MMA News
Former UFC, WEC and IFL light heavyweight fighter "The Executioner" Justin Levens (9-7) and his wife Sarah McLean-Levens were found dead with his wife in their Laguna Niguel, California, condominium. Authorities are calling this an apparent murder-suicide.
According to sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino, the couple was found by the Sarah McLean-Levens' mother, who called 911.
Police are expecting more information later today (Thursday, 18 December 2008).
...According to a Spike TV press release today, the the UFC’s “Fight for the Troops” event televised from Fort Bragg 10 December in Fayetteville raised over $4 million for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. Ratings numbers reveal that 2 million viewers watched the free televised UFC event making it one of the most popular programs for the night.
According to IFHF president, Bill White, the UFC and Spike TV are admired for the recent efforts.
"We are profoundly grateful to the UFC and Spike TV for their extraordinary support of our nation's Wounded Warriors,” stated White. “Their efforts have moved us that much closer to complete the traumatic brain injury center in Bethesda for the service members that are fighting for our freedom overseas.”
The IFHF provides assistance to American military personnel critically injured during service. The "Fight For The Troops" event on Spike TV raised money aimed at building a $65 million, 75,000 square foot treatment and rehabilitation center for soldiers with traumatic brain injuries (TBI).
...K-1 kickboxers “Hightower” Semmy Schilt (25-15-1) and “Mighty Mo” Siala Siliga (2-0) will face off in a heavyweight MMA match at Dynamite!! 31 December in Saitama, the FEG announced Tuesday.
Also added to the card is a bout between Hideo Tokoro (17-13-1) and Daisuke Nakamura (15-8).
Schilt last fought Nandor Guelmino (1-1) in January, and won via first-round KO.
“Mighty Mo” last fought in June 2007, defeating “Warpath” Ruben Villareal (13-13-3) via TKO at 1:33 of round one.
Tokoro lost his most recent fight via unanimous decision to Atsushi Yamamoto (12-5-1) at DREAM.6 in September.
Nakamura is on a seven-fight win streak, most recently submitting Carlos Valeri (0-2) via flying arbar at M-1 Challenge 8 in October.
...Light heavyweight “Red” Eric Schafer (11-4) will face “Samuray” Antonio Mendes (2-2) UFC 93 in Dublin 17 January, Schafer announced on the weekend at the Gladiator Cage Fighting event.
Mendes was originally scheduled to face Andre Gusmao (5-1), who withdrew from the card for unknown reasons.
Schafer is coming off three first-round victories, most recently against “Assassin” Houston Alexander (8-4) via arm triangle choke in August.
Mendes suffered a submission loss due to strikes to Thiago Silva (14-0) in round one at UFC 84 in May.
The UFC's Cain Velasquez (4-0) will fight next at UFC Fight Night 17 in Tampa, FL, 7 February, he revealed to ESPN Radio 1100’s Steve Cofield this weekend.
The American Kickboxing Academy heavyweight declined to name his opponent.
Velasquez defeated “Irish” Jake O’Brien (10-2) in July via first-round TKO.
...Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked lightweight Eiji Mitsuoka (13-6-2) will face Sergey Golyaev (9-5) at Sengoku Seventh Battle 4 January in Saitama, Japan, World Victory Road announced this week.
Mitsuoka is coming off a submission loss to Satoru Kitaoka (23-9-7) at Sengoku Sixth Battle in November. Mitsuoka was caught with a heel hook at 1:16 of round one.
Golyaev is coming off an upset win via split decision over second-ranked “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-5), also at Sengoku Sixth Battle.
...“Rumble” Anthony Johnson (6-2), Junie Allen Browning (3-0), David Kaplan (2-2), and “The Experiment” Krzysztof Soszynski (17-8-1) all walked away with $25,000 bonuses after their fights Saturday night at The Ultimate Fighter 8 finale in Las Vegas.
