DeMarques Johnson vs. Michael Guymon

The fifth bout of UFC Fight For the Troops 2 saw DaMarques Johnson take on Mike Guymon. Johnson, an Ultimate Fighter runner-up, came into the contest 2-2 in UFC competition. Guymon's UFC record stood at 1-2.
Guymon threw a low kick and shot for a takedown to begin the fight, but was defended by Johnson who got a takedown of his own into side control. Guymon regained guard but ate some powerful elbows from Johnson. Johnson passed to the side, to full mount, and then to the back all within a few seconds time. Johnson continued to work and roll with Guymon as he looked for submissions, only to have Guymon tap a moment later. Guymon, who appeared to injure his back or midsection in the grappling, verbally submitted.
Speaking to Joe Rogan in the post-fight interview, Johnson stated, "That was just one of those things where who likes foreplay with no orgasm... I was just looking to get pressure and get a good angle, he was a big strong guy with good wrist control."

Jon "Bones" Jones vs. Ryan Bader

The greatest difference with Jones's UFC 126 outing was the increased level of hype surrounding him as he entered the Octagon. Jones had clearly broken through in terms of public awareness between his last bout, a free televised affair against Vladimir Matyushenko on Spike, and the current fight with Bader on Pay Per View from Las Vegas. A crackle could be felt in the arena as Jones, the new "it" fighter, entered. He was visibly nervous stepping inside the cage.
Once the fight began, however, Jones was once again a tour de force of MMA virtuosity, completely shutting down Bader's offense over the ensuing 9:20 of action. Bader, for his part, entered the Octagon undefeated, with what was believed to be the superior wrestling of the two men. He sought to back Jones up in the early going with aggressive standup and big overhand strikes. Jones measured his standup strikes carefully and did not open up excessively. But he wrestled Bader to the canvas more than once in round one, where Bader's work on the bottom in half guard was leaving openings for Jones to attack with a variety of front chokes, including Guillotines and D'Arces.
That theme spelled the end of the fight in round two, as Bader once again discovered himself foundering helplessly on the bottom in half guard as Jones worked for chokes. The fight-ending submission from Jones officially came at 4:20 of round two as a Guillotine forced Bader to tap. Bader had connected with a total of one solid punch in the entirety of the fight, a left hook to Jones midway through. It was his only bright spot on a night in which he was completely outclassed.
The drama continued in the Octagon immediately after Jones's victory as he was informed by ringside announcer Joe Rogan during the post-fight interview that his close friend and teammate Rashad Evans, who had been scheduled to fight Mauricio "Shogun" Rua for the title, had been forced off the card due to a knee injury. Jones was being granted an immediate title shot in his place. An overjoyed Jones fell to his knees in thanks. Shogun entered the cage moments later and welcomed the challenge. Reports were that Ticketmaster phone lines lit up within moments of the live announcement as fans sought a chance to see the UFC's apparent next big thing fight for the title in person.

The Cowboy vs. Paul Kelly

Cerrone immediately dove under a punch from Kelly, that may have been as Cerrone was looking to touch gloves. Cerrone took Kelly down and briefly had mount, yet Kelly popped up to his feet and threw a pair of knees. Kelly came in again with a flying knee that had Cerrone on the defensive but looking composed. Kelly continued to score, landing first with punches as Cerrone could only land a couple of low kicks. Kelly landed again with his right hand and countered Cerrone effectively, and was nearly dominating the striking. Cerrone landed a takedown with just over a minute remaining in the fight and worked some elbows from half guard as the round ended. Kelly was cut wide open by an elbow with seconds remaining.
Cerrone dug a series of low kicks into Kelly's leg to begin round 3. Kelly again found success with his striking, yet Cerrone completed a takedown with three minutes left and soon found full mount. Kelly gave up his back to escape the ground and pound onslaught, and in the transition Cerrone locked on a body triangle and then attacked for a rear naked choke. Softening Kelly up with punches, he finally sunk in the tight rear naked choke that forced the tappet.
Speaking to Joe Rogan in the post-fight interview, Cerrone commented, "I'm glad to be here and show that WEC guys deserve to be here… that's Greg Jackson's jiu jitsu, my training partners are the best in the world."

