Bodylock Presents Winter Brawl took place on Saturday February 18 at the Melrose Park Civic Center in Melrose Park Illinois. A total of eight amateur mixed martial arts fights went down in front of a massive crowd that was into all of the action.
1. Vince Nicoline vs Dan Alamario – heavyweight
Nicoline stalked him down against the cage until he landed jabs and upper cuts. Alamario dived for a takedown and easily stuffed by Nicoline and took the back mount. Landed hammer fists and rolled him over. Tried for different submissions, but Alamario fighting back and out of back mount. More hammer fists fallowed from the Nicoline corner. Nicoline had complete control of Alamarios back until round one ended.

Nicoline with an unusual stance with his ands low and bent at the waits. Alamario opens up with jabs and low leg kicks that landed. Nicoline rushed in for a body lock and takedown into half guard. Light punches came from Nicoline and Alamario defended well and retained full guard. Ref called for stand up. Nicoline rushed in for another body lock against the cage making Alamario carry his weight. Alamario exploded off the cage and landed heavy punches to end round two.

Nicoline opened with rush in and uppercuts, but Alamario found a single leg. Nicoline landed more hammer fists with his back to the cage while Alamario switched legs. Nicoline stuffed the single leg takedown and ended up in side control. More punches from the top from Nicoline then fought Alamarios hands to secure the mount. More punches from the top followed until Alamario turned over and gave up the back. Nicoline flatted him out and delivered more punches to the side of the head.
Official Result: Vince Nicoline via unanimous decision
2. Charles Rodriques vs Adam Gleason – lightweight
Strong open from Gleason with a stiff jab and takedown into the back mount. Worked for the choke against the cage early. Rodriques quickly fount out, but was hipped tossed and was mounted then switched to back mount again. Gleason working for the choke again and gets the tap.
Official Result: Adam Gleason via tapout due to a rear naked choke at 1.40 of round one
3. Shane Kamp vs Bobby Kpa – middleweight
Low kicks to start from Kamp. Force against the cage, but Kpa secured the neck for a choke, but didn’t secure the bock to finish. Hammer fist from Kamp and fought the hands at the same time. Kamp freed himself and pushed Kpa against the cage for a double leg takedown slam into half guard. Kamp tried to soften his opponent and advance position. Kamp took the back and delivered knees to the body against the cage. Kamp secured the neck and pulled Kpa back then flattened him out for the tap.
Official Result: Shane Kamp via tapout due to a rear naked choke at 2.38 of round one.
4. Scott Bratner vs Justin Hughes – featherweight
Hughes walked in with an intense face with focus. Hughes opened with a kick and Bratner takes the single leg takedown into mount, but Hughes reversed into guard. Punches from the top from Hughes, but Bratner countered with triangle and arm bar attempts. Hughes backs off to reengage on the feet. Huge right hand landed from Hughes and started to swarm, but Bratner recovered and got back the feet. The crowd fully enjoyed this fight. Bratner dove for a takedown, but stuffed by Hughes. Hughes controlled the head and reached for a choke from the front. Hughes ended the round with punches to the face.

Hughes opened with a great punch combo that connected, but Bratner weathered the short storm and secured the takedown. Fighters scrambled to their feet and Hughes caught Bratner with a strong looping left that dropped him. Hughes jumped on him to finish the fight. Crowd loved the action and let both fighters know it witch thunderous clapping and cheers.
Official Result: Justin Hughes via TKO at .58 of round two

5. Ronnie Stewart vs David Lelis – heavyweight
heavy support for the Lelis corner. Mad scramble to start the fight with swarming punches from both fighters. Stewart secured the takedown, but leaves his neck in the side of Lelis. Lelis secures the choke and gets the tapout.
Official Result: David Lelis via tapout due to a guillotine choke at .45 of round one.
6. Michael Romars vs Dustin Stusse – lightweight
Huge fan support for Stusse corner. Romars opened up with leg kicks and tried for the takedown. Stusse reversed the position and secured the mount. Moved his opponent against the cage but Romars reversed and ended up in guard. A few submission attempts fro the bottom from Stusse. To avoid the submission Romars backs away and the fight moves back against the cage. Stusse secured a takedown and started raining hammer fists to the head. Moved to side control, but Romars secured half guard. Stusse started to land more clean punches from the top position and the ref called the fight.
Official Result: Dustin Stusse via TKO at 2.49 of round one.
7. Pat Yates vs Sam Horowitz – welterweight
very loud support for Horowitz corner. Horowitz opened up with leg kicks, but Yates pushed him against the cage and secured the takedown in half guard. Yates soften him up with punches and secured his neck. Horowitz regroups and wall walks his way up the cage. Then Horowitz takes the neck, clasped his hands together and extends his body for the tapout.
Official Result: Sam Horowitz via tapout due to a guillotine choke 1.15 of round one. “I came here tow in and whoop some ass. He left his neck out there and I confiscated it.”
8. Dennis Sherman vs Damian Norris – lightweight 
Sherman kicked then ran Norris against the cage attempted a single leg takedown. Norris showed good balance for a while, but eventually was takendown into his guard. From the bottom, Norris gathered hand control on Sherman and secured the triangle position.
Official Result: Damian Norris via tapout due to a triangle choke at 1.06 of round one.

Fightcard Entertainment put on their 44th show, Cross the Line 2012 on Thursday February 16. The night of action took place at Joe’s Bar on Weed Street in downtown Chicago. A total of eight amateur mixed martial arts fights and one women’s Muay Thai fight went down inside the steel cage.

All proceeds from the event will go to the Jeff Dunbar fund. MMA Consultants (the sanctioning body) donated all of their time, Kage Concepts donated all of their proceeds, the doctor on staff donated his time as well as several others. In addition to all the staff that volunteered their time, several items were up for raffle raising even more money for the trust fund.

If you blinked you probably missed the first fight between Gerard Mills and Jeremy Rennels. Both fighters came to the center of the cage and threw punches. Rennels then went for a takedown and got the back of Mills. Rennels snuck his arm under the chin of Mills. He adjusted his choke and Mills tapped as he knew it was just a matter of seconds before he would go unconscious.

Middleweights were up next as Ezekeio Sidney took on Hassan Umer. Sidney taunted Umer with his hands down and looked to strike. Umer quickly shot for a takedown and Sidney tried to counter with a guillotine choke. Umer however went to side control to escape the choke and did. From there he worked small punches and then switched to north-south and locked in a choke. He shifted his shoulder deeper into the throat of Sidney and forced a tap out.