Johnson earned “Knockout of the Night” with a head kick that dropped Kevin Burns (7-2) to the mat in the third round.
Browning and Kaplan’s two-round brawl was “Fight of the Night”, which Browning finished via armbar.
Soszynski won “Submission of the Night” with his second-round kimura on Shan Primm (3-1).
The second week of December brought with it a big week in mixed martial arts competition as equally as it delivered a big week of success for the increasingly impressive American Top Team gym headquartered in Coconut Creek.
From the UFC's "Fight for the Troops" on Spike TV Wednesday night in Fayetteville to the debut of Mixed Fighting Alliance in Miami, American Top Team set the pace of champions. ATT fighters scored big as well at CQC "In the Cage" in Charlotte and during the UFC's Ultimate Fighter Season 8 Finale in Las Vegas Saturday night.
"Snowman" Jeff Monson (25-8) defeated "Suave" Ricco Rodriguez (30-9) via unanimous decision Saturday night during the main event at the Mixed Fighting Alliance debut in Miami.
"I am happy with the win but I was a little sloppy tonight." Monson told Fighters.com following the fight.
The main event battle at MFA "There Will Be Blood" was a full round war with each fighter going the distance but Monson winning on all cards in the end. Monson, famous for his blunt honesty, had criticism for his performance.
"A win is a win but I need to improve." The Abu Dhabi and UFC veteran told Fighters.com. "My jiu-jitsu felt good in the fight but my boxing was a little weak." Monson continued, "I need to spend more time in the American Top Team gym here in Florida. You know, I need to work with more guys down here to prepare for fights."
Efrain Escudero's (7-0) wrestling was the difference in his unanimous decision victory over Phillipe Nover (4-1) to become season eight's lightweight "Ultimate Fighter" during the live finale Saturday night in Las Vegas.
The bout started with both fighters kicking. Nover looped a big right hand at Efrain’s head, which he ducked for the takedown. Escudero postured up, but Nover kept him away with his legs and scrambled to his feet, eating a right punch on the way. Escudero got Nover’s back and transitioned to full mount. Escudero rained down heavy right fists into Nover’s face before getting back on top. Nover attempted a triangle choke but with one leg trapped under Escudero was unable to cinch it. Before the end of the round Escudero was able to take Nover down to the mat several more times.
In round two, Nover threw a leg kick, then tried punches, but Efrain got the single leg for the takedown. The fight alternated between stand-up and the ground, with Escudero dictating. They both threw knees as they clinched at the cage. Escudero’s right hand tagged Nover and he landed a few inside leg kicks. Escudero scored another single-leg takedown, but they soon stood back up. Nover charged at Escudero with a big kick to the body, but Escudero caught him and slammed him as the horn sounded.
Another takedown by Escudero began round three, but Nover worked hard to get out, elbowing his side hard. Back to stand-up, Nover connected with two stiff jabs. He threw a knee which Escudero caught and again was wrestled to the mat. Nover worked for the omoplata while elbowing at Escudero’s shoulder. He tried to muscle his left foot under Escudero’s chin but Escudero rolled out with half a minute left in the fight. Escudero’s windmilling legs kept Nover from getting close enough to set anything up before the round ended.
The judges awarded Escudero the unanimous decision victory with scores of 29-28 across the board.
..."Darth" Ryan Bader (6-0) defeated Vinicius Magalhaes (3-4) via TKO stoppage during the Ultimate Fighter Season 8 Finale in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The win by Bader earned the former Arizona wrestler the crown of Ultimate Fighter in the light heavyweight division for Season 8.
The main event fight started out Magalhaes throwing kicks from range. Bader took a couple of hard kicks before landing a right hand haymaker that sent Magalhaes into trouble. Bader quickly stood over Magalhaes raining down fists cuing referee Herb Dean to step in and stop the assault.
Ryan Bader officially won via TKO stoppage due to strikes at the 2:18 mark of round one.
