| Date: 06/20 | 8:00 PM |
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We'll be updating the results throughout the show so hit F5 or refresh as often as you like. The season nine finale of Ultimate Fighter begins at 9 PM EST, 8 Central!
* Nate Diaz v. Joe Stevenson
Just in time for the first fight of the evening! Three rounds in the UFC lightweight division. Blue borner is Stevenson, 34-10, 5'7", 155 even, from Victorville, California. Diaz is 10-3, 6'0", 156 pounds, and fighting out of Stockton, California. Our referee in charge for this contest is Steve Mazzagatti. Here we go!
Diaz tries a guillotine early that goes nowhere. For the first minute of the fight Stevenson is all over Diaz, riding on him, hitting hard rights. Mazzagatti issues a warning about two minutes in to watch and "pick those shots wisely" i.e. not hit the back of the head. Nate is slowly getting back to his feet at the halfway point. He tries to roll and winds pinned up against the cage with Joe pounding on him even more. Joe pulls him in for a guillotine attempt as Diaz rolls. Diaz finally manages to pull an arm free and survive. 1:20 left. Diaz looks for a triangle and Joe gets away. It's a duel of submission attempts so far. Stevenson scrambles to the feet with 30 seconds left and tries to pull Nick's head down to get hard knees. Diaz drops down to avoid more head shots as he's in the four point stance. It looks like Joe did more in round one and took it 10-9.
Edith blows a kiss to the camera and round two is underway. Goldberg tells us that Evans and Bisping are watching in the crowd. Nate goes for a guillotine early in R2 again and then rolls towards what could be a mount. Another guillotine attempt about a minute in and Stevenson scrambles to his feet. Diaz drops down to one knee as Stevenson tries to fire knees in, only able to hits the ribs and legs to keep it legal. 1:45 gone by. Stevenson winds up on top in half guard as we pass 2:00. Stevenson hits Diaz with a big legt. Diaz tries to get a triangle and Stevenson immediately postures up. Nick looked a lot more impressive fighting Scott Smith than Nate has fighting Stevenson, who I've been hearing all week long is "overrated." Joe Daddy doesn't look overrated tonight. Stevenson and Diaz struggle along the cage and Joe winds up on top in half guard with a minute left after getting him to the ground. Joe tries to come over the top and Nate is trying to upthrust with kicks. Seems to be another 10-9 round for Joe as R2 ends with him trying to take Diaz down again.
Diaz shrugs off a glove touch in R3 and Stevenson shoots in for a single leg.Joe works on him against the fence again as we approach 45 seconds. Diaz seeems to be giving up his back at the 1 minute mark but Diaz turns it into a judo style throw. Nate winds up on top in Joe's guard, but Stevenson is pulling him in tight and not letting him do much. Diaz has to back off and stand up to try to get a big shot. Joe slips away and scrambles to his feet with 2:15 gone by. Stevenson puts him on his butt again but Diaz seems to slowly be getting to his feet. Stevenson keeps firing those knees at his legs and ribs. Lots of smack talking between Nick and Nate. "C'mon {bitch} get off your knees!" Spike censors were quick on the button. I can't blame Nick though, I'd be bitching at my brother for this performance if I had one in the Octagon. 30 seconds to go. Diaz is swinging wildly. Joe shoots in and ends up running face first into the cage - that probably hurt him more than anything Diaz did in the fight. Stevenson should take this one with a unanimous decision - 29-28's and possibly one 30-27. Maybe two.
Bruce Buffer. AFTER 3 ROUNDS WE GO TO THE SCORECARDS FOR A DECISION - ALL THREE SCORE IT 29-28 FOR THE WINNER BY UNANIMOUS DECISION: JOE 'DADDY' STEVENSON. Stevenson tells Rogan that Diaz is an awesome fighter and says happy father's day to everybody with boys, and thanks to everybody at home in Victorville he can't wait to see including HIS son. Commercial.
