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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
UFC 112: INVINCIBLE
APRIL 10, 2010
LIVE FROM ABU DHABI
Frankie Edgar opens up the broadcast talking about his chance for the Lightweight belt tonight. Penn says the guy across the Octagon from him is his enemy and he wants to destroy him. Demian Maia says there's not room for two people at the top. Anderson Silva says (in English!) that it's his belt and he's holding onto it.
The broadcast is now live from Concert Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, as Mike Goldberg welcomes the pay-per-view audience to the show. Joe Rogan joins him on commentary to break down the two main events and the rest of today's pay-per-view card.
FIGHT ONE: KENDALL GROVE VS. MARK MUNOZ (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Munoz said he's going to be bigger, stronger and faster than Grove. Grove said he's ready to go out and do it like Champions and make history.
ROUND ONE: Grove tried to keep Munoz at bay early with his jab. Munoz pressed the pace and finally shot in for the takedown and got Grove to the ground. He stood up and dropped a big right hand. He stood again and Grove got back to his feet. Munoz shot in again and Grove dropped him with an uppercut! Munoz recovered and grabbed a single leg. Grove gets away from the single leg and started landing a ton of shots to the side of Munoz's head. Some of those looked to hit him in the back of the head. He's recovered and he gets Grove to the cage with a double leg. Grove holds off the takedown nicely. Munoz is staying on him against the cage but Grove is holding it off. Finally, they're separated. Grove starts to push the pace a bit and then Munoz tried to shoot in again. Grove almost got a D'arce choke locked on but Munoz rolled out. Munoz landed a good overhand right on the feet. Munoz shot again and Grove almost got a guillotine locked in. Munoz rolled through and worked to get his head loose. Grove almost got another nasty choke locked in as the round was coming to an end but Munoz got out of it.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Grove. That uppercut turned the round completely and Grove nearly submitted Munoz on three separate occasions there.
ROUND TWO: Munoz went for an overhand right early and as he tried to duck in for a shot ate another uppercut. As he shot in against the cage Grove landed a big knee and tried to take Munoz's back. He almost got a choke on and Munoz rolled out and got on top. He started landing a couple of big bombs from the top and got into Grove's guard. He landed some good body shots and changed up his punches nicely. Munoz stood back up and dropped down with a huge right to Grove. He is unleashing a ridiculous assault right now and on Grove and he is in trouble. He keeps landing shots and the ref comes in to stop the fight! Huge comeback after that first round.
WINNER: Munoz via TKO at 2:50 of the second round
POST FIGHT: Munoz said he was in some big trouble in that first round. He said he loves to get top position and use that ground and pound.
STAR RATING: (***+) That was a highly exciting fight. Munoz had a huge comeback and survived some seriously bad positions in the first round only to come back and get that TKO win. Awesome back and forth fight.
RAMIFICATIONS: Grove gets another chance because he's an Ultimate Fighter winner, but he needs to start putting wins together. Munoz keeps moving up the ladder in the middleweight division with his third straight win.
FIGHT TWO: TERRY ETIM VS. RAFAEL DOS ANJOS (LIGHTWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Dos Anjos said he's going to knock him out or finish him. Etim said he's going to show the UFC fans what he's about and he's going for the KO.
ROUND ONE: Etim comes out to the center and stalks Dos Anjos. Etim lands a good leg kick. He tries a high kick but it gets blocked. Dos Anjos pushed forward. Etim lands another good leg kick. He goes for the high kick. Dos Anjos shot in and took Etim down but Etim grabbed a guillotine. Dos Anjos is surviving, but the choke is still in. Etim's going to gas his arms out here as he's held onto this for quite awhile. He finally gets out of it. Etim goes for an armbar and Dos Anjos gets to side control. He lands three knees to the spine and the ref stands it up and gives him a warning. Etim lands a jab. Dos Anjos lands a left and clinches Etim on the cage. He lands some good knees to the thigh and then went for a single leg. Etim scrambled and got top position, but Dos Anjos grabbed a leg. Etim turned and got out of it and down into Dos Anjos' guard. Etim lands a hammer fist. Etim postures up and lands a couple of punches. Dos Anjos tries to roll for a leg lock but Etim holds it off nicely and ends the round on top.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Etim. He had the submission attempt and some good position on the ground.
