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UFC 115 RESULTS: Penick's live round-by-round report on Liddell vs. Franklin event from Vancouver
Jun 12, 2010 - 11:54:55 PM UFC 115 RESULTS: Penick's live round-by-round report on Liddell vs. Franklin event from Vancouver

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The show is now live, as Mike Goldberg welcomes fans to Spike TV for the hour long preliminary card broadcast. With at least two fights coming to this part of the night's event, this should be a good start to an enjoyable card.

-Goldberg welcomes Joe Rogan and they discuss the night's main event between Chuck Liddell and Rich Franklin before going right to the fights.

FIGHT ONE: MAC DANZIG VS. MATT WIMAN (LIGHTWEIGHT)

PRE FIGHT: Wiman said his gameplan is to do whatever necessary to win. Danzig said the way to beat Wiman is to be smarter than him. He said if he keeps his head on straight and thinks about technique he'll work him over.

ROUND ONE: Wiman comes straight ahead and lands an early leg kick. Danzig comes right back at him with a couple of punches and kicks. Danzig catches a kick from Wiman and takes him to the ground. Danzig gets his leg contorted in a scramble but pulls it out and gets into Wiman's guard. He lands a few punches and Wiman tries to crawl up the cage. Danzig pulls him down but Wiman grabs a choke and rolls Danzig around. Danzig does not go out but Yves Lavigne stops the fight. He said Danzig did not respond. That was worse than the Ben Askren vs. Ryan Thomas stoppage. Lavigne grabbed Danzig's arm and Danzig moved it back. Lavigne stopped it anyway. Danzig got screwed and that was a terrible, terrible stoppage.

WINNER: Wiman via submission at 1:45 of the first round

POST FIGHT: Wiman said it was very unfortunate and he didn't want it to end like that. He said he trained for a fight and wanted a happy ending and said he could do it again. Rogan went and talked to Danzig, who said Yves Lavigne and any referee in the sport has a really tough job. He said he was posting on Wiman's knee and Lavigne pulled his hand off it and that's what he needed to keep himself from getting choked out, but he was very gracious about the whole situation, and it was a very classy response from Danzig to what was a huge mistake on Lavigne's part.

STAR RATING: (n/a) The fight could have been a good one, but that stoppage was terrible and unfortunate and puts a huge damper on the start of the show. Danzig will get another fight in the Octagon because it should not have gone down like that. Wiman very well may have been able to get that hold locked on better to actually put him out, but the fact is, and Joe Rogan explained this greatly on the broadcast, the whole left side of his neck was not being compressed, so blood was going to his brain and he was not going to be choked out there.

[Commercial Break]

PRELIM FIGHT A: RICARDO FUNCH VS. CLAUDE PATRICK

ROUND ONE: Patrick takes the center and stalks Funch down. Funch lands a couple of early leg kick before Funch shoots in and gets a body lock on the cage. He lands a knee up to the head nicely. He lands a couple of knees to the legs as he keeps Funch on the cage. Fucnh turns him around on the cage and drops briefly. Patrick turns him back around and then spins down and gets the takedown into side control. Funch pulls him immediately back to half guard. He then gets him to full guard. Patrick postures up. The ref stops the fight as Funch grazed Patrick with a kick as he was moving his foot over and it's like amateur hour with the referee, who halts the fight and gives Funch a warning. Patrick gets put back into the guard. He gets in with a couple of good punches from the top. Patrick drops an elbow as Funch continues to try to control his wrists from the bottom. Patrick postures up and lands a couple of big lefts as he stands back. Patrick steps to half guard and lands a straight forearm shot to the face. Funch is cut below the left eye. Patrick tries to move to a guillotine and gets the mount but the round came to an end. Good first round for Patrick.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Patrick. He spent much of the round in top position and did some damage as well. He nearly had that submission locked in at the end of the round as well.