* Ross Pearson v. Andre Winner (Lightweight Finale)
We get footage of Winner training in Leicester before the fight. "There was fights before where I'd get a bit too lazy. Now I'm really focused. I want this. Me and Ross used to train before but for this fight we had seperate camps. I know in each area, I've got that bit more. I know I'm going to win. It's not only my dream, it's a start to a bigger dream as well." Pearson is shown jogging through Sunderland. "I'm proud to say I'm from the Northeast." We see him with his girlfriend Jenny and his dog, and he says she's a man's best friend too (hope Jenny isn't jealous). Pearson puts over his strength and conditioning coach, Barry Gibson, saying he's totally crazy. "It's not ending in the first or second round. He can say what he wants but that ain't gonna happen." Commercial.
Tale of the tape Pearson to Winner: 24 to 27, 5'8" to 5'11", 156 to 155, 69" to 73" in reach. Winner is 10-2-1 overall. Perason is 10-3. Our referee in charge is Herb Dean. Here we go! Pearson and Winner are both throwing bombs early in R1. Pearson gets a nice leg kick just over a minute in. It's turning into a stalemate as we approach the halfway point. Trading knees with 1:40 to go. Low blow with 1:15 to go. Pearson is down. It was unintentional as he was trying to go to the thigh. Dean is not taking a point away for it. Pearson and Winner both immediately try to clinch up for some dirty boxing. We wind up in another stalemate against the cage. Final ten seconds ends with Pearson backed up against the cage and Winner landing at least one good knee. Pearson smiles as the horn sounds.
Michael Bisping is shown sitting in the crowd watching the fight, and gets a round of boos from the audience. Leg kick by Pearson to start R2. Pearson seems to be finding his range and getting more aggressive in R2. He's chasing Winner with knees and gets him up against the wall. Winner shrugs off a takedown attempt and hits an uppercut for Pearson's trouble. Now Winner is in control at the two minutes gone by. Pearson lands a nice uppercut. Winner responds with a good elbow. Three minutes gone. They finally break apart with 90 seconds left. Another nice kick from Pearson. Pearson lands some rights and a knee and tries to shoot again but Winner's defense keeps it on the feet. Pearson has him backed into the fence as we get under ten seconds but Winner turns it around for a few headstrikes before the horn.
Winner is pressed up against the fence again to start R3 but he manages to turn it around. The two are practically dancing around each other, although it's a very violent dance. A little dirty boxing by Pearson may have bloodied Winner's nose. Pearson hits a knee as they seperate. UFC 100 promo as we hit the two minute mark. Pearson fights off Winner's takedown attempt. Body shots and uppercuts by Pearson. Winner keeps spinning with him. The two break apart at 2:15 to go and clinch back up at 2:00. Winner is firing body shots and Pearson pushes him away to try to get a single leg. He gets him to one knee just for a split second but can't leave him on the ground. "A successful takedown could truly decide this fight" according to Mike Goldberg. Winner and Pearson are throwing hard as we get down to 30 seconds left. Winner with knees. Pearson with uppercuts. Big knee, big elbow. Pearson's last shot bloodied Winner's face as we go to commercial.
Buffer. AFTER 3 ROUNDS WE GO TO THE SCORECARDS - ALL 3 JUDGES SCORE THIS 29-28 FOR THE WINNER VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION AND THE ULTIMATE FINALE LIGHTWEIGHT WINNER - ROSS 'THE REAL DEAL' PEARSON!! Dana White and Michael Bisping present him with the trophy and the six figure contract. He's bleeding from a shot right over his nose. Pearson says happy birthday to his mom, who turned 50 today. Well I have to like Pearson even more now - his mom and I share a birthday! Pearson says he would have trained 100% whether it was a friend or a foe to get this result, and Joe congratulates him on doing a great job in the house and at the finale. Bisping gives him a big hug. Time for a Spike Sneak Peak for Transformers as we go to commercial break.
