Slice and Dice
Silva wins on televised undercard
In a heavyweight co-feature, former UFC heavyweight champion
Ricco Rodriguez
(Pictures)'s attempt to resurrect his
career fell just short against the large Antonio Silva.
Following three tight rounds, judges at ringside disagreed on the winner. It was understandable: Both men had their moments in the competitive contest. Even exchanges on the feet made the opening round close until Rodriguez scored with a double-leg takedown on the former super heavyweight. The position and subsequent ground striking was enough for two judges to award the first to Rodriguez.
Silva recovered with a controlling middle round to sweep the period
on the score sheets. Working from the top position, Silva pummeled
Rodriguez, opening a cut on his right eyelid.
"I got hit hard," Rodriguez said. "There were points where I thought, wow, I'm in trouble. I came back and I think the fight went back-and-forth."
"It's the first time anybody has ever gone past the first round with me," said Silva, who at the post-event press conference revealed that two weeks before the bout he tore an medial collateral ligament. "I want to congratulate Ricco, he's a very tough guy. I hope in the future I'll be fighting for the belt.
Apparently Scott Smith didn't like the boos.
Following an opening period that brought loud jeers and an impromptu chant of "Kimbo! Kimbo!" inside the packed arena, Smith (13-5) landed a straight right that instantly knocked out Australian middleweight Kyle Noke (Pictures) seven seconds into the second frame. The veteran Californian pounced and connected with an additional winging punch that sliced open the right corner of Noke's mouth as he lay in a heap along the cage fencing.
The explosive end came after a five-minute stretch in which Noke (14-4-1) repeatedly scored with jabs and left hooks.
"Kyle was picking me apart," Smith said. "I knew if this fight went the distance he would probably win the fight. He won that first round."
The short-armed Smith, 2-2 in UFC competition and a veteran of "The Ultimate Fighter 4," apologized for the slow start, though he really didn't need to despite the cries of a blood-thirsty crowd.
Fighting at 160 pounds, Yves Edwards (Pictures) went to 3-0 since joining the ranks of South Florida's American Top Team with a beautiful counter knee to a single-leg takedown against Edson Berto.
Edwards' resurgence after losing five of seven fights was exemplified in his performance against the dangerous Berto, a fighter who possesses the tools to win against elite competition but has bore out mixed results.
The brother of boxing welterweight contender Andre Berto, Edson used his striking early to show he belonged in the cage with Edwards, once considered the finest lightweight in the UFC. The fighters exchanged kicks to the midsection and close submissions before Edwards established control of the opening round with a good series of strikes from Berto's guard.
Though he was active, Edwards' work wasn't enough for referee Jorge Ortiz (Pictures), who stood the fighters as the round moved toward its conclusion. Berto (13-5-1) moved for a single-leg takedown, but Edwards fought it off perfectly by pushing the Tampa, Florida-based fighter's head down toward the canvas.
They remained nearly frozen in the position before Edwards (33-13-1) delivered a perfectly timed knee with his plant leg. The short strike put Berto down, and Edwards delivered another punch before Ortiz intervened with four seconds remaining on the clock.
British heavyweight James Thompson (Pictures) rushed at St. Paul, Minnesota's Brett Rogers (Pictures) as soon as referee Troy Waugh opened the evening's televised portion. While Thompson's aggression should not have surprised anyone, his effort to wrestle Rogers after a career full of brawls was strange.
The Mohawk-wearing Rogers didn't need much time to prove why Thompson's game plan, as ill fated as it would prove to be, was the correct one.
Having created enough distance and shown Thompson (14-8) -- whose modified style could be tied directly to his recent move to Randy Couture (Pictures)'s Las Vegas gym -- he would not go to the canvas without a serious fight, Rogers (6-0) unloaded a powerful combination that put the veteran heavyweight on the canvas for good.
Against the fence, the 264-pound Rogers scored with a knee in the clinch. He followed with a left hand, overhand right and two more punches, the last coming as Thompson had already started to go down, to force a stop of the fight at the 2:24 mark.
"I'm very disappointed," Thompson said. "Obviously he caught me. He hit a lot harder than I thought. My confidence just wasn't where I would like it to be or where it should be after my last fight."
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The latest member of the Black House camp to make a name for himself in mixed martial arts competition, Rafael Feijao shone in front of his teammates -- Anderson Silva and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures) -- with a brutal finish of Allentown, Pennsylvania's John Doyle (Pictures).
Feijao, now 5-1 (his only loss coming by way of disqualification), displayed nearly every facet of the striking game. Unloading straight rights, vicious knees in the clinch and standing elbows, Feijao remained patient before finding the finish at 2:17 of the opening round.
Against the cage fencing, he dropped Doyle (6-3) to the canvas with a knee to the midsection. When referee Jorge Ortiz (Pictures) didn't immediately move in to stop the contest, the Brazilian light heavyweight out of Rio de Janeiro slammed a right hand into Doyle's jaw, which did not have the protection of a mouthpiece after the reeling fighter had spit it out. Doyle remained on the canvas for several moments, but he exited the cage under his own power.