Team Top Notch’s Rueben Marquez took on Team 110’s Eric Jachimiec in an exciting bout. Marquez worked leg kicks early, but Jachimiec looked to counter with left hooks. Marquez attempted a flying knee but couldn’t connect. He then opted for a different tactic as he took Jachimiec down and quickly passed to mount. Jachimiec tried to turn and shrimp out of the bad position, but Marquez held his base. He nearly finished the fight with a keylock and when that wasn’t working he transitioned to an armbar. With Jachimiec belly down, the submission was in deep quick and Jachimiec tapped before the snap.

One of the most exciting fights to ever happen inside the FCE cage featured bantamweights Danny Flores and Ceaser Ordorica. Both fighters came out swinging with Ordorica landing the better strikes. He caught a kick by Flores and took him down and rained down punches from within Flores’s guard. Flores escaped and stood up but Ordorica continued his assault. Flores started to find his range and the crowd was extremely excited by the damage that started to appear on Ordorica’s face. With five seconds left Flores landed a flying knee that sent Ordorica down to the canvas. He pounced and landed several punches. The ref halted the fight just before the round ending bell sounded prompting a minor confusion at first.

The first fight to go past the first round featured lightweights Trevor Adeszko and Rafeal Reyes. THe first round Reyes landed the better punches and caught kicks from Adeszko to take him down. Reyes worked punches while on top of Adeszko, but Adeszko was able to stand up each time. In the second round Adeszko wanted to counter the strikes of Reyes and then scored a big takedown. Reyes was able to stand up but ate a big knee. Reyes wanted a takedown of his own and ate a lot of punches from Adeszko without a successful takedown. The third round Reyes took the fight to the ground right away, but Adeszko escaped and took the back. He nearly finished with a rear naked choke, but when he couldn’t he opted to punch Reyes in the head multiple times. Reyes was able to stand, but Adeszko still had his back as they were standing. Adeszko landed two big knees that collapsed Reyes. Two punches later and the ref was forced to stop the action.

Lightweights were definitely putting on great fights as Otis Brumfield and Darrel Edmonson was a back and forth battle. The first round Edmonson controlled the action with his punches and his ability to catch kicks by Brumfield and throw him to the ground. Edmonson had his back and was throwing big bombs to the body and head of Brumfield but couldn’t finish as Brumfield was able to escape. The second round Brumfield ate a big right hand that sent him stumbling. Edmonson tried to capitalize on the damage but Brumfield escaped and landed a big knee. Brumfield then took the fight to the ground and quickly got the mount. He was working an arm triangle choke from the mount as time expired in the round. With the fight appearing to be tied up, both fighters came out swinging. Edmonson was the fresher fighter and it showed as he was able to get the takedown again. Brumfield escaped and was quickly dumped on his butt after another caught kick. Edmonson got the back again and tried to slide his arm under the chin of Brumfield. When the choke was finally in deep enough, the sound of the bell rang and the fight was over leaving the fight up to the judges. MMA Recap scored it 29-28 for Edmonson and so did all three judges.

Team Top Notch’s Nick Nagle came out strong against Trevor Rose. The two quickly exchange punches, before Nagle went for a takedown. Rose grabbed a guillotine and Nagle looked to be in trouble. Nagle tried to escape, but Rose held onto the choke through a stand up and a massive hip toss takedown. The two stood up and Rose tried to adjust his guillotine for a standing guillotine when Nagle landed an accidental low knee. After the restart Nagle landed a side kick and the two clinched. Nagle with another takedown and worked to get Rose’s back. Once he had the back it took just a matter of time before the rear naked choke was applied and Rose had to tap.

The co-main event featured a women’s Muay Thai bout between Jessica Heuer and Vanessa DeLa Garza. The fight was extremely close through out all three rounds. Both DeLa Garza and Heuer were able to land big punches and kicks through out. In the first round DeLa Garza sent Heuer stumbling with a counter right hand to Heuer’s leg kick. Heuer was able to get up right away, but she had no answer for the counter right through the entire fight. Heuer was the aggressor through out the fight always pressing forward, but DeLa Garza was able to land more strikes. The fight was extremely close with DeLa Garza winning the first round and Heuer likely winning round two. The third round was again close, and the judges were split in their decision awarding the fight to DeLa Garza.

Bryan Ortiz and Azamat Shogenov headlined the night of action in a bantamweight fight. Both fighters entered the cage undefeated and both left the same as the fight was ruled a no contest. Shogenov swarmed Ortiz from the start landing punch after punch followed by kicks. Ortiz stumbled and while he was a downed opponent he ate a kick to the head. Referee Rob Madigral called a timeout for the illegal strike, but the fight was waved off and ruled a no contest as Ortiz was ruled to not be able to continue.

Quick Results
Jeremy Rennels defeated Gerard Mills by rear naked choke at 0:13 of round 1
Hassan Umer defeated Ezekeio Sidney by north south choke at 0:52 of round 1
Rueben Marquez defeated Eric Jachimiec by armbar at 2:33 of round 1
Danny Flores defeated Ceaser Ordorica by TKO at 2:59 of round 1
Trevor Adeszko defeated Rafeal Reyes by TKO at 2:09 of round 3
Darrel Edmonson defeated Otis Brumfield by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28, 29-28
Nick Nagle defeated Trevor Rose by rear naked choke at 1:45 of round 1
Vanessa DeLa Garza defeated Jessica Heuer by split decision 29-28, 28-29, 30-27
Bryan Ortiz and Azamat Shogenov ruled a no contest at 0:20 of round 1

For the first event to air on Fuel TV, the fighters held nothing back and left it all on the line. The night of action featured three preliminary fights shown on Facebook and six fights airing live on Fuel TV. Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez headlined the event at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska.

Ivan Menjivar submits John Albert - via Iron Forges Iron

While several fighters threatened their opponent with submission attempts, only Ivan Menjivar was able to secure one to force his opponent tap. In a very exciting first fight on the broadcast, Menjivar took on John Albert. The fight only lasted 3:45 but it seemed like the action was never ending. Albert hurt Menjivar multiple times in the fight and nearly finished him with submission of his own. Unfortunately when he couldn’t finish a submission, Menjivar used the opportunity to take the back of Albert and quickly worked to get a rear naked choke and the victory.