..."The Experiment" Krzysztof Soszynski (17-8-1) defeated Shane Primm (3-1) via submission during the Ultimate Fighter Season 8 Finale in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Round one started with Soszynski landing a straight left punch followed by a left hook that stunned Primm. Primm recollected himself and scored a takedown but Soszynski got back to his feet. Primm went to the clinch pushing Soszynski into the cage. In the process, Primm ate several uppercuts from Soszynski. Down on the ground, Soszynski took side control and attempted a kimura. Escaping the kimura attempt Primm also evades a serious right hand punch at the end of the round.
The second round began with Soszynski landing another strong left hand punch. Both fighters swung wildly for moments but nothing scored from either side. Primm attempted a takedown but Soszynski strongly stuffed it. Soszynski then tired another kimura. At first it was loose but after a brief adjustment, Soszynski grabs Primm's arm strongly. Primm in visible pain taps out.
Krzysztof Soszynski officially won via submission by kimura at the 3:27 mark of the second round.
...“Rumble” Anthony Johnson (6-2) KO’d Kevin Burns (7-2) with a third-round head kick in a fairly evenly-matched rematch at the TUF 8 live finale Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Both fighters came out trading leg kicks. A body kick by Burns was answered by a body kick-jab combination by Johnson. Burns shot for the double-leg takedown and landed in Burns’s closed guard. Burns climbed his legs up Johnson’s back but Johnson stood out of it and threw a few punches into Burns’s midsection until he moved into side control. Burns’s legs moved up again, this time securing a triangle choke. Johnson was able to slide out, however, back into Burns’s full guard. Referee Mario Yamasaki stood them up. Johnson landed a left body kick and jab-straight. Burns was flipped onto his back when Johnson caught a kick, but Yamasaki allowed him to stand back up.
Johnson and Burns again opened the round trading kicks. Johnson shot for the single leg, but although Burns defended, he got the takedown. Burns worked a kimura with Johnson in his half guard, but Johnson slipped out, ending up in full guard. They spent the rest of the round in this position, throwing short strikes to the body, and Johnson landing a few elbows into the face. Burns attempted another triangle choke and an armbar, and ate a hammerfist for his efforts.
Round three began with strikes, and ended soon after when Burns was felled by a left head kick, out cold. Johnson's revenge for his TKO loss in July via eye-poke was completed at 0:28 of round three.
...Wilson Gouveia (12-5) tapped out Canadian middleweight “The Athlete” Jason MacDonald (19-11) with elbow strikes in round one at the season eight live finale of The Ultimate Fighter Saturday night in Las Vegas.
The Brazilian Gouveia came out with a leg kick. MacDonald followed a right-left punch combo with a single-leg takedown, but Gouveia refused to stay down. Trading strikes, Gouveia dropped MacDonald with a hard left jab, and immediately fell on him with hammerfists and elbows, splitting open MacDonald’s head.
Referee Josh Rosenthal stopped Gouveia’s assault of MacDonald at 2:18 of round one.
..."Fire" Eliot Marshall (5-1) defeated Jules Bruchez (1-1) via submission during the Ultimate Fighter Season 8 Finale in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
The battle began with Marshall landing a hard right hand punch that visibly stunned Bruchez. Marshall immediately slammed Bruchez down to the ground and took side control. Attempting to roll out, Bruchez gave up his back to a tenacious Marshall. Marshall grabbed a guillotine choke and sank it deep. Bruchez tapped out under the pressure.
Eliot Marshall officially won via guillotine choke submission at the 1:27 mark of the first round.
...Tom Lawlor (5-1) defeated Kyle Kingsbury (8-2) via unanimous decision during the Ultimate Fighter Season 8 Finale in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
The fight opened with Lawlor scoring a takedown. Kingsbury scrambled out and got back to his feet only to be taken down again by Lawlor. Falling into guard, Kingsbury attempted a gogoplata without success. Lawlor landed some punches in the guard as Kingsbury attempted a second gogoplata to be answered by a flurry of punches from Lawlor before round's end.