ROUND TWO: Etim lands a couple of good early kicks. Dos Anjos tries to push in with some leg kicks and punches. Etim lands a good spinning back kick. He lands a knee to the head of Dos Anjos. Dos Anjos pushes in and gets a takedown and gets right into side control. Dos Anjos tried to pass to the mount but Etim got him to half guard. Dos Anjos got back to side control and landed some good forearms. He landed two elbows right to Etim's head. He finally passed to the mount and landed some good punches, but Etim escaped and got it back to half guard. Dos Anjos again tried to move to mount but just got back to side control. He moved to north-south position. He tried to grab for a kimura with under a minute left. Etim did a good job of holding it off, but Dos Anjos moved it to an armbar attempt and got it locked in, forcing the tap. Nice win for Dos Anjos.
WINNER: Dos Anjos via submission (armbar) at 4:30 of the second round
STAR RATING: (***-) Another good fight on the card. Dos Anjos was just too much on the ground for Etim in that second round.
RAMIFICATIONS: Etim will be back, but this is a good win for Dos Anjos to move him up the ladder some more.
PRELIM FIGHT A: PHIL DAVIS VS. ALEXANDER GUSTAFFSON (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Davis landed a left and tried to shoot but ran past Gustaffson. He finally grabbed a single leg and then moved to a double leg against the cage. Gustaffson held it off as Davis stayed on him. Davis got a body lock and landed some knees to the thighs of Gustaffson. Gustaffson stuffed another attempt and tried to take Davis down now. Davis got to his feet and Gustaffson clinched him against the cage. Davis finally pulls Gustaffson down and goes for a choke against the cage, but then he let it go with top position. Davis takes his back and almost gets the hooks in but Gustaffson gets out and they both stand up. Davis got back on him and took him down. He got to half guard and landed a number of punches to Gustaffson. Davis locked on an anaconda choke as time was running out and forced the tap just before the bell.
WINNER: Davis via submission (anaconda choke) at 4:55 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Davis says there's a lot he can improve on and he promised a better performance the next time out.
STAR RATING: (**) Gustaffson was holding off Davis' attacks well until the final submission. That was a beautiful roll into the choke as well, and another big win for Davis.
FIGHT THREE: MATT HUGHES VS. RENZO GRACIE (WELTERWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Hughes said this fight is a long time coming between two pioneers for the sport. Renzo said this fight will go a very technical way, with his techniques giving him the win. Hughes said he's going to do what he wants to do in the fight.
ROUND ONE: Renzo takes the center of the cage to start the fight. Hughes tried to press in a couple of times early but backed off. Hughes landed a body kick and Renzo pushed him back with a short combo. Renzo landed a left hook on Hughes. Hughes is very tentative here. Renzo pushed in and got Hughes to the cage and Hughes turned him around in the clinch. Hughes landed a body punch and Renzo separated. Hughes presses in for the clinch again and gets double underhooks against the cage. Renzo lands a knee to the body and again gets seaparation. Hughes lands a leg kick as he tries to press the pace. Renzo pushes forward with a combo that hits air and then lands a leg kick. Hughes grazes with a right. He lands a leg kick. Hughes lands another kick. Hughes got in with a straight right and then backed off. Renzo landed a good straight kick before the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-10. Neither fighter did anything to clearly take that round at all. Very slow start.
ROUND TWO: Hughes landed two good leg kicks early. They get in for the clinch and trade knees. Hughes gets in with a body lock and tried for a takedown but Renzo got out and right to his feet. Hughes lands another kick to the leg. Hughes lands a good left. Renzo gets in with a body punch and Hughes connects on another leg kick. The crowd starts to boo the little action this fight has provided. Hughes walked Renzo down but Renzo pushed him back again. Renzo lands a good leg kick. Hughes gets in with a two punch combo. Renzo tries to press and Hughes lands another leg kick. Hughes lands another body kick. They trade another punch. Hughes landed a good punch to leg kick combo. Renzo landed a right. Renzo shoots slightly and Hughes almost gets a guillotine. He lets it go and pushes Renzo to the cage to finish another less than exciting round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hughes. He landed more strikes overall but not much is happening in this fight right now.