Three fights ended in either a technical knockout or actual knockout. Jonathan Brookins sent Vagnar Rocha to la-la land with heavy shots while Rocha was looking to secure a heel hook submission. Many fighters will try to roll out of the submission, but Brookins seized the opportunity to just land massive punches and earn the victory.

Many thought that regardless of the winner of Stefan Struve and Dave Herman, the outcome would happen by knockout. Herman found his range in the first round and stumbled Struve on more than one occasion. But Struve got his rhythm at the start of the second and it was all over for Herman. Struve took Herman down and quickly mounted him. Struve postured up and was able to land punch after punch until the ref was forced to halt the fight.

Stipe Miocic KO's Philip De Fries - via Iron Forges Iron

But the knockout of the night came from Stipe Miocic when he sent Philip De Fries to the canvas. De Fries, a submission expert, looked to stand and trade with Miocic and stumbled the striker. But Miocic returned fire and after a big right hand, De Fries was back peddling. Miocic continued his assault and De Fries was sent unconscious.

T.J. Dillashaw put a beating on Walel Watson like no one had predicted. Dillashaw used his wrestling to control his position on top of Watson. Through out the first two rounds Dillashaw nearly finished as he was looking for submissions and when they weren’t there landed heavy punches. Both rounds were so dominant that two judges scored them 10-8 for Dillashaw. The third round Watson was able to mount a little bit of offense, but Dilashaw went back to his wrestling and once the fight was on the ground, he was the fighter on offense.

Jake Ellenberger vs Diego Sanchez - via Iron Forges Iron

The main event was only a three-round fight, a mistake that was made after the UFC announced all main events would be five rounds. It would be interesting to see how this fight would have played out if there were two more rounds as it was by far the most exciting fight of the night. The first two rounds Jake Ellenberger dominated Diego Sanchez with his heavy punches and knees. Sanchez was a bloody mess just a few minutes into the fight. The third round Sanchez was still energized and seemed to have a bit more in his gas tank than Ellenberger and it showed as Sanchez was able to land his strikes. After five minutes Ellenberger was just as bloodied as Sanchez but it wasn’t enough for Sanchez as Ellenberger had won the first two rounds.

Ellenberger, Sanchez, Miocic, and Menjivar all earned an extra $50,000 for their performances.

Quick Results
Jake Ellenberger def. Diego Sanchez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Stefan Struve def. Dave Herman via TKO (punches from mount) – Round 2, 3:52
Ronny Markes def. Aaron Simpson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Stipe Miocic def. Philip De Fries via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:43
T.J. Dillashaw def. Walel Watson via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26)
Ivan Menjivar def. John Albert via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:45
Jonathan Brookins def. Vagner Rocha via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:32
Justin Salas def. Anton Kuivanen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Tim Means def. Bernado Magalhaes vis unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)

HFC 10 went down on Saturday night, live from the Porter County Expo Center in Valparaiso, IN. If you were in attendance you were a witness to a great card and exciting fights from both amateur and professional mixed martial artists. Much credit has to go towards the fighters themselves, the HFC matchmaker Paul Vale and the promoter Danielle Vale for delivering a highly entertaining night of competition. The night however was over shadowed with controversy between the fans and judges with regards to who actually won the main event of Strikeforce vet Christian Uflacker versus WEC vet LC Davis.

My pick for fight of the night was the bantamweight bout between Miguel Garza and Mike Manns. Here is what went down and up…

Round One: This fight started off very fast when Manns secured the clinch and delivered good knees to his opponent’s body. Then he pushed Garza against the cage and delivered more knees to the thighs. A strong and tight battle for under hooks and dominate position was displayed against the cage. Manns got the takedown, but was quickly reversed by Garza. Manns sprang back up to his feet and took his opponent against the cage. Another takedown secured from Manns, but Garza quickly put up his legs for a triangle choke. Two huge, full length body slams delivered from Manns to try and free himself. Garza seemed to be unfazed and switched for an arm bar. He was able to sink it in for more than thirty seconds until the round ends. The crowd was breathless with anticipation of the outcome. The ref was right on top of the action and his face looked like he was expecting Manns arm to break before the horn sounded.

Round Two: Quick exchange of punches to open the round, but Manns closed the distance and put Garza against the cage again. Manns clearly looked for the takedown but Garza defended well. More strong knees delivered to the thighs from Mike to Garza. A heavy struggle against the cage for a takedown from Manns and ended up in Garza’s half guard. Heavy punches from the top rained down from Manns. Garza defended his face well and avoided damage. Ref stopped the action and stood the fighters up for lack  of action after a short period of time. Manns put the fight back against the cage. Another takedown secured from Manns and landed in side control, then he took the back mount. Working for a choke towards the end of the round, but the horn sounded.

Round Three: A quick one-two combination from Garza that found a home on Manns face. Garza followed that up with an explosive takedown slam in to Manns closed guard. Manns worked from the bottom with punches to soften his opponent and got back to his feet. Manns charges forward and put Miguel against the cage. Manns secured a takedown from a leg trip and ended up in half guard. Punches flew from the top position. Mann’s delivered more slams from his knees. Another triangle attempt from Garza from the bottom and then switched again to an arm bar. Manns is hung on to his arm for dear life. Manns changes positions and secured his arm back and took the back mount on Garza. More punches followed for Manns. A last quick burst of energy from Garza that cause a scramble, but the horn blew putting an end to an exciting fight. The judges award the fight to Miguel Garza via unanimous decision. This was a great back and forth battle that took place all over the canvas and frankly, what I hope to see from every MMA fight.

My Crimson Award goes to Neil Magny for opening up Dan Sandmann. Not only did Magny open up a cut on his opponent, but  he made him sit in a pool of it for several seconds. Sandmann was checked by the doctors twice with in the fight to see if he could continue. Sandmann should be congratulated for continuing a loosing battle and showing a lot of heart. The HFC ring side staff should also be recognized for doing a great job of cleaning Sandmanns’ DNA off of the mat.

My Best Display of Strikes Award goes to Kevin Nowaczyk for his dominate performance over Joe Alexander. Nowaczyk put on the best striking clinic at the HFC event. He mixed everything very well; punches, knees, inside leg kicks, outside leg kicks, head kicks, head movement, foot movement and changing levels. This guy did it all and didn’t look tired for one second. If you don’t believe that leg kicks can end fights or do much damage, see Pat Barry and Kevin Nowaczyk fight.

