With Pressure Off, Hughes Having Fun in Cage

Matt Hughes (right): Fernando Allende/NY Post/Splash

Following a dominant victory over Ricardo Almeida at UFC 117 in August, former two-time UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes planned to separate himself from the cage to spend time with his family and to film a hunting show for the Outdoor Channel.

Then he got a call from UFC president Dana White.

White knew that Hughes' obligation to his new show ran through the fall and into the spring, and that the 37-year-old had already fought twice in 2010. It was no surprise that Hughes was initially hesitant to fight again on short notice.

“Matt Hughes doesn't turn down fights,” said White. “So when I called him and he said he had a full schedule, I told him [his opponent] was B.J. Penn. He said, 'I'll call you back. Let me clear my schedule.'”

Hughes will face Penn in the co-main event of UFC 123 on Nov. 20 from the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich. The UFC hall of famer is riding a three-fight win streak heading into the rubber match with Penn.

The pair met twice previously, with Penn dominating the first matchup as a heavy underdog at UFC 46. The rematch at UFC 63 was owned by Hughes, who weathered early offense by “The Prodigy” to finish the fight in round three. Hughes believes this third fight holds a special significance for both men.

“When B.J. was brought up, I felt that I needed to take the fight. We're 1-1 and we need to see who takes this last match.,” said Hughes. “There's added motivation here. If I lose this fight with B.J., it's like losing three fights. If I win, it's like winning three, so there is a lot on the line for this 15 minutes. “

Nonetheless, Hughes claims that on the whole, pressure has decreased for him as a fighter at this stage in his career.

“Cutting the pressure out has made it a lot more fun. All in all I’m just having a great experience when it comes to fighting. I’m going out there to win and to have fun as opposed to fighting not to lose,” he said.

The H.I.T. Squad founder asserts that with the welterweight title that he defended so many times no longer at the forefront of his mind, much of the stress associated with fighting has evaporated. After suffering back-to-back losses for only the second time in his 52-fight career, the two-time NCAA All American decided to make some adjustments.

“I changed my training camp up and got around more positive people. I also got a lot of support from my wife. Put it all together and it really cut the pressure,” said Hughes. “I’ve been doing a lot of my training in Salt Lake City. Jeremy Horn has really good grapplers out there. I like to mix it up -- because of the elevation and also [my boxing coach] Matt Pena is out there. I can get away from the family and focus on the fight.”

After grinding out a unanimous decision over former “Ultimate Fighter” nemesis Matt Serra at UFC 98 in May 2009, the former champion took nearly a year off before returning against Renzo Gracie at UFC 112, out-striking the Brazilian en route to a third-round TKO. Just four months later, Hughes choked Gracie's protégé Ricardo Almeida unconscious with a front headlock choke at UFC 117. The back-to-back victories mark the shortest span between fights for Hughes since 2006.

“I’m liking the activity. In the past, I’ve taken a long time off between fights. This year has been good for me because I’ve stayed in shape,” said Hughes. “I don't spar every week if I don't have a fight coming up. At 37, I have to slow down and train a little smarter as opposed to training harder.”

Though the title is no longer Hughes' primary concern, that's not to say that a run at the strap is completely out of the question. Nevertheless, the two-time champion says he is comfortable with his place in history.

“If Dana comes to me and says they want me to make a run at the title, then that's fine. When presented with a title shot, I think anyone would jump at it,” said Hughes. “But the way I see it, I’m set. I’ve never been a guy to chase the record books. I’m just looking to have a good time and compete. When [my career is over], I’m sure I'll miss it. But when I retire, I don't think it'll be because I don't like competing. It will be because my heart and mind aren't in it.”

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Penn Stops Hughes in 21 Seconds at UFC 123

A savage, surgical attack from B.J. Penn wiped out Matt Hughes in less than half a minute.

Penn split the air with a beautiful counter right hand that leveled Hughes and then finished off the hall of famer with four clean punches on the ground in the UFC 123 “Rampage vs. Machida” co-headliner on Saturday at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich. Hughes met his demise 21 seconds into round one, as the trilogy between two of the sport’s fiercest rivals came to a decisive climax.

“Matt, you’re my idol,” said Penn, who snapped a two-fight losing streak with a spectacular return to the welterweight division. “You will always be my idol. Thank you.”

Hughes was never in the fight. The counter right from Penn put him on his back, and it was over a few seconds later, the former welterweight champion teetering briefly near unconsciousness.

