FIGHTER SPOTLIGHT: Light heavyweight veteran and TUF 3 alum Matt Hamill

By: Dan Wyatt, MMATorch Contributor

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Name: Matt "The Hammer" Hamill

Promotion: UFC

Division: 205

Height: 6 ft 1 in

Reach: 76 in

Record: 10-2

Specializes: Wrestling

Career Summary: Matt Hamill never had it easy. Growing up deaf, nobody would have blamed him for being cautious and focusing on his studies. But instead, he fought back. Hamill proved himself as an immensely talented wrestler and became the first ever deaf person to win a national championship in wrestling, accomplishing the feat three times. So when Rich Franklin was looking for a wrestling partner to round out his game, a mutual friend recommended him. The two hit it off and Franklin persuaded Hamill to try MMA and attempt to get on The Ultimate Fighter.

After handling Robert Hitte in his first fight, he was given his chance on the UFC's reality show. Hamill was an immediate favorite of his coach Tito Ortiz, and it didn't take long before he began separating himself from the pack. He defeated Mike Nickels by unanimous decision in his first fight in the house, but strangely he chose to stand with his opponent instead of going to the ground where he was strongest. It turned out that he was suffering from an arm injury and didn't believe he could hold his opponent down, so instead he decided to just strike with him.

Unfortunately the arm injury proved too much to continue on in the competition, and he had to pull out. He was given another chance in the UFC itself, however, as he took on fellow contestant Jesse Forbes. Matt was able to overpower Forbes in the clinch and on the ground and eventually won by TKO by pounding Forbes in his guard.

Hamill was tabbed again by the UFC, this time on the Spike TV broadcast of Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3 ? The Final Chapter. He fought fellow TUF alumni Seth Petruzelli, and Hamill pounded out a unanimous decision over the Silverback.

When Hamill pulled out of TUF, it set a clear path for Michael Bisping to win it all. So it didn?t take long for the UFC to put together a fight between the two. The fight was set in London, and Bisping received by far the loudest cheers entering the cage. When the fight started though their hero didn't give them much to cheer about as Hamill dismantled the Brit in the first round, bloodying him and sending him to the canvas. The next two rounds were much closer, though. Instead of trying to take the fight to the ground Hamill decided to stand and trade with Bisping and it unleashed a war. After the third round it appeared that Hamill may have won the third and possibly the second round, but two of the Judges scored the fight 29-28 for Bisping, the other scored it 30-27. The fight stirred up a lot of controversy and many people called for a rematch, the calls were answered and the fight was set for UFC 78. Unfortunately Hamill required knee surgery and couldn't take the fight, and not long after Bisping dropped to middleweight making the rematch unlikely.

Hamill rebounded well by defeating Tim Boetsch in the second round by TKO, and the win put him in line to fight the man who originally got him into MMA, former Middleweight Champ Rich Franklin.

The fight consisted of Franklin picking Hamill apart and dominating him in the striking game. Hamill tried going for takedowns in the second round but Franklin defended them easily. The fight ended in the third after Franklin knocked Hamill down with a body kick and finished him with punches.

Hamill didn't stay down for long, as he won two more fights before taking on up and comer Jon Jones. Jones was known for what can only be called unorthodox-ness. Employing strikes like spinning elbows and having an 84.5 inch reach, you will not find another fighter like him. The fight started with Jones picking Hamill apart standing, then moving to the ground and pounding away. However, Jones was called for using illegal twelve-to-six elbows and was initially docked a point. But when Hamill couldn't continue due to a dislocated shoulder the fight was called and Hamill was given the win via disqualification. Even though he had won this marked the first time that Hamill had been thoroughly dominated in a fight, and many people thought that Hamill should have lost or the match made a no contest because the injury wasn't from the illegal elbows.

Hamill, trying to make up for a poor performance, fought Keith Jardine next. Jardine, though not being the best fighter in the world, had a big name and gave Hamill a chance to redeem himself, which he did as he squeaked out a majority decision over the fellow TUF alumni.

His next fight by far was his most personal, as he was set up against mentor and good friend Tito Ortiz. Ortiz had been Hamill's coach on TUF and had brought Hamill out to Team Punishment to train with him after the show. They had stayed in contact and remained good friends. Ortiz was known for talking down his opponents before fights, and didn't let the friendship stop that.

Perhaps the worst thing Ortiz said was when he remarked, "He's deaf so he has a soft head. You people don't know this. Watch how Franklin knocked him out quick. You hit him with soft shots because their equilibrium...they don't have no equilibrium. You hit them with small shots, I'm not looking for big shots, I'm looking for small shots. By the second, middle of the third round you're going to see someone go to sleep." (Now my major is communications, so far be it from me to call what Ortiz said stupid and incredibly offensive, but it was not smart and it did not make the deaf community happy whatsoever. Hey check it out, I'm politically correct).

