caught, it would set back his marketability. Even if he loses to Silva, he'd still be considered a top title contender.

I'm looking forward to seeing Kendall Grove fight. He's a student of Tito Ortiz's but has Silva's style and even his nickname, with "Spider." Long legs for a lighter guy, killer knee strikes, and sick cardio. I want to see if he's on his game.

 

[jmt225]

I'm looking forward to seeing Kendall Grove fight. He's a student of Tito Ortiz's but has Silva's style and even his nickname, with "Spider." Long legs for a lighter guy, killer knee strikes, and sick cardio. I want to see if he's on his game.

Actually, he's now a student of BJ Penn and that camp. After Tito had back surgery, he couldn't train for a little over a year, so Kendell went to Penn's camp in Hawaii, which is of course the home state of Grove. Also, it's a pretty neat fact that Grove and Samoa Joe are very good friends, too, so any Joe fans reading his, you need to become a fan of Kendall Grove immediately like IC and I.

Anyway, looking at my posts from a month ago, I have to say I still feel the exact same way on every fight. I love Forrest Griffin now more than ever after reading his terrific, hilarious book, and I truly hate to say this, but he honestly doesn't stand a chance. On the feet he's going to get destroyed, and if he decides to use his wrestling, he'll probably end up getting caught in something on the ground like Dan Henderson did. And as far as BJ Penn and Kflo, cannot wait for that one. It's time for BJ to shut all his haters up and kick this dude's ass.

 

[jmt225]

Show's tonight, so I'm bumping this to the very top of the page. Make sure after you watch the show, you come here to express your thoughts on it. Hopefully it's great and I can't to see what everyone has to say about it. Unfortunately, I won't be able to watch it live, but I'll keep track of the spoilers and watch the show myself Sunday morning.

Anyway, the Countdown to UFC 101 was awesome. I think BJ Penn was great and finally won over a lot of his detractors with his humbleness and hard work (though with his recent accusation of GSP being on steroids, he's probably now has more haters than ever). I really, really think we're going to see the best BJ Penn we've ever seen before. We'll probably see the best Kenny Florian we've ever seen before as well, but in my mind... there's still no way the best of Kenny Florian can handle the best of BJ Penn, who is, in my opinion, skillfully one of the greatest fighters that ever existed. Now with conditioning and strength on BJ's side as well... I don't think the guy is beatable at 155 right now.

And Forrest Griffin almost made a believer out of me when watching the Countdown to UFC 101... almost. But man... while I love the guy, I just don't see him getting the job done. Will he give Anderson Silva the toughest fight he has had yet in the UFC? I certainly hope so and I do believe there's a chance of that happening, but I just don't see how he actually pulls off a victory against the Spider. But to Forrest's credit, I'd probably say the latter about ANYONE who steps in the cage against that monster, so no matter what happens... my respect for Forrest Griffin stays in tact.

 

[jmt225]

Full Results:

Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort​

Round 1
We are 10 seconds in and as the fighter’s circle, feeling each other out, the Philadelphia crowd is already booing. Villefort scores first with a high kick that is partially blocked. Villefort throws Lennox to the mat and swings wildly from his feet. Lennox escapes back to his feet only to narrowly evade a Villefort elbow. The crowd boos again as the fighter’s take a brief respite. Lennox throws a tiring Villefort to the mat but quickly motions for him to stand back up. Villefort, taking advantage of the situation, lands a spinning back kick to the face of Lennox but it doesn’t seem to hurt the Iowan. Villefort lands another spinning back kick, this time to the body. Lennox, again, doesn’t seem fazed as he secures a takedown as the round came to a close. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Danillo Villefort.
Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Round 2
Lennox finds his range to start the second, scoring with a stinging right uppercut that staggered Villefort. The ATT product answers with an elbow that glances off Lennox. Villefort is tiring and looks like his legs are leaving him. Lennox lands a right cross that takes the Brazilian off his feet but it looks like more of a fatigue issue than anything. Villefort is trying to answer but Lennox just walks through his weak jab to throw punches of his own. Lennox lands a good one-two combination, his best punches of the night. Villefort looks tired but he takes the shots well. The round comes to a close as the fighter’s clinch. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Jesse Lennox.

