Ben Watson

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Squad sheets: Aston Villa v Wigan Athletic
[Soccer, Guardian] (Football news, match reports and fixtures | guardian.co.uk)
Wigan should take comfort from having never lost a league game at Villa Park as they edge towards the end of this gripping relegation battle. Victory on Saturday afternoon would make the fight to stay alive more thrilling still, as it would suddenly pull Aston Villa back into danger. The hosts remain inconsistent – they have won, drawn and lost their last three matches – and, under the caretaker charge of the inexperienced Gary McAllister, would fret were they to find themselves within range ...

[details] [close] received 273 days ago published 273 days ago lang: en-gb
Wigan should take comfort from having never lost a league game at Villa Park as they edge towards the end of this gripping relegation battle. Victory on Saturday afternoon would make the fight to stay alive more thrilling still, as it would suddenly pull Aston Villa back into danger. The hosts remain inconsistent – they have won, drawn and lost their last three matches – and, under the caretaker charge of the inexperienced Gary McAllister, would fret were they to find themselves within range of the bottom three with two games left to play. Sachin Nakrani

Venue Villa Park, Saturday 3pm

Tickets £23-38 (0800 612 0970)

Last season Aston Villa 0 Wigan 2

Referee Mike Jones

This season's matches 24 Y81, R3, 3.50 cards per game

Odds Aston Villa 11-13 Wigan 15-4 Draw 13-5

Aston Villa

Subs from Marshall, Cuéllar, Baker, Herd, Agbonlahor, Pires, Bradley, Delph, Bannan, Johnson

Doubtful None

Injured Clark (hamstring, 15 May), Makoun (leg, 15 May)

Suspended None

Form guide LDWWDL

Disciplinary record Y62 R2

Leading scorer Bent 7

Wigan

Subs from Kirkland, Moses, Gómez, G Caldwell, S Caldwell, Thomas, Stam, López, McArthur, Di Santo, Sammon, McManaman, Mustoe, Golobart

Doubtful Diamé (groin), N'Zogbia (leg)

Injured Pollitt (elbow, 22 May)

Suspended None

Form guide DLWLDW

Disciplinary record Y63 R4

Leading scorer Rodallega 8

Match pointers

• Villa have never won at home against Wigan in the Premier League, losing three and drawing two of their five previous encounters

• Ben Watson has created 36 goalscoring chances in 2010-11 but none of them have been converted into a goal

• Villa have kept only two clean sheets in their last 25 league games

• If Wigan get a point it will be their 100th of all time away from home in the top flight

• Stewart Downing has made more crosses from open play (236) than any other player in the division this season
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
AFC North Draft Grades: Cleveland Browns
[Pittsburgh Steelers] (Behind the Steel Curtain)
Continuing with my 2011 NFL Draft grades for each of the four AFC North squads, let's turn to the Pittsburgh Steelers' historic rival, the Cleveland Browns. AFC North Draft Grades Cleveland Browns (5-11 ; 1-5) Total Draft picks: 8 (one 1st; two 2nd; two 4th; two 5th; one 7th) First Round Pick: Phil Taylor, NT, Baylor The Browns of course made headlines early on in the first round last Thursday night by pulling off a massive trade with the Atlanta Falcons. The Browns acquired an additional seco ...

[details] [close] received 275 days ago published 275 days ago lang: en

Continuing with my 2011 NFL Draft grades for each of the four AFC North squads, let's turn to the Pittsburgh Steelers' historic rival, the Cleveland Browns.

AFC North Draft Grades

Cleveland Browns (5-11 ; 1-5)

Total Draft picks: 8 (one 1st; two 2nd; two 4th; two 5th; one 7th)

First Round Pick: Phil Taylor, NT, Baylor

The Browns of course made headlines early on in the first round last Thursday night by pulling off a massive trade with the Atlanta Falcons. The Browns acquired an additional second and fourth round pick in this year's draft, as well as a first and a fourth in 2012 from the Falcons to move down 21 spots to No. 27. Of course, some people scratched their head when Mike Holmgren turned right around and gave up a third rounder this year in order to move back up six spots to No.21 to get Taylor. But according to Holmgren, Taylor was definitely coming off the board before the Browns selected at No. 27. If that's the case and the Browns really wanted Taylor, then nice move to slide up a few slots even at the sacrifice of a pick. God knows they had plenty to maneuver with following their trade with Atlanta.

Best 'Value' Pick: Jordan Cameron, TE, USC

Colt McCoy loves to look to his tight ends. Look no further than Ben Watson setting career highs in receptions and receiving yards a year ago. Watson is 30 years old though and despite being reliable, not very explosive at this stage in his career. Cameron, a former hoops player at 'SC, could turn into a big-time asset for McCoy and the Browns offense after getting his feet underneath him a bit as a pro.

Best 'Need' Pick: Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh

The Browns absolutely had to improve their pass rush at defensive end. In 2010, Cleveland recorded just 29 sacks as a team, the 25th fewest in the league. Linebacker Marcus Bernard accounted for over one-quarter of that total (7.5), so needless to say, the productivity from the Browns' DEs left plenty to be desired. I'm not convinced Sheard will be a great pro, but he only needs to be above average to demonstrably improve Cleveland's front-seven.

Biggest 'Boom/Bust' Pick: Phil Taylor

Any time you take a guy with some character and conditioning concerns with your first round pick, there's some 'bust' potential. But Taylor's upside is undeniably impressive. With Shaun Rogers' departure, the Browns absolutely had to find themselves an anchor in the interior of the defensive line. The Steelers have one; so do the Ravens. Now Cleveland to the list.

Swing Picks: Eric Hagg, S, Nebraska; Buster Skrine, CB, Tennessee-Chattanooga

If either or both of the two defensive backs selected turn into contributors in several years, this year's draft turns from very good to terrific. Skrine in particular has some very intriguing upside as an athlete. He's fast, strong, and though his game's unpolished, he could very well turn out being a stud after a few years of grooming.

Sleeper Selection: Greg Little, WR, North Carolina

Little understandably saw his draft stock fall when he was forced to sit out his senior season. But it's not often that you find a 6'3" with decent speed that can jump 40.5 inches vertically. Scary redzone prospect for the Browns, the exact type of asset they've been missing on offense in recent years. After using their first two picks on players who play in the trenches, the Browns add a freakishly athletic skill player at the end of round two. A great first two rounds for them.

2011 Impact Index ***: 5.25 (Taylor = 8 ; Sheard = 8 ; Little = 8 ; Jordan = 4 ; Marecic = 3 ; Skrine = 4 ; Pinkston = 4 ; Hagg = 3)

Projected 53-man Survivors: 6 (Taylor, Sheard, Little, Jordan, Marecic, Skrine)

Overall Grade: A-

There's a whole lot to love about this draft if you're a Browns fan. In addition to the talented crop of players that acquired, they also positioned themselves nicely for next year's draft as well.

*** My 2011 Impact Index is an entirely made up and subjective assessment of which guys are likely to have an immediate impact, and to what degree, during the 2011 NFL season. I assigned a score of 1-10 to each selection, then divided the total by the number of picks. For a team like the Browns with several big holes on their roster that rookies can immediately fill, the 2011 Impact Index score is going to be higher than with teams like the Steelers and Ravens where there's fewer immediate opportunities to slide into important roles.
Grecians let two go
[Sky, Sports] (Sky Sports | News)
Exeter City will not be renewing the contracts of strikers Ben Watson and James Norwood.

[details] [close] received 275 days ago published 275 days ago lang: en-gb

Exeter City will not be renewing the contracts of strikers Ben Watson and James Norwood.
Duane's World #33 - Ben Watson on CEM/CX
[RIA (Rich Internet Apps), Adobe] (Latest Adobe News)
This episode of Duane's World was filmed in Barcelona, Spain with Ben Watson. The talk focuses on Customer Experience Management (aka CEM) which is an emerging architectural discipline focusing on a customer experience view. While previous user experience (UX) work has been done by architects in the context of a single application, Customer Experience Management spans the experience over the complete lifetime of a relationship and over multiple channels of interaction (examples: telephone, ema ...

[details] [close] received 277 days ago published 277 days ago lang: en-US

This episode of Duane's World was filmed in Barcelona, Spain with Ben Watson. The talk focuses on Customer Experience Management (aka CEM) which is an emerging architectural discipline focusing on a customer experience view. While previous user experience (UX) work has been done by architects in the context of a single application, Customer Experience Management spans the experience over the complete lifetime of a relationship and over multiple channels of interaction (examples: telephone, email, web, in person etc).If you are not yet convinced that CEM matters, here is some great additional reading on the topic:"How to Approach Customer Experience Management".
Georges St. Pierre Did Not Suffer Detached Retina
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
Georges St. Pierre successfully defended his UFC welterweight championship with a five round unanimous decision over Jake Shields at UFC 129. In the third round St. Pierre suffered an eye poke and immediately began pawing at his eye. Between rounds he told his corner that he could not see out of the eye but still managed to finish the fight. After the bout, St. Pierre confirmed that he could not see anything but a blur out of his eye and was taken to a specialist in the wake of the bout. MMA Wee ...

[details] [close] received 277 days ago published 277 days ago lang: en
Georges St. Pierre successfully defended his UFC welterweight championship with a five round unanimous decision over Jake Shields at UFC 129. In the third round St. Pierre suffered an eye poke and immediately began pawing at his eye. Between rounds he told his corner that he could not see out of the eye but still managed to finish the fight. After the bout, St. Pierre confirmed that he could not see anything but a blur out of his eye and was taken to a specialist in the wake of the bout.

MMA Weekly has the latest update on the eye:

"The doctors were very worried it was a detached retina because they couldn't see inside his eye. They flashed the light inside his eye and normally they're supposed to be able to see inside the eye, but the eye was filled with obstructions. The doctor was saying he couldn't see inside, so he needed to go to a specialist," St-Pierre's lead trainer Firas Zahabi told MMAWeekly Radio.

"Luckily it was just blood in the eye and not the detached retina. This occurred after the swipe to the face."

GSP will just need to take medication and rest the eye for a little over a week and everything should be fine. Very good news for one of the sport's best.

After the jump, more UFC 129 news, analysis and results from Bloody Elbow.
UFC 129 Results: Medical Suspensions Released for Fighters
[New England Patriots, Sports, Fantasy Football] (Bleacher Report - Front Page)
MMAJunkie.com has reported receiving the UFC 129 medical suspensions from the Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services' Office of the Athletics Commissioner.Notable suspensions:Georges St-Pierre who defeated Jake Shields was suspended for 60 days due to and eye injury.Jose Aldo who defeated Mark Hominick by decision was suspended 30 days due to cuts.Mark Hominick who lost by decision to Jose Aldo was suspended 60 days.Randy Couture who lost by KO to Lyoto Machida was suspended for 60 days.Jason Br ...

[details] [close] received 277 days ago published 277 days ago lang: en

MMAJunkie.com has reported receiving the UFC 129 medical suspensions from the Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services' Office of the Athletics Commissioner.

Notable suspensions:

Georges St-Pierre who defeated Jake Shields was suspended for 60 days due to and eye injury.

Jose Aldo who defeated Mark Hominick by decision was suspended 30 days due to cuts.

Mark Hominick who lost by decision to Jose Aldo was suspended 60 days.

Randy Couture who lost by KO to Lyoto Machida was suspended for 60 days.

Jason Brilz who lost by KO to Vladimir Matyushenko was suspended for 60 days.

Mark Bocek who lost by decision to Ben Henderson was suspended 30 days due to cuts.

Nate Diaz who lost by decision to Rory MacDonald was suspended 45 days due to cuts.

Jake Ellenberger who defeated Sean Pierson via KO was suspended 45 days and must have a hand X-ray.

Sean Pierson who lost to Jake Ellenberger was suspended for 60 days.

Charlie Valencia who lost to Ivan Menjivar by KO was suspended for 60 days.

Kyle Watson who lost by KO to John Makdessi was suspended for 60 days.
UFC 129 Results: Mark Hominick Believes He Would Have Won in Sixth Round
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
Mark Hominick showed tremendous heart in his UFC 129 bout with Jose Aldo. Although he came up short in his bid to win the featherweight title in it's first ever defense in the world's largest promotion, Hominick has nothing to be ashamed of. Despite developing a huge hematoma at the hands of Aldo, Hominick dominated the final round of the bout, arguably earning a 10-8. That final round has Hominick sure that he would have taken the fight if only it were one round longer, as he tells the London F ...

[details] [close] received 277 days ago published 277 days ago lang: en
Mark Hominick showed tremendous heart in his UFC 129 bout with Jose Aldo. Although he came up short in his bid to win the featherweight title in it's first ever defense in the world's largest promotion, Hominick has nothing to be ashamed of. Despite developing a huge hematoma at the hands of Aldo, Hominick dominated the final round of the bout, arguably earning a 10-8. That final round has Hominick sure that he would have taken the fight if only it were one round longer, as he tells the London Free Press:

"I came in a 4-1 underdog," Hominick said. "A lot of people didn’t think I would last a round. I lasted all five. If there was a sixth round, I would have won."

If he had another minute, he might have won.

"I knew he was running out of steam. I could hear him breathing hard after the first two rounds."

Of course, it does appear that Aldo was suffering from an illness heading in as well.

A rematch is incredibly interesting but it appears that will probably have to wait as Chad Mendes probably gets the next shot at Aldo's title.

After the jump, more UFC 129 news, analysis and results from Bloody Elbow.
UFC 129 Medical Suspensions: GSP, Couture, Hominick on the Injured List
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
UFC 129 was a brutal night of MMA action for sure. There were five KO or TKO stoppages -- John Makdessi over Kyle Watson, Ivan Menjivar over Charlie Valencia, Jake Ellenberger over Sean Pierson, Vladimir Matyushenko over Jason Brilz, and Lyoto Machida over Randy Couture. Plus a number of sustained beatings and all the usual wear and tear on the fighters. Not to mention the horrific hematoma on Mark Hominick's forehead or Georges St Pierre's sightless left eye. The Ontario Ministry of Consumer S ...

[details] [close] received 277 days ago published 277 days ago lang: en
UFC 129 was a brutal night of MMA action for sure. There were five KO or TKO stoppages -- John Makdessi over Kyle Watson, Ivan Menjivar over Charlie Valencia, Jake Ellenberger over Sean Pierson, Vladimir Matyushenko over Jason Brilz, and Lyoto Machida over Randy Couture. Plus a number of sustained beatings and all the usual wear and tear on the fighters. Not to mention the horrific hematoma on Mark Hominick's forehead or Georges St Pierre's sightless left eye.

The Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services released the list of fighters suspended after UFC 129 via Cage Potato:

• Georges St. Pierre: Suspended 60 days for eye injury; must be cleared by an ophthalmologist before he can return.

• Mark Hominick: Suspended 60 days as a precaution; must undergo CT scan before he can return.

• Randy Couture: Suspended 60 days for knockout; must undergo CT scan before he can return.

• Jason Brilz: Suspended 60 days for knockout; must undergo CT scan before he can return.

• Sean Pierson: Suspended 60 days for knockout; must undergo CT scan before he can return.

• Charlie Valencia: Suspended 60 days for knockout; must undergo CT scan before he can return.

• Kyle Watson: Suspended 60 for left eye laceration and knockout; must undergo CT scan before he can return.

• Nate Diaz: Suspended 45 days for left eye laceration.

• Jake Ellenberger: Suspended 45 days for possible hand injury; must undergo an X-ray before he can return.

• Jose Aldo: Suspended 30 days for facial lacerations.

• Mark Bocek: Suspended 30 days for head laceration.

• Jake Shields: Suspended 14 days as a precaution.

• Lyoto Machida: Suspended 14 days as a precaution.

• Vladimir Matyushenko: Suspended 14 days as a precaution.

• Benson Henderson: Suspended 14 days as a precaution.

• Rory MacDonald: Suspended 14 days as a precaution.

• Claude Patrick: Suspended 14 days as a precaution.

• Daniel Roberts: Suspended 14 days as a precaution.

• Ivan Menjivar: Suspended 14 days as a precaution.

• Jason MacDonald: Suspended 14 days as a precaution.

• Ryan Jensen: Suspended 14 days as a precaution.

• John Makdessi: Suspended 14 days as a precaution.

• Pablo Garza: Suspended 14 days as a precaution.

• Yves Jabouin: Suspended 14 days as a precaution.

After the jump, more UFC 129 news, analysis and results from Bloody Elbow.
UFC 129 Results: Recaps of Every Bout
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
UFC 129: St. Pierre vs Shields was a monumental night of MMA action in more ways than one. Not only was it the first-ever UFC stadium show and held before a sold-out crowd of 55,000 fans, it also featured an amazing number of really good fights -- all of which were available for fans to view live either via Pay Per View, Spike TV or the UFC's Facebook page. Bloody Elbow watched all the action and we wrote handy little recaps of each fight for those having trouble keeping all the action straight ...

[details] [close] received 277 days ago published 277 days ago lang: en
UFC 129: St. Pierre vs Shields was a monumental night of MMA action in more ways than one. Not only was it the first-ever UFC stadium show and held before a sold-out crowd of 55,000 fans, it also featured an amazing number of really good fights -- all of which were available for fans to view live either via Pay Per View, Spike TV or the UFC's Facebook page.

Bloody Elbow watched all the action and we wrote handy little recaps of each fight for those having trouble keeping all the action straight. If you missed these while they were briefly on the home page, here's a list so you can review them again at your leisure.
After the jump, more UFC 129 news, analysis and results from Bloody Elbow.
Medical Suspensions Do Not Keep Fighters Out of the Gym
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
After every major sanctioned MMA event we see the list of medical suspensions handed out to fighters. Even fighters who didn't take much punishment tend to be handed the standard 14 day no-contact medical suspension. That was the case after UFC 129 for Jason MacDonald among others. Earlier today MacDonald tweeted that he was "Back home and back to the gym!" While MacDonald won in the first round with a triangle choke, he still went through some punishment in training and took at least one slam d ...

[details] [close] received 277 days ago published 277 days ago lang: en
After every major sanctioned MMA event we see the list of medical suspensions handed out to fighters. Even fighters who didn't take much punishment tend to be handed the standard 14 day no-contact medical suspension. That was the case after UFC 129 for Jason MacDonald among others. Earlier today MacDonald tweeted that he was "Back home and back to the gym!"

While MacDonald won in the first round with a triangle choke, he still went through some punishment in training and took at least one slam during the fight ending choke. The point of the 14 day precautionary suspension is simply to allow the fighter's body (and brain) a couple weeks to recover. It's also worth noting that when athletic commissions are the ones holding your ability to compete in their hands, it's probably a fine idea to listen to what they have to say and give your body a few days even if you feel like jumping right back in to training.

Obviously this is nowhere near as bad as Dan Hardy's comments leading up to UFC Fight Night 24. On the conference call for the event Hardy flat out admitted that he does not care about medical suspensions, even in the wake of his violent KO loss to Carlos Condit. From Mike Fagan's conference call notes:

- Hardy: The Monday morning after the Condit fight I was back in the gym. I was annoyed that I let myself and my fans down.
...
- Hardy: I wasn't quite sure how the medical suspension works. If someone tells me I can't punch for 30 days, I'm not going to listen to them.

Look, fighters are tough people, you'd have to be to fight at the highest level for a living. But it is a failure of a fighter's camp if they are allowing their fighters to risk their health, as well as their licensing status to rush back into the gym. Fighters and trainers need to just accept the suspensions, serve them and then get back to the grind.

After the jump, more UFC 129 news, analysis and results from Bloody Elbow.
UFC 129 Results: Where Is Ontario's Drug Testing?
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
Cage Potato is reporting that the Ontario Athletic Commission did not conduct testing at UFC 129. The UFC is taking over the drug testing for the event, having the tests administered by an unnamed independent laboratory. This was not the first MMA event held in Ontario and this was also not the first time that tests were not administered. From the Cage Potato article: There is no word on whether or not any of the 11 planned events being overseen by the OAC will require drug testing, but no test ...

[details] [close] received 277 days ago published 277 days ago lang: en
Cage Potato is reporting that the Ontario Athletic Commission did not conduct testing at UFC 129. The UFC is taking over the drug testing for the event, having the tests administered by an unnamed independent laboratory. This was not the first MMA event held in Ontario and this was also not the first time that tests were not administered. From the Cage Potato article:

There is no word on whether or not any of the 11 planned events being overseen by the OAC will require drug testing, but no tests were administered at MFC 29: Conquer in Windsor or MMA: The Reckoning in Orillia earlier this month - a curious development considering how thorough the province was when doing its due diligence when considering sanctioning and when implementing a proper set of approved rules when the sport was given the green light.

Drug testing was one of the big "safety concerns" that were covered in getting the province to sanction MMA:

Testing competitors for performance enhancing and illegal drugs, where it is required in the contract between the promoter and the competitors.

Good on the UFC for making sure that some sort of testing got done, but it's never an ideal situation to have a promotion in charge of the announcement of test results. Not that I am saying the UFC would hide a positive result, but the fact that any promotion would be able to not announce a positive test by a star is iffy. Still, if the province isn't administering tests it is hard to fault the UFC for having some sort of testing in place.

After the jump, more UFC 129 news, analysis and results from Bloody Elbow.
UFC 129 Results: Can Nick Diaz Salvage GSP's Damaged Brand?
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
Georges St. Pierre won his fifth consecutive decision victory over Jake Shields at UFC 129 in front of a sold out Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Although he won the fight via unanimous decision, his thirty round unbeaten streak was broken and, more importantly, his reputation as a supremely entertaining fighter is in tatters. Whereas once fans were clamoring for a GSP vs UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva superfight, now that fight is losing steam due to GSP's less than dynamic string of ...

[details] [close] received 277 days ago published 277 days ago lang: en
Georges St. Pierre won his fifth consecutive decision victory over Jake Shields at UFC 129 in front of a sold out Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Although he won the fight via unanimous decision, his thirty round unbeaten streak was broken and, more importantly, his reputation as a supremely entertaining fighter is in tatters.

Whereas once fans were clamoring for a GSP vs UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva superfight, now that fight is losing steam due to GSP's less than dynamic string of performances.

Yes, GSP did take some brutal eye pokes that left him without vision in his left eye for hours after the fight, but MMA fans are fickle and unsympathetic.

GSP's coach Greg Jackson told Sherdog:

"If you're sitting at home and you've never really been poked in the eye and had somebody of Jake Shields' level come after you and try to knock your block off, its hard to understand what that means. He was just off a little bit on some of those big shots and I feel like if he would have had both eyes, he would have landed those shots and he would have done a lot more damage."

"Jake Shields is a phenomenal fighter. I'm not sure where people get this idea that Jake Shields is like this punching bag."

Ben Fowlkes makes the case that GSP's brand is seriously damaged:

Quick, name the last GSP fight that you'd actually like to sit down and watch again. Be honest. His last four fights were impressive displays of dominance, but I'd rather not spend the half-hour to relive any one of them. Like it or not, in a sport where you make money based primarily on how many people want to see you fight, that matters.

Fowlkes also argued that only one opponent can make GSP's next fight something fans want to see: Nick Diaz. Leland Roling started the chorus right here at BE.

And according to SBNation's Luke Thomas, Nick Diaz wants that fight too:

A question was posed from a Brazilian journalist to UFC President Dana White about the future prospects of George St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva. The nature of the question doesn't matter. White's response mirrored other recent statements on the matter. Namely, the fight's never been discussed by the parties as a serious possibility and there's still other fights available for both Silva and GSP in their respective weight classes.

That's when I heard Nick Diaz quietly say as if to suggest "why not me?" the following simple statement: "I want to fight George St. Pierre."

Jason Probst makes the case that Diaz, and only Diaz can make GSP a powerful draw again:

Diaz is never going to be more red-hot. After dispatching Paul Daley April, Diaz's stock is at an all-time high. The time to put him in against GSP is now. Are you going to wait for him to make a defense against, say, Tyron Woodley, or some other wrestler that might give Diaz's stock a hit with a boring fight or even a loss? Diaz is perfect, right now, and GSP is badly in need of a viable challenger.

Diaz has the right style to bring excitement. Let's face it -- nobody in MMA is going to outwrestle St. Pierre, not at 170 pounds. Thus far, in his second reign as champion, GSP has picked apart challengers coming in on the wings of a dream: that they would be able to plant him on the mat, backed up by modest striking. Josh Koscheck, the best banger of the bunch, never landed more than a glancing blow or two. GSP manipulates distance and angles masterfully. Diaz violates all that and would force confrontations. His high-volume style would, for once, possibly take the play away from GSP on the feet and force him into exchanges or to shoot for takedowns. Diaz's defensive guard and incredible resilience would serve him well here. He might get wrestled and controlled positionally, but at the beginning of each round, he would be right back up pressing and pushing ahead, tossing punches and cusses and scowls. Diaz is as durable as anyone in the game, and he never quits. He would either force GSP to beat him down or risk another five-round snoozer, at which point public consensus would be well-justified to pack GSP's bags for 185.

Diaz sells -- something the welterweight title definitely needs. GSP has summarily scuttled the marketability of all his top contenders. It would be a difficult proposition to sell rematches against Fitch or Penn; ironically, both were injured and their rematch will not happen, which clears the welterweight title road for the time being. Alves is only slightly more marketable because he can bang, but he has a tough assignment in Rick Story at UFC 130. No guarantee there. It is getting to the point where any GSP defense against anyone not named Nick Diaz would have to be paired with another title bout -- like UFC 129 -- to make it viable.

UFC co-owner and executive grand pooba Lorenzo Fertitta tweeted about the possibilities Saturday night:

.bbpBox64839100129226752 {background:url(http://a2.twimg.com/profile_background_images/50662440/Lorenzo_Twitter_back.jpg) #C0DEED;padding:20px;} p.bbpTweet{background:#fff;padding:10px 12px 10px 12px;margin:0;min-height:48px;color:#000;font-size:18px !important;line-height:22px;-moz-border-radius:5px;-webkit-border-radius:5px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata{display:block;width:100%;clear:both;margin-top:8px;padding-top:12px;height:40px;border-top:1px solid #fff;border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author{line-height:19px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author img{float:left;margin:0 7px 0 0px;width:38px;height:38px} p.bbpTweet a:hover{text-decoration:underline}p.bbpTweet span.timestamp{font-size:12px;display:block}

Overwhelming response for GSP/DIAZ interesting. In NYC now working in what you all know.less than a minute ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® Favorite Retweet ReplyLorenzo Fertitta
lorenzofertitta

UFC President Dana White addressed the issues blocking the fight at the press conference:

"I imagine I could do whatever I wanted to do if I really wanted to, but we have a contract with Showtime and [Diaz is] a Showtime fighter. I don't know, we're going to have to see how this whole thing works out. That's an interesting fight.