Hamill beat Ortiz standing and took him down in each of the three rounds, winning the fight by unanimous decision over his former mentor. Dana White said in the post-fight press conference that Hamill will fight a top 10 opponent next to see if he?s ready for a shot at the big leagues.

On a human interest note, Hamill has a movie that has been made detailing his life, aptly named "Hamill". It shows the struggles that Hamill went through growing up deaf and trying to compete in wrestling and other life ventures. His coach at Purdue is played by none other than former opponent and close friend Rich Franklin. It opened at the AFI film festival and has received great reviews.

Strengths: Though he isn't given credit for it often, Hamill has developed a strong striking game. He shows great ability to stand in the pocket and trade with opponents as opposed to retreating when being thrown at. However, his strikes go from good to great when he gets his opponent in the clinch. Hamill is able to get incredible torque on his punches and knees when he can lock his opponent up and control his body. Also, as a wrestler he has great control from the top, He controls his opponents with his arms keeping them flat on their back and making it difficult to escape.

Weaknesses: Though it feels bad just saying it, no matter how hard Matt Hamill works being deaf will always be a huge disadvantage. Hamill has to constantly take his eyes off his opponent to look at his corner to see what they are saying to him, and if his back is to his corner he is all alone and has nobody but himself to lean on.

Where he stands in the division: Hamill is a rising contender in the 205 pound division. He has all the tools to be great, but when he's faced top competition he has been beaten soundly. So if his next opponent can also beat him than it may mean that Hamill just isn't cut out to be in the elite.

What the future holds: Hamill has been promised a top ten opponent in his next fight, but the only two top ten opponents in the UFC who don't already have other obligations are Rampage Jackson and Lyoto Machida. One could say that both are out of Hamill's league and giving him a fight with either would be feeding him to the wolves. However, Machida is a fighter who the UFC has a lot invested in and has lost two straight, so giving a guy like Hamill could be a win-win for the UFC. If Machida wins he goes back to his winning ways and he can keep being considered a top guy, and if Hamill wins then they can call him a new star in the division and he could become a top draw himself. Outside of those two, another option could be Randy Couture. Couture is currently busy acting and contemplating retirement, and he has said that the next time he could fight is mid-2011. While Couture is arguably not in the top ten, he is possibly the biggest legend in UFC history and beating him could propel almost anybody to a near title shot.

How close he is to a title shot: Hamill is at least three fights from a title fight and that's best case scenario. That scenario being Hamill beats Machida, wins one more fight and then takes on a #1 contender fight. More realistically, he would need about four or five more fights before getting a shot at the title.

On deck for next week: Next week I'll be looking into The Ultimate Fighter coach and welterweight #1 contender Josh Koscheck.

Dan Wyatt is a communications major in college looking at a career in sports radio and sports writing. Outside of sports you can find him doing stand up comedy or acting in the upcoming independent film, Company of the Damned.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Staff_Editorials_19/article_7658.shtml

Hector Ramirez Kevin Randleman Vitor Ribeiro Aaron Riley

Cody McKenzie, Pablo Garza, Garcia-Phan Win TUF Bonuses

LAS VEGAS - Pablo Garza, Cody McKenzie, Leonard Garcia and Nam Phan all took home bonuses for their performances on Saturday's finale card for Season 12 of "The Ultimate Fighter" at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas.

UFC president Dana White announced the bonuses at the post-fight press conference on Saturday. Each of the bonuses was worth $30,000.

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/12/05/cody-mckenzie-pablo-garza-garcia-phan-win-tuf-bonuses/

Ricardo Arona  Noboru Asahi Marcus Aurelio  Mikhail Avetisyan

TUF 12 Finale Live Blog: Michael Johnson vs. Jonathan Brookins Updates

Filed under:

LAS VEGAS - This is "The Ultimate Fighter" Finale live blog for Michael Johnson vs. Jonathan Brookins, the main event of tonight's card at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas.

This is the lightweight championship fight of Season 12 of the Spike reality series, and the winner receives a guaranteed UFC contract. Johnson beat Nam Phan by split decision to reach the finals. Brookins beat Kyle Watson by unanimous decision.

The live blog is below.

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/12/04/tuf-12-finale-live-blog-michael-johnson-vs-jonathan-brookins-updates/

Georges St Pierre Masanori Suda Genki Sudo Amar Suloev

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER 12 FINALE RESULTS: Hansen's on-going coverage of Brookins vs. Johnson event from Las Vegas

By Rich Hansen, MMA Torch Columnist

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The Ultimate Fighter Season 12 Finale
December 4, 2010
The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort
Las Vegas, NV
Airing on Spike

Before we get into the frivolity and hostility of MMA...

