UFC ON FOX 14
JANUARY 24, 2015
LIVE FROM STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
=====UFC Fight Pass Quick Results=====
-Neil Seery def. Chris Beal via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Note: Really fun scrap. Beal was nearly submitted in the second with a tight guillotine, but he showed off great heart in getting free. He gassed into the third, but still landed some big shots as it became a bit of a brawl. Ultimately, Seery was the better man in this one, and it was a mostly fun fight overall.
-Viktor Pesta def. Konstantin Erokhin via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Note: Erokhin had Pesta hurt badly in the first, punched himself out, gassed, and got smothered the rest of the way. Don’t agree with Pesta taking the first on the takedown with how hurt he was, but Erokhin had nothing to offer after the first three minutes.
=====Fox Sports 1 Prelims=====
-The college basketball game between Georgetown and Marquette is in overtime, so the TV prelims are starting on FS2. We’ll pick up round by round coverage as soon as it shifts back to Fox Sports 1.
PRELIM FIGHT ONE: MIRSAD BEKTIC VS. PAUL REDMOND (149 LB. CATCHWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Redmond tried to press in as Bektic circled on the outside. Redmond landed a body punch and ate three punches in return. Bektic connected on another combo. Redmond shot in, but Bektic countered and tossed him down, getting on top in half guard himself. Redmond pulled him into guard. Bektic landed some strikes from the top and Redmond was opened up a bit. Bektic got loose a couple more strikes. He continued to stay busy in the guard. Redmond tried to escape, but as he got to his feet he was dragged right back down into half guard. Redmond got him back to guard, but ate some more strikes. Bektic continued to stay busy, then passed to half guard. Redmond got to his feet, but again got dragged to the ground. Bektic missed a big right hand, but continued to stay busy from the top. He again passed Redmond’s guard briefly, but Redmond did a good job to get him back there. Bektic got in some short forearm strikes. That opened a nasty cut. Bektic landed a few big elbows from the top. Redmond tried to escape, eating a few strikes as he got to the cage. Bektic just bullied him back down to the ground. He finished out the round with a few strikes in in Redmond’s guard.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Bektic. Close to a 10-8 round with the damage done. Very one-sided frame.
ROUND TWO: Redmond tried to come forward quickly, but he got cracked with a counter left. Redmond shot in, Bektic clinched. They battled for a takedown, and Redmond wound up on his back once again. Bektic stayed a little busy in the guard, landing some punches and elbows to the body and head. He postured up and landed a few more. Bektic tried to step over into mount, but got held in half guard. He passed out to side control. He landed some short forearms and tried to work an opening. The referee was yelling at them to work. Redmond rolled out and got to his feet, but Bektic took him right back to the ground into half guard. He pinned Redmond’s right arm and blasted him with several hard punches. Bektic continued to stay busy, looking to pass. Redmond tried to defend off his back. Bektic went for a kimura and used it to pass to mount. Redmond tried to hold on tight, but he got cracked by a few hard strikes. Redmond gave up his back and turtled, surviving to the horn as Bektic tried to look for a choke.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-8 Bektic. Even more dominant than the first, with a staggering left hook on the feet early and lots more damage done on the ground.
ROUND THREE: Bektic rocked Redmond with a right hand, then took him to the ground and got in his guard. Should almost keep it standing the way his striking has worked in this one. He landed a few elbows from the guard. He passed out to side control. He tried to step over and lost position, but landed a hard elbow. He passed back to half guard and kept himself busy. The referee again inexplicably asked for work as that’s all Bektic’s been doing. Redmond got him back to guard, but ate several more strikes. Bektic landed punches to the body and head, then got in some elbows. He passed again to half guard. Bektic continued to maul Redmond on the ground, moving over to side control. He tried to roll Redmond over to take his back. He continued to work from top position as the round wound down.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Bektic. Would have liked to see Bektic keep it standing more, as he was dominating there. As it stands, Redmond didn’t do much of anything in this fight, and there’s an argument for three straight 10-8s here.
WINNER: Bektic via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25)
STAR RATING: (*+) It was a good showing from Bektic, but it wasn’t much of a fight. It was just a sustained ground beating in a one-sided decision.