Round 3
Lennox connects with a big right cross, and Villefort backs into the cage and taunts him. Lennox throws a body kick and Villefort grabs his leg to take the fight to the ground briefly before it goes back to the feet. Villefort finally gets to work from his back and he shows why he was so eager to get there. He locks up an armbar and uses a nifty move, pulling Lennox leg to flip him over. As he pulls the endangered arm free, Lennox rotates it out of danger and ends up on top of Villefort. Immediately, referee Keith Peterson steps in because of a cut over Villefort’s eye. Replays show the cut was caused by an accidental headbutt that occurred when Villefort went for the original armbar. The fight is ruled a TKO stoppage victory for Jesse Lennox at 3:37 of the third frame.

Lennox on Villefort's cut: "It's disappointing. I've been cut a lot worse than that and kept going. I would have been upset if I were him."

Lennox on the armbar he was caught in: "The armbar was close. But I feel I've been doing a better job of being technical instead of being a meathead when it comes to my escapes."

George Sotiropoulos vs. George Roop​

Round 1
Marc Goddard is the ref for this one. Roop paws a jab. He throws a one-two that doesn’t land. Roop comes in for a kick and Sotiropoulos dumps him and takes side control. Sotiropoulos mounts Roop quickly. 1:30 into the round. Roop rolls Sotiropoulos and escapes. On the feet, Roop defends a double-leg. Sotiropoulos misses a spinning back kick but hurts Rooper with a right straight. The fighters tie up against the cage. 3:00 in. Sotiropoulos uses a body lock to ground his opponent. On the mat, Sotiropoulos quickly passes half guard to side and then north-south. Sotiropoulos goes to side again and then takes Roop’s back with both hooks. He’s too high and tries to switch to an armbar, but Roop escapes. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 Sotiropoulos.

Round 2
Sotiropoulos takes the center of the cage. Roop jumps forward with a knee that doesn’t connect. Sotiropoulos catches his leg and throws him down and mounts immediately. 1:00 into the round. Sotiropoulos sits up and starts punching. He scores some but loses mount. Roop leaves his guard open and Sotiropoulos slides through it again easily. This time Sotiropoulos grabs a kimura from side control, steps over the head and cranks it for the tap at 1:59.

Sotiropoulos: "There's no such thing as ring rust if you're sharpening your tools every day. I know I was better than him on the ground. He was strong in the first round, but he started to show signs of wear and tear."

Sotiropoulos on the finish: "He was good at defending his arms, but he spent a lot of energy defending it."

Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer​

Round 1
Cramer and Riddle exchange a few punches as the fight gets underway, nothing really landing flush for either fighter. Riddle locks up with Cramer along the cage and tries to drag him to the mat to no avail. Riddle grabs a body lock and tries to trip Cramer to the mat but is reversed. Cramer tries to jump to back mount but Riddle escapes. Cramer gets a body lock of his own and drags Riddle to the mat but Riddle hits a switch to get back to his feet. Cramer jumps into an arm-in guillotine that looks tight. Riddle patiently works his way free after what seems like an eternity. Riddle goes back on the offensive, working from the top position. He briefly takes Cramer’s back but the fighters work back to their feet. The round comes to a close with the fighter’s engaged along the cage. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Dan Cramer.

Round 2
Riddle opens the second frame with a body-lock trip takedown. Working from Cramer’s guard, Riddle throws punches and moves to side-control. Cramer attempts to use the cage to get back to his feet cut Riddle uses the opening to take his back. Cramer rolls to his back and gets a half-guard. Riddle, now in full-guard, presses Cramer against the cage to try to limit his movement. Cramer again tries to use the cage to get back to his feet and again Riddle takes his back. Riddle has both hooks in and attempts to secure a rear-naked choke but Cramer defends well until the horn sounds ending the second frame. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Matt Riddle.

Round 3
Cramer drops Riddle to start round three. He pummels away at the downed fighter but Riddle rallies and reverses Cramer. Riddle works away from half-guard, striking to the body and head. Riddle opens up a cut over Cramer’s left eye, blood is streaming down the side of his face. Riddle moves to Cramer’s back and elbows to the head. Cramer rolls to his back again and eats more leather. Riddle, back in the mount, slows his pace a bit with a minute left in the fight. Cramer gets back to half-guard and tries to stand once again. Riddle tries to take his back but Cramer pulls free just as the final horn sounds ending the three round affair. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Matt Riddle.

The official scores are: 29-27, 30-26 and 30-27. Matt Riddle takes the unanimous decision.

Riddle: "Cramer's a tough guy. It didn't matter how many elbows I hit him with, I knew he'd never give up."