ROUND ONE: Funch shot in early and Patrick grabbed for a standing guillotine. He lands a knee to the face and lets go of the choke as Funch drops levels again and tries to complete the takedown. Patrick continues to hold off the takedown attempt as Funch keeps his back pressed against the cage. Patrick grabs the guillotine and drops down into his guard. Funch tries to hold it off but Patrick forces the tap. Very good debut from Claude Patrick.

WINNER: Patrick via submission (guillotine choke) 1:48 of the second round

POST FIGHT: Patrick said he's happy to make his debut in his home country and said they're all family. He said he knew there's a bonus for submissions and said he needs money and needs to eat.

STAR RATING: (**+) Nice debut out of Patrick. He had been touted as a striker coming into the fight and got this debut mainly because he's Canadian, and he showed off some good ground and pound before locking on a quick submission in the second.

FIGHT TWO: TYSON GRIFFIN VS. EVAN DUNHAM (LIGHTWEIGHT)

PRE FIGHT: Dunham said he knows Tyson's never been finished before, but that's what he's going out to try to do. Griffin said he's going to fight him like he does everyone, getting the fight where he wants it and he's going to try to knock him out.

ROUND ONE: Dunham lands an early kick to the body as Griffin stalked him down. Griffin tagged him with a short combo and backed out. Griffin lands a good left. Griffin got in a kick to the body. He came forward and landed another one to the leg. Dunham caught a leg kick and tried to take Griffin down but Griffin pulled a B.J. Penn and hopped on his feet to the cage and held it off. Griffin continued to stalk and landing kicks. He comes forward and lands a few more leg kicks. Dunham comes forward with a good combination. He lands a straight kick. Dunham gets in a combination again. Dunham responds. Griffin overthrows a punch and Dunham drags him to the ground. Griffin got right up to his feet but Dunham pulled him down. He gets both hooks in on Griffin's back. Griffin is defending well, throwing punches behind him to Dunham. Dunham slips an arm around and tries to get the choke but the round is coming to an end and Griffin defends well to the bell.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Dunham. Griffin was winning the round before overstepping a punch and allowing Dunham to take his back for the last two minutes.

ROUND TWO: Griffin comes out moving forward again. He landed a left and Dunham countered with a nice right hook. Griffin landed a leg kick and Dunham countered again. Griffin got in with a punch and Dunham countered again. Dunham shot in and got a good takedown as Griffin tried to grab onto a choke. Griffin finally had to let it go. Griffin scrambled and Dunham set up a D'Arce choke. Griffin got out and got back to his feet, eating a couple of shots on his way up. He comes in and lands a few punches and Dunham drops down and takes him down. Griffin tries to grab an arm but Dunham scrambles around. Griffin tried to roll and Dunham took his back again. Griffin throws some elbows to Dunham's leg as he tries to scramble. Griffin rolls and gets back to his feet. Dunham stays on him and gets the body lock on as he stays on Griffin's back. Dunham's trying to grab the standing rear naked choke and Griffin dropped down to the ground and slammed Dunham's head to the ground. Dunham was alright and Griffin got back up to his feet. Griffin puts his arms up with Dunham still on his back and the round ends.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Dunham. He's controlling Griffin in the grappling department and Griffin now needs to stop the fight in this third round.

ROUND THREE: Griffin takes out Dunham's leg with a kick but Dunham keeps coming forward. Griffin sprawls and lands a good right hand as Dunham tries to get at him. Dunhma continues to walk on the outside. Griffin lands a nice right. Griffin lands another kick to the leg. Dunham pops in with a good combination. Griffin tries to stalk again and Dunham attacks. Griffin avoids the shot and shoots in. He can't get the takedown and Dunham nearly gets a big knee in. Griffin comes back and lands a right. Dunham landed a nice kick to the body and tripped him up. Griffin came right back at him but Dunham got him to the ground and got his back once again. This has been the story of the fight, and it's quite surprising. Griffin desperately tried to turn his body buit Dunham stayed on him. Griffin stepped back up to his feet with Dunham on his back. Dunham tried to grab for the choke again and Dunham is just staying on him here. This is just a lot of frustration for Griffin as Dunham isn't near finishing him here. Griffin dropped down once more and Dunham is going to cruise to the decision here and he has upset Tyson Griffin. The crowd booed as the fight finished.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Dunham. He wasn't ever near finishing the fight despite having Griffin's back for about six to seven minutes of the fight, but he controlled throughout.