"I can do what I want to do."

He spoke to Ariel Helwani (transcription via Fight Opinion) further about Diaz:

DANA WHITE: "Yeah, there's always going to be fights out there at 170 that are interesting, there's going to be new guys coming up, you know, Nick Diaz is out there..."
ARIEL HELWANI: "But can you make that fight?"
DANA WHITE: "Um... can I make that fight? We'll see what happens."
ARIEL HELWANI: "But he says he wants to go box first. What is the likelihood of him boxing before ever fighting back in the UFC?"
DANA WHITE: "Well, he fights for Strikeforce, you know, he's a Strikeforce champion. He wants to box. I'm going to go to Stockton this week and talk to him."

Diaz' manager and head trainer Cesar Gracie spoke to MMA Mania's Brian Hemminger about the possibilities of making the fight (transcribed by Fight Opinion):

"I don't know how bad is GSP's eye, is he going to take six months off? And then why couldn't Nick box and then go fight GSP, for example, that kind of scenario. Now, if the eye if not a really big problem and they want the next fight for GSP five months from now to be Nick Diaz, I mean obviously Nick would be, uh... he would be delaying quite a contract, a money-making contract in boxing so how would that, is he going to give up that all that money... I mean there's so many questions right now and really the only (people) that has the answers to it are, you know, Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta, so I'm very much looking forward to meeting with those guys. Lorenzo's a guy that I truly like the guy and Dana is a good guy, too, you know, a good businessman and we're going to tell him our concerns and hopefully they have some answers for us and we're waiting just like you guys."

The negotiations will be a very big test of Zuffa's relationship with Showtime and whether or not they intend to build on the Strikeforce relationship with the premium cable channel now that they've bought Strikeforce. If They can somehow book GSP vs Nick Diaz this year and do it in such a way that it's a win/win for Zuffa and for Showtime, truly anything will be possible in the new MMA landscape.

If they can't, one would have to question the utility of the acquisition as anything but a way to gain greater control of the marketplace and drive fighter pay down.

After the jump, more UFC 129 news, analysis and results from Bloody Elbow.
UFC 129 Gracie Breakdown: Flying Triangle, GSP vs Shields
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
The Gracie brothers Ryron and Rener break down Pablo Garza's flying triangle against Yves Jabouin, but lead in with some comments on Shields vs GSP and the rest of UFC 129. They also pitch their new Women's Self-Defense DVD. After the jump, more UFC 129 news, analysis and results from Bloody Elbow. Can Nick Diaz Salvage GSP's Damaged Brand? - Kid Nate UFC 129 Results: Sickness Slowed Jose Aldo During His Bout Against Mark Hominick GSP Tried to Force the KO Against Jake Shields - ...

[details] [close] received 277 days ago published 277 days ago lang: en
The Gracie brothers Ryron and Rener break down Pablo Garza's flying triangle against Yves Jabouin, but lead in with some comments on Shields vs GSP and the rest of UFC 129.

They also pitch their new Women's Self-Defense DVD.

After the jump, more UFC 129 news, analysis and results from Bloody Elbow.
UFC 129 MEDICAL SUSPENSIONS: St. Pierre, Hominick, Couture and Brilz each receive 60-day suspensions for injuries suffered in Toronto
[Mixed Martial Arts] (MMATorch.com)
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief Every fighter from Saturday's UFC 129 event received a medical suspension of at least 14 days from the Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services' Office of the Athletics Commissioner, the governing body for the event at the Rogers Centre, according to a report from MMAJunkie.com. Four fighters received 60-day suspensions for the injuries suffered in their fights on th ...

[details] [close] received 277 days ago published 277 days ago lang: en

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Every fighter from Saturday's UFC 129 event received a medical suspension of at least 14 days from the Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services' Office of the Athletics Commissioner, the governing body for the event at the Rogers Centre, according to a report from MMAJunkie.com.

Four fighters received 60-day suspensions for the injuries suffered in their fights on the card, as Georges St. Pierre, Mark Hominick, Randy Couture and Jason Brilz were all handed down the suspensions.

St. Pierre's suspension came due to the eye injury suffered in his victory over Jake Shields, while Hominick's suspension came due to facial swelling in his loss to Jose Aldo and Randy Couture and Jason Brilz were handed down the suspensions after their knockout losses to Lyoto Machida and Vladimir Matyushenko, respectively.

The full list of suspensions is below:

* Georges St-Pierre: Suspended 60 days due to eye injury and must have ophthalmologist's clearance before returning
* Jake Shields: Suspended 14 days for precautionary reasons
* Jose Aldo: Suspended 30 days due to lacerations
* Mark Hominick: Suspended 60 days for precautionary reasons and must have a new CT scan completed
* Lyoto Machida: Suspended 14 days for precautionary reasons
* Randy Couture: Suspended 60 days due to KO and must have a new CT scan completed
* Vladimir Matyushenko: Suspended 14 days for precautionary reasons
* Jason Brilz: Suspended 60 days due to KO and must have a new CT scan completed
* Ben Henderson: Suspended 14 days for precautionary reasons
* Mark Bocek: Suspended 30 days due to head laceration
* Rory MacDonald: Suspended 14 days for precautionary reasons
* Nate Diaz: Suspended 45 days due to left-eye laceration
* Jake Ellenberger: Suspended 45 days and must have X-ray due to possible hand injury
* Sean Pierson: : Suspended 60 days due to KO and must have a new CT scan completed
* Claude Patrick: Suspended 14 days for precautionary reasons
* Daniel Roberts: Suspended 14 days for precautionary reasons
* Ivan Menjivar: Suspended 14 days for precautionary reasons
* Charlie Valencia: Suspended 60 days due to KO and must have a new CT scan completed
* Jason MacDonald: Suspended 14 days for precautionary reasons
* Ryan Jensen: Suspended 14 days for precautionary reasons
* John Makdessi: Suspended 14 days for precautionary reasons
* Kyle Watson: Suspended 60 days due to left-eye laceration and KO and must have a new CT scan completed
* Pablo Garza: Suspended 14 days for precautionary reasons
* Yves Jabouin: Suspended 14 days for precautionary reasons
Photo Flash: Kennedy Center FOLLIES First Ensemble Promo Shot
[Theatre] (BroadwayWorld.com Featured Content)
The John F. Kennedy Center's revival production of Follies includes principal casting includes Bernadette Peters as Sally Durant Plummer, Jan Maxwell as Phyllis Rogers Stone, Danny Burstein as Buddy Plummer, Ron Raines as Benjamin Stone, and Elaine Paige as Carlotta Campion. The production will also star Terrence Currier as Theodore Whitman, Christian Delcroix as Young Buddy, Rosalind Elias as Heidi Schiller, Colleen Fitzpatrick as Dee Dee West, Lora Lee Gayer as Young Sally, Michael Hayes as Ro ...

[details] [close] received 277 days ago published 277 days ago lang: en

The John F. Kennedy Center's revival production of Follies includes principal casting includes Bernadette Peters as Sally Durant Plummer, Jan Maxwell as Phyllis Rogers Stone, Danny Burstein as Buddy Plummer, Ron Raines as Benjamin Stone, and Elaine Paige as Carlotta Campion. The production will also star Terrence Currier as Theodore Whitman, Christian Delcroix as Young Buddy, Rosalind Elias as Heidi Schiller, Colleen Fitzpatrick as Dee Dee West, Lora Lee Gayer as Young Sally, Michael Hayes as Roscoe, Florence Lacey as Sandra Crane, Linda Lavin as Hattie Walker, Rgine as Solange LaFitte, David Sabin as Dimitri Weismann, Kirsten Scott as Young Phyllis, Frederick Strother as Max Deems, Nick Verina as Young Ben, Susan Watson as Emily Whitman and Terri White as Stella Deems.Below, BroadwayWorld brings you the first promo shot of featured cast members.
UFC 129 Results: Nate Diaz Likely to Drop Back Down to Lightweight
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
He got out-muscled and ragdolled by a younger and bigger guy in Rory MacDonald on UFC 129, and now, it looks like Nate Diaz will be heading back down to lightweight. His coach, Cesar Gracie, talked to MMAMania about the likely drop in weight: "Nate Diaz didn't look too good. I'm gonna be the first one to say it. He looked lethargic out there and he's been asking me to go back to 155 for some time now." "Frankie Edgar is the champion over there and he's the student of a good friend of mine. N ...

[details] [close] received 277 days ago published 277 days ago lang: en
He got out-muscled and ragdolled by a younger and bigger guy in Rory MacDonald on UFC 129, and now, it looks like Nate Diaz will be heading back down to lightweight. His coach, Cesar Gracie, talked to MMAMania about the likely drop in weight:

"Nate Diaz didn't look too good. I'm gonna be the first one to say it. He looked lethargic out there and he's been asking me to go back to 155 for some time now."

"Frankie Edgar is the champion over there and he's the student of a good friend of mine. Nathan was one of the contenders at 155 so we brought him up to 170 but it looks like we'll probably bring him back down to 155 where he belongs."

Despite getting moderate success at welterweight by winning against guys like Rory Markham and Marcus Davis, it looks like his camp might prefer him to get back down at lightweight, where the 6-foot-tall Stockton based fighter would be one of the bigger guys in the division.

After the jump, more UFC 129 news, analysis and results from Bloody Elbow.
UFC 129 Results: Mark Hominick Emerges as a Canadian Hero
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
UFC featherweight Mark Hominick didn't manage to dethrone champ Jose Aldo at UFC 129, but he did manage to show the sold out crowd of 55,000 Canadian fans what the term "determination" means. Despite taking a beating that left him looking like the elephant man, Hominick kept coming back for more and actually ended the fight with a dominant fifth round wherein he put quite a beating on Aldo. It wasn't enough to win the title, but it was enough to earn a $129,000 Fight of the Night bonus. UFC Pr ...

[details] [close] received 277 days ago published 277 days ago lang: en
UFC featherweight Mark Hominick didn't manage to dethrone champ Jose Aldo at UFC 129, but he did manage to show the sold out crowd of 55,000 Canadian fans what the term "determination" means.

Despite taking a beating that left him looking like the elephant man, Hominick kept coming back for more and actually ended the fight with a dominant fifth round wherein he put quite a beating on Aldo.

It wasn't enough to win the title, but it was enough to earn a $129,000 Fight of the Night bonus.

UFC President Dana White approved, from the press conference:

"To be honest with you, if [the doctor] would have stopped that at the end of the fourth round with the hematoma, it wouldn't have hurt my feelings one bit," UFC president Dana White admitted after the carnage-filled contest. "That's what you call a cosmetic injury, where people are sitting at home going, 'Holy [expletive].' It never looks good, but they aren't dangerous. It's just blood filling up in there. But that's the doctor's call. The doctor goes in there."

"He's a tiny guy with a huge heart," White said. "It was an awesome performance. I thought the doctor did a great job checking him and making sure he had peripheral vision and not stopping the fight. And then Hominick went out and went after it in the final round. It was awesome. I loved it."

Hominick spoke to the London Free Press after the fight (and a visit to the hospital):

"I came in a 4-1 underdog," Hominick said. "A lot of people didn't think I would last a round. I lasted all five. If there was a sixth round, I would have won."

"I knew he was running out of steam. I could hear him breathing hard after the first two rounds."

"I'm fine. The forehead is good. It's really gone down a lot. I was worried the referee would stop the fight."

...
"The way it works is I'll probably get two more fights and then another title shot."

"Besides, I don't know if (Aldo) wants another piece of me," Hominick said.

The Toronto Sun added:

But as one Canadian MMA hero took his lumps to some degree on Saturday, a new homegrown hero has emerged - Thamesford, Ont., featherweight Mark Hominick, who lost a unanimous decision in the co-main event to UFC champion Jose Aldo, but certainly endeared himself to UFC fans everywhere with his incredibly gutsy performance against the champion. Hominick almost pulled off an upset with a stirring fifth round, despite suffering a horrific-looking hematoma on his forehead late in the fight.

UFC president Dana White declared the Hominick-Aldo bout the Fight of the Night, and most of those at the Rogers Centre certainly agreed with that assessment. Hominick's performance was one of those losses that actually enhanced his position as a fighter and he will almost certainly co-headline an upcoming UFC show in Canada.

A display of will and courage like Hominick's is what combat sports at its best is all about. Human beings being tested by brutal adversity and coming back for more. It's a rare thing and we should all applaud Mark Hominick and his well-earned moment in the spotlight.

After the jump, more UFC 129 news, analysis and results from Bloody Elbow.
UFC 133: Jose Aldo vs Chad Mendes Possible
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
UFC President Dana White teased fans with the possibility of UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo, fresh off a unanimous decision win over Mark Hominick at UFC 129, next facing undefeated Chad Mendes at UFC 133. Mendes was last seen thrashing Michihiro Omigawa at UFC 126. He trains at Team Alpha Male with former WEC champ Urijah Faber, whom Aldo beat badly at WEC 48. Dana White's quote from the UFC 129 Post Fight Press Conference via MMA Mania: "That's a curveball for me right now, (but) I think ...

[details] [close] received 277 days ago published 277 days ago lang: en
UFC President Dana White teased fans with the possibility of UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo, fresh off a unanimous decision win over Mark Hominick at UFC 129, next facing undefeated Chad Mendes at UFC 133.

Mendes was last seen thrashing Michihiro Omigawa at UFC 126. He trains at Team Alpha Male with former WEC champ Urijah Faber, whom Aldo beat badly at WEC 48.

Dana White's quote from the UFC 129 Post Fight Press Conference via MMA Mania:

"That's a curveball for me right now, (but) I think we're looking at Jose possibly fighting in Philly. ... Probably (against Chad Mendes). Kenny Florian couldn't be ready by then. Chad Mendes is 10-0, undefeated. Makes sense."

Jose Aldo, Champion (19-1)
Win Mark Hominick UFC 133 Unanimous Decision
Win Manny Gamburyan WEC 51 KO
Win Urijah Faber WEC 48 Unanimous Decision

Chad Mendes (10-0)
Win Michihiro Omigawa UFC 126 Unanimous Decision
Win Javier Vazquez WEC 52 Unanimous Decision
Win Cub Swanson WEC 50 Unanimous Decision

UFC 133 Fight Card so far, August 6 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Jose Aldo vs Chad Mendes
Phil Davis vs Rashad Evans
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs Vitor Belfort
Rich Franklin vs Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Jorge Rivera vs Alessio Sakara
Michael McDonald vs Nick Pace
Riki Fukuda vs Rafael Natal
Brian Ebersole vs Dennis Hallman
Johny Hendricks vs Mike Pierce

After the jump, more UFC 129 news, analysis and results from Bloody Elbow.
UFC 129 Results: Restful Sundays, Wasted Opportunities And Sleeping On The Dragon
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
This is a guest post by Josh Nason. As someone that used to work in game presentation for a minor league hockey team, I appreciate and understand the logistics and massive amount of production work that goes into an event like Saturday's UFC 129. The amount of behind-the-scenes moving parts that work in perfect form and function is staggering, but there's only so much you can do to prepare for technical gremlins and unforeseen accidents. At some point, you need to simply say a few Hail Marys and ...

[details] [close] received 278 days ago published 278 days ago lang: en
This is a guest post by Josh Nason.

As someone that used to work in game presentation for a minor league hockey team, I appreciate and understand the logistics and massive amount of production work that goes into an event like Saturday's UFC 129. The amount of behind-the-scenes moving parts that work in perfect form and function is staggering, but there's only so much you can do to prepare for technical gremlins and unforeseen accidents. At some point, you need to simply say a few Hail Marys and hope that the people you hired can do the job that you've paid them to do.

If anything did go wrong Saturday or with fight week in general, we never saw it. From a visual perspective, UFC 129 delivered. From a content point, it delivered, packing in nearly every fight between Spike and the PPV itself. From a news point, it delivered and even for someone like myself that lives in the MMA media world, I was impressed with how big the event felt from a media build standpoint. The Super Bowl analogy may be played out, but it's accurate and to me, the UFC hit on something they probably will ignore. That would be a yearly mega-show of Toronto-esque proportions that attracts bidders, ala WWE's Wrestlemania.

However, more stadium shows are coming and the challenge will be to assemble cards that will feel meaningful enough to attract 50,000+. Possible? Yes. Matching the build up, execution and pure furor of UFC 129? That's a little tougher.

For those involved, Sunday (or more likely Monday) provided a day of rest for the Zuffa crew that allowed them to reflect on what exactly they pulled off. Similar to UFC 100, UFC 129 felt like something so much more than just your run of the mill UFC event and considering they run 20+ events a year, that's a great accomplishment. Well done, Zuffa. Well done.

Jake Shields needs to be great again

Give Jake Shields credit in that he bloodied up Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre and even won a round which at minimum, made for a good accounting of himself in a fight and environment that became much bigger than himself. The HP Pavilion that wasn't.

But there was never a point in which Shields had GSP in serious trouble and never a point in which anyone felt the title was in jeopardy. Shields' stature may have been raised slightly by the exposure, but regardless, he lost and with his UFC debut against Martin Kampmann regarded as a failure of a debut, that leaves Shields in quite a predicament.

Thus far, Shields has looked nothing like what the marquee would have you believe. He went undefeated for six years, had a 15-fight win streak and was a champion everywhere else but the UFC. There's another gear that Shields needs to kick into and it's not happening. Even before he moved to Zuffa-land, Dan Henderson came justthisclose to beating him by first round TKO and Jason "Mayhem" Miller was a bell ring away from a submission victory.

That's why Shields' next fight is so important. He needs to come strong and show why the UFC wanted him to begin with. He needs to finish a guy and show why some people thought he had a chance against GSP to begin with. Otherwise, he'll be known as a "Strikeforce guy" that couldn't hang with the best of the UFC and will become just another guy.

Lyoto Machida: are we sleeping on his victory?

The UFC career of Lyoto Machida has been an unusual one with a collection of fights derided by some as dull, spiced by some exciting moments that had us thinking he could be a dominant 205-pound champion.

But coming off a controversial decision title defense over Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, a subsequent and definitive title loss to Rua and a November decision defeat to Rampage Jackson, Machida desperately needed a win Saturday against Randy couture. Thanks to a vicious kick, he got it.

However, the win felt like it was mostly an afterthought amidst the Couture retirement talk. Who does he fight next that would be compelling? Can he return to finishing opponents or was this simply a case of an overmatched opponent? It felt like there should have been more made of a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion knocking out another former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, but perhaps it's trying to understand just what we have today in Lyoto Machida that is throwing me off.

Randy Couture: did the UFC sleep on his departure?

On the flip side of Machida was Couture, one of the comforting faces and figures in MMA who called it a career but in a way that didn't befit someone that has meant this much to the sport. Saturday should have been a celebration of his accomplishments and not just a throwaway moment in the middle of a PPV. Perhaps it was because Dana White didn't fully believe Couture was serious when he said his fight with Machida would be his last, but that's his fault for being delusional about the premise of a 47-year-old man returning to action once again.

couture gave the UFC an amazing opportunity Saturday night to do something even bigger than simply airing a final fight. He gave them a golden chance to create one of those "moments" and provide 55,000 the opportunity to shower cheers and praise upon someone that defies athletic logic at this age. The UFC didn't totally blow it, but they didn't come close to doing the moment justice either. Couture isn't just another guy -- he's someone that inspired many with his high success level in a young person's sport.

We've got another month to wait

It felt like an eternity between UFC events and considering how frequently Zuffa puts on cards, the near month from UFC Fight Night: Nogueria vs. Davis and UFC 129 might as well have been six months. UFC-only fans will have another month-long stretch without the Octagon as the Zuffa crew is off until Memorial Day weekend with UFC 130, headlined by Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard.

The discussion about oversaturation of MMA is one I have quite frequently as we're in a culture of quantity over quality these days. I'll admit that at times, a month between events felt a little long, but if that means stronger top-to-bottom cards and better value for fans buying PPVs, I could definitely get used to it.

Josh Nason is a freelance MMA journalist who contributes to FIGHT! Magazine, WrestlingObserver.com and several radio shows/podcasts. Follow him on Twitter: @JoshNason.

More UFC 129 Results and Analysis from Bloody Elbow.
UFC 129 Results: Monday Morning Wrap Up
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
The Event Play by Play and Live Commentary - Brent Brookhouse Georges St. Pierre Slips Past Jake Shields Jose Aldo Holds Off Mark Hominick Lyoto Machida Clouts Randy Couture Vladimir Matyushenko Mops the Floor With Jason Brilz Ben Henderson Whips Up On Mark Bocek Rory MacDonald Ragdolls Nate Diaz Jake Ellenberger Brutalizes Sean Pierson Claude Patrick Edges Daniel Roberts Jason MacDonald Triangles Ryan Jensen Ivan Menjivar Clocks Charlie Valencia John Makdessi KO's Kyle Watson With Spinni ...

[details] [close] received 278 days ago published 278 days ago lang: en
The Event
Multimedia
- UFC 129 Post-Fight Press Conference Video
Analysis
Aftermath
- Hours After, GSP Still Can't See With His Left Eye - Anton Tabuena
- Jose Aldo Continues Fight for Mainstream Recognition - David St. Martin
UFC 129 Results Recap: Ben Henderson vs. Mark Bocek
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
Former WEC lightweight champion Ben Henderson defeats Mark Bocek by unanimous decision at UFC 129. What was the high spot of this fight? It's hard to pick a single "defining moment" of the fight but late in the second round saw Henderson display his trademark choke defense before doing big damage to Bocek with a flurry of strikes. In that flurry he cut open the scalp of Bocek. Where do these guys go from here? Henderson is going to be a tough fight for anyone on the UFC roster with his well-roun ...

[details] [close] received 278 days ago published 278 days ago lang: en
Former WEC lightweight champion Ben Henderson defeats Mark Bocek by unanimous decision at UFC 129.

What was the high spot of this fight?

It's hard to pick a single "defining moment" of the fight but late in the second round saw Henderson display his trademark choke defense before doing big damage to Bocek with a flurry of strikes. In that flurry he cut open the scalp of Bocek.

Where do these guys go from here?

Henderson is going to be a tough fight for anyone on the UFC roster with his well-rounded game, but his striking is improving very rapidly. Rather than rushing him into the title picture like the UFC seems to want to do with Anthony Pettis, I'd say let him get some more wins and build up his profile. I think he'd work over Mac Danzig and I would have liked that fight as a "profile builder" but Danzig is being fed to Donald Cerrone. Henderson vs. Jim Miller would be awesome, but probably go against my "don't rush him" statement.

Bocek is still very good and a fine fit for the UFC lightweight roster. I'm not sure where you go with him exactly but the UFC style is to match up guys coming off losses and the only lightweight coming off a loss that I can think of off the top of my head is Kamal Shalorus (thanks to talking about Jim Miller a moment ago).

Watch it now, later, or never?

It's entertaining but not "must see." Watch it later.

More UFC 129 Results and Analysis from Bloody Elbow after the jump.
UFC 129 Results Recap: Jason Brilz vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
Vladimir Matyushenko knocks out Jason Brilz in round one of their light heavyweight clash at UFC 129. What was the high spot of this fight? A right hand by Matyushenko crashing to the ground, but the brutal hammerfists that put Brilz to sleep and then woke him back up were the real high points of this short clash. Where do these guys go from here? Vladimir is never going to be in title contention, but he's a hell of a tough guy that will take on anyone the UFC asks him to. He's on a two fight wi ...

[details] [close] received 278 days ago published 278 days ago lang: en
Vladimir Matyushenko knocks out Jason Brilz in round one of their light heavyweight clash at UFC 129.

What was the high spot of this fight?

A right hand by Matyushenko crashing to the ground, but the brutal hammerfists that put Brilz to sleep and then woke him back up were the real high points of this short clash.

Where do these guys go from here?

Vladimir is never going to be in title contention, but he's a hell of a tough guy that will take on anyone the UFC asks him to. He's on a two fight win streak but his limitations basically mean that he will best fit being a guy who plays gatekeeper and provides a stiff, experienced test for up-and-comers to fight.

I always forget Jason Brilz is 35 years old. It's too late for him to make a run with his limitations. He can be kept around to fight on undercards but the harsh reality is that roster spots are probably too valuable for him to be around forever. Even if he earned brownie points by fighting Antonio Rogerio Nogueira on short notice, he's probably on his last legs in the UFC.

Watch it now, later, or never?

Short fight, brutal KO. Watch it now.

More UFC 129 Results and Analysis from Bloody Elbow after the jump.
UFC 129 Results Recap: Lyoto Machida vs. Randy Couture
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida knocked out former multiple time champion Randy Couture in their UFC 129 bout. What was the high spot of this fight? Are you kidding? Lyoto Machida threw a jumping front kick that knocked Randy Couture out. Not really much debate here. Where do these guys go from here? Lyoto Machida has to be aiming for a rematch with Quinton Jackson or some other fight that gets him closer to a shot at the UFC light heavyweight championship that he lost to Mau ...

[details] [close] received 278 days ago published 278 days ago lang: en
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida knocked out former multiple time champion Randy Couture in their UFC 129 bout.

What was the high spot of this fight?

Are you kidding? Lyoto Machida threw a jumping front kick that knocked Randy Couture out. Not really much debate here.

Where do these guys go from here?

Lyoto Machida has to be aiming for a rematch with Quinton Jackson or some other fight that gets him closer to a shot at the UFC light heavyweight championship that he lost to Mauricio Rua. He's going to need at least one more win before he gets another title shot, but this was a great first step.

As for Randy Couture? He finds something else to do. It's sad to see an icon retire, and even more sad to see him retire after being knocked unconscious and losing a tooth. But it's time for Randy to walk away from active competition.

Watch it now, later, or never?

A legend's last bout and a shocking and brutal knockout. Watch it now.

More UFC 129 Results and Analysis from Bloody Elbow after the jump.
UFC 129 Results Recap: Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo defended his title via a five round unanimous decision over Mark Hominick. What was the high spot of this fight? In round four, Aldo dropped Hominick with a right hand and immediately Hominick developed a huge hematoma over his right eye. It was a pretty shocking moment. Where do these guys go from here? Aldo will keep on defending his featherweight title. Most likely it will be against Chad Mendes. That is a tough fight but stylistically, Hominick was probab ...

[details] [close] received 278 days ago published 278 days ago lang: en
UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo defended his title via a five round unanimous decision over Mark Hominick.

What was the high spot of this fight?

In round four, Aldo dropped Hominick with a right hand and immediately Hominick developed a huge hematoma over his right eye. It was a pretty shocking moment.