The second round began with Lawlor shooting for a double leg takedown. Kingsbury stuffed the takedown attempt but Lawlor kept attempting takedowns until he finally found the mark and forced Kingsbury to pull guard. Rolling into half guard, Lawlor landed some heavy elbows upon Kingsbury's head before the sounding of the horn.
The final round of the bout began with Lawlor going for another takedown. Kingsbury stuffed the attempt before being pushed back into the cage. Trying to take Kingsbury down again, Lawlor gets caught with two solid knee strikes to the body. Attempting near constant takedown attempts, Lawlor ate a few hammerfists during the attempts and appeared gassed at the end of the round.
Tom Lawlor officially won via unanimous decision. All three judges scored the bout 29-28.
...Junie Allen Browning (3-0) submitted David Kaplan (2-2) with an armbar in round two at the live finale of The Ultimate Fighter 8 in Las Vegas 13 December, showing his critics that he might indeed belong in the Octagon.
Browning opened with an inside left kick that hit Kaplan in the cup. After an immediate apology from Browning, Kaplan recovered and the fight continued. The lightweights stood and banged with Browning throwing the crisper, more accurate combinations. Browning landed punches and a flying knee, interspersing them with kicks – each strike looked like it hurt. Both fighters attempted submissions when the fight went to the mat after Browning slipped, Kaplan attempting leg locks and Browning twice tried for a rear naked choke, but neither was able to finish. They stood, and ended the round with knees from Kaplan and an elbow from Junie.
Kaplan started round two with looping punches. Junie went for the double-leg takedown and landed in Kaplan’s half guard. Browning passed into side control, and smoothly transitioned into an tight armbar. Kaplan was forced to tap at 1:32 of round two.
...Shane Nelson (10-3) defeated George Roop (8-2) via split decision during the Ultimate Fighter Season 8 Finale in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
The fight started with punch flurries by both fighters. The fighters clinched and eventually Nelson brought Roop down to the ground. Nelson attempted a rear naked choke but Roop denied the submission. The action slowed tremendously before Roop pulled guard at the end of the round.
The second round began with Roop landing a hard low kick followed by a stuffed takedown. Nelson got a takedown eventually and took side control. Nelson landed some elbows from the side and took the mount. Roop tried to escape the mount as Nelson rained down punches. Finally escaping, Roop got back to his feet only to get caught in a guillotine choke. Roop escaped the sub attempt to land two solid knees before round's end.
The final round opened with Roop landing punches and kicks to the head of Roop. Nelson attmepted takedown but was stuffed by Roop. Roop pushed Nelson into the cage and eventually got a takedown. Falling into Nelson's guard, Roop got back up to his feet and the fighters exchanged leather. The round ended with Nelson slamming Roop to the floor and attmepting a heel hook.
Shane Nelson officially won via split decision. The judges scored the bout; 29-28 Nelson, 29-28 Roop and 29-28 Nelson.
...Rolando Delgado (6-3-1) defeated John Polakowski (2-2) during the Ultimate Fighter Season 8 Finale in Las Vegas on Saturday night with a second round submission.
The fight began tentatively with with an eventual takedown by Polakowski. Delgado escaped back to his feet and answered with a left hook to the chin of his opponent. Soon after, Polakowski was dropped by a solid knee to the chin. Delgado took side control and then rolled over taking Polakowski's back. Attempting a guillotine choke, Delgado landed some strikes. Polakowski escaped and the round came to a close.
The second round started with Delgado shooting for a takedown. Halted briefly by Polakowski, Delgado tried for a heel hook. Polakowski escaped the sub attempt and pulled guard. Trying to escape guard position, Polakowski fell into a guillotine choke by Delgado. The choke proved to strong for Polakowski causing him to tap out.