ROUND THREE: Hughes tried to press early and landed a punch and an early leg kick. He gets the leg kick in again. They trade left hooks. Renzo comes in close and Hughes lands a body punch. He gets the leg kick again. Hughes gets in with a right and then completely backs off. He pushes Renzo to the cage and lands another leg kick. Hughes got in with a couple of punches and then clinched on the cage. Hughes grabbed a Thai clinch but let it go and landed an uppercut and another punch and he backed off again. He tagged Renzo with another right. He landed another leg kick. He buckled the knee with another leg kick and dropped Renzo with another one. Hughes helped Renzo up to his feet and dropped him with another leg kick. Hughes pushed again and landed a good combo and landed a few more leg kicks to the decimated knee of Gracie. He lands another uppercut. Hughes landed a right and dropped him and Renzo laid on his back. Hughes made him stand back up. He landed a couple more kicks to the legs and pushed Renzo to the cage. He landed a right to the jaw and tagged Renzo with another combination, dropping him and Herb Dean came in and stopped it. Finally.
WINNER: Hughes via TKO at 4:40 of the third round.
POST FIGHT: Hughes said he was happy with his performance and told his family he'd be home tomorrow. Renzo said he had been sick and didn't train for a two week stretch. He said he'd be back for sure.
STAR RATING: (*+) That was not a good fight. It provided some entertainment in the third round with Hughes dropping Gracie with the leg kicks multiple times, and then him actually helping Renzo back up to his feet, but it wasn't a good fight.
RAMIFICATIONS: I don't know who Renzo fights next if he actually comes back, and Hughes doesn't gain much by this not very entertaining or all that impressive victory.
FIGHT FOUR: B.J. PENN VS. FRANKIE EDGAR (UFC LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
PRE FIGHT: Edgar said a complete fighter is needed to beat B.J. Penn said Edgar's going to realize he's in there with another streetfighter.
ROUND ONE: Penn takes the center early as Edgar tries to move on the outside. Edgar lands a good leg kick early. Both fighters are feeling each other out here. Edgar gets in with another kick. Penn tags him with a left. Edgar gets in a good jab of his own. B.J. lands the jab again. Penn with another jab. Penn chases Edgar down and lnads a combo. Edgar pops in with a straight left as he continues to circle on the outside. Edgar lands a leg kick and keeps circling. Edgar tried to get in close for a single leg and Penn landed some hard uppercuts, forcing Edgar to let the leg go. Edgar keeps moving on the outside but as he gets in close Penn lands a good combo. Penn again lands another left. He counters nicely with a left hook. Edgar landed a combo and Penn countered with a right. Penn lands a good hook. Edgar gets in again for a clinch and Penn shrugs him off. Penn lands one more punch as the round comes to an end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Penn. The Champion landed more punches in that round, but Edgar is looking nicely.
ROUND TWO: Penn lands a couple of early jabs. He gets in with a combo. Penn lands a hard punch as Edgar tries to grab a leg. Edgar misses on another big punch attempt. Edgar throws a leg kick and Penn checks it. Penn lands a good short combo as Edgar keeps moving. Penn lands another good jab. Penn stalks Edgar as he's circling and lands a good combination. Edgar pushes in with a short combo. Penn keeps walking Edgar down. Edgar lands a punch and Penn counters with a combination. Penn again lands another punch. Edgar lands a kick to the body. Penn with another combination. Edgar lands a counter. Penn lands a good left hook as Edgar tries to push forward. Edgar trips up Penn but B.J. gets right back to his feet. Penn lands another good left. Penn lands another uppercut as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Penn. He's landing a lot of punches right now as Edgar is circling.
ROUND THREE: Edgar lands a good punch early. He gets in with another jab shortly thereafter. Penn lands a hard combo as Edgar got in close. Penn continues to counter nicely. Penn with another jab. This is more of the same with Edgar circling and as he engages Penn is landing punches. Edgar gets in and lands a good combination. He beats Penn to the punch again. Edgar keeps moving on the outside and Penn keeps walking him down from the center. Penn lands a good right. Edgar gets in with a good punch and tries to shoot but it gets stuffed. Penn lands a good two punch combo. Edgar pushes forward nicely with a body kick after a takedown attempt. Edgar again tries a takedown, but gets stuffed and eats a knee from Penn. Edgar gets in close and again eats a combination before the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Penn. Edgar is staying active and landing some punches, but he's not landing a whole lot of what he's throwing and Penn is connecting when he gets in close.