Where do these guys go from here?

Aldo will keep on defending his featherweight title. Most likely it will be against Chad Mendes. That is a tough fight but stylistically, Hominick was probably a tougher fight for him.

Mark Hominick put up a great fight, even having a huge fifth round that could have been scored 10-8. This was, by far, the toughest test we've seen Aldo up against and that speaks very highly for Hominick. I have no clue what the next fight is for him, but I'd hope they don't set him back too far as I'm very interested in an eventual rematch.

Watch it now, later, or never?

This was a very competitive title fight, I'd say watch it now. But you can watch it later if you really want. But you can't watch it never. That's not allowed.

More UFC 129 Results and Analysis from Bloody Elbow after the jump.
UFC 129 Results Recap: Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre defended his title with a five round unanimous decision over Jake Shields. What was the high spot of this fight? Hard to say given the slow pace of the fight but GSP landed a nice head kick in round 4. The punch by Shields that blinded GSP was probably a bigger moment though. Where do these guys go from here? St. Pierre can either hang out at 170 pounds and wait for Nick Diaz, Diego Sanchez or maybe Carlos Condit to challenge. Or, he can go up to midd ...

[details] [close] received 278 days ago published 278 days ago lang: en
UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre defended his title with a five round unanimous decision over Jake Shields.

What was the high spot of this fight?

Hard to say given the slow pace of the fight but GSP landed a nice head kick in round 4. The punch by Shields that blinded GSP was probably a bigger moment though.

Where do these guys go from here?

St. Pierre can either hang out at 170 pounds and wait for Nick Diaz, Diego Sanchez or maybe Carlos Condit to challenge. Or, he can go up to middleweight to challenge Anderson Silva. You know, if Anderson is still interested. And if GSP still wants to. And if the UFC wants it to happen. I fully expect more GSP at welterweight.

As for Jake Shields. I genuinely think UFC 129 was the best he'd ever, ever do against St. Pierre. What he does first is hope like hell that GSP jumps up to 185. Beyond that, I suppose he hopes that his performance gets him a rematch or at least a chance to get a win and a rematch. Jake Shields may very well be your new Jon Fitch.

Watch it now, later, or never?

It's an ugly, slow fight. You can read about it and learn everything you need to know. But it was a title fight and GSP lost rounds on two cards so maybe you want to watch it later.
Portland Trail Blazers 2010-11 Season Review: Ben and Dave Go Stream of Consciousness
[NBA Basketball] (Blazer's Edge)
With the season now in the rear view mirror Ben and I sat down and reflected on its developments, our impressions of how the team was affected by the campaign, and a little bit about where the Blazers go from here. Dave: 2010-11 is history. What are the most significant and/or interesting developments to come out of the season? What themes shaped the course of the year and perhaps Portland's future? Ben: The 2010-2011 season will go in the books for four thin ...

[details] [close] received 278 days ago published 278 days ago lang: en

With the season now in the rear view mirror Ben and I sat down and reflected on its developments, our impressions of how the team was affected by the campaign, and a little bit about where the Blazers go from here.

Dave: 2010-11 is history. What are the most significant and/or interesting developments to come out of the season? What themes shaped the course of the year and perhaps Portland's future?

Ben: The 2010-2011 season will go in the books for four things: The absence of Greg Oden, the disintegration of Brandon Roy, the emergence of an All-Star caliber LaMarcus Aldridge and the acquisition of Gerald Wallace.

Unfortunately, I take those to be two major steps back and two solid, but not necessarily equally major, steps forward. The net result is a minor retreat basketball-wise and a major increase in uncertainty going forward. A foundation that had been carefully and thoughtfully constructed by the previous regime simply hasn't stood the test of time. It's not without hope or the potential to recover, but the future appears tenuous in a way that it didn't two years ago or even last year.

The absence of Oden weighed on everyone in indirect ways. The ability to use his absence as a rallying cry faded as his time away from the court increased. He became, as Yahoo! writer Eric Freeman put it, like something of a ghost. Jeff Pendergraph went down to injury. Joel Przybilla was limited and then traded. A cycle of reserve big men were given chances. Marcus Camby went down with injury. The burden simply became too much. His absence and its repercussions became a distraction, through no fault of his own. Aldridge had to take on double duty, Camby had to play heavy minutes, the Blazers had to use unconventional lineups, and it all added up.

The disintegration of Roy and the emergence of Aldridge were linked in many ways, and have been written about at length. Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, the Roy situation is even more depressing than it was when it was playing out. As early as preseason, it was clear something wasn't right. His effort level did not appear to be there, his physical talent had diminished, his consistency wasn't what we had come to expect from him. I will be the first to admit that denial in the media was there in full force, especially early. This is the best basketball player I've seen perform regularly in person in my life. He'd proven so many things so often that the trust level and respect factor couldn't have been higher. To watch the symptoms mount, the public statements accumulate, the pained expressions post-game, the confusion about his own body, the near tears during the announcement to undergo multiple surgeries, the expressed hopelessness at what the surgeries might be able to do for him. That was all tough. All of that made Game 4 that much more special.

Aldridge, on the inverse course, saved the season. His two month run of statistical dominance was eye-popping. A stand out moment was the difference between the first time he scored 40+ and the second time. The first time he was surprised at his ability to do it. The second time he carried himself like he'd done it 100 times before. It was a leap of maturity, savvy, aggressiveness and self-confidence in such a short period of time. He changed more than any other Blazer this season. That's been written a lot of places and is 100% true. He's established in a way that he wasn't ever before. Through a lot of really, really ugly basketball this season he was the single must-watch player. When they talk about drafting for both talent and character, Aldridge is the home run example.

As for Wallace, he's the X-factor, as always, for next season's hopes. He admitted to a bit of a rough transition and disappointment following the trade after Game 6, but said during the exit interviews availability that he's looking forward to moving his family to Portland in July and having a full training camp/preseason to assimilate with the team. There are open questions about how things will shake out with Batum/Aldridge but he drastically increases the hope and excitability factors surrounding this team heading into next season. It will be interesting to see if Nate McMillan comes back with a wider variety of ways to maximize Wallace's effectiveness. Wallace's best days as a Blazers certainly remain ahead of him.

What did I miss? Where do we disagree?

Click through for Dave's response and the rest of the conversation.

Dave: Hard to argue with that. This season was like your doctor told you that you may have cancer and your mom's sick too but as you walk out of the office you get hit on by a hot girl then you win $50K on a scratch lottery ticket. Wait...what? Whiplash! How exactly am I supposed to feel here?

When it all sorts out it ends up to a net negative immediately but, guessing that Aldridge and Wallace will still be good over the next couple of seasons while Roy and Oden may or may not be as badly injured, it yet could turn into a positive. It all depends on the prognosis of two-thirds of Portland's star corps.

Since you have aptly described the chocolate and vanilla flavors of this season's ice cream case, it's left for me to add in the caramel ripple and lemon sorbet. The subtle subtexts of 2010-11 include:

--Wesley Matthews showing promise in his second season with solid defense and distance shooting. He even threw in a couple of straight-line drives as the season drew to a close. He hasn't shown the ball-handling ability to become a create-your-own-shot superstar but he's got plenty of skills and plenty of time to grow into a huge role on this team. Great pick up for the Blazers.

--Nicolas Batum showed flashes of the player insiders and pundits have coveted over the last couple of years. His play bordered on the angelic at times. The coffin corner three, the baseline drive and dunk, the finishes on the break, that astonishing turn-around jumper in the lane...his offense looked more varied and impressive this season. But again, that's just in flashes. He's clearly better--and more worthy of excitement--than any potential-laden supporting player in the current Blazer era: Webster, Outlaw, Bayless, Fernandez, anybody you care to name. But like all of them he'll be judged on what he can bring every night, not on what he brings on certain, cherry-picked outings. And he's not there yet.

--Andre Miller fit in like a glove this year. His sense of timing was impeccable. His shooting percentage rose 15 points though he took fewer shots per game and scored less. His assists were up from 5.4 to 7.0, in part due to him being the author of so many alley-oops. Rebounds stayed good, free throw percentage great, and all the per-minute numbers check out. Last year he'd take over games sporadically. This year he conducted them religiously. He quietly gave this team chances to win, letting the bigger names and young guns wear the crown while he stood behind the throne and directed.

--Rudy Fernandez provided another head-scratching season. For his first two years we praised his distance shooting but said, "If only he could find his place on the floor and especially play a little DEFENSE!" This year his hustle on defense and non-shooting creativity on offense came to the fore. He made progress in the areas people were asking for. But his shot went to hell. He shot a stunning 39.9% from the arc his rookie season, a perfectly acceptable 36.8% clip his sophomore year, but fell to a "not that shameful...if you're a low post power forward" 32.1% mark this season. Taking out Sean Marks and Armon Johnson, five Blazers shot better from the arc this season than did Rudy. As the shooting declines it's getting more difficult to think of reasons he should be on the floor.

--Portland's halfcourt offense developed a few wrinkles, notably the alley-oop and dominant offensive rebounding. They're still plagued by a lack of easy buckets in transition. Jump shooting was a staple in theory, hit and miss in practice. Dealing with screens on defense might as well be String Theory for this club despite the individual defensive talent in the rotation. Inability to win on the road against good teams remains an issue.

Feel free to add in any subtleties I missed, but also let's look at these developments as a whole. Of the four Big Issues you mentioned which will be the most significant going into the future for good or ill? How about among the more subtle developments? Which of these are the biggest deals?

Ben: Of the bigger issues, I think the biggest remains Oden. First, because we have a solid sample size of evidence on the other three: Aldridge will be an All-Star next season, Wallace will be Portland's second or third best player regardless of what happens this summer, and Roy will not be his All-Star self but he won't be a zero factor either. You're getting something from Roy and the fact that he made it through the entire stretch run and playoffs with no swelling or pain is a great sign.

With Oden, though, the spectrum of "What you can get from him" continues to be as wide as his wingspan. That takes on an exponent when you factor in his contract situation.

First, the on-court stuff. It's important to remember that the timeline for his last knee surgery was set at six months. That deadline came and went and, 11 months after the surgery, he underwent the most recent microfracture surgery. The timeline set this time around was roughly 12 months. None of the indications we've received in the first five months following the mirofracture are particularly promising. That's partly due to the fact that heaping expectations upon him doesn't do anyone any good. But it's mostly due to the fact that that's a really, really complex rehabilitation on top of a rehabilitation that was never completed. Given what's happened, rushing things would be catastrophic. For those reasons, I'm personally rather pessimistic about his ability to be an impact-maker on the court next season.

Bigger picture, you'd be OK and patient with zero production next season ... if the contract situation looms huge. Oden is correct to say that he has a ton of leverage here. If he doesn't want to be in Portland long-term, he can accept the qualifying offer, cash paychecks through a full, carefully managed rehabilitation and then have his pick of suitors next summer. If he does want to be in Portland long-term, he can very likely arrange for a lengthy and high-dollar contract extension this summer. Either options comes with a major risk factor for Portland: You either pay to play the odds that he will eventually make it back healthy or you sit on pins and needles throughout next season hoping to convince him to stick around.

Circling back, this is what I mean when I said this is the big picture issue that weighs the heaviest on Portland's future. Best-case: Oden gets through his rehab on schedule, is an impact player next season, becomes an All-Star type player for the Blazers the following season and is locked into a reasonable long-term deal this summer. Worst-case: Oden takes the qualifying offer, takes all of next season to rehabilitate and bounces town as an unrestricted free agent, leaving Portland $8.8 million dollars poorer, with egg on its face and with a 2012-2013 center rotation of Chris Johnson, Jeff Pendergraph and Shavlik Randolph. On paper, both of those pole eventualities are reasonable, and so are 20 or 30 in-between variations along the spectrum.

Still, If I'm Oden's agent I'm angling to get him the biggest possible deal this summer. The "one in hand beats two in the bush" theory. That does favor Portland because of restricted free agency but it will involve a major financial commitment. This team has already made a bunch of committments -- Roy, Aldridge, Wallace, Matthews -- so that commitment comes with a major short-term cost of lost flexibility. In other words, Portland's depth problems are going to continue as long as Oden's rehabilitation lasts.

When we turn to the subtle developments, I look at Matthews and Batum as meeting expectations at the very least. In Matthews' case, exceeding them is more accurate, although there's work to be done in filling out his offensive contributions. As for Fernandez, he has played himself into being an afterthought. I think, then, the Miller question is the biggest; In Miller, you've got questions that affect potential trades, next year's rotation and usage distribution. Big questions in all of those areas, really. The other guys, true to form, have questions that fit their role player status.

Unless there's a draft day trade, I find it very difficult to believe Miller won't be back at the starting point guard spot next season. Your summary of his season was dead on. Andre Miller had a very "Andre Miller" year -- chronically overlooked and underrated, consistently productive, made those around him better, excellent (at times hilarious) veteran leadership and perspective.

A few concerns hang. One, his spot on the bench during the playoffs to make room for Brandon Roy. It felt like one last concession from Nate McMillan that those two could not work together. Miller is a better and more important player right now than Roy but he has trade value. Roy doesn't. The temptation to "make it work" for one more season will be strong. But it will also serve as a limiting factor as we saw against Dallas. That's something to watch.

Second, obviously, is age. There's no question that the 2011 Marcus Camby was not the same player as the 2010 Marcus Camby. They looked the same, talked the same and sometimes produced the same, but the 10-20% slippage in production was a difference-maker. That will happen with Miller, perhaps as soon as next season. Given his role on the team and the lack of depth behind him, his slippage will be felt in a major way.

Dave: I agree that Oden is the biggest potential issue. The only way around that is the realization that he's been zero factor so far and may remain so depending on injuries or contract. The Blazers know they'll be dealing with Roy for good or ill. Roy may not have the potential to change this team dramatically anymore, whereas Oden still does. Still, a non-productive Roy on the court may alter chemistry and game play (read: be a bigger negative issue) more than Oden not taking the floor would.

Happier thoughts now. What was the best single moment of the season? For me it's got to be Batum's alley-oop tip against the Spurs. That moment kind of crystallized some of the themes of the year: perseverance, a little luck, Brandon Roy as decoy and not main guy, Nicolas' development, Miller's passing, motion in the halfcourt offense, and of course riotous fan support. Yours?

Ben: You nailed it. That play was by far the best moment of the season.

The last quarter of Game 4 is right there too. I can't remember the tension level at the Rose Garden being higher. The collective stress level was just agonizing. The late Terry three that could have been a dagger caused so much pain, it was almost a violent act. The lead narrowing, Roy's confidence rising, the banker. That's just a series of events that is be tattooed on everyone's mind to stay. It makes you step back and ask innocent questions again like, "If this isn't his career highlight, how awesome could the future be?"

The late-game moments are always the standouts. Monta Ellis missing a potential game-winner is one that's coming to mind quickly. Aldridge's really personal performances against the Timberwolves were great. Another one that wasn't as dramatic but was great to see -- Wesley Matthews at Rookie/Sophomore team practice, ruminating on what it would mean to be an All-Star someday.

Also, Chris Johnson's first NBA game. Nothing tops the "holy crap, I made it!" expression after that first NBA game. His down-to-earth, easy-going personality made it that much more honest and authentic.

Dave: Johnson is one of the guys people seem to take to naturally. It'll be interesting to see what kind of impact he can make on the team. He makes an impression on the court which is the first step. He's definitely one of the good things to come out of the year, almost hearkening back to a time when "good" was defined with more innocence and fewer expectations. The Blazers don't have the luxury of low expectations anymore, of course. S peaking of...

Although Batum's alley-oop was probably the single high moment of the season, the lasting visual image to me will be Brandon Roy driving the lane and getting his shot snuffed repeatedly as he was trying to acclimate himself early in the year. It encapsulated another wave of realities: Portland's need, the desperate health problems, trying to make it somewhere that wasn't really reachable, trying to hang on to hope and promise that might be slipping away...just a sense of sadness and loss without really knowing what the loss was about exactly or whether you should be feeling it. I mean, every time Brandon drove you wanted it to happen, your heart leaped out of you. But then he'd get in there and get his shot blocked after elevating half an inch off the ground and, just like the ball, you'd come crashing back to earth.

2009-10 was pretty bad just in terms of devastating injuries and the team getting its guts ripped out but 2010-11 may have been a more difficult season, if nothing else because of the false starts and sense of being in perpetual limbo. The season started with Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla slated to come back and everyone else on track. Then Przybilla failed to materialize. Then the tragic news about Oden's next microfracture hit. Then Brandon Roy's knee problems were pronounced chronic and his performance tanked. Would Greg ever play? Would Roy be OK? Could Przy contribute at all? The team limped along then Aldridge saved their bacon as the year turned. Then the Wallace trade happened and everyone went bonkers. Then the Miami win came along, the San Antonio win, grabbing the 6th seed when a couple months before not making the post-season seemed a possibility. Finally the Mavericks snapped the team back to reality and now...limbo again.

It feels like an oil slick has spilled over the otherwise pure water which is this franchise and every time you dip a hand in to get a drink you come up with a non-removable film of yuck over the top.

So is there any hope that slick gets skimmed off? In the playoff series recap I said that the team was a 48-win, 6th seed and played like a 48-win, 6th seed. Should that be the expectation going forward? How much hope do you see of this franchise ever shining? Must Blazer fans be content with the Chris Johnson moments or is there more?

Ben: The Dallas series was incredibly predictable. Going forward, the expectations game is much trickier.

We sort of got at this question earlier with the Oden talk, the range of possibilities that exist for his future. The same thing goes for the team as a whole. This group is likely a playoff team next season without any major moves, but barring a big time return to form from either Oden or Roy it's difficult to see them playing far enough above their heads in a playoff series to avoid a repeat of history next season.

Longer-term, the West is wide open as the Memphis Grizzlies just reminded us. Dallas, San Antonio and Los Angeles will be taking a step back in the next two years (although L.A. will always re-tool). The Jazz and Nuggets are less formidable than they've been. Phoenix and Houston are in the rebuilding cycle. Oklahoma City is the one clear emergent power and Portland has never felt a fear factor there.

To merge these two thoughts, I guess I would maintain that expectations should remain high given the eroding competitive landscape. The difficulty of executing a full-scale rebuild and the ages of the West's traditional powers leads me to conclude it's worth hanging around, gelling, growing where possible. Does that mean I would predict a better showing next season unless there's a transformative move made? No. Depth is a big deal, too. There's significant work to be done.

As for being content with Chris Johnson moments, that's one thing that clearly separates Blazers fans from all but a few fanbases. It's sort of a "better to have loved and lost" scenario. Caring deeply enough to understand the beauty of the Chris Johnson moments is so much better and more meaningful an experience than skimming the highlights or only supporting or following a playoff winner.

Of course everyone wants more. But we've learned in the last three years that simply wanting more can't make it happen. That's our burden I guess.

Dave: The big question to me is how much you want and how much you wait. Normally if a team had lost three straight first-round series in similar fashion and for similar reasons-never even seeing a Game 7 at that-you'd start talking about major changes being needed. But this seems like a unique situation. Talent isn't the issue. A huge part of it is health. Waiting it out goes against the NBA playbook, falling strictly in the wishful thinking department. When a team loses like this repeatedly it's NOT getting better. And yet it might and there are legit reasons to think it could. I'll be incredibly curious to see what view management takes.

OK...so barring that transformative move, what exactly DO the Blazers do this summer that makes any difference?

My thoughts:

1. Pray.

2. Re-sign Oden if you can.

3. Pray some more.

Ben: Well, there's no question that the Blazers burned through a lot of minor assets this season: Bayless, Cunningham, Przybilla's contract, the pick received for Bayless, etc. Re-stocking that cupboard is very important, if not for immediate use then at sometime down the road. I think you've got to make the absolute most out of this draft even if it's a weak crop. Buy picks. Shop Rudy Fernandez hard. Shop Andre Miller hard. Shop Marcus Camby hard. Draft smart.

Still, the Oden plunge will outweigh all of those other considerations together. That's a direction-changing move for the franchise, no matter how it plays out. Assuming the new CBA has a mid-level exception and Paul Allen is still on board with running up a major payroll, using the Mid-Level Exception to target whatever ones and physical four/fives that are out there would make good sense too.

Dave: It's funny, because a couple years ago when the Blazers weren't making those moves the team suffered...no LaFrentz trade, some of the bit players staying too long, couldn't get a Gerald Wallace until too late maybe. Those could have been major mistakes. But now that the moves are made it's a new world. You're no longer looking at revolutionizing the team with hot young prospects. You're searching for the guy at #20 who has a chance to contribute. You're trying to find that Juwan Howard to give you a solid year or two then move on. But you know what? That's more normal than this team has been in a while. All good teams have to do what you describe. Nobody plays 12 guys they hope will be All-Stars someday. They choose a core of 3-4 guys, maybe go 8 deep when they hit full flower, but play around with the other pieces. It'll break Blazers fans hearts because we do tend to get attached to "our guys". It's also not as exciting reading Earl Watson and College Kid #4 on the cast list as it is speculating how good Travis Outlaw could be someday. But this is how the Blazers will have to operate if they're sticking with their big guns, which they're probably forced to do. This may be the first year where the mid-level exception (or its equivalent in the New NBA) will be as crucial as trades or maybe even the draft.

More season-oriented discussion to come. If there's something we missed or you read something you want clarification on, fill us in using the comment section.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)
UFC 129 Results: Sickness Slowed Jose Aldo During His Bout Against Mark Hominick
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
Jose Aldo dominated the first round of his UFC 129 bout against Mark Hominick. Shortly after the second round started though, the champion seemed visibly tired. Commentator Joe Rogan speculated that it could be a result of a bad weight cut, bringing up that Aldo was light headed and had to excuse himself during the Q&A portion that featured the 7 UFC champs. It seems that wasn't the case though. BE Reader fafefifofo, brought up that right before Rogan interviewed Aldo, he complained to his c ...

[details] [close] received 278 days ago published 278 days ago lang: en
Jose Aldo dominated the first round of his UFC 129 bout against Mark Hominick. Shortly after the second round started though, the champion seemed visibly tired. Commentator Joe Rogan speculated that it could be a result of a bad weight cut, bringing up that Aldo was light headed and had to excuse himself during the Q&A portion that featured the 7 UFC champs. It seems that wasn't the case though.

BE Reader fafefifofo, brought up that right before Rogan interviewed Aldo, he complained to his corner that he should have taken antibiotics. Bloody Elbow's Tom Mendes of Brazil was able to confirm this. Here's a translation of the cornerman's reply to Jose Aldo:

"Antibiotics would not have helped at all, you’re the champion kid, fuck antibiotics, everything is okay. You fought well, smooth and composed. "

Aldo made no mention of this on the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. This of course could be because he didn't take anything away from the very game Mark Hominick who took the fight to him, and showed a tremendous amount of heart and determination.

After the jump, more UFC 129 Results and Analysis from Bloody Elbow.
UFC 129 Results: The Case for Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
Color me unimpressed with Georges St. Pierre's performance last night at UFC 129, or should I say "I am not impressed by your performance". The UFC welterweight champion did exactly as predicted by nearly every single MMA writer and fan close to the sport. He defeated Jake Shields by utilizing a strong jab-overhand right combination while maintaining a safe distance to avoid Shields' historically weak shot. It worked brilliantly, creating a situation that looked hopeless by the second round of a ...

[details] [close] received 278 days ago published 278 days ago lang: en
Color me unimpressed with Georges St. Pierre's performance last night at UFC 129, or should I say... "I am not impressed by your performance". The UFC welterweight champion did exactly as predicted by nearly every single MMA writer and fan close to the sport. He defeated Jake Shields by utilizing a strong jab-overhand right combination while maintaining a safe distance to avoid Shields' historically weak shot. It worked brilliantly, creating a situation that looked hopeless by the second round of action. When Shields asked teammate Gilbert Melendez in between rounds whether he should pull guard yet, it was a sure sign of the end for Shields.

But Shields wasn't completely ineffective. His atrocious striking was effective enough to damage St. Pierre's eye, causing some concern for the champion as the fight dragged on. Unfortunately, Shields could not capitalize, getting outworked by the champion for a majority of the fight and never truly endangering St. Pierre's status as world champion.

In the aftermath, the question was asked by Lorenzo Fertitta whether fans would like to see Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz or Georges St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva. Our own Brent Brookhouse opined that the St. Pierre we witnessed last night may not have a chance against Silva:

But again, Jake Shields was able to get through five rounds on the feet with GSP and even have some moments of his own. I can't help but feel that the much more dangerous and much larger Anderson Silva would put the St. Pierre we saw last night to sleep.

I can't help but think the same thing. If Shields, who has horrific striking acumen, can somehow win a couple of rounds from St. Pierre, what would a rangier striker like Anderson Silva do to St. Pierre at a higher weight? That isn't to say the fight can't happen. By all indications, it would be a super fight for the ages, and business would be good.

But I can't look past Nick Diaz and the intrigue he brings to a showdown with Georges St. Pierre. St. Pierre's hesitance and willingness to sit back and jab opponents to death is a style that isn't winning any fans. He needs opponents who are fearless and couldn't care less whether they are on their back. Nick Diaz is the epitome of that style of fighter.

I expect the counter argument to be something along the lines of... St. Pierre will take down Nick Diaz and hold him there. It isn't an unfathomable outcome to that fight, but Diaz does present problems on the ground for St. Pierre. Would St. Pierre avoid the ground game with Diaz as he did with Shields? If so, it could be a very interesting encounter.

The UFC has the perfect opportunity to challenge St. Pierre and possibly capitalize on the popularity of Nick Diaz. While he is far from a pay-per-view draw, Diaz has the fan support and personality to get fans excited. Instead of throwing Nick Diaz in against wrestlers like Jon Fitch and squandering his potential, the UFC needs to capitalize on the opportunity now. Nick Diaz is the perfect opponent for St. Pierre, a man who could strike with St. Pierre, eat his hardest punch, and work harder in the fourth round than he did in the first. He's a man who could beat St. Pierre, and the time to pull the trigger is now.

More Bloody Elbow UFC 129 Results & Analysis after the fold...
Poll
Which would you rather see now?
St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz

St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva

2786 votes | Results
UFC 129 Results: Lyoto Machida, Ivan Menjivar Walk the Come Back Trail
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
UFC 129 was an evening full of great stories. Randy Couture retired from the sport. Jose Aldo conceived a baby on the forehead of Mark Hominick. Ben Henderson proved the WEC's best can hack it in the UFC. Vladimir Matyushenko graduated from "piss break" to "must-see". And Georges St. Pierre didn't impress many fans with his win over Jake Shields. The talk will last for weeks. But one of the stories that hasn't received a lot of attention is that of the comeback trail. Lyoto Machida, Rory MacDona ...