Riddle on guillotine escape: "I learned the escape from Rampage. I knew his arms would get tired, he would gas and I would pass then ground-and-pound."

Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara​

Round 1
The entrance is messed up, and Leites comes out to Sakara’s music and name. Sakara, in turn, enters to Leites’ music, which Leites sings while Sakara makes his way to the Octagon. Leites slips throwing a haymaker but stands back up. He shoots from too far out for a takedown, and Sakara stuffs it. 1:30 in. Sakara is mostly waiting back. Leites gets a single leg, but as Leites is taking top control Sakara lands a short forearm that hurts him and keeps him off. Back on the feet, Sakara fires a one-two that’s blocked. Leites misses another shot from afar. The audience boos. 10-9 Sakara.

Round 2
Leites is more aggressive with his striking to start the second, and this helps him take down Sakara against the cage. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt then tries to take Sakara’s back on the ground. He gets in one hook, but Sakara rolls out and the fight goes back to the feet. Sakara lands with a left hook. Leites drops under another strike for a takedown. He tries to take Sakara’s back again as he goes to stand, but Sakara quickly escapes again to his feet. 3:00 into the round. Sakara looks fresher. Leites is getting wild. Sakara throws a knee, and Leites finishes a double-leg takedown. He mounts Sakara with 45 seconds remaining. Sakara gets half-guard back, then Leites mounts again and punches from the top. 10-9 Leites.

Round 3
The boos resume after a lackluster opening minute to the third. Sakara throws a one-two that’s blocked. He sprawls on a double-leg and hustles out. Not much action. Leites shoots from afar again and isn’t close to the takedown. More boos. Sakara switches to a southpaw stance, which doesn’t lead to any offense. He misses a one-two-three combo. Referee Marc Goddard warns the fighters for inactivity. Leites moves forward and finally gets a takedown. He takes Sakara’s back with both hooks, but loses control quickly. Sakara gets up. More boos. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 Leites.

Official decision: 29-28 Sakara, 30-27 Leites, 29-28 Sakara. Split decision for Sakara.

Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard​

Round 1
McCrory slips to the canvas on a missed high kick just seconds into the fight. Howard wades in after McCrory gets back to his feet and eats a couple punches. “The Barn Cat” jumps to a guillotine choke and rolls Howard over. Howard, working from top position, evades an omaplata attempt only to have McCrory kick him off and escape back to his feet. McCrory lands a nice knee before jumping to another guillotine. Howard pushes him to the mat and lands in McCrory’s guard. After a brief lull in the action, referee Mario Yamasaki stands the fighters back up. McCrory tries another aerial maneuver, a flying triangle, but Howard defends it by pushing him to the mat as the round ends. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Tamdan McCrory.

Round 2
Howard launches into a takedown ending up in McCrory’s guard. Before he can do much McCrory gets back to his feet. He shoots back in and takes his lanky opponent back to the canvas. McCrory works his way back to his feet but is briefly caught in a modified guillotine. He pops his head out and punches down at Howard. Howard gets back to his feet only to eat a knee. McCrory jumps into another guillotine but Howard slips out easily, ending up in the guard again. Howard stands up and McCrory follows. Howard then attempts a wild scissor takedown to leg lock combination as the horn sounded. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for McCrory.

Round 3
Howard scores a double-leg takedown before picking McCrory up and slamming him back to the floor. Howard then steps back and allows McCrory back to his feet. McCrory throws Howard but ends up in the worse position, on his back. McCrory elbows Howard from the bottom but Yamasaki wants more action and stands them back up. Howard picks a leg and lifts McCrory into the air before depositing him back to the mat and landing in side-control. Howard inches towards another guillotine attempt but finds himself on the bottom as McCrory reverses him. The fighters work back their feet and exchange single punches before McCrory is stopped on a takedown attempt at the final horn. Sherdog.com scores the third stanza for Howard 10-9.

The official scores are 29-28 Howard, 29-28 McCrory and 29-28 Howard. John Howard takes the split decision.

Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino​

Round 1
Neer tags Pellegrino with a right-hand counter. He follows with a headkick that Pellegrino blocks. Pellegrino reaches down and swoops Neer into the air before depositing him to the canvas. Neer works to guard and looks for an armbar. Pellegrino backs out and frees his right arm. Again Neer looks for an armbar on the same limb. This attempt is deeper, yet Pellegrino escapes no worse for the wear. Neer continues to show an offensive guard -- he goes high with his hips in search of a triangle that is defended well. Neer is working a half-butterfly guard and controlling the wrists. Pellegrino passes to half guard, where he lands a few elbows with 30 seconds remaining in the round. The horn sounds.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Neer
Lotfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-9 Neer
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Neer

Round 2
Neer pieces together a punching combination and Pellegrino’s corner screams, “Stop lowering your head!” Pellegrino again ducks his head and is clipped with a right hook. Pellegrino gets a single and begins to work from his opponent’s guard. Neer looks for a triangle and Pellegrino has none of it. From the top in a butterfly guard, Pellegrino lands two right hands to the jaw and an elbow on the mouth. Pellegrino goes to the body with his right hand as Neer works for another triangle. Pellegrino attempts to hang on and pass, but Neer goes back to guard. Pellegrino is franticly trying to pass and he gains his first dominant position of the fight as he hops to mount. Neer gives up his back and defends the over-under control and both hooks. Time expires.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-10
Lotfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-9 Pellegrino
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Pellegrino

Round 3
Pellegrino catches a low kick attempt and drags Neer to the floor. Neer looks for a leg lock and then an omaplata. Pellegrino easily defends. From his back in a closed guard, Neer elbows the head with his right arm. Pellegrino postures and stands, but can’t pass. After several minutes of a chess match, Pellegrino gets to half guard. Pellegrino bides his time and gets the mount. Neer briefly gives up his back before getting to his feet. With 15 seconds remaining, Pellegrino drops levels for a single. Neer defends and drops elbow after elbow to the temple as Pellegrino struggles to pull him to the ground.

* Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Pellegrino
Lotfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-9 Pellegrino
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Pellegrino

* Sherjudge Breen scored the third round 10-9 for Kurt Pellegrino, not 10-9 Josh Neer as previously reported.

Kurt Pellegrino wins a unanimous decision with scores of 30-27 on all three cards.

Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida​

Round 1
Almeida looks for a single early and Grove easily stuffs it. Almeida gives up the takedown and lands a right hand. Almeida again shoots a single that is defended as Grove hops around balances himself on his free leg. Almeida finally trips him to the canvas. Grove lands an elbow from his back and Grove answers with one of his own. Almeida passes to half guard. Grove gives up his back and Almeida knees the ribs. Grove stands and misses a knee from the Thai plum. Almeida lifts Grove high into the air and deposits him to the canvas.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Almeida
Lotfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-9 Almeida
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Almeida

Round 2
Almeida gets a quick takedown after a nice feint. Grove looks for an armbar and it’s incredibly deep. He turns it over and Almeida’s arm is bent horribly at the elbow. Almeida weathers the storm and pulls free. Right away Almeida is forced to defend a leg lock. He does, no problem. Almeida moves to half guard, where he elbows the head. Almeida unloads with elbows and Grove turns over before standing. Grove lands a knee to the head and body from the clinch. Almeida gets another takedown before the horn sounds.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Grove
Lotfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-9 Almeida
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Grove

Round 3
Grove avoids a takedown and lands a right hook. Almeida attemps a flying armbar and Grove sees it coming. Grove punches the head before standing. Now back on the feet, Grove jabs and stuffs a single-leg takedown. A fatigued Almedia sucks it up and delivers with a much-needed tackle. Almeida controls from the top position and does little else. Grove kicks away and stands. Almeida cracks his foe with a right hook. Grove stops a single as time expires.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Grove
Lotfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-9 Grove
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Almeida

All three official judges score the bout for Almeida, 30-27.

Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks​

Round 1
Sadollah rushes forward with punches and is cracked with a left hook. He staggers and is hit with four uppercuts to the chin. Amir slips and Hendricks attacks. Referee Dan Miragliotta steps in for an awful premature stoppage at 0:29 of the first frame.

Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley​

Round 1
Riley kicks off the bout with a straight-right hand. Nelson drops to a knee and quickly stands. Nelson goes to the Thai plum and connects with a knee to the body. Riley pushes him to the fencing and misses a wild elbow strike. Nelson backs off the fence and avoids a head kick in the process. Nelson, a southpaw, connects with a left-hand lead. Riley misses a left hook and ducks his head down in search of a single. Nelson easily avoids the attempt. And then stuffs another takedown. Riley clinches and bounces a knee off the ribs of his opponent. Riley scores with a standing elbow to the eyebrow. Nelson attempts a takedown of his own and Riley shrugs it off. Nelson circles away from his opponent.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Riley
Lotfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-9 Riley
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Riley

