Full Credit: Dave Meltzer, F4WOnline.com
Welcome to our live coverage of UFC 94 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. We’re looking for your thoughts on tonight’s show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Matt Arroyo vs. Dan Cramer in a battle of Ultimate Fighter alumni opens the show.
Arroyo tried a takedown, easily blocked. Arroyo reversed a takedown attempt and is on top. Reverse by Cramer but Arroyo going for an armbar from the bottom. Cramer escaped. Arroyo with some elbows from the bottom. Cramer with two good elbows from the top. Arroyo working for a triangle although not close. Cramer with a few more punches from the top, most blocked. Cramer throwing more punches mostly blocked. Arroyo going for an armbar. Time running out. Arroyo still blocking most of the punches. Cramer will probably win the round, but he shouldn’t because almost all the punches were blocked, Arroyo tried the subs and connected some from the bottom.
Arroyo pulled guard to start round two. Cramer throwing more punches that aren’t connecting. Fans booed Arroyo for staying on his back as Cramer got up. Cramer jumped back down to the top position. Ref Steve Mazzagatti warning the guys. Cramer connected with a solid elbow which was the only real telling blow of the fight so far. Nothing much happened. Cramer won the round so I have it even but I’m pretty sure the judges have it 20-18 for Arroyo, who has risked giving away the fight by staying on his back. Dull round.
Arroyo opened getting the takedown and now Cramer is using a rubber guard. Arroyo got his back and working for a choke. He’s close to finishing. Cramer escaped. Arroyo back to the choke attempt. Cramer turned and got on top. Cramer throwing a lot, most blocked. This is an easy crowd as they are cheering every movement. Place is also 80% full already. Mazzagatti ordered a stand-up. Arroyo has some nasty swelling on the left side of his face from that second round elbow. Cramer took him down and fire some punches. Arroyo trying for a triangle but not getting close. Time running out and Cramer is going to get the decision. I’d have it 29-28 but I’ll predict 30-27 across the board.
Split decision 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 for Cramer. All three judges gave Arroyo the first round. Very rare for a guy to win a round on his back. Dull fight. Doubt you’ll be seeing this on the PPV.
Jake O’Brien vs. Christian Wellisch
O’Brien took the first round 10-9. He decked Wellisch early and then was on top most of the round.
Wellisch came out to Boy George’s “Do you really want to hurt me?”
O’Brien got a takedown in the second round. Wellisch has bloody nose. O’Brien is targeting it. O’Brien with a second takedown. Wellisch back at the end of the round. O’Brien’s round.
Trading, Wellisch getting the better of it. Another takedown by O’Brien. Wellisch’s nose looks like hell. Wellisch starting to tag him. Another takedown by O’Brien. Wellisch getting the better of the tanding and moving forward. Nice counter by O’Brien. Body kick by Wellisch. Another takedown by O’Brien. He let him up right away. Another takedown by O’Brien. Wellisch escaped. He sprawled from O’Brien’s takedown attempt with a few seconds left. I have it 29-28 for O’Brien. Not much of a fight here either.
29-28 Wellisch, 29-28 O’Brien and 29-28 for O’Brien.
Chris Wilson vs. John Howard is next.
Another split decision 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28 for Howard. Don’t know if they are going to give a best decision bonus. Three close rounds but I had Howard taking rounds two and three. Wilson put Howard down in round one with a low kick and Howard did the same in the second round. Howard got Wilson’s back in the third round with a body triangle and held him for much of the third round working for a choke. He never came close. Crowd liked the fight.
Lots of GSP and B.J. Penn chants back-and-forth.
Thiago Tavares vs. Manvel Gamburyan is up now.
Takedown by Tavares. Gamburyan is giving away a lot of size here. Tavares lookis to have gained a lot since weigh-ins. looks 175 to me,and Gamburyan not so much, looks 158 ish. Tavares with a lot of punches connecting. Gamburyan went for a straight armbar. Tavares spun out and is back on top. Great judo throw by Gamburyan but Tarvares held onto the position. Gamburyan connected late. Crowd cheered both. 10-9 Tavares.