“Well, he hit me hard,” said Hughes, whose 24 Octagon appearances rank first all-time. “When I felt the hit, I thought it was a knee or a kick. It wasn’t a clip. He hit me pretty hard.”

Hughes entered the rubber match with Penn on a three-fight winning streak. The decisive defeat -- only Dennis Hallman has finished him more quickly -- left the 37-year-old’s immediate future uncertain.

“I don’t know what the plan is now,” Hughes said. “I had a perfect training camp. This is one of those fights where I would have paid my purse to [UFC President] Dana White to put this fight together. I had a lot on the line. To be honest, I don’t know what will go on now.”

Jackson (above) outpointed Machida.

In a battle between former light heavyweight champions, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson earned a controversial split decision against Lyoto Machida in the UFC 123 main event. All three cage-side judges scored it 29-28, two of them siding with Jackson.

Aggression was Jackson’s primary weapon, as he controlled the center of the cage and kept Machida’s back to the cage. However, Machida landed more strikes of consequence.

“I think [me being the aggressor is] the only thing that earned me a decision,” Jackson said. “I think that’s what the judges saw -- me being aggressive. The fight was so close that it’s unfair for Machida. Even though I don’t want to, I have to give him a rematch.”

At a distance, Jackson struggled to find the range on his power punches. He invited the clinch on more than one occasion and scored from in tight with uppercuts, knees to the body and foot stomps, but much of what he delivered was of little substance.

Machida closed strong, as he rattled Jackson with a multi-punch combination in the third round, backed him against the cage and landed two knees, one to the body and another to the head. Rampage answered but left himself open to a takedown, and Machida obliged. The Brazilian worked from half guard, passed to side control and ultimately moved to mount with 90 seconds left. He threatened Jackson with an armbar but released the submission when Jackson hoisted him skyward for one of his patented slams. Somewhere, Ricardo Arona shuttered.

“Machida whooped my ass tonight,” Jackson said. “My coaches must be so mad at me. I didn’t do what I wanted to do; then he took me down and he bloodied my nose. I consider that an ass whooping.”

Machida was humble in defeat.

“I did the best that I could tonight, but if the judges thought that Quinton won, then that’s what they saw,” he said. “That’s up to the UFC, but I’d like an immediate rematch also.”

Chute Boxe Academy representative Maiquel Jose Falcao Goncalves defeated “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 7 alum Gerald Harris by unanimous decision in a featured middleweight match. Scores were 29-27, 29-28 and 29-28 for Goncalves, who has rattled off eight consecutive victories.

Goncalves, 29, dominated and nearly finished Harris in the first round, as he wobbled the Tulsa, Okla., native with a flurry of lightning-quick punches and put him down with a knee to the body. The Brazilian then worked for a rear-naked choke in the closing seconds of the round and had the submission all but wrapped up when the horn sounded.

Harris, who carried a 10-fight winning streak into the cage, again found himself in deep trouble in the second round, threatened by another choke. He rebounded briefly with one of his patented slam takedowns but could not string together any offense of note. An uneventful third period saw Goncalves coast, much to the chagrin of those in attendance; they answered the inactivity from the two middleweights with a chorus of boos.

Davis (above) earned a quick win.

Tim Boetsch was no match for the strength, skill and athleticism Phil Davis brought with him to the cage. They call him “Mr. Wonderful” for a reason.

Davis submitted the International Fight League veteran with a modified second-round kimura in a featured light heavyweight duel. Boetsch, who entered the match on a four-fight winning streak, tapped to the hold 2:55 into round two. Afterward, UFC color analyst Joe Rogan suggested Davis name the submission the “Mr. Wonderful.”

“All right,” Davis said. “Well, that’s what we’re gonna call it.”

A four-time collegiate All-American wrestler at Penn State University, Davis scored with takedowns in both rounds and manhandled Boetsch from the clinch. He pounded on the Lincolnville, Maine, native from half guard for much of the last half of round one and made quick work of Boetsch when the two hit the ground in the second.

Davis worked for a far-side kimura against the cage, broke free from Boetsch’s loose half guard and wrenched his opponent’s arm behind his back. Helpless to defend and in visible pain, Boetsch tapped out after a brief struggle.