Rolando Delgado officially won the bout via guillotine choke submission at the 2:18 mark of the second round
Fighters.com spoke with Micah Miller (9-2) the night before his fight against Jason Palacios (6-5) at CQC: "In the Cage" in Charlotte 13 December. A member of American Top Team and a Georgia native, the twenty-one-year-old Miller looks to rebound from his loss in August to Josh Grispi (12-1) at World Extreme Cage Fighting. Fighters.com: Micah, you are scheduled to fight Jason Palacios at CQC tomorrow night. On paper it looks like a pretty even fight stylistically. Where do you feel you might have an advantage in the fight, if any? Micah Miller: Well, I don't really know much about Jason. So, I don't really know where my strengths or my advantages are in this fight. When I trained for this fight, I just concentrated on myself and tried to make myself as good as can be. I trained every aspect and tried to get as good as I could at every aspect. I'll just go out there and see how the fight unfolds. Fighters.com: Speaking of training, how does it feel to be part of such a renowned gym as American Top Team with teammates such as new WEC featherweight champion Mike Thomas Brown (16-4) among many other notable fighters? Micah Miller: It's an honor. I definitely don't take it for granted. Everyday I walk into the gym I think about how lucky I am. I use the gym to its full potential. ...
Wilson Gouveia (11-5) weighed in at 189 pounds Friday for his middleweight bout against “The Athlete” Jason MacDonald (19-10) at the live finale of The Ultimate Fighter 8 Saturday night in Las Vegas. The Nevada State Athletic Commission would not allow Gouveia to cut the remaining pounds for safety reasons. Instead the match will proceed at a catch weight of 189 pounds, with Gouveia forfeiting 20 percent of his purse to MacDonald. Gouveia used to fight at light heavyweight. He made his middleweight debut in August, submitting Ryan Jensen (13-6) with a second-round armbar. All other fighters on the card made weight. ...
“African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou has signed to be “Babalu” Renato Sobral’s (30-8) new opponent, and welterweight Patrick Speight (7-1) will face Brett Cooper (6-3) at Affliction: Day of Reckoning 24 January in Anaheim, CA, the organization announced Thursday. Sokoudjou, Fighters.com's tenth-ranked light heavyweight, was recently released from the UFC after his second-round TKO loss to ninth-ranked "Banha" Luis Arthur Cane (7-1) at UFC 89 in October. Sobral last fought at Strikeforce: Destruction in November, winning Bobby Southworth’s (9-5) light heavyweight title with a referee stoppage due to a cut. Speight suffered his first career loss in October via unanimous decision to Alex Cisne (4-1) at King of the Cage. Cooper KO’d Dusty Arden (10-6-1) in round two in June. ...
UFC lightweight “The Real Deal” Corey Hill (2-2) underwent surgery Thursday morning for his broken leg and will be out of action for twelve to eighteen months, according to the UFC. Hill suffered a clean but shockingly gruesome break to his right shin when he threw a kick that was checked by opponent Dale Hartt (5-1) during Fight for the Troops in Fayetteville, NC, Wednesday night. Hill’s was not the only injury that required a visit to the hospital. Razak Al-Hassan’s (7-1) right elbow was dislocated when “Robot” Steve Cantwell (7-1) had him in an armbar and Al-Hassan refused to tap. He was treated and released from the hospital Wednesday night. Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked welterweight “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-3), who was brutally KO’d by fourth-ranked Josh Koscheck (12-3) in round one, and Jonathan Goulet (22-11), who was TKO’d by “Quick” Mike Swick (13-2) in 33 seconds, were both treated and released for concussions. ...
The FEG officially added two more DREAM-rules bouts Wednesday to their New Year’s Eve Dynamite!! card. Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked lightweight “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (15-3) will face third-ranked Eddie Alvarez (13-1), and heavyweight Mark Hunt (5-2) will face Jerome LeBanner (4-1-1). A fight with Aoki had been offered to fifth-ranked middleweight Yoshihiro Akiyama (12-2), but he decided not to fight at all NYE. "I'm tired of negotiating with [Akiyama]," said FEG executive Sadaharu Tanikawa. "He doesn't understand what fans expect from him and his position. I don't know the reason why he turned down the offer. I'm very disappointed in him." ...