While filling out your Christmas cards this year, take ONE CARD and SEND it to this address:

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20307-5001

If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these soldiers could get to bring up their spirit!

Anyhooo, on to our favourite blood sport...

The show opens with commentators Frank Shamrock, Jim Ross, and Bas Rutten in their usual commentary roles, hyping tonight's fights. The first fight of the night is the first-ever televised UFC Featherweight fight.


FIGHT ONE: LEONARD GARCIA VS. NAM PHAN (FEATHERWEIGHT)

PRE FIGHT: Goldberg points out that this is the first ever televised Featherweight fight in UFC history. Garcia says that at the end of the night Nam Phan will be asleep or discombobulated. Phan says that he will feel very emotional when he wins this fight. To be completely honest, people in my living room won't shut up, so I missed most of it. Garcia and Pham seemed relaxed, and not too trash-talky, though. Cut to commercial, sans ring entrances.

ROUND ONE: Herb Dean is the referee. Garcia has 4 inches of height, but only a half inch reach advantage. Trading big shots for the first minute. Shockingly, Garcia is throwing hooks without setting them up. No, really. Phan is landing during the 42 seconds it takes for Garcia's hooks to reach terminal velocity (bad movie). Phan is landing with straight punches and head kicks. Garcia constantly coming forward, and is landing plenty of knees and leg kicks himself. Round ends with Garcia missing an uppercut by 3 feet.

Hansen's Scorecard: 10-9 Phan. Garcia is like my ex-wife. Looks good, but doesn't actually do anything important. Between rounds, Greg Jackson told Garcia to come forward and calm down. Phan is told to throw more combinations.

ROUND TWO: Garcia comes forward and lands early. Walks into a body kick in order to land a hook. Goldy has said the phrase, 'typical Leonard Garcia fashion,' about 6 times already. Phan lands a nice uppercut against the cage. Garcia goes for a rare double leg, has Phan pressed up against the cage, but can't quite complete the takedown. Phan is pouring it on, landing several punches. Garcia's face is swelling up. Phan knocks him down with a leg kick (Goldy called it a side kick, he might be right, I was, you know, typing this report for you, you ungrateful bastard). Phan pounding away against the cage, Garcia turtles, and Phan gets his back. One minute left in the round, Garcia still has his back, working for the choke. Garcia defending well. Garcia made a motion that looked like a tap, but it wasn't a tap. 15 seconds left, Phan loses the choke, but pounds away to end the round.

Hansen's Scorecard: 10-9 Phan, 20-18 Phan. Easy round to score. Garcia is a tough guy, but Phan clowned him pretty good there.

PS: It was in fact a missed head kick followed by a side kick that got the knockdown. Awesome.

ROUND THREE: Garcia comes out like a wild man who knows he needs a finish in order to win, but that's how he comes out all the time, ya dig? Garcia presses Phan against the cage for a takedown attempt, doesn't get it, and we're back to the feet. Garcia's forehead is cut. Garcia's hands are dropping. Swinging like a windmill, literally, because windmills don't hit anything, either. Round is half over. Phan is starting to turn it on, now that he's got Garcia gassing. Phan with a straight to Garcia's nose, and Garcia's hands were about 2 feet away from blocking the punch. Nice uppercut by Phan while Garcia's head was down. Garcia still swinging his trademark Adam Dunn on a 1-2 count hooks. Garcia pushes Phan up against the cage as we hit the 1 minute mark of the round. Phan with a combination to the body. 30 seconds left. Phan landing at will, but with little power. Garica's throwing so hard that he's stumbling around like Brock Lesnar was in the Cain fight. Fight's over.

Hansen's Scorecard: 10-9 Phan. 30-27 Phan. This was the sloppiest round of the fight, but Phan clearly won it.

WINNER: Leonard Garcia by split decision 29-28, 27-30, 29-28

POST FIGHT: ROBBERY!!! Worst decision of the year. Crowd is chanting 'Bull****', and rightfully so. Garcia is saying to Rogan flat out that he lost the fight. I can not possibly tell you how bad this decision was. This was THE WORST DECISION IN HISTORY!

STAR RATING: (**+) I'm stingy with my star ratings when one of the fighters only does one thing, and does it poorly. It takes two to tango, ya know?

Make that a (-*) rating. The decision was so disgusting that it killed the fight.