Paul Taylor vs. Gabe Ruediger... Head kick!!

Taylor came out early and landed good combinations to Ruediger. The fight moved to the clinch where Taylor finally broke free and continued to unload with powerful combinations. Ruediger brought the fight to the clinch again, looking to wrestle Taylor to the ground, yet was shaken off and onto his back. Again Ruediger looked to bring the fight to the mat but Taylor's defensive wrestling enabled him to stay standing. Referee Kim Winslow broke the fighters up from the clinch where Taylor again won the next exchange. The round ended with Ruediger unable to avoid yet another series of punches that landed flush, and having not completed a takedown attempt.
Taylor started round two landing again and preferring to stay standing despite an opportunity to take top position on the ground. Ruediger was overwhelmed standing with the moments in the clinch his only respite. Ruediger desperately worked to get the fight down again, and as Taylor broke free he unloaded a combination of punches to the head capped off by a gruesome left kick to the head. The kick sent Ruediger straight down to the mat where Taylor landed one more unnecessary combination to cap off his impressive KO victory.

Best Woman Fight--- Amanda Nunes vs. Julia Budd

Amanda Nunes, a Brazilian female MMA fighter entering Strikeforce Challengers on a five fight win streak, blasted out the bigger and more muscular Julia Budd in only 0:14 to record one of the fastest knockouts, not only in women's MMA, but in the sport's all-time record books. Nunes, with only a scant three years of MMA training and fighting experience, jumped out guns blazing in the Challengers 13 undercard event, squaring her hips up to her opponent in retro Chute Boxe fashion and launching lefts and rights in peppering combination.
A crisp straight left from that opening barrage landed squarely on the chin of Budd, dropping her to the canvas where Nunes followed up with a series of hammerfists. Referee Jeff Mackens rightly intervened as Budd was separated from her senses. The quick loss dropped Budd to an overall record of 1-1, both fights in the Strikeforce promotion.

The Machine vs. George Roop

Mark Hominick polished off George Roop in under 90 seconds at UFC's Fight for the Troops fundraising event on January 22, 2011 with the latest in a series of impressive performances for the streaking featherweight. Hominick's dominant striking display was the first of three fights in a row to end by first round knockout on the night. But Hominick's was the fastest, and also carried extra weight, as he earned a title shot with the win against vaunted Brazilian 145 lb. champion Jose Aldo.
Roop, the taller of the two fighters, started out game in the opening seconds with good kicking at range as well as punching combinations. But Hominick quickly found his rhythm and began tagging Roop with precision shots to the head. By the one minute mark Hominick was stalking Roop down, who clearly had no answer for Hominick's standup skill. The end came at 1:28 with a left hook to the jaw that dropped the stunned Roop. Referee Don Turnage quickly stepped in to call an end to the bout as Roop slumped against the fencing.
“You have to make statements with your performances, and I think I did that tonight,” said Hominick, who improved to 20-8 with the win. Roop momentarily challenged the stoppage, but quickly accepted it as he stumbled around the Octagon upon standing back up.

What do you find more exciting? Knockout or Submission

Personally I think in a MMA match there is nothing more exciting than a good match up. Having to evenly matched players fighting against one another truly shows the greatness of this sport. These fighters train harder and tougher than any athletes in the world. I find the knock out more exciting and eye catching than a great submission. There's nothing more exciting to see someone work so hard and then all it takes is one hit and all that work goes away. Respecting both the fighters for stepping up to the challenge is in everyone's minds but seeing one of them get there lights knocked out, is priceless. I take nothing away from the submission game cause I think the ground game is also very exciting. I respect all the technique that is required to get positions and to sweep your oponent. Don't get me wrong I get excited seeing someone get tapped out and screaming in pain cause there arm is about to get torn from its socket. Which one do you think is more exciting??????