Quick Results for the Amateur Card:
Featherweight: Jonathan Ciavirelli defeated Ralph Nurse via tapout due to a guillotine choke at 1:51 in the second round.
Welterweight: Nate Wacnik defeated Christopher Malamatos via tapout to a guillotine choke at 1:21 in the second round.
Bantamweight: Miguel Garza defeated Mike Manns by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Lightweight: James Frasure II defeated Eli Cantu via doctor stoppage at 2:39 in the second round.
Featherweight: Jacob Moales defeated Justin Halloran via tapout due to a rear naked choke at 1:52 in the third round.

Quick Results for the Professional Card:
Dennis Dombrow defeated Terry House, Jr. via tapout due to a triangle choke 4:20 in the third round.
Billy Johnson defeated Rob Morrow via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Kevin Nowaczyk defeated Joe Alexander via referee stoppage due to strikes 2:43 in the third round.
Kenny Booker defeated Ryan Storey via unanimous decision.
Neil Magny defeated Daniel Sandmann via unanimous decision.
Jake Rosenbaum defeated Dexter Wright via technical submission at 2:43 in the second round.
Larry Digiulio defeated Nick Wayne via tapout to a guillotine choke at 3:59 in the first round.
Christian Uflacker defeated LC Davis via split decision (29-28, 30-27 (Davis), 29-28).

Cut Throat MMA returned to Atlantis Gentlemen’s Club in Ford Heights, Illinois for Babes and Brawls X. The event featured seven amateur mixed martial arts fights highlighted by the beautiful girls of the club.

Kicking off the night of fights was a lightweight contest between Mike Manning and Adam Meneou. The fight looked like it was going to be all over quickly as Manning quickly took the fight to the ground and got the mount. He bloodied up his opponent and worked for a guillotine choke. Meneou was able to escape but took a big beating during the round. The second round was a close round with Manning working for a guillotine most of the round but Meneou was on top and in side control. Once Meneou was able to get his head free he worked punches to the body and head. Manning tried to escape and was able to reverse the position and rained down punches in bunches. The third round Meneou opened the round with good kicks and was able to get the mount himself. Manning was nearly finished but he found his escape and then worked to finish Meneou. As time was running out in the round Meneou nearly had a triangle choke, but Manning punched his way out.

Justin Hughes came out swinging for the fences against Sean Cooley and never let up. He landed a big combo that hurt Cooley, but Cooley was able to recover quickly. Hughes just picked Cooley up and threw him to the ground and as Cooley stood up he ate several more punches. Hughes got the back of Cooley and threw him to the ground again. Just like the previous time he let Cooley stand up and made him pay with several punches. Hughes continued his assault but was briefly stalled as he left his neck partially open and Cooley tried to capitalize on it with a guillotine. Once free Hughes landed a big right that dropped Cooley. Hughes followed it up with one more punch before the ref called the fight.

Josh Bulak entered the cage to talk about the fund that is now set up for Jeff Dunbar. He gave a small update on Dunbar’s status in that Dunbar has some minor use of his hands.

Returning to action Mike Perry took on Nikola Colovic. The two touched gloves and then immediately went after each other. Perry landed a straight right and Colovic returned the favor with a right of his own. Colovic started to land the better of the two, but Perry was throwing hoping to land. Unfortunately for him, Colovic landed a punch that sent Perry to the canvas and the fight was ended there.

Heavyweights were up next as Cody Murray battled Robert Little in an exciting back and forth battle. The two came out and looked to clinch and work a dirty boxing game. Little seemed to be landing more of his punches and then opted to shoot for a takedown. He couldn’t get it and Murray decided to work some knees. Murray tried for a takedown, but Little countered with a guillotine attempt. As Murray escaped, Little shot for a takedown and was successful. Unfortunately he got reversed and Murray worked punches from the top. Murray started to transition to a different position and Little yelled out in pain and the ref stopped the fight.

From the start it looked like Alfonso Bray would be too much for Shane Camp. Camp wanted to land little leg kicks, but Bray countered with a right hand forcing Camp to shoot for a takedown. Bray sprawled and looked to keep his top position with punches to the body of Camp. Camp stayed busy from the bottom trying to escape and throwing multiple hammerfists to Bray’s ears. He did escape and when both fighters stood, Camp landed an accidental knee to the groin of Bray. After the restart the two fighters clinched and exchanged knees. Camp jumped and grabbed a guillotine. Bray tried to summersault out, but Camp held on, adjusted and squeezed. Bray had not choice but to tap to the submission.

In the co-main event Anthony Corder took on Gregg Tigner. If you blinked you might have missed what happened. Tigner landed a punch and Corder immediately went for a takedown. The two were battling for position on the ground when Corder was able to get on top. Unfortunately Tigner used it to his advantage as he secured an armbar. Corder tried to roll out, but Tigner held on tight and forced the tap.

Andrew West and Mike Reid headlined the great night of fights with an exciting Muay Thai fight. West came out with a big front kick, but Reid countered with a right hand. Reid continued with a leg kick and the two fighters clinched. Both fighters exchanged knees before separating. Reid then connected with a spinning backfist that dropped West. West was able to get up within the eight count and was ready to continue on. Reid immediately pressed the action and landed another spinning backfist that knocked West out.

Quick Results
Mike Manning defeated Adam Meneou by unanimous decision
Justin Hughes defeated Sean Cooley by TKO at 1:49 of round 1
Nikola Colovic defeated Mike Perry by TKO at 0:49 of round 1
Cody Murray defeated Robert Little by verbal tapout at 2:41 of round 1
Shane Camp defeated Alfonso Bray by guillotine at 1:49 of round 1
Gregg Tigner defeated Anthony Corder by armbar at 0:33 of round 1
Mike Reid defeated Andrew West by knockout in round 1

UFC 143 took place on Saturday February 4th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit battled it out for the interim welterweight title in the night’s main event.

Dan Stittgen vs Stephen Thompson - via Iron Forges Iron

While several fights went to the distance, there were some great knockouts and submissions on the card. The very first fight of the evening saw Stephen Thompson land and well timed head kick after a one-two combo that sent Dan Stittgen to the canvas unconscious. Thompson a highly touted striker entered his UFC debut with an impressive 60+ fight win streak including his Muay Thai fights.

Matt Brown has always been a fighter that brings a fight, but has struggled to put together solid wins lately. Chris Cope tried to hand Brown his second loss in two fights, but came up short when Brown caught Cope with a hook that sent Cope to the canvas and Cope was the fighter with the back-to-back losses on his record.