“I kind of make the rules up as I go,” said Davis, who moved to 4-0 in the UFC. “I almost didn’t go for it. I was trying to get it on Rodney Wallace [at UFC 117], and it didn’t work, but I was, like, nah, I gotta go for it. I do what I can out here. I’m trying.”

Surging Australian lightweight contender George Sotiropoulos submitted “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 semi-finalist Joe Lauzon with a second-round kimura in a pivotal showdown at 155 pounds. Lauzon, his arm torqued awkwardly behind him, succumbed to the hold 2:43 into round two.

Lauzon roared out of the gates in impressive fashion, as he popped his foe with a series of straight right hands in the first round and stuffed an early single-leg takedown attempt. Sotiropoulos rebounded to take mount on Lauzon in the closing seconds of the round but surrendered position in search of an armbar.

“There’s always the calm before the storm,” Sotiropoulos said. “I weathered the storm, and I found my range.”

As the second round dawned, it became clear Lauzon was not the same fighter. Visibly winded and slowed, his mouth agape, he did not have the steam necessary to hold off Sotiropoulos. The Aussie scrambled into side control, isolated Lauzon’s arm and finished him there. The victory improved Sotiropoulos to 7-0 inside the Octagon.

“I want to face the best,” he said. “I want to make a case for the belt. That’s the goal. That’s the destination, and I’ll continue making my case.”

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Penn: Rubber Match with Hughes New ‘Reason to Live’

B.J. Penn: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com

Following his second-consecutive loss to Frankie Edgar, former two-division UFC champion B.J. Penn was a little out of sorts.

A once-dominant champion, Penn had cleared out virtually all challengers in the lightweight division heading into his UFC 112 title defense against Edgar in April. Edgar fought Penn inventively, using his quickness to outfox the heavily-favored champion and snatch his belt away. Many fans and pundits felt Penn had won the fight, however, and labeled the Hawaiian's unanimous decision defeat a fluke. At UFC 118 just four months later, Edgar did it again, defending his new title and leaving Penn with nowhere to go and no one to fight.

“I was kind of bummed out [after the loss to Edgar]. When I got home after the fight, there were a couple of days where I didn't train. I just hung out, and there was nothing to do. I don't want to sit in the bar and drink,” said Penn during a UFC 123 conference call. “I didn't get banged or bruised up too much, so I just got back to training and thought about getting the lightweight title back.”

It was then that Penn was contacted by UFC president Dana White about a possible third fight with Penn's old welterweight nemesis, UFC hall of famer Matt Hughes. The fighters have butted heads twice before, both times for the welterweight championship. In their first fight at UFC 46, Penn shocked the world by moving up in weight and smashing the seemingly invincible champion. In their second go-around at UFC 63, Hughes weathered early offense from Penn and outlasted the Hawaiian, earning a third-round TKO victory to even the score.

The pair is scheduled to square off in the co-main event of UFC 123, which takes place on Nov. 20 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich. Penn's return to welterweight was met by the press with immediate questions regarding a title shot for the winner of his bout with Hughes.

“I think it's premature to be talking about a title fight. I definitely think Matt has worked his way back up the ranks. My goal is to be the welterweight champ again, and I wouldn't mind being the lightweight champ again, but I’m taking it one step at a time,” said the former jiu-jitsu world champion. “[I’m comfortable at either] 155 or 170. If I do well against Matt and feel good at welterweight, there's no doubt I’d like to fight best welterweights out there.”

In training for a foe as familiar as Hughes, Penn claims he hasn't done anything out of the ordinary. That's not to say, however, that his regimen has undergone no changes since the loss to Edgar.

“I’ve been changing my training, doing roadwork, trying to push my different energy systems. You've got to improve everything -- boxing, takedowns, wrestling,” said Penn. “[Regarding Hughes], I haven't done anything drastic. I’ve just been training. I brought in good sparring partners for the fight, and it feels like yesterday when I was fighting at welterweight. I’m just preparing for the legend, preparing for Matt.”

When asked about whether he's afraid of losing any fans after suffering back-to-back defeats, Penn dismissed the idea.

“I just have to keep on going. It's definitely about the fans. I don't worry about losing all my fans. Whatever true fans you've got will stick by you, so that's nothing to worry about,” he said.

Penn, 31, has been good-humored about his opportunity to fight Hughes for a third time, even going so far as to credit mixed martial arts as his primary motivator in life.

