***image1***UFC 128: SHOGUN VS. JONES
MARCH 19, 2011
LIVE FROM NEWARK, NEW JERSEY
======SPIKE TV PRELIMS======
Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan open up the Spike broadcast and discuss the night's pay-per-view main event between Jon Jones and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, as well as the co-main event between Urijah Faber and Eddie Wineland.
FIGHT ONE: EDSON BARBOZA VS. ANTHONY NJOKUANI (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Njokuani took the center of the cage and Barboza circled on the outside. Barboza landed two hard kicks and dropped Njokuani with a hard overhand right. Njokuani popped back up. Barboza landed a couple more and Njokuani countered. Barboza rocked him with a right and Njokuani is hurting. Barboza stayed patient. He landed a hard, hard leg kick. Ouch. Njokuani got in a straight right. Barboza landed a right and Njokuani countered with a right. Barboza with a leg kick. Njokuani switched his stance back and forth. Barboza wiht a left. Nojokuani got in with a combo and caught a kick to the body. Njokuani tried to circle and Barboza stayed on him. He landed a few good jabs. Njokuani said he got poked in the eye but he wasn't given any time. Barboza landed a hrd leg kick again. Njokuani landed a kick and a short combo. Njokuani landed a few strikes. Barboza landed a straight right but ate a hard counter. Njokuani landed a kick late and a punch as the round came to an end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Barboza. He hurt Njokuani in the round, but Njokuani recovered well and scored late.
ROUND TWO: Njokuani threw a high kick early that was blocked. He landed an inside leg kick. Barboza landed a strike. Njokuani landed an inadvertent low blow but Barboza was ok. Njokuani landed a left. Barboza landed a body kick.Barboza landed a hard lef kick. Barboza blocked a couple of high kicks. Njokuani landed a couple of nice lefts. Barboza landed a few punches in the center. Barboza landed a nice turning side kick. Njokuani caught a kick and drove Barboza back and threw him on the ground. He dropped down with a couple of strikes, but Barboza worked back up to his feet. Barboza landed the leg kick. Njokuani threw a question mark kick high. He landed a spinning back elbow. Barboza landed a leg kick again. Barboza landed a front kick to the face. Barboza landed a nice combination. Left jab from Barboza. Njokuani drove Barboza back to the cage. Barboza landed a knee and got separation. He barely missed a spinning high kick. Barboza drove and and got a takedown slam with 20 seconds left. He stayed on him and got him down but didn't have any time to do anything. Njokuani kicked him off as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Njokuani. Close round, but Njokuani edged it with more activity and some good offense throughout. Even into the third.
ROUND THREE: Barboza landed some inside kicks early. Njokuani tried to walk him down. Njokuani landed a short combo. Barboza with another hard kick. Njokuani threw a couple of kicks that were blocked. Njokuani is staying the aggressor. Barboza ate a body kick. Barboza landed a couple of jabs. Barboza landed a hard combo. He got in again with a right. He blocked a combo from Njokuani. They traded kicks. Njokuani switched his stance and landed a right jab. Njokuani landed an inside leg kick. Barboza scored with two hard punches. He landed a hich kick and another overhand right. Njokuani drove in with a punch and a kick. He landed a hard knee to the body and clinched, but Barboza backed out. Very close round and fight right now. Njokuani landed a good inside leg kick. Barboza with a turning side kick. Njokuani tried to clinch and Barboza separated with an elbow. Barboza with a combo. Njokuani gets one in of his own. Barboza got a late takedown and kept Njokuani on the cage. Njokuani got up. Barboza landed a turning kick to the head right before the buzzer and that should seal it.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Barboza. Njokuani was game, but Barboza landed a lot more damaging strikes, got a takedown and sealed it with a vicious kick to the head at the end.