While Brown’s knockout was good, Thompson’s was just a bit better as it came at the end of a combo and earned Thompson the Knockout of the Night.

Dustin Poirier vs Max Holloway - via Iron Forges Iron

Like knockouts, there were two submissions during the night’s fights. Max Holloway made his UFC debut against Dustin Poirier, and Poirier welcomed him by attacking his limbs and neck. Poirier looked to have finished the fight with an armbar, but Holloway didn’t tap, so Poirier transitioned it to a triangle choke with the armbar. When that failed to win him the fight, he moved to have a mounted triangle choke and again attacked the arm. The third time was the charm and Holloway was sent home with his first loss of his career.

Kicking off the pay-per-view were middleweights Ed Herman and Clifford Starks. In the second round Herman scored a beautiful trip takedown and quickly passed to mount. From there it was just a matter of time as Starks gave up his back and Herman relentlessly worked to get a rear naked choke until he found it and a tap.

Poirier earned the night’s submission of the night bonuses with his mounted triangle armbar submission.

Nick Diaz versus Carlos Condit - via Iron Forges Iron

The rest of the fights all went to the judges’ scorecards. The main event was an exciting battle that had Nick Diaz running down Carlos Condit, only to be out-struck by Condit. The fight was difficult to score as many question do you score damage or aggression and how do you decide on damage. Condit ultimately won the unanimous decision, a decision Diaz was not too happy about. He said it was bullshit that he ran down a guy for twentyfive minutes and that the other guy won so he was done with the sport.

Roy Nelson vs Fabricio Werdum - via Iron Forges Iron

But the fight of the night featured a very improved striking game from Fabricio Werdum who landed several Muay Thai knees to the face and body of Roy Nelson. Nelson is one of the most durable fighters as he continued to come forward no matter what Werdum threw at him. Nelson at times came close to hurting Werdum, but could never capitalize on it. Regardless, the fight was one that will be talked about for weeks to come.

UFC on Fox 2 took place on Saturday January 28th at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The preliminary fights aired on Fuel TV with the three-fight main card airing on Fox. MMA Recap was on hand and cageside for the event to capture all of the action.

Chris Camozzi and Dustin Jacoby opend up the night of fights. The first round was a great back and forth battle between the two fighters. Early in the round Camozzi had Jacoby guessing as he landing some massive shots. But Jacoby stayed the course and started to find his range, frustrating Camozzi. With ten seconds left in the round, Camozzi landed a big right that buckled Jacoby to earn him the round. Round two featured more striking by both fighters. Camozzi looked to try and counter Jacoby, but was a little off in his timing as Jacoby was landing more. Round three both fighters came out swinging with Camozzi taking the center of the octagon to start. Jacoby landed a beautiful combo led off with a body shot. Camozzi landed a leg kick that swept Jacoby’s feet out from under him. Camozzi rushed in and grabbed a standing guillotine.

Joey Beltran declined to touch gloves with Lavar Johnson which means one thing; he’s going to lose the fight. Johnson nearly finished the fight in the first fifteen seconds with a body shot that hurt Beltran but Beltran recovered from within the clinch. The two fighters jabbed at each other to set up a powerful shot and both connected with more than one. But Johnson landed a big right and then followed it up with several uppercuts and a left hook that sent Beltran to the canvas.

Shane Roller’s gameplan from the start was to take Michael Johnson down. Unfortunately he was unable to get Johnson down and ate a lot of punches through out the first two rounds. Even with all the punches he was eating, Roller continued to press forward. In the third round, Roller was able to take the back of Johnson and wanted to finish the fight with a rear naked choke. Unable to get the choke while holding a body triangle, Roller switched to punching Johnson. Some of his punches were to the back of the head and Herb Dean stopped the fight to warn Roller. After the restart, Johnson was able to escape the bad position and saved himself from losing the round by 10-8. Once on the feet, the two traded punches till bell’s end.

Charles Oliveira scored the first calf slicer submission on Eric Wisely. After a kick thrown by Wisely, Oliveira caught it to put Wisely on his back. Oliveira worked standing punches to Wisely till he was able to pass to side control. He quickly worked for a heel hook and Wisely tried to roll out of it. Oliveira continued attacking the leg, and put Wisely in a the submission forcing Wisely to tap. The crowd didn’t know what they saw, but they loved the crazy submission.

George Roop had a serious size advantage over Cub Swanson and he looked to use it early. Roop threw a variety of kicks to keep Swanson at bay, but Swanson stayed the course to try and get inside and land his punches. Roop stumbled Swanson but he quickly recovered and swarmed Roop rocking him in return. Roop attempted a takedown, but Swanson reversed and scored a big takedown. Swanson started to find his way under Roop’s punches and edged Roop out for the round. The second looked to be much of the same but Swanson landed a right hook over top of Roop’s jab that sent Roop to the floor. Swanson followed up with big bombs forcing Big John to step in and stop the action.

Heavyweights Mike Russow and John-Olav Einemo were up next. The crowd was heavily behind Russow the Chicago police officer. Russow took Einemo down immediately to start the fight, but couldn’t do much with it. The two fighters exchanged punches with Russow using his strikes to try and set up another takedown. The takedown came and he worked most of the round from within Einemo’s guard. With less than ten seconds left, Einemo swept Russow and was in the mount, but time expired and he couldn’t do much with it. The second round was much the same with Russow taking Einemo down and trying to pass his guard but unable too. Einemo threatened a little with setting up some submissions, but Russow defended well. Einemo started to land some heavy shots including two big knees that forced Russow to shoot for a takedown. Einemo worked for a triangle but Russow escaped and wound up on top. Russow worked elbows and was trying to pass guard when the fight got stood back up. Einemo landed another massive knee before Russow took the fight to the ground and finished the fight in that position.

The last of the preliminary fights to air on FuelTV featured lightweights Nik Lentz and Evan Dunham. The two fighters quickly stepped to the center to throw massive shots. Lentz nearly had a D’Arce but he couldn’t get the position right and Dunham escaped. Lentz shot for a takedown, and Dunham worked a guillotine to counter it. Lentz escaped, and battled for position over Dunham. The fighters stood and worked a short game inside the clinch before separating. Dunham worked for a takedown of his own and got it, but Lentz controlled well from the bottom. Dunham worked punches and elbows to end the round. Dunham came out on a mission to start the second round and immediately got a takedown. Dunham tried to pass to side control, but Lentz wouldn’t give up. The two fighters stood and Lentz scored with some uppercuts before separating. Dunham working for a guillotine and can’t get it, and the two fighters start throwing punch after punch that were landing to the crowd’s delight. Dunham with another takedown and he worked several punches before working a modified choke. The choke wasn’t working so he opted for elbows instead. Lentz started to sit up and Dunham with a straight right. Lentz is badly bloodied up, but still coming forard as the round ends. Reply showed his eye is badly swollen and the doctor is called in to look at it. The doctor waved off the fight as Lentz’s eye was shut.