* Chris Lytle v. Kevin Burns
Lytle to Burns. 34 to 29. 5'11" each. 170 to 171 in weight. 68" to 74" in reach. Burns is in the blue corner, 8-2 record, and he fights out of Des Moines, Iowa. Lytle is in the red corner, 36-17-4, and fights out of Indianapolis, Indiana. Our referee in charge for this fight is Herb Dean. Here we go!
Not much going on for the first minute. So little is happening they remind us to follow www.twitter.com/danawhiteblog and www.twitter.com/joerogandotnet. Burns is probably getting the better of the striking overall but both men are taking their sweet time to find their range. Not even a single attempt to go to the ground as we get down to 90 seconds in R1. Groin shot. Rogan: "THE STONES!" Foot straight to Chris's little Lytle. He recovers quickly and comes out throwing body kicks but gets hit with a shot that buckles him and Burns pounces. Lytle recovers with about 40 seconds left. Burns lands some big uppercuts and gives chase with a whole series of knees as the horn sounds. Lytle weathers the storm but he's bleeding from the mouth in the corner as he gets his advice. 10-9 Burns.
Burns gets rocked by a punch from Lytle in the first 15 seconds of R2. THIS IS TURNING INTO A WAR. Burns shoots for a takedown but nearly guillotines himself. They're right back up to the feet 90 seconds in. Lytle is firing off hard body shots at every chance. Burns has his hands down and he's breathing hard. Another accidental low blow stops the fight. Action resumes with 1:37 left in R2. Lytle connects with a left. Burns is eating a lot of body damage. Lytle seems to be jumping into every shot he throws. Lytle gets kicked in the groin again. I think Herb Dean is going to take a point this time... no, he didn't! Ahh, it was a knee instead of an inside leg kick, that's why Dean didn't deduct. R2 ends without further incident. 10-9 Lytle.
Lytle opens up a huge gash over Burns' left eye to start R3. Lytle can't finish him though - Burns just keeps coming back for more even though Lytle is rocking the ribs and punching that gash. Lytle comes in with one shot at a time and steps out. One haymaker, step back. One haymaker, step back. There's a rainbow of blood covering the chest of Burns as we get down to two minutes left. Lytle lands a strong left. Big combos as we near the one minute mark. Burns throws a one-two and backs away. Burns with a left head kick that's blocked. And again. Another big right from Lytle. Another head kick. Both men swinging for the fences as the final horn sounds. Lytle undoubtedly takes this on unanimous 29-28 decision after the commercial break.
Here's Bruce Buffer! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN AFTER 3 ROUNDS WE GO TO THE JUDGES FOR A DECISION. ALL THREE JUDGES SCORE THIS CONTEST 29-28 DECLARING THE WINNER BY UNANIMOUS DECISION - CHRIS 'LIGHTS OUT' LYTLE. No shock there. Lytle: "I knew he was going to try to take me out. That's what I wanted. I knew the onslaught was coming and I tried to weather the storm." Rogan says that if they don't get the fight of the night award tonight he's calling the cops.
Joe Rogan interviews Brock Lesnar after a UFC 100 preview. He has a wispy little goatee on his chin. He's really excited about the rematch. No shit, really? Rogan asks what it's like to learn on the job as a champion. "I try to stay humble and my training partners keep me humble every day. I try not to look too far ahead and focus on the task in front of me. What's important to me as the UFC Heavyweight Champion is winning. I don't like to lose and I don't do it often, so I plan on winning July 11th." Lesnar accepts his Most Dangerous Man Award and says he couldn't be there to accept live because his wife was nine months pregnant at the time, and now he's changing the world's most dangerous diapers. Commercial break.
* DaMarques Johnson v. James Wilks (Welterweight Final)
Johnson says he wasn't put on this earth just to fight, but it's one of the tools he can use to make himself a better person. He says fighting is a purity and it makes his soul happy. "[Training] is rough, but I love it." We see him working out hard. "I feel stronger. Everything has changed since the show. I want to beat James Wilks because he's standing in the way of me and my dream. I have to remove him from the ring to get my dream." We also get a profile piece on Wilks, talking about everybody pushing him in training, and he says he's working on guys with reach and guys who have great jiu-jitsu, so he's prepared for everything Johnson can do. "I believe if it can be done I can do it, and that's the attitude I put towards training." Commercial.