[details] [close] received 278 days ago published 278 days ago lang: en
UFC 129 was an evening full of great stories. Randy Couture retired from the sport. Jose Aldo conceived a baby on the forehead of Mark Hominick. Ben Henderson proved the WEC's best can hack it in the UFC. Vladimir Matyushenko graduated from "piss break" to "must-see". And Georges St. Pierre didn't impress many fans with his win over Jake Shields. The talk will last for weeks.

But one of the stories that hasn't received a lot of attention is that of the comeback trail. Lyoto Machida, Rory MacDonald, Ivan Menjivar, and Jason MacDonald all came up big when it mattered the most... with their backs against the wall.

The most inspirational story is Menjivar's return to prominence in the sport. He is a former welterweight and lightweight fighter who has fought some of MMA's most recognizable stars over the course of the last decade. He was Georges St. Pierre's first opponent back in 2001, and he has since battled notable veterans Jeff Curran, Vitor Ribeiro, Matt Serra, Joe Lauzon, Urijah Faber, Hideo Tokoro, and Caol Uno.

He retired from the sport in November of 2006 after a loss to Bart Palaszewski under the IFL banner, citing that injuries and additions to his family were making it difficult for him to continue to compete. As you can imagine, both require money, and the sport wasn't producing the purses that it does today during those times. Menjivar was also a victim of battling in weight classes not suited for his frame to get those bigger paydays.

Those times are long gone for Menjivar. Since his return in 2010, Menjivar, who is only 28 years of age, is now fighting at 135 pounds. Believe it or not, Menjivar was fighting at 170 pounds at one point in his career with a 5'6" frame. The level playing field along with the ascension of the bantamweight and featherweight divisions to the UFC make Menjivar's rebirth an inspiration to us all. And he took full advantage of the free Facebook stream last night, dispatching of Charlie Valencia in brutal fashion with a short elbow.

Lyoto Machida was also on the comeback trail, although I doubt the UFC would be releasing him had he lost to Randy Couture last night. His impressive crane kick finish of Couture was the highlight of the evening, and it likely kept him in the hunt for the UFC light heavyweight title. Interestingly enough, I would not mind seeing Machida take aim at Jon Jones, mainly due to his elusive striking style and newfound ability to finish opponents.

Rory MacDonald entered the Octagon for the first time following his loss to Carlos Condit at UFC 115 in June of last year. Ring rust and the gameness of Nate Diaz were concerns for him, but he persevered and dominated Diaz for the entire fight. He continues to prove he's the future of the sport, and the division should be taking notice that he will be relevant at the top of the division in the coming year.

And finally, Jason MacDonald returned to action last night, submitting Ryan Jensen at the 1:37 mark of the first round. He took roughly a year off due to a gruesome leg break he sustained at UFC 113 against John Salter. Not only did he get a standing ovation from fans as he entered the cage, but he delivered in a big way by taking full advantage of Jensen's poor grappling skills. Canada should be proud.

More Bloody Elbow UFC 129 Results and Analysis after the fold...
UFC 129 Results: GSP Tried to Force the KO Against Jake Shields
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre cruised to a dominant unanimous decision win over Jake Shields -- a man who hadn't lost a fight since 2004 -- and yet, no one is impressed with his performance. Partly this is because Shields actually managed to do something that Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck and Thiago Alves all failed to do -- he took two rounds on two judges' cards from the champ. GSP entered UFC 129 riding an incredible thirty round winning streak. Partly this is because GSP was visib ...

[details] [close] received 278 days ago published 278 days ago lang: en
UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre cruised to a dominant unanimous decision win over Jake Shields -- a man who hadn't lost a fight since 2004 -- and yet, no one is impressed with his performance.

Partly this is because Shields actually managed to do something that Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck and Thiago Alves all failed to do -- he took two rounds on two judges' cards from the champ. GSP entered UFC 129 riding an incredible thirty round winning streak.

Partly this is because GSP was visibly more damaged than Shields. Where the challenger ended the fight with an unmarked face, the champ left the Octagon with a bloody nose and a blinded and swollen left eye.

Shields actually landed more strikes than St. Pierre -- 115-109 per Compustrike and 96-92 per FightMetric -- although GSP handily outlanded him in power strikes/significant strikes -- 71-25 per Compustrike and 85-78 per FightMetric.

But I would argue that it was a failure to implement his game plan that cost GSP as much as anything else.

The champ is known for his elaborate game planning. His coach Greg Jackson is called the "Yoda of MMA" for his knack for devising fight plans that keep the fight where his fighters have the advantage. GSP certainly managed to do that by preventing Shields, perhaps the game's best welterweight BJJ player, from taking the fight to the ground.

Another part of GSP's plan fell flat, however.

He clearly worked on his spinning back kick and the overhand right as his big strikes for the fight. Dana White even commented on his overuse of those strikes after the fight to Ariel Helwani (transcribed by Fight Opinion):

"If you are looking for criticism from me, which sounds like you are, the only criticism I have is he was throwing a weird overhand right, like this... looping overhand right, which I've never seen him do before. Usually he throws that straight Superman punch, his punches are straight down the pike, I was trying to figure out why he kept throwing the same punch all night. He was throwing it hard, like he was trying to knock him out, like he was trying to force a knockout, so..."

I can't recall having seen GSP ever throw a winging overhand right and I've seen all of his fights multiple times. As for the spinning back kick, that's a move GSP relied on early in his career (we've even done a Judo Chop on his use of the spinning back kick against Matt Hughes back in 2004), but it's not a strike he's been employing much recently.

That changed last night as St. Pierre threw spinning back kick after winging overhand right after spinning back kick but never connected cleanly with either strike.

Dave Meltzer commented on GSP's strategy and execution:

The takedown defense was the most impressive part of St. Pierre's game. On a couple occasions, Shields caught St. Pierre's leg when he would throw a kick, and have a high single, but never once was able to complete the takedown, including a couple of escapes that were almost ballet-like in nature.

That made all the difference in the fight, as few gave Shields much of a shot at winning the title unless he was able to take the champion down.

But St. Pierre's striking game, which destroyed Josh Koscheck so badly in his previous fight that Koscheck is still just barely getting over the injuries, and beat master strikers B.J. Penn and Thiago Alves at their own game, wasn't as crisp as usual, and was far too predictable.

St. Pierre came with an attack which would usually finish with an overhand right, and also kept throwing spin kicks, which were something new. Shields was hurt a few times by the rights, particularly in the early rounds. But Shields eventually caught on to the pattern and St. Pierre missed badly on a number of punches.

We've seen GSP struggle with a few recent opponents. Against Thiago Alves at UFC 100, GSP tore his groin and had to fight three rounds while dealing with a very painful injury. Against Dan Hardy he missed several good chances to get the submission due to minor technical mistakes. But we've never seen GSP struggle with both a mid-fight injury -- the blinded left eye -- and an inability to execute on his game plan.

Let's not forget to credit Jake Shields with fighting a great fight either. Despite not ever getting to implement his ground game and not really having the presence of mind to keep forcing the issue, Shields flustered the champ throughout the bout. From the beginning, Shields' stand-up, awkward as it is, frustrated GSP and threw off his timing. It wasn't enough to win, but Shields did more than anyone has done in a long time -- he made GSP look bad and that's saying a helluva lot.

Most impressively, Shields got better as the fight wore on, landing more strikes GSP in both the 4th and 5th rounds.* The last time we saw a champ walk out hurt after losing the final rounds to a challenger it was Lyoto Machida scraping past Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 104. Rua got an immediate rematch and beat Machida by TKO the second time around. Shields won't get that chance it appears, but maybe his teammate Nick Diaz will be the man to beat GSP.

* Rami Genauer of Fight Metric sent this note along:

I wanted to make a correction because it seems like the post equates significant strikes with power strikes. For example, there was a comment that made the claim that Shields landed more power strikes than GSP in the 4th and 5th. In fact, GSP outlanded Shields in power strikes 5-3 in the 4th round and 4-3 in the 5th round. Where Shields held the advantage was in significant strikes. By definition, all strikes thrown at distance are considered significant, but that doesn't mean they were thrown with power. The vast majority of strikes Shields landed were of the jab (or non-power) variety. This is how our Effectiveness Score can clearly give the 4th round to GSP despite getting outstruck in total volume. It's the quality of the strikes that matter, not necessarily the quantity.

The reason why we need a category for significant strikes is because not all "jabs" are the same. There is a huge qualitative difference between jabs at distance versus jabs in tight. Using a straight "power strikes" category would ignore the highly effective jab at distance (the one that busted up Koscheck) by lumping it in with all the tiny shots fighters throw while on their back or being pressed against the fence. To lump those two kinds of strikes together is insanity, but that's what a straight power vs. jab distinction does. So instead, we have a category called significant strikes, which includes are strikes at distance and power strikes in the clinch and on the ground. That way we can track all strikes, but classify things more intelligently.

More UFC 129 Results and Analysis from Bloody Elbow.
UFC 129 Results: Thank You for the Memories Randy Couture
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
"This is gonna be the last time you see these gloves and these shorts in this Octagon. I'm retiring tonight. I want to thank all my fans for all there support. That's it for me, I'm ready to do something else." - Randy Couture after his knockout loss to Chuck Liddell at UFC 57. Leading up to this past Saturday, much was made about the retirement of Randy Couture. Matt Bishop put together a great series of posts covering the highs and lows of Randy's UFC career. A fight career that has spanned t ...

[details] [close] received 278 days ago published 278 days ago lang: en
"This is gonna be the last time you see these gloves and these shorts in this Octagon. I'm retiring tonight. I want to thank all my fans for all there support. That's it for me, I'm ready to do something else." - Randy Couture after his knockout loss to Chuck Liddell at UFC 57.

Leading up to this past Saturday, much was made about the retirement of Randy Couture. Matt Bishop put together a great series of posts covering the highs and lows of Randy's UFC career. A fight career that has spanned three decades, Randy has been the perennial underdog, the constant spoiler, and hero to almost every MMA fan today. A man who has, at times, allowed his personal life to affect his ability to remain competitive inside the UFC's Octagon, Randy Couture leaves a career that man fighters can only dream to ever achieve.

Randy Couture, like his fight record, is not a perfect man. He's been married and divorced three times and from some accounts, is a terror to work for and with. However, this post's purpose isn't to discuss his short comings as a man; instead, I want to celebrate his ability to inspire those of us that are unable to step into the cage. It's a safe assumption to say that outside of the rare Bloody Elbow reader, none of us have the grit, determination, and athletic ability to ever have a career in MMA. Instead, we live vicariously through the accomplishments of our favorite fighters and often will stand by them during even their most difficult moments.

When Randy retired at UFC 57, I was 21 years old and just getting back into MMA. A fan before the dark ages, I found myself compelled during the first season of The Ultimate fighter. It was through this weekly reality series that I found myself feeling the emotions that I once knew as a child growing up whose father had an illegal card for a Direct TV dish. The most basic of human emotions that only come out during only the mosts competitive experiences. In that first season of the Ultimate Fighter both Couture and Chuck Liddell came off as endearing coaches who truly were looking out for their fighters. The series would conclude with Liddell challenging Couture for his Light Heavyweight title, a fight that end with Couture suffering the first knockout of his career. As a fan of Couture this was devastating. While he had lost in prior matches, never had I seen him look so hopeless. The rubber match at UFC 57 would be the last time I got to see my hero for a year and his tearful goodbye still gives me goosebumps to this day.

With his amazing series of fights with Pedro Rizzo and Chuck Liddell, Randy became a legend. A look at his record without an understanding of significance and the assumption would be that Couture was a mediocre fighter. A sub .667 fighter, Couture has never had a winning streak beyond four fights since 2001. His short lived retirement would be capped with a massively dominant win against Tim Sylvia for the UFC belt and a defense against Gabriel Gonzaga. However, as stated above, Couture is not without his flaws. A long and drawn out legal battle with Zuffa tarnished his reputation with fans and fighters alike. It seemed that a man who was praised for his love of competition and testing himself against the best fighters in the world was solely driven by the financial aspect and took some underhanded steps to try and gain release from his contract. Once the matter was resolved and Couture was able to come to financial terms with Zuffa, he made his return against Brock Lesnar at UFC 91, one of the biggest Pay Per Views of all time. Couture, even in a loss, was able to exploit the holes in Lesnar's game.

The fight game doesn't offer any comfort to losers. Aging fighters are chewed up and spit out in order to build up the resumes and marketability of the new breed. Last night saw Randy become the punchline to perhaps one of the greatest highlights of all time. He now finds himself in the company of Ben Henderson and Vitor Belfort as the victim of spectacular kicks that will forever be remembered. Yet for Couture, it seems to be a fitting way to walk away from active competition. He's given so much to young fighters and his last gift was rebuilding Lyoto Machida's tarnished brand as a fighter. Randy went out on his shield in perhaps the most memorable fight of his career. As everything with the Natural, it's not about the wins or losses. It's about the fight and he put up a helluva fight against one of the best fighters in the Light Heavyweight division. I hope he can transition to mentor for younger fighters, a wealth of knowledge not just on fighting but also on life. It's a role fitting for the man in his retirement.

More UFC 129 Results and Analysis from Bloody Elbow.
UFC 129 Results: Next Day Thoughts
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
This is a guest post from Donna of Gal's Guide to MMA. It's the day after what was arguably one of the most exciting fight cards in UFC history, and it's taken me about this long to digest what I watched last night. I can't remember the last time there were so many contenders for KO of the night, though seeing as how this is BE, I'm guessing a few of you will be able to fill me in. John Makdessi took outKyle Watson with the spinning back fist, Ivan Menjivar not only KO'd Charlie Valencia but b ...

[details] [close] received 278 days ago published 278 days ago lang: en
This is a guest post from Donna of Gal's Guide to MMA.

It's the day after what was arguably one of the most exciting fight cards in UFC history, and it's taken me about this long to digest what I watched last night. I can't remember the last time there were so many contenders for KO of the night, though seeing as how this is BE, I'm guessing a few of you will be able to fill me in. John Makdessi took outKyle Watson with the spinning back fist, Ivan Menjivar not only KO'd Charlie Valencia but broke his nose in the process, Jake Ellenberger KO'd Sean Pierson in round 1 and Vladimir Matyushenko wiped up the floor (sorry) withJason Brilz with a knock out 20 seconds into round 1. Oh, but how dejected they must have all been when Lyoto Machida finished Randy Couture with a crane kick straight out of The Karate Kid. As soon as that fight was stopped, there was no question in my mind who would be walking away with the KO of the night bonus, and somewhere in the world Ralph Macchio got a tear in his eye.

There's always a point when you realize that the fighter everyone seems to think may just be invincible is actually human, and I think that point hit last night for Jose Aldo. Mark Hominick absolutely refused to hand Aldo that fight, despite one of the worst (best?) hematomas that I've ever seen. Excellent work by John McCarthy and the fight doctor for not ending that fight prematurely. A less experienced ref would've called the fight, and there were many points in round 5 that a perfectly placed punch by Hominick could've ended Aldo's reign as champ. Aldo and Hominick absolutely earned fight of the night honors.

Then it was time for the final fight of the night, and it was anything like the rest of the card, we were in for a treat.Georges St. Pierre said it himself; Jake Shields was the toughest opponent that he'd faced in a long time, and while I had GSP winning this fight, the possibility absolutely existed that Shields could have taken the belt from GSP. Shields looked near vomiting while they were announcing the fight, and GSP was focused as always. Into the second round, two things became clear to me: 1) GSP was going to win this fight and 2) this was going to be another underwhelming GSP victory. Now, I'm sure I'll take some crap for saying GSP is boring, and I absolutely recognize that he's one of the top p4p fighters in the world. But he's so incredibly safe when he fights, and after the night of fights we had just witnessed, this was as underwhelming a main event as I've ever seen. Is being a safe fighter bad? Not if it gets you the win. However it's been a very long time since we've seen GSP finish a fight, and by the 4th round even the Canadians were boo-ing. The Canadian audience began to turn on their prodigal son, and one can only hope that GSP and Greg Jackson noticed.

More UFC 129 Results and Analysis from Bloody Elbow.
Round by round at UFC 129: GSP endures in stand-up battle against Shields
[Vancouver] (Vancouver local news from Metronews.ca)
Fight 1: Featherweight Pablo Garza vs. Yves Jabouin (Montreal) Round 1: Jabouin is the aggressor early on, knocking down Garza with a punch midway through the round. It ends quickly, however, when the fighters go to the ground and Garza locks in a triangle choke. Jabouin attempted to fight it off — much to the crowd's approval — but eventually taps out. The official ruling is tapout by triangle choke. Garza said after the fight: “The triangle got him, not the armbar. He wa ...

[details] [close] received 278 days ago published 279 days ago lang: en

Fight 1: Featherweight

Pablo Garza vs. Yves Jabouin (Montreal)

Round 1:

Jabouin is the aggressor early on, knocking down Garza with a punch midway through the round. It ends quickly, however, when the fighters go to the ground and Garza locks in a triangle choke. Jabouin attempted to fight it off — much to the crowd's approval — but eventually taps out. The official ruling is tapout by triangle choke.

Garza said after the fight:

“The triangle got him, not the armbar. He was rolling but I cranked it very hard. I thought my last fight was a trip but this was mind blowing.”

“The leg kicks didn’t bother me. I was a little jittery, the biggest crowd I ever fought in front of was a couple thousand. This was like ‘holy%#41’ and it took a while to concentrate on the fight.”

Fight 2: Lightweight

Kyle Watson vs. John Makdessi (Halifax)

Round 1

The fighters start tentatively. They circle each other, Makdessi scores a leg kick. Watson followed with a kick of his own, misses. They exchange a flurry of punches just after a minute into the round. Makdessi hits with a solid punch to the head. Watson attempts A meek takedown attempt that Makdessi stuffs. Another flurry of punches, at 2:40. Makdessi lands a superman punch. Fighters taking turns exchanging flurries. Makdessi scores a hook kick that lands on Watson’s face. He’s the more active fighter, although Watson keeps pushing forward. Metro gives this one to Makdessi 10-9.

Round 2

Makdessi starts by pushing forward this time. The fighters exchange shots right away. More circling in the middle of the ring. Watson lands a hard head kick. Makdessi goes for another hook kick, misses this time. With 1:25 to go, Makdessi rocks Watson with a couple of hard punches. He’s too cautious and Watson recovers. Watson seems to be attempting high kicks. Metro also gives this round to Makdessi 10-9.

Round 3

Nasty cut on Watson’s face after the two exchange punches. Makdessi is pushing forward, lands a hard spinning backfist and Watson is out. He’s still down by the time Makdessi is interviewed about the win. Makdessi wins by knockout.

John Makdessi said after the fight:

“I knew I hit him well, but I didn’t know I knocked him out. I guess when you train that much, it’s just a feeling to know when to use it. I like to feel out my opponent first. It’s a true testament to my great coaches and my kickboxing coach.”

(on Dana tweeting that he’s going to win Knockout of the Night)

“This is going to change my life.”

Fight 3: Middleweight

Ryan Jensen vs. Jason MacDonald (Nova Scotia)

Round 1

The crowd roared as MacDonald is introduced. He quickly takes Jensen down and works his way to back control. Jensen manages to escape and lands in MacDonald’s guard. The crowd roars again as MacDonald attempts a triangle. Jensen picks him up and slams him, but the tringle sinks deeper. Jensen attempts to punch, but it’s too tight. He taps, and the Rogers Centre becomes very loud. This one ends at 1:37 of the first round.

John MacDonald after the fight:

“Words can’t describe what I’m feeling right now. I had the triangle locked in and I knew he was going to slam me. I knew as long I kept him tight it would be no problem. ”

Fight 4: Bantamweight

Charlie Valencia vs. Ivan Menjivar (from El Salvador, trains in Montreal)

Round 1:

The Rogers Centre looks nearly full by the time this fight starts. The fighters touch gloves and circle in the middle of the ring until Valencia goes for a high kick. Menjivar attempts a hard hook. Valencia is looking for leg kicks and swings wildly as they clinch. Menjivar lands an elbow to the nose that drops Valencia. He follows with a flurry of punches as Valencia, on the ground, covers his head. He’s not fighting back. The referee ends it. It’s Menjivar by TKO.

Ivan Menjivar after the fight:

(on the finish)

“From the clinch we were kneeing each other and then by reflex I threw my left elbow and connected. That spun him and then I followed him to the ground and that was it.”

(On fighting in front of the Canadian crowd)

“I was born in El Salvador but then I came here and now I represent both countries. I’m very proud to be here. It’s probably because I’m Latino too. We try to represent our culture and we work hard.”

Fight 5: Welterweight

Daniel Roberts vs. Claude Patrick (Toronto)

The Rogers Centre is loudest for this one.

Round 1:

Patrick immediately takes Roberts down. Roberts attempts to shake an arm loose, but Patrick is tight and moves into half-guard. He manages to escape and the fighters stand up again. Patrick’s lead hand is open, but he follows with punches – takes Roberts to the fence but the San Francisco fighter spins around. They take turns exchanging positions before moving to the middle of the Octagon. Crowd starts to chant “Let’s go Canada.” Patrick is the aggressor here, lands a punch before they tangle up against the fence. They go down, Patrick is on top again. He attempts a choke, but Roberts recovers guard. Roberts stands up, Patrick chases and lands several hard punches. Then a high kick. They tangle up again and the crowd asks for knees. Metro gives this round to Patrick 10-9.

Round 2:

They circle and Patrick is clearly the aggressor. The crowd chants, “Let’s go Patrick.” He lands a low kick that Roberts catches and uses to take him down. Roberts is on top, but Patrick recovers. They’re against the fence again. Patrick lands a hard knee to the head as they move away from the fence. Roberts attempts a superman punch and misses. Patrick lands a low kick, then goes for a takedown attempt. Roberts goes for a guillotine and in getting away from it, Patrick ends up on the bottom. Roberts has side control and looking to mount. He gets to half-guard. Patrick slaps the back of his head, Roberts doesn’t seem to find enough balance to land clean shots. Patrick works back to full guard then gives up his back. He recovers and has Roberts against the fence. He’s again stalking Roberts, who looks tired. Metro also gives Patrick this second round, 10-9.

Round 3:

Roberts lands a hard kick to the body as he moves away from Patrick, who keeps pushing forward. Roberts goes for another kick and Patrick takes his leg. They go to the fence before Patrick finishes the takedown. He’s in full mount. Roberts recovers to half-guard, but not before eating a couple of punches. Patrick lands a knee as Roberts stands up. More tangling at the fence. Roberts can’t take the fight to the ground and after a while the referee breaks them up. Back in the middle of the Octagon, Patrick lands a punch to the head, Roberts goes for a takedown, but gets stuffed. Metro gives this round to Roberts 10-9.

Official decision: Toronto's Claude Patrick wins by unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the bout 29-28.

Claude Patrick after the fight:

“It was a long time in the making. I never thought it would be possible. It was an honor to perform in front of my hometown crowd.”

(On his opponent)

“The guy did something different that I will never let get to me again. He went on the computer and made a whole bunch of ridiculous remarks which I didn’t even read because I turn the computer off when I’m training for a fight. He made this video about my head being so big so that’s why I came at him so hard in the first round and let my fists do the talking.”

Fight 6: Welterweight

Jake Ellenberger vs. Sean Pierson (Toronto)

Round 1:

Chants of “Let’s go Sean Pierson” to start this one. Ellenberger lands a hard counter to the body. Pierson is pushing the action but Ellenberger is counterpunching well, lands a cross to the head. Elleberger takes Pierson down, but he quickly gets back up. They circle the Octagon again, throwing some punches. Ellenberger lands his, while Pearson seems to be struggling to close the distance. Ellenberger catches rim with a hard jab and Pierson is out. It’s a knockout win for Ellenberger.

Jake Ellenberger after the fight:

“There’s so many people, it’s hard to stay relaxed in there. I didn’t know I caught him until he went down. He was jabbing and then I just caught him with the hook. I was a little worried because it was a late-notice fight, but I came out with the win so I was happy about that.”

“Mentally, I was ready to go three rounds but nothing can get you ready for that crowd. I’ve been to a lot of UFC shows, but I’ve never heard anything like that. It’s hard to explain. It’s hard to stay relaxed in there.”

Fight 7: Welterweight

Rory MacDonald (Quesnel, B.C.) vs. Nate Diaz

Round 1:

Crowd is loud again for B.C.’s Rory MacDonald. Diaz gets booed during the introduction. MacDonald throws a few tentative jabs to start, Diaz seems content to wait. MacDonald throws a high kick, misses. Diaz is trying to adjust his timing. Diaz now opening up his hands and inviting MacDonald to punch him. They exchange. Diaz has MacDonald at the fence. Diaz eats an elbow, they reverse positions. MacDonald takes Diaz down, but Dias quickly gets back up. MacDonald lands a superman punch and stays active alternating the odd jab with a headkick. But it’s Diaz moving forward. Opens his arms again and the crowd boos. They clinch, with Diaz defending MacDonald’s knee attempts. Diaz goes for a takedown and gets stuffed. They go to the fence and Diaz lands an elbow. MacDonald replies with a punch to the head. A very even round, Metro gives MacDonald the edge, 10-9.

Round 2:

They circle in the middle of the Octagon with Diaz in pursuit. It ends in a clinch at the fence. MacDonald takes Diaz down. Lands a hard punch and head kick as Diaz gets back to his feet only to be taken down by MacDonald again. Diaz gets back up but eats a punch along the way. Diaz connects with a punch to the head and continues to stalk MacDonald. MacDonald goes for a takedown, but gets stuffed. Diaz then pins MacDonald against the fence and trips him. He gets back up, and misses a superman punch. Both land hard punches during an exchange. MacDonald appears to land a flying knee. Lands a superman punch and leg kick. Metro gives this round to MacDonald 10-9.

Round 3:

Diaz stalking again but it’s MacDonald’s range is better. They clinch and MacDonald takes Diaz to the fence. Both stay active. Diaz attempts a takedown, slips and eats a punch on the ground. He attempts to get back up and MacDonald throws him back down with a highlight-reel slam. Diaz attempts to pull gruad and MacDonald stands. Diaz attempts to do the same and gets brutally slammed again. The crowd is going wild — it’s very loud right now. Diaz gets back up, attempts another failed takedown and eats more elbows. He gets back up. They clinch at the fence. Diaz’s takedown attempt fails and it’s MacDonald who takes him down landing punches along the way. MacDonald in total control from standing position while Diaz defends the punches raining down on him. Diaz has a nasty cut above his left eye but gets up. It’s over, very impressive round by MacDonald. He’s loving it, the crowd is loving it. Metro gives the round 10-8 to MacDonald for a 30-26 win.

