UFC 133 Results & Live Play-by-Play
Aug 6, 2011
Sherdog.com will report from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia
at 5:45 p.m. ET with play-by-play and live results of UFC
133, which is headlined by a rematch pitting Rashad
Evans against Tito Ortiz.
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Round 1
Referee Kevin Mulhall is in the cage to get the first fight of the night underway. Bradley takes the center of the cage and “Sapo” feints and swings as he dances around the perimeter. A wild overhand right from Bradley grazes the Brazilian, but then Natal comes forward, flicking inside leg kicks and pumping his jab. Natal goes to the outside thigh with his kick and Bradley’s legs are already showing damage, his nose bloodied. Bradley is checking the kicks now and eating more jabs from Natal, who’s really taken over midway through the opening frame. Single-leg from Bradley is easily slipped by Natal, who moves from orthodox to southpaw stance and back again before stuffing another takedown attempt. Bradley catches a kick and tries for another takedown, but still can’t get it. The leg kicks from Natal are just vicious, causing Bradley to hop each time one is thrown. Bradley puts a one-two on Natal just before the bell and doesn’t follow up.
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Natal
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Natal
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Natal
Round 2
Bradley charges Natal into the fence and throws a bunch of punches which stagger the Brazilian. The wrestler gives chase as Sapo stumbles out of the corner, and Bradley finally gets his takedown. He pins Natal on the base of the fence and lays on him from half-guard, nearly passing to side control. After a minute, Natal grabs for a leglock and Bradley is forced to bail, giving up the position. Back on the feet, Natal resumes his steady diet of leg kicks to Bradley’s badly damaged stems. Bradley doesn’t even appear to be considering another takedown as Natal bangs him with kicks and right-left straight punch combos. With just under a minute remaining, Bradley catches a finger in the eye and referee Mulhall halts the action. Bradley doesn’t take more than 20 seconds to recover and they get back to work. Bradley scores another takedown with 15 ticks left, but doesn’t do anything with it.
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Natal
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Natal
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Bradley
Round 3
Bradley catches an early leg kick from Natal and tries to spin him down, but only winds up eating a pair of knees from the Brazilian for his troubles. More chopping inside leg kicks from Natal force Bradley to dive for another shot, which comes nowhere close. Spinning backfist misses for Natal and Bradley whiffs on another single-leg try. Again, Bradley tries for the takedown, and again Sapo punishes him with knees and punches. Bradley’s got nothing left in his legs, making it really difficult for him to execute single-legs. After eating a particularly hard one-two, Bradley opts to clinch Natal into the fence and the Philly boo-birds let themselves be heard. Bradley catches another finger to the eye, but this one goes unnoticed. He gets a takedown, but can only keep Natal on the floor for about 10 seconds before the Brazilian is vertical and striking again. Bradley initiates the clinch again, drawing another knee to the gut by Natal and more jeers from the crowd.
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Natal (30-27 Natal)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Natal (30-27 Natal)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Natal (29-28 Natal)
Official result: Judges Wilfredo Cintron and Cardo Urso score it 29-28, while judge Kao has it 30-27, all in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Rafael “Sapo” Natal.
Mike Thomas Brown vs. Nam Phan
Round 1
Brown immediately looks to come over the top with right hands, and ducks in behind his strikes with a stuffed takedown attempt. Phan’s mixing up his punches, but the first meaningful punch comes from Brown, who socks the “Ultimate Fighter” vet with a left hook. Now, Brown gets inside and scores the takedown, and Phan gives up his back. One hook is in for Brown, who has his right arm looped around the kneeling Phan’s waist while his left hand repeatedly socks Phan in the side of the head. The punches aren’t hard, but a few dozen shots go unanswered by Phan, who’s just waiting for his chance to escape at the base of the fence. With two minutes to go, Phan turns to his side, his left arm still pinned beneath him. Brown’s bloodied him with the short punches and they aren’t stopping. Phan doesn’t seem in danger of being finished, but he also doesn’t look to be going anywhere. From full mount, Brown drills Phan with nasty horizontal elbows. Phan gets to his feet in the waning seconds of the round, only to be dragged back down before the horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 Brown
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Brown
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-8 Brown
Round 2
Phan sprawls wide on a single-leg in the center of the cage and Brown pushes him to the fence. Phan goes down to a knee, but only briefly, as he slips out to the center. The Californian is putting together some solid punches now, cracking Brown with hooks to the face and body. Brown dives at another takedown and is stuffed again. Halfway through the round, the American Top Team fighter picks Phan’s ankle, but again they’re back on their toes almost instantly. Brown just misses an overhand right and Phan puts a thudding left hook on the former WEC champ’s body, then one to the head. An uppercut lands for Phan, then another left hook to the guts. Brown shoots with 40 seconds to go, charging Phan into the fence, where he widens him base and steps away from Brown.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Phan
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Phan
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Phan
Round 3
Phan opens the round with a sharp right hand over the top and then lays another three-piece on Brown, who’s headhunting with big rights of his own. It’s 40 seconds before Brown tries for a takedown and gets Phan’s back standing. Phan turns around and gets put on his posterior, but uses the cage to pop back up. Standing kimura attempt from Phan on the right arm of Brown causes the pair to split. Three minutes to go and Phan’s corner is urging him to finish, as they did between rounds. Brown shoots again and Phan tries for another kimura. There’s even less there for Phan this time and he breaks out, eating a left hook from Brown in the process. Phan misses on a head kick and a tired-looking Brown charges forward. Phan sprawls all over a single-leg and socks Brown with a few hammerfists. Right hook, then a left hook from Phan seems to bother Brown, who shoots once more with 90 seconds left. Phan stays up, muscled into the fence by Brown, whose inactivity is drawing the ire of the crowd. Brown takes Phan’s back standing, then shoots low when Phan turns around, absorbing a couple elbows from his knees.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Brown (29-27 Brown)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Phan (28-28 Draw)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Brown (29-27 Brown)
Official result: It’s one scorecard of 29-27 and two 29-28s, all in favor of Mike Thomas Brown, who picks up his first UFC win by way of unanimous decision.