26 to 31. 6'1" each. 170 to 171 in weight. Reach is identical. In the blue corner Wilks is 6-2 and he is the one weighing 171. He fights out of Laguna Hills, California. DaMarques Johnson is the 170, with a 14-6 record, and he fights out of Salt Lake City. Our referee in charge is Steve Mazzagatti. Here we go!
Wilks lands a big one-two early. Johnson pushes him into the fence and recovers. Mazzagatti gives a warning for holding onto the cage in the process. Wilks catches him with a few more rights and some nice knees when they break apart. Wilks trips him to the ground and winds up in full guard. Wilks backs away and then drops down for a heel hook but Johnson not only survives he winds up on top in Wilks guard and tries to move to side. Wilks tries for a heel hook again but he's heating hammerfists and elbows in the process. Wilks moves back to Johnson in his guard, tries an omoplata but it's loose. he tries a triangle but he's got to pull the head down. Johnson slips out! 1:40 to go. Johnson stands up but Wilks has his back. He almost eats a huge knee. Johnson tries to get away but Wilks trips him to the ground and fires a knee at his thighs. He's got one hook in with 50 seconds left. He's got one arm in for a choke with just 35 seconds left. Johnson's nose is bloody. Johnson is keeping his chin down low and trying to survive but with 8 seconds left to go he has to tap out! JAMES WILKS WINS THE FIGHT - IT IS AN ALL UK VICTORY TONIGHT!
Here's Bruce Buffer with the announcement. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THIS FIGHT ENDS AT 4:54 OF THE FIRST ROUND FOR THE WINNER VIA TAPOUT DUE TO A CHOKE, AND NOW THIS SEASON'S WELTERWEIGHT WINNER JAMES 'LIGHTNING' WILKS!! Dana congratulates him and Johnson hands him the trophy and gives him a hug. Rogan calls it the best performance of the show and says he really rose to the occasion. "He was defending with the chin down but I was able to slip my left arm through and finish. My gym is in Laguna Hills, it's called Lightning MMA, www.LightningMMA.com." I'm sure he'll have a few more members now! One more fight to go!
* Diego 'The Nightmare' Sanchez vs. Clay 'The Carpenter' Guida
Rogan and Goldberg are clearly stalling for time right now, as it's 11:24 EST and they're still just babbling on. When Guida comes out at 11:29 EST, the chicas at ringside (especially the one with big hoop earrings and a Louis Vuitton purse in her lap) definitely seem to be checking out Guida's butt as he strips down to get ready for the Octagon. Hugs and slapboxing all around from his teammates before he steps in at 11:30. Goldberg: "He puts out more energy at the weigh-ins than most people do in an entire fight!" The lights go out for Sanchez' entrance. Tonight he's making his way out to Queen's "We Will Rock You." As usual he's screaming YES! YES! on his way to the cage. Rogan: "He is a disciple of Tony Robbins and the Tony Robbins style of thinking." I guess that means shouting YES! a lot. Guida screams at him MY HOUSE as Sanchez steps in. 27 each, 5'11" to 5'7", 156 to 155 and 72" to 68" in reach from Sanchez to Guida. Josh Rosenthal is our referee in charge. Enough talking Bruce, let's get this started!! The staredown during the instructions is SCARY. Here we go!!