Kicking off the main card on Fox, Chris Weidman stepped in on eleven day’s notice to fight Demian Maia. Maia looked to use his improved boxing against Weidman, and Weidman was happy to oblige. Weidman landed more strikes through out and at the end of the round secured it with a takedown. The second round was a close round to call as Maia started to find his range and did more damage in the first half. Near the end of the round Weidman scored a takedown and if there was enough time he probably would have finished his guillotine he had locked in. By the third round both fighters were visibly gassed. Weidman continued to land punches and when Maia did attempt a takedown, Weidman easily defended. Maia ate a couple of knees but the action was not enough to satisfy the Chicago crowd as they booed at the conclusion of the fight. What looked to be a clear cut unanimous decision for Weidman either 30-27 or 29-28 was not as one judge scored it for Maia giving Weidman the split decision victory.

It was more difficult to tell if the crowd was pro Chael Sonnen or anti Michael Bisping based on their entrances, but once inside the cage fighting, it became very clear they were for Sonnen. The first round Sonnen immediately took the fight to the ground but Bisping was quick to get back up. The two traded punches with Bisping throwing crisper strikes, but Sonnen landing the more damaging ones. The second round Sonnen seemed to have slowed down a bit as he couldn’t find a home for his punches. Bisping used the opportunity to land his punches and attempted some fancy spinning kicks. Most of the round however was spent against the cage and surprisingly the Chicago crowd didn’t object to it. The third round Sonnen took Bisping down and the crowd went crazy. As he was able to get Bisping’s back the noise level erupted even more. The loudest ovation however came when Sonnen mounted Bisping as it was next to impossible to hear anything. Bisping was able to escape, but it wasn’t enough as the round ended. The judges were all in agreement with who won giving the fight to Sonnen.

In the pre-fight build up for Rashad Evans and Phil Davis, Evans stated that it would be Davis that would shoot first for the takedown. And while that was true, it was Evans who actually scored the first takedown. The five round battle was not much to the crowd’s delight as it consisted mostly of Evans throwing combos and avoiding Davis’s takedown attempts. When Evans would take the fight to the ground, he was impressive in securing a crucifix not once, but three times through out the fight. All three times he nearly finished with punches and elbows, but Davis was somehow able to escape. Both fighters were extremely exhausted at the end of the twenty-five minute battle and Evans solidified his status as the number one contender for the light heavyweight title to challenge Jon Jones.

Quick Results
Chris Camozzi defeated Dustin Jacoby by guillotine at 1:08 of round 3
Lavar Johnson defeated Joey Beltran by TKO at 4:24 of round 1
Michael Johnson defeated Shane Roller by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28, 29-28
Charles Oliveira defeated Eric Wisely by calf slicer at 1:43 of round 1
Cub Swanson defeated George Roop by TKO at 2:22 of round 2
Mike Russow defeated John-Olav Einemo by unanimous decision 30-27, 29-28, 29-28
Evan Dunham defeated Nik Lentz by TKO (doctor’s stoppage) at 5:00 of round 2
Chris Weidman defeated Demian Maia by split decision 29-28, 28-29, 29-28
Chael Sonnen defeated Michael Bisping by unanimous decision 30-27, 29-28, 29-28
Rashad Evans defeated Phil Davis by unanimous decision 50-45, 50-45, 50-45

photo by Shane Carpenter

Kicking off the night of action were two Muay Thai bouts. Axel Mendez needed just over a minute to dispose of Mike Girton. Mendez came out with a big leg kick, but Girton countered with some good jabs and a hook. Mendez returned the favor landing a big combo that forced the fighters to clinch. Good knee work by both fighters before separating at which point Mendez unloaded a barrage of attacks. Girton went down but was able to get up within the ten count. Mendez again swarmed starting with a big body kick, followed by body punches and a head kick that sent Girton down again. He was unable to stand by the ten count and Mendez was announced the winner.

Women were up next with an exciting Muay Thai bout. Dorothy Schultz brought a massive fight to Katie Fry. Schultz came out with kicks that forced Fry to work a clinch game. Unfortunately she didn’t get the better of it, as Schultz landed multiple knees. As the round was ending, Schultz nearly landed a head kick to the crowd’s delight. Schultz opened the second round with two big front kicks and Fry again went to clinch. Schultz landed knee after knee to the body of Fry. She let go of her clinch and landed an uppercut as Fry was waving off the fight.

After the two Muay Thai fights it was time for some MMA action. Tim Kallas took on Anthony Corder in the lightweight division. Corder came out with a high kick that just missed. He landed a leg kick and Kallas came forward with massive punches. Corder shot forward and looked to grab a heel hook. Kallas spun free and landed punch after punch while taking Corder’s back. Corder turned into Kallas and wound up in a triangle choke. Corder tried to punch his way out, but Kallas adjusted the choke and squeezed. Two more punches by Corder and he knew he was going out so he tapped.

Brandon Conner and Travis Simpson came out swinging with bad intentions. Neither fighter was throwing crisp punches, but the wild hooks were landing for both. Conner shot for a takedown, but Simpson grabbed his neck and worked for a guillotine choke. He couldn’t get it as Conner was trying to roll out of it. As he adjusted to prevent Conner from escaping, he did just that and rained down hammer fists onto Simpson’s face. Conner looked to stand back up, but realized that Simpson left his neck open and grabbed a guillotine choke. He fell back and torqued the choke forcing Simpson to tap.

Andrew West came out with a big front kick to the belly of Mike Zahn that sent Zahn stumbling back. West pressed forward and hip tossed Zahn to the ground landing in side control. West tried to lock in an arm triangle choke before moving to mount. He kept the choke on and squeezed while on top of Zahn. Zahn tried to punch his way out, but West continued to squeeze and forced a tap.