The official decision: 30-26, 30-27, 30-26 — It's a unanimous decision for MacDonald.

Rory MacDonald after the fight:

(on the first slam)

“He turned and exposed his back to me and that’s a pretty natural movement for me. I feel very strong in that position. He kept turning his back to me. I was really surprised by the third one. I felt like I was going to keep slamming him until the end of the round.

(on the crowd)

“It was awesome. I definitely heard them when I hit the slams and then on the ground-and-pound. It was like a big wave of noise.”

(on facing Nate Diaz / defending the possibility of a kimura when having Diaz’s back)

“I respected his skill level. He’s a very durable guy. I trained the defense to the kimura a lot. I didn’t feel threatened by the kimura. He wasn’t in position for it. I was on the offensive at that point.”

LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW:

Fight 8: Lightweight

Ben Henderson vs. Mark Bocek (Toronto)

Round 1:

Both the crowd and sound system are very loud for this first pay-per-view fight. The fighters start cautiously and soon they clinch on the fence. Henderson on the outside stays active with knees to the thighs but the referee breaks them up. Henderson lands a hard kick to the body. Bocek lands to the head and they clinch at the fence again. Back in the middle of the Octagon, Bocek is pushing the action but Henderson counterpunching well. Bocek grabs a leg, takes Henderson down, but eats a hard punch on the way to the mat. The jiu-jitsu specialist is now on Henderson’s guard, by the fence. Metro gives Bocek a slight edge and the round 10-9.

Round 2:

The fighters take measure of each other in the middle of the Octagon again. Bocek goes for the takedown, but gets stuffed when Henderson is back up against the fence. Bocek picks Henderson up, takes him down, but they’re quickly on their feet again. This time Henderson has Bocek against the fence, but the referee breaks them up. Henderson takes Bocek down, whose open guard is ineffective. Henderson landing hard punches, but Bocek gets back up. He sinks a choke and takes Henderson down. It’s not deep enough to finish, but it’s tight enough to control the other fighter. In trying to finish he loses the hold and Henderson replies with a flurry of hard punches. Bocek is bleeding from the top of his head. Metro gives Henderson a slight edge, 10-9.

Round 3:

It’s Bocek pushing forward to start and when Henderson throw a kick he catches it and takes him down. Bocek struggling to punch from Henderson’s closed guard. Henderson escapes and it’s Bocek on the bottom now, eating punches. He takes Henderson’s leg and moves behind the other fighter. They clinch on the fence again. Henderson is active with knees and elbows. Henderson also winning the exchange of punches while standing up but Bocek takes him down. He’s going for another choke, just a few seconds to go and they stand up. It’s over. A close round in a close fight. Metro gives this round to Henderson 10-9 for a 29-28 win.

The official decision: All three judges score it 30-27 against the Toronto fighter. It's Ben Henderson by unanimous decision.

Ben Henderson after the fight:

“I can do all things through Christ! Toronto, can I get an amen. It feels great to get the win. I hate losing and that I was coming off a loss. Yes, this was a big moment and it’s a big night but I’ve fought for the world title before so I was able to stay composed in there. I’m a pretty reserved guy until all these cameras get in my face.”

(on getting out of submissions)

“I always try and stay calm and relaxed. I have to credit that to [my Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach] John Crouch.”

(on the crowd)

“It was surreal. At first they were booing because I was fighting the local guy but it’s all good. At one point I took a look around and was like ‘Wow, that’s a lot of people’.”

Fight 9: Light-heavyweight

Jason Brilz vs. Vladimir Matyushenko

Round 1:

Matyushenko lands a flurry standing up. Brilz backs up and Matyushenko follows, landing along the way. Brilz is on the ground and appears to go limp only to be brought back by another punch. This one is over as the referee correctly stops the fight. It’s Matyushenko by TKO after 20 seconds.

Fight 10: Light-heavyweight

Lyoto Machida vs. Randy Couture

Round 1:

Floor crowd on their feet as people attempt to shoot photos of Randy Couture in what he said will be his final fight. Crowd chanting, “Randy.” Cautious approach by both fighters with Machida moving forward in his usual karate stance. Machida throws a jab, Couture moves in and Machida hits him with a cross. Machida more active with his jabs, until Couture lands a hard hook to the head. It’s Couture doing the stalking now. He attempts to clinch, but Machida gets away. Every time Couture closes the distance Machida throws a flurry of punches. Machida counter-attacking only at this point. Randy moves for a takedown and Machida lands a knee to the head. They stay up. Machida stuffs another takedown attempt. And another. Lands a hard roundhouse kick to Couture’s stomach. Metro gives this round to Machida, 10-9.

Round 2:

They start cautiously again. Couture looking for an opening without much success. Machida throws a light low kick followed by a hard punch to the head. Machida lands a jumping straight front kick to Couture’s head. He goes down immediately and is out. Eerily similar to training partner Anderson Silva’s win over Victor Belfort earlier this year. Couture is up and the crowd gives him a standing ovation. They’re chanting his name, “Randy, Randy, Randy.” The official decision is Machida by knockout at 1:05 of the second round.

During post-fight interview Machida says Steven Seagal also thought him that kick. Machida then calls Couture a "hero."

Lyoto Machida after the fight:

“I had a dream when I was 18-years-old that I would fight Randy Couture. But I thought I would never get the chance because I was too young. It was an honor to fight Randy. He’s the man and a legend.”

(on the fight-ending kick)

“My father said in martial arts to always be different. He taught me to look for different techniques and angles.”

Randy Couture after the fight:

“This is it. I think the last time we had this conversation I had all my teeth.”

“He’s a tremendous fighter. It felt like I was standing still out there, and he caught me with a great kick.”

“The fans have always treated me great, but to go out on that ovation was very special.”

Fight 11: Featherweight Title Bout

Mark Hominick (London, Ont.) vs. Jose Aldo

Round 1:

Screen flashing a maple leaf and snow flakes just before Hominick’s entrance to the Octagon. They touch gloves and it’s Hominick pushing the action. Aldo landing counters, punches and low kicks. Hominick stumbles after being hit with one, recovers and continues to stalk. Aldo kicks, he catches the leg and Aldo slips down. The champion is quickly back on his feet and takes Hominick down. As he attempts to pass the guard, Aldo has to work to get away from an armbar attempt. He ends up in Hominick’s guard and stays active by throwing elbows. Hominick is bleeding from his nose, also appears to have a cut under his right eye. The referee stands them up to the crowd’s approval. Hominick is on the attack again, but gets taken down. He quickly pulls guard and the round ends. Metro scores it 10-9 for Aldo.

Round 2:

Hominick starts quickly, but Aldo manages to escape damage. Aldo lands a hard low kick as they move to the centre of the Octagon. After Aldo lands a hard punch, Hominick gives one right back. The crowd cheers. Hominick lands another hard punch only to get taken down. He’s fighting from the guard again and defending elbows from Aldo. The crowd is starts to boo and the referee stands them up agan. Aldo’s face looks bloody, but it’s hard to tell if he’s cut or if it’s Hominick’s blood. The the champion shoots and scores another takedown. The round ends, Metro gives it to Aldo, 10-9.

Round 3:

Hominick looks alert in-between rounds. Damage seems superficial. He runs up to Aldo again and they exchange shots. Hominick lands a low kick and Aldo returns it. Hominick throwing double jabs, but it’s Aldo who lands a hard jab. Hominick avoids a takedown they move back to the centre of the Octagon. Hominick buckles after another low kick. Aldo landing more punches, but Hominick holding his own — he avoids another takedown. When Hominick punches Aldo moves his head side-to-side and stands his ground. He lands a hard punch and Hominick goes down. The challenger looks hurt, but kept his hands up. The fight is still going. Hominick pulls guard again. His left eye is starting to close as Round 3 comes to an end. Metro scores it 10-9 for Aldo.

Round 4:

Hominick again goes after Aldo and they exchange. Aldo lands a hard right low kick and buckles Hominick. It looks like Hominick got hit in the groin, Aldo offers to pause the fight but the challenger turns the invitation down. They touch gloves. Despite taking numerous low kicks Hominick does not appear to be limping. Aldo tags him with a hard punch and Hominick goes straight down. Aldo on top, but Hominick has guard. The champion is landing elbows and the crowd winces when the screens show a large bubble forming above Hominick’s right eye, under the skin. It’s nasty. The referee stops the fight so the ringside doctor can take a look at the growth. Huge reaction from the crowd to the bump on Hominick’s head — it’s twice the size of the doctor’s thumb. But the fight goes on and Aldo immediately goes after Hominick. They exchange and Aldo takes him down. Hominick hitting him with palm heels to the side of the head, it’s all he can do. Metro gives another round to Aldo, 10-9.

Round 5:

Hominick’s face looks battered but he’s coming back for the fifth and final round. The crowd roars in approval. Aldo smiles as they touch gloves, his face also showing bumps and bruises. Aldo is faster as they exchange punches and kicks in the centre of the Octagon. Hominick is hurt and goes down. Aldo goes for a choke that fails and ends up on the bottom. Hominick is in Aldo’s half-guard and working to pass. Aldo recovers to full guard and Hominick starts to land from the top. Some on the crowd are on their feet. Hominick still landing from the top, he’s giving it his all. Aldo is just defending, he doesn’t appear to be trying to get up. Two minutes to go, it’s deafening in here and Hominick is now landing body shots. Aldo looks tired on the bottom. Every time Hominick lands a hard shot the crowd noise gets louder. Hominick is in control. Aldo has never taken this kind of beating in the WEC. The champion is still defending and seems content to survive only, mounting no attacks. The challenger looks at his corner and they tell him he’s out of time. He steps up the assault, but the round ends. The crows is on their feet, clapping their hands above their heads. What a showing by Hominick. Metro scores this round 10-8 for Hominick. Aldo is likely to win 48-47.

The official result: Aldo wins a unanimous decision. Hominick is standing tall in the ring. It's announced that one of the judges scored the fight 50-43, but a UFC official quickly tells journalists that's a scoring error.

Mark Hominick after the title fight:

“First off, I just want to say to my wife that I hope I didn’t put you into labor. I know you’re do any minute. I love you, babe and I hope that you’re okay. And second, I just want to thank John McCarthy for not stopping the fight. I was never going to give up.”

“I didn’t throw enough combinations. I was throwing all single shots. I wanted to get one up on him and I let him get one up on me. It’s one of those things, you go back to the drawing board and I’ll come back stronger.”

“I thought I could’ve attacked a bit more on the ground. I thought he was going to be attacking me more instead of holding me down. I fought hard for you guys and I hope you enjoy the fight.”

Main Event: Welterweight title bout

Jake Shields vs. Georges St-Pierre (Montreal)

Round 1:

Crowd on their feet, cellphone cameras above their heads for Georges St-Pierre. The fighters start by circling each other. Neither is landing much. Shields grabs a hold of GSP’s leg and they clinch at the fence. GSP reverses and throws knees before they pull apart. GSP attempts a spinning back kick, misses, but the crowd loves it. GSP throwing the harder punches during exchanges. Both fighters very cautious. GSP landing overhand rights. Shields attempts a kick, falls and the crowd reacts. GSP lands a kick to the body. GSP also scoring with jabs. A cautious round ends and Metro scores it 10-9 GSP.

Round 2:

They start by exchanging jabs. Shields seems to throw more multiple-punch combinations, but GSP making each hit count. GSP alternating jab and jab-counter. He’s pushing the pace. GSP lands a hard spinning back kick to the mid-section. Both fighters still cautious. GSP misses with another spinning kick, Shields grabs the leg, but it’s too sweaty and he can’t hold on. GSP shifting stances, seems to be communicating that he’s going to step it up, but the round ends. All stand-up, nothing on the ground so far. Metro also gives this round to GSP, 10-9.

Round 3:

More exchanges in the middle of the ring. GSP seems to be throwing the harder shots, he’s really leaning into his punches. He scores with another overhand right. Shields attempts a weak kick and GSP moves in with a couple of punches. They clinch, but GSP pushes away. He doesn’t seem to want to go to the ground. Finally a takedown attempt from Shields but GSP calmly moves out of the way. GSP throwing hard low kicks. Shields not landing anything with power. GSP takes Shields down and ends up in half-guard. Little time left and they maintain position until the horn sounds. Metro scores it 10-9 GSP.

Round 4:

They meet in the middle and Shields goes after GSP, but his punches don’t appear to cause damage. GSP takes him down, Shields moves to full-guard and GSP stands up. GSP picking Shields apart, but only the overhand rights seem to hurt the challenger. GSP lands a hich kick to the head and Shields goes down. He’s not out of it and grabs GSP’s leg. The champ backs off and Shields stands up, blood flowing from his nose. Shields looks tired but has his hands up and is inviting GSP to hit him. Both turn it up. Shields seems to be going for broke. He’s landing more in the exchanges. GSP has a bloody face now. It’s Shields pushing the action, until the round ends. The high kick knockdown earns GSP this round, 10-9.

Round 5:

Both fighters seem revitalized. Shields moving forward, GSP countering with the jab, overhand right. Shields seems to expect it and usually blocks them. They clinch briefly, but GSP just pushes away. He doesn’t seem to want to test the challenger on the ground and Shields isn’t attempting takedowns. GSP continues to throw techniques from long range. Another spinning back kick attempt that grazes Shields. The crowd is becoming restless with 30 seconds to go. They’re urging GSP on, but he seems to be sticking to his game plan. The champ goes for a late takedown and gets stuffed. The horn sounds, it’s over. Another round for GSP, who took few chances and was never in trouble, 10-9. Metro scores the fight 50-45 for GSP.

The official decision: Ringside judges score it: 50-45, 48-47 and 48-47. GSP wins by unanimous decision and is still the reigning welterweight champion.

GSP apologizes to fans for not finishing fight during the post-fight interview.
UFC 129 Results: Lyoto Machida Clouts Randy Couture
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
Lyoto Machida knocked out MMA legend Randy Couture with a brutal flying front kick at 1:05 of the second round at UFC 129: St. Pierre vs Shields. Machida credited his father and Steven Seagal for teaching him the kick after the fight. Machida trains with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva who credited Steven Seagal with teaching him the front kick he used to KO Vitor Belfort at UFC 126. Machida came in throwing a lot of feints but mixing in some straight punches that tagged Couture. Coutu ...

[details] [close] received 279 days ago published 279 days ago lang: en
Lyoto Machida knocked out MMA legend Randy Couture with a brutal flying front kick at 1:05 of the second round at UFC 129: St. Pierre vs Shields.

Machida credited his father and Steven Seagal for teaching him the kick after the fight. Machida trains with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva who credited Steven Seagal with teaching him the front kick he used to KO Vitor Belfort at UFC 126.

Machida came in throwing a lot of feints but mixing in some straight punches that tagged Couture. Couture landed a big shot but ate a hard counter. Machida got Couture with an uppercut in the clinch. 1-2 from Machida led to a retreating right hook as he spun away from a slowly advancing Couture. Machida landed a knee to the body and then managed to escape from the clinch of a determined Couture. Couture went for a body lock and Machida fought it off. Machida landed a body kick then switched stances. Another hard knee to Couture's body off a shot attempt.

Machida opened the second firing straight punches in bunches then stuffing Couture's sprawl.

Couture, a former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion, came into this fight after a series of interviews in which he insisted this would be his final fight in the UFC. He last fought at UFC 118, beating pro-boxer James Toney in a one-sided bout.

Machida came into the fight in desperate need of a win. Since beating Rashad Evans to take the UFC title, he's gong 1-2, with the sole win -- a decision over Mauricio Rua at UFC 104 -- being a very controversial one that many fans thought he lost.

More UFC 129 Results from Bloody Elbow:
UFC 129 Results: Jose Aldo Holds Off Mark Hominick
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo took a unanimous decision over Mark Hominick (50-43, 48-46, 49-46) to retain his belt at UFC 129: St. Pierre vs Shields. The champion Jose Aldo dominated Mark Hominick thoroughly but the challenger proved to be the definition of a game opponent and ended the last round on top, raining down blows. It was all Aldo in the opening round. He landed first and often with leg kicks and several lead uppercuts. Then after beating up Hominick on the feet, he shot in fo ...

[details] [close] received 279 days ago published 279 days ago lang: en
UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo took a unanimous decision over Mark Hominick (50-43, 48-46, 49-46) to retain his belt at UFC 129: St. Pierre vs Shields.

The champion Jose Aldo dominated Mark Hominick thoroughly but the challenger proved to be the definition of a game opponent and ended the last round on top, raining down blows.

It was all Aldo in the opening round. He landed first and often with leg kicks and several lead uppercuts. Then after beating up Hominick on the feet, he shot in for a beautiful take down and proceeded to land several brutal elbows to Hominick's head before a ref restart. Aldo quickly took Hominick down again to end the round.

Hominick came out aggressive in the second and Aldo appeared tired. Nonetheless, the champ managed to re-bloody Hominick's face. Aldo then took Hominick down and landed from Hominick's guard. Aldo landed a huge punch from the top as McCarthy warned Hominick against grabbing the fence. After a re-start, Aldo came out swinging but Hominick landed a hard leg kick before getting taken down again. Aldo took side control as Hominick curled up the cage wall. The round ended with Aldo on top.

They traded leg kicks to open the third. Hominick stuffed a take down attempt from the champ. Aldo's head movement made Hominick miss again and again. Aldo landed a sharp punch-leg kick combo. Hominick stuffed a shot. Hominick began to outscore Aldo but Aldo landed the harder shots. Then suddenly Aldo dropped Hominick with a short pair of punches and followed up with some brutal ground and pound. Aldo looked for the finish but Hominick recovered and got guard. Aldo fought off a straight armbar attempt and landed some sharp elbows.

Aldo landed a chopping leg kick to open the championship rounds. A hard 1-2 hurt Hominick. Ref John McCarthy stopped the action after an Aldo kick to Hominick's groin. More brutal leg kicks to Hominick's lead leg. A double jab from Hominick seemed to anger the champ as Aldo immediately dropped him with a straight right. A huge hematoma swelled up on Hominick's forehead. Hominick began to look like the elephant man. The ref stopped the fight for a medical exam of the challenger but the ringside doc sent Hominick back out there. Aldo took him down again and ended the round on top.

The doctor examined Hominick before the start of the fifth round but let it proceed. Aldo slipped and ripped with a straight left to start the action. Aldo then hurt Hominick with an uppercut. Hominick shot in and Aldo went for a guillotine. Hominick got free and worked to improve position. Hominick landed some hard punches from the top position as the crowd roared in support. Aldo covered up and ate shots to the ribs. Hominick rained down blows for the final minute as an exhausted Aldo grimly held on.

Aldo came into the fight at the only UFC champion in history to have claimed a UFC title while having never fought in the promotion. The promotion converted his WEC featherweight title into a UFC belt after merging with the smaller organization. He earned 8 wins in the WEC, beating former champs Mike Brown and Urijah Faber along the way.

Hominick brought a five fight winning streak into the fight.

More UFC 129 Results from Bloody Elbow:
UFC 129 Results: Georges St. Pierre Slips Past Jake Shields
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre dominated Jake Shields but never really hurt him as he took a unanimous decision (50-45, 48-47x2) at UFC 129. Jake Shields was the first to throw in the opening round and when GSP countered with a leg kick, Shields caught it and fought hard for a single leg take down. It took GSP's utmost to stay standing. GSP went for a pair of spinning back kicks. He landed with a front leg side kick before sending Shields flying with a hard jab. Shields got back up ...

[details] [close] received 279 days ago published 279 days ago lang: en
UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre dominated Jake Shields but never really hurt him as he took a unanimous decision (50-45, 48-47x2) at UFC 129.

Jake Shields was the first to throw in the opening round and when GSP countered with a leg kick, Shields caught it and fought hard for a single leg take down. It took GSP's utmost to stay standing. GSP went for a pair of spinning back kicks. He landed with a front leg side kick before sending Shields flying with a hard jab. Shields got back up quickly but ate another hard jab. GSP fired some wild hooks in the waning seconds.

They traded to open the second with GSP coming out ahead. Leg kicks began to add up for GSP then he started looking for the jab and the looping right hand. He landed with the right after a few attempts. Lead hand superman punch backed Shields into the fence. GSP landed a spinning back kick to the body then fended off a clinch. GSP landed a combo then spun away. Shields finally landed one of his awkward kicks to the body then clinched again. GSP missed with a spinning kick, fired the overhand right then spun and Shields almost caught his leg. GSP ended the round pumping jabs.

Shields came out aggressive in the fourth before GSP took him down. But he just as quickly let him back up. Shields came out ok in a few exchanges then went for a clinch that GSP shrugged off. GSP landed some cracking jabs. Shields pushed forward in the third but GSP pushed him away and landed sharp jabs. GSP landed the overhand right. Shields tried for the clinch only to be shucked off. Shields shot in from way outside and just looked foolish. GSP landed a short left. GSP continued to hunt for the looping overhand right. He also continued to show the spinning back kick. Then GSP caught a kick and flung Shields to the ground. GSP was touching his left eye as the round ended. GSP continued to wing the overhand. Shields came in and GSP caught him with a kick to the head. Shields staggered to his back then attacked GSP's leg for a take down but nothing doing. Shields began to taunt GSP after bloodying his nose. GSP tried the spinning back kick again. GSP landed the overhand right. GSP didn't look that great after the round -- bleeding from the nose and dealing with a swollen left eye.

Shields came forward to start the final round. GSP landed a few lefts then threw a high kick before landing a hard jab. GSP missed then landed with the overhand right. Shields charged in and GSP staggered him with a straight 1-2. Another overhand right. GSP looked terrible, bleeding and bruised. Shields landed a jab. Then another as he traded fairly evenly with the champ. GSP tried the winging overhand right and the spinning back kick again. GSP bullrushed for an unsuccessful shot to end the fight.

GSP brought an eight fight winning streak into the bout. He hadn't lost a round since his bout with Josh Koscheck in 2008.

Shields hadn't lost since 2004 and brought a 15 fight win streak into the title fight.

More UFC 129 Results from Bloody Elbow:
Georges St. Pierre Holds Back UFC's Canadian Coming Out Party at UFC 129
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
It was almost an event for the ages. All week long the UFC and media proxies had been telling fans just how historic UFC 129 was. How they would pack 55,000 into the Rogers Centre. How it would be the biggest UFC of all time. And I'll be damned if it didn't almost deliver. Call me a cynic. I scoffed at the idea this would be a card worthy of verse and song. And the more the event was pumped up, the harder I rolled my eyes. It was unlikely to be one of the UFC's top five grossing events ever I to ...

[details] [close] received 279 days ago published 279 days ago lang: en

It was almost an event for the ages. All week long the UFC and media proxies had been telling fans just how historic UFC 129 was. How they would pack 55,000 into the Rogers Centre. How it would be the biggest UFC of all time. And I'll be damned if it didn't almost deliver.

Call me a cynic. I scoffed at the idea this would be a card worthy of verse and song. And the more the event was pumped up, the harder I rolled my eyes. It was unlikely to be one of the UFC's top five grossing events ever I told friends, barely able to contain my scorn. It will hardly come within 20,000 of the worldwide MMA attendance record I said, donning my PRIDE t-shirt with a smile. What, I wondered, was the history that was being made?

And then the event started. From top to bottom, every fight seemed to deliver and not just in a standard "well, that was kind of fun" way. But in preposterous ways. Unthinkable ways. Pablo Garza channeled the great Rumina Sato with a jumping triangle for a finish. John Makdessi erased Shonie Carter from the history books by landing the best spinning backfist in UFC history against Kyle Watson - only to be outshined by Lyoto Machida's Steven Seagal inspired crane kick that knocked out Randy Couture (and knocked out one of his teeth).

There were no bathroom breaks on this card. If you did the sensible thing and went during the Vladimir Matyushenko fight, you missed a rare knockout from the Russian journeyman. There was no reprieve. It was fight after fight of exciting action. Ben Henderson and Mark Bocek had a spirited three round battle. Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick one upped them, if only because they had ten more minutes to shine in the UFC's first featherweight title bout.

I told my twitter audience this was shaping up to be the best UFC of all time. And then Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shields stepped into the cage for the main event. The fight went much as I expected. St. Pierre was content to fight on his feet, never challenging Shields's vaunted American Jiu Jitsu. Shields, in turn, seemed content to allow it, never seriously committing to a takedown attempt and battling St. Pierre on his feet.

St. Pierre and his team had figured Shields out brilliantly. He landed the jab whenever he threw it and followed it with an exaggeratedly looping right hand that hit Shields time and time again. Only a third round punch and what may have been an inadvertent finger in the eye on a rare GSP takedown attempt made the fight remotely interesting.

With St. Pierre unable to see out of his left eye, Shields was able to land the occasional right hand. Even then, St. Pierre dropped him with a big head kick in the fourth round and won every round on my scorecard. Somehow two of the judge's saw the final two rounds for Shields, who taunted St. Pierre like he was winning the fight, but acted like a loser throughout. Shields never made a concerted effort to take the fight to the ground and instead of discussing with his corner how he might time a shot, he wondered if he should pull guard. A telling lack of confidence.

In the end what might have been the show of the year was marred by a dull decision in the main event. For all the talk of Georges St. Pierre leading mixed martial arts into uncharted mainstream waters, it's something that is never going to be accomplished by a fighter who doesn't excite emotions in the cage. St. Pierre has turned into Bernard Hopkins or Ronald "Winky" Wright. He's a brilliant tactician and an excellent fighter. But if he fights the way he did tonight, he's not the fighter to take the sport to the next level.
UFC 129 Results: Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields Recap and Analysis
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
Heading into the main event, UFC 129 made a serious case for not just the greatest fight under the Zuffa banner, but the greatest MMA event of all time. Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick put on the eventual Fight of the Night in their fight for the UFC's featherweight title. Lyoto Machida sent Randy Couture to retirement and a tooth to the canvas with a crane kick of death. Of the eleven bouts, five ended by knockout, two by submission, and Rory MacDonald German suplexed Nate Diaz around the Octagon l ...

[details] [close] received 279 days ago published 279 days ago lang: en
Heading into the main event, UFC 129 made a serious case for not just the greatest fight under the Zuffa banner, but the greatest MMA event of all time. Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick put on the eventual Fight of the Night in their fight for the UFC's featherweight title. Lyoto Machida sent Randy Couture to retirement and a tooth to the canvas with a crane kick of death. Of the eleven bouts, five ended by knockout, two by submission, and Rory MacDonald German suplexed Nate Diaz around the Octagon like an early-90s All Japan Pro Wrestling match.