Johny Hendricks vs. Mike Pierce
Round 1
After exchanging shots early, Hendricks is first to clinch and the wrestler stall out on the fence. They split and Pierce scores with a leg kick while Hendricks grazes with an uppercut. Hendricks lands some knees in the clinch in center cage, then chases Pierce down with a single-leg. Pierce uses the fence to stand right back up, and Hendricks takes his man’s back standing to drive some knees to Pierce’s thigh. They disengage and Hendricks comes forward with wild knees and punches, but it’s Pierce who finds success with uppercuts in the clinch. Now Hendricks gets his knees through, and follows up with a crisp left hook before putting Pierce’s back on the cage. Pierce lands a level elbow upon exit and has a head kick blocked. Another to the body by Hendricks gets through before the horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Hendricks
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Hendricks
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Hendricks
Round 2
Hendricks gets back to business, whipping Pierce with leg kicks and quick right hands. Pierce tries to slow the action with a clinch on the fence, but it doesn’t last long. Hendricks shoots a far-out double and gets sprawled on, then put against a cage post by Pierce. There’s not much going on aside from a few short punches by Pierce to the body of Hendricks, so referee Mario Yamasaki splits them up. Hendricks shoots and Pierce grabs a front headlock; Hendricks puts his hand on the mat to prevent any knees to his head. Pierce lets the headlock go and they’re back to trading. Hendricks leaps in with a knee, but Pierce answers with a one-two. Another knee from Hendricks causes Pierce to clinch, and Hendricks follows up with a three-piece combo that has Pierce covering. Pierce sprawls on a shot, but Hendricks uses the position to knee Pierce’s thigh to the horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Pierce
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Pierce
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Pierce
Round 3
Pierce immediately looks for a takedown and the welterweights wind up clinched in the middle of the Octagon, trading elbows and punches inside. Now it’s Hendricks who shoots, allowing Pierce to grab another headlock. Again, Hendricks puts his hand on the canvas, and again, Pierce lets the hold go. Hendricks pumps his jab and Pierce wades inside for another takedown, but it doesn’t come. A few solid punches from Hendricks land before Pierce lifts him up and plants him on the floor. Pierce works from Hendricks’ open guard, trying to blast with elbows, but they’re not down long before ref Yamasaki warns of a standup. Pierce lands a vertical elbow that’s not called foul, but Yamasaki halts the action when Hendricks lands a glancing upkick to the face of Pierce, who appeared to be standing. No point is deducted and they get back to work. Hendricks has a shot stuffed and lands a few knees to Pierce’s thigh before the final horn in what will be a very close decision.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Pierce (29-28 Pierce)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Pierce (29-28 Pierce)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Hendricks (29-28 Hendricks)
Official result: One judge at cageside has it 29-28 for Mike Pierce. However, the remaining officials see it 29-28 for the winner by split decision, Johny Hendricks.
Ivan Menjivar vs. Nick Pace
Round 1
The bantamweights clinch up instantly, but nothing much happens through the opening minute. When they split, it’s Menjivar taking action with outside leg kicks and right crosses. Pace tries to take the “Pride of El Salvador” down, can’t, but does follow up with a crisp left hook. An errant inside leg kick from Menjivar catches Pace low; it’s not long before Pace is back in action. Pace ducks under a big right hand from Menjivar and trips him to the ground. Menjivar uses butterfly guard and drills elbows to the head of Pace, who passes to side control. Menjivar gives up his back and stands up with Pace attached, one hook in. Menjivar grabs the ankle and tries to shake Pace loose, but the American is stuck on there. Pace tries a rear-naked choke and it looks bad for a moment, but he can’t get the hold under the chin. Menjivar shucks Pace off his back with 25 seconds to go and comes forward with punches, most of which miss their mark.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Pace
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Pace
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Pace
Round 2
Menjivar catches a kick from Pace and cracks his younger opponent with a hard right hand. The Tristar Gym fighter fires off a bunch of leg kicks and then walks the retreating Pace down. Snapping front kick from Menjivar now, followed with a hard knee-punch combination. He backs Pace up some more and whacks him with a right hook on the cheek. An overhand right scores for Menjivar, then another teep and a turning side kick. Pace is covering up, back to the fence as Menjivar unloads with punches and knees to the body. Still two minutes to go and Menjivar is taking over this fight, whipping leg kicks inside and out. Pace is getting worked, but he scores a takedown with 60 seconds left. He’s in half-guard, but he’s pinning Menjivar’s right arm down. Menjivar extracts the limb and rides the round out with Pace in his guard.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Menjivar
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Menjivar
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Menjivar
Round 3
Pace is looking for a takedown early, but Menjivar is having none of it, sprawling on the shots and cracking Pace with hard right hands and one-twos. Now it’s Menjivar looking for a trip that doesn’t come, so he goes back to leg-kicking and standing just out of range of Pace’s punches. Menjivar goes high with a right hand, to the body with a left, then catches Pace low with another inside kick. Pace takes 30 seconds to get well and they’re back at it with half a round to go. Menjivar keeps the leg kicks coming, dancing outside of Pace’s range. A feint to the body and a one-two up top from Menjivar. With a minute left, Pace drills his man with a hard knee in the clinch and Menjivar is backpedaling. Menjivar’s squinting, clearly injured in the left eye, where he caught the knee. Pace gives chase, hitting a step-in knee and winging more punches, but only a few get through as Menjivar does a good job keeping alive as the round winds down.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Menjivar (29-28 Menjivar)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Menjivar (29-28 Menjivar)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Pace (29-28 Pace)
Official result: All three judges score it 29-28 for the winner by unanimous decision, Ivan Menjivar.