“After two losses I would have fought anybody, but it was kind of a gift from Dana to get to fight Matt. I think when you've been where [Matt and I] have been, a lot of other things seem boring. This is what gives me a reason to live. When I got that text [from Dana], I got chicken skin all over my body. I’ve got a reason to live for a few more months.”

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Penn Questions Weightlifting, Says Strength Non-Issue Against Hughes

Former UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn doesn’t think strength will play a role in his rubber match against Matt Hughes on Saturday at UFC 123.

The fight is at 170 pounds, where Hughes has long been known as one of the most powerful fighters in the division. Penn has beaten him there before but also lost to him. The Hawaiian acknowledged that Hughes is the bigger fighter, but he also says that doesn’t matter.

“Bigger, yeah. Stronger? I feel I’m just as strong as anyone,” Penn said during a recent interview on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “It’s Time” show with Bruce Buffer. “I don’t even feel like I feel people’s strength when we fight. From all the people that I’ve fought, I don’t even really think that strength ends up being a factor. While you’re in there, you can’t really feel it. Everybody feels like they punch the same. When you wrestle them, it feels like they wrestle the same. It’s just who’s got better technique and who moves better. I don’t think that’s going to be the big issue.”

Should he get by Hughes, Penn is considering another run at 170. However, he does not sound interested in bulking up to compete in the division. In particular, he believes lifting weights would be a waste of his time.

“I guess if I was going to put on muscle, it would be by punching the heavy bag and by wrestling bigger opponents because I really question that weightlifting strength and how functional that stuff is,” he said. “I know it’s benefited some people, but for me personally, in my own opinion, [lifting] is just something else to do to work out when you could be doing something that could help you more in the ring. I think it takes time and energy to lift weights, and that’s time and energy that’s being taken away from learning the sport itself. There’s so many aspects of mixed martial arts. We will never be able to grasp all of them, and spending time and energy doing something like lifting weights, I think you’re not getting the most bang for your buck in that area.”

Penn said his best fighting weight is around 164-168 pounds. He weighed 169 Friday ahead of his showdown with Hughes. If nothing else, not having to cut to 155 has reduced Penn’s stress leading up to the bout.

“I’m definitely a lot more happy,” Penn said. “I got to eat a lot. It wasn’t like I was eating a chicken salad and then training for three hours, like what ends up happening to a lot of the guys cutting weight. I’m in great spirits. I’ll be in great spirits all week. Of course Matt’s got to make the weight cut, so during the press conference and during the weigh-in, he’ll be a lot weaker than I am. I get to be a lot more positive going into this whole thing.”

As for the fight itself, Penn suspects that his losses to Frankie Edgar might have misled the Hughes camp.

“I think because my last two fights were so lackluster that people are really wondering what’s going to go on,” Penn said. “I think even Matt Hughes and his crew might be wondering or maybe they’re underestimating me or thinking whether I’m unmotivated or I’m not training properly. … I think they’re going to see a lot different B.J. Penn than they’ve seen, that they’ve had to go up against.”

At the same time, Penn is expecting an improved opponent. He plans on Hughes being top-notch for their final encounter.

“It’d be nice if Matt Hughes left his guard down, but on both sides, for the fans and for each other, we deserve to see the best 31-year-old B.J. Penn and the best 37-year-old Matt Hughes,” Penn said. “It sounds like he’s getting older, but he’s still awesome.”

Listen to the full interview (beginning at 24:10) with Penn, who also discussed how long he’d like to fight.

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Matt Hughes' Late Career Joyride

"It depends on which BJ shows up - the guy that’s gonna come in with a sound gameplan and some good training, or the guy that’s gonna come in and just think his natural tools are gonna win." Fun. It’s been the buzzword for UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes thus far in 2010, and if you go by the results that have seen him follow up his 2009 win over heated rival Matt Serra with finishes of Renzo Gracie and Ricardo Almeida, you might just start seeing every fighter throw off the baggage that comes with the fighting life and just embrace the joy of competition.

Nah, it can’t be that easy. Not in a game where you’re dealing with the pressure to perform, the pressure to win and keep your job, and the pressure of keeping up with your peers in the race towards a title shot. But therein lies Hughes’ secret. At 37, the Hillsboro family man has done all there is to do in this sport. He’s won the welterweight title twice, he’s beaten the best fighters of his era, he’s already been inducted into the Hall of Fame, and as far as job security, you get the feeling that he will have a place in the UFC for as long as he wants one.