WINNER: Dunham via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

STAR RATING: (**+) Dunham's control on the ground was impressive, and Griffin was simply unable to do much of anything. I'm really surprised that Griffin got two rounds on one of the judges scorecards. I can see giving him the first round from the first few minutes, but the second and third rounds were all Dunham.

Now to an interview with Dana White who talks about the night's main card, and the pay-per-view is just a few minutes away.

MAIN PAY-PER-VIEW CARD

Goldberg and Rogan welcomed the fans to the pay-per-view card and ran down the action on tonight's main card.

FIGHT THREE: CARLOS CONDIT VS. RORY MACDONALD (WELTERWEIGHT)

PRE FIGHT: MacDonald said it doesn't matter what Condit's done in the past, he's a man and he can be defeated. He said to beat Condit would be awesome, and he said this will be a big test for him. Condit said there's no way Rory's coming in to take anything from him. He said he's coming out on time.

ROUND ONE: MacDonald takes the roll of aggressor. He catches a kick and throws Condit to the ground. He motions to him to stand back up and he continues to stalk. He lands a big right and Condit lands a leg kick. MacDonald ties him up. MacDonald takes Condit down nicely into the full guard. The crowd chants for MacDonald as he tries to improve his position. Condit's working well from his back, however, and he's landing elbows and punches from the bottom while holding control of MacDonald. MacDonald stands and Condit gets back up to his feet. MacDonald lands a good jab but Condit rocks him with a right. He recovers immediately. He catches a kick and lands a big counter. He gets in another nice right and ties Condit up. He catches a knee thrown by Condit and gets another takedown. He lands a couple of punches and Condit lands a few from his back. MacDonald tries to scramble but Condit grabs a leg, scrambles out and gets back to his feet. MacDonald came immediately forward and landed a punch before tying up. He separated and continued to stalk. He landed a push kick and came right back forward. Condit landed a nice leg kick. MacDonald blocked a kick to the body and landed a counter punch. Condit lands another leg kick. MacDonald came forward again. He caught a knee and landed a nice right. Condit landed a nice leg kick and MacDonald gave him one right back. MacDonald got another takedown right before the round ended. Great back and forth first round.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 MacDonald. He takes it with the takedowns and overall aggression, but this is a good, close fight right now.

ROUND TWO: MacDonald again came forward, cutting off the distance. He landed a nice jab as Condit tried to engage. Condit lands a couple of leg kicks. MacDonald lands a nice combination. Both fighters caught a kick from the other and they trade punches with a leg in the air. Condit tries to get a takedown but MacDonald winds up taking him down. He briefly gets side control but Condit scrambles and gets back up to his feet. MacDonald came right back at him and caught a knee. He cracked Condit with a big punch and came right at him. Condit fought him off with a short combination and a leg kick. MacDonald ducked under a punch and tried to get down. Condit almost got the mount but MacDonald scrambled to get to guard, and as Condit tried to get up and out MacDonald held him up and got into his guard. MacDonald landed a couple more punches. Condit ties MacDonald up, but Rory steps up and lands a kick. Condit again gets back to his feet. MacDonald lands a hard jab. MacDonald avoided a punch and landed a counter. MacDonald caught a kick and landed a good three punch combo. Condit shot in and MacDonald stuffed it. Condit cracked him with a knee but MacDonald ate it. He came in and landed a hard right. Condit lands a leg kick. MacDonald comes right at him and lands a good jab. He ducks under a punch and lands a right. They trade shots. Condit lands a spinning back kick and throws a straight kick but MacDonald drops him with one to the chest. Excellent end to the round.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 MacDonald. He's controlling the stand up of the fight and this is just an excellent back and forth fight right now.