Chad Mendes vs. Rani Yahya
Round 1
The featherweights open up with much feinting and some clashing leg kicks. Yahya shoots low for a double-leg, but doesn’t get near the body of Mendes before he’s pushed away. Mendes clips Yahya low with a kick and the Brazilian takes a minute to regain his composure. When they restart, Mendes is whipping leg kicks inside while Yahya seems to be just looking for his chance to shoot or tie up. At the halfway mark, he does, and Mendes simply walks backward to avoid the shot. They tie up and Mendes shows his strength by tossing Yahya aside, then spins him around with a leg kick. Yahya ducks inside and Mendes throws him down again, just toying with the BJJ black belt now. Mendes connects with a punch to the body, more leg kicks, and a flying knee just before the round expires.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Round 2
Yahya tries to get inside with punches and Mendes takes him for a ride. Open guard for Yahya, who shrimps and looks for an angle only momentarily before Mendes stands back up. Mendes has his hands by his side, standing out-of-range of all Yahya’s strikes and easily shucking shots with the Brazilian chooses to try. An overhand right lands for Mendes, then a left hand to the body is followed by a takedown. Yahya digs his heel into Mendes’ body a few times and Mendes gets back up. Back standing, Yahya sneaks a left hook through, but fails on a diving single-leg try. A straight right from Mendes snaps back Yahya’s head, then another has Yahya wobbling. Yahya’s efforts to wade inside with clinches are not working. Mendes grabs underhooks and eats a short hook from Yahya, then lets him go.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Round 3
Mendes drives Yahya down, straight into open guard. Yahya’s working on the right arm of Mendes while “Money” uses his left to sock Yahya in the ribs. Mendes puts his hand over Yahya’s mouth, forcing Yahya to squirm out. A pair of fast, short elbows from Mendes has Yahya breathing with his mouth open. Yahya is twisting and shrimping, looking for a submission, but both men are covered in sweat and Mendes is keeping it tight on the floor. Mendes stands back up with half a round to go, but brings Yahya down again straight away. Yahya creeps his right leg up and tries for an omoplata; it doesn’t come close, as Mendes stands up drops back down into full guard. Mendes lets the grappler back to his feet with a minute remaining. Yahya catches Mendes coming in with a left hand and Mendes stumbles a bit before regaining himself. Another takedown for Mendes with 20 seconds to go; he flips over the guard of Yahya and finishes the fight with back control.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mendes (30-27 Mendes)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mendes (30-27 Mendes)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mendes (30-27 Mendes)
Official result: It’s a clean sweep for Chad Mendes, who stays unbeaten with scores of 30-27 on all three judges’ scorecards.
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Matt Hamill
Round 1
The much taller Gustafsson circles outside while Hamill takes the center, missing on a pair of single-leg attempts. The second one comes with a right hand from Gustafsson; Hamill answers with a nice left jab to the mush. Gustafsson lands an outside leg kick, socks Hamill with a pair of right hands and stuffs a shot. Hamill connects with a left straight, then a right uppercut-left straight combo. A left hook from Hamill bloodies the corner of Gustafsson’s right eye. Hamill catches Gustafsson coming in, zapping him with a right over the top, but Gustafsson lands one of his own underneath. Neither man scoring big in the last half-minute, as they trade punch-for-punch to finish a close first round.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Gustafsson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Gustafsson
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Hamill
Round 2
Gustafsson shucks a shot from Hamill early in the second, zapping the American with punches when he dips inside to clinch. Hamill’s right eye is showing wear now as Gustafsson gets busy with high kicks, then jogs the perimeter of the cage. Gustafsson switches his stance repeatedly while Hamill stands almost still in the middle. Not a lot of clean offense getting through for either man, but Gustafsson has been more active through the first half of the stanza. Gustafsson stuffs a single-leg and split’s Hamill’s guard with a left hand. Hamill falls to his side and Gustafsson pounces, slamming with elbows and hopping into full mount. Right hands rain down on the bloodied Hamill, then more elbows, then alternating lefts and rights which bounce Hamill’s head off the canvas. Referee Dan Miragliotta has seen enough and steps in for the save at 3:41 of round two.
Mike Pyle vs. Rory MacDonald
Round 1
Pyle swipes with left hooks and tries to get inside for a takedown, but wades back out. A right straight from MacDonald puts Pyle on his rear, but the punch only seemed to graze as Pyle slipped. Pyle dives into a takedown attempt and gets his head stuck in a guillotine, quickly extracts it and holds onto MacDonald as he stands back up. MacDonald gets driven back down, stands again, and uncorks a right-left combo that stuns Pyle. MacDonald grabs another guillotine, lets it go and chases Pyle down to the floor into guard. MacDonald back out and kicks at the legs of Pyle, which are already bearing marks from the strikes. Back down to the guard of Pyle goes MacDonald. He catches Pyle with a left hand. Pyle begins turning over and a right hand connects. Pyle is in deep trouble as he turtles on his knees, MacDonald’s right hand repeatedly crashing into Pyle’s temple. Kevin Mulhall waves it off at 3:54; Pyle still appears wobbly as he tries to stand while the official decision is read.
Jorge Rivera vs. Constantinos Philippou
Round 1
The first offense of the bout comes from Rivera, who slaps Philippou with inside thigh kicks until the New Yorker clinches up. He brings “El Conquistador” to the floor and works from Rivera’s open guard as Rivera scoots his back to the cage. Philippou moves to half-guard, Rivera still controlling his right arm. Rivera works back to his feet, absorbing punches on his way up, but can’t get off the cage once he’s vertical. Philippou’s not doing much with the position, so ref Mario Yamasaki splits them up with about two minutes left. Ten seconds later, they’re back in the same position and the crowd lets them hear it. Rivera reverses and puts Philippou’s back on the cage, scoring with a knee to the gut. Philippou breaks off and jogs to the other side of the cage, but Rivera stays patient, closes the gap and zaps him with a nice right hand. Rivera clinches again, but Philippou is able to quickly disengage, landing an uppercut on his way out. Philippou wades in with punches and clinches again before the horn. The Philly fans do not like this one so far.