Round 2
Riley bullies Nelson around the Octagon as he stalks his prey with punches from the outside and knees from the clinch on the inside. Nelson connects with a knee to the body Riley answers with a kick to the ribs and a knee. Riley gets a trip takedown and begins to work from half-guard. Riley elbows from the top and pins Nelson against the cage. Nelson gets to guard and referee Kevin Mulhall stands the fighters. Nelson connects with a jab and is hit with a headkick. Riley pushes him down before the round ends.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Riley
Lotfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-9 Riley
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Riley

Round 3
Riley sprawls on a Nelson single leg. Riley continues to throw a left-hand lead and a head kick. Riley gets a takedown. The crowd goes nuts as a fight breaks out in the seats. Perhaps unaware of what is going on, Riley is strictly business as he controls from the top in his opponent’s closed guard. Riley throws short punches to the face and holds the neck tight. Riley puts the stamp on his sure victory with punches in the final 30 seconds.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Riley
Lotfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-9 Riley
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Riley

Official scores: 30-27 for Riley on all three cards.

Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin​

Round 1
Forrest misses short on a head kick attempt. Silva catches a Griffin lowkick and pushes him to the floor. Silva allows him to stand. Silva blasts Griffin with a left hook that drops him to the canvas. Again he allows Griffin to stand. Silva’s head movement is incredible. He evades a Griffin flurry and drops him flat with a left-hook counter. Silva punches the downed fighter and then stands. Silva is playing with Griffin; hands down, throws a short-right punch that knocks Griffin out. Amazing performance by the world’s greatest mixed martial artist. The official time is 3:23 of round one.

B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian​

Round 1
Florian bounces a head kick off the right forearm of Penn. Penn attacks and roughs Florian up with a right hand. Penn pushes his for to the fence. Florian escapes and lands a standing elbow to the temple. Florian fires another head kick that misses. Penn rushes in and takes Florian back to the cage. Penn throws short punches as Florian attempts to tie up his arms. Florian knees the body and Penn sneaks in a right hand to the forehead. Florian drops levels for a single that is easily stuffed. Penn appears to be the stronger fighter after four minutes in the Octagon. Again Florian drops for a single that Penn shrugs off. Florian shows good footwork as he circles away from Penn. Penn closes the distance and cracks Florian with a right hand and a knee.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Penn
Lotfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-9 Penn
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Penn

Round 2
Florian snaps a tight low kick into Penn’s lead leg. Florian follows with a weak single-leg shot that the champion stops in its tracks. Penn connects with a right hook as the pair break from a clinch. Florian again has his single stuffed. From the inside, Penn clips Penn with a right and a left. Florian tires to sneak in a hard-standing elbow that ends up just short of its target. Penn lands a right hand that staggers the challenger. Florian is getting sloppier as the fight moves into the middle stages.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Penn
Lotfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-9 Penn
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Penn

Round 3
Florian misses yet another head-kick lead. He ties up with Penn against the cage. Florian gets busy with a knee to the body and an elbow upstairs. Penn slips in an uppercut as he fights off a Florian takedown. Florian attacks with a right hand and Penn grazes a right hand off his opponent’s forehead. Florian again fails miserably on a takedown and Penn makes him pay with a hard knee to the midsection. Florian fails on another and Penn hits a switch. He stands up swinging and Florian retreats. Florian missed a head kick at the bell.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Penn
Lotfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-9 Penn
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Penn

Round 4
Florian ducks under a right hand and clinches with Penn at the fence. Penn smacks Florian with a right hand and slams him to the canvas. Penn starts to work his game from the top in half guard. Florian is landing effective elbows from the bottom. Penn is looking to pass to mount, and Florian is barely blocking the champion as he tries to free his isolated foot. Penn mounts and Florian gives up his back. Penn moves back to the mount. Penn turns him over and drives his right heel into the liver. Penn sinks his arm under Florian’s chin and forces a tapout with a rear-naked choke at 3:54 of the fourth round.

Damn good show from the looks of it. Fortunately, I was home earlier than I thought I would be and was able to stream the last two fights... great shit.

I can't believe how quick and easily Silva defeated Forrest. I mean seriously, I know I said in my first post that the fight awas going to be Siva vs. Leben all over again, with just a little more time to it, but as the weeks went on... I changed my mind on that one, as you can see in my last post. I really thought Forrest was going to put up a hell of a fight. But fuck... he got his ass kicked and did so badly. However, you still can't take anything away from him. At least he fought Silva. And personally, I fully expect Forrest to rebound from this and do so quickly, not months and months down the line.