ROUND THREE: Condit lands an early leg kick. MacDonald blocks a body kick. He catches a leg and tries to come forward with a flying knee but missed. He lands a big combo. He comes forward and lands another big combination. He shoots in, but Condit grabbed for a kimura and wound up in MacDonald's half guard. He lands a couple of nice elbows from the top. MacDonald tries to kick him off but Condit drops right back down on top of him. He lands a couple more elbows and gets to the mount. MacDonald gets him right back to half guard. Condit drops another big elbow. He steps out and drops down with a huge right hand. MacDonad scrambles and gets back to his feet. Condit lands a big knee and a combo. MacDonald is hurting here. He tried to shoot and Condit took him down against the cage. He starts throwing some big shots. Condit is really pouring on the punishment. Condit throws some more big shots and pins down MacDonald's right arm. MacDonald kicks him off but Condit gets right back onto him. MacDonald's right eye socket is severely messed up right now. Condit lands some more big shots from half guard. MacDonald kicks him off with 40 seconds remaining. Conidit drops back into half guard with 30 seconds left. Condit is landing more and more punches. Condit keeps throwing punches and the ref stops the fight with nine seconds left and the crowd is booing the hell out of the stoppage. Condit landed a number of shots at the end. I don't know that I agree with the stoppage, but Condit beat the hell out of him in that round. It would have been a draw on my card otherwise.

WINNER: Condit via TKO at 4:53 of the third round.

POST FIGHT: The crowd booed throughout Condit's interview. He said he didn't know how many seconds were left in the round he was just working. Rogan goes to talk to MacDonald and the crowd goes nuts. MacDonald said he thought that was the end of the round. He said it was a just stoppage as Condit was kicking his ass. He said Condit was hurting him from the very start. He said he thought he'd have the speed advantage. He said his gameplan didn't work and he'll need to turn around and figure it out for next time. He thanked the crowd and told them not to boo Carlos. Very humble from the 20 year old kid.

STAR RATING: (****) I still don't like the stoppage, as MacDonald was still partially defending himself and there were only seven seconds left, but had it gone to the scorecards, at best Condit would have earned a draw after doing the most damage in the fight. But that's what happens when you lose the first two rounds. Still, this was an incredible back and forth bout and well worth going out of your way to see. This has got to be an automatic "Fight of the Night" winner.

RAMIFICATIONS: The very humble MacDonald is going to be a staple on UFC cards in the future. He's only going to get better from this, and he looked excellent for two rounds and a couple of minutes before Condit pulled out all the stops. Condit had a great third round and really put a beating on MacDonald to get himself the victory.

FIGHT FOUR: BEN ROTHWELL VS. GILBERT YVEL (HEAVYWEIGHT)

PRE FIGHT:Rothwell said he needs to come out hard and aggressive in the first round. Yvel said he wants to destroy him, but he needs to stay patient and the time to knock him out will come. He said he'll pick him apart.

ROUND ONE: Yves Lavigne gets boos after the stoppage of the Danzig fight earlier. Rothwell comes straight ahead and started swinging bombs at Yvel. He had Yvel on the ropes right off the bat. He shot in and Yvel tried to grab a choke. Rothwell got him down and passed to the mount. Yvel rolled him over and got on top. He stood up and tried to drop down with a punch. Rothwell got back to his feet and took Yvel down again and got into side control against the cage. Yvel's just laying there and Rothwell tries to go for the crucifix and Yvel rolls him over again. Rothwell stays right on him and pulls him down against the cage. He gets into the mount but Yvel's back is on the cage. Rothwell pulls him to the side in the full mount. Yvel rolls and grabs a hold of Rothwell's leg but Rothwell rolled back around and got to the crucifix. He almost sweeps of the cage and he rolled over and took Rothwell's back briefly. He came forward and landed a few big punches. He's got Rothwell rocked. Rothwell recovers and they both catch their breath on the cage. Rothwell lands a knee and Yvel lands a head kick. They trade punches as the round ends.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Rothwell. Yvel was gutsy on the bottom and had a couple of nice roll-through sweeps, and Rothwell may have tired himself out in that round.