Tony Loiseleur scores the round 10-9 Philippou
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Philippou
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Philippou
Round 2
Philippou drops Rivera with a right hand early and it’s looking bad for the Bostonian. Philippou pounds and pounds, referee Yamasaki standing above and warning Rivera that he’ll stop the fight if he doesn’t see something. Just when Yamasaki seems on the verge of doing just that, Rivera comes alive and reverses Philippou into the base of the cage. Now it’s Rivera unloading with punches, but Philippou seems unfazed. Both men are looking spent less than halfway into the second round as they get back to their feet. Clinchwork on the cage with both guys looking to dirty-box, Philippou scoring with intermittent uppercuts. Yamasaki splits them up with two minutes left, to the approval of the crowd. And then they clinch again. Rivera trips Philippou down, but goes straight into an omoplata attempt. Rivera’s right arm is in a bad spot, but Philippou is having trouble finishing. He can’t, despite holding Rivera in the position for a good 30 seconds, and Rivera escapes before the end of the round.
Tony Loiseleur scores the round 10-9 Philippou
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Philippou
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Philippou
Round 3
Rivera lands the better strikes in the opening minute of the final round, stinging Philippou with punches and short strikes in the clinch. Before long, Philippou brings him down. Rivera throws up a triangle choke, but can’t close it and Philippou shucks him off. Tired punches from Philippou on the floor as Rivera scrambles up. They clinch on the fence, Philippou using foot stomps until Yamasaki splits them up. Straight back to the clinch they go, Philippou trying for a single-leg which Rivera stymies. Guillotine attempt from Rivera doesn’t get far, but does bring Philippou down to a knee. The veteran scores with right hands and a knee to the body, but he’s running out of time. Philippou is giving nothing in return from his knees. He stands up with 30 seconds left and Yamasaki issues one last restart order. Philippou lands a left hook, Rivera rattles off a one-two, and the middleweights tumble to the ground at the horn.
Tony Loiseleur scores the round 10-9 Rivera (29-28 Philippou)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Rivera (29-28 Philippou)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Rivera (29-28 Philippou)
Official result: It’s a split verdict, with one judge submitting a 29-28 scorecard for Jorge Rivera and the remaining two officials rendering the same score for the first-time UFC winner, Constantinos Philippou.
Dennis Hallman vs. Brian Ebersole
Round 1
Hallman, wearing perhaps the smallest pair of trunks to grace the Octagon since Joe Son, leaps onto Ebersole’s back within seconds and locks up a body triangle. Ebersole rolls to escape and can’t find his way out. Rear-naked choke attempt from Hallman is getting close, but Ebersole’s staying alive by controlling the wrists. The body triangle is released now, Hallman on his back with hooks in, Ebersole atop him. Ebersole punches over his shoulder and twists loose, but finds himself in a guillotine. Hallman sits at the base of the fence, cranking the choke. Ebersole postures up and escapes, then wails away with hammerfists and elbows which stun “Superman.” Short staples are doing further damage to Hallman, who’s just trying to stay alive with Ebersole in his full guard. Ebersole stacks his man up and dives in with one more elbow, and this one makes Hallman go limp. Referee Kevin Mulhall rescues the dazed Hallman at 4:28 of the first round.
Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
Round 1
Mario Yamasaki is the third man in the cage for this evening’s middleweight co-main event. Akiyama is moving backward early, flicking out leg kicks as he does. Belfort tries for head kicks as both men remain tentative in the first minute. Akiyama tries a front kick, perhaps hoping to duplicate Anderson Silva’s feat. A left hand from Belfort bounces off Akiyama’s temple and the judoka goes down. Belfort goes wild, unleashing a brutal series of left hands. Akiyama gets to his feet, only to be met by another volley. He collapses again, face-first onto the canvas, and this time he’s not getting up. The official time of the devastating knockout is 1:52 of the first round.
Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz
Round 1
Dan Miragliotta has officiating duties for the 205-pound main event. Evans crouches in his corner at the start of the first, while Ortiz bounces up and down in his. Ortiz comes forward, slapping with a leg kick and putting a left hook on Evans’ cheek. Evans answers with a low kick of his own, then matadors Ortiz when the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” rushes with punches. Right hand connects for Evans and the men clinch briefly, neither gaining the advantage. Ortiz dives for a double-leg against the fence and brings Evans down with two minutes down. Evans stays on his knees, his back on the cage, sending short punches to Ortiz’s head as Tito tries to pick the ankle. They stand, Ortiz still holding a single, but he lets it go. They get into a firefight on the fence and it’s Evans landing the better shots. Right hooks, uppercuts, body blows all landing from Evans. Ortiz is covering up, but not out of the fight. He clinches and drills a knee to Evans’ body; Rashad answers with a level elbow. Rashad throws Ortiz over his shoulder and plows him to the ground, pounding away while Tito covers up. Ortiz’s right side is to the fence with Evans in side control on his left. Short right hands land for Evans and Ortiz rolls to guard. Evans finishes out the round stacking Ortiz up and punching to the head.
Tony Loiseleur scores the round 10-9 Evans
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Evans
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Evans
Round 2
They meet in the middle, Evans trying to get inside with left hands, then backing out when Ortiz pushes in. Rashad misses with a combo but gets inside on Ortiz, who grabs at a guillotine and falls to guard. It looks tight and Ortiz is wrenching it with all his might, but Evans has the angle to escape. The former Spartan does just that and moves to side control, knee on Ortiz’s belly, where Evans does damage with right hands. Rashad moves into the mounted crucifix, Ortiz’s right arm trapped between his legs, but can’t mount much offense before Ortiz gets the limb loose. Ortiz is bucking, pushing off the cage with his feet to try and escape, but he’s bloodied and Evans stays heavy on top. Ortiz rolls out and grabs at an armbar which gives the crowd a rise, but it’s not there. Evans stays on top and stands, Ortiz still kneeling at the base of the fence. A vicious knee to the solar plexus causes Ortiz to wilt, and that’s all she wrote. Evans lands another six or eight right hands to his fetal foe before referee Miragliotta realizes Ortiz isn’t going anywhere and steps in to wave it off. The official time is 4:48 of round two.