Yosmany Cabezas (Pictures) submitted Jon Kirk (Pictures) via rear-naked choke at 58 seconds of round two.
The middleweight contest could have ended in the first. With Cabezas having locked on a triangle choke, Kirk somehow battled his way through the submission. Frustrated, Cabezas bloodied Kirk (10-3) with three angry elbows, the last of which prompted referee Troy Waugh to deduct a point from the Tampa, Fla., resident for a point-of-elbow strike.
The damage had been done, however, and Cabezas (5-0) finished quickly in the middle period after dumping the Houston, Texas-based Kirk to the canvas.
Dave Herman (Pictures) impressively upped his record to 10-0 with a dominant and brutal victory over Mario Rinaldi (Pictures), who if nothing else showed he could take a pounding. A heavyweight out of Indiana, Herman showed good balance as Rinaldi (6-3, 1 NC) ceaselessly worked for a single-leg takedown.
After delivering lone punches that produced heavy swelling around Rinaldi's left eye, Herman slowed his pace in round two but was nonetheless impressive in stuffing takedowns and scoring knees in the clinch. The end came, mercifully, 33 seconds into round three, when Herman unloaded on Rinaldi, prompting referee Jorge Ortiz (Pictures) to call a halt to the contest.
Eric Bradley (Pictures) used his superior strength and wrestling to outpoint Mikey Gomez (Pictures) in a technical yet uninspiring welterweight contest. Fighting out of Las Vegas, Bradley continually pressured the game Floridian with single- and double-leg takedowns. Though Gomez (6-3) landed several kicks to his southpaw foe's body, Bradley (3-1) won unanimously in the eyes of the judges (Tim Vanatta, Rich Coreen, Chris Lee), who scored it for the wrestler at a 30-27 tally.
Lorenzo Borgameo won his welterweight affair with a triangle submission over Mike Bernhard (Pictures). The Miami-based fighters brought a high-paced feel to the contest, with Bernhard forcing several takedowns against the kicking Borgameo (3-0). Against the cage fencing, Borgameo trapped Bernhard (3-1) with his legs and patiently waited for a tap, which came at 4:11 of round two.
Moyses Gabin (Pictures) scored an early stoppage of fellow Floridian Jirka Hlavaty (1-2). The end came after Gabin (2-0) opened a large gash under Hlavaty's right eye, prompting a stoppage on the advice of the ringside physician at 2:32 of the opening round.
Following three tight rounds, judges at ringside disagreed on the winner. It was understandable: Both men had their moments in the competitive contest. Even exchanges on the feet made the opening round close until Rodriguez scored with a double-leg takedown on the former super heavyweight. The position and subsequent ground striking was enough for two judges to award the first to Rodriguez.
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"I got hit hard," Rodriguez said. "There were points where I thought, wow, I'm in trouble. I came back and I think the fight went back-and-forth."
Judges Rich Coreen and Hector Gomez saw the third in favor of
Silva, while Chris Lee dissented. Final scores had it 30-27
(Coreen) and 29-28 (Gomez) for the American Top Team-trained Silva,
while Lee finished with a 29-28 tally for Rodriguez.
"It's the first time anybody has ever gone past the first round with me," said Silva, who at the post-event press conference revealed that two weeks before the bout he tore an medial collateral ligament. "I want to congratulate Ricco, he's a very tough guy. I hope in the future I'll be fighting for the belt.
Apparently Scott Smith didn't like the boos.
Following an opening period that brought loud jeers and an impromptu chant of "Kimbo! Kimbo!" inside the packed arena, Smith (13-5) landed a straight right that instantly knocked out Australian middleweight Kyle Noke (Pictures) seven seconds into the second frame. The veteran Californian pounced and connected with an additional winging punch that sliced open the right corner of Noke's mouth as he lay in a heap along the cage fencing.
The explosive end came after a five-minute stretch in which Noke (14-4-1) repeatedly scored with jabs and left hooks.
"Kyle was picking me apart," Smith said. "I knew if this fight went the distance he would probably win the fight. He won that first round."
The short-armed Smith, 2-2 in UFC competition and a veteran of "The Ultimate Fighter 4," apologized for the slow start, though he really didn't need to despite the cries of a blood-thirsty crowd.
Fighting at 160 pounds, Yves Edwards (Pictures) went to 3-0 since joining the ranks of South Florida's American Top Team with a beautiful counter knee to a single-leg takedown against Edson Berto.
Edwards' resurgence after losing five of seven fights was exemplified in his performance against the dangerous Berto, a fighter who possesses the tools to win against elite competition but has bore out mixed results.
The brother of boxing welterweight contender Andre Berto, Edson used his striking early to show he belonged in the cage with Edwards, once considered the finest lightweight in the UFC. The fighters exchanged kicks to the midsection and close submissions before Edwards established control of the opening round with a good series of strikes from Berto's guard.