ROUND TWO: Yvel lands a leg kick and Rothwell comes forward and shoots in immediately. He pulls him to the ground and gets into his guard. Yvel threw up a triangle but Rothwell just passed to side control. Rothwell put his forearm across the throat and then threw some punches to the body. Yvel gets it back to half guard. Yvel tries to roll him out and Rothwell gets back to mount. Rothwell lands a couple of big elbows. Yvel's in trouble here. Rothwell throws some punches and Yvel gets his feet to the cage. Rothwell fot out of the mount and allowed Yvel to get to his feet. Rothwell stayed on Yvel and pulled him down against the cage into half guard. Yvel used an Americana to sweep and got on top. He landed some big shots on Rothwell from the top. He's hurting him bad right now. He's unleashing some big shots on Rothwell against the cage. Yvel drops to half guard but keeps landing some big punches. Rothwell tries to stand back up. He gets up and gets Yvel to the cage and takes him down again. Man this is ugly. Rothwell moved to side control and then the mount again. Yvel held his wrists but ate a couple of elbows as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Yvel. I'm giving it to him on damage, because he did a lot more in the minute he was on top that Rothwell did on top. Still, it may have gone to Rothwell because of the control.

ROUND THREE: Yvel shot in immediately, but Rothwell just wound up in his guard. Yvel threw up a triangle but Rothwell moves to side control again. Rothwell landed a hard punch to the body. Rothwell went to a couple of elbows and tried to get the crucifix position. Rothwell moved back to the mount again. Yvel gets back to half guard, but he needs to sweep and get back to his feet or he's going to lose this fight. Yvel gets him back to guard. He's just exhausted right now. Rothwell stepped over to side control and went for the Americana. This is just bad right now, both guys are exhausted. Rothwell went to the crucifix and Rothwell landed a few elbows. This is really, really ugly right now. Rothwell lands a few more elbows, but he's really just staying in side control right now. They end the round in the same position and it was just ugly.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Rothwell. That was just an ugly, ugly round of heavyweight action. That was TUF 10 levels of gassing, and both had nothing to offer in that round.

WINNER: Rothwell via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

STAR RATING: (**) There were a few bursts of excitements in there, but that was an ugly, ugly fight. Yvel nearly had Rothwell finished in the second, and Lavigne could have stopped it, but neither fighter looked very good at all as they were sloppy and gassed in the second and third.

FIGHT FIVE: PAULO THIAGO VS. MARTIN KAMPMANN (WELTERWEIGHT)

PRE FIGHT: Thiago said he's going to start striking, and if he thinks the fight will be easier he'll take him down and submit him. Kampmann said he's confident wherever the fight goes. He said he's there to finish Thiago tonight.

ROUND ONE: Thiago came out and took the center and Kampmann circled the outside. Both fighters feeling out the range early. Thiago lands a body kick but eats a counter punch. Kampmann landed a good left. Thiago came forward quickly but ate a counter right from Kampmann. Kampmann lands another nice jab. Kampmann again with a straight right keeps Thiago off balance. Kampmann pushes forward and Thiago lands a left as he backs out. Thiago comes in with a good two punch combo. Kampmann gets in with another straight jab and a follow up punch. Kampmann grabbed a leg but couldn't complete the takedown. He's getting outworked on the feet right now. Thiago throws a high kick-punch-high kick combo but nothing lands flush. Kampmann starts to walk him down and hurts him with a right against the cage. Thiago dropped and grabbed a single leg. Kampmann held it off but Thiago kicked out his leg and tripped him up. Kampmann grabbed for an arm-in guillotine, but he uses it to roll him over and sprawl. Thiago then throws him against the cage and stays on him on the cage. Kampmann pulled for the guillotine and Thiago rolled over the cage to get out of it. Kampmann again goes for a choke and gets to side control.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kampmann. Very good round for Kampmann. He out-struck Thiago on the feet and nearly had a big submission locked in late.

