Plenty of Thrills in Milwaukee
The UFC went to Milwaukee for their 5th Live on Versus event and it turned out to be better than many of the Pay Per View events. With 7 total finishes in the card there was enough great action to keep you interested and that including the main event. Before the fight Dan Hardy and Chris Lytle were both essentially preparing to fight for their lives. With rumours swirling around Dan Hardy it seemed as though Hardy would be cut from the UFC roster if he lost to Lytle. With Hardy losing his last three fights and not looking great in all three he was on the brink of never fighting in the UFC again. As his last chance he was given a shot against UFC veteran Chris Lytle in order to get back into the conversation in the welterweight. Meanwhile Chris Lytle seemed to be looking to get to the top of the welterweight division after a long career that has had its ups and downs. This was not the case however as just before the weigh-ins Lytle announced that he would be leaving the UFC after this fight to focus on his family life. This meant that Lytle would be fighting his last fight against another banger in Hardy. When the two faced off Lytle told Hardy that it would be his last fight and all he wanted was both fighters to leave everything in the octagon. Of course Lytle wanted to win and go out on a good note unlike many other fighters before him that were shuffled out after a number of losses. With this in mind both fighters came in looking to use their stand up skills to end the fight early. The first round saw Lytle come out with a big overhand right that connected. Lytle continued his assault landing a number of hard body shots along with his overhand right that he continued to land. Hardy showed just how tough he is as he took every shot and remained standing. Hardy barely even looked like any of the hard shots affected him. The second round started much the same way as Lytle continued to come out firing body shots and his devastating overhand right. Then it seemed as though Hardy woke up as he landed his own hard shots. Lylte caught them and stumbled back a few times and almost looked out of it. Lytle continued to throw and survived the round to come out again for the 3rd. The final round was much of the same as both fighters exchanged blows with both remaining standing. Near the end of the round Hardy shot for a takedown to earn some needed points in the judges scorecards. With the takedown Lytle sunk in a Guillotine that almost put Hardy out. Hardy tapped and the fight was over as Lytle accomplished his goal to finish his career with a win. Lytle will now go back to his family and will not fight again in the UFC. Hardy looked like he would be cut but Dana White has stated that because of the war he put on he will not be cut by the UFC. Hardy will most likely move on to decent competition but will need to work hard to get back to the top of the division.
In the second to last fight the seemingly unstoppable Jim Miller faced off against former WEC champion Ben Henderson. Jim Miller came into this fight on a 7 fight win streak and looked to be on the fast track to move up in the lightweight title conversation. Henderson impressed in his debut and was looking to be a mainstay in the lightweight contention. Henderson and Miller came out and immediately it looked like Henderson’s fight. Miller attacked and never let up but most of the damage was done by Henderson. The next two rounds were standup battles with Henderson taking the advantage in both rounds. Henderson scored the unanimous decision victory ending Jim Miller’s impressive winning streak. Miller still ended the streak but will probably remain in his same position as he still fought well. Henderson moves up with the win and will join the log jam of lightweight fighters waiting for a title shot after Grey Maynard and Frankie Edgar fight. In another great fight yet another WEC standout finished a young up and comer in one round. Donald Cerrone was one of the best WEC fighters and is making his case in the UFC. He faced off against a young superstar in Charles Oliveira and finished the by getting on top of Oliveira and forcing the referee to stop the fight with devastating blows. WEC standouts are beginning to become the new stars of the UFC and I would say keep watching them as many more might get championships.
UFC Live 5 handed out their bonuses for a night with a great amount of very good fights and finishes that made handing out the $65,000 a hard task. The “Fight of the Night” went to Chris Lytle and Dan Hardy for their 3 round war that ended with Lytle submitting Hardy. The “Submission of the Night” also went to that fight as Lytle added to his winnings with his guillotine choke ending his career in style. The “Knockout of the Night” went to Donald Cerrone after earning a TKO against Charles Oliveira.
Full Results:
Chris “Lights Out” Lytle def. Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy
(Submission; Guillotine Choke, Rd. 3)
Ben “Smooth” Henderson def. Jim Miller
(Unanimous Decision)
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone def. Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira
(TKO; Rd. 1)
Duane “Bang” Ludwig def. Amir Sadollah
(Unanimous Decision)
Jared “The Messenger” Hamman def. CB “The Doberman” Dolloway
(TKO; Rd. 2)
Joseph “The Beefcake” Benavidez def. Eddie Wineland
(Unanimous Decision)
Ed “Short Fuse” Herman def. Kyle Noke
(Submission; Heel Hook, Rd. 1)
Ronny Markes def. Karlos Vemola
(Unanimous Decision)
Jimy “The Kid” Hettes def. Alex “Bruce Leroy” Caceres
(Submission; Rear Naked Choke, Rd, 2)
Cole “Magrinho” Miller def. TJ “The Spider” O’Brien
(Submission; Guillotine Choke, Rd. 2)
Jacob “Christmas” Volkmann def. Danny “Last Call” Castillo
(Unanimous Decision)
Jason Reinhardt def. Edwin “El Feroz” Figueroa
(TKO; Rd. 2)
Upcoming Events:
UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami (August 27th; 9:00 pm)
– Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (HSBC Arena)
– Main Event: Anderson “The Spider” Silva vs. Yushin “Thunder” Okami [Middleweight Title]
– Notable: Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Forrest Griffin
– Notable: Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub vs. Minotauro Nogueira
Battle on the Bayou (September 17th; 9:00 pm)
– Live Free on Sportsnet/Spike
– New Orleans, Louisiana (New Orleans Convention Center)
– Main Event: Jake Shields vs. Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger
– Notable: Court “The Crusher” McGee vs. Dongi “The Ox” Yang
UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage (September 24th; 9:00 pm)
– Denver, Colorado (Pepsi Center)
– Main Event: Jon “Bones” Jones vs. Rampage Jackson [Light Heavyweight Title]
– Notable: Matt Hughes vs. Diego “The Dream” Sanchez
– Notable: Manny “The Anvil” Gamburyan vs. Diego “The Gun” Nunes
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