WINNER: Barboza via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
STAR RATING: (**+) That was a good fight. Both had their moments, but Barboza definitely earned the win with some harder strikes throughout the fight. He damaged Njokuani on a few occasions, and just overall did more in the fight. But Njokuani had some success at times in the fight as well, and the UFC will likely give him another fight.
FIGHT TWO: LUIZ CANE VS. ELIOT MARSHALL (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Marshall looked for a takedown quick but didn't commit and backed off. Marshall landed a short right. Cane kept him against the cage and looked to stalk. Marshall threw a kick high and it was blocked. Cane landed an inside leg kick. Cane got Marshall to the cage. Marshall landed a right. Cane landed an inside kick and tagged Marshall against the cage. He landed another hard left. Marshall slipped and Cane started tagging him on the ground. Marshall is hurt and he tried to cover up. Cane continued to stay on him but Marshall is getting time to recover. He landed some hammer fists and Marshall grabbed for a leg. Cane is staying on him and Marshall is in tons of trouble and it finally gets stopped. Cane needed that win.
WINNER: Cane via TKO at 2:15 of the first round
POST FIGHT: Cane said he wanted the win so bad and trained really hard for the fight. He said he trained for eight months straight.
STAR RATING: (**+) That was dominant from Cane. He hurt Marshall and stayed right on him on the ground. Miragliotta let it go too far on the ground, there, though. Marshall may be right back on his way out of the UFC after that.
PRELIM FIGHT A: RAPHAEL ASSUNCAO VS. ERIK KOCH (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Assuncao came forward with a kick. Assuncao landed an inside leg kick and Koch began stalking. He threw a head kick that was blocked. Assuncao threw a straight kick. Koch again stalked. Assuncao landed a short combo. Koch got pushed back as he avoided a combo. He landed a left and ate a counter. Koch threw a high kick again. Assuncao landed a body kick. Assuncao rushed in and Koch knocked him out cold with a counter right. Beautifully timed counter right on the button.
WINNER: Koch via KO at 2:32 of the first round
POST FIGHT: Koch gave Bruce Buffer a fist bump. Awesome. He said it was a perfect UFC debut for him and got cheers from the crowd when he asked if that was a good opener. He thanked his trainers back at Duke Roufus' camp in Milwaukee.
STAR RATING: (**+) That punch was perfect. Right spot, great timing, and Assuncao went out cold. That's a huge win for Koch in his UFC debut.
-With nine minutes to the pay-per-view, they go to interviews from Jones and Rua. Dana White then joins Joe Rogan to hype up the pay-per-view.
======PAY-PER-VIEW CARD======
FIGHT THREE: MIRKO CRO COP VS. BRENDAN SCHAUB (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: They circled each other in the cage to begin. Schaub threw a high kick to the body. He got in close and landed some nice uppercuts in the clinch. He walked him down and landed a couple of strikes. Cro Cop got the clinch and pressed Schaub to the cage, landing a few punches to the thigh. Schaub spun him around. Schaub landed some nice strikes in close, including a few knees to the thighs. Schaub landed a punch to the back of the head and Herb Dean gave him a warning. Schaub shot in and landed a nice takedown. Schaub tried to pass and as he got to his feet ate an up kick. He dropped back in with a strike and Cro Cop held him in guard. Schaub landed some hard strikes in the guard before Cro Cop could grab a hold of him. Cro Cop landed a nice switch and got back to his feet and pressed Schaub to the cage. Schaub rushed him across the cage and tried to land a trip takedown but Cro Cop held it off. Both fighters land short knees in the clinch. They jockeyed for position as the round came to an end and Schaub landed an uppercut at the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Schaub. Cro Cop did a good job defending, but Schaub did more than enough to take the round.