FIGHT TWO: RICK STORY VS. JOHNNY HENDRICKS (WELTERWEIGHT)

PRE FIGHT: Johnny Hendricks and Rick Story both think they're going to win. One of them will be right. If it goes to these asshat judges, the wrong guy will be right. Someone called someone else a boring ass fighter, but I missed who said it because I was busy answering a question about Matt Brown for my brother in law. To commercials we go. Some dude s trying to sell chicken sandwiches from Burger King by trying to arrange a threesome. Yeah, I don't get it either.

ROUND ONE: Story has an inch of heaight, and two inches of reach. Steve MazaRobbedLesnarAgainstMir is the referee. Hendricks lands a left and clinches. To the cage, push apart, and back to the center. Story landing body shots, going for a single leg against the cage, lets it go, back to the middle. Story's controlling the middle of the cage. Story with a single leg, to the cage, lets it go, and trading big shots. Story clinches, battle for position in the clinch here. Push apart again. Two minutes again. Inside leg kick by Story. Each fighter with a successful Garcia (missed haymakers are now known as Garcias). And Garcias are powerful weapons, as they win fights, clearly. no, I won't let it go. Story is the aggressor here, Hendricks is circling and countering. Hendricks get a takedown with 30 seconds left, but can't do anything with it. Story to his feet as the round ends.

Hansen's Scorecard: 10-9 Story. Close round, Story's landing cleaner and more frequently. Both of these guys know how to punch.

ROUND TWO: These guys throw with murderous intent (figuratively). Fight gets to the ground, attempted guillotine by Hendricks, nothing comes of it. Story reverses, and has Hendricks tied up pretty well. Gets his back, too high, and Hendricks gets out. Clinch, and Hendricks lands a knee. Great wrestling by both guys, defense as well. Both guys clinching with their lefts, throwing body shots with their right hands. Occasional knees by Story. Hendricks has Story pressed up against the cage. Hendricks gets the takedown, but Story pops right up. Separate from each other, and back to the middle. Rogan is blasting the NSAC for the judging of the first fight, and is ripping Keith Kizer, calling for him to fire the incompetent morons who know nothing about the sport. Nothing to do with corruption, it's sheer, complete incompetence. He then calls for people to email Kizer. Meanwhile, Story with another takedown, but does nothing with it as Hendricks powers back to his feet. Story still has body control. they separate, round ends.

Hansen's Scorecard: 10-9 Story, 20-18. Not much in this round, but Story clinched it with the late takedown. Since Story is up two rounds to none, Story had better finish, or he'll lose.

ROUND THREE: Hendricks clinches, pushes to the cage, gets the takedown, gets the neck, but can't do anything with it. Story reverses, goes for a guillotine. Can't get it, scrambles, and Story is going for a kimura, more for control than for the submission. Story is controlling the lack of action here. Grappling brilliance here I'm sure, but not much to watch, ya know? Story still has an attempt at a kimura, but has no leverage whatsoever. Round is half over. Story is up now, loses the arm, and Hendricks is in control with a front headlock now, keeping his weight on Story. Story reverses, and is going for Hendricks' back while pressed against the cage. This is a stalemate. Hendricks going for a takedown, but Story defends well. Story isolates an arm as the horn blows. Wrestling geeks rejoice. Grapple grapple grapple, and it's all over.

Hansen's Scorecard: 10-9 Hendricks. Coulda went either way, but this wasn't a 30-27 type fight, you know?

WINNER: Rick Story by unanimous decision, 29-28 x3

POST FIGHT: So the judges got one right. They need to get the next 42 fights right in order to make up for the Phan - Garcia fight.

STAR RATING: (**) The first round was fun, the second was ok, and the third appealed to the most hardcore wrestling geeks.


-Rogan interviews Koscheck and GSP via satellite. The audio is not working, so, um, let's cut to another 'Burger King Let's Have a Threesome Commercial' in while we can.


PRELIMINARY FIGHT ONE: CODY MACKENZIE VS. AARON WILKINSON (LIGHTWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Wilkinson comes out aggressive, looking for a guillotine. He grabs Wilkinson's neck while standing, and doesn't let it go. Down to the ground, Cody still has the neck, locks it in from top position, It's across the chin more than under the chin, but it gets the tap. It was more of a face squeeze than a choke. Very painful looking, and if he held it any longer it would'vebroken Wilkinson's jaw. Wow!

WINNER: Cody MacKenzie by submission (guillotine) at 2:03 of Round 1.

POST FIGHT: Cody deadpanned the interview with Rogan. He's a rare bird, that guy.

STAR RATING: (***) Damn.


FIGHT THREE: DEMIAN MAIA VS. KENDALL GROVE (MIDDLEWEIGHT)

PRE FIGHT: Maia wants to take it to the ground. Grove wants to use his reach to knock Maia down and out. Maia knows Grove has never been submitted, but since he's submitted guys who have never been submitted before, he knows he can submit Kendall, too.