ROUND FOUR: Penn lands a good leg kick early. Edgar is continuing to keep his feet moving on the outside. Edgar gets in a good short combo. Edgar tries a takedown and gets stuffed. Edgar lands a decent punch again. He lands a kick to the body. Edgar tries a head kick but it gets blocked. Penn tags him with a good jab. he lands another jab. Edgar tries to get in and lands a right but eats a combo from Penn. Edgar tries to shoot in again but isn't going anywhere with it. He lands a combo to the body of Penn. Penn lands a good counter right and then a hard jab. Edgar tries to push him to the cage but he doesn't land anything. Edgar lands a punch but is countered well by Penn. Penn lands a right and a hard left. Penn lands another uppercut as Edgar tries to push in. Edgar lands a left hook to end the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Penn. Edgar keeps moving around the outside, but I don't think he's done anything to win any of these rounds.
ROUND FIVE: Edgar pushed forward with a quick combo. Edgar shot in and actually got Penn to the ground. B.J. got back up almost right away. Edgar gets in with a short combo. He goes for a head kick but it gets blocked. Edgar lands a good left hook. Penn landed a leg kick. Edgar responded with one of his own. Edgar got in close and Penn landed a hard right. Edgar got in with a punch. Edgar landed a good right. Edgar tries for another takedown but it's stuffed. He tried it again and got stuffed. He landed a good left hook. Edgar with a good leg kick and Penn countered. Edgar got in with a right. Penn landed an overhand right. Edgar landed another jab as it came to the last minute of the fight. Edgar with another jab. Edgar lands another jab. Penn lands a good right and a good knee late. Edgar wraps him up as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Edgar. He took the last round with a lot more aggression as Penn slowed a bit and didn't land nearly as much as in the rest of the fight. It was much too little too late, however.
WINNER: Edgar via unanimous decision (50-45, 48-47, 49-46)
POST FIGHT: Edgar said the belt doesn't fit so maybe he should be a 145 lb. fighter.
STAR RATING: (**) That was a complete joke. There's no way Edgar won that fight, I'm sorry. He was simply moving on the outside throughout the entirety of the five rounds and Penn was landing the more significant strikes and held off almost every takedown attempt except for in the fifth round. That's a completely unbelievable decision, and is much worse than the Shogun-Machida outcome.
RAMIFICATIONS: Penn should get an immediate rematch, that was a terrible decision.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FIVE: ANDERSON SILVA VS. DEMIAN MAIA (UFC MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
PRE FIGHT: Maia said he's going to finish this fight before the fifth round. Silva said he's got some tricks up his sleeves.
ROUND ONE: Silva circled around the outside as Maia took the center. Silva switched stances and felt out the range from Maia. Silva landed a strange side kick to the leg of Maia. Silva landed a good leg kick that spun Maia around. Silva landed a quick spinning back kick as he started bouncing around. Silva kept his arms to his side with no feat of what Maia can do to him standing here. Silva got in with a jab and Maia tried to drop and grab him as he got close. Silva just walked past him. Silva landed another leg kick. Silva worked the leg kick some more with his hands at his sides. He ran around in a circle and cracked Maia with a jab. He chased him around some more and landed a knee to Maia that knocked him down. He started the Thales Leites butt scoot before the referee stood him up. Silva kept his hands at his sides and bounced around. He played some air guitar with his right arm as he pushed in and landed another jab as the round ended.
Penick's Analysis: 10-9 Silva. He didn't do enough to make it a 10-8, but it's clear he has no respect for Maia's standup.
ROUND TWO: Maia tried to push in and Silva just dropped his hands. He landed the side kick to the knee and chased him to the cage. He landed a couple of jabs and knocked Maia to the ground again and made him stand up. Silva just moved his head around and started doing some capoeira moves in the cage. He landed a good leg kick. Maia tried to shoot in and Silva held it off and almost kicked his head off. Maia was forced to stand again. Maia tried to shoot again to no avail. Silva pushed off another attack and then started hitting himself asking Maia to come after him. He stood with his hands on his hips and then landed a jab as soon as Maia got in close. Maia was not engaging and Silva got pissed again. Silva's getting pissed off at the lack of attack from Maia. He's begging Maia to engage right now. He's going for a test of strength as Maia is not engaging. Silva again just hits himself in the jaw. He kicks Maia in the midsection and smiles. Silva is begging for Maia to do something. He's getting pissed again and lands a few leg kicks. He tags Maia with a jab as he just keeps yelling at him. He lands another jab and barely misses the right. Another straight jab. The round ends as Silva is just pissed.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Silva. This is entertaining as Silva is just completely f***ing with Maia here, but it's just not even competitive right now.