ROUND TWO: Schaub tried to land a few strikes but missed. Cro Cop stalked and threw the left high kick. Schaub blocked it, shot in and took him down. He landed a right and Cro Cop held him down. Schaub started standing and Cro Cop landed an up kick with Schaub's knee on the ground. Dean warned Cro Cop. As they restarted, each fighter landed a strike and they clinched. They jockeyed for position on the cage. Schaub landed a nice knee to the body and Cro Cop did the same. Cro Cop hammered on his thigh. They traded knees again. Schaub got in a short right on the cage and another knee to the body. Schaub landed more knees to the body. The crowd started booing and then Cro Cop landed a short forearm. Schaub's face got busted up and he's bleeding from the nose. Schaub landed another shot to the back of the head and Dean took a point away. Cro Cop threw a high kick and got back to the clinch. They traded knees again. Cro Cop landed a nice uppercut and an elbow as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 9-9. Cro Cop did better in that round, but Schaub edged it despite getting bloodied up. The point away from Schaub evens the round up.
ROUND THREE: Cro Cop landed a nasty low kick to the groin right off the bat and Schaub is given time to recover. They got into the clinch again and traded strikes. They separated and each landed a good strike. Schaub shot in and took Cro Cop down again. Cro Cop defended and then kicked him off. But Schaub came right back in and took Cro Cop down again. Schaub tried to pass but Cro Cop kept him in guard. Schaub landed some short strikes. Schaub passed to half guard. Cro Cop pushed Schaub off and popped to his feet. Schaub pushed him to the cage for the clinch. Cro Cop landed a couple of strikes and they separated. Mirko landed a couple of strikes. Cro Cop landed a kick to the body. They clinched again and jockeyed for position. Schaub landed a left and they clinched. Schaub shot in and Cro Cop sprawled. Schaub got up and ate a left. Out of nowhere Schaub knocked Cro Cop out with a huge right! He landed one more on the ground before Herb Dean could get there. The punch landed on the ear as Cro Cop was throwing a punch and he slammed the other side of his head on the ground. That was vicious.
WINNER: Schaub via TKO at 3:44 of the third round
POST FIGHT: Schaub said it was his birthday yesterday so a knockout bonus would be nice. He told Cro Cop he was the reason he got started.
STAR RATING: (***) The fight was tentative at times, but the knockout just completely brought it up. That was vicious, and it has to spell the end for Cro Cop. Two brutal KO losses in a row.
-They show a cool promo for UFC 129 and then Dana White joins Joe Rogan cageside and announced the new start times for UFC pay-per-views beginning with UFC 129.
FIGHT FOUR: NATE MARQUARDT VS. DAN MILLER (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Miller landed a left as Marquardt engaged. Marquardt drove in for the clinch. Miller went for a single and Marquardt sprawled. Miller got to his feet and they traded knees. Miller went for single leg. Marquardt held off the takedown for a bit but then Miller completed it against the cage. Marquardt put his back to the cage and Miller tried to drag him down. The crowd booed briefly and Miller got him down. Marquardt got to his feet and Miller went for the guillotine and Marquardt took him down. He got to half guard and got out of the guilloitine. Miller got guard back. Miller held control of him in the guard. Marquardt threw an elbow but it was blocked. He landed a short forearm and Miller tried to kick him off. They were finally stood up by Dan Miragliotta. Marquardt landed a nice right and shot in for a takedown of his own. He picked Miller up and slammed him down. Miller went for a choke but Marquardt got out. Miller grabbed for Marquardt's right arm as time ran out but couldn't get it loose. Marquardt landed a couple of strikes before the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Marquardt. Miller held his own in the round, but Marquardt took it back in the last few minutes.
ROUND TWO: Miller landed an early leg kick. Marquardt popped in with a nice two punch combo. He landed a high kick to the face. Miller got in with a straight right. Marquardt landed a nice right to the body. Marquardt landed an nice right, then got in another one. He landed a nice flying knee against the cage, but Miller caught it and took him down. Marquardt worked back to his feet. He landed a knee to the head in the cage. Marquardt came forward with a combination. Miller landed a counter. Marquardt landed an inside leg kick. Marquardt landed another hard right. Marquardt with another straight right. He landed it again. Miller's got a hell of a chin. Marquardt shot in and took him down and Miller grabbed for the guillotine. Marquardt got out of it though. He landed some short elbows against the cage. He continued landing the short elbows on the cage until the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Marquardt. Miller's taking a ton of punishment, but he's showing off a hell of chin here to take it. Marquardt's well ahead here into the third.