ROUND ONE: Josh Rosenthal is the referee. Grove has 6 inches of height, and a seven inch reach advantage. Maia feints a right while they touch gloves. Nice. Rogan mentions that this cage is smaller than the standard UFC cage, which could bode well for Maia. Grove landing a couple shots, using his reach. Maia ducks under a hook, grabs a single, and gets the takedown. landing in full guard. Grove gets up, but Maia has his back standing. Takes him back down, Grove back up again. Maia with knees to the back of Grove's thighs. Another takedown, and back up. Kendall finally spins out of back control. Maia takes him down once again, half guard. Maia trying for side control, and wtf is up with Kendall's hair? Seriously, go to 2:15 left in the round and look at his hair. Oh yeah, Maia got mount, landed some shots, but Kendall got out. Half guard for Maia, and Grove's hair is still out there. Grove rolls over, and Maia has his back. Landing shots as Grove turtles. Grove almost escapes, but Maia gets his back again. Snaking an arm under for a choke, but can't get it. Maia has full mount with Grove on his side. To half guard and the round ends.

Hansen's Scorecard: 10-9 Maia. Kendall can't compete on the ground, but there's no shame in that. He defended really well, but defending well doesn't win fights. Only missing 42 million haymakers in a row wins fights.

ROUND TWO: Fifty seconds, No one lands anything significant. Maia goes for a single, doesn't get the takedown. Grove lands a couple punches as Maia goes for the takedown, nice work by Grove. Maia tries again for the takedown, and gets it this time. That takedown was too easy, especially since Grove knew it was coming, and Maia didn't set it up. Grove is breathing heavy. Maia with a little ground and pound, but Grove gets back up. Maia has him pressed against the cage at the midpoint of the round. Two minutes left in the round, and Maia gets the takedown. Maia to his feet, takes an upkick, but still gets Kendall's back. One minute left, and Maia is trying very hard to get the rear naked choke. He's got both hooks in as well. Maia softening him up with strikes as the round ends.

Hansen's Scorecard: 10-9 Maia, 20-18 Maia. More of the same. Maia is brilliant on the mat. I wish he and George Sotiropoulos were the same weight.

ROUND THREE: Trading occasional punches for the first minute. Maia trying to time Grove and get the same takedown he got in the second round. Grove lands a couple of shots that back Maia up fast. Regroups, and hits Grove a few seconds later. Half way into the round, been on the feet the whole time. Maia shoots, but misses. Back to their feet. Grove needs a KO, but he's hesitant to be over-aggressive. Even if he gets aggressive and gets submitted, a submission loss counts the same as a decision loss. Well, not with these judges, I suppose. Maia gets a single with 1:15 left, and pushed Grove into the cage. Trying to take him down, but Kendall is defending well, and landing plenty of soft elbows to Maia's temple. 30 seconds left, and Grove isn't getting a KO from this position. And the fight ends in that position.

Hansen's Scorecard: 10-9 Grove. Neither guy did much, but Grove landed a lot of shots while Maia failed to get the single leg takedown. Grove also landed a couple of good punches early in the round. This round could be 10-9 Maia, but not to me.

WINNER: Demian Maia by unanimous decision, 29-28 x3

POST FIGHT: I want to congratulate the three blind mice on press row for getting this one right. No fighter interviews.

STAR RATING: (**) Disappointing fight. Not a bad fight, per se, but there wasn't much to it, you dig? Maia is fantastic, but the fight was very paint-by-numbers.


-Goldy apologized for the prior technical issues during the GSP - Koscheck interview, and they play the entire interview in its entirety. Neither guy said anything inflammatory, nor surprising.


FIGHT FOUR: STEPHAN BONNAR VS. IGOR POKRAJAC (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)

PRE FIGHT: Typical video package. I was talking about Chael Sonnen's hyper gonads, so I missed it. I hate talking about another man's gonads, even if it's a man who had as many puberties as every six year old girl on the planet. I think Stephan said the word 'destroy', though.

ROUND ONE: Josh Rosenthal is the referee. Bonnar has 4 inches of height, and a six inch reach advantage. Running short on time, so Buffer talked as fast as Chael did on Thursday. Bonnar clinches, and gets Pokrajac against the cage. Gets a single leg, and tags him. Into side control for Bonnar. Bonnar really has him tied up here, trying to isolate an arm. Nope, got his back with an over under. Pokrajac slides out, and is up, has Bonnar pressed against the cage. Stalemate, Igor throws and elbow and Bonnar a knee as they push apart. Igor rushes forward, and gets Bonnar against the cage. Bonnar pulls guard, gets a guillotine, Pokrajac rolls over, almost tapped, gets out, and Bonnar is on top, side control. Bonnar in guard now, postures up, and is standing in Pokrajac's guard. Dodges the upkick, drops down to side control. 2 minutes remain. good round so far. Bonnar in half guard now. Nice hip escape, full guard now. Pokrajac give up his back, Bonnar is being more patient this time. Softening him up with 40 seconds left. Round ends with Bonnar letting Igor up and throwing a kick.