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Rafael
Natal vs. Paul
Bradley
Round 1
Referee Kevin Mulhall is in the cage to get the first fight of the night underway. Bradley takes the center of the cage and “Sapo” feints and swings as he dances around the perimeter. A wild overhand right from Bradley grazes the Brazilian, but then Natal comes forward, flicking inside leg kicks and pumping his jab. Natal goes to the outside thigh with his kick and Bradley’s legs are already showing damage, his nose bloodied. Bradley is checking the kicks now and eating more jabs from Natal, who’s really taken over midway through the opening frame. Single-leg from Bradley is easily slipped by Natal, who moves from orthodox to southpaw stance and back again before stuffing another takedown attempt. Bradley catches a kick and tries for another takedown, but still can’t get it. The leg kicks from Natal are just vicious, causing Bradley to hop each time one is thrown. Bradley puts a one-two on Natal just before the bell and doesn’t follow up.
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Natal
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Natal
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Natal
Round 2
Bradley charges Natal into the fence and throws a bunch of punches which stagger the Brazilian. The wrestler gives chase as Sapo stumbles out of the corner, and Bradley finally gets his takedown. He pins Natal on the base of the fence and lays on him from half-guard, nearly passing to side control. After a minute, Natal grabs for a leglock and Bradley is forced to bail, giving up the position. Back on the feet, Natal resumes his steady diet of leg kicks to Bradley’s badly damaged stems. Bradley doesn’t even appear to be considering another takedown as Natal bangs him with kicks and right-left straight punch combos. With just under a minute remaining, Bradley catches a finger in the eye and referee Mulhall halts the action. Bradley doesn’t take more than 20 seconds to recover and they get back to work. Bradley scores another takedown with 15 ticks left, but doesn’t do anything with it.
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Natal
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Natal
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Bradley
Round 3
Bradley catches an early leg kick from Natal and tries to spin him down, but only winds up eating a pair of knees from the Brazilian for his troubles. More chopping inside leg kicks from Natal force Bradley to dive for another shot, which comes nowhere close. Spinning backfist misses for Natal and Bradley whiffs on another single-leg try. Again, Bradley tries for the takedown, and again Sapo punishes him with knees and punches. Bradley’s got nothing left in his legs, making it really difficult for him to execute single-legs. After eating a particularly hard one-two, Bradley opts to clinch Natal into the fence and the Philly boo-birds let themselves be heard. Bradley catches another finger to the eye, but this one goes unnoticed. He gets a takedown, but can only keep Natal on the floor for about 10 seconds before the Brazilian is vertical and striking again. Bradley initiates the clinch again, drawing another knee to the gut by Natal and more jeers from the crowd.
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Natal (30-27 Natal)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Natal (30-27 Natal)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Natal (29-28 Natal)
Official result: Judges Wilfredo Cintron and Cardo Urso score it 29-28, while judge Kao has it 30-27, all in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Rafael “Sapo” Natal.
Mike Thomas Brown vs. Nam Phan
Round 1
Brown immediately looks to come over the top with right hands, and ducks in behind his strikes with a stuffed takedown attempt. Phan’s mixing up his punches, but the first meaningful punch comes from Brown, who socks the “Ultimate Fighter” vet with a left hook. Now, Brown gets inside and scores the takedown, and Phan gives up his back. One hook is in for Brown, who has his right arm looped around the kneeling Phan’s waist while his left hand repeatedly socks Phan in the side of the head. The punches aren’t hard, but a few dozen shots go unanswered by Phan, who’s just waiting for his chance to escape at the base of the fence. With two minutes to go, Phan turns to his side, his left arm still pinned beneath him. Brown’s bloodied him with the short punches and they aren’t stopping. Phan doesn’t seem in danger of being finished, but he also doesn’t look to be going anywhere. From full mount, Brown drills Phan with nasty horizontal elbows. Phan gets to his feet in the waning seconds of the round, only to be dragged back down before the horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 Brown
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Brown
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-8 Brown
Round 2
Phan sprawls wide on a single-leg in the center of the cage and Brown pushes him to the fence. Phan goes down to a knee, but only briefly, as he slips out to the center. The Californian is putting together some solid punches now, cracking Brown with hooks to the face and body. Brown dives at another takedown and is stuffed again. Halfway through the round, the American Top Team fighter picks Phan’s ankle, but again they’re back on their toes almost instantly. Brown just misses an overhand right and Phan puts a thudding left hook on the former WEC champ’s body, then one to the head. An uppercut lands for Phan, then another left hook to the guts. Brown shoots with 40 seconds to go, charging Phan into the fence, where he widens him base and steps away from Brown.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Phan
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Phan
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Phan
Round 3
Phan opens the round with a sharp right hand over the top and then lays another three-piece on Brown, who’s headhunting with big rights of his own. It’s 40 seconds before Brown tries for a takedown and gets Phan’s back standing. Phan turns around and gets put on his posterior, but uses the cage to pop back up. Standing kimura attempt from Phan on the right arm of Brown causes the pair to split. Three minutes to go and Phan’s corner is urging him to finish, as they did between rounds. Brown shoots again and Phan tries for another kimura. There’s even less there for Phan this time and he breaks out, eating a left hook from Brown in the process. Phan misses on a head kick and a tired-looking Brown charges forward. Phan sprawls all over a single-leg and socks Brown with a few hammerfists. Right hook, then a left hook from Phan seems to bother Brown, who shoots once more with 90 seconds left. Phan stays up, muscled into the fence by Brown, whose inactivity is drawing the ire of the crowd. Brown takes Phan’s back standing, then shoots low when Phan turns around, absorbing a couple elbows from his knees.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Brown (29-27 Brown)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Phan (28-28 Draw)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Brown (29-27 Brown)
Official result: It’s one scorecard of 29-27 and two 29-28s, all in favor of Mike Thomas Brown, who picks up his first UFC win by way of unanimous decision.