ROUND THREE: Marquardt landed the overhand right early and Miller landed a counter punch. Marquardt threw the head kick again but it didn't land flush. Marquardt landed a nice combo but Miller scored with an uppercut. Marquardt landed a nice leg kick. Marquardt landed another nice right. Miller got close with a kick. Marquardt landed another hard right and Miller shot in. Marquardt sprawled and stuffed it. Marquardt spun around and Miller got to his back and Marquardt got into his guard with two and a half minutes left. Miller threw some strikes from his back. Marquardt got in a number of elbows. He's landing some hard strikes in Miller's guard. Miller tried to grab an arm but Marquardt got out. He landed another hard elbow and a few strikes in guard. The crowd got a little restless and started booing. Marquardt landed some more elbows. Miller threw a few punches from his back. He threw his feet up for a triangle but couldn't lock it on as time ran out.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Marquardt. Miller's tough as hell, and there's a reason he hasn't been finished in his career. Marquardt messed him up standing and on the ground, but he was game and showed a lot of toughness. Good win for Marquardt, great showing from Miller on a week's notice.
WINNER: Marquardt via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
STAR RATING: (***) That was a really good fight. Marquardt hit Miller with a lot, and hit him hard often, but Miller took it and was a game challenger on short notice. But Marquardt was simply the stronger and better fighter and it showed.
-In the "upcoming events" promo, Goldberg hypes up the April 9 Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley event.
FIGHT FIVE: JIM MILLER VS. KAMAL SHALORUS (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: They trade punches immediately. Miller lands a couple of good strikes. Miller avoids one and lands a nice counter. Shalorus lands a right. They wing big punches at each other. Shalorus misses a high kick. Miller lands a nice right. Miller blocked a couple more.Miller with another combination landing. Shalorus landed a right. He landed a body punch. Shalorus with a right. Miller landed a nice left. He landed a straight left to the body. Miller threw a knee but Shalorus threw him to the ground after catching it. Miller popped right back up. Shalorus landed a kick to the leg. Miller landed an inside leg kick. Shalorus landed a right. Miller got in a nice right and followed it up with a knee to the face. Miller landed a head kick and a couple of punches. Shalorus just took it. Miller landed another nice combination. He got in close and tried to grab a jumping guillotine and wound up on his back. Miller held him in his guard. They get stood up with 25 seconds left. Shalorus didn't do anything on the ground. Miller landed a nice punch and a high kick and fell when trying for the guillotine again.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Miller. He jacked Shalorus up with a couple of those head kicks and some nice punches. He wound up on his back but did more on the feet.
ROUND TWO: Miller landed a right early. Shalorus got in a few punches. Miller landed a nice uppercut. He got in with another combo. He's connecting nicely. Shalorus caught a kick and dropped Miller hard but let him right back up. Miller landed a leg kick. He shot in and took Shalorus down. Shalorus scrambled and Miller took his back quickly and locked on a body triangle with three minutes left in the round. Shalorus worked to fight Miller's arms off. Miller twisted his face with a hard forearm going for the choke, but Shalorus continued holding him off. Miller went for the choke again but couldn't get the arm under Shalorus' chin. Miller kept the position until the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Miller. That transition to Shalorus' back was beautiful. Shalorus defended well, but Miller's well ahead into the third.
ROUND THREE: Miller landed a couple of short punches. Miller landed another nice left. Miller with another big combination. He covered up and countered another combination. He landed a knee low in the clinch and Shalorus was given a minute to recover but he was good to go. He landed a right. Shalorus tried to throw him but Miller shrugged him off. Miller landed a huge uppercut and dropped Shalorus with a knee to the jaw. He pounced on him and landed tons of strikes on the ground and the ref stopped the fight. Hugely impressive stoppage for Miller.