Then Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shields entered the Rogers Centre to fight for the welterweight title. There's disagreement over where to place the blame (I believe that Shields' lack of urgency for a takedown hurt the bout more than anything else), but, as the proverb goes, it takes two to tango.

St. Pierre showcased the superior kickboxing that was an axiom for prefight analysis, controlling distance and utilizing his jab throughout the fight. Shields had no answer for St. Pierre on the feet, looking as awkward and ineffective as ever.

After round three, St. Pierre complained to his corner that he couldn't see out of his left eye. Cornerman Greg Jackson responded, "You've got one eye, you're fine."

St. Pierre continued to control the standup without the use of his lead eye. He lost the complete dominance that characterized rounds one through three, but Shields was unable to exploit the injury (if he was even aware of it).

The judges awarded St. Pierre a unanimous decision with one judge scoring every round for the champion. The two other judges saw the fight 48-47 for St. Pierre.

The hometown Rogers Centre crowd lacked the same level of enthusiasm for St. Pierre's victory prevalent for the other Canadians on the show.
- Jake Shields strategy was bizarre, to say the least. The consensus felt that Shields only hope to win the title centered around his ability to catch St. Pierre in a submission hold. Instead of relentless takedown attempts, Shields engaged in a kickboxing bout over three rounds. Needing a finish in round five, Shields lacked any urgency, allowing St. Pierre to cruise through the round en route to a successful title defense.
- Jab. Jab. Jab. Jab. Jab.
- I tweeted somewhere during the second round that I had no interest in watching St. Pierre fight at 170 pounds. It looks like Zuffa might push St. Pierre into a bout with Strikeforce champ Nick Diaz, though Lorenzo Fertitta asked on Twitter whether fans were more interested in GSP vs. Diaz or GSP vs. Anderson Silva in the long sought after superfight. I think you know where I stand, reader.
- I'm not sure where two judges found two rounds for Jake Shields.
- Discussion of Jose Aldo usurping St. Pierre and Anderson Silva in pound-for-pound rankings tempered after tonight's successful title defense. Aldo tired at different points in the bout, looking especially vulnerable in a fifth round that he seemed content just to survive through.
- Bruce Buffer originally read Douglas Crosby's scorecard as 50-43 for Aldo. It was later determined to be an error, and Crosby's actual card was 48-45 for Aldo. I haven't seen word about the cause for the error.
- In another odd decision from the commission, the fight doctor cageside allowed Hominick, twice, to fight with a bulging hematoma on the right side of his forehead. After a nasty cut opened in the fifth, Hominick's face resembled the low-health countenance of the hero in Wolfenstein 3D. To his credit, Hominick fought an inspired period in the fifth despite the condition of his face.
- Lyoto Machida sent Randy Couture off into the sunset with one less tooth. Machida upped the ante following Anderson Silva's Front Kick of Doom to Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 with a crane kick that knocked out Couture 65 seconds into round two.
- I think that ends any talk of Couture fighting again. It's hard to imagine a fight that he could take that would make sense for him and the UFC.
- Machida ended all hopes of another Couture miracle after shrugging Couture off in the first clinch battle in round one. Couture's greatest weapon was taken away, and it was just a matter of time before Machida landed a fight-ending strike from distance.
- "The Janitor" cleaned things up early. #BadSportsPuns
- Nothing tickled me more than a silent response from 55,000 fans after Ben Henderson asked for an amen. Get outta here was that stuff.
- Athleticism and aggression was the difference between Bocek and Henderson.
- Rory MacDonald's back on the map. MacDonald looked better than Nate Diaz in every facet of the fight, and three huge belly-to-back suplexes drew a huge reaction from the live audience and the crowd on Twitter tonight. Manly stuff from the 21 year old.
- It looked like Sean Pierson thought the fight was just starting after Jake Ellenberger knocked his block off.
- I enjoyed Ivan Menjivar's nose-smashing elbow to Charlie Valencia's face, but I'm not sure I needed to see it three times over the course of the evening.
- Jason MacDonald on his submission over Ryan Jensen: "You know the slam isn't the best defense of the triangle choke." All you young fighters out there, you aren't "Rampage" Jackson. Learn proper defense instead of half-hearted slams.
- On any other night, John Makdessi's spinning back fist KO of Kyle Watson wins the Knockout of the Night.
- I had trouble with the Facebook stream tonight, missing the first two minutes of Pablo Garza's date with Yves Jabouin. Fortunately, I did not miss his Submission of the Night-winning flying triangle.
- Forrest Lynn disagreed with me on the radio show, but I felt the atmosphere at the Rogers Centre didn't translate well on any of the broadcasts. Both Luke Thomas and Matt Bishop raved about the experience inside the building.
Fighter of the Night

(Photos from Al Bello/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Lots of contenders tonight, but I don't think anyone did more to increase his stock than Rory MacDonald in his victory over Nate Diaz. MacDonald outclassed Diaz throughout the bout, and capped that with a series of huge slams that brought a huge rise from the audience at the Rogers Centre. It's hard to imagine that MacDonald is still only 21 years of age, but he looks to have rebounded from a tough loss to Carlos Condit.

Moment of the Night

Photo by Esther Lin for MMA Fighting

Not only is this the last moment in Randy Couture's professional fighting career, it's also a serious contender for knockout of the year.

Mike Goldberg Line of the Night

Photo by Esther Lin for MMA Fighting

"Mark Hominick may have to finish this fight, Joe."

Likely down 4-0 heading into the fifth round, Mike Goldberg noted that Mark Hominick probably needed a finish to win the bout. Now, the sentiment behind the statement is correct. However, it's the lack of conviction that bothers me. Goldberg is so reluctant to say anything negative about any UFC fighters that it affects his ability to relay the narrative of a fight.

Entrance Song of the Night

It was hard to hear a lot of the music tonight, and a lot of the entrances for the Facebook prelims were cut from the stream. So, here's Red Rider with "Lunatic Fringe" which is featured on the soundtrack for Vision Quest, a movie I am told is must-see.

The Chopping Block

Despite Dana White's assurance that Zuffa needs more fighters, there's no margin for error in the UFC. It only takes one loss to find a pink slip waiting for you on Monday morning. Who's on the Chopping Block?

Daniel Roberts
Yves Jabouin
Ryan Jensen
Charlie Valencia
GSP endures in stand-up battle against Shields
[Vancouver] (Vancouver local news from Metronews.ca)
Fight 1: Featherweight Pablo Garza vs. Yves Jabouin (Montreal) Round 1: Jabouin is the aggressor early on, knocking down Garza with a punch midway through the round. It ends quickly, however, when the fighters go to the ground and Garza locks in a triangle choke. Jabouin attempted to fight it off — much to the crowd's approval — but eventually taps out. The official ruling is tapout by triangle choke. Garza said after the fight: “The triangle got him, not the armbar. He wa ...

[details] [close] received 279 days ago published 279 days ago lang: en

Fight 1: Featherweight

Pablo Garza vs. Yves Jabouin (Montreal)

Round 1:

Jabouin is the aggressor early on, knocking down Garza with a punch midway through the round. It ends quickly, however, when the fighters go to the ground and Garza locks in a triangle choke. Jabouin attempted to fight it off — much to the crowd's approval — but eventually taps out. The official ruling is tapout by triangle choke.

Garza said after the fight:

“The triangle got him, not the armbar. He was rolling but I cranked it very hard. I thought my last fight was a trip but this was mind blowing.”

“The leg kicks didn’t bother me. I was a little jittery, the biggest crowd I ever fought in front of was a couple thousand. This was like ‘holy%#41’ and it took a while to concentrate on the fight.”

Fight 2: Lightweight

Kyle Watson vs. John Makdessi (Halifax)

Round 1

The fighters start tentatively. They circle each other, Makdessi scores a leg kick. Watson followed with a kick of his own, misses. They exchange a flurry of punches just after a minute into the round. Makdessi hits with a solid punch to the head. Watson attempts A meek takedown attempt that Makdessi stuffs. Another flurry of punches, at 2:40. Makdessi lands a superman punch. Fighters taking turns exchanging flurries. Makdessi scores a hook kick that lands on Watson’s face. He’s the more active fighter, although Watson keeps pushing forward. Metro gives this one to Makdessi 10-9.

Round 2

Makdessi starts by pushing forward this time. The fighters exchange shots right away. More circling in the middle of the ring. Watson lands a hard head kick. Makdessi goes for another hook kick, misses this time. With 1:25 to go, Makdessi rocks Watson with a couple of hard punches. He’s too cautious and Watson recovers. Watson seems to be attempting high kicks. Metro also gives this round to Makdessi 10-9.

Round 3

Nasty cut on Watson’s face after the two exchange punches. Makdessi is pushing forward, lands a hard spinning backfist and Watson is out. He’s still down by the time Makdessi is interviewed about the win. Makdessi wins by knockout.

John Makdessi said after the fight:

“I knew I hit him well, but I didn’t know I knocked him out. I guess when you train that much, it’s just a feeling to know when to use it. I like to feel out my opponent first. It’s a true testament to my great coaches and my kickboxing coach.”

(on Dana tweeting that he’s going to win Knockout of the Night)

“This is going to change my life.”

Fight 3: Middleweight

Ryan Jensen vs. Jason MacDonald (Nova Scotia)

Round 1

The crowd roared as MacDonald is introduced. He quickly takes Jensen down and works his way to back control. Jensen manages to escape and lands in MacDonald’s guard. The crowd roars again as MacDonald attempts a triangle. Jensen picks him up and slams him, but the tringle sinks deeper. Jensen attempts to punch, but it’s too tight. He taps, and the Rogers Centre becomes very loud. This one ends at 1:37 of the first round.

John MacDonald after the fight:

“Words can’t describe what I’m feeling right now. I had the triangle locked in and I knew he was going to slam me. I knew as long I kept him tight it would be no problem. ”

Fight 4: Bantamweight

Charlie Valencia vs. Ivan Menjivar (from El Salvador, trains in Montreal)

Round 1:

The Rogers Centre looks nearly full by the time this fight starts. The fighters touch gloves and circle in the middle of the ring until Valencia goes for a high kick. Menjivar attempts a hard hook. Valencia is looking for leg kicks and swings wildly as they clinch. Menjivar lands an elbow to the nose that drops Valencia. He follows with a flurry of punches as Valencia, on the ground, covers his head. He’s not fighting back. The referee ends it. It’s Menjivar by TKO.

Ivan Menjivar after the fight:

(on the finish)

“From the clinch we were kneeing each other and then by reflex I threw my left elbow and connected. That spun him and then I followed him to the ground and that was it.”

(On fighting in front of the Canadian crowd)

“I was born in El Salvador but then I came here and now I represent both countries. I’m very proud to be here. It’s probably because I’m Latino too. We try to represent our culture and we work hard.”

Fight 5: Welterweight

Daniel Roberts vs. Claude Patrick (Toronto)

The Rogers Centre is loudest for this one.

Round 1:

Patrick immediately takes Roberts down. Roberts attempts to shake an arm loose, but Patrick is tight and moves into half-guard. He manages to escape and the fighters stand up again. Patrick’s lead hand is open, but he follows with punches – takes Roberts to the fence but the San Francisco fighter spins around. They take turns exchanging positions before moving to the middle of the Octagon. Crowd starts to chant “Let’s go Canada.” Patrick is the aggressor here, lands a punch before they tangle up against the fence. They go down, Patrick is on top again. He attempts a choke, but Roberts recovers guard. Roberts stands up, Patrick chases and lands several hard punches. Then a high kick. They tangle up again and the crowd asks for knees. Metro gives this round to Patrick 10-9.

Round 2:

They circle and Patrick is clearly the aggressor. The crowd chants, “Let’s go Patrick.” He lands a low kick that Roberts catches and uses to take him down. Roberts is on top, but Patrick recovers. They’re against the fence again. Patrick lands a hard knee to the head as they move away from the fence. Roberts attempts a superman punch and misses. Patrick lands a low kick, then goes for a takedown attempt. Roberts goes for a guillotine and in getting away from it, Patrick ends up on the bottom. Roberts has side control and looking to mount. He gets to half-guard. Patrick slaps the back of his head, Roberts doesn’t seem to find enough balance to land clean shots. Patrick works back to full guard then gives up his back. He recovers and has Roberts against the fence. He’s again stalking Roberts, who looks tired. Metro also gives Patrick this second round, 10-9.

Round 3:

Roberts lands a hard kick to the body as he moves away from Patrick, who keeps pushing forward. Roberts goes for another kick and Patrick takes his leg. They go to the fence before Patrick finishes the takedown. He’s in full mount. Roberts recovers to half-guard, but not before eating a couple of punches. Patrick lands a knee as Roberts stands up. More tangling at the fence. Roberts can’t take the fight to the ground and after a while the referee breaks them up. Back in the middle of the Octagon, Patrick lands a punch to the head, Roberts goes for a takedown, but gets stuffed. Metro gives this round to Roberts 10-9.

Official decision: Toronto's Claude Patrick wins by unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the bout 29-28.

Claude Patrick after the fight:

“It was a long time in the making. I never thought it would be possible. It was an honor to perform in front of my hometown crowd.”

(On his opponent)

“The guy did something different that I will never let get to me again. He went on the computer and made a whole bunch of ridiculous remarks which I didn’t even read because I turn the computer off when I’m training for a fight. He made this video about my head being so big so that’s why I came at him so hard in the first round and let my fists do the talking.”

Fight 6: Welterweight

Jake Ellenberger vs. Sean Pierson (Toronto)

Round 1:

Chants of “Let’s go Sean Pierson” to start this one. Ellenberger lands a hard counter to the body. Pierson is pushing the action but Ellenberger is counterpunching well, lands a cross to the head. Elleberger takes Pierson down, but he quickly gets back up. They circle the Octagon again, throwing some punches. Ellenberger lands his, while Pearson seems to be struggling to close the distance. Ellenberger catches rim with a hard jab and Pierson is out. It’s a knockout win for Ellenberger.

Jake Ellenberger after the fight:

“There’s so many people, it’s hard to stay relaxed in there. I didn’t know I caught him until he went down. He was jabbing and then I just caught him with the hook. I was a little worried because it was a late-notice fight, but I came out with the win so I was happy about that.”

“Mentally, I was ready to go three rounds but nothing can get you ready for that crowd. I’ve been to a lot of UFC shows, but I’ve never heard anything like that. It’s hard to explain. It’s hard to stay relaxed in there.”

Fight 7: Welterweight

Rory MacDonald (Quesnel, B.C.) vs. Nate Diaz

Round 1:

Crowd is loud again for B.C.’s Rory MacDonald. Diaz gets booed during the introduction. MacDonald throws a few tentative jabs to start, Diaz seems content to wait. MacDonald throws a high kick, misses. Diaz is trying to adjust his timing. Diaz now opening up his hands and inviting MacDonald to punch him. They exchange. Diaz has MacDonald at the fence. Diaz eats an elbow, they reverse positions. MacDonald takes Diaz down, but Dias quickly gets back up. MacDonald lands a superman punch and stays active alternating the odd jab with a headkick. But it’s Diaz moving forward. Opens his arms again and the crowd boos. They clinch, with Diaz defending MacDonald’s knee attempts. Diaz goes for a takedown and gets stuffed. They go to the fence and Diaz lands an elbow. MacDonald replies with a punch to the head. A very even round, Metro gives MacDonald the edge, 10-9.

Round 2:

They circle in the middle of the Octagon with Diaz in pursuit. It ends in a clinch at the fence. MacDonald takes Diaz down. Lands a hard punch and head kick as Diaz gets back to his feet only to be taken down by MacDonald again. Diaz gets back up but eats a punch along the way. Diaz connects with a punch to the head and continues to stalk MacDonald. MacDonald goes for a takedown, but gets stuffed. Diaz then pins MacDonald against the fence and trips him. He gets back up, and misses a superman punch. Both land hard punches during an exchange. MacDonald appears to land a flying knee. Lands a superman punch and leg kick. Metro gives this round to MacDonald 10-9.

Round 3:

Diaz stalking again but it’s MacDonald’s range is better. They clinch and MacDonald takes Diaz to the fence. Both stay active. Diaz attempts a takedown, slips and eats a punch on the ground. He attempts to get back up and MacDonald throws him back down with a highlight-reel slam. Diaz attempts to pull gruad and MacDonald stands. Diaz attempts to do the same and gets brutally slammed again. The crowd is going wild — it’s very loud right now. Diaz gets back up, attempts another failed takedown and eats more elbows. He gets back up. They clinch at the fence. Diaz’s takedown attempt fails and it’s MacDonald who takes him down landing punches along the way. MacDonald in total control from standing position while Diaz defends the punches raining down on him. Diaz has a nasty cut above his left eye but gets up. It’s over, very impressive round by MacDonald. He’s loving it, the crowd is loving it. Metro gives the round 10-8 to MacDonald for a 30-26 win.

The official decision: 30-26, 30-27, 30-26 — It's a unanimous decision for MacDonald.

Rory MacDonald after the fight:

(on the first slam)

“He turned and exposed his back to me and that’s a pretty natural movement for me. I feel very strong in that position. He kept turning his back to me. I was really surprised by the third one. I felt like I was going to keep slamming him until the end of the round.

(on the crowd)

“It was awesome. I definitely heard them when I hit the slams and then on the ground-and-pound. It was like a big wave of noise.”

(on facing Nate Diaz / defending the possibility of a kimura when having Diaz’s back)

“I respected his skill level. He’s a very durable guy. I trained the defense to the kimura a lot. I didn’t feel threatened by the kimura. He wasn’t in position for it. I was on the offensive at that point.”

LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW:

Fight 8: Lightweight

Ben Henderson vs. Mark Bocek (Toronto)

Round 1:

Both the crowd and sound system are very loud for this first pay-per-view fight. The fighters start cautiously and soon they clinch on the fence. Henderson on the outside stays active with knees to the thighs but the referee breaks them up. Henderson lands a hard kick to the body. Bocek lands to the head and they clinch at the fence again. Back in the middle of the Octagon, Bocek is pushing the action but Henderson counterpunching well. Bocek grabs a leg, takes Henderson down, but eats a hard punch on the way to the mat. The jiu-jitsu specialist is now on Henderson’s guard, by the fence. Metro gives Bocek a slight edge and the round 10-9.

Round 2:

The fighters take measure of each other in the middle of the Octagon again. Bocek goes for the takedown, but gets stuffed when Henderson is back up against the fence. Bocek picks Henderson up, takes him down, but they’re quickly on their feet again. This time Henderson has Bocek against the fence, but the referee breaks them up. Henderson takes Bocek down, whose open guard is ineffective. Henderson landing hard punches, but Bocek gets back up. He sinks a choke and takes Henderson down. It’s not deep enough to finish, but it’s tight enough to control the other fighter. In trying to finish he loses the hold and Henderson replies with a flurry of hard punches. Bocek is bleeding from the top of his head. Metro gives Henderson a slight edge, 10-9.

Round 3:

It’s Bocek pushing forward to start and when Henderson throw a kick he catches it and takes him down. Bocek struggling to punch from Henderson’s closed guard. Henderson escapes and it’s Bocek on the bottom now, eating punches. He takes Henderson’s leg and moves behind the other fighter. They clinch on the fence again. Henderson is active with knees and elbows. Henderson also winning the exchange of punches while standing up but Bocek takes him down. He’s going for another choke, just a few seconds to go and they stand up. It’s over. A close round in a close fight. Metro gives this round to Henderson 10-9 for a 29-28 win.

The official decision: All three judges score it 30-27 against the Toronto fighter. It's Ben Henderson by unanimous decision.

Ben Henderson after the fight:

“I can do all things through Christ! Toronto, can I get an amen. It feels great to get the win. I hate losing and that I was coming off a loss. Yes, this was a big moment and it’s a big night but I’ve fought for the world title before so I was able to stay composed in there. I’m a pretty reserved guy until all these cameras get in my face.”

(on getting out of submissions)

“I always try and stay calm and relaxed. I have to credit that to [my Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach] John Crouch.”

(on the crowd)

“It was surreal. At first they were booing because I was fighting the local guy but it’s all good. At one point I took a look around and was like ‘Wow, that’s a lot of people’.”

Fight 9: Light-heavyweight

Jason Brilz vs. Vladimir Matyushenko

Round 1:

Matyushenko lands a flurry standing up. Brilz backs up and Matyushenko follows, landing along the way. Brilz is on the ground and appears to go limp only to be brought back by another punch. This one is over as the referee correctly stops the fight. It’s Matyushenko by TKO after 20 seconds.

Fight 10: Light-heavyweight

Lyoto Machida vs. Randy Couture

Round 1:

Floor crowd on their feet as people attempt to shoot photos of Randy Couture in what he said will be his final fight. Crowd chanting, “Randy.” Cautious approach by both fighters with Machida moving forward in his usual karate stance. Machida throws a jab, Couture moves in and Machida hits him with a cross. Machida more active with his jabs, until Couture lands a hard hook to the head. It’s Couture doing the stalking now. He attempts to clinch, but Machida gets away. Every time Couture closes the distance Machida throws a flurry of punches. Machida counter-attacking only at this point. Randy moves for a takedown and Machida lands a knee to the head. They stay up. Machida stuffs another takedown attempt. And another. Lands a hard roundhouse kick to Couture’s stomach. Metro gives this round to Machida, 10-9.

Round 2:

They start cautiously again. Couture looking for an opening without much success. Machida throws a light low kick followed by a hard punch to the head. Machida lands a jumping straight front kick to Couture’s head. He goes down immediately and is out. Eerily similar to training partner Anderson Silva’s win over Victor Belfort earlier this year. Couture is up and the crowd gives him a standing ovation. They’re chanting his name, “Randy, Randy, Randy.” The official decision is Machida by knockout at 1:05 of the second round.

During post-fight interview Machida says Steven Seagal also thought him that kick. Machida then calls Couture a "hero."

Lyoto Machida after the fight:

“I had a dream when I was 18-years-old that I would fight Randy Couture. But I thought I would never get the chance because I was too young. It was an honor to fight Randy. He’s the man and a legend.”

(on the fight-ending kick)

“My father said in martial arts to always be different. He taught me to look for different techniques and angles.”

Randy Couture after the fight:

“This is it. I think the last time we had this conversation I had all my teeth.”

“He’s a tremendous fighter. It felt like I was standing still out there, and he caught me with a great kick.”

“The fans have always treated me great, but to go out on that ovation was very special.”

Fight 11: Featherweight Title Bout

Mark Hominick (London, Ont.) vs. Jose Aldo

Round 1:

Screen flashing a maple leaf and snow flakes just before Hominick’s entrance to the Octagon. They touch gloves and it’s Hominick pushing the action. Aldo landing counters, punches and low kicks. Hominick stumbles after being hit with one, recovers and continues to stalk. Aldo kicks, he catches the leg and Aldo slips down. The champion is quickly back on his feet and takes Hominick down. As he attempts to pass the guard, Aldo has to work to get away from an armbar attempt. He ends up in Hominick’s guard and stays active by throwing elbows. Hominick is bleeding from his nose, also appears to have a cut under his right eye. The referee stands them up to the crowd’s approval. Hominick is on the attack again, but gets taken down. He quickly pulls guard and the round ends. Metro scores it 10-9 for Aldo.

Round 2:

Hominick starts quickly, but Aldo manages to escape damage. Aldo lands a hard low kick as they move to the centre of the Octagon. After Aldo lands a hard punch, Hominick gives one right back. The crowd cheers. Hominick lands another hard punch only to get taken down. He’s fighting from the guard again and defending elbows from Aldo. The crowd is starts to boo and the referee stands them up agan. Aldo’s face looks bloody, but it’s hard to tell if he’s cut or if it’s Hominick’s blood. The the champion shoots and scores another takedown. The round ends, Metro gives it to Aldo, 10-9.

Round 3:

Hominick looks alert in-between rounds. Damage seems superficial. He runs up to Aldo again and they exchange shots. Hominick lands a low kick and Aldo returns it. Hominick throwing double jabs, but it’s Aldo who lands a hard jab. Hominick avoids a takedown they move back to the centre of the Octagon. Hominick buckles after another low kick. Aldo landing more punches, but Hominick holding his own — he avoids another takedown. When Hominick punches Aldo moves his head side-to-side and stands his ground. He lands a hard punch and Hominick goes down. The challenger looks hurt, but kept his hands up. The fight is still going. Hominick pulls guard again. His left eye is starting to close as Round 3 comes to an end. Metro scores it 10-9 for Aldo.

Round 4:

Hominick again goes after Aldo and they exchange. Aldo lands a hard right low kick and buckles Hominick. It looks like Hominick got hit in the groin, Aldo offers to pause the fight but the challenger turns the invitation down. They touch gloves. Despite taking numerous low kicks Hominick does not appear to be limping. Aldo tags him with a hard punch and Hominick goes straight down. Aldo on top, but Hominick has guard. The champion is landing elbows and the crowd winces when the screens show a large bubble forming above Hominick’s right eye, under the skin. It’s nasty. The referee stops the fight so the ringside doctor can take a look at the growth. Huge reaction from the crowd to the bump on Hominick’s head — it’s twice the size of the doctor’s thumb. But the fight goes on and Aldo immediately goes after Hominick. They exchange and Aldo takes him down. Hominick hitting him with palm heels to the side of the head, it’s all he can do. Metro gives another round to Aldo, 10-9.

Round 5:

Hominick’s face looks battered but he’s coming back for the fifth and final round. The crowd roars in approval. Aldo smiles as they touch gloves, his face also showing bumps and bruises. Aldo is faster as they exchange punches and kicks in the centre of the Octagon. Hominick is hurt and goes down. Aldo goes for a choke that fails and ends up on the bottom. Hominick is in Aldo’s half-guard and working to pass. Aldo recovers to full guard and Hominick starts to land from the top. Some on the crowd are on their feet. Hominick still landing from the top, he’s giving it his all. Aldo is just defending, he doesn’t appear to be trying to get up. Two minutes to go, it’s deafening in here and Hominick is now landing body shots. Aldo looks tired on the bottom. Every time Hominick lands a hard shot the crowd noise gets louder. Hominick is in control. Aldo has never taken this kind of beating in the WEC. The champion is still defending and seems content to survive only, mounting no attacks. The challenger looks at his corner and they tell him he’s out of time. He steps up the assault, but the round ends. The crows is on their feet, clapping their hands above their heads. What a showing by Hominick. Metro scores this round 10-8 for Hominick. Aldo is likely to win 48-47.

The official result: Aldo wins a unanimous decision. Hominick is standing tall in the ring. It's announced that one of the judges scored the fight 50-43, but a UFC official quickly tells journalists that's a scoring error.