"Croatian Sensation" Pat Miletich (29-7-2) defeated Thomas Denny (25-18) via knockout in the main event of Adrenaline MMA 2 Thursday night in Moline. Ben Rothwell (26-6) set the tone during the bout just before Miletich's victory with a submission victory of his own via strikes over Chris Guillen (13-12). Showing no rust from age, the forty-year-old Miletich revisited yesteryear with a dominant performance over Denny. The victory by knockout was both impressive and surprising in contrast to Miletich's fight record richly built off of submission wins. Pat Miletich officially won via knockout at 0:50 of the second round. Heavyweight Ben Rothwell (26-6) showed no remnants of his recent loss to "Pitbull" Andrei Arlovski (14-5) when he quickly dispatched Chris Guillen (13-12) in the opening round with a barrage of heavy elbows. Ben Rothwell officially won via submission due to strikes at 3:40 of the first round. ...
Fighters.com spoke this week with The Ultimate Fighter 8 finalist “The Filipino Assassin” Phillipe Nover (4-0) as he was preparing to fly out to Las Vegas, where he will fight Efrain Escudero (6-0) for the season eight lightweight crown Saturday 13 December. Fighters.com: I saw that you earned your black belt on Saturday, congratulations. Phillipe Nover: Thank you. Yeah, I didn’t even really expect it. I guess when you least expect things, sometimes they happen. I trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu for about eight years now, and my teacher, Soca (Alexandre Freitas), gave me my brown belt a few years ago. Soca had a promotion ceremony and he was like, “Be there, man! You better be there,” and I’m like, “Okay, okay.” I thought I’d probably get some stripes and then I got my belt instead. It was a big, big deal for me. Fighters.com: How is your training going? Phillipe Nover: Really good. I really trained specifically for Efrain’s style and what I remember him to be on the show and analyzing his fights. I train about eight to twelve sessions a week. I do mostly double days and I’ve been doing about twice a week of live training like sparring and stuff and my conditioning. I feel really good. My weight’s good, I feel more ready for this fight than any other fight. You know, pretty much I had Efrain on my mind for the last five, six months. I’ve never been so focused on one particular person. ...
Josh Koscheck (12-3) defeated Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-3) with a vicious knockout Wednesday night at Fort Bragg during the UFC’s “Fight for the Troops" event. Following a cautious start to the fight, Koscheck moved forward in an exhibition of extremely improved boxing skill. Although the Ultimate Fighter veteran missed the mark at first, he soon turned on the heat. Yoshida gamely landed a leg kick and tied into the clinch before Koscheck followed with four solid right hooks. Then the fighters separated momentarily. Once back into the clash, Koscheck landed a stiff right hand punch that knocked Yoshida back into the cage. Yoshida was out on his feet and visibly confused as Koscheck powerfully ended the bout with a second straight right punch sending his Japanese opponent into unconsciousness. It was an impressive performance by Koscheck and one for the highlight reels of tomorrow. Josh Koscheck officially won via KO at the 2:15 mark of round one. ...