Hansen's Scorecard: 10-9 Bonnar. Bonnar is better. No shock there.

ROUND TWO: Both guys come out aggressively. Bonnar has Pokrajac up against the cage, throwing knees. trying to take him down from the clinch. Pokrajac grabs his head and forces Bonnar up against the cage. Nice. Bonnar trips him, and lands in side control. Beautiful. High side control, Bonnar's going to look for a kimura if Pokrajac doesn't escape. Softening him up with hard punches to the head. Elbows now. Trying for a Salaverry. Who does he think he is, Jon Jones? Igor sniffs it out and gies up his back. Igot gets to his feet, and escapes. Back to standing. Igor throws, hyper-aggressive. Bonnar reverses and clinches against the cage. Knees. Bonnar looks good tonight. A bit of a stalemate ensues, and they push apart. Igor is getting the better of the wild standup here, and Bonnar has to push him into the cage again. Nice exchange for Pokrajac. Bonnar with an uppercut, and the round ends.

Hansen's Scorecard: 10-9 Bonnar, 20-18 Bonnar. Better round for Pokrajac, but not enough. Bonnar has to respect Pokrajac's standup more now than he did after the first.

Make that a 10-8 round, 20-17 Bonnar, as between rounds Pokrajac had a point taken away for throwing knees to the head while both fighters were on the ground.

ROUND THREE: Bonnar gets top position 30 seconds in and gets a couple shots in. Bonnar landing a lot of shots, maneuvers into a near full mount against the cage. Igor's throwing from the bottom as Bonnar throws body shots from the top. Great stuff here. He's not fading, and looks like he's taking his career more seriously now. Bonnar never got the mount, but managed to pass to side control. Pokrajac gives up his back, we've seen this position before. this time, though, Igor escapes and gets top position briefly. Nice scramble, and Bonnar winds up on top, throwing shots from his knees to the back of Pokrajac's shoulders. Half guard, and Pokrajac ties him up. 30 seconds left. Bonnar is still relentless. Mazagattis breaks up the fight with about 1 second left, and takes a point from Bonnar for hitting the back of the head. Had it been Lesnar and not Bonnar, he would've taken 6 points away. I guess that's the end of the fight.

Hansen's Scorecard: 9-9, 29-26 Bonnar. Pokrajac was game, but outclassed. How many 29-26 fights do you see?

WINNER: Stpehan Bonnar by unanimous decision, 29-26 x3.

POST FIGHT: Straight to commercial. We're short on time, and the main event has decision written all over it.

STAR RATING: (***) Bonnar looked great, and Pokrajac didn't stop trying for even a moment. Best fight so far.


MAIN EVENT FIGHT FIVE: JONATHAN BROOKINS VS. MICHAEL JOHNSON (ULTIMATE FIGHTER SEASON 12 LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)

PRE FIGHT: Late on time or not, they're showing the full video package on each fighter. But, but, but, that means that MANswers might be delayed by five or ten minutes. In short, both guys want to win, and brookins likes to exercise outdoors. Go figure. Short on time or not, we get full walk outs, as we should. Johnson first, then Brookins. Brookins wins the battle of walk out music, hands down.

ROUND ONE: Herb Dean is the referee. Brookins has an inch of height on Johnson. No reach advantage for either man. Johnson lands the first strike, and is getting through more consistently early. Brookins gets him up against the cage, trying hard for a takedown. Doesn't get it, and they push apart. brookins gets pegged, and Johnson is swarming here. Brookins gets up, but eats a knee. Brookins is getting overwhelmed here. Johnson is dominating this fight, throwing him around like a rag doll. Herb Dean warns Johnson to not grab shorts. Brookins looks at the clock, more than 2 minutes left. Big uppercut and an overhand combination by Johnson. Brookins ties up, but has his back up against the cage. Brookins must get this fight down to the canvas. Johnson with an uppercut from the clinch, and they push apart. Brookins's hands are way too low. Brookins tries for a takedown, almost gets Johnson's back, but Johnson escapes and we're back to our feet again. Brookins is short arming all of his punches. Very bad technique hereby Brookins.

