Heavyweights: Fedor Emelianenko (28-1, 1 no contest) def. Tim Sylvia (24-5) to become the first World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts heavyweight champion How: Rear naked choke, 36 seconds of round 1 Turning point: Emelianenko unloaded with punches and hurt Sylvia immediately, then put him down to the mat. Almost immediately, he got Sylvia’s back and choked him out. Analysis: This may prove to be one of the pivotal moments in North American MMA history. Whether Emelianenko has or hasn’t been able to draw in the past, this performance against a two-time UFC heavyweight champion solidifies his standing as the best heavyweight in the sport. Most important, this show set up Josh Barnett and Andrei Arlovski to go along with Randy Couture as challengers for Emelianenko, in matches which would be far bigger than this. After the match, they brought Randy Couture into the ring and teased the idea of it being the next big match, and Emelianenko talked about wanting the fight himself. The fight is dependent on a favorable court ruling for Couture in a contract dispute with UFC. ADVERTISEMENT
Heavyweights: Andrei Arlovski (13-5) def. Ben Rothwell (29-6) How: Knockout at 1:13 of the third round Key moments: The Andrei Arlovski that disappeared in a 2006 loss to Tim Sylvia returned with one of the most exciting heavyweight bouts in recent memory, as he knocked off the one-time IFL top heavyweight. The second round was one of the most thrilling of the year. Arlovski had Rothwell in trouble, but then, after escaping a heel hook, Rothwell was on top and did damage for much of the round, but Arlovski finished strong after a controversial stand-up. In round three, Arlovski took over, unloading with more than a dozen punches and two hard knees before finishing the 6-foot-5, 264-pounder. Analysis: Arlovski, who has been training boxing with Freddie Roach, showed the aggression and sharpness that made him the former UFC heavyweight champion a star in 2005-06. Rothwell showed tremendous toughness in withstanding several barrages but simply couldn’t match the smaller man’s speed and punching accuracy, as well as his strong lower body attack.
Heavyweights: Josh Barnett (23-5) def. Pedro Rizzo (16-8) How: Knockout from a left hook at :44 of the second round Key moments: After a slow first round which made the crowd jeer, Barnett came back with a strong right to set up the crushing left hook that put Rizzo down. After another punch on the ground, it was over. Analysis: Barnett avenged a February 2001 loss to Rizzo in UFC which was one of the most memorable fights of that era. The win solidifies Barnett as the most logical opponent for the winner of Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia, as Barnett was the one top heavyweight from the glory days of the Pride promotion Emelianenko never faced or beat over the past seven years.
Featherweights: Mark Hominick (16-8) def. Savant Young (9-8) How: Submission by armbar 4:25 of the second round Key moments: A great groundwork exhibition by Hominick in the second round after Young took him down. Hominick went for several triangles with Young escaping, including once with an attempted power bomb, but Hominick managed to block the impact. Young scored with many punches on the ground in between Hominick’s submission attempts. Finally after another triangle attempt, Hominick maneuvered into an armbar for the submission. Analysis: First round was slow and some crowd booing. This exemplified the change in the MMA crowd over the past two years, as the crowd was far more into the match on the ground than standing, and understood the ground game.
Light heavyweights: Renato Sobral (30-7) def. Mike Whitehead (20-6) How: Unanimous decision Judges scores: 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 Yahoo! Sports score: 30-28 Sobral Turning point: The most competitive and hard-fought bout so far on the show. Sobral’s superiority striking and his ability to block most of Whitehead’s takedowns spelled the difference. Sobral clearly won rounds one and three and the second round was closer. Whitehead hung tough but couldn’t mount much of a damaging offense. Analysis: This is the first match where the ring played a part. Whitehead had two takedowns where both men nearly tumbled through the ropes except they were blocked from hitting the floor. Whitehead worked hard to get the fight down, but the few times he did, he couldn’t mount much of an offense. Sobral looked like he was having fun by the third round with some flashy strikes, including a crescent kick.
Middleweights: Matt Lindland (21-5) def. Fabio Nascimento (8-4) How: Unanimous decision Judges scores: 30-26, 30-27, 30-27 Lindland Yahoo! Sports score: 30-27 Lindland Key moments: Lindland clinched the match in the second round. After taking some shots that had him rocking, he got a takedown and used ground and pound to finish the round. In the third round, both men were exhausted, but Lindland was more aggressive, got another takedown and more mauling. Analysis: Lindland looks technically ugly in everything he does, but used a style derived from aggressive and semi-dirty wrestling. Nascimento had his chances in the second round with punches, but Lindland tied him up when in trouble and got the fight to the ground. A lot of the difference here is Lindland, a former Olympic silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling, has so much experience in winning close ones and worked through fatigue when it counted here. Light heavyweights: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (14-3) def. Edwin Dewees (35-13) How: Ref stoppage from punches on the ground in 4:06 of the first round Key moments: Nogueira caught a game Dewees in a Muay Thai clinch and connected with six hard knees. The two then traded punches in the corner but it was clear Dewees was rocked and desperate, and Nogueira decked him with a left hook. After a few more punches on the ground it was over.
Analysis: The smaller twin brother of the UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira simply outclassed Dewees here.
Welterweights: Mike Pyle (16-5-1) def. J.J. Ambrose (9-2) How: Submission (rear naked chok) at 2:51 of the first round Key moments: Pyle took Ambrose down, got his back and kept punching the side of the head until Ambrose exposed his neck for the choke. Analysis: A quick, one-sided win for Pyle, making two victories in a row on this show for the Randy Couture-led Xtreme Couture Gym in Las Vegas.
Middleweights: Vitor Belfort (17-8) def. Terry Martin (16-5 How: Knockout in 3:12 of round two Key moments: Belfort connected with a thunderous flying knee. As Martin tried a takedown, Belfort countered with a series of punches to block the takedown. He then unloaded with a right-left combination that put Martin out. Most of the match was with Martin as the aggressor, but Belfort with better movement and connecting with jabs as he backpedaled.
Analysis: Belfort, once a UFC light heavyweight champion making his debut at middleweight, seemed content to use a jab to the left eye in a match that was slow until the spectacular ending. At 5:10 p.m., one hour after the card’s announced start time, Buentello-Goodridge is still the only fight to hit the ring.
Heavyweights: Paul Buentello (26-10) def. Gary Goodridge (23-18-1) via unanimous decision Scores: 30-27 across the board Yahoo! Sports score: 30-27 Buentello Key moments: After being told this match wouldn’t start until 5 p.m. local time when the FSN live coverage began, suddenly a few minutes later the fighters were back out to the ring and it started at about 4:30 p.m. Buentello scored with better punches and knees up the middle to win all three rounds. Goodridge had a bloody nose and was rocked a few times. Goodridge did mark up Buentello’s ribs. Analysis: Buentello didn’t look impressive, nor was he aggressive the few times Goodridge was in trouble. But he was in control and the aggressor most of the match.
The show, announced for a 4:10 p.m. Pacific start, got off to a strange start. Paul Buentello and Gary Goodridge came out to the ring and were announced. Then nothing happened for a few minutes. Then it was announced that the commission doctor was not yet at ringside, as he was doing other business. Then Buentello and Goodridge left the ring and went back to the dressing room, and it was announced that the match would take place at 5 p.m. Pacific time when the FOX Sports Net card starts.
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