ROUND TWO: Kampmann comes forward and lands an early leg kick. He gets in with another. Thiago tries to move forward and Kampmann gets in another leg kick. Thiago swings wildly in an exchange and then Kampmann comes forward. Kampmann lands a good right and then grabs for a body lock, but Thiago holds him off. Thiago swings again and misses. Kampmann lands a good punch. Thiago throws a right and then shoots, but Kampmann sprawls and rolls to take Thiago's back. Thiago tries to hold him off. Kampmann stays on him and Thiago grabs his arm. The crowd starts to boo as the action has slowed with Thiago going for the kimura. Kampmann continues to fight it off from the side, but this is a stalemate at this point. Thiago finally gets the arm loose and uses it to sweep into side control. Kampmann gets an underhook in and gets back to his feet. He comes forward with a couple of big knees and nearly gets a choke in as the round ends.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kampmann. He's controlling this fight in every which way at this point, and that was another good round for him.

ROUND THREE: Kampmann pops in with an early jab. He throws a high kick off the mark. Thiago misses a big right and Kampmann counters. He grabs a body lock and gets Thiago to the ground. That was impressive. He pushes Thiago to the cage and throws some punches to the body. He moves over and gets an arm triangle, but he doesn't have it in a position to finish right now against the cage. Thiago rolls and Kampmann takes his back. Thiago pulls him over the top but Kampmann sprawls and keeps control of Thiago. He lands a knee to the body and pulls Thiago down again. Thiago rolls again and Kampmann lands a few punches. Thiago gets back to his feet. Thiago lands an overhand right and shot for the single, but Kampmann sprawled and got into half guard. Thiago is just getting out classed right now. Kampmann gets to the mount and Thiago rolls. Kampmann pulls for the arm triangle again but isn't in a great position to finish. He squeezes it tightly and there's just not enough time left in the round to finish it.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kampmann. Another round that was all him. Thiago just never got his footing in this fight and Kampmann had one of his most impressive performances of his career.

WINNER: Kampmann via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

POST FIGHT: Kampmann apologized for not doing more on the ground but Thiago was very good on the ground and he couldn't be as active there.

STAR RATING: (***-) That was a very technical, yet definitely enjoyable showing from Martin Kampmann. I completely sold him short coming into this one and that was perhaps the best he's ever looked in the UFC.

RAMIFICATIONS: Kampmann inserts himself into the upper end of the UFC's welterweight division. He's still a few fights from a title shot after getting derailed by Paul Daley, but he's right back on track with two big victories. Thiago needs to go back to the drawing board, as he wasn't able to do a thing against Kampmann in that fight.

FIGHT SIX: PAT BARRY VS. MIRKO CRO COP FILIPOVIC (HEAVYWEIGHT)

PRE FIGHT: Cro Cop said he wants to shut the mouth of everyone who said he's too old. Barry said he absolutely can win this fight. He said if he hits you, you're going to feel it. He said to become a legend you have to beat a legend. Yves Lavigne gets booed once again as he's announced as the ref for this fight.

ROUND ONE: They touch gloves and Barry immediately engages with a punch. They trade again and Barry shrugs him off. Barry lands a nice inside leg kick and presses Cro Cop back with body punches. Barry dropped Cro Cop with a right and then stood and looked at him. Cro Cop got back to his feet. Cro Cop got in with a left. Barry with another hard leg kick. Barry with a really hard leg kick. He almost kicked Cro Cop's leg out with an inside kick. Cro Cop throws a side kick to the body. He lands another kick tot he body. He checks the leg kick from Barry. Barry throws a kick high but Cro Cop blocks it. He dropped Cro Cop with another big right and let him stand up. Barry's a beast. Cro Cop's in trouble in this one. Barry lands a left and the crowd starts chanting for him. The left side of Cro Cop's face is swelling really badly. Barry lands a jab. He throws a high kick and Cro Cop blocks it. Cro Cop lands a kick to the body. Barry lands a a kick to the body. Cro Cop gets in a left. Barry lands a leg kick. Barry is being very patient here. Cro Cop gets in close and ties Barry up. He throws a knee to the body. Cro Cop pulls Barry down. Barry scrambles and Cro Cop lands a couple of good shots as Barry gets back to his feet. Both fighters smile and Barry gives him a short hug before they restart with 30 seconds left. Cro Cop lands a good three punch combo. Barry with a leg kick, and Cro Cop lands another right. Barry throws a high kick as the round ends and it gets partially blocked. Fun round.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Barry. He severely damaged the left side of Cro Cop's face with two right hand punches. That was a bit tentative at times but a lot of fun between two guys with a lot of respect for the other.