WINNER: Miller via TKO at 2:15 of the third round.
POST FIGHT: Miller gave Kamal credit for being tough and having a hard head. He joked that he may have cracked his hand on his head.
STAR RATING: (***) That was another really good fight. Miller is the first to defeat Shalorus, and he did it in really impressive fashion. His striking looked really good throughout the fight, and with some high level grappling thrown in as well this was a great back and forth fight.
FIGHT SIX: URIJAH FABER VS. EDDIE WINELAND (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Wineland took the center. Faber closed the distance and clinched. Faber tried to throw him and Wineland held him off and pushed him to the cage. Faber landed a knee in the clinch and Wineland kept him on the cage. Wineland tried to trip him and Faber held it off. Faber got separated. Faber shot in but Wineland got back to his feet after briefly going down. Wineland doing a good job of controlling Faber on the cage. He tried to trip Faber but couldn't again. Wineland took Faber's back standing and dropped him. Faber popped back up and they stood across each other. Faber landed a left hook. Faber landed a hard overhand right. He landed a left. He shot in for a single and Wineland again held it off. Wineland's takedown defense is great in this fight. Wineland landed a hard right after an inside leg kick from Faber. Faber landed an overhand right. Faber again landed the right. Wineland's got a good chin. Faber landed one more right before the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Faber. He landed the more damaging strikes in an otherwise really even round.
ROUND TWO: Faber threw a high kick early in the round. Faber kept the center and avoided a rush from Wineland. He threw a high kick but it didn't land hard. He landed a right. Wineland landed a leg kick but Faber checked it. Faber shot in and grabbed a single leg. He kicked out the back leg of Wineland to get him down. Very nice. Faber drove his forearm into Wineland's throat and dropped some hard elbows. He picked Wineland up and slammed him back down. He continued landing strikes in Wineland's guard. Faber postured up and landed some hard strikes. Wineland kicked Faber off briefly but Faber drove right back into him and kept him on his back. Nice elbow landed from Faber. Faber postured up again and landed some hard elbows. He's getting in some nice strikes. Faber continued landing strikes until the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Faber. Very nice ground and pound work from Faber. I have him up well ahead into the third.
ROUND THREE: Wineland looked to stalk Faber down early. Wineland landed a right. Faber landed a right. Faber got in a punch to the body. He shot in and Wineland held him off. He landed a knee to the body and pressed Wineland to the cage. Wineland got separation. Faber landed a right. Wineland grabbed a body lock in the clinch and pressed Faber to the cage. Faber broke out and got separation. Faber landed a couple of short rights. He cracked Wineland with an uppercut. He landed another right. Faber is connecting on a lot of strikes and avoiding the counters. Right from Faber lands again. Urijah shot in and Wineland held it off. After a brief clinch, Faber dropped again and completed the takedown. Very nice. He picked Wineland up and slammed him back down. He landed a couple of elbows. Faber went to work with strikes in the guard. Wineland is holding onto Faber, but he eats more elbows until the horn sounds. Faber should have a successful UFC debut here.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Faber. Great work from Faber in this fight. He was the faster striker, and his work to get that takedown was excellent.
WINNER: Faber via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
POST FIGHT: Faber said he felt good in the fight. He said Eddie's got a bright future and thanked him for a good fight. Faber said he'll be back stronger and wants a shot at Cruz. He told Cruz to "hide your kids, hide your wife, hide your belt."