Johny Hendricks vs. Mike Pierce
Round 1
After exchanging shots early, Hendricks is first to clinch and the wrestler stall out on the fence. They split and Pierce scores with a leg kick while Hendricks grazes with an uppercut. Hendricks lands some knees in the clinch in center cage, then chases Pierce down with a single-leg. Pierce uses the fence to stand right back up, and Hendricks takes his man’s back standing to drive some knees to Pierce’s thigh. They disengage and Hendricks comes forward with wild knees and punches, but it’s Pierce who finds success with uppercuts in the clinch. Now Hendricks gets his knees through, and follows up with a crisp left hook before putting Pierce’s back on the cage. Pierce lands a level elbow upon exit and has a head kick blocked. Another to the body by Hendricks gets through before the horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Hendricks
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Hendricks
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Hendricks
Round 2
Hendricks gets back to business, whipping Pierce with leg kicks and quick right hands. Pierce tries to slow the action with a clinch on the fence, but it doesn’t last long. Hendricks shoots a far-out double and gets sprawled on, then put against a cage post by Pierce. There’s not much going on aside from a few short punches by Pierce to the body of Hendricks, so referee Mario Yamasaki splits them up. Hendricks shoots and Pierce grabs a front headlock; Hendricks puts his hand on the mat to prevent any knees to his head. Pierce lets the headlock go and they’re back to trading. Hendricks leaps in with a knee, but Pierce answers with a one-two. Another knee from Hendricks causes Pierce to clinch, and Hendricks follows up with a three-piece combo that has Pierce covering. Pierce sprawls on a shot, but Hendricks uses the position to knee Pierce’s thigh to the horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Pierce
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Pierce
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Pierce
Round 3
Pierce immediately looks for a takedown and the welterweights wind up clinched in the middle of the Octagon, trading elbows and punches inside. Now it’s Hendricks who shoots, allowing Pierce to grab another headlock. Again, Hendricks puts his hand on the canvas, and again, Pierce lets the hold go. Hendricks pumps his jab and Pierce wades inside for another takedown, but it doesn’t come. A few solid punches from Hendricks land before Pierce lifts him up and plants him on the floor. Pierce works from Hendricks’ open guard, trying to blast with elbows, but they’re not down long before ref Yamasaki warns of a standup. Pierce lands a vertical elbow that’s not called foul, but Yamasaki halts the action when Hendricks lands a glancing upkick to the face of Pierce, who appeared to be standing. No point is deducted and they get back to work. Hendricks has a shot stuffed and lands a few knees to Pierce’s thigh before the final horn in what will be a very close decision.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Pierce (29-28 Pierce)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Pierce (29-28 Pierce)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Hendricks (29-28 Hendricks)
Official result: One judge at cageside has it 29-28 for Mike Pierce. However, the remaining officials see it 29-28 for the winner by split decision, Johny Hendricks.
Ivan Menjivar vs. Nick Pace
Round 1
The bantamweights clinch up instantly, but nothing much happens through the opening minute. When they split, it’s Menjivar taking action with outside leg kicks and right crosses. Pace tries to take the “Pride of El Salvador” down, can’t, but does follow up with a crisp left hook. An errant inside leg kick from Menjivar catches Pace low; it’s not long before Pace is back in action. Pace ducks under a big right hand from Menjivar and trips him to the ground. Menjivar uses butterfly guard and drills elbows to the head of Pace, who passes to side control. Menjivar gives up his back and stands up with Pace attached, one hook in. Menjivar grabs the ankle and tries to shake Pace loose, but the American is stuck on there. Pace tries a rear-naked choke and it looks bad for a moment, but he can’t get the hold under the chin. Menjivar shucks Pace off his back with 25 seconds to go and comes forward with punches, most of which miss their mark.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Pace
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Pace
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Pace
Round 2
Menjivar catches a kick from Pace and cracks his younger opponent with a hard right hand. The Tristar Gym fighter fires off a bunch of leg kicks and then walks the retreating Pace down. Snapping front kick from Menjivar now, followed with a hard knee-punch combination. He backs Pace up some more and whacks him with a right hook on the cheek. An overhand right scores for Menjivar, then another teep and a turning side kick. Pace is covering up, back to the fence as Menjivar unloads with punches and knees to the body. Still two minutes to go and Menjivar is taking over this fight, whipping leg kicks inside and out. Pace is getting worked, but he scores a takedown with 60 seconds left. He’s in half-guard, but he’s pinning Menjivar’s right arm down. Menjivar extracts the limb and rides the round out with Pace in his guard.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Menjivar
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Menjivar
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Menjivar
Round 3
Pace is looking for a takedown early, but Menjivar is having none of it, sprawling on the shots and cracking Pace with hard right hands and one-twos. Now it’s Menjivar looking for a trip that doesn’t come, so he goes back to leg-kicking and standing just out of range of Pace’s punches. Menjivar goes high with a right hand, to the body with a left, then catches Pace low with another inside kick. Pace takes 30 seconds to get well and they’re back at it with half a round to go. Menjivar keeps the leg kicks coming, dancing outside of Pace’s range. A feint to the body and a one-two up top from Menjivar. With a minute left, Pace drills his man with a hard knee in the clinch and Menjivar is backpedaling. Menjivar’s squinting, clearly injured in the left eye, where he caught the knee. Pace gives chase, hitting a step-in knee and winging more punches, but only a few get through as Menjivar does a good job keeping alive as the round winds down.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Menjivar (29-28 Menjivar)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Menjivar (29-28 Menjivar)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Pace (29-28 Pace)
Official result: All three judges score it 29-28 for the winner by unanimous decision, Ivan Menjivar.