ROUND TWO: The crowd is eating this up and cheer loudly at the start of the second. Cro Cop throws the high kick and Barry blocks it. He does it again and Barry blocks it. ANother left leg lands to the body. Cro Cop pushes forward with a combo. Barry lands a leg kick. He throws a looping left that gets blocked. He gets in with a right and side steps a side kick from Cro Cop. Cro Cop lands a big left. Cro Cop gets in and ties him up, pushing him to the cage. He lands some hard punches to the thigh. Barry tried to shake him off and Cro Cop stayed on him against the cage with the thigh punches. Lavigne separated them. Cro Cop has started moving forward. He lands a kick to the body and then a side kick to the body. Barry slips on a high kick and Cro Cop goes after him. He puts Barry on his back into half guard, and this is a bit unexpected for this fight. Cro Cop lands a couple of punches in half guard. Barry tries to grab a hold of his body, and Cro Cop lands some punches to the body. Cro Cop moves to the mount. Barry rolls and Cro Cop takes his back. He's up really high, though. Cro Cop lands some short
punches. He grabs for a choke with his back against the cage but Barry holds it off. Barry holds off for the final ten seconds and we're going to a third round.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Cro Cop. Very good round for Cro Cop there. He attacked on the feet more and had some good positional advantage on the ground. Barry needs to be much more active in the third.

ROUND THREE: Cro Cop gives Barry a wink and they give a sign of respect as they start the third. Cro Cop throws the left high kick and Barry blocks it. Cro Cop gets in with a combo and Barry lands a leg kick. Cro Cop lands an axe kick to the head. Barry missed an overhand right and Cro Cop grabs a body lock. Barry gets loose and pushes away. Barry kicks Cro Cop's leg out from under him but lets him get right back up. Barry lands a couple of leg kicks. Cro Cop engages and Barry covers up. Barry lands a big left but Cro Cop takes it. Cro Cop gets in a good uppercut in close. Cro Cop lands a big uppercut and follows it with a right. He pushes Barry to the cage in the clinch. Barry landed a forearm with his back against the cage. Cro Cop hit him with a few punches. Lavigne separated them with 90 seconds left. Cro Cop comes in with a combinatinon and has Barry reeling. He's landing some big shots and he drops Barry. BArry tries to hold on as Cro Cop is hitting him with a ton of short punches. He lands a big elbow. He goes for the rear naked choke and forces the tap with 30 seconds left. That was awesome and wholly unexpected. Barry is hurting after that. Great win for Cro Cop.

WINNER: Cro Cop via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:30 of the third round

POST FIGHT: Cro Cop goes over and gives Barry a hug and they have another great sign of mutual respect. Cro Cop said Barry caught him twice. He said the first one wasn't so bad, he just fell on his ass, but the second one caused some double vision for a minute. He said Barry gave him the space to choke him and he took it. Cro Cop took the microphone from Joe Rogan and spoke in Croatian to his fans in the stadium and then thanked the crowd in English. He then lobbied Dana White for the Submission of the Night and the Fight of the Night, "tax free, of course." Excellent stuff from Cro Cop.

STAR RATING: (***+) That was a great fight. Barry really slowed after a great first round, and Cro Cop finished in excellent fashion. That final flurry leading up to the choke was classic Cro Cop, and the finish was quite an unexpected way for this one to end.