Mark Hominick after the title fight:

“First off, I just want to say to my wife that I hope I didn’t put you into labor. I know you’re do any minute. I love you, babe and I hope that you’re okay. And second, I just want to thank John McCarthy for not stopping the fight. I was never going to give up.”

“I didn’t throw enough combinations. I was throwing all single shots. I wanted to get one up on him and I let him get one up on me. It’s one of those things, you go back to the drawing board and I’ll come back stronger.”

“I thought I could’ve attacked a bit more on the ground. I thought he was going to be attacking me more instead of holding me down. I fought hard for you guys and I hope you enjoy the fight.”

Main Event: Welterweight title bout

Jake Shields vs. Georges St-Pierre (Montreal)

Round 1:

Crowd on their feet, cellphone cameras above their heads for Georges St-Pierre. The fighters start by circling each other. Neither is landing much. Shields grabs a hold of GSP’s leg and they clinch at the fence. GSP reverses and throws knees before they pull apart. GSP attempts a spinning back kick, misses, but the crowd loves it. GSP throwing the harder punches during exchanges. Both fighters very cautious. GSP landing overhand rights. Shields attempts a kick, falls and the crowd reacts. GSP lands a kick to the body. GSP also scoring with jabs. A cautious round ends and Metro scores it 10-9 GSP.

Round 2:

They start by exchanging jabs. Shields seems to throw more multiple-punch combinations, but GSP making each hit count. GSP alternating jab and jab-counter. He’s pushing the pace. GSP lands a hard spinning back kick to the mid-section. Both fighters still cautious. GSP misses with another spinning kick, Shields grabs the leg, but it’s too sweaty and he can’t hold on. GSP shifting stances, seems to be communicating that he’s going to step it up, but the round ends. All stand-up, nothing on the ground so far. Metro also gives this round to GSP, 10-9.

Round 3:

More exchanges in the middle of the ring. GSP seems to be throwing the harder shots, he’s really leaning into his punches. He scores with another overhand right. Shields attempts a weak kick and GSP moves in with a couple of punches. They clinch, but GSP pushes away. He doesn’t seem to want to go to the ground. Finally a takedown attempt from Shields but GSP calmly moves out of the way. GSP throwing hard low kicks. Shields not landing anything with power. GSP takes Shields down and ends up in half-guard. Little time left and they maintain position until the horn sounds. Metro scores it 10-9 GSP.

Round 4:

They meet in the middle and Shields goes after GSP, but his punches don’t appear to cause damage. GSP takes him down, Shields moves to full-guard and GSP stands up. GSP picking Shields apart, but only the overhand rights seem to hurt the challenger. GSP lands a hich kick to the head and Shields goes down. He’s not out of it and grabs GSP’s leg. The champ backs off and Shields stands up, blood flowing from his nose. Shields looks tired but has his hands up and is inviting GSP to hit him. Both turn it up. Shields seems to be going for broke. He’s landing more in the exchanges. GSP has a bloody face now. It’s Shields pushing the action, until the round ends. The high kick knockdown earns GSP this round, 10-9.

Round 5:

Both fighters seem revitalized. Shields moving forward, GSP countering with the jab, overhand right. Shields seems to expect it and usually blocks them. They clinch briefly, but GSP just pushes away. He doesn’t seem to want to test the challenger on the ground and Shields isn’t attempting takedowns. GSP continues to throw techniques from long range. Another spinning back kick attempt that grazes Shields. The crowd is becoming restless with 30 seconds to go. They’re urging GSP on, but he seems to be sticking to his game plan. The champ goes for a late takedown and gets stuffed. The horn sounds, it’s over. Another round for GSP, who took few chances and was never in trouble, 10-9. Metro scores the fight 50-45 for GSP.

The official decision: Ringside judges score it: 50-45, 48-47 and 48-47. GSP wins by unanimous decision and is still the reigning welterweight champion.

GSP apologizes to fans for not finishing fight during the post-fight interview.
2011 NFL Draft Rounds 1-3 Picks (Player/Agent)
[Small Business] (Business Insider)
Round 1 1. Carolina - QB Cam Newton ~ Auburn - Agent: Bus Cook 2. Denver - LB Von Miller ~ Texas A&M - Agent: Athletes First 3. Buffalo - DT Marcell Dareus ~ Alabama - Agent: Todd France 4. Cincinnati - WR A.J. Green ~ UGA – Agent: Creative Artists Agency 5. Arizona - CB Patrick Peterson ~ LSU – Agent: Patrick Lawlor (Galaxy Sports) 6. Atlanta - WR Julio Jones ~ Alabama - Agent: SportsTrust Advisors 7. San Francisco - DE/OLB Aldon Smith ~ Missouri ...

[details] [close] received 279 days ago published 279 days ago lang: en
Round 1
1. Carolina - QB Cam Newton ~ Auburn - Agent: Bus Cook

2. Denver - LB Von Miller ~ Texas A&M - Agent: Athletes First

3. Buffalo - DT Marcell Dareus ~ Alabama - Agent: Todd France

4. Cincinnati - WR A.J. Green ~ UGA – Agent: Creative Artists Agency

5. Arizona - CB Patrick Peterson ~ LSU – Agent: Patrick Lawlor (Galaxy Sports)

6. Atlanta - WR Julio Jones ~ Alabama - Agent: SportsTrust Advisors

7. San Francisco - DE/OLB Aldon Smith ~ Missouri – Agent: Creative Artists Agency

8. Tennessee - QB Jake Locker ~ Washington - Agent: Athletes First

9. Dallas - OT Tyron Smith ~ USC - Agent: Lock, Metz, and Malinovic

10. Jacksonville - QB Blaine Gabbert ~ Missouri - Agent: Creative Artists Agency

11. Houston - DE J.J. Watt ~ Wisconsin - Agent: Creative Artists Agency

12. Minnesota - QB Christian Ponder ~ Florida State – Agent: SportsTrust Advisors

13. Detroit - DT Nick Fairley ~ Auburn - Agent: Brian Overstreet (E. Overstreet Sports Management)

14. St. Louis - DE Robert Quinn ~ North Carolina - Agent: Carl Carey (Champion Pro Consulting)

15. Miami - OG/C Mike Pouncey ~ Florida - Agent: Lagardere Unlimited

16. Washington - DE Ryan Kerrigan ~ Purdue - Agent: Athletes First

17. New England – OT Nate Solder ~ Colorado - Agent: Athletes First

18. San Diego - DT Cory Liuget ~ Illinois - Agent: Impact Sports

19. New York Giants - CB Prince Amukamara ~ Nebraska - Agent: Todd France

20. Tampa Bay - DE Adrian Clayborn ~ Iowa - Agent: Blake Baratz (The Institute for Athletes)

21. Cleveland - DT Phil Taylor ~ Baylor – Agent: Peter Schaffer (All-Pro Sports)

22. Indianapolis - OT Anthony Castonzo ~ Boston College - Agent: Creative Artists Agency

23. Philadelphia - OL Danny Watkins ~ Baylor - Agent: Lock, Metz, Malinovic

24. New Orleans - DE Cameron Jordan ~ Cal - Agent: Octagon

25. Seattle – OT James Carpenter ~Alabama – Agent: Priority Sports

26. Baltimore - CB Jimmy Smith ~ Colorado - Agent: Drew Rosenhaus

27. Kansas City - WR Jonathan Baldwin ~ Pittsburgh - Agent: Priority Sports

28. New Orleans - RB Mark Ingram ~ Alabama - Agent: Lagardere Unlimited

29. Chicago - OT Gabe Carimi ~ Wisconsin - Agent: Gary Uberstine (Premier Sports)

30. New York Jets - DE Muhammad Wilkerson ~ Temple - Agent: Chad Wiestling (Integrated Sports Management)

31. Pittsburgh - DE Cameron Heyward ~ Ohio State - Agent: SportsTrust Advisors

32. Green Bay - OT Derek Sherrod ~ Mississippi State - Agent: Bus Cook
Round 2
33. New England – DC Ras-I Downling ~ Virginia – Agent: Sunny Shah (320 Sports)

34. Buffalo – DC Aaron Williams ~ Texas – Agent: Creative Artists Agency

35. Cincinnati – QB Andy Dalton ~ TCU – Agent: Select Sports Group

36. San Francisco – Colin Kaepernick ~ Nevada – Agent: XAM Sports

37. Cleveland – Jabaal Sheard ~ Pittsburgh – Agent: Drew Rosenhaus

38. Arizona – Ryan Williams ~ Virginia Tech – Agent: Malik Shareef

39. Tennessee – Akeem Ayers ~ UCLA – Agent: Chuck Price (4th and 9 Sports)

40. Dallas – Bruce Carter ~ UNC – Agent: Carl Carey (Champion Pro Consulting)

41. Washington – Jarvis Jenkins ~ Clemson – Agent: BTI Sports Advisors

42. Houston – Brooks Reed ~ Arizona – Agent: Priority Sports

43. Minnesota – Kyle Rudolph ~ Notre Dame – Agent: Athletes First

44. Boise State – Titus Young ~ Boise State – Agent: Professional Sports Planning

45. Denver – Rahim Moore ~ UCLA – Agent: Impact Sports

46. Denver – Orlando Franklin ~ University of Miami – Agent: Drew Rosenhaus

47. St. Louis – Lance Kendricks ~ Wisconsin – Agent: Neil Cornrich (NC Sports)

48. Oakland – Stefen Wisniewski ~ Penn State – Agent: Tony Agnone (Eastern Athletic Services)

49. Indianapolis – Ben Ijalana ~ Villanova – Agent: Tony Agnone (Eastern Athletic Services)

50. San Diego – Marcus Gilchrist ~ Clemson – Agent: Hadley Engelhard (Enter-Sports Management)

51. Tampa Bay – Da’Quan Bowers ~ Clemson – Agent: BTI Sports Advisors

52. New York Giants – Marvin Austin ~ UNC – Agent: Roosevelt Barnes (Maximum Sports Management)

53. Chicago – Stephen Paea ~ Oregon State – Agent: Athletes First

54. Philadelphia – Jaiquawn Jarrett ~ Temple – Agent: Dow Lohnes Sports

55. Kansas City – Rodney Hudson ~ Florida State – Agent: Joe Linta

56. New England – Shane Vereen ~ California – Agent: Athletes First

57. Detroit – Mikel Leshoure ~ Illinois – Agent: Blueprint Sports Group

58. Baltimore – Torrey Smith ~ Maryland – Agent: Drew Rosenhaus

59. Cleveland – Greg Little ~ UNC – Agent: Octagon

60. Houston – Brandon Harris ~ University of Miami – Agent: Alonzo Shavers (Infinite Sports Concepts)

61. San Diego – Jonas Mouton ~ Michigan – Agent: Blake Baratz (The Institute for Athletes)

62. Miami - Daniel Thomas ~ Kansas State – Agent: Impact Sports

63. Pittsburgh – Marcus Gilbert ~ Florida – Agent: Drew Rosenhaus

64. Green Bay – Randall Cobb ~ Kentucky – Agent: SportsTrust Advisors
Round 3
65. Carolina – Terrell McClain ~ USF – Agent: Chris Martin (OTG Sports)

66. Cincinnati – Dontay Moch ~ Nevada – Agent: Peter Schaffer (All-Pro Sports)

67. Denver – Nate Irving ~ NC State – Agent: Blueprint Sports Group

68. Buffalo – Kelvin Sheppard ~ LSU – Agent: SportsTrust Advisors

69. Arizona – Rob Housler ~ FAU – Agent: Thomas Santanello (The Marquee Group)

70. Kansas City – Justin Houston ~ UGA – Agent: Lagardere Unlimited

71. Dallas - DeMarco Murray ~ Oklahoma – Agent: SportsTrust Advisors

72. New Orleans – Martez Wilson ~ Illinois – Agent: Professional Sports Planning

73. New England – Stevan Ridley ~ LSU – Agent: PlayersRep Sports

74. New England – Ryan Mallett ~ Arkansas – Agent: Athletes First & J.R. Carroll

75. Seattle – John Moffitt ~ Wisconsin – Agent: Thomas Santanello (The Marquee Group)

76. Jacksonville – Will Rackley ~ Lehigh – Agent: Alan Herman (SportStars)

77. Tennessee – Jurrell Casey ~ Southern California – Agent: Drew Rosenhaus

78. St. Louis – Austin Pettis ~ Boise State – Agent: Athletes First

79. Washington – Leonard Hankerson ~ University of Miami – Agent: Lagardere Unlimited

80. San Francisco – Chris Culliver ~ South Carolina – Agent: Terry Watson (Watson Sports Agency)

81. Oakland – Demarcus Van Dyke ~ University of Miami – Agent: Drew Rosenhaus

82. San Diego – Vincent Brown ~ San Diego State – Agent: Ken Sarnoff (Gaylord Sports)

83. New York Giants – Jerrel Jernigan ~ Troy – Agent: Hadley Engelhard (Enter-Sports Management)

84. Tampa Bay – Mason Foster ~ Washington – Agent: Steve Caric

85. Baltimore – Jah Reid ~ UCF – Agent: Derrick Fox

86. Kansas City – Allen Bailey ~ University of Miami – Agent: Terry Watson (Watson Sports Agency)

87. Indianapolis - Drake Nevis ~ LSU – Agent: SportsTrust Advisors

88. New Orleans – Johnny Patrick ~ Louisville – Agent: PlayersRep Sports

89. San Diego – Shareece Wright ~ Southern California – Agent: Josh Arnold (Synergy Sports)

90. Philadelphia - Curtis Marsh ~ Utah State – Agent: Octagon

91. Atlanta – Akeem Dent ~ UGA – Agent: Hadley Engelhard (Enter-Sports Management)

92. Oakland – Joseph Barksdale ~ LSU – Agent: Sunny Shah (320 Sports)

93. Chicago – Chris Conte ~ California – Agent: Rep 1 Sports

94. New York Jets – Kenrick Ellis ~ Hampton – Agent: Howard Shatsky

95. Pittsburgh – Curtis Brown ~ Texas – Agent: Allegiant Athletic Agency

96. Green Bay – Alex Green ~ Hawaii – Agent: Premier Sports

97. Carolina – Sione Fua ~ Stanford – Agent: Octagon
Notes Through The First 3 Rounds
- Creative Artists Agency will only represent you if you are first round talent. The company’s only player drafted outside of the first round was Aaron Williams, who was the 2nd selected player in the 2nd round.
- Athletes First had a total of 9 players selected through 3 rounds.
- SportsTrust Advisors had a total of 7 players selected through 3 rounds.
- Drew Rosenhaus had only 1 client selected in the 1st round, but had a total of 6 players selected through the first 3 rounds.
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UFC 129 Weigh-In Video and Results
[Mixed Martial Arts] (MMAPlayground.com Web Headlines)
Main card: Georges St. Pierre (169.5) vs. Jake Shields (169) [WW title] Jose Aldo (145) vs. Mark Hominick (145.25) [FW title] Randy Couture (203.5) vs. Lyoto Machida (204.5) Vladimir Matyushenko (205.5) vs. Jason Brilz (204.5) Mark Bocek (155) vs. Ben Henderson (156.5*) On Spike: [8 p.m. ET] Nate Diaz (171) vs. Rory MacDonald (170.5) Sean Pierson (170) vs. Jake Ellenberger (170) On Facebook.com/UFC: [6 p.m. ET] Claude Patrick (169.5) vs. Daniel Roberts (170.5) Ivan Menjivar (136) vs. C ...

[details] [close] received 279 days ago published 279 days ago lang: en

Main card: Georges St. Pierre (169.5) vs. Jake Shields (169) [WW title] Jose Aldo (145) vs. Mark Hominick (145.25) [FW title] Randy Couture (203.5) vs. Lyoto Machida (204.5) Vladimir Matyushenko (205.5) vs. Jason Brilz (204.5) Mark Bocek (155) vs. Ben Henderson (156.5*) On Spike: [8 p.m. ET] Nate Diaz (171) vs. Rory MacDonald (170.5) Sean Pierson (170) vs. Jake Ellenberger (170) On Facebook.com/UFC: [6 p.m. ET] Claude Patrick (169.5) vs. Daniel Roberts (170.5) Ivan Menjivar (136) vs. Charlie Valencia (135.5) Jason MacDonald (185) vs. Ryan Jensen (185) John Makdessi (155.5) vs. Kyle Watson (155) Yves Jabouin (146) vs. Pablo Garza (145)
UFC 129 Results: Pablo Garza Submits Yves Jabouin
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
Ultimate Fighter veteran Pablo Garza beat up Yves Jabouin on the feet before jumping into a flying triangle and getting the tap out at 4:31 of the first round of their featherweight bout at UFC 129. Jabouin scored first with a series of leg kicks that dropped Garza three times. Garza countered with the Thai plum and landed a series of hard knees to the face. From there Garza lept into the flying triangle and pulled Jabouin down to the ground. Jabouin fought against the choke with a determined wi ...

[details] [close] received 279 days ago published 279 days ago lang: en
Ultimate Fighter veteran Pablo Garza beat up Yves Jabouin on the feet before jumping into a flying triangle and getting the tap out at 4:31 of the first round of their featherweight bout at UFC 129.

Jabouin scored first with a series of leg kicks that dropped Garza three times. Garza countered with the Thai plum and landed a series of hard knees to the face. From there Garza lept into the flying triangle and pulled Jabouin down to the ground.

Jabouin fought against the choke with a determined will, but Garza continued to roll and continually tightened the choke until Jabouin was finally forced to tap.

The fight was streamed live on the UFC's Facebook page and opened the UFC 129 card.

Garza, a veteran of The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs Team Koscheck, is a former WEC fighter with a 1-0 record in the UFC.

The Québécois Jabouin went 1-2 in the WEC, winning his last fight over Brandon Visher at WEC 52.

More UFC 129 Results from Bloody Elbow:
UFC 129 Results: John Makdessi KO's Kyle Watson With Spinning Back Fist
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
John Makdessi scored a highlight reel knock out via spinning backfist against Kyle Watson at 1:27 of the third round in their UFC 129 bout. The fight was streamed live on UFC's Facebook page. The two spend most of the first round finding their range and feeling one another out. Watson landed some leg kicks but ate a number of lead left hooks coming in. Makdessi finally busted out a spinning kick with about 1:45 left in the round. He caught Watson with a front leg hook kick around the one minute ...

[details] [close] received 279 days ago published 279 days ago lang: en
John Makdessi scored a highlight reel knock out via spinning backfist against Kyle Watson at 1:27 of the third round in their UFC 129 bout.

The fight was streamed live on UFC's Facebook page.

The two spend most of the first round finding their range and feeling one another out. Watson landed some leg kicks but ate a number of lead left hooks coming in. Makdessi finally busted out a spinning kick with about 1:45 left in the round. He caught Watson with a front leg hook kick around the one minute mark. Watson tried to answer with a superman punch but just got countered for his troubles. Pretty slow opening round.

Watson tried to force a clinch to open the second but got tagged repeatedly. Watson charged forward and ate more left hooks. Watson then landed a sharp head kick. Makdessi landed a front kick and attempted a hook kick to the head. Watson missed a high kick and Makdessi answered with one of his own then hurt Watson with a left. Makdessi worked the front side kick. Makdessi scored with punches to end the round.

Makdessi landed a pair of left kicks to Watson's body to open the final round. Watson worked for a clinch and took several lefts before finally pinning Makdessi against the cage. Makdessi escaped though and when they separated Watson had a cut under his eye. Then Makdessi faked a kick and nailed Watson with a perfect spinning back fist for the knock out.

Makdessi is a Canadian fighter who built up a 7-0 record before joining the UFC. He debuted in the UFC at UFC 124 in Montreal, taking a UD over Pat Audinwood. He trains under Georges St Pierre's head coach Firas Zahabi.

Watson is a veteran of The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck. He beat Sako Chivitchian via UD at The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale. Watson trains with Matt Hughes and Robbie Lawler at the H.I.T. Squad.

More UFC 129 Results from Bloody Elbow:
UFC 129 Results: Jason MacDonald Triangles Ryan Jensen
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
UFC 129 Results: Jason MacDonald vs. Ryan Jensen Canadian middleweight Jason MacDonald used his grappling skills to trap Ryan Jensen in a triangle choke and force him to tap at 1:37 of the first round at UFC 129. Jensen slammed MacDonald hard while trapped in the submission but it was to no avail. MacDonald shot in early to get the take down and Jensen went for a guillotine choke that failed and put him on his back. Jensen was able to reverse positions on the ground but wasn't able to survive lo ...

[details] [close] received 279 days ago published 279 days ago lang: en
UFC 129 Results: Jason MacDonald vs. Ryan Jensen

Canadian middleweight Jason MacDonald used his grappling skills to trap Ryan Jensen in a triangle choke and force him to tap at 1:37 of the first round at UFC 129.

Jensen slammed MacDonald hard while trapped in the submission but it was to no avail.

MacDonald shot in early to get the take down and Jensen went for a guillotine choke that failed and put him on his back. Jensen was able to reverse positions on the ground but wasn't able to survive long in MacDonald's guard.

MacDonald ran up a 5-5 record in the promotion in a prior three year run ending in 2009. After picking up three wins in smaller promotions, he returned to the UFC at UFC 113, losing to John Salter after enduring a grisly broken leg during the bout.

MacDonald endured multiple surgeries and almost a full year of rehab to recover from the leg break.

Jensen lost consecutive fights to Thales Leites and Demian Maia in 2007 in his initial UFC run. Since returning to the promotion in 2008 he's run up a 2-3 record.

More UFC 129 Results from Bloody Elbow:
UFC 129 Results: Claude Patrick Edges Daniel Roberts
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
Claude Patrick took a unanimous 29-28 decision over Daniel Roberts after three hard fought rounds at UFC 129. Patrick got the take down to start the action but Roberts attacked his left arm, working for a kimura. Patrick had to stand up to escape the hold. Patrick landed a hard leg kick before clinching up. From the clinch Patrick peppered Roberts with sharp punches. They separated briefly and Patrick landed a hard right hand then got a trip take down. He attempted an arm triangle choke but cou ...

[details] [close] received 279 days ago published 279 days ago lang: en
Claude Patrick took a unanimous 29-28 decision over Daniel Roberts after three hard fought rounds at UFC 129.

Patrick got the take down to start the action but Roberts attacked his left arm, working for a kimura. Patrick had to stand up to escape the hold. Patrick landed a hard leg kick before clinching up. From the clinch Patrick peppered Roberts with sharp punches. They separated briefly and Patrick landed a hard right hand then got a trip take down. He attempted an arm triangle choke but couldn't get anywhere from inside Roberts' guard. Roberts threatened with an omaplata but Patrick lept to his feet and assaulted Roberts with a series of 1-2 punches.

Roberts fought hard to get the fight to the ground in the second. He ate some hard knees to the face in the process. Patrick was able to fight off Roberts on the ground a couple of times early in the round. Roberts got another take down with a little more than two minutes left and got side control. Patrick reclaimed full guard, but Roberts took his back before Patrick escaped. Roberts was visibly exhausted at the end of the round.

Roberts landed some strikes to open the third. Patrick forced the clinch and backed Roberts up against the cage and scored a nifty trip take down. On the ground, Patrick took mount and landed some punches before Roberts regained guard. Patrick landed a left that allowed Roberts to stand back up. Roberts shot in for a single leg but Patrick stuffed it. Roberts ended up getting a body lock in the clinch before the ref restarted them. Roberts shot in and dove into a guillotine attempt and ended the fight in Patrick's guard, throwing punches.

The Canadian Patrick improves to 3-0 in the UFC with wins over Ricardo Funch (via guillotine choke) at UFC 115 and James Wilks (via unanimous decision) at UFC 120.

Roberts is 3-2 in the UFC with his only loss coming in his promotional debut against John Howard. His most recent win was over Greg Soto by kimura at UFC 125.

More UFC 129 Results from Bloody Elbow:
UFC 129 Results: Rory MacDonald Ragdolls Nate Diaz
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
Young Canadian Rory MacDonald suplexed Nate Diaz repeatedly to cruise to a dominant unanimous decision (30-26x2, 30-27) win at UFC 129: St. Pierre vs Shields. MacDonald scored early and dominated the early stages of the round. Diaz forced a clinch but ate some shots on the break. MacDonald landed a sharp superman punch. MacDonald nearly got a nifty trip but Diaz sprang right back up. MacDonald seemed to control the initiative throughout the first round. MacDonald used a nice wrestling switch to ...

[details] [close] received 279 days ago published 279 days ago lang: en
Young Canadian Rory MacDonald suplexed Nate Diaz repeatedly to cruise to a dominant unanimous decision (30-26x2, 30-27) win at UFC 129: St. Pierre vs Shields.

MacDonald scored early and dominated the early stages of the round. Diaz forced a clinch but ate some shots on the break. MacDonald landed a sharp superman punch. MacDonald nearly got a nifty trip but Diaz sprang right back up. MacDonald seemed to control the initiative throughout the first round.

MacDonald used a nice wrestling switch to take control of an early clinch. Then he pressed forward after they separated. Diaz forced a clinch but ended up pressed into the cage. Diaz reacted to a nice trip by pulling guard. Diaz got back up after enduring some hard shots from the standing MacDonald. Then MacDonald took him down with a nice knee tap and ended up back in Diaz' guard. MacDonald backed away and let Diaz stand back up. Diaz caught him with a straight left. They clinched and Diaz landed a few punches but MacDonald ended the exchange with a sharp uppercut. Diaz connected. Then they went back to wrestling in a standing clinch. Diaz tried a nice trip but MacDonald sprang up. MacDonald landed a combination that Diaz answered. MacDonald ended the round with some sharp punch-kick combos.

Diaz went for a leg lock and took some hard shots early in the third. Then MacDonald slammed him hard not once but twice. Diaz tried for another leg attack and ate more hard shots before being brutally slammed again. Diaz fought his way back to a clinch position but MacDonald got a double leg to put him on his back again. A sharp elbow cut Diaz badly.

Diaz is the younger brother of Strikeforce welterweight champ Nick Diaz. He is the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 5. Diaz went 5-3 as a lightweight in the UFC before jumping to welterweight where he racked up 2 wins and a loss prior to tonight's bout.

MacDonald came into the fight off his first career loss to Carlos Condit at UFC 125. He won the first two rounds of that fight before allowing Condit to rally and get the TKO stoppage with just 0:07 left in the fight.

