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NOVEMBER 12, 2011
LIVE FROM ANAHEIM, CALIF.
Tonight is the night, as the UFC makes their historic debut on network television with their first of what will be many events on Fox over the next seven years. With a Heavyweight Championship bout gracing the televisions of millions across the world, tonight's event hopes to prove something special for the UFC and Fox.
We'll kick off with some thoughts on each of the preliminary card fights on Facebook tonight, with a full round by round report and commentary during the one-fight Fox broadcast.
PRELIM FIGHT ONE: AARON ROSA VS. MATT LUCAS
RD 1 - Lucas' striking isn't great, and Rosa was able to damage early. Lucas got a takedown but didn't keep Rosa down. Side note - the arena is nearly empty for the opening fight. The round is consisting of Lucas grabbing a clinch on the cage with Rosa landing strikes and holding off takedown attempts. Rinse, repeat. In the final minute Rosa landed a lot of knees in the Thai clinch and elbows to the side of Lucas' head. He should take the first frame, but his back being against the cage throughout could have it go against him for a bad judge.
RD 2 - Lucas again failed on a takedown attempt and Rosa was able to deliver strikes in close. Back to the same action from the first, Rosa delivering strikes with Lucas pressing him against the cage in the clinch. Rosa broke free from the clinch with a kimura attempt. Lucas landed a couple of hard strikes, but Rosa returned to delivering numerous combinations. Lucas' mouthpiece dropped out for a third time and a point was taken from him. Lucas scored a takedown, but Rosa worked back up before the buzzer. He should be well ahead with the point deduction for Lucas.
RD 3 - Back to Lucas pressing the clinch but eating strikes from Rosa. Rosa got free and pressed in with strikes before Lucas pushed him into the cage again. Rosa got separated with a couple minutes left, and after a couple of exchanges Lucas again clinched, and again lost his mouthpiece. Rosa turned him around to land more strikes. Action was halted again for the mouthpiece, and restarted in the clinch. Rosa landed more knees and punches to close out the round and the ugly fight should go his way after stuffing one last takedown attempt by Lucas.
WINNER: Rosa via majority decision (28-28, 30-26, 30-26)
STAR RATING: (*) Not a good fight by any stretch, and whoever gave Lucas two rounds is an awful judge.
PRELIM FIGHT TWO: MIKE PIERCE VS. PAUL BRADLEY (WELTERWEIGHT)
RD 1 - Pierce immediately pressed Bradley to the cage with a couple strikes and landed a good left as Bradley got free. Bradley got in with a couple of nice strikes of his own. Pierce took over as the aggressor, but Bradley actually began getting the better of the exchanges on the feet early. Pierce landed a nice right, though, that hurt Bradley. Pierce worked his kicks as well and hurt Bradley with a couple more solid punches. Bradley scored a takedown and got Pierce's back as Pierce stood back up. He had to back out as Pierce got loose. They exchanged knees in close before the round ended. Should be Pierce's to start, but Bradley had some good offense of his own in there.
RD 2 - Bradley connected in an early flurry, but Pierce came back at him with the same and grabbed the clinch. He landed a good left in the break. They got back into a clinch battle in the center but Pierce again got out with a strike. Bradley shrugged off a takedown attempt. Pierce grabbed the clinch again. Pierce getting the better of the exchanges this round. Pierce shrugged off a takedown attempt from Bradley. Bradley connected in a couple flurries, but Pierce came back with his own. Pierce is likely up 2-0 now.
RD 3 - Bradley came out to strike and they each landed a few in the ensuing exchange. Bradley landed a knee after a brief clinch. After some more striking exchanges Bradley shot in, but Pierce held it off. A stalemated clinch led to them being separated. Bradley landed a strike as they clinched again. They exchanged strikes with each landing a couple. Bradley then scored a takedown. He ate some hammerfists as he tried to move up. He finally got to his feet with a minute left. Bradley connected on a left. Bradley pressed in and landed a short flurry and Pierce cracked him with a counter as the round ended. Solid fight, Bradley had a good third round but Pierce likely won the fight.
WINNER: Pierce via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**-) That was a solid, competitive, and fairly even three round fight. Bradley put forth a good effort, and even snuck out two rounds on one scorecard, but Pierce is a tough opponent to best.