RAMIFICATIONS: Barry's got a big hole in his game, and it's on the ground. That showed with a complete lack of defense for that fight finishing choke, but he showed his power in the first round. Cro Cop may never regain his past success, but he was resilient in the first and came back in great fashion to win the second round and then finish it in the third. Awesome win for Cro Cop to continue demolishing my picks for tonight!

MAIN EVENT FIGHT SEVEN: RICH FRANKLIN VS. CHUCK LIDDELL (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)

PRE FIGHT: Chuck says he can still beat anyone in the world at his weight. He said if he didn't feel he could compete with the guys at this level he wouldn't be here. Franklin said people are going to expect the typical Liddell fight, but he doesn't see it going that way. Franklin said he feels really good about this fight.

ROUND ONE: Liddell began walking Franklin down. Franklin landed a nice inside leg kick and a right. Liddell got in with a right barely. Liddell got in a leg kick of his own nicely. Franklin popped in with a left. Liddell continued to stalk and Franklin clinched. Chuck stuffed him and threw a high kick. He then threw a hard body kick. Franklin with a body kick.Franklin popped in with a nice right hook. He landed another and Liddell popped him with a couple of nice uppercuts. Liddell came in with a left and pushed Franklin down with a nice takedown against the cage. Liddell landed a couple of punches. Franklin worked his way to his feet and Chuck got cut over his left eye somehow in there. Back on their feet Franklin tried to engage with a short combo. He landed a kick to the body. Both have slowed a bit here. Liddell came forward and landed a knee to the body. Franklin landed a nice two punch combo and stepped away from the counter. Liddell tried to walk him down. Liddell rocked Franklin with a right and Rich rocked Liddell with a left. Liddell lands another right and Franklin pushes back. Great back and forth stuff from both fighters here. Franklin pressed forward with a body kick. Liddell got in a high kick and pushed forward. Liddell misses a right and Franklin knocks him out with a right before the round ends! WOW! Wow, wow, wow, wow. Right on the button, and that has got to be the last time we'll see Liddell. Dana's going to be pushing for it even further. Chuck is still on the ground as the go to announce it. Incredible.

WINNER: Franklin via KO at 4:55 of the first round

POST FIGHT: Franklin hurt his arm in the fight as he's holding his shoulder. He said he blocked a kick with his left arm early in the fight and he broke his arm. That's even more incredible. He said the kick took him out of his game, but he just tried swinging and he landed. Rogan asked him if he would have come out for the second round, and he said "are you kidding me?" He said he fought with a broken hand before and he wasn't stopping. He said when Chuck comes after you he over commits. He said he wants to make a run for the title.

STAR RATING: (****) That was incredible out of Rich Franklin considering he broke his arm there. That was really exciting with a lot of great back and forth and Franklin knocked him out in impressive fashion.

RAMIFICATIONS: Liddell has to be done, he just has to be. That was the fourth KO loss in six fights. Franklin can definitely make a run after his arm heals. He took some big shots from Liddell and kept going, and I'm honestly a little shocked he landed that punch.

-An undercard bout airs between Mike Pyle and Jesse Lennox. Pyle wins an excellent fight with a beautiful triangle choke in the third round.

UNAIRED PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

• Mario Miranda def. David Loiseau via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 4:07.

• James Wilks def Peter Sobotta by Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00 .


That's another event in the books! It was a very enjoyable night of fights, with an excellent main event that should spell the end of "The Iceman." Be sure to join us at the top of the hour here for an hour long call-in show to review tonight's event. Thanks for joining us once again, and be sure to stay tuned throughout the week as we cover the fallout from tonight's event and get into coverage of Strikeforce, Bellator and UFC events in another busy week of MMA action.

NOTE: Be sure to check back every day this week as I will be writing a five-part series of Career Retrospect articles on Chuck Liddell. Relive his career if you've watched it from the start or learn more about what he accomplished in his career if you've joined in the middle or near the end.

Join me and MMATorch columnist Matt Pelkey right after the event concludes tonight for an hour long call-in show at BlogTalkRadio.com/MMATorch. We'll take your calls and email questions beginning at 1 AM ET.

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