UFC Live - Fight Night for the Troops

Ok, once I catch up with this I can go back to making predictions - stay tuned.

This event actually turned out pretty well, with some upsets and surprises to keep it interesting. Glad I didn't pick this in advance.

Melvin Guillard def. Evan Dunham (KO 1)
Upset of the night, for sure. Guillard has crazy punching power, but has long been known for having a weak ground game and game plan. Smart fighters look to get him off his feet and submit him. Dunham didn't really get the chance, I guess, as he got caught early and Guillard put him out. Afterwards, it was somewhat comical to hear everyone fawning over the victor who has done little to earn a spot in the upper echelons of the UFC's lightweight division. And yet it seems a title shot may not be that far off if Guillard can get another big win. Me? I'm not convinced.

Matt Mitrione def. Tim Hague (KO 1)
It took Mitrione exactly one second longer to get his win than it did Guillard. Mitrione keeps looking pretty good on his feet, but he has yet to face decent opposition. We Canadians love Hague, but I think he has proven yet again that he simply does not belong with the sharks. If he gets invited back it'll be simply to stuff a Canadian card.

Mark Hominick def. George Roop (KO 1)
The shortest fight of the night. Hominic stalked Roop and put him on his ass fast. Roop simply looked outclassed. If he is supposed to be a somebody in the featherweight division, then Hominic has certainly earned his title shot. He looked great.

Pat Barry def. Joey Beltran (unanimous)
Am I the only one who thought Beltran won this fight? I had him winning the first two rounds relatively easily due to Barry's lack of action. Beltran did himself no favours when he collapsed at the end of the fight from leg kicks. Still, he was CLEARLY the more active fighter, landing more strikes throughout and I felt he should have gotten the decision.

Matt Wiman def. Cole Miller (unanimous)
The wrong Cole Miller showed up, I guess. Miller has been hot and cold, looking great in some fights and terrible in others. Wiman, on the other hand, looked terrific, with crisp stand-up and he generally controlled the fight as Miller withered.

Yves Edwards def. Cody McKenzie (sub 2)
Most folks probably can't decide if McKenzie loked good or terrible. He was getting pummeled on his feet and didn't look much better on his back, but whenever the fight was on the ground he looked insanely dangerous. he did everything he could to drag Edwards down and at times looked like he was going to pull off the submission; but one miscalculation cost him the fight. Edwards sunk in the rear naked and McKenzie went out. Still, it was the Fight of the Night.

I didn't see any of these other fights.
DeMarques Johnson def. Mike Guymon (sub 1)
Rani Yahya def. Mike Brown (unanimous) - Brown loses AGAIN.
Waylon Lowe def. Willamy Freire (unanimous)
Charlie Brenneman def. Amilcar Alves (unanimous)
Chris Cariaso def. Will Campuzano (unanimous)

Fight Night Results: Marquardt vs Palhares

I was kinda looking forward to reporting how I did with my Fight Night predictions based on what I saw - then I read what happened on the undercard. WTF...

Nate Marquardt def. Rousimar Palhares (TKO 1)
Sportsnet messed up its feed so I missed the original showing of this fight, but they made up for it somewhat by re-airing the main event immediately afterwards. This was an odd fight. Marquardt looked petrified of Palhares, throwing weak jabs from a safe distance. When the action did pick up, Palhares managed to scramble into a good position for a heel hook and he sank it in. Marquardt slipped free and that's when the confusion started. Palhares paused to look at a corner and indicated that something was up, pointing at Marquardt's leg. That's when Marquardt punched him in the face and essentially ended the fight. Not the classiest way to win, but Palhares should have known better. In the end, this victory adds little to Marquardt's status, I think, since the fight was a mess. If anything, Palhares demonstrated how dangerous and intimidating he can be. Not sure where these fighters go from here. (1-0)

Charles Oliveira def. Efrain Escudero (Sub 3)
Oliveira definitely dictated the pace of this fight. Escudero kept his distance and seemed too cautious - he should have let his hands fly. Oliveira's jits is fantastic and he deserved the victory. Keep an eye on this guy. (2-0)

Jim Miller def. Gleison Tibau (unanimous)
I was a bit surprised by the decision. I thought it'd be closer, but you never can tell how judges will see a fight. Miller dictated the pace and deserved the nod, but Tibau is still dangerous. Miller should have kept the fight on its feet, though; he nearly blew it by going for takedowns and tiring himself out. (3-0)

Cole Miller def. Ross Pearson (sub 2)
Pearson looked great. He was definitely getting the better of the stand up game and it looked like Miller might lose a decision. But he caught Pearson with a great shot and followed it up with a few good strikes to buckle Pearson's legs. Instead of grounding and pounding a TKO, like he probably should have, Miller sunk in a rear naked choke and Pearson had to tap. Big win for Miller. He still looks vulnerable, though, and has to improve his boxing. (4-0)

Yves Edwards def. John Gunderson (unanimous)
And this is where we go off the rails. (4-1)

Kyle Kingsbury def. Jared Hamman (unanimous)
(4-2) I hear this was a slugfest and the fans loved it.

Dave Branch def. Tomasz Drwal (unanimous)
(4-3) Apparently this fight sucked eggs.

Rich Attonito def. Rafael Natal (unanimous)
(4-4) Sounds like Attonito was lucky to get by Natal.

TJ Waldburger def. David Mitchell (unanimous)
(4-5) Good ground fight, apparently.

Brian Foster def. Forrest Petz (TKO 1)
(5-5) Foster's power was the difference.

Perfect on the main card and total crap on the undercard. This is why I hate predicting Fight Nights.