PRELIM FIGHT THREE: ALEX CACERES VS. COLE ESCOVEDO (BANTAMWEIGHT)
RD 1 - Caceres kicked things off literally with a front kick to the body. Caceres kept on the offensive early with kicks and strikes, keeping Escovedo on the retreat to start. Caceres continued his output with leg kicks, body punches, and more; easily the best opening to a fight he's had yet in the UFC. Escovedo wound up on his back after a failed takedown attempt, but Caceres backed off. Caceres landed a really nice switch kick. Caceres with a punch to the thigh. Caceres caught Escovedo low late, and Escovedo charged forward and dropped Caceres with a high kick and landed a couple more as Caceres popped to his feet. Despite the final seconds, strong round for Caceres.
RD 2 - Caceres back on offense to start, pressing Escovedo to the cage. Escovedo landed a couple, but then was immediately pressed back by Caceres. Escovedo caught Caceres and took him down by pulling guard. He tried to attack Caceres' leg and sweep him, but Caceres got loose and got to his feet. Escovedo went for a standing sub but dropped off Caceres. Escovedo might be tired out already. Caceres landed a few strikes in combination. Escovedo landed a couple but ate a few more in return. Caceres with more in combination, and Escovedo has not looked good through two rounds.
RD 3 - Caceres begins with a side kick and Escovedo is on the defensive again. Escovedo scored a takedown. Caceres almost locked on a triangle but Escovedo broke free. Caceres then threw on an armbar. Escovedo fought it and dropped down. Caceres switched it to an omoplata. Escovedo got out and Caceres attacked with a triangle choke again. He used that to work back up. He went back to striking. Escovedo got a takedown, took Caceres' back and almost got a choke locked on, but he was too high and Caceres got out again. The fight ended with Caceres landing another combo. Big, big fight for Caceres here.
WINNER: Caceres via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
STAR RATING: (**+) Very fun showing from Caceres, and Escovedo is likely on his way out of the UFC.
PRELIM FIGHT FOUR: MACKENS SEMERZIER VS. ROBERT PERALTA (FEATHERWEIGHT)
RD 1 - First kick of the fight from Semerzier landed low and caused a brief halt in action. Semerzier grabbed the clinch after catching a kick from Peralta. Semerzier landed a few knees to the body as Peralta held off his takedown attempt. Peralta held off a near slam. Semerzier then landed a couple of nice knees before relinquishing the clinch. Semerzier landed a great counter that rolled Peralta back. Peralta got to his feet and Semerzier clinched him on the cage. Semerzier pressed forward with a few kicks and kept Peralta backing up. He caught another kick and finally got Peralta to the ground. He postured up and landed some strikes. He stood up and looked to pass. Semerzier landed a good punch to the body. Semerzier threw Peralta's legs and took control on top. Semerzier stood again and landed a hard punch to the body. Then he got in a few to the head to end the round. Very good start for Semerzier.
RD 2 - Semerzier landed a few big punches and kicks. Peralta dropped Semerzier with a counter, but Semerzier grabbed a single leg and recovered. Semerzier was definitely hurt, but he recovered and pressed Peralta to the cage in the clinch. They finally separated. Semerzier caught Peralta low again. Peralta landed an overhand right. Semerzier went high with a kick but it slid up. He grabbed a clinch but Peralta broke free. Peralta landed a right. Semerzier threw a kick to the body and missed one to the head. Semerzier got in a good right. Semerzier grabbed a body lock with a minute left but Peralta stayed on his feet to the cage. Semerzier landed some hard shots in the clinch. Peralta landed a knee on the break. Semerzier landed a few hard kicks. The round ended with an exchange, and Peralta evens things up.
RD 3 - Both exchanged early kicks. Peralta landed a couple of nice kicks to the body. Peralta landed a couple of good punches to the body in as well. Semerzier landed a shot but got dropped by a huge punch from Peralta. Semerzier grabbed a leg and tried to survive, but Peralta landed more strikes with Semerzier on his leg and "Big" John McCarthy stopped it. Oooh. Replay shows it was a headbutt that dropped Semerzier. Because that led to the stoppage, this could be made a no contest upon review. That's unfortunate.
WINNER: Peralta via TKO at 1:54 of the third round
STAR RATING: (***-) That was a really good back and forth fight, and unfortunately an accidental headbutt took Semerzier out. I have a feeling that one will be reviewed, or at the least appealed, and could be overturned to a no contest because of the illegal blow, even if it was accidental.
PRELIM FIGHT FIVE: KID YAMAMOTO VS. DARREN UYENOYAMA
RD 1 - (I'll be calling them "Kid" and "Darren" during the report here). Darren took the center and walked Kid down against the cage early. He engaged but Kid backed off. Kid jumped in with a nice right. Kid continued to circle around. Darren caught a hold of him, but Kid turned him around and pressed him against the cage. Darren tried to pop his arm up to grab for a guillotine. Kid landed a throw and got on top. Darren got up, but Kid threw him again. Darren immediately got back to guard. Darren got his legs up to set up a triangle but Kid stood up and backed away. Kid landed a nice short uppercut and backed out. Darren caught a high kick and took Kid down. Darren tried to pass but Kid rolled. Darren took Kid's back and got his hooks in. He moved it to a body lock with 30 seconds. He got the arm under the chin and it looked like Kid was about to tap as the horn sounded, but he popped up as the hold was let go.