Nick Diaz vs. "Cyborg" Santos......... Gracie Jiu Jitsu!!!!!!!!!!!

In a scintillating performance reminding fans why he is one of the most exciting fighters on the planet, Nick Diaz survived a Muay Thai onslaught from Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos to nail a textbook armbar from guard and retain his Strikeforce welterweight title.
Diaz was, perhaps uncharacteristically, complimentary towards "Cyborg" in the lead-ups to the fight, stating that he liked Santos's fighting style because he was willing to go to war. The words could not have been more prophetic. Santos emerged in round one firing off massive inside leg kicks to Diaz's lead leg that looked to be taking their toll on the poker-faced champion. Diaz had trouble finding Santos through the first two minutes, as Santos continued to batter Diaz's legs. Diaz battled back, however, finding a home for his lead right jab and sprinkling in the occasional left cross. The tide began to turn, and late in the round a picture-perfect shot to the chin put Santos in deep trouble against the cage as Diaz dug in with flurrying strikes to the body. The change of momentum threw the partisan San Jose crowd into a frenzy as the round ended.
The second round picked up right where the first led off, with both fighters exchanging artillery on the feet. Santos continued to mix inside and outside leg kicks with heavy power shots, while Diaz in trademark style peppered Santos with stinging jabs and left hooks. Round two looked to be heading to a close when in the final minute Santos shot the first takedown of the bout, driving Diaz into the center of the canvas and into Diaz's guard. The move, at first appearing to secure Santos a closely contested round, proved disastrous. Diaz quickly shifted his hips into an armbar formation, and as Santos attempted to roll out of the hold, Diaz deftly hooked Santos's leg and rolled with him into a spider-web position. Diaz quickly finished the armbar, and with only 10 seconds remaining in the round, a classic battle was suddenly and dramatically brought to a halt.

Nick Diaz arm bar

Clay Guida vs. Gomi and Yves Edwards vs. Cody McKenzie

These submissions are some of the most exciting i've found so far. Many might not find the ground game to be as exciting but I think it is some of the most technical aspects of fighting mma.