PRELIM FIGHT TWO: MAIRBEK TAISUMOV VS. ANTHONY CHRISTODOULOU (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Taisumov looked to stalk early on as Christodoulou slowly walked on the outside. Taisumov landed a nice combination. He took Christodoulou’s leg out from under him with a hard leg kick. He lt him stand. Taisumov landed a nice combination. Back to the leg kick from Taisumov. He landed a hard overhand right. Spinning back fist to the gut. Taisumov got to the body again. Christodoulou tried to get in close, but missed, then got cracked with a few. Taisumov tossed him to the ground and landed a few strikes before letting him stand again. Taisumov continued landing punches and kicks. Taisumov landed another hard spinning back kick to the body. They clashed heads a bit. Taisumov landed a nice two punch combo to the body and head. Christodoulou got in a leg kick. He tried to press in but ate a hard counter. Taisumov missed a couple of winging strikes. He came back with another hard leg kick. Taisumov closed the distance and landed a couple of hard punches. He landed a hard overhand right. Spinning back kick to the body. He got in for a body lock, rag-dolled him again, and landed some strikes after stepping out of a leg lock attempt. Taisumov let him stand with seconds left, and landed a counter just before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-8 Taisumov. Tons and tons of damage done that round. He was relentless with his offense.
ROUND TWO: Christodoulou moved forward, but immediately got backed up with a stiff counter combination. Christodoulou shot in, got stuffed, flopped to his back, and got knocked out with a brutal series of strikes on the ground. Christodoulou does not belong in the Octagon.
WINNER: Taisumov via KO at :38 of the second round
STAR RATING: (**-) Showcase for Taisumov against a guy who had no business being in the Octagon to begin with. Can’t fault Taisumov for that, he did what he should have done against someone at that level, but it doesn’t tell us much about Taisumov.
PRELIM FIGHT THREE: NIKITA KRYLOV VS. STANISLAV NEDKOV (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Krylov landed a left. He got in a leg kick. Nedkov tried to press in with a couple of overhand rights but they were blocked. Krylov got in a strike. He landed a knee to the head. Nedkov got hurt and Krylov landed a bunch of short strikes. Krylov went for a choke, but Nedkov worked out of it. He went for the guillotine choke and got it locked in standing ala Jon Jones-Lyoto Machida and Nedkov tapped. Good performance from Krylov, but Nedkov should have already been out of the UFC anyway. This one will solidify that.
WINNER: Krylov via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:24 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**) Very nice work from Krylov. He hurt Nedkov early, transitioned nicely after giving up the first choke attempt, and scored the finish. Well done.
PRELIM FIGHT FOUR: ANDY OGLE VS. MAKWAN AMIRKHANI (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Airkhani rushed across the cage and hurt Ogle with a flying knee! Ogle went down after an uppercut and Amirkhani started unloading strikes and the ref stopped it! Wow. The ref was a bit quick there, but Ogle was definitely hurt there, as he tried to grapple with the ref after the stoppage. Well then, welcome to the UFC, Mr. Amirkhani.
WINNER: Amirkhani via TKO at :08 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) Excellent highlight for Amirkhani, and Joe Rogan came in to shit on his moment by calling it controversial and saying “a lot of people” thought it was an early stoppage when it was just him talking. The replay showed Ogle went out from the uppercut and got woken up quickly from the follow up strikes. Nothing controversial about that.
PRELIM FIGHT FIVE: KENNY ROBERTSON VS. SULTAN ALIEV (WELTEERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Robertson rushed in with a few strikes and shot in. Aliev got to his feet and separated. Aliev landed a right. They wound up clinching over a minute in with Aliev pressing Robertson to the cage. Aliev landed several knees to the body, then they separated. Robertson pawed out a couple of strikes. Aliev landed a straight right. Aliev landed a left that was partially blocked. Robertson connected with a leg kick. Aliev landed a spinning back kick, but left his hands down and Robertson landed a huge counter left hook that dropped Aliev! He landed a few strikes on the ground and Aliev went out. Wow. That came out of nowhere.
WINNER: Robertson via TKO at 2:42 of the first round
STAR RATING: (***) Awesome finish from Robertson that was absolutely out of nowhere. No one could have guessed a TKO win like that from Robertson coming into this one given their respective histories, and that’s one hell of a win for Robertson. Great counter to start that finishing sequence.
PRELIM FIGHT SIX: NICO MUSOKE VS. ALBERT TUMENOV (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Musoke threw a body kick but Tumenov side-stepped and caught it. Musoke stayed in the center and pressed Tumenov back. He landed another body kick. Tumenov got in with a straight punch. He caught another kick and landed a left hand. Musoke landed a jab. Tumenov landed a couple of hard punches on the inside. Musoke blocked an overhand right. Tumenov caught another kick and they exchanged punches. Musoke got in to the body again. Tumenov caught another kick and landed a right hand, then Musoke tagged him with a right hand in return. Musoke went to the other side of the body with a kick. Tumenov landed a few strikes to counter. He caught another hard kick and countered. He tried to threow a few more in combination. Tumenov landed another couple of punches. Musoke again got in with a body kick. Tumenov landed a hard combination, walking through a counter kick. Musoke got in close and connected on a couple of strikes, eating a counter or two as well. Musoke landed a hard left. Musoke landed another body kick. He landed a nice right hand as well before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Musoke. The kicks were the most effective thing that round, though Tumenov did some damage himself.