More GSP chants. Gamburyan with a high kick. Gamburyan swinging wildly. Tavares tried a takedown but Gamburyan ended up on top. Some body shots by Gamburan on top. Gamburyan quickly went for a heel hook, Tavares pulled out and Gamburyan is back on top in guard. Gamburyan with a hard elbow. Ref Josh Rosenthal stood them up as Gamburyan was throwing a punch. That was weird. Wicked punch by Tavares and a takedown makes the wrong close but I’ll go 10-9 Gamburyan.
Thrid round all stand-up. Tavares rocked Gamburyan with a punch. Some trading. Gamburyan with an attempted takedown. Tavares threw a hard punch off the takedown attempt. Gamburyan aback with a punch and a takedown attempt but didn’t get it. I’ve got 29-28 Tavares.
29-28 for Tavares across the board.
The last two fights were good.
Jon Fitch vs. Akihiro Gono is next in our night of decisions.
Gono and his two cornermen came out in gowns like they were women rock singers and danced for their ring entrance. Easily the best reaction to a ring entrance in UFC history. Crowd sees Fitch as a star from the St. Pierre fight but cheered Gono every bit as much for his entrance.
Fitch did his usual grinding out the first round, getting a few takedowns and had Gono’s back a few tiems workingn for a choke. He won the first round 10-9.
Fitch took him down to start the second round. Fitch is scoring with punches from the top and elbows. Gono turned his head and Fitch has his back. Fitch is throwing good punches to the side of the head. Gono is taking more of a beating than anyone so far tonight. Fitch tried an armbar with ten seconds left but Gono escaped. 20-18 Fitch. I should note that one of Gono’s cornermen didn’t have enough time to change out of his dress so he wore it all three rounds.
Gono looks tired. He threw a knee but Fitch now overwhelming him with a body kick and then got tthe takedown. He’s connecting with a lot of punches. Gono dropped for a leglock but Fitch blocked it. Gono reversed with 1:40 left and is on top but doing little. Fitch back to his feet. He grabbed a guillotine, now got Gono’s back and time ran out. 5 straight decisions. This should easily go 30-27 for Fitch.
30-27, 30-27 and 30-26 for Fitch.
Gate will end up in the $4.3 million range
The crowd heat for Penn and St. Pierre on the screen is huge. No booing either men but St. Pierre’s cheers were louder. The cheers for St. Pierre were as loud as pretty much anyone I can recall at a Vegas UFC show as far as simply for the ring entrance. I’ve seen more Canadian flags, nothing close to the number as the Koscheck or Hughes fight.
Nate Diaz vs. Clay Guida opens the show. Crowd very hot for Guida. This seems to be the second biggest fight on the show to the live audience.
Nobody booing Diaz like at the weigh-ins when he came out, but Guida super over.
Diaz’s reach paying off. Connecitng with a lot of jabs. He hurt Guida with a punch to the temple. He’s picking him apart actually. Guida can’t get inside the jab. Guida going for a single leg but didn’t get it. Diaz continues to pick him apart. Diaz shot in, mistake as Guida ended up on top. Place going nuts for any sign of life from Guida. Huge chant for Guida. Guida got his back. He wrestled him into a pin position, then got side mount. Diaz up quickly. Hard slam by Guida. Diaz tryinga tirangle. Guida out. Guida with a knee to shoulder. Has his back. Hard knee by Guida. Diaz threw a flurry late. Crowd booing hell out of Diaz. Diaz gave a thumbs up to his corner in the closing seconds and ate a punch. Guida 10-9.
Great open to the second round. Diaz connecting, tried a judo throw but Guida blocked it. Guida tried a judo throw and Diaz blocked it. Guida trying for a takedown but Diaz has a good base. Guida wasting a lot of energy trying a croth lift slam and not getting it twice. He’s behind Diaz. Guida with a sigle leg and trying to turn it into a wrestling match. Again tried a lift . Went for a takedown but Diaz on top due to holding the cage. Guida with a switch but Diaz right up. Guida has his back again. Largely a wrestling match. Guida gets him down and Diaz to his feet but Guida still has his back. Judo throw by Diaz but Guida still has his back. Another judo throw by Diaz but Guida still kept his back and is now on top. Diaz got a triangle but Guida out and throwing punches as the round ended. Crowd loved the back-and-forth action. I have it Guida 20-18.