"Mongoose" Jim Miller (13-1) defeated Matt Wiman (10-4) via unanimous decision Wednesday night at Fort Bragg during the UFC’s “Fight for the Troops" event. Round one began with a swarm of punches from both fighters. Miller came out on the better side of the exchanges before Wiman shot for a takedown. During the takedown attempt, Miller caught Wiman in a powerful guillotine choke. Rolling eventually into mount, Miller put pressure on the choke but Wiman escaped. Miller followed with a flurry of punches that were answered by a left hook to his chin from Wiman. At round's end, a body kick hurt Wiman before he was saved by the horn. The second round started more intense than the opener with both fighters swinging furiously. After a pause, Miller caught Wiman with another hurtful body kick. Sensing reward, Miller backed Wiman into the cage with a flurry of punches followed by a strong knee. Wiman displayed a respectable chin under the barrage of shots from Miller but ended up in guard only to take on more punishment before the end of the round. The final round stayed in theme as the previous two with Miller unleashing a flurry of punches upon Wiman. Miller continued forward with a strong left hand punch and a knee that visibly hurt his opponent. Miller pushed continuously forward with a takedown and side control. Following Miller's dominance of the round, Wiman briefly took top position before Miller transitioned into a rear naked choke attempt. At the sounding of the final horn, Miller's overall performance was impressive and dominant. Jim Miller officially won via unanimous decision. ...
"Robot" Steve Cantwell (7-1) defeated Razak Al-Hassan (7-1) via submission at the 4:04 mark of the first round with a painfully extended armbar Wednesday night at Fort Bragg during the UFC’s “Fight for the Troops” event. Al-Hassan's striking was respectable from the opening round landing a strong left hand to the chin and a leg kick. But just as Al-Hassan's striking appeared more accurate, Cantwell soon answered the shots with a double dose of clean left punches. Cantwell's counter soon led to a takedown where Al-Hassan found himself under the weight of side control. Soon after, Cantwell grabbed Al-Hassan's right arm and secured a tight armbar. Al-Hassan refused to tap out but such refusal resulted in an dangerously extended arm cuing referee Mario Yamasaki to step in and stop the fight. The instant replay of the submission showed what appeared to be Al-Hassan's elbow popping out of socket as his arm was bent tremendously in an unhealthy direction. Steve Cantwell officially won via submission (armbar) at 4:04 of the first round. ...
"Killa B" Ben Saunders (7-0-2) defeated Brandon Wolff (5-3-0) via TKO stoppage at 1:49 of round one in an overwhelming display of Muay Thai technique Wednesday night at Fort Bragg during the UFC's "Fight for the Troops" event. The fight began with an unintentional low blow by Saunders. Upon the restart, Saunders landed a strong head kick followed by an aggressive and accurate swarm of knees and punches. Displaying clinchwork reminiscent of UFC middleweight champion "Spider" Anderson Silva (23-4), Saunders bloodied and bruised Wolff in decisive fashion. "I heard his reaction. He was grunting," said Saunders following the bout. "I knew I had him hurt. It was beautiful. I love it." Formerly a Navy SEAL, the game but battered Wolff was visibly rocked and unsteady on his feet following each break from multiple clinches early in the opening round. By fight's end, Wolff's face was was a mess of blood and tremendous swelling. After the quick first round destruction of his opponent, Saunders was enthusiastic in response to Joe Rogan's comparison of his performance to that of the current UFC middleweight champ. "That's awesome man because Anderson Silva is one of my idols," stated Saunders. Ben Saunders officially won via TKO due to strikes at 1:49 of the first round. ...
Welterweight "Quick" Mike Swick (13-2) defeated "The Road Warrior" Jonathan Goulet (22-10, 1 NC) via TKO in only 33 seconds on Wednesday night near Fort Bragg during the UFC Fight for the Troops event. Over a year of trash talking between the two fighters (which started when the two were first set to meet in September 2007, a fight Swick had to back out of due to a rib injury) culminated in a 33 second win for Swick in his third fight since dropping from a middleweight to a welterweight. As the fight began, the two fighters danced around each other, each posed to shoot in or throw a shot, but it was Swick that opened up first with a cross-jab-cross combination to the head of Goulet. Goulet dropped to his knees and grabbed one of Swick's legs in an attempt to buy some time. Instead, Swick landed left crosses and hammer fists to the side of Goulet's face in a flurry until the referee was forced to step in and end the fight. The official announcement was Swick winning via TKO at 0:33 of the first round. ...
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