ROUND TWO: Tumenov came out with a rush of punches and kicks. Musoke took it and moved forward. Musoke landed a couple of punches. They traded strikes in the center. Musoke tried to grapple but got held off. Musoke landed another hard kick. They traded shots in the center. Tumenov landed a couple of jabs. Tumenov landed a hard right hand that got through. Musoke kept heading forward, but Tumenov landed a few combinations. Tumenov again landed the counter as Musoke tried to step in. Tumenov started opening up and Musoke was cut open. Musoke grabbed a clinch but Tumenov landed several strikes to break free. Tumenov got in with a left. Tumenov landed another big combination. And another. Musoke’s getting beat up on the feet in this round. Tumenov landed a couple of hard jabs. Musoke shot in but Tumenov defended well and separated. Tumenov landed a couple more. He ate a kick a short time before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Tumenov. He evened things out there with a big round.
ROUND THREE: Musoke tried to shoot in early but got stuffed. Tumenov landed a counter strike as Musoke pressed in. He shot in again but got stuffed. Tumenov landed a couple more strikes. He landed another combination. Tumenov landed a few jabs on the outside. Musoke nearly got him tripped up, but couldn’t get him all the way down. They traded strikes, then Tumenov landed a big strike of the cage. Tumenov knocked Musoke’s mouthpiece out. The ref was going to call for time, but then Musoke rushed in for a takedown. Tumenov pushed him off and the ref got Musoke’s mouthpiece back in. Tumenov landed more strikes in combination. Musoke missed a few strikes as he tried to rush in for a takedown. Tumenov held off the attempt at the cage. He got separation and Musoke lost his mouthpiece again. Tumenov landed some more strikes. The ref called time and warned him to keep the mouthpiece in. Musoke landed a couple of kicks. Tumenov landed a couple of jabs. Musoke got in a kick. Tumenov landed a nice combination. Musoke got in to the body again. Tumenov landed another combination. Tumenov continued getting the better of each striking exchange. Musoke shot in again, but got stuffed. He landed a kick, but it was caught, and he ate several strikes from Tumenov. Tumenov ducked under a strike and scored a takedown. He let him right back up and landed a couple of strikes. Musoke pressed in with a clinch, but Tumenov didn’t let him get anything in before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Tumenov. Much more active and effective down the stretch.
WINNER: Tumenov via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (***) I liked that fight quite a bit. Lots of technical work on the feet from Tumenov down the stretch after a strong start from Musoke. Competitive and entertaining fight with some really nice offense from Tumenov.
-We’ve got a 20-minute break before the main card on Fox!
=====Fox Main Card=====
-Curt Menefee is on the desk tonight in Sweden to introduce the network show, with Brian Stann and Daniel Cormier on the desk. That’s a nice shot of the crowd behind them, as they tout over 26,000 fans in attendance. That would make it the second largest live audience in UFC history behind only UFC 129’s 55,000 attendees.
After 20 minutes of time filling to close out the prelims, the lengthy intro here is kind of brutal for those 26,000 fans waiting for things to pick up at 2AM local time.
MAIN CARD FIGHT ONE: AKIRA CORASSANI VS. SAM SICILIA (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Corassani took the center, though it was Sicilia moving forward to bring the first exchange. Sicilia landed a right hand. He connected on a hard left and they clinched. Sicilia tried to trip Corassani up to no avail, then Corassani landed a nice right to separate. Corassani connected on a couple of leg kicks. Sicilia landed a few strikes as he drove in for another clinch. He got in a solid combination as they separated. Corassani got in a kick. Things slowed down for a short time and Sicilia tried to play the aggressor. Corassani landed some strikes on the outside, but Sicilia kept moving forward and landed a couple of strikes. Sicilia landed a big combo and knocked Corassani went down and out cold! He followed with an unnecessary strike on the ground, and it was all over. Sick KO.
WINNER: Sicilia via KO at 3:26 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) Hell of a knockout from Sicilia, crushing defeat for Corassani, who may have just lost his spot on the UFC roster.
MAIN CARD FIGHT TWO: PHIL DAVIS VS. RYAN BADER (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Bader took the center and tried to press in as Davis circled a bit. Bader popped in with a reaching jab. Bader tossed out a combination but Davis got out of the way. Bader landed a short left hook. He reached in and connected on a straight right. Davis shot in, got stuffed, and ate a knee to the body. Davis got in a kick to the lead leg. Bader circled on the outside. They traded jabs. Both missed a few strikes as they got in close in the center. Bader got in with a couple of short strikes. Davis got in a solid body shot. Bader landed a nice short combo. Davis faked a shot. The crowd got a little restless on the fight. Bader pawed out a jab at the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Bader. He was more effective in what limited striking took place, and he stuffed Bader’s takedown attempts as well.