The relentlessly energetic Clay "The Carpenter" Guida utilized a bewildering new strategy of constant movement and atypical patience to confuse and eventually choke out the legendary Takanori Gomi via Guillotine in the second round of their UFC 125 clash. It proved an interesting, if unexpected, stylistic encounter in what was confidently but wrongly billed as a striker vs. wrestler exchange.
Gomi, in his third fight in the Octagon, no doubt expected a vintage performance by Guida involving "The Carpenter's" relentless pressure, takedown attempts against the cage, and furious punching exchanges. Though Guida looked his typical charged-up self entering the cage that first night of the New Year in 2011, he had no such plan in mind. Instead, straight from the opening bell Guida began to feint repeatedly in an almost over-exaggerated style on the outside, bouncing on the balls of his feet and bobbing levels up and down with his hair swinging wildly about him. Gomi, expecting an immediate onslaught, was instead forced to wait patiently on the outside, cocked and ready to fire but without a clear target. Guida was feinting from such a distance that he looked to be almost disengaged in a pointless show. But as the round wore on the cleverness of Guida's strategy began to prove itself. Gomi began to look irritated and bothered. Guida darted in between long spells of inaction, either catching Gomi with a heavy strike or shooting in for a takedown, only to dance back out before Gomi could effectively engage him.
After a first round that Guida notched 10-9 due to Gomi's almost complete inability to find him, the same strategy began to play out in the second. Guida mixed up darting shots with takedown attempts from the outside, all the while a whirling dervish of motion and energy bobbing to and fro. Finally, in the midst of a ground exchange initiated by a Guida takedown late in the round, Gomi slipped into a beautifully devised Guillotine that Guida offered him while Guida was mounted. Guida was confident enough in the choke to relinquish top position, where he sunk in the arm-in Guillotine with little more than thirty seconds left in the stanza for the tap.
The bout's unorthodox nature was outdone only by its import for Guida's career, who seemed once again to perpetually alternate big wins and big losses in his lightweight journey. Gomi, meanwhile, faced questions about both his UFC preparedness -- he now stood at 1-2 in the promotion -- as well as the level of polish on his ground game. With the win, Guida became the second man to choke out "The Fireball Kid" after Marcus Aurelio improbably did so years beforehand in Pride.
The sixth bout of UFC Fight For The Troops 2 and final to air on the live preliminary card saw veteran Yves Edwards take on Ultimate Fighter veteran Cody McKenzie. Edwards came into the fight 7-4 in on-and-off UFC competition that spanned nearly 10 years. McKenzie was 1-0 in his only official UFC fight.
McKenzie came out fast in the first round, clinching up with Edwards and trying to turn the fight into a grappling match. Edwards escaped and avoided another takedown attempt, separated and landed a right straight. Edwards countered with a hard low kick while McKenzie came forward with an unorthodox striking style. McKenzie missed on a headkick and then dove in for a single leg that Edwards defended. Edwards landed another pair of leg kicks and then mounted McKenzie in a bizarre grappling exchange that saw the crafty McKenzie ultimately escape from the dangerous position. McKenzie remained tenacious to the end of the round, but one that overall favored Edwards in being able to avoid a grappling match.
Edwards landed a combination to begin round two and began to showcase his superior striking skills. McKenzie threw a pair of spinning elbows and showed no sign of quitting despite coming out on the losing end of most striking exchanges. McKenzie finally managed to get the fight to the ground and took Edwards's back, and then to top position in side control. McKenzie continued to threaten, tightening up a body triangle from the back. Yves escaped and scrambled into side control and then to full mount. Yves took the back in another scramble and sunk in a rear naked choke that McKenzie valiantly tried to fight off. McKenzie finally passed out, unwilling to tap, giving Edwards the submission victory at 4:33 of the second round.
Commenting to Joe Rogan in the post-fight interview, Edwards stated, "It's always nice to get someone with their favorite move... I didn't want to let the position go, he was strong when he was on my back, so I wanted to be strong too."

Guida choking out Gomi

Amazing Knockouts so far this year......

There has been many great fights so far this is year. 2011 is going to be a great year for mma. My personal favorite part of 2011 is all the great fighters coming to the UFC, do to the merger of the WEC. The the lighter weight classes have always been some of my favorite fights. This brings a lot more events and fights to be expected throughout the months to come. Some of my favorite and unexpected knockouts have already been revealed this year. These are some of the knockouts I have found the exciting and mind blowing so far.