ROUND THREE: Silva landed a straight kick early as Maia is offering up nothing here. Silva stands still and is trying to get Maia to engage. He lands another leg kick and then a straight kick to the thigh. He lands that three more times in a row. The crowd starts to boo. Silva lands a spinning back kick. He misses and Maia tries to get after him. He gets right back after Maia. Maia tries to drop to guard and Silva just smiles and backs away. Silva landed a straight kick to the gut. Silva again landed the jab and then a quick combo. He punched Maia in the thigh and unfortunately this is turning into the second edition of the Leites fight. Maia actually lands a left and Silva just walks him down and lands another jab. He tries to come in for a takedown again. Silva used Miragliotta as a prop and forced Maia back up. We're going to the Championship rounds, even though nothing is happening right now.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Silva. He did less than in round two, but he's just doing nothing but messing with Maia in this fight.
ROUND FOUR: Silva landed the kick to the thigh. Maia popped Silva with the overhand left. The crowd boos as nothing is going on again. Maia tries the overhand right again. Silva lands a straight kick. The crowd boos again. Silva lands a left. Silva lands another punch and the crowd actually cheers for Maia here. Silva landed a leg kick and popped Maia with another jab. Silva with another jab and the crowd starts chanting "GSP." Silva just hops around the cage and pops another jab in. This is just getting more and more boring as it goes on. Maia raises his hands and Silva does the same to him. Someone needs to engage. The crowd loudly chants for Maia again. Silva keeps circling on the outside and Maia raises his hands again as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Silva. This is just getting ridiculous. Silva needs to finish this fight already and do something, because this rehash of the Leites fight is bulls***.
ROUND FIVE: Silva landed a good jab and missed a big punch. He lands a kick high. Maia tried to shoot for a takedown and failed. Maia tried to push the action and Silva landed a straight kick. Silva landed a good kick to the body and Maia tried to go for broke with a combo. Silva shrugged him off again. Maia pushed forward and landed a couple of punches. He threw a bunch of punches from his knees to Silva and Silva backed away. Maia stood back up tot he cheers of the crowd. He missed an overhand right. Silva landed a spinning back kick and the crowd started another major cheer for Maia. Maia grabbed a single leg on Silva and pushed him to the cage but Silva shrugged him off again. Silva with the side kick to the knee again. Maia raised his hands again. Silva circles and Dan Miragliotta calls time and tells him he'll take a point if he keeps running around in a circle. Maia tried to throw one more punch but the round came to an end as the crowd booed again.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Maia. Silva just didn't need to do anything there so he didn't. Maia went for broke and pushed the action on a couple of occasions but it's another uninspired victory for Silva.
WINNER: Silva via unanimous decision.
POST FIGHT: The crowd booed Silva when the decision was announced. Rogan asked Silva why he decided to coast from the third round on. Silva said Maia surprised him and apologized as he didn't know what got into him. He said he wasn't as humble as he could have been and he promised it wouldn't happen next time.
STAR RATING: (*+) Another bad Silva Title fight. It was entertaining through two rounds but then went into Leites territory.
RAMIFICATIONS: Silva needs to drop and fight GSP next, because this type of performance just doesn't cut it at the top of the card. Dana White can't be happy about this at all.
UNAIRED PRELIM CARD RESULTS:
-Jon Madsen def. Mostapha Al-Turk via Unanimous Decision
-Paul Kelly def. Matt Veach via Guillotine Submission at 3:41 of the second round
-DaMarques Johnson def. Brad Blackburn via TKO at 2:08 of the third round
-Rick Story def. Nick Osipczak via split decision.
That's another fight in the books. We'll have more on the card throughout the day and tomorrow, and then make sure to tune in to BlogTalkRadio.com/mmatorch tomorrow for our Livecast from 2-4PM ET.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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