RD 2 - Kid dropped Darren with a big left early and Darren grabbed for a single leg. The punch cut Darren open. He moved to a double leg and took kid down into half guard. Kid tried to sweep, but Darren kept position and took Kid's back with a body lock. Kid defended well, but Darren had control of the action. Darren tried to set up the choke again but Kid got out. Darren landed some strikes and got the right arm under Kid's chin. Kid got loose again. Darren tossed in some punches to the body. Kid was still able to defend, but Darren continued to work the position. He continued landing punches, but Kid survived the round. Darren's up two right now, though.
RD 3 - After a couple strikes landed for Kid, Darren grabbed him and pulled guard. Darren worked the rubber guard and held control of Kid's body. Kid couldn't break free from the position, but then finally got free and backed away. That took up a large chunk of time and Kid has little time left to do something in the fight. Kid clinched Darren against the cage and tried to throw him, but Darren held it off. They were separated from the clinch with just over 30 seconds left. Kid landed a right, but could not follow up and the fight came to an end. Should be a big win for Uyenoyama here.
WINNER: Uyenoyama via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**) That was another solid fight. Yamamoto just isn't the fighter he once was, and Uyenoyama impressed with his ground prowess even though he couldn't get the finish. Nice debut for him.
PRELIM FIGHT SIX: DAMARQUES JOHNSON VS. CLAY HARVISON (WELTERWEIGHT)
RD 1 - Both fighters took the center and exchanged some sloppy strikes early. Johnson landed a right. He connected on a strong left hook and then another really nice jab. Harvison swung wildly but missed. Johnson landed a couple more jabs and walked Harvison back. Johnson dropped Harvison with a huge left uppercut. He raised his arms, but then dropped another right as the referee wasn't there yet. The ref got there and stopped the fight. Huge knockout for Johnson to get back in the win column. Beautiful left and then a pinpoint right.
WINNER: Johnson via KO at 1:34 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) That was a beautiful punch from Johnson and a vicious finisher with the right. He said he didn't want to follow up because "there's no need to be an A-hole", but with the ref not there he did the smart thing to follow up and ensure the win.
PRELIM FIGHT SEVEN: CUB SWANSON VS. RICARDO LAMAS (FEATHERWEIGHT)
RD 1 - Swanson got in a couple of kicks to the body and legs early. Lamas landed a kick but Swanson swept him. Lamas got to his feet. Lamas landed a kick to the body. Swanson got a kick in that landed low and Lamas was given time to recover. Lamas shot in and scored a takedown. He worked to half guard and landed some hard strikes. Swanson grabbed for a guillotine and locked it on as Lamas tried to work out. Lamas tried to fight it off and stood up. Swanson had to let go as Lamas stayed standing. Swanson pressed in. Lamas went for a capoeira kick and Swanson blocked it and smiled. Swanson landed a nice combination and had Lamas a little rocked. Swanson ended up on top in side control as Lamas tried to pull him down. Swanson moved to north-south and set up a scissor choke but had to give it up. Lamas scrambled and got to his feet. The round ended with an exchange. Round one to Swanson.
RD 2 - Swanson landed an early right and slipped on a kick. Lamas then landed a couple of kicks. Swanson rushed in wildly but Lamas took him down again. Swanson attempted to go for an omoplata, but Lamas got out and landed some ground and pound. Swanson scrambled to his knees and Lamas took his back. Swanson exploded out, but Lamas locked on an arm triangle. Swanson desperately tried to fight out of it, but couldn't get free and was forced to tap. Nice win by Lamas.
WINNER: Lamas via submission (arm triangle) at 2:16 of the second round
STAR RATING: (**+) Good back and forth fight with a couple of close submission attempts before Lamas locked on the arm triangle. Swanson left the arm open, and Lamas was aware enough to lock on the hold and picked up the win.