Chad Mendes vs. Rani Yahya
Round 1
The featherweights open up with much feinting and some clashing leg kicks. Yahya shoots low for a double-leg, but doesn’t get near the body of Mendes before he’s pushed away. Mendes clips Yahya low with a kick and the Brazilian takes a minute to regain his composure. When they restart, Mendes is whipping leg kicks inside while Yahya seems to be just looking for his chance to shoot or tie up. At the halfway mark, he does, and Mendes simply walks backward to avoid the shot. They tie up and Mendes shows his strength by tossing Yahya aside, then spins him around with a leg kick. Yahya ducks inside and Mendes throws him down again, just toying with the BJJ black belt now. Mendes connects with a punch to the body, more leg kicks, and a flying knee just before the round expires.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Round 2
Yahya tries to get inside with punches and Mendes takes him for a ride. Open guard for Yahya, who shrimps and looks for an angle only momentarily before Mendes stands back up. Mendes has his hands by his side, standing out-of-range of all Yahya’s strikes and easily shucking shots with the Brazilian chooses to try. An overhand right lands for Mendes, then a left hand to the body is followed by a takedown. Yahya digs his heel into Mendes’ body a few times and Mendes gets back up. Back standing, Yahya sneaks a left hook through, but fails on a diving single-leg try. A straight right from Mendes snaps back Yahya’s head, then another has Yahya wobbling. Yahya’s efforts to wade inside with clinches are not working. Mendes grabs underhooks and eats a short hook from Yahya, then lets him go.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mendes
Round 3
Mendes drives Yahya down, straight into open guard. Yahya’s working on the right arm of Mendes while “Money” uses his left to sock Yahya in the ribs. Mendes puts his hand over Yahya’s mouth, forcing Yahya to squirm out. A pair of fast, short elbows from Mendes has Yahya breathing with his mouth open. Yahya is twisting and shrimping, looking for a submission, but both men are covered in sweat and Mendes is keeping it tight on the floor. Mendes stands back up with half a round to go, but brings Yahya down again straight away. Yahya creeps his right leg up and tries for an omoplata; it doesn’t come close, as Mendes stands up drops back down into full guard. Mendes lets the grappler back to his feet with a minute remaining. Yahya catches Mendes coming in with a left hand and Mendes stumbles a bit before regaining himself. Another takedown for Mendes with 20 seconds to go; he flips over the guard of Yahya and finishes the fight with back control.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mendes (30-27 Mendes)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mendes (30-27 Mendes)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mendes (30-27 Mendes)
Official result: It’s a clean sweep for Chad Mendes, who stays unbeaten with scores of 30-27 on all three judges’ scorecards.
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Matt Hamill
Round 1
The much taller Gustafsson circles outside while Hamill takes the center, missing on a pair of single-leg attempts. The second one comes with a right hand from Gustafsson; Hamill answers with a nice left jab to the mush. Gustafsson lands an outside leg kick, socks Hamill with a pair of right hands and stuffs a shot. Hamill connects with a left straight, then a right uppercut-left straight combo. A left hook from Hamill bloodies the corner of Gustafsson’s right eye. Hamill catches Gustafsson coming in, zapping him with a right over the top, but Gustafsson lands one of his own underneath. Neither man scoring big in the last half-minute, as they trade punch-for-punch to finish a close first round.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Gustafsson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Gustafsson
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Hamill
Round 2
Gustafsson shucks a shot from Hamill early in the second, zapping the American with punches when he dips inside to clinch. Hamill’s right eye is showing wear now as Gustafsson gets busy with high kicks, then jogs the perimeter of the cage. Gustafsson switches his stance repeatedly while Hamill stands almost still in the middle. Not a lot of clean offense getting through for either man, but Gustafsson has been more active through the first half of the stanza. Gustafsson stuffs a single-leg and split’s Hamill’s guard with a left hand. Hamill falls to his side and Gustafsson pounces, slamming with elbows and hopping into full mount. Right hands rain down on the bloodied Hamill, then more elbows, then alternating lefts and rights which bounce Hamill’s head off the canvas. Referee Dan Miragliotta has seen enough and steps in for the save at 3:41 of round two.
Mike Pyle vs. Rory MacDonald
Round 1
Pyle swipes with left hooks and tries to get inside for a takedown, but wades back out. A right straight from MacDonald puts Pyle on his rear, but the punch only seemed to graze as Pyle slipped. Pyle dives into a takedown attempt and gets his head stuck in a guillotine, quickly extracts it and holds onto MacDonald as he stands back up. MacDonald gets driven back down, stands again, and uncorks a right-left combo that stuns Pyle. MacDonald grabs another guillotine, lets it go and chases Pyle down to the floor into guard. MacDonald back out and kicks at the legs of Pyle, which are already bearing marks from the strikes. Back down to the guard of Pyle goes MacDonald. He catches Pyle with a left hand. Pyle begins turning over and a right hand connects. Pyle is in deep trouble as he turtles on his knees, MacDonald’s right hand repeatedly crashing into Pyle’s temple. Kevin Mulhall waves it off at 3:54; Pyle still appears wobbly as he tries to stand while the official decision is read.
Jorge Rivera vs. Constantinos Philippou
Round 1
The first offense of the bout comes from Rivera, who slaps Philippou with inside thigh kicks until the New Yorker clinches up. He brings “El Conquistador” to the floor and works from Rivera’s open guard as Rivera scoots his back to the cage. Philippou moves to half-guard, Rivera still controlling his right arm. Rivera works back to his feet, absorbing punches on his way up, but can’t get off the cage once he’s vertical. Philippou’s not doing much with the position, so ref Mario Yamasaki splits them up with about two minutes left. Ten seconds later, they’re back in the same position and the crowd lets them hear it. Rivera reverses and puts Philippou’s back on the cage, scoring with a knee to the gut. Philippou breaks off and jogs to the other side of the cage, but Rivera stays patient, closes the gap and zaps him with a nice right hand. Rivera clinches again, but Philippou is able to quickly disengage, landing an uppercut on his way out. Philippou wades in with punches and clinches again before the horn. The Philly fans do not like this one so far.