NON STOP ACTION FOR THE FIRST 30 SECONDS!!! Guida and Sanchez are throwing blows non-stop, but Sanchez is getting the better of it and waylaying Guida with uppercuts. He hits flying knees not once but twice in the first minute. Guida lost his mouthpiece during all the action. 1:10 in he finally shoots for a takedown and gets it. Sanchez is effectively holding him down to prevent damage. Guida keeps his elbow on Diego's neck and pushes him all the way into the fence. More elbows to the face. Back to their feet with 2:20 left and Rosenthal pulls him over at 2:10 left to clean off the mouthpiece and put it back in. Rogan thinks Guida has a broken nose. Sanchez rocks him but Guida recovers and gets back to his feet. He eats another flying knee and a series of solid hard right uppercuts. Guida shoves him up against the cage and shoots for a single leg but Sanchez reverses the position and pushes Guida into the fence for more uppercuts. Sanchez takes him down for the last thirty seconds and his burying his elbow into Guida's neck. Guida stands back up with 10 seconds to go and swings away until the horn. 10-9 for Sanchez, possibly even 10-8, but Guida's still in this fight and that's all he needs to be to come back in R2 or R3!
Replay of the left head kick that rocked Guida. And round two is underway! Guida is dancing on his feet. Sanchez is looking for another head kick. Guida shoots in 30 seconds in and winds up on top in Sanchez' guard. Sanchez is throwing nasty elbows from the bottom. Rosenthal issues a warning for fingers to the face. Guida pushes Sanchez towards the fence as we pass the two minute mark. Brief flurry of ground 'n pound at 2:20. Big GUI-DA chants as we near the three minute point of R2. Rosenthal with a warning to get fingers out of the glove. More nasty elbows from the bottom by Sanchez with 80 seconds left. "Best I've ever seen from the guard Mike!" Guida lands a solid left and Sanchez is bleeding from the left cheek. Furious flurry by Guida as 30 seconds are left.. and Diego pops up for a big deep breath at ten seconds left as he eats another shot. 10-9 round for Guida this time. Round three will determine the winner or a draw but even if it goes to a KO or submission it's going to decide the fight!
The whites of both men's trunks have turned bright pink from the blood flow. Sanchez tries to shoot in and Guida expertly sidesteps him. Sanchez throws a high kick that just misses. Both men are being fairly cautious for the first minute. Guida eats an uppercut right and shoots for a takedown but misses. Guida eats a couple of rights as we move to the halfway point, and an overhand right just misses. Sanchez is looking a little shaky. Guida hits a liver shot. GUI-DA. GUI-DA. GUI-DA. Guida shoots for a single leg at 1:50 left and Sanchez takes his back when he misses. Sanchez wants an arm triangle. He can't lock it in and Guida is now on top in the guard. Sanchez is desperately trying to pull out and go for a kimura. 45 seconds to go. Sanchez tries with all his might to pull it out but can't and Guida rocks him right before the closing horn with one last flurry. Sanchez immediately puts his hands in the air like he won, even as Guida's trying to give him dap for a good fight. We'll get the scores after this break!
Here's Bruce Buffer! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN AFTER THREE ROUNDS WE GO TO THE SCORECARDS FOR A DECISION - 29-28 GUIDA, 29-27 SANCHEZ, AND NELSON HAMILTON SCORES IT 29-28 FOR THE WINNER BY SPLIT DECISION - DIEGO 'THE NIGHTMARE' SANCHEZ. Rogan admits he was wrong to call for Fight of the Night earlier, because this fight just stole it. Sanchez: "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED! I love it when a guy is bleeding on top of me." He also loves The Palms. "The greatest casino in the world!" Joe Rogan gives him props and Sanchez gives props to all his team and sponsors in San Diego, "but most of all thank you Jesus." Now to Guida for the interview. "You can't hurt this guy. I'm here for days, I come for days. Sanchez, he's a stud, he's a tough dude. It was an awesome fight. Man I can't stop jumping up and down, I feel great." He throws shouts out to the Chicago Carpenter's Union, and all his friends, his management, "Joe Rogan, UFC, you guys are awesome." Rogan: "Clay Guida ladies and gentlemen!" Rogan was clearly cutting him off for the commercial break, even though you could tell he didn't want to. Oh - he HAD TO. The Joe Rogan comedy special is starting right now at midnight EST. Thanks for reading the live recap everyone!!!