Though he was active, Edwards' work wasn't enough for referee Jorge Ortiz (Pictures), who stood the fighters as the round moved toward its conclusion. Berto (13-5-1) moved for a single-leg takedown, but Edwards fought it off perfectly by pushing the Tampa, Florida-based fighter's head down toward the canvas.
They remained nearly frozen in the position before Edwards (33-13-1) delivered a perfectly timed knee with his plant leg. The short strike put Berto down, and Edwards delivered another punch before Ortiz intervened with four seconds remaining on the clock.
British heavyweight James Thompson (Pictures) rushed at St. Paul, Minnesota's Brett Rogers (Pictures) as soon as referee Troy Waugh opened the evening's televised portion. While Thompson's aggression should not have surprised anyone, his effort to wrestle Rogers after a career full of brawls was strange.
The Mohawk-wearing Rogers didn't need much time to prove why Thompson's game plan, as ill fated as it would prove to be, was the correct one.
Having created enough distance and shown Thompson (14-8) -- whose modified style could be tied directly to his recent move to Randy Couture (Pictures)'s Las Vegas gym -- he would not go to the canvas without a serious fight, Rogers (6-0) unloaded a powerful combination that put the veteran heavyweight on the canvas for good.
Against the fence, the 264-pound Rogers scored with a knee in the clinch. He followed with a left hand, overhand right and two more punches, the last coming as Thompson had already started to go down, to force a stop of the fight at the 2:24 mark.
"I'm very disappointed," Thompson said. "Obviously he caught me. He hit a lot harder than I thought. My confidence just wasn't where I would like it to be or where it should be after my last fight."
Internet Bouts
The latest member of the Black House camp to make a name for himself in mixed martial arts competition, Rafael Feijao shone in front of his teammates -- Anderson Silva and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures) -- with a brutal finish of Allentown, Pennsylvania's John Doyle (Pictures).
Feijao, now 5-1 (his only loss coming by way of disqualification), displayed nearly every facet of the striking game. Unloading straight rights, vicious knees in the clinch and standing elbows, Feijao remained patient before finding the finish at 2:17 of the opening round.
Against the cage fencing, he dropped Doyle (6-3) to the canvas with a knee to the midsection. When referee Jorge Ortiz (Pictures) didn't immediately move in to stop the contest, the Brazilian light heavyweight out of Rio de Janeiro slammed a right hand into Doyle's jaw, which did not have the protection of a mouthpiece after the reeling fighter had spit it out. Doyle remained on the canvas for several moments, but he exited the cage under his own power.
Yosmany Cabezas (Pictures) submitted Jon Kirk (Pictures) via rear-naked choke at 58 seconds of round two.
The middleweight contest could have ended in the first. With Cabezas having locked on a triangle choke, Kirk somehow battled his way through the submission. Frustrated, Cabezas bloodied Kirk (10-3) with three angry elbows, the last of which prompted referee Troy Waugh to deduct a point from the Tampa, Fla., resident for a point-of-elbow strike.
The damage had been done, however, and Cabezas (5-0) finished quickly in the middle period after dumping the Houston, Texas-based Kirk to the canvas.
Dave Herman (Pictures) impressively upped his record to 10-0 with a dominant and brutal victory over Mario Rinaldi (Pictures), who if nothing else showed he could take a pounding. A heavyweight out of Indiana, Herman showed good balance as Rinaldi (6-3, 1 NC) ceaselessly worked for a single-leg takedown.
After delivering lone punches that produced heavy swelling around Rinaldi's left eye, Herman slowed his pace in round two but was nonetheless impressive in stuffing takedowns and scoring knees in the clinch. The end came, mercifully, 33 seconds into round three, when Herman unloaded on Rinaldi, prompting referee Jorge Ortiz (Pictures) to call a halt to the contest.
Eric Bradley (Pictures) used his superior strength and wrestling to outpoint Mikey Gomez (Pictures) in a technical yet uninspiring welterweight contest. Fighting out of Las Vegas, Bradley continually pressured the game Floridian with single- and double-leg takedowns. Though Gomez (6-3) landed several kicks to his southpaw foe's body, Bradley (3-1) won unanimously in the eyes of the judges (Tim Vanatta, Rich Coreen, Chris Lee), who scored it for the wrestler at a 30-27 tally.
Lorenzo Borgameo won his welterweight affair with a triangle submission over Mike Bernhard (Pictures). The Miami-based fighters brought a high-paced feel to the contest, with Bernhard forcing several takedowns against the kicking Borgameo (3-0). Against the cage fencing, Borgameo trapped Bernhard (3-1) with his legs and patiently waited for a tap, which came at 4:11 of round two.
Moyses Gabin (Pictures) scored an early stoppage of fellow Floridian Jirka Hlavaty (1-2). The end came after Gabin (2-0) opened a large gash under Hlavaty's right eye, prompting a stoppage on the advice of the ringside physician at 2:32 of the opening round.
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