More UFC 129 Results from Bloody Elbow:
UFC 129 Results: Ben Henderson Whips Up On Mark Bocek
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
Ben Henderson took a unanimous decision win over Mark Bocek at UFC 129: St. Pierre vs Shields. Bocek quickly forced a clinch but Henderson was able to reverse and force him against the cage. Henderson landed some sharp knees. They swapped positions against the cage a few times before a ref restart. Bocek landed right hand and quickly forced a clinch. Henderson reversed position and landed a sharp standing elbow. Henderson came away ahead after an exchange of leg kicks. Bocek ate some punches to ...

[details] [close] received 279 days ago published 279 days ago lang: en
Ben Henderson took a unanimous decision win over Mark Bocek at UFC 129: St. Pierre vs Shields.

Bocek quickly forced a clinch but Henderson was able to reverse and force him against the cage. Henderson landed some sharp knees. They swapped positions against the cage a few times before a ref restart. Bocek landed right hand and quickly forced a clinch. Henderson reversed position and landed a sharp standing elbow. Henderson came away ahead after an exchange of leg kicks. Bocek ate some punches to go after a single leg take down before finally landing a big trip. Henderson backed up against the cage but Bocek turned him sideways. Henderson got butterly guard but Bocek got free of it. Bocek drug the fight back to the center of the cage but Henderson landed some sharp elbows from the bottom.

Henderson charged in behind a 1-2 but Bocek quickly shot in for a take down. Henderson reversed position again and kneed Bocek hard in the face. Henderson landed a sharp leg kick after a 1-2. Henderson shot in and Bocek pulled guard. He went for a triangle, an omplata and then a leg lock in short order. Henderson fired away to Bocek's face. Henderson fought free and landed a knee to the body. Bocek got a front headock and went for a head drag take down. Bocek attacked with an anaconda choke but Henderson fought it off before Bocek switched to a guillotine. Henderson then blitzed him with standing knees.

Bocek got Henderson down early in the third round. Bocek went for a choke in a scramble and Henderson reversed and landed some brutal punches from the top. Bocek then attacked Henderson's leg and used it to get a take down. He then climbed onto Henderson's back but Henderson fought free. Bocek went for a trip and got stuffed. Henderson kneed Bocek then went for a trip take down of his own. Bocek backed away and Henderson got the Thai plum and landed brutal knees to Bocek's face and body. Bocek then shot in for a double leg, passed to half guard and moved to a front headlock but Henderson got free and ended the fight with a flurry of punches.

Bocek ceme into this bout 5-3 in the UFC with his most recent win coming off a triangle choke over Dustin Hazelett at UFC 124 in Montreal.

Henderson is a former WEC lightweight champ with wins over Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone. He lost the title to Anthony Pettis at WEC 53, the final WEC card before the merger with the UFC.

More UFC 129 Results from Bloody Elbow:
Rory MacDonald Ragdolls Nate Diaz
UFC 129 Results: Vladimir Matyushenko Mops the Floor With Jason Brilz
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
Former IFL light heavyweight champion Vladimir Matyushenko dropped Jason Brilz with a hard 1-2, followed up with a brutal series of hammer fists on the ground to force the stoppage at 0:20 of the first round of their UFC 129: St. Pierre vs Shields bout. Brilz came into the fight with a 3-2 UFC record. His previous fight was a controversial split decision loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 114. The 39 year old Matyushenko is a thirteen year veteran of MMA. He has fought for both the UFC hea ...

[details] [close] received 279 days ago published 279 days ago lang: en
Former IFL light heavyweight champion Vladimir Matyushenko dropped Jason Brilz with a hard 1-2, followed up with a brutal series of hammer fists on the ground to force the stoppage at 0:20 of the first round of their UFC 129: St. Pierre vs Shields bout.

Brilz came into the fight with a 3-2 UFC record. His previous fight was a controversial split decision loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 114.

The 39 year old Matyushenko is a thirteen year veteran of MMA. He has fought for both the UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight belts, losing those attempts to Andrei Arlovski and Tito Ortiz, respectively. Prior to this bout he was 3-1 in his current UFC run. Most recently he beat Alexandre Ferreira via TKO at UFC 122.

More UFC 129 Results from Bloody Elbow:
UFC 129 Results: St. Pierre vs. Shields - Play by Play and Live Commentary
[Mixed Martial Arts] (Bloody Elbow)
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC 129: St. Pierre vs. Shields. The live blog will start with the beginning of the Facebook undercard stream (6 p.m. ET), continuing through the Spike TV undercard broadcast (8 p.m. ET) through the pay-per-view (9 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event. The event is headlined by a UFC welterweight title bout between champion Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shie ...

[details] [close] received 279 days ago published 279 days ago lang: en

As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC 129: St. Pierre vs. Shields. The live blog will start with the beginning of the Facebook undercard stream (6 p.m. ET), continuing through the Spike TV undercard broadcast (8 p.m. ET) through the pay-per-view (9 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

The event is headlined by a UFC welterweight title bout between champion Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shields. A second title fight is on the card as UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo steps into the UFC Octagon for the first time ever to take on Mark Hominick. The other featured bout of the evening is what Randy Couture has called his final match before his retirement as he takes on Lyoto Machida. There are nine other bouts that will round out a very exciting night of action.

Hey, y'all. Mike Fagan here. I'll be guiding you through the Facebook prelims. Mr. Brent Brookhouse will take over from there. The stream should start in ten minutes.

Yves Jabouin vs. Pablo Garza

Round 1 - Facebook stream starts around the 3:10 mark of the fight. Garza misses with a right hand. He's throwing leg kicks. Garza loses his mouth piece, crowd boos. Jabouin lands a leg kick that sweeps Garza. Rogan notes that it left a welt. These two are trading leg kicks. Nice right-left from Jabouin. Garza landing knees to the midsection from the Thai clinch. He jumps into a triangle choke. He has it locked, but not tight enough to choke. Elbows to the head with a minute to go. Jabouin scrambles, but Garza ends up on top with the triangle intact. He's on his back again, trying to tell referee Yves Lavigne that he's out, but Jabouin moves to signal otherwise. Jabouin taps a moment later anyway.

Pablo Garza submits Yves Jabouin by triangle choke at 4:31 of round one.

John Makdessi vs. Kyle Watson

Round 1 - Dan Miragliotta is the referee for this contest. My stream is stuttering, so bear with me. Watson misses with pawing jabs and straights. These two spend the first minute circling with Watson throwing more than Makdessi. Makdessi looks more comfortable at range, though. Makdessi counters a Watson leg kick with a left hand. Lazy shot from Watson goes nowhere. Watson lands a nice inside left kick. Nice little exchange. Makdessi jumps in with a stiff jab. Watson grabs the Thai clinch. He lands a couple of knees to the midsection while Makdessi throws punches over the top. Nice turning side kick from Makdessi. Makdessi opening up with flashy kicks now. One minute left in the round, and I'm looking at a 10-10 round. Miragliotta urges them to work. Nice left from Watson. Nice left from Makdessi. He counters when Watson comes in. Makdessi complains about an eyepoke, but the action continues.

Bloody Elbow scores the round 10-9 for John Makdessi.

Round 2 -I missed the first thirty seconds. This stream is really giving me problems. Makdessi lands a nice punch. Watson closes distance and lands a knee in the Thai clinch. Trading leg kicks. Watson lands a lead right, but Makdessi comes back with a left. Two straight rights land for Makdessi. Watson comes in, and Makdessi lands going backwards. Head kick from Watson, but he's looking outclassed here. Side kick from Makdessi. Watson shoots, and Makdessi tosses him aside. Watson needs to bring this fight to the floor. Watson throws a standing knee, but Makdessi counters with a lead hook. Watson lands a punch combination. Watson's spinning backfist misses. Makdessi hits a spinning backfist of his own. Nice left hand from Makdessi as Watson comes in. That landed solid. Right hand to the body from Makdessi. Side kick. STIFF jab lands. One minute to go. Watson needs to show urgency in bringing the fight to the floor. Hook kick grazes Watson's chin. Nice straight right from Makdessi as the round comes to a close.

Bloody Elbow scores the round 10-9 for John Makdessi.

Round 3 - Stream seems to have settled in. Makdessi comes out with the Ali shuffle. Side kick lands. Watson grabs a kick, pushes forward. Small scramble on the feet, but Watson ends up clinching on the fence. Makdessi works his way out. Watson's cut under his left eye. Lead hook from Makdessi. Straight right. Jab. Watson's done if he can't bring this fight down. HUGE SPINNING BACK FIST AND WATSON IS OUT. He's out cold. Miragliotta and the cageside doctor rush to his side. That's two straight impressive finishes to open the show. That landed right on the button.

John Makdessi knocks out Kyle Watson with a spinning back fist at 1:27 of round three.

Jason MacDonald vs. Ryan Jensen

Round 1 - Herb Dean lording over the cage for this one. The crowd boos Jensen in the intros. I hope it isn't for the devil's lock he's rocking. Jensen comes in and swings wildly with a right-left. MacDonald latches on and presses him on the fence. Jensen drops down for a guillotine, adjusts, but MacDonald slips out. MacDonald takes the back. Jensen shakes him off, and ends up on top in guard. MacDonald's looking for a triangle, but Jensen has him pressed up against the fence. He has it locke dup. Jensen slams him down, but that just sinks it in tighter. Rogan calls the fight, and Jensen taps shortly thereafter.

Jason MacDonald submits Ryan Jensen by triangle choke at 1:37 of round one.

Ivan Menjivar vs. Charlie Valencia

Round 1 - John McCarthy is the third man in the Octagon. Seeing Menjivar opposite Valencia really puts his forays at highers weights into perspective. These two circle and trade patient punches and kicks to start. Clinch. Trading knees. Ooooo. Nice left hand elbow. Valencia goes down, and Menjivar pounces. Machine gun punches force McCarthy to step in. Valencia gives us a couple of back flips to celebrate.

Ivan Menijvar stops Charlie Valencia with an elbow and punches at 1:30 of round one.

Claude Patrick vs. Daniel Roberts

Round 1 - Dan Miragliotta is our referee for this bout. Daniel Roberts comes out quick, allowing Claude Patrick to plant him on hte mat. Daniel working for a kimura from half-guard. Patrick is protecting the arm with his left leg. Roberts uses the position to work to his feet. Straight left from Patrick. Joe Rogan says Roberts' standup "is not that good." Leg kick from Patrick. Clinch. Roberts has Patrick up against the fence. After a dance around the Octagon, Patrick has reversed the position. As soon as I type that, Roberts turns and disengages. Roberts dives in with a combination that misses. Left straight from Patrick. Rogan notes that Patrick is taunting Roberts. Patrick has Roberts up against the fence again. Bodylock takedown. Roberts has half-guard with the knee in. Patrick looks for an arm triangle, but that allows Roberts to establish guard. Patrick stands up, Roberts follows, and that allows Patrick to step in and land. Big punches. Roberts offering nothing. Covering up and backing away as Patrick throws. Ten seconds left, and the round ends with Patrick pressing Roberts up against the fence. Huge call for "knees" from the 55,000 crowd.

Bloody Elbow scores the round 10-9 for Claude Patrick.

Round 2 - Leg kick from Patrick. Roberts catches another and pushes Patrick onto his back. Claude is able to sweep back to standing. Roberts has Patrick up against the fence. Patricks spins away from the fence and lands a big knee as the come apart. Roberts' Superman punch misses. Patrick shoots in for a takedown. Roberts struggles, but ends up on his back. Roberts has a hold of Patrick's neck, and uses the guillotine to sweep into side control. Short elbows to the head. Patrick regains half-guard. Short punches from Roberts. Full guard for Patrick. Roberts steps into half-guard. Patrick back up to his feet momentarily. Roberts drags him down and takes his back, but Patrick spins out. Standing now. Right hand from Patrick. Roberts slowing down. Lazy punches from Roberts.

Bloody Elbow scores the round 10-9 for Daniel Roberts.

Round 3 - Body kick from Roberts is the first effective shot of the round 30 seconds in. Superman punch lands for Roberts. Patrick looks fresher, but he's remaining patient. Patrick closes the distances and wraps his arms around the body. Trip takedown. Patrick climbing up, and he looks to be in full mount here. Daniel escapes back into butterfuly guard. Patrick looks calm on top. Left hand. Tries to get into side control, but allows Roberts to stand instead. Roberts shoots in, but Patrick defends. Roberts pushes him into the fence. Patrick defends, and he has Roberts up against the fence. Rogan notes that Roberts is allowing the round to be close. I agree. He should be way ahead, but he's in danger of one thing changing the course of the decision. Miragliotta breaks the action along the fence. Inside leg kick from Patrick. Front kick for Patrick. Roberts pushes ahead with a takedown attempt that misses. Patrick drops for a guillotine, which is a pretty bad decision with 15 seconds in the round.

Bloody Elbow scores the round 10-9 for Claude Patrick, and awards him the bout 29-28.

Claude Patrick defeats Daniel Roberts by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Brent Brookhouse taking the live blog over for the rest of the night.

The Spike TV broadcast is now live.

Sean Pierson vs. Jake Ellenberger

Round 1 - Both men miss their first few strikes. Right hand gets through for Ellenberger. Left hand lands for Ellenberger. Jake shoots in and has the takedown but it's against the fence and Pierson pops right back up. Ellenberger lands a hard flurry and forces Pierson to clinch out of necessity. Ellenberger lands a huge shot and Pierson goes stiff and drops to the ground. As he's on his way down from the left hand he eats several more punches before the referee stops the fight. Jake Ellenberger wins by KO, round 1.

Nate Diaz vs. Rory MacDonald

Round 1 - MacDonald walking forward throwing kicks and straight punches but not landing. Leg kick by Rory lands. Again to the leg. Head kick by Rory misses but a follow up punch does not. Diaz throws and gets a right hand in. They exchange knees in the clinch. Rory drops down for a takedown, Diaz tries to reverse it and it's all null as they end up standing with neither man getting position. Superman punch gets in for MacDonald. Front kick by Rory lands nicely. MacDonald has Diaz on his heels and reacting more than engaging. Nice jab, knee and body lock by Rory. Leg kick on the way out and another leg kick. Diaz pushes him into the fence but they disengage and MacDonald lands another leg kick. 10-9 round for MacDonald.

Round 2 - Switch leg kick by Rory gets in and he pushes Nate into the cage. Right hand by MacDonald. Diaz attempts to shoot in and MacDonald turns his back into the cage. Takedown by Rory now and he is looking to work ground and pound but Diaz scrambles to his feet, eating a punch for his trouble. Another takedown for Rory and he postures up looking to land some shots. Again Nate gets up but again he eats the right hand. Diaz manages to land a few short punches in the clinch but does end up eating an uppercut. Nice right hand gets in for Nate now. Diaz pushing him into the fence now and landing some shoulders and an attempted trip but Rory stays upright. Superman jab gets through and Diaz slaps back with the right hand. Nice shoulder in the clinch again by Diaz and he drops looking for a takedown but gets pulled back up. Flying knee by Rory and a jab that lands and that will cement the round even with Diaz's charge over the second half. 10-9 MacDonald to make it 20-18.

Round 3 - Leg kick lands for Diaz and a right hand gets through for MacDonald. Right hand and a body clinch by Rory. He's holding Diaz against the cage and Diaz responds with short punches to the body and thigh. After a scramble it's MacDonald with a huge slam and punches. They stand up and Rory slams him back to the mat from behind. Diaz is stuck on his back eating big punches but he manages to stand up. Rory slams him right back down and Diaz manages to stand back up. Diaz pushes MacDonald into the cage but gets turned around. Diaz shoots and gets stuffed and eats a few punches before standing back up. Diaz can't get the takedown and Rory ends up getting one of his own. Nice shots by Rory with the fists and elbows. Diaz has gotten trucked in a round he badly needed to take. 10-9 MacDonald and he has a shutout on my card.

Official Scorecards -30-26, 30-27, 30-26. Rory MacDonald wins by unanimous decision. Interesting to see two judges give him a 10-8 card.

The PPV broadcast is live.

Ben Henderson vs. Mark Bocek

Round 1 - Right hand by Bocek and he looks for the takedown and Henderson defends nicely. Henderson has Bocek pushed into the cage and he's working hard for position and lands a knee as Bocek tries to get off the cage. Body kick by Henderson lands and a right hand by Bocek. Henderson reverses Mocek into the cage yet again. Elbow lands hard for Bocek. Left hand lands for Henderson. Leg kick by Henderson now. Combo with a leg kick to punctuate it by Henderson and he's getting the better of the standing exchanges. Jocek looking for the single leg and eating a lot of punches before he sweeps the leg. Bocek keeping him on the ground landing short punches to the body. Henderson keeps trying to get to the cage and stand up but Bocek is controlling well. Elbows off his back by Henderson and he appeared to win the round. 10-9 Henderson.

Round 2 - Flurry by Henderson and Bocek looks for the takedown. Henderson landing a flurry of elbows to the side of his head while defending. Bocek with a takedown but Henderson uses the guillotine choke threat to get back to standing. Knee to the face from the clinch by Henderson. Two punches and a leg kick by Henderson. Henderson with a takedown now and he is looking to land some punches. Bocek looking for a leg lock and eats a flurry of punches. Bocek can't manage to finish the heel hook before Henderson gets to his feet. Bocek with a headlock and he tries to switch to an anaconda choke. Henderson survives and Bocek changes to a guillotine. Henderson gets out of a deep choke attempt and lands a flurry of shots, cutting Bocek's head open. 10-9 round for Henderson again.

Round 3 - Bocek is going to need a finish here unless the judges gave him the first for getting a takedown. Henderson with a leg kick and Bocek manages to get a takedown. He lands an elbow from the top and does some damage before Henderson gets the sweep and lands some heavy ground and pound. Bocek goes for a heel hook and gets the sweep. He almost takes the back but Henderson survives to standing and has Bocek pushed into the cage again. Bocek can't get the takedown and now Henderson briefly has one of his own. Henderson with a takedown and landing some short punches. Bocek dives for a leg trying to get top position. Good knees by Henderson and some hard punches. Bocek with a takedown into half guard. He has 30 seconds to find a way to finish. Bocek looking for a submission here from a choke but can't get it. 10-9 Henderson for the sweep on my card but I'm a little worried the judges will give it to Bocek on a few takedowns.

Official Scorecards: 30-27 across the board for Ben Henderson. Ben Henderson wins by unanimous decision.

Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Jason Brilz

Round 1 - Vlad with an early stiff looking combo and a right hand and Brilz goes down. A few hammerfists, Brilz goes out, another hammerfist wakes him up and the fight is over. Vladimir Matyushenko wins by TKO, round 1. Huh...there ya go.
UFC 129 PREVIEW: Penick's full event breakdown and fight predictions for GSP vs. Shields in Toronto
[Mixed Martial Arts] (MMATorch.com)
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief UFC 129 is finally here tonight, and the first ever stadium event in UFC history is sure to have an insane sold-out crowd at the Rogers Centre to cheer on the multitude of Canadian MMA fighters on the card. Out of the 12 fights scheduled for the event, only two fights will not have a Canadian represented, and it will make for a loud and passionate crowd throughout t ...

[details] [close] received 279 days ago published 279 days ago lang: en

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC 129 is finally here tonight, and the first ever stadium event in UFC history is sure to have an insane sold-out crowd at the Rogers Centre to cheer on the multitude of Canadian MMA fighters on the card. Out of the 12 fights scheduled for the event, only two fights will not have a Canadian represented, and it will make for a loud and passionate crowd throughout the night for what should be a highly entertaining night of fights. Jury duty has kept me out of action for much of the week here on the site, so unfortunately this event's preview will be a bit shorter than normal, but here's how I see things playing out tonight at UFC 129.

=====MAIN PAY-PER-VIEW CARD=====

Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields (UFC Welterweight Championship)

The UFC has done their best to present Jake Shields as a legitimate threat to GSP's reign atop the welterweight division, but while he remains one of the most dangerous fighters to face on the ground, he's going up against the most well-rounded and the greatest fighter in the division.

GSP matches up favorably with Shields in strength and grappling, and though Shields' submission prowess likely gives him the advantage in that department, St. Pierre's defensive abilities should be enough to get him out of trouble when he needs to.

Ultimately, because of St. Pierre's grappling ability, both on the offensive and the defensive, I don't expect this fight to be there all that often. The biggest advantage St. Pierre has in this fight is in the striking game, where he is simply leaps and bounds ahead of Shields. And that's not meant as a slight to Shields, it's simply the part of his game where he hasn't advanced nearly to the level of his ground game, whereas St. Pierre's striking continues to get more refined and dangerous.

This should be a good, competitive fight throughout, but I think ultimately it will be St. Pierre once again laying on the punishment on the feet for the duration, and eventually I see Shields succumbing to the accumulation of strikes in the championship rounds.

PREDICTION: St. Pierre by TKO in the fourth round

Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick (UFC Featherweight Championship)

Mark Hominick's got a better chance in this fight I believe than a lot have given him, but he's still a massive underdog for a reason. We've seen Aldo earn victories in a number of ways in his time in the WEC, from the eight second destruction of Cub Swanson with a double flying knee to the five round humbling of Urijah Faber, Aldo has faced and beaten the best an (admittedly) thin featherweight division has had to offer him.

Hominick has come on strong over his last several fights, earning impressive wins over George Roop, Yves Jabouin and Bryan Caraway in the WEC cage. But while he has the speed, aggression and power to trouble Aldo in ways Aldo's other opponents haven't been able to, I don't know that it will be enough to dethrone the champ. I think this will be a good fight, and an exciting fight, but Aldo is immensely dangerous and he'll find a way to stop this midway through the fight.

PREDICTION: Aldo by TKO in the third round

Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida (Light Heavyweight)

Randy Couture asked for this fight. That's admirable for the 47-year-old legend, not wanting to simply ride into the sunset on wins over what has been less-than-stellar competition over his last several fights. Saying this will be his last fight, he's taking on a legitimate challenger in the division, only two fights removed from being the division's champion, and who lost a razor thin split decision in his last fight to another top contender in "Rampage" Jackson.

Machida understands the spot he's in. He's lost two fights in a row, the last of which because he was hesitant to engage off the bat in the fight. A more aggressive "Dragon" is in order against what will be a slower Couture, and though Randy is capable of doing damage in the clinch and squeaking out rounds, Machida's got the power to hurt him when he attempts to engage.

Couture will be competitive in this fight, but Machida is looking for something spectacular after his last fight, and doesn't want to allow the judges to determine the outcome of this one, I think he'll find a way to finish this.

PREDICTION: Machida via TKO in the second round

Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Jason Brilz (Light Heavyweight)

Brilz is returning from a nearly year-long layoff after his valiant effort against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira last May. Matyushenko has kept himself relatively busy since his return to the UFC, with this fight being his fifth over a 19-month timespan. Coming off a first round stoppage of Alexandre Ferreira in Germany last November, Matyushenko wants to continue the momentum.

This was and still is an odd choice for the pay-per-view card, and it's likely to be a battle of wills between the old guard in Matyushenko against the grinding and talented Brilz. It's going to be close, but I think the cage rust will play a major factor in Brilz's performance and allow Matyushenko to edge him on the scorecards.

PREDICTION: Matyushenko via unanimous decision

Mark Bocek vs. Ben Henderson (Lightweight)

This fight is Henderson's opportunity to prove that his competition in the WEC was just fine and that he can absolutely compete with the guys in the UFC. It's also a chance for him to try to get out from under the shadow of "The Kick" that he took from Anthony Pettis in December.

Mark Bocek has submitted four of his last five opponents, with the only holdout being the decision loss to Jim Miller at UFC 111 that he nearly pulled out. He's as dangerous a fighter as any that Henderson has ever faced, and presents a huge challenge on the ground.

That said, Henderson's insane flexibility has gotten him out of trouble in the past, and his submission game is pretty damn good himself. This should be a fast-paced, highly competitive and entertaining fight, but at the end of the night I think Bocek is simply really, really good, and I think he finds a way to snatch a limb from Henderson at some point late in the fight.

PREDICTION: Bocek via submission in the second round.

=====SPIKE TV PRELIMINARY CARD=====

Sean Pierson vs. Jake Ellenberger (Welterweight)

Ellenberger may be stepping in on late notice for this fight, but he's a massively dangerous opponent regardless of the notice he's given. Pierson's wrestling is pretty good, and he could surprise people by giving Ellenberger a challenge in the early going, but this fight is Ellenberger's all the way. He hits very hard, and if he can come in and do what he's capable of, this fight should end in violent fashion.

PREDICTION: Ellenberger via TKO in the second round

Nate Diaz vs. Rory MacDonald (Welterweight)

I love this fight, and for fans it's awesome that it's on free TV. MacDonald is returning for the first time since his loss to Carlos Condit last June, and though he was beaten badly in the third round of that fight, he was still ahead on "The Natural Born Killer" heading into that final round. The 21-year-old has done nothing but impress everyone who has seen him fight or who has stepped across the cage from him, and he'll be out for his 11th stoppage win against the always tough Diaz.

Coming off a disappointing decision loss to Dong Hyun Kim, this is a fight that will likely determine which direction Diaz takes next with his career. He's 2-1 since making the move up to welterweight, but he's coming in against a buzz-saw in the 21-year-old Canadian, who will be competing in front of a massive home country crowd.

Diaz is tough, and has taken a ton of punishment throughout his career without ever being stopped by strikes. That toughness will allow him to bring this fight through 15 minutes, but surviving won't be enough to win.

PREDICTION: MacDonald via unanimous decision

=====FACEBOOK PRELIMINARY CARD QUICK PICKS=====

* Daniel Roberts over Claude Patrick via unanimous decision

* Ivan Menjivar over Charlie Valencia via unanimous decision

* Jason MacDonald over Ryan Jensen via submission in the third round

* John Makdessi over Kyle Watson via TKO in the second round

* Pablo Garza over Yves Jabouin via TKO in the second round

=====MMATORCH CONFIDENCE AND BETTING GAME PICKS=====

12 - GSP - TKO RD. 4
11 - Machida - TKO RD. 2
10 - Ellenberger - TKO RD. 2
9 - R. MacDonald - DECISION
8 - Makdessi - TKO RD. 2
7 - J. MacDonald - SUB RD. 3
6 - Aldo - TKO RD. 3
5 - Matyushenko - DECISION
4 - Bocek - SUB RD. 2
3 - Menjivar - DECISION
2 - Roberts - DECISION
1 - Garza - TKO RD. 2

$500 on J. MacDonald
$200 on Bocek
$100 on Garza

$200 parlay on J. MacDonald, R. MacDonald and Makdessi

Ben Watson

Aston Villa

Wigan

Match pointers

AFC North Draft Grades

The Event

Multimedia

Analysis

Aftermath

Which would you rather see now?