In the main event of Titan Fighting Championships 16, former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia took on Abe Wagner. Sylvia took the fight on just a few weeks notice and came in a heavy 311 pounds.
Sylvia came forward early and landed a right hand, yet Wagner answered with a hard right that smashed into the side of Sylvia's head, sending him stumbling backwards. Sylvia backpedaled, trying to stay in the fight, yet Wagner pressed forward landing one punch after another, finally dropping Sylvia. Referee Jason Herzog jumped in to call the fight, with Tim Sylvia protesting the stoppage, yet clearly having been unable to defend himself, face down on the mat.
Commenting to Frank Trigg in the post-fight interview, Wagner stated, "I thought I'd have a big speed advantage... I knew if I got inside his jab I was money... I knew I caught him with one." Wow that reminded me of when Sylvia fought Randy Couture. That was an exciting fight to see.
Former TUF contestant and NFL football player Matt "Meat" Mitrione once again made his case as not only a serious mixed martial artist, but a potential divisional contender, with a knockout win over the sturdy Tim Hague at UFC's Fight for the Troops event on Spike TV.
Mitrione's first round KO was the second of three such conclusions to end the night, and came courtesy of a powerful left straight down the pipe that dropped Hague just under the three minute mark. Some perfunctory shots to the downed Hague finished things off as referee Dan Miragliotta separated the two fighters and waved matters off. Joe Rogan's in-fight commentary once again focused on the unusually dexterous footwork shown by the 260 lb. Mitrione, who showed himself able to stay light on his feet despite being one of the UFC's biggest fighters. He proved more maneuverable than Hague, who had found himself invited back inside the Octagon for his third stint in the promotion after some impressive performances outside it.
The pre-fight talk centered on Mitrione's tendency, irritating to some opponents, to smile his way through his Octagon encounters. Mitrione swore he would smile again throughout, and do so afterwards as well, and the prediction came true. He beamed through the post-fight interview, in which he paid homage to 135 pound champion Dominick Cruz. “I wanted to be a 265 pound Dominick Cruz,” said Mitrione. The win moved him upwards in the heavyweight divisional ladder as Hague once again found himself clinging to his job in the world's biggest promotion.
Class act and relatively unheralded former WEC product Brian Stann blasted out Chris Leben in the first round of their UFC 125 Co-Main Event to launch his MMA career to the next level. Previously best known for a trilogy of fights against another WEC contender turned UFC stablemate, Steve Cantwell, Stann lobbied for and received the Leben fight by promising, albeit impliedly, to stand and bang with one of the UFC's best brawlers. The Zuffa brass welcomed the standup war and granted Stann the shot.
Stann not only made good on his promise but made the most of the opportunity. While he did stand in front of Leben, he did so smartly, using superior footwork and angles to deliver shots with power while never taking Leben's best. At roughly the three minute mark, after a healthy dose of standup action, Stann caught Leben wading in, hurt him and then polished off one of the toughest chins in his or any other division with a swarming barrage of punches. Referee Josh Rosenthal rightly called the fight off at the 3:37 mark.
For Leben, who was later reported to be ill heading into the bout, the loss proved costly. He had as much momentum heading in as any UFC fighter after back-to-back wins inside the distance against Aaron Simpson and Yoshihiro Akiyama. A win at 125 against Stann held the promise of a high profile and lucrative showdown against "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva in mid-2011. Instead, it was the newly marketable Stann who was granted the shot at Wand, where the UFC management clearly expected the same style of fight and a similar outcome via KO.
Stann handled his win over Leben humbly and gracefully in the post fight comments. He explained to UFC commentator Joe Rogan that he called out Leben because Leben was the toughest guy in the division and Stann wanted to test himself against the toughest. The combination of self-promotion and a great athletic performance the night of the fight paid off handsomely for the "All American."
Mark Hominick polished off George Roop in under 90 seconds at UFC's Fight for the Troops fundraising event on January 22, 2011 with the latest in a series of impressive performances for the streaking featherweight. Hominick's dominant striking display was the first of three fights in a row to end by first round knockout on the night. But Hominick's was the fastest, and also carried extra weight, as he earned a title shot with the win against vaunted Brazilian 145 lb. champion Jose Aldo.
Roop, the taller of the two fighters, started out game in the opening seconds with good kicking at range as well as punching combinations. But Hominickood kicking at range as well as punching combinations. But Hominick quickly found his rhythm and began tagging Roop with precision shots to the head. By the one minute mark Hominick was stalking Roop down, who clearly had no answer for Hominick's standup skill. The end came at 1:28 with a left hook to the jaw that dropped the stunned Roop. Referee Don Turnage quickly stepped in to call an end to the bout as Roop slumped against the fencing.
“You have to make statements with your performances, and I think I did that tonight,” said Hominick, who improved to 20-8 with the win. Roop momentarily challenged the stoppage, but quickly accepted it as he stumbled around the Octagon upon standing back up.