ROUND TWO: After a couple of minor exchanges, they clinched for a bit. Bader got out with an elbow. Davis swung out a strike that got behind Bader’s head. Bader landed a high kick but Bader walked through it. Davis connected on a couple of solid kicks. They clinched again. Davis got in a couple of body kicks. Bader briefly got loose, then Davis got to him and dragged him down. Bader worked to his feet and went for his own takedown, but Davis popped up and it was back to the clinch battle. They continued battling in the clinch to the horn. This fight’s not very good.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Davis. Bader didn’t do much offensively that round, allowing Davis to dictate the pace.
ROUND THREE: Bader circled outside early and landed a couple of jabs. Davis briefly got a clinch and landed a knee. Neither landed much of significance for a bit. Bader landed a nice right hand. Davis shot in, but got stuffed. Bader sprawled for a front head lock and got in a knee to the shoulder and body. Davis’ eye was damaged from the strike just before that shot. Bader pawed out a couple more jabs. Davis swung wildly to the body after a failed shot. Davis landed a short combination. Bader tried to press in and ate a few kicks. Davis kept up the leg kicks as Bader tried to press forward. Bader landed a jab but ate a body kick. Bader gt in a short comnbo. He blocked a high kick and landed a jab. Davis shot in late, but Bader got behind him and took his back standing. He picked him up and dropped him on his head, but almost lost position at the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Bader. Did the most damage, scored the brief late takedown. Really doesn’t matter, that wasn’t a good fight by any means.
WINNER: Bader via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (*) Just a bad fight. Probably to be expected, but still surprising they put that fight in this spot considering it was happening as they close in on 3am local time.
MAIN CARD FIGHT THREE: GEGARD MOUSASI VS. DAN HENDERSON (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Mousasi pawed out some jabs from the center, then landed a leg kick to the outside. Henderson missed a winging overhand right early on. Mousasi landed a couple of solid strikes. He continued to calmly move forward. Mousasi missed a right hand and ducked under Henderson’s return. Mousasi hurt Henderson with a right hand, then dropped him with another. He landed a strike and Henderson seemed to briefly go limp before shooting in at Mousasi’s legs. Fantastic performance from Mousasi, regardless of questions about that stoppage.
WINNER: Mousasi via TKO at 1:10 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**) The crowd booed the announcement a little bit, but that shouldn’t be held against Mousasi at all. The crowd didn’t like it, but he was rocked, and that final blow thrown on the ground had him hurt badly.
-Rogan interviewed both fighters after, and with Henderson he tried to say it looked like he “tripped and fell”, ignoring the strike that put him down and the added one on the ground. Rogan has been absolutely awful tonight on commentary, and he’s being extremely hypocritical in trying to say these stoppages are early given the shit he said to Brendan Schaub last month about the damage he’d taken and wanting him to walk away. Really, really bad night for Rogan between this and his ridiculous reaction to the Amirkhani-Ogle fight earlier as well.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FOUR: ALEXANDER GUSTAFSSON VS. ANTHONY JOHNSON (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Gustafsson opened with a couple of leg kicks. He got in a jab. Johnson tried to walk him down. Gustafsson checked a kick. Johnson landed a solid right hand. He went high with a kick as he tried to stalk Gustafsson. They traded leg kicks. Gustafsson landed a solid jab. Gustafsson poked Johnson in the eye and things were halted. They restarted and Gustafsson got hurt! not sure if that was a head butt or a strike. Johnson tried to rush in and Gustafsson fired off a big strike. Johnson tried to rush again. He hurt Gustafsson. He landed some big strikes and Gustasson went down! Johnson started unloading strikes as Gustafsson turtled up. Johnson landed more strikes! He kept unleashing punches and rocked Gustafsson with a couple more uppercuts under the arm and the ref stopped it! What a freaking fight from Anthony Johnson. That’s just an incredibly impressive win.
WINNER: Johnson via TKO at 2:15 of the first round
-Gustafsson had his shirt covering his face and he was just absolutely crushed.
STAR RATING: (***) Incredible win from Johnson. There’s nothing else to say here. Johnson picked up the biggest win of his career by far, and locked up his title shot later this year. That was just a fantastic performance and one hell of an impressive victory.
-That’s all from Sweden! Thanks for joining us here tonight; there will be plenty to talk about on this one in the coming days, and we still have one more major event ahead of us to close out the month next weekend!
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