Fight of the night went to Michael Manning and Shane Camp. The first round Camp likely won as he was able to land some massive punches on Manning. Manning threatened with a guillotine and an armbar submission, but Camp was able to escape by punching Manning in the head. At the end of the first round Manning was developing a mouse under his eye. The second round Manning turned up the pressure as he put Camp in submission after submission and nearly always had the better position. Manning was a little hesitant to punch Camp as he seemed to be setting up his submissions, but regardless he won the round. All tied up at the start of the third and Camp shot in for a takedown. Manning again worked a guillotine choke, but Camp was able to escape. Manning with his long legs kept pressure on Camp and switched to his back. Camp turned into Manning and was on top, but Manning wanted to secure an armbar. Camp escaped and got Manning’s back and locked in a rear naked choke with just twenty seconds left of the fight.

After the exciting battle between Manning and Camp, it would have been difficult to have another exhilarating fight. But that’s just what Jon James and Kyle Kurt did. The first round James looked for a takedown but got reversed. It wasn’t long however until he rolled and took the mount. James unloaded punch after punch after punch and Kurt was in danger. Kurt managed to grab a leg and escaped the bad position, but was nearly finished by a kimura as time ran out. At the start of the second round it was apparent that Kurt had more in his gas tank than James did. White spent most of the round on top of James raining down punches from James’s back. James finished the round with a takedown, but it wasn’t enough to win the round. The third round started and the crowd went wild. Both fighters looked to finish with a big single punch, but it was Kurt who scored first with a big knee that hurt James. Kurt rode James’s back again landing punch after punch. He nearly finished the round that way, but again James was able to escape and score a takedown as time expired. It was clear that Kurt had won rounds two and three, and the judges were all in agreement that that was the case awarding him the fight.

Best takedown of the night went to Anthony Nichols who just powered his way through Tom Shoaff and drove him not only into the cage, but also into the canvas. But Shoaff was extremely comfortable working off his back. Nichols did little to try and advance his position as Shoaff threatened with multiple submissions. Shoaff nearly finished the fight with an arm triangle from the bottom, but Nichols was able to escape. In the second round Nichols again scored a big takedown and again Shoaff threatened with a triangle. Nichols slammed his way out, but Shoaff used the opportunity to go for a takedown of his own. Shoaff quickly took the mount and from there went after Nichols’s arm. Three different versions of an armbar were attempted, but the third was the one that secured the win.

The heavyweight title was on the line as David Hammons challenged Eddie Castillo for his belt. Hammons immediately shot in for a takedown, but Castillo defended well. Castillo landed a knee and an uppercut that seemed to rock Hammons. Hammons shot for another takedown, this time eating three more knees. Hammons went down and it looked like the ref was stepping in to call it but Hammons said he was fine. Castillo came in again and landed several knees that sent Hammons to the canvas. Castillo continued his attack with several punches and the ref was forced to stop the action.

The main event feature Sam Ferguson and Ryan Kirwan battling for the vacant middleweight title. Ferguson came out looking for a takedown, but Kirwan was swinging for the fences. Ferguson worked a Thai clinch and landed a couple of knees. Ferguson then scored a takedown but was nearly rolled. As he was punching Kirwan, he did get rolled. Kirwan on top throwing punches, but Ferguson threatened with an armbar. Kirwan postured out of the submission and then just started throwing massive left hands. Ferguson visibly hurt by the left hands, but they still kept coming. Kirwan continued the assault until the ref mercifully stepped in and stopped the fight crowning Kirwan the new middleweight champion.

Muay Thai Quick Results
Axel Mendez defeated Mike Girton at 1:29 of round 1
Dorothy Schultz defeated Katie Fry at 0:47 of round 2

Mixed Martial Arts Results
Tim Kallas defeated Anthony Corder by triangle choke at 1:07 of round 1
Brandon Conner defeated Travis Simpson by guillotine choke at 1:00 of round 1
Andrew West defeated Mike Zahn by arm triangle choke at 0:45 of round 1
Shane Camp defeated Michael Manning by rear naked choke at 2:39 of round 3
Kyle Kurt defeated Jon Jones by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28, 29-28
Tom Shoaff defeated Anthony Nichols by armbar 1:49 of round 2
Eddie Castillo defeated David Hammons by TKO at 0:46 of round 1
Ryan Kirwan defeated Sam Ferguson by TKO at 2:16 of round 1

photo gallery to follow in the coming days

XFO Fight Night took place at Offsides Bar and Grill in Woodstock, IL on January 21st. The XFO officially put on nine amateur fights for a night of MMA action. Mmarecap was on site to bring you the play-by-play and results.

 
Nick Dunski vs Shawn Bridgeman
A shot early from Bridgeman was stopped when Dunski snatched a guillotine. Bridgeman defended, but was still stuck in the choke, and he waited it out until the fighters eventually stood. Another shot from Bridgeman earned him top position briefly. Dunski stood to his feet. The trend continued as Bridgeman again shot for a takedown, and the round soon ended. Dunski scored another takedown and mounted Bridgeman. Some body work was delivered to Bridgeman’s ribs. From mount, Dunski stood and landed heavy looping shots as Bridgeman called it quits.

Brian Radtke vs Shawn Sullivan
Radtke hammered Sullivan with a right hand early and rushed in with heavy leather. He jumped into mount, and after a shower of punches, the referee saved Sullivan from further damage.

Geovanni Greco vs David Sorenson
Sorenson shot in immediately, and Greco stalled the position out. The wrestling of Sorenson continued as he tried to climb a stalling Greco. He briefly took the back of Greco, but the fight returned to the stalled shot soon. Sorenson won the uneventful round.  Sorenson slammed a heavy leg kick into Grecos thigh early. Two kicks, three kicks, and Greco was definitely feeling the kicks. Greco soon returned the favor with a kick that caused Sorenson to fall. He jumped back to his feet, and a take-down for Sorenson later earned him Greco’s back. He rained down a storm of strikes and Greco tapped under the fire. However, the flurry continued to rain, because Referee Mark Wallen somehow did not notice that Greco was frantically tapping. Team Curran screamed to stop the fight, and finally Wallen jumped in and made the call.

Cody Richards vs Alan Marugg
Marugg and Richards opened with a brawl before Marugg took Richards to the ground. Marugg began to land big body shots and delivered a flurry from the top, causing Richards to tap.