PRELIM FIGHT EIGHT: DUSTIN POIRIER VS. PABLO GARZA
RD 1 - Both fighters tested the range early and stayed tentative. Poirier walked Garza down and kept him circling. Garza landed a good leg kick. He blocked a head kick. Poirier got in close and landed a short combo. Garza landed a hard leg kick and followed it with a punch. Poirier caught a kick to the body and dropped Garza. Garza covered up as he got to his feet. Poirier walked Garza down. He landed a hard left. He caught the kick again and dropped Garza. He let him back up. Poirier landed a short right. Garza landed a nice right and then a hard kick to the body. Garza caught a kick and bulrushes through Poirier. He grabbed a knee bar and nearly had it locked on but Poirier got out and up. Garza inadvertently landed a kick low. Poirier landed a hard right. Garza ducked down and pulled half guard. Poirier landed some strikes to the body and head as Garza tried to get back to a better position. Poirier landed some hard strikes as Garza got back to full guard. Garza landed a few elbows from the bottom and attacked for a triangle as the round ended. Good start for Poirier, but Garza's right in it.
RD 2 - Garza went for a spinning back elbow and it was blocked and then he slipped. Garza grazed Poirier with a right. Garza grabbed a clinch but Poirier dragged him down into half guard. The crowd started booing loudly, but it sounded like it was something going on in the crowd. Poirier landed a right and then went for a D'Arce choke. He locked it on nicely and forced Garza to tap. Very impressive performance from Poirier.
WINNER: Poirier via submission (D'Arce choke) at 1:32 of the second round
STAR RATING: (**+) Very impressive performance from Poirier. He didn't allow Garza to get much offense in, controlled the bout and locked on a beautiful submission as soon as the opening was given to him.
PRELIM FIGHT NINE: CLAY GUIDA VS. BEN HENDERSON (LIGHTWEIGHT)
RD 1 - Both fighters circled immediately, with Guida jumping around at a slightly higher pace. Guida landed a leg kick early. Guida popped in with a right. Henderson dropped him with a right. In a huge flurry, Henderson landed another one that dropped Guida. Guida grabbed a leg and Henderson sprawled. He landed a knee. He grabbed a thai clinch as Guida got up and threw a knee. Guida grabbed for a takedown on the cage and Henderson held it off well. The crowd loudly chanted for Guida. Henderson landed a couple of hammerfists and strikes. Henderson got to his feet and landed a knee to the body. Henderson grabbed a headlock, but let it go and clinched Guida against the cage with double undercooks. Henderson landed a knee that Guida caught. Henderson landed some more knees against the cage. Guida threw a couple of strikes. Henderson landed another good knee. Guida grabbed for a single leg again and Henderson hopped and held it off. Separated, Henderson began stalking. Henderson missed a superman punch off the cage. Guida threw a flying knee and missed. He landed a strike on Henderson and went for a guillotine choke but could not get it and Henderson pressed him to the cage. Henderson ended the round with a few good strikes to take the round 10-9.
RD 2 - Henderson engaged first with a knee to the body and he stuffed a shot from Guida. Henderson landed a punch. Guida took him down but Henderson scrambled, landed a knee on the way up and then took Guida down. Crazy pace to this fight. Henderson landed a few nice right hand shots and Guida got to his knees. Henderson controlled him in the sprawl. As soon as Guida got up, Henderson grabbed for a takedown, but Guida held him off. Guida landed a good knee. Henderson responded with a few of his own. He delivered another really powerful knee to the gut and kept Guida on the cage. He landed an elbow and grabbed for a single leg. He threw a knee and Guida caught it to take him down. Henderson immediately got to a knee. Guida tried to take his back standing but couldn't and Henderson stood up. Guida landed a few knees. He dropped again but Henderson stuffed it and turned Guida around on the cage. Guida landed a spinning back fist but spun away from Henderson and Henderson grabbed a headlock in a scramble. Henderson landed a hard knee. Guida grabbed for a standing guillotine and pulled guard. He lost it and Henderson took his back. He got both hooks in and moved to a body triangle with 30 seconds left. Guida defended and Henderson couldn't lock on the sub before the round ended. 10-9 Henderson again in an awesome fight.
RD 3 - Henderson barely missed on a head kick early. Guida tried to stalk and Henderson stayed out of the way. They both cracked each other with punches in an exchange. Henderson landed a nice leg kick. Henderson just missed an axe kick. Henderson landed a hard right. Guida landed a knee to the body and Henderson wrapped him up in the clinch. Guida rushed in with a takedown attempt but Henderson would not go down. Henderson landed a few short elbows and dropped for a takedown attempt of his own. Henderson landed a few knees in the clinch. Guida turned him around, went for a kick and Henderson took him down into side control. Henderson briefly trapped Guida's arm. Guida scrambled, but Henderson took his back and got the body triangle with time to work. He had Guida's arm trapped but he was forced to let it go. They collided and Guida wound up on top of Henderson with a guillotine attempt. He got the mount but Henderson got free. Henderson fought out to his knees. Guida again went for the choke and Henderson got out. Henderson ended the round throwing punches to the body. Guida may steal the round, but I've got Henderson up 3-0. No way he lost this fight and it would be a robbery if the decision doesn't go to him.