Hansen's Scorecard: 10-9 Johnson. Johnson rocked him consistently from start to finish, but there was no near-finish. Very close to 10-8.

ROUND TWO: Brookins throws ugly jabs, both hands flick out at the same time. Yuck. But he gets a takedown, winds up on top, and crushes Johnson with some shots on the ground. Winds up in a very loose half guard. Quite the reversal of fortune in the first minute here for Brookins. Brookins isn't doing much with his top control now, though. Brookins lands a couple of bombs, but not throwing in bunches. brookins is in half guard, trying to get to side. Lots of short elbos to Johnson's temple. Johnson's left arm is trapped. And... now it's free. Brookins is smashing Johnson on the mat so far this round. Johnson just can't get any distance. Johnson walks the cage and gets to his feet, but Brookins has a single. Nice elbows by Johnson as Brookins holds onto the single leg. Forced Brookins to adjust. Massive takedown by Brookins, and he's in half guard with Johnson pushed into the cage. Great stuff. Working for a kimura with 30 seconds left. And goldy plugs Manswers as the round ends. (sigh)

Hansen's Scorecard: 10-9 Brookins, 19-19. Exactly as dominant as round 1 was. Nothing close to a finish though, so no 10-8 here.

ROUND THREE: Fight of the night, even if round 3 mirrors Falcao vs. Harris. Great, dramatic fight, and both guys are likely to get the big contracts. Johnson pegs Brookins' chin. Brookins pushes Johnson into the cage, and eventually gets the takedown. johnson is breathing hard. He needs to use the cage to get up like he did in the second round. Brookins is pressing his weight against Johnson in order to prevent Johnson from cage walking to his feet. Herb Dean yells WORK at the fighters. WTF is he watching? These guys are working their asses off. Johnson tries to walk the cage, but gets mounted. Brookins gets too high, and gets reversed. Back to their feet at the midway point. Brookins with another takedown, fantastic technique. This is awesome! Brookins in half-guard in the middle of the cage, trying for side control. Short elbows from Brookins, who is still in half guard. Herb Dean needs to STFU about 'work' already. I hate Herb Dean sometimes. Brookins is relentless, and Johnson is game, but overwhelmed now. Thirty seconds left, and Herb Dean needs to STFU again. The fight is over. Fantastic, brilliant stuff.

Hansen's Scorecard: 10-9 Brookins, 29-28 Brookins. Awesome stuff. Great heart by both guys. This was a poor man's version of the ground and pound version of Bonnar - Griffin 1.

WINNER: Jonathan Brookins by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28, 29-27

POST FIGHT: Brookins thanked about a million people. Very classy and humble dude. No presentation or interview for Johnson, which I am disappointed by.

STAR RATING: (****-) I loved this fight, the drama, everything sport is supposed to be.

Well, that's it. Decisionfest 2010, marred by bad judging in the first fight, but it was redeemed by Jonathan Brookins' courage. He needs to work on his standup even more than Brock Lesnar needs to, but he overcame a HUGE first round by Michael Johnson, and is a very worthy successor to the title Ultimate Fighter.


To read Jamie Penick's Round by Round report on tonight's Strikeforce event, ET, please CLICK HERE.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_PPVs_6/article_7721.shtml

Kevin Randleman Randy Couture Josh Barnett Ricco Rodriguez

Greg Jackson provides proof perception is not necessarily reality

Widely-respected MMA guru Greg Jackson is known to be a student of samurai philosophy, so perhaps the words of legendary ?Book of Five Rings? author/warrior Miyamoto Musashi, ?Perception is strong, sight is weak,? came to mind earlier this week when Jackson decided to take a stand against the belief fighters from his gym prefer to [...]

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2010/12/01/greg-jackson-provides-proof-perception-is-not-necessarily-reality/

Yoshiyuki Yoshida Yoon Dong Sik Gilbert Yvel Ishkhan Zakharian

Falcao beats Harris in a UFC 123 snoozefest

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- UFC newcomer Maiquel Falcao started his career with a win. He beat Gerald Harris in a 29-27, 29-28, 29-28 in a three-round decision that is not likely to get the Fight of the Night bonus.

The first round started slow. The two danced around each other for much of the round. Falcao landed the first strike at 2:40 into the first, and after a little more dancing, unloaded a series of punches. Harris went down to the ground, where Falcao continued to beat on him until he took his back. Even after Harris tried to slam Falcao off, he stayed on and sunk a rear naked choke. Harris was saved by the bell at the end of the first. Harris appeared to think the fight was over until he was directed to his corner.