But seriously... how fucking good is Anderson Silva? Is there anyone in the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Divisions who can defeat this man? I really don't think so, and I'd be hard press to say there's anyone who can defeat Silva in the Heavyweight Division as well, and that includes precious Fedor. The man is just not human.

Speaking of unbeatable.... like I said in the LD, ever since BJ Penn's fight against Takanori Gomi a few years ago, I've been of the opinion that no one can defeat that man at 155 pounds. No one. And he proved it tonight. Kenny Florian is no joke, and no matter what Marquis says... he got out matched in every single aspect tonight. Every single one of them, in every single round. And I don't think there's ANYONE in the UFC or in MMA period in the Lightweight Division who can outclass BJ in any aspect of fighting. Maybe Nate Diaz, but it looks like he'll most likely will never be able to work his way up that latter to show me otherwise. But there's no one else. As great as Diego Sanchez is, he has an ass whoopin' waiting for him when he steps in that cage with BJ Penn. Same case for Maynard, if he defeats Huetera next month.

As far as the rest of the card.... sad to hear about Amir, as from what I understand... that was a TERRIBLE stoppage. I'm also sad to hear that Grove got defeated. I need to watch that one, as Sherdog obviously has some different judging than the actual judges. But I'm very happy with George Sotiropoulos' return victory, and Matthew Riddle picking up another win.

 

[Marquis]

Alright card, wasn't crazy about it, but I wasn't looking forward to it anyway.

BJ Vs. Florian. I thought Kenny had a very smart plan during this fight. He was pressing BJ against the cage, and was shoulder pressing him to try and tire him out. He kept going for it trying to tire BJ. Now I'm not sure if it was working, BJ did look like he was getting tired, but he could have just been pacing himself. I think Kenny messed up in this fight by now throwing more leg kicks. If Kenny had weaken BJ's legs with leg kicks, he could have possibly taken BJ down due to BJ's leg being in pain, but sadly Kenny just kept charging and pressing him. The fight was close I thought, Kenny had great aggression by trying to charge BJ non stop, but he wasn't doing much with. A good amount of the fight was Kenny pressing BJ, thus why I think it was close since Kenny was the one keeping the pressure. In the end BJ managed to get on top of him, and showed the difference between a black belt, and a world class black belt. BJ completely passed Kenny's guard, and very surprisingly submitted him. Props to BJ proving he has the best BJJ at 155, and retaining his title against a tough opponent.

Anderson Vs. Forrest. I was really disappointed in this fight. 90% of people or even more expected Forrest to lose, most likely by KO, but I think very few expected this complete domination. Forrest was embarrassed in this fight. Forrest looked like he belonged no where in the same cage as Anderson. As expected Anderson completely out striked Forrest, I don't think there's much argument that Anderson's striking is the best in the sport, but Anderson had his hands down. Anderson had his hands downs and was completely open, and just used great head movement. He managed to dodge 2 of Forret's shots at that point, but before that Forrest already got tagged a few times. After Anderson dodged Forrest with his hands down and head open, Forrest quit in my eyes. Anderson's mind games got to him, and broke him. Anderson pounded his chest as in saying to charge at him, and like I said Anderson dodged with his hands down. Anderson made it look like he was playing with Forrest, and to me it looks like Forrest mentally broke. When Anderson tagged him with that punch, it Couldn't have been that serious. When Forrest fell he was completely awake, and put his hands up right away, when he put his 2 hands up like that it looked like to me he was quitting. Even more of proof that the punch wasn't that serious is that Forrest instantly got up and left the cage as soon as the fight was called. I understand all punches hurt, but that in no way looked like a match ending punch. Forrest being completely fine after it showed it wasn't extremely serious. I honestly just think Forrest broke.

Amir Vs. Hendricks. This is one of the few times where i completely disagree with a call. Hendricks had Amir against the cage and kept throwing uppercuts until Amir eventually dropped to his knee's. The call came when Hendricks kept punching away at Amir while he was down on his knees, but Amir looked perfectly fine to me, and obviously to most of the crowd. His eyes were open, and he was moving his head. In fact, when the ref came running in, Amir was already starting to stand up, and it even looked like he was going for a leg. I think it was a early stoppage with Amir showing he was on his way to standing. Poor Amir being 1-1.