Tony Loiseleur scores the round 10-9 Philippou
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Philippou
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Philippou
Round 2
Philippou drops Rivera with a right hand early and it’s looking bad for the Bostonian. Philippou pounds and pounds, referee Yamasaki standing above and warning Rivera that he’ll stop the fight if he doesn’t see something. Just when Yamasaki seems on the verge of doing just that, Rivera comes alive and reverses Philippou into the base of the cage. Now it’s Rivera unloading with punches, but Philippou seems unfazed. Both men are looking spent less than halfway into the second round as they get back to their feet. Clinchwork on the cage with both guys looking to dirty-box, Philippou scoring with intermittent uppercuts. Yamasaki splits them up with two minutes left, to the approval of the crowd. And then they clinch again. Rivera trips Philippou down, but goes straight into an omoplata attempt. Rivera’s right arm is in a bad spot, but Philippou is having trouble finishing. He can’t, despite holding Rivera in the position for a good 30 seconds, and Rivera escapes before the end of the round.
Tony Loiseleur scores the round 10-9 Philippou
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Philippou
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Philippou
Round 3
Rivera lands the better strikes in the opening minute of the final round, stinging Philippou with punches and short strikes in the clinch. Before long, Philippou brings him down. Rivera throws up a triangle choke, but can’t close it and Philippou shucks him off. Tired punches from Philippou on the floor as Rivera scrambles up. They clinch on the fence, Philippou using foot stomps until Yamasaki splits them up. Straight back to the clinch they go, Philippou trying for a single-leg which Rivera stymies. Guillotine attempt from Rivera doesn’t get far, but does bring Philippou down to a knee. The veteran scores with right hands and a knee to the body, but he’s running out of time. Philippou is giving nothing in return from his knees. He stands up with 30 seconds left and Yamasaki issues one last restart order. Philippou lands a left hook, Rivera rattles off a one-two, and the middleweights tumble to the ground at the horn.
Tony Loiseleur scores the round 10-9 Rivera (29-28 Philippou)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Rivera (29-28 Philippou)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Rivera (29-28 Philippou)
Official result: It’s a split verdict, with one judge submitting a 29-28 scorecard for Jorge Rivera and the remaining two officials rendering the same score for the first-time UFC winner, Constantinos Philippou.
Dennis Hallman vs. Brian Ebersole
Round 1
Hallman, wearing perhaps the smallest pair of trunks to grace the Octagon since Joe Son, leaps onto Ebersole’s back within seconds and locks up a body triangle. Ebersole rolls to escape and can’t find his way out. Rear-naked choke attempt from Hallman is getting close, but Ebersole’s staying alive by controlling the wrists. The body triangle is released now, Hallman on his back with hooks in, Ebersole atop him. Ebersole punches over his shoulder and twists loose, but finds himself in a guillotine. Hallman sits at the base of the fence, cranking the choke. Ebersole postures up and escapes, then wails away with hammerfists and elbows which stun “Superman.” Short staples are doing further damage to Hallman, who’s just trying to stay alive with Ebersole in his full guard. Ebersole stacks his man up and dives in with one more elbow, and this one makes Hallman go limp. Referee Kevin Mulhall rescues the dazed Hallman at 4:28 of the first round.
Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
Round 1
Mario Yamasaki is the third man in the cage for this evening’s middleweight co-main event. Akiyama is moving backward early, flicking out leg kicks as he does. Belfort tries for head kicks as both men remain tentative in the first minute. Akiyama tries a front kick, perhaps hoping to duplicate Anderson Silva’s feat. A left hand from Belfort bounces off Akiyama’s temple and the judoka goes down. Belfort goes wild, unleashing a brutal series of left hands. Akiyama gets to his feet, only to be met by another volley. He collapses again, face-first onto the canvas, and this time he’s not getting up. The official time of the devastating knockout is 1:52 of the first round.
Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz
Round 1
Dan Miragliotta has officiating duties for the 205-pound main event. Evans crouches in his corner at the start of the first, while Ortiz bounces up and down in his. Ortiz comes forward, slapping with a leg kick and putting a left hook on Evans’ cheek. Evans answers with a low kick of his own, then matadors Ortiz when the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” rushes with punches. Right hand connects for Evans and the men clinch briefly, neither gaining the advantage. Ortiz dives for a double-leg against the fence and brings Evans down with two minutes down. Evans stays on his knees, his back on the cage, sending short punches to Ortiz’s head as Tito tries to pick the ankle. They stand, Ortiz still holding a single, but he lets it go. They get into a firefight on the fence and it’s Evans landing the better shots. Right hooks, uppercuts, body blows all landing from Evans. Ortiz is covering up, but not out of the fight. He clinches and drills a knee to Evans’ body; Rashad answers with a level elbow. Rashad throws Ortiz over his shoulder and plows him to the ground, pounding away while Tito covers up. Ortiz’s right side is to the fence with Evans in side control on his left. Short right hands land for Evans and Ortiz rolls to guard. Evans finishes out the round stacking Ortiz up and punching to the head.
Tony Loiseleur scores the round 10-9 Evans
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Evans
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Evans
Round 2
They meet in the middle, Evans trying to get inside with left hands, then backing out when Ortiz pushes in. Rashad misses with a combo but gets inside on Ortiz, who grabs at a guillotine and falls to guard. It looks tight and Ortiz is wrenching it with all his might, but Evans has the angle to escape. The former Spartan does just that and moves to side control, knee on Ortiz’s belly, where Evans does damage with right hands. Rashad moves into the mounted crucifix, Ortiz’s right arm trapped between his legs, but can’t mount much offense before Ortiz gets the limb loose. Ortiz is bucking, pushing off the cage with his feet to try and escape, but he’s bloodied and Evans stays heavy on top. Ortiz rolls out and grabs at an armbar which gives the crowd a rise, but it’s not there. Evans stays on top and stands, Ortiz still kneeling at the base of the fence. A vicious knee to the solar plexus causes Ortiz to wilt, and that’s all she wrote. Evans lands another six or eight right hands to his fetal foe before referee Miragliotta realizes Ortiz isn’t going anywhere and steps in to wave it off. The official time is 4:48 of round two.
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