Falcao came out for the second with a series of strikes that caused Harris to shoot for a knee. He was unsuccessful in the takedown, and Falcao moved behind for another rear naked choke attempt. Harris continued to survive and slowly got back to his feet. He slammed Falcao down, but the two returned to their feet. Harris tried for another takedown and held onto the attempt as the round ended.

In the third round, the two returned to their dancing ways, to the disgust of the crowd in suburban Detroit. They danced around the entire round, rarely engaging. The crowd booed lustily, but it didn't cause either fighter to want to engage.

Falcao is now 26-3, but this win over the 16-3 Harris is likely to be remembered as a poor debut for the Brazilian.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Falcao-beats-Harris-in-a-UFC-123-snoozefest?urn=mma-287730

Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio 

STRIKEFORCE NEWS: Scott Coker says Strikeforce not interested in signing recently released UFC fighter Gerald Harris

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

LogoStrikeforce2010_105_24.png

While Gerald Harris' 3-1 record in the UFC makes him an attractive acquisition to any MMA organization, he won't be seen in the Strikeforce cage anytime soon.

Speaking with Ariel Helwani at MMAFighting.com, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said they won't be looking to bring Harris into the organization.

"I talked to my guys about it, actually, they talked to me about it," Coker said. "I watched the fight [against Falcao], I didn't know how to judge it. Then they told me about his background and his past and things you are telling me now, that this guy is a tremendous athlete (who) has a ton of potential and just had bad showing or fought very cautious to try and win the fight.

"The only thing right now is we are really committed to the fighters we have under contract now and I want to make sure these guys get in the mix two or three next year. That doesn't mean we can't revisit with him, but for right now, I would say that I want to take care of the roster we currently have."

Strikeforce's next event is this Saturday, live from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: I'm very much on board with this line of thinking from Coker, and it's commendable that he's not looking to just snatch up any fighter on the market. Harris is a good fighter, but like Coker said, there are guys on their roster that they want to take care of. When there have been a number of guys on the roster who have publicly complained about not getting fights often enough, Strikeforce doesn't need to be bringing in more guys onto the roster. Hopefully they follow through and can get their guys already under contract into the cage more often in 2011. Besides, for Harris, it's probably better for him to take a fight with a local promotion, get a win and get back to the UFC rather than get himself tied up under a multi-fight deal with another major organization.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Affliction2/article_7674.shtml

Anderson Silva Pat Miletich Carlos Newton Matt Hughes

STRIKEFORCE NEWS: Herschel Walker suffers cut, out of December 4 event on Showtime

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

WalkerHershel_MK150b_8.jpg

Just over a week out from their December 4 event in St. Louis, Strikeforce has lost their mainstream draw on the card, as Herschel Walker has been forced out of the event.

According to a report from the Associate Press, Walker suffered a deep cut under his left eye and has been pulled from the card. The cut required several stitches, necessitating Walker's removal from the card. The cut occurred while Walker was training at the American Kickboxing Academy on Monday.

The 48 year old former long time NFL pro and Heisman Trophy winning college football player was set to make his second appearance in the Strikeforce cage at the Scottrade center in the night's co-main event. His opponent was scheduled to be Scott Carson.

Walker made his MMA debut in January with Strikeforce, defeating Greg Nagy by TKO in the third round.

Strikeforce's December 4 card is headlined by a light heavyweight bout between Dan Henderson and Renato "Babalu" Sobral, and airs live on Showtime.

Penick's Analysis: This hurts Strikeforce's promotion of this card immensely. They were banking on getting more eyeballs to tune in for Walker as they did in January, and now the viewership for this event is likely to plummet. And that's not to say that Henderson and Babalu aren't worthy of more viewers tuning in, just that Strikeforce hasn't promoted the event all that well to this point. They haven't had a major event since the beginning of October, and though they've run two Challengers cards since then there hasn't been a real heavy sell for this event. The fact that it's going up against The Ultimate Fighter 12 finale doesn't help it, either. Most hardcore fans will watch one of them live and DVR the other, but they're going to need to ramp up the promotion over the next week on the Henderson-Babalu matchup and the other fights on this card because losing one of their main selling points definitely sets them back.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Affliction2/article_7630.shtml

Kyle Bradley  Jai Bradney  Ebenezer Fontes Braga Chris Brennan

Crash Course: Strikeforce "Henderson vs. Babalu 2" Edition

Hello once more fans and friends and welcome to another edition of ?Crash Course?. For those unaware, ?Crash Course? is an ongoing series where I take an upcoming MMA event and give a quick rundown on why you should care about it. The goal of ?Crash Course? is pretty simple: by the time you?re done [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/12/01/crash-course-strikeforce-henderson-vs-babalu-2-edition

Rickson Gracie Rodrigo Gracie Roger Gracie Rolles Gracie