Diaz using his reach to pick Guida apart. Wild swinging by Guida. Diaz continues to pick him apart. Now he’s mocking him and the crowd booing Diaz for it. Diaz is hurting him at his point with punches. Guida got inside and tied him up. Judo throw by Diaz but Guida got his back from it. 90 seconds left and huge Guida chant. Guida got a takedown. Diaz going for a triangle but immediately stopped. Guida on top again. Diaz back to his feet. Guida just wrestling him. People would be upset except it’s Guida and they just want him to win any way he can. He’s behind Diaz and just holding on. This will be a close decision. I’ve got it 29-28 Guida giving Diaz round three. But first two were close.
29-28 Diaz 29-28 Guida 29-28 Guida. This place exploded. Some boos. Diaz was a real good sport about it. I don’t know if this was the best match so far, but to the live crowd it was.
They showed both men arriving. When GSP came out, there really a lot more Canadian flags being waves.
An interesting trivia note since every fight is going to a decision. All the fighters were told there would be $20,000 added to their checks for a clean finish.
Karo Parisyan vs. Dong Hyun Kim in a judo vs. judo match.
Kim got the first takedown and has Parisyan’s back. Kim jumped to Parisyan’s back. Parisyan with a throw but Kim held on. This is the night of judo throws with the guy being thrown holding onto his back position. Parisyan back up wth Kim on his back. He tried to back splash Kim but Kim kept the position. Kim went for an armbar but that allowed Parisyan to get out. Kim witha triangle, then an armbar attempt but Parisyan out and on top. Kim takes the round 10-9.
Kim had Parisyan’s back. Parisyan with a throw but Kim kept position. Parisyan with another judo throw and this time it paid off as he’s got side control and now has Kim’s back. Parisyan connected with two punches late in the round. I’d give this one to Parisyan so it’s 19-19.
The two are locked up. Kim tried a throw and Parisyan grabbed the fence behind the referees back. Actually, I don’t know how Rosenthal missed it. Crowd is booing the two stuck in a clinch for what feels like two minutes. Karl tried a foot sweep taekdown but Kim blocked it. Nobody is trying to win and we’ve got 30 seconds left. Parisyan tried a trip. Crowd is booing more. Traded punches and Kim’s punch was better. I don’t know how to score this one. Maybe 0-0.
I guess 10-10 is the only fair thing so I’ve got 29-29 draw. But judges are pretty much told not to do 10-10s so somebody is getting a win out of this.
29-28 Parisyan, 29-28 Kim, 29-28 Parisyan. Fans booed the hell out of the decision. You really can’t complain in a fight like this. They probably both deserved to lose. No post-match interview because we’re running late.
Stephan Bonnar vs. Johnny Bones Jones is next.
Jones with an inside leg kick and tried a kick to the stomach. Jones with a takedown but Bonnar right up. Jones with a hip toss. Bonnar back to his feet. Another takedown by Jones. Bonnar went from happy to sad pretty quickly. Bonnar with a body kick. Spinning back kick by Bonnar. Locked up. Jones with a knee to stomach and attempt at one to the head but neither did any damgae. Now they are tied up against the fence. Jones tried an armdrag. That didn’t work. Then he did a back suplex, which did. Then he did a Charlie O’Connell elbow block that knocked Bonnar down. Hard knee by Jones to the head. A rock bottom like takedown by Jones ended the round. 10-9 Jones easy.
Jones for those interested learns his moves by watching youtube videos. Back kick by Jones. Another takedown by Jones and a knee by Jones when Bonnar was down. Mazzagatti didn’t call it so maye it was legal. Both threw at the same time and another takedown by Jones. Good knee by Jones as Bonnar got up. Body kick by Jones. Jones with a punch. Jones with a knee to the belly and connected on a few punches. Bonnar back with punches. In a clinch and Bonnar throwing body punches. Beautiful belly to belly suplex by Jones. Jones tried a drop toe hold. That didn’t work. Easily Jones 20-18.
