Eurosport - Thu, 18 Sep 16:34:00 2008
Nate Diaz continues his climb up the middleweight rankings with another victory at Ultimate Fight Night 15; we recap all the action...
Lightweights:Nate Diaz (10-2) def. Josh Neer (24-7-1)
Judges scores: Split decision (29-28 Diaz, 29-28 Neer, 29-28 Diaz).
Yahoo! Sports score: Kevin Iole had it 29-28 for Diaz.
Key moment: Diaz had several good takedowns of Neer, including a judo throw in the second round that was reminiscent of one of Karo Parisyan's best.
Analysis: Diaz is incredibly flexible and can twist and turn out of nearly every situation. Neer got into positions to go for submissions, but Diaz was slippery enough that he almost effortlessly escaped. It was an extremely close fight, but Diaz had a bit more offense.
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Lightweights: Clay Guida (24-6) def. Mac Danzig (19-5-1)
Judges scores: Unanimous decision, 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 for Guida.
Yahoo! Sports score: 29-28, Guida.
Key moment: Guida turned the momentum of the bout in his favor for good with back-to-back slams of Danzig late in the first round.
Analysis: The fight was, as anticipated, a high-energy battle, and Guida simply seemed to have more energy. He repeatedly took down Danzig over the last two rounds, but Guida didn't do much with them. But he did control the fight and showed the great conditioning he is known for. Guida needs to add some finishing moves to his arsenal to take his game to the next level, but he's a tough match for anyone with his work rate.
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Middleweights: Alan Belcher (12-4) def. Ed Herman (16-6)
Judges scores: Unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28 Note: this match was announced in the building as a split decision for Belcher, but after the card, the Nebraska commission announced there was a scoring error and the decision was actually unanimous).
Yahoo! Sports score: 29-28, Belcher.
Key moment: Belcher was able to keep the fight standing most of the night, which played to his strength.
Analysis: Neither man came out of the fight any better than he went in. It was a technical fight without much action. Neither man landed any significant strikes, and there wasn't anything close to a submission. It looked like two evenly matched men who had great respect for each other and fought cautiously as a result. This will NOT be Fight of the Night.
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Light heavyweights: Eric Schafer (12-3-2) def. Houston Alexander (8-4, 1 nc)
How: Arm triangle, 4:53, Round 1.
Key moment: Alexander was his usual powerful self early. He landed a knee about 10 seconds into the fight that seemed to badly hurt Schafer. But once Schafer took the fight to the ground, it was all over.
Analysis: Alexander is one of the most powerful men in the weight class, but his lack of any semblance of a ground game may result in him being forced out of the UFC. Schafer took him to the ground and pounded on him for several minutes until getting him into an arm triangle and forcing a tap.
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Middleweights: Alessio Sakara (17-7, 1 nc) def. Joe Vedepo (9-2)
How: TKO by head kick, 1:27, Round 1.
Key moment: Vedepo was preparing to throw a punch when Sakara unleashed a head kick that knocked him out. It was reminiscent of the kick Rashad Evans used to knock out Sean Salmon.
Analysis: Sakara is a boxer but was having difficulty landing his strikes. But he landed two kicks to the head early, which was a portent of things to come. Vedepo was in command throughout until Sakara's kick. Sakara had lost two of his last three and four of his last seven coming in and desperately needed the victory.
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Middleweights: Wilson Gouveia (11-5) def. Ryan Jensen (13-5)
How: Arm bar, 2:04, Round 2.
Key moment: Jensen was dominating the fight, but as he went for a takedown, he left his arm exposed and Gouveia quickly slapped on an arm bar that ended the bout.
Analysis: Gouveia moved down to middleweight from light heavyweight and was being dominated before he finished it. Jensen was getting the better of the striking and the grappling, but Gouveia's patience enabled him to capitalize when he had an opportunity. However, had he performed against one of the division's top strikers like he did against Jensen, he would have been in trouble.
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Lightweights: Joe Lauzon (16-4) def. Kyle Bradley (13-6, 1 nc)
How: Strikes, 1:34, Round 2.
Key moment: After the two stayed on their feet and traded blows most of the fight, Lauzon went for a takedown and got it. It was then only seconds until the bout ended.
Analysis: Lauzon proved once again he is a highly skilled, diverse fighter who has numerous ways to win. He showed jiu-jitsu, striking and wrestling on Wednesday. He's going to be a handful for all but the elite few in the lightweight division. If he continues to develop as he has, he'll soon become one of the elite.
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Light heavyweights: Jason Brilz (16-1-1) def. Brad Morris (10-4)
How: Strikes, 2:54, Round 2.
Key moment: The key moment for Brilz was when the bell rang. He was so dominant throughout that it is impossible to pick one moment.
Analysis: Brilz, fighting in front of a hometown crowd, took down Morris early in both rounds and then controlled him on the ground and pounded away. Morris spent much of the fight on his stomach doing nothing to try to prevent Brilz from pounding him about the head. Finally, referee Mark Powell had seen enough and stopped it.
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Middleweights: Mike Massenzio (11-2) def. Drew McFedries (7-4)
How: Kimura, 1:28, Round 1.
Key moment: A quality wrestler, Massenzio nearly got caught in an arm bar. When he managed to break free, it was only seconds until he ended the fight.
Analysis: Massenzio's strength and wrestling ability won him the fight. He took down McFedries immediately and quickly worked to reverse position. Massenzio already had wins over quality fighters like Dante Rivera and Dan Miller and added another by defusing McFedries' power.
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Middleweights: Dan Miller (9-1, 1 nc) def. Rob Kimmons (21-4)
How: Rear naked choke, 1:27, Round 1.
Key moment: In his first UFC fight, the former International Fight League champion quickly got Kimmons' back early and immediately slapped on a rear naked choke.
Analysis: Miller tried to take down Kimmons and got lucky, as Kimmons managed to stay up but left his back exposed. Miller showed great composure as he got the hooks in and then worked for the choke. He is very well-rounded and adds another quality fighter to a suddenly crowded division.
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