STAR RATING: (**+) That was a good back and forth fight, and Wineland was a very game fighter in that one. He had a good first round, but Faber really turned it up in the second and took control from there. Good win for Faber.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT SEVEN: MAURICIO "SHOGUN" RUA VS. JON JONES (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Jones throws a flying knee early and Shogun takes it. Jones throws a high kick and a straight kick. He's not messing around. He throws a spinning kick but it misses. He grabbed a hold of Shogun and tripped Shogun, taking him down early. Shogun got his full guard and threw his legs up for the triangle. Jones fought through and passed to side control. Shogun got half guard back. Shogun got back to guard again. Jones landed an elbow in the half guard. Jones landed a left. Jones landed a hard elbow from the half guard. Shogun got guard back. Jones landed a few elbows to the body. Shogun threw his legs up but Jones avoided the choke. Shogun got to his feet and Jones landed a knee as he got up. He landed a straight kick and some more strikes. Shogun's hurting. Jones landed a kick to the thigh. He landed a knee to the body in close. He landed a left. He landed a knee against the cage. He landed a side kick to the knee. Shogun landed a couple of strikes. Jones went for a spinning elbow, Shogun took his back, but he dropped for a leg and lost position. Jones ended the round in Shogun's half guard.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jones. Shogun looks really bad right now, and Jones had a great round. He's bringing the fight to the Champ, and Shogun's going to have to do something drastic to get back into this.
ROUND TWO: Jones landed a straight kick early and pressed Shogun back. Shogun rushed in and missed a right. Jones ducked under and clinched at the cage. He broke away with a spinning back elbow and tagged Shogun with a couple of strikes. He's fully in control right now. He landed a side kick and then a leg kick. Another kick to the thigh from Jones. Shogun got to the clinch and they traded knees. Shogun separated. Shogun threw a few reaching punches but didn't land. Jones landed a punch to the body. Jones tagged Shogun with a straight left. He landed a nice elbow. He threw a straight kick to the body. He caught a leg kick from Shogun and landed a couple of punches as he dropped to Shogun's guard. Jones has slowed a bit in Shogun's guard. Shogun covered up to defend. Jones landed a short forearm and passed to half guard. Jones landed another nice short elbow. Jones got in a couple more strikes. Jones landed a hard elbow. Jones then went for a leg lock as the horn sounded.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jones. If he doesn't gas himself out, Jones is in firm control of this fight. Shogun hasn't had an answer for him yet, and Shogun is quickly getting drained.
ROUND THREE: Jones landed a couple of kicks early. Jones stalked and landed a jab. He missed a head kick and Shogun took his back standing. He dropped for a leg lock and Jones broke free. After a scramble, Jones got back on top into Shogun's half guard. He pinned Shogun's arm and landed a couple of strikes. Shogun got back to guard but ate a bunch of strikes as he regained guard. Jones landed a big left and then a huge elbow to the face. Jones landed some big elbows and Shogun covered up. He landed some big strikes and Shogun somehow got to his feet. He followed Shogun to the cage and landed a huge knee and Shogun dropped to the ground and this fight is over. Man, that was impressive.
WINNER: Jones via TKO at 2:37 of the third round.
POST FIGHT: Jones said it feels so good to be champion and it's a testament that dreams can come true. He is now the youngest Champion in UFC history. He thanked his coaches, trainers, managers and more. Shogun was interviewed and he said the strategy was to fight Jones everywhere the fight went, but he congratulated Jones and said Jones was the better man tonight. Rashad Evans was shown in the cage and the crowd booed. Jones said it sucks that he has to do this, but this is his dream. This fight's gonna happen people. Rashad said it was a great fight and he was happy for Jones. Rashad said "I guess you should never say never." He said Jones has the strap, so he has to go after it.
STAR RATING: (***+) That was a changing of the guard right there. Shogun wasn't even competitive for any real part of that fight. Jones destroyed him through all three rounds, and though we need to be careful of crowning any eras after Machida, Jones is ridiculously good and I can't see him getting knocked off anytime soon.
-They replay the Koch knockout of Assuncao, and that will bring an end to the show. Thanks for joining us tonight for another big event, we'll be back with much more throughout the week as we head into UFC Fight Night 24 next Saturday on Spike.
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