Jeremy Stephens scored one of the best knockouts of the new year when he turned off Marcus Davis's lights halfway through the third round of a lightweight fight he was almost certainly losing at UFC 125 on New Year's Day.
Davis was seeking to revive his foundering UFC career when he dropped to lightweight for the first time to face Stephens. The bout was hailed as a contest of skilled boxer (Davis) versus heavy banger (Stephens). The tilt was expected to remain largely on the feet, with Davis looking to outpoint "Lil' Heathen" while Stephens looked to clobber Davis with a big overhand. For two and a half rounds Davis executed just that gameplan. With the exception of a brief takedown by Davis in the first round, the contest remained standing, and Davis, a veteran of dozens of boxing matches, used superior angles and feints to elude Stephens and drop meaningful shots on him.
When the third round began, however, a charged up Stephens immediately pressed the action knowing he was down 2-0 and would need to finish. He closed the distance on Davis repeatedly and swung wildly, just missing his mark with what looked to be finishing power shots. Finally, at the 2:30 mark, Stephens connected on a giant right, sending Davis crashing to the canvas unconscious. Stephens followed up with one more big shot to the defenseless Davis a la Henderson on Bisping at UFC 100. Davis lay prone and the fight was over.
For Stephens it was a rousing comeback win from near certain defeat at the hands of the judges, and he charged around the ring with a wild-eyed jubilation. Stephens won Knockout of the Night honors for the thunderous finish. For Davis, it unfortunately spelled the end of a notable run in the UFC that began with great promise in 2005. The loss was his fourth in five fights, three of which by stoppages that left him unconscious on the canvas. The UFC cut Davis from its roster the following week, all flowing from a single punch that ended a fight he was otherwise winning, showing once again how fickle and how cruel the sport can be.
Melvin Guillard brought a swift end to his highly anticipated divisional showdown against fellow young lion Evan Dunham in UFC's Fight for the Troops Main Event, using superior hand and foot speed to connect repeatedly on Dunham's jaw for the barely three minute affair, which he won by knockout for his third victory in a row.
Dunham was tagged hard immediately out of the gate and looked to be on wobbly legs within seconds. The gritty up-and-coming contender rallied, however, securing an early takedown on Guillard where the two spent upwards of a minute working against the cage. Guillard eventually returned the fight to the feet, where his blinding array of power punches quickly spelled doom for Dunham. The end came at 2:58 following a powerful sequence of punches and knees from Guillard to the head of the slumping Dunham. As Dunham crumpled to the mat one more knee to the head - arguably illegal, but mere icing on the cake at that point - finished the job.
Guillard was succinct in his point fight comments, proclaiming himself the best 155er in the UFC and ready to earn a title shot in 2011 or 2012 at the latest. “I want my title shot,” said Guillard. “Keep lining them up and I’ll keep knocking them down. I will go undefeated in 2011.”


The great Anderson "The Spider" Silva brought a jaw-dropping end to UFC 126's Main Event, knocking out Vitor Belfort with a perfectly placed front head kick in the first round to retain his Middleweight Championship in front of a shocked Las Vegas crowd. Silva demonstrated once again that despite his occasional petulant antics and personal unpredictability, he remains one of the most scintillating athletes ever to set foot inside the Octagon, and a lock for the UFC's Hall of Fame.
The fight began in typical fashion for both men, as Silva and Belfort warily circled each other just outside the distance. The exchanges began with a Belfort leg kick and were only just opening up past the 3:00 mark when Silva uncorked another highlight reel for the ages. In the dead center of the Octagon he planted, looked into Belfort's chest and drove a leg kick forward. BelfortBelfort fell to the ground stunned, where Silva calmly moved his legs aside and dropped two more precision strikes to the jaw, one with each fist. Referee Mario Yamasaki called a halt at the 3:25 mark as Silva celebrated atop the Octagon fence. The KO of the Night earned the Brazilian an extra $75,000 and extended his already record run of UFC wins to 13, including 8 consecutive title defenses.

Anderson Silva KO's Vitor Belfort

2011 is proving to be another sensational year for more and more exciting fights and fighters. These knockouts are just the beginning of what is to come, as there are many exciting matchups ahead.