Shogun was shown. They booed him hard.
Bonnar with punches from the clinch. Both thrwing knees. Bonnar with an uppercut. Bonnar connecting with a lot of punches but Jones back with a knee. Bonnar connecting more but Jones took him down from a clinch into Bonnar’s guard. Bonnar tried an armbar from the bottom but that didn’t work. Jones is tired. He can still bounce off his feet but his knees are weak. Another decision. This is a record. Bonnar won the round but Jones won the fight easily. Should be 29-28.
Scores were 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 for Jones.
Rashad Evans was shown. Fans booed him. Well, he beat Liddell and Griffin.
After all this, now we get Lyoto Machida.
Thiago Silva is coming out lip synching some Brazilian Vale Tudo song.
Machida physically looks stronger than he’s ever looked as a light heavyweight. Machida in with a knee. Body kick by Machida. Machida came in with a punch and a knee to the package. A time out was called. Takedown by Machida. Silva got up. Silva tried to trap him but Machida danced away. Body punch by Machida. Good knee and a knockdown with an uppercut by Machida. Silva laying on his back and doesn’t want to get up. Machida kicking the left thigh hard. Machida dropped into Silva’s guard. High kick by Machida. Body kick by Machida. Machida decked him again and now has side mount. Now he’s got full mount but decided to get up. Machida tried a takedown by Silva grabbed the fence. Machida with a foot sweep and KO’d him with a punch at the end of the round. Machida completely dominated and will likely face Rashad Evans next.
Georges St. Pierre vs. B.J. Penn for the welterweight title is up. This crowd has a ton of energy for a show that has really dragged most of the way.
St. Pierre looks close to 188. He may have 20 pounds on Penn, and that is a big difference at this level. Herb Dean is the referee.
Some boos for Penn but totally drowned out by the cheers. St. Pierre’s pop was as loud as anyone’s has been in Las Vegas.
Clinch. GSP has him backed into the cage. Both throwing knees. GSP going for a takedown. Penn doing a tremendous job avoiding it and escaped. First psychologcial edge to Penn. He’s trying again. Loud GSP chants. Trading and GSP got the better of it. GSP initiate the clinch. Again going for the takedown and not getting it. Trading. GSP has a welt near the left eye. GSP hit a good punch. Penn has not been able to use his boxing yet. GSP with a good jab. Low kick by GSP. Trading and GSP connecting more. GSP’s round 10-9.
Fans are booing as GPS bulled Penn into the corner. He’s again gonig for the takedown. This time he got it. Penn has him wrapped up underneath. GSP with body punches. Connected with body punches and an elbow. Blocking BJ’s attemps to get a triangle. Strojng punches from the top by GSP. He’s pounding Penn’s face froj side control. Penn is tired and in trouble. Hard knee to the body. GSP connected with punches and elbows. More elbows from the top by GSP. Strong punches by GSP and moved into side control. Penn regained guard but doing nothing. Loud GSP chants. Lots of elbow by GSP. Cut under the left eye of Penn. GSP connected with a lot of punches on the ground. Almost a 10-8 but not close enough to a finish. Penn is in a lot of trouble.
GSP with a good body punch. Penn’s nose bleeding. Another jab to the nose by GSP. Another takedown by GSP. Tons of GPS chants. GSP trying puncheds by Penn avoided them. GSP wiht a punch to the head. Body punches. Hammer fists by GSP. Penn back to his feet with 2:00 left. Loud BJ chant. GPS with another takedown. He continues to connect. Dominant third for GSP 30-27.
Another takedown by GSP and more punching from the top. Penn is in real trouble now. Hard elbows and more punches. Side control. More punches. Side control. He rocked Penn with more punches fromthe top and has side control again. Short elbows by GSP. More punches by GSP. Hard punches by GSP. Hard elbows. He’s going to town now. Penn needs to move or this will be over. 15 seconds left. Penn very lucky the round ended. 10-8 for sure. 40-35.
Penn couldn’t answer the bell for round five and it’s over.
For what it’s worth, the scores at this point were 40-35, 40-34 and 40-34