Anthony Schott vs Stan Janeczko
Janeczko initially got into the cage with his shoes on, but the cage officials noticed and had him remove them. The heavyweights collided immediately in a barnstorming brawl. Schott took Janeczko down and mounted him. Schott turned over and received a heavy flurry. Janeczko covered up as Schott continued the attack, and soon after the fight was stopped.

Mike Mahurin vs Tim Holman
Holman shot a double-leg take-down and finished it with an exclamation point. He dropped heavy bombs from the top position to a bellied out Holman.  The fight was over just as quick as it began.

Skyler Petrancosta vs Tyler Reece
Petrancosta shot in early and Reece reversed. After some brief guard work Petrancosta stood but was caught in a guillotine. Reese cranked the choke and Petrancosta tapped, and seemingly passed out at last second. The referee didn’t see the immediate tap because he was at a bad angle.

Charlie Radtke vs Michael Dann
Double jab and big take-down from Radtke scored early. Dann held onto a guillotine attempt that turned into more of a headlock as Radtke was clear from danger. Radtke worked to break free from side control and finally did. He took Dann’s back and delivered a flurry, prompting the ref to jump in and stop the right. Radtke pulled free from the referee and continued punching his already finished opponent. The referee grabbed Radtke and pulled him away as the crowd protested the sportsmanship of Radtke immediately with boo’s.

Gram Livermoore vs Daniel Flora
Flora shot for a takedown and it was stuffed by Livermoore. Flora eventually finished a takedown and took Livermoore to the mat. Flora moved to mount and flurried. Livermoore tried to move, but his only defense was to lay covering his head. The lack of movement caused the referee to jump in and stop the fight.

Quick Results
Nick Dunski defeated Shawn Bridgeman by verbal tapout due to strikes at 2:04 of round 2
Brian Radtke defeated Shawn Sullivan by TKO at 0:39 of round 1
David Sorenson defeated Geovanni Greco by tapout due to strikes at 1:06 of round 2
Alan Marugg defeated Cody Richards by tapout due to strikes at 1:02 of round 1
Anthony Schott defeated Stan Janeczko by TKO at 1:46 of round 1
Tim Holman defeated Mike Mahurin by tapout due to strikes at 0:09 of round 1
Tyler Reece defeated Skyler Petrancosta by guillotine choke at 1:40 of round 1
Charlie Radtke defeated Michael Dann by TKO of round 1
Daniel Flora defeated Gram Livermoore by TKO of round 1

On Friday, January 20th at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN, the UFC made their UFC on FX debut with a card headlined by Melvin Guillard taking on Jim Miller. A total of ten fights were shown between the four main-card fights on FX and the three-hour six-fight preliminary action on FUEL TV. Eighty percent of the fights had a finish last night and the other two delivered high paced action.

image from Iron Forges Iron

The first fight of the night between Nick Denis and Joseph Sandoval got the ball rolling in the fast finishes and made distinct calling for the Knockout of the Night award. Denis needed just 22 seconds to finish off his opponent. The two clinched in the center of the octagon and Denis unloaded five standing elbows to the side of Sandoval’s head sending him unconscious and to the canvas.

The last fight of the preliminary card between Jorge Rivera and Eric Schafer had a lot riding on it. Rivera had stated that win or lose he was going to retire after this fight. The first round Schafer controlled the action scoring takedown after takedown. He nearly finished the fight with an omoplata but time was running out. In the second Schafer went for a single leg takedown, this Rivera was ready. While trying to escape from the takedown attempt, he opted to turn around and unloaded a barrage of strikes to Schafer. Schafer tried to defend, but Rivera was relentless in his attack forcing Herb Dean to stop the action.

from Iron Forges Iron

Pat Barry returned to his winning ways and looked to throw his name into the hat for Knockout of the Night against Christian Morecraft. Early on Morecraft looked to submit Barry and nearly did with an armbar. But Barry escaped and returned to his feet. A short while later Barry landed a massive left hook that put Morecraft on bambi-legs. Barry followed the attack up and seven heavy punches later Morecraft was out cold.

It was a tough decision but Denis’s standing elbow strikes earned him a cool $45,000 bonus for knockout of the night.

from Iron Forges Iron

Submissions came fast and they came frequent with five fights ending with a submission. Daniel Pineda quickly took Pat Schilling down and got the mount. He nearly finished the fight with punches, but Schilling gave up his back and worked to stand up. Pineda held on and locked in a rear naked choke to end the fight in just over a minute.

Fabricio Camoes took on Tommy Hayden next and both fighters wanted to take the other to the canvas. It looked like Hayden was going to be the better of the two after putting Camoes on his back and worked from side control. But Camoes used the opportunity to grab an armbar that was very deep. Hayden escaped the submission, but had lost his position and this time Camoes got to work from the top position. A swarm of attacks and Camoes took Hayden’s back and adjusted till he got the tap from a rear naked choke.

Khabib Nurmagomedov was dominating the striking against Kamal Shalorus through out the first two rounds. In the third he worked for a takedown and was threatened by a guillotine choke by Shalorus. Once he escaped, he used punches and hammerfists to pass to mount. Shalorus gave up his back and that was all Nurmagomedov needed to finish the fight with a rear naked choke.

from Iron Forges Iron

In our prediction of Duane “Bang” Ludwig and Josh Neer, we thought it was going to be an action packed stand-up battle with Neer winning a unanimous decision. That was hardly the case. Ludwig was landing shot after shot, but Neer was determined to continue to move forward and fight a close game. Neer held onto one of Ludwig’s legs and then swept the other leg out from under him to get the fight to the ground. A short scramble and Neer locked in a very tight guillotine. Ludwig tried to tap, but fell unconscious before he could.

from Iron Forges Iron

Our own Kyle Conroy predicted that Jim Miller would win his fight against Melvin Guillard by rear naked choke in the second round. He was close. Miller won it in the first round. Guillard looked to land knees and punches, but Miller caught a knee and used it to score the takedown. Miller quickly passed to mount and while Guillard was escaping took Guillard’s back. Miller worked for a rear naked choke, at first it wasn’t under GUillard’s chin, but it eventually found its way there and also Guillard tapping.

With so many great submissions to pick from, one wondered which one would earn the Submission of the Night bonus. In the end, UFC officials opted to go with Jim Miller’s rear naked choke as the one worthy of an extra $45,000.

While Charlie Brenneman versus Daniel Robert and Mike Easton vs Jared Papazian were exciting fights that went the distance, it was Pat Barry’s first round knockout over Christian Morecraft that earned the fight of the night and both fighters an extra $45,000.