Neer Vs. Pellgrino. Pellgrino surprised me a bit. While I thought Pell would not submit Neer, or outstrike him. I didn't think Pell would completely control Neer on the ground like he did. It was impressive since Neer looked like he had a dangerous guard. Props to Pellgrino.

 

[jmt225]

Well, it looks like Forrest Griffin broke his jaw and lost his hearing in one of his ears during the fight, so with that... it's justified now why he gave up during the fight. I think any fighter, under those circumstances, who continues to gets nailed and there's nothing he/she can do about it, would have done the same thing. The fact is... Anderson Silva just hits like the Incredible Hulk, even if it doesn't look very hard. Look at his fight with James Irvin. He barely tapped Irvin too, and he had a NASTY cut under his eye. Silva's technique is just so flawless that when it perfectly lands, while it won't look like much, it will cause some serious, serious damage.

For those who haven't seen it yet, here are some gifs of the shows Forrest took:

Spoiler: Anderson vs. Forrest Griffin 1

Spoiler: Anderson vs. Forrest Griffin 2

 

[Uncle Sam]

Man, I am absolutely fucking gutted right now. I was hoping that Griffin and Florian would win. Why does everything I love crumble to dust? WHY!?

I'm particularly gutted for Forrest. There are few fighters that I actually, well, like. Forrest is one of those people. To see him just get absolutely dismantled like that - it was disheartening to say the least. Still, it'll make the perpetual highlight video that is Anderson Silva's career about an entire minute longer. He made fighting a former light heavyweight champion look ridiculously easy. I've never wanted him to fight GSP less, but I've also never wanted him to fight Machida more.

As for KenFlo... he had a good showing. In no way was he dominated like Forrest was. For a while, it even looked as if his game plan might just work, keeping Penn pushed against the cage; even if he did take some nasty-looking blows as he pulled away. I guess it just wasn't to be, though I don't think he has anything to be ashamed of.

Those are the only matches I've watched. I caught them on t'internet, not fucking ES"has roughly a dozen viewers in the UK"PN.

 

[Marquis]

Well, it looks like Forrest Griffin broke his jaw and lost his hearing in one of his ears during the fight, so with that... it's justified now why he gave up during the fight. I think any fighter, under those circumstances, who continues to gets nailed and there's nothing he/she can do about it, would have done the same thing. The fact is... Anderson Silva just hits like the Incredible Hulk, even if it doesn't look very hard. Look at his fight with James Irvin. He barely tapped Irvin too, and he had a NASTY cut under his eye. Silva's technique is just so flawless that when it perfectly lands, while it won't look like much, it will cause some serious, serious damage.

Do you have a legit source for this? I heard about it being posted on a MMA news site, but the source came from a forumer who apparently talked to one of the coaches. Until I see a legit source to it, I'll hold back believing it.

With that said, if his jaw was indeed messed up, then it was perfectly fine for him to give up. I'm a big Forrest fan, and was a little disheartened to see him give up like that. So I hope the news about his Jaw being dislocated is true. If his jaw was truly dislocated, and he lost hearing, then no one can blame him for giving up. Losing hearing and a dislocated jaw is very serious considering Anderson could have kept tagging him and possibly cause some career suffering damage to Forrest. So again, I hope this is true, but until I see a legit source I'm on the fence about it.

 

[The Bearded One]

Anderson Silve made Forrest Griffin look like a chump. Forrest is a really good fighter, but I wouldn't be able to tell that from last night. Silva didn't even look like he was trying to hard. Everything he does looks so effortless and smooth. After the fight he said he was going to fight the best, no matter the weight class. I like that, since it looks like he can dominate any weight class. I have to feel bad for Forrest Griffing though. He is a really good fighter, but last night he was just embarrassed. If the story about him breaking his jaw and losing hearing is true, it wouldn't be as bad. I thought he had a concussion after that first big blow.

Does anyone else think the Johny Hendricks fight was stopped way too early?

 

[X]

Not a great card, but the two big matches everyone was looking forward to were certainly entertaining. Silva did in fact make Forrest look absolutely pathetic, just as we all expected he would. It's sad to see a genuinely nice and good guy like Forrest made to look so foolish in the cage, but what can you do about it? Unfortunately for him Anderson Silva is just that good.