WINNER: Henderson via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (****-) That was a fantastic number one contender fight, and a really fun back and forth fight with just about everything you could have hoped for from them. Both got rocked, both nearly locked on submissions and both survived some really bad spots to make it all 15 minutes in a fight that will now bring Henderson to a meeting with Frankie Edgar.
-We're now less than 10 minutes away from the UFC's network television debut!
=====UFC ON FOX BROADCAST======
The broadcast opens with Fox sports music and Curt Menefee's voice welcoming fans in. That's fantastic. Then we go to a new opening video package with a Fox narration to introduce fans to the two fighters on the broadcast tonight. The graphics for this are much improved, and the music and feel of this is definitely giving this a huge feel.
Dana White joins Menefee and is in his "end of Spike TV Prelims mode," though he's not quite as loud as the cageside Spike TV spots. They're breaking down Velasquez and dos Santos, and Menefee lets fans know that "this is the calm version of Dana White."
[Commercial Break]
The broadcast returns with a short time-lapse look at the conversion of the arena from hockey game to UFC event. Brock Lesnar is then brought in and they show a graphic with the "Top 5 Heavyweights." That's another fantastic addition, and that's something that should be done more often in all divisions.
Lesnar talks about the similar backgrounds he and Cain Velasquez share, and then they break down the attributes of dos Santos as well. Lesnar and White talk over each other a bit and Lesnar said he wants Velasquez to win because he wants his rematch.
Next is a scene from the UFC Primetime on the background of dos Santos. Back from that, Lesnar says if dos Santos wins this fight, it's a true success story. Menefee gives a mention to the men and women of the military and it's time for the next set of commercials.
[Commercial Break]
After that break we get the background from Cain from the Primetime special. They're setting the stage in a big way, and they're building anticipation for these two to actually step into the cage here. Lesnar talks about what's on the line for Velasquez in the fight, and said he'd be behind him tonight because "when I win on December 30, I want that rematch." Menefee then throws to Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan at cageside. They run over the rules of The Octagon and go to the final commercial. Walkouts are likely happening during the break, but it'd be great if the Fox audience could see it.
[Commercial Break]
MAIN EVENT FIGHT TEN: CAIN VELASQUEZ VS. JUNIOR DOS SANTOS (UFC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
PRE FIGHT: Back from break, Junior dos Santos comes out to a mixture of boos and cheers. It's definitely a pro-Velasquez crowd here in Anaheim. The cheers came to a swell as Velasquez came out of the back.
[Commercial Break]
ROUND ONE: Dos Santos came out to the center. Velasquez engaged first with a leg kick. Dos Santos landed a good right hand. Dos Santos threw a push kick and Velasquez caught it. Velasquez landed a left hook as dos Santos threw a right. Dos Santos dropped Cain with a huge right and pounced. Dos Santos started dropping punches referee "Big" John McCarthy was forced to stop it! We have a new UFC Heavyweight Champion in epic fashion. That right landed to the ear and dos Santos did not let the opportunity go to waste. That was such a huge win for dos Santos.
[Commercial Break]
WINNER: Dos Santos via KO at 1:04 of the first round
POST FIGHT: Dos Santos nearly broke down, and said he had no words to express how he was feeling. He thanked his family and friends. Dos Santos said he wasn't 100% for the fight but he pulled through. Rogan interviewed Velasquez, who apologized to his fans, friends, and family that he disappointed tonight. He said he will come back and regain his belt.
[Commercial Break]
Rogan and Goldberg break down what we just saw, and promised more coverage after the break.
[Commercial Break]
Back to Menefee, White, and Lesnar. Lesnar talked about how things can change like that in a second. White sounded upset at the result as he talked about what he felt Velasquez should have done in the fight. Lesnar said he may say a lot of things, but he's got Alistair Overeem next to concentrate on and he's looking to win that fight to get back to a Championship bout. White certainly looked very upset, but having the fight finish early is not a problem, as dos Santos delivered a decisive finish and should sell better when he defends the title. If Lesnar beats Overeem in Dec., the UFC has a HUGE title fight on their hands next year.
-The broadcast is now over; thank you to everyone for joining us tonight, we'll have reactions and more from the event throughout the week as we head to another major UFC pay-per-view event!
Marcio Pe de Pano Cruz Luke Cummo Jeff Big Frog Curran Dai Shuanghai Mac Danzig
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