The real match-up that I, and everyone else, was looking forward to was of course BJ-Florian, and it lived up to the hype. My friend and I were already pretty drunk by this point and we were amped up for this one, we even made our own little "bet" on the contest (if BJ won, he had to chug a brew, if K-Flo won, I had to chug a brew). I was jumping up and down, hooping and hollering when BJ won, great fight. I have to disagree with Marquis though; this was not an even contest, BJ pretty much dominated from the word go. Kenny got some good kicks in, but nothing he did seemed to phase BJ in the least bit. Man I love that guy.

Honestly I don't remember much from the undercard, we were half-watching the show, half playing a game of beer pong, half packing the bong. It was a nice party atmosphere to say the least. Enjoyable event for sure though.

 

[Final Form Snyper.]

Fight of the Night honors went to Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin. Each man earned $60,000.

The Knockout of the Night bonus went to Anderson Silva for his KO of Forrest Griffin. Silva earned an additional $60,000.

And finally, the Submission of the Night bonus went to BJ Penn for his rear naked choke submission victory over Kenny Florian. Penn earned $60,000 for the bonus.

Credit: MMANews.

There wasn't another contender even close to take the Knockout of the Night bonus from Anderson Silva the way it was set up and the way he made Forrest look was simply amazing, with both of his hands by his side ducking and weaving punches only to hit a counter punch from the waist was simply amazing. That there was The Spider himself at his devastatingly best.

I wouldn't have called it Fight Of The Night though, I would have leaned towards Florian vs Penn because Forrest didn't even put up a fight.

El Beardo Uno, I really thought that fight was really prematurely stopped I mean come on anyone could have seen Amir still widely conscious. That has to be a rematch..... he was duped.

 

[Marquis]

Following a devastating knockout loss to UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 101 on Saturday night, former 205-pound champion Forrest Griffin wasted no time getting up from the mat and quickly exiting the Octagon.

At the post fight press conference, UFC President Dana White said he hadn't seen or heard from Griffin after the fight and he could be "back in Georgia" at that point.

“He’s an emotional guy,” commented White. “He came into this fight confident that he was going to beat Anderson Silva.”

Reports surfaced on Sunday that Griffin had suffered a jaw injury and that was the reason for his hasty exit, but MMAWeekly.com was able to confirm with representatives from Zinkin Entertainment, Griffin's management group, that he is physically fine following the Saturday night fight.

Griffin suffered no broken jaw and he is physically okay, said the Zinkin representative, but emotionally he is definitely not dealing well with the loss.

Griffin, who is ranked as a top five light heavyweight, faced Silva Saturday night in the co-main event, and struggled with the Brazilian's speed and unbelievable accuracy during the bout.

After two knockdowns early in the round, Griffin was caught with a quick straight right hand that put him down on the canvas for the final time as he waived to the referee to stop the fight.

Taken from MMAweekly. It really sucks to read that his jaw was fine. You know when you get out skilled like Forrest did, and realize your opponent is just playing with you, then you can't blame someone for quitting against Anderon, but it sucks though since this is Forrest fuckin Griffin we're talking about. The man who many consider to have the most heart in the sport. His heart is even listed as one of his strengths before he makes his entrance into the UFC cage. It's really disheartening to read that his Jaw is fine and that he basically quit. Everyone that has fought Anderson has gotten dominated by him, but at least they lasted against him to a decision, or till they got finished. Forrest was the first one to quit against him. I'm not sure what Forrest was thinking in this fight, but trying to stand and bang with Anderson Silva is NOT a smart gameplan at all. I really expected Forrest to come in with a smart game plan and at least last a round. I did not expect Forrest to do what everyone wanted him to do, walk right into Anderson's counter striking.

 

[jmt225]

Damn man, even though a part of me is happy that he's just fine, I was still wishing that he had a broken jaw, so all the keyboard warriors out there would lay the fuck off. But unfortunately, Forrest is going to have to deal with the criticism for quite sometime, if not forever, considering how he does in his next few fights.

Nevertheless, my respect and admiration for Forrest remains in tact. Like I said yesterday... at least he actually fought Anderson Silva. Patrick Cote (who I do like) and Thales Leites cannot make that same claim, even though they were in the same cage with him. Forrest didn't run, and he didn't fall on his ass on purpose; no, he got his ass kicked by the very best fighter in the World and took it like a man. I cannot wait for his redemption, because I know it's coming. I just know it. And if it were up to me... I'd put him in there with Keith Jardine, so he can avenge that loss and then move from there, perhaps sometime down the line avenge his loss against Rashad Evans as well, since there's no doubt in my mind that Forrest Griffin is the superior fighter in both cases.