In other words, he could have lost to Gracie and Almeida, or lose to BJ Penn in their UFC 123 rubber match this Saturday, and it wouldn’t erase what he has already accomplished. That’s got to be a feeling of freedom few fighters have the luxury of experiencing. It can make fight week and the fight itself downright, well, fun.

“Maybe subconsciously that is what’s going on, but I don’t think about that stuff,” said Hughes when asked whether not worrying about his legacy has freed him up to enjoy each moment he still has in the Octagon. “I’m just really looking at having a good time with my training partners, having a good time in the Octagon with my opponent, and that’s what’s keeping me in the game and what keeps a smile on my face when I wake up in the morning. I’m really having a lot of fun, no matter if I’m training, traveling or competing.”

Yet beyond all this ‘feel good’ stuff, the fact remains that quietly and under the radar, Hughes has just put together a three fight winning streak against quality opposition, something many didn’t expect to see after he lost three out of four fights from late 2006 through 2008. And though he expected to take the rest of the year off after he submitted Almeida at UFC 117 in August, the phone soon rang with an old friend on the other end of the line.

“(UFC President) Dana White came to me and proposed this matchup (with Penn),” said Hughes. “I’ve always wanted to have the rubber match with BJ, so I was able to move my schedule around and take the fight. It’s good because I want the matchup, I know BJ wants it, and I actually think that it’s actually a fight that the public wants to see as well.”

They do, and the buzz around the UFC 123 co-main event has been getting louder and louder this week, as fans get ready to see whether Hughes’ late-career hot streak continues or if Penn can right his ship after losing two in a row. And at the core of it all is that this fight will break the 1-1 tie that saw Penn win their first bout in 2004 and Hughes even the score two years later in 2006. Four years is a long time in the fight game, and despite winning the rematch in emphatic fashion via third round TKO, Hughes believes that he can better his performance the third time around.

“I think there’s a lot of improvement I can do,” he said. “At the end of the second round, he had me in a bad choke, and he did very well in the first round, so there’s improvement I can make, and everybody wants that rubber match because if I win the rubber match, it’s like winning all three matches, but if I lose, it’s like I lost all three. That’s the way I look at it.”

Plus, winning big in the rubber match eliminates any questions about the second win, which saw Penn claim that a second round rib injury left him at less than one hundred percent in the third frame.

“I never really listen to fighters after a loss and what they say,” said Hughes. “But if BJ had some hurt ribs after the last fight, then I definitely want to beat him when he’s a hundred percent, and not let him have a reason for losing the fight.”

And really, that’s as far as it gets when it comes to any pre-fight verbal jousting. Both have shown an enormous amount of respect for each other. In fact, when speaking with Penn before the bout and asking him for his thoughts on Hughes, ‘The Prodigy’ simply responded, “I like Matt Hughes. He’s all right.” Maybe it’s being older and wiser or just figuring that at this point, the matchup alone sells itself without any additional trash talk.

Me, I think that in some ways, Hughes and Penn see a lot of themselves in each other. They’re both high-level athletes, both intense competitors, and both have weathered the ups and downs of the sport. Hughes has even been where Penn is right now, looking to bounce back from two losses in a row. If you didn’t know that they will be trying to punch each other in the face this Saturday, you could call them kindred spirits.

“Oh sure, twice in my career I’ve lost two in a row and it’s one of those things where you’ve just got to know that you can get through it and get that next win, and turn things around,” said Hughes. “And that can be at any time. It could have been two months ago when BJ took this fight that he revamped his mind and got mentally tough out there and put his winning gameplan together. So that’s why I’ve got to prepare for the best BJ Penn out there.”

Hughes has seen Penn at his best, but he also knows that there’s another Penn out there.

“BJ’s come in with great gameplans and in great shape against people like Kenny Florian and Sean Sherk and he’s looked really, really good,” said Hughes. “And then there are the other matchups, and the first one that comes to mind is Frankie Edgar. He (Edgar) was able to use a lot of motion and kinda dance around him a little bit. It depends on which BJ shows up - the guy that’s gonna come in with a sound gameplan and some good training, or the guy that’s gonna come in and just think his natural tools are gonna win. It will be interesting to see when this match is over which BJ Penn I got.”

Regardless, we know which Matt Hughes we’re going to get. Rejuvenated, sharp, well-trained, and yeah, you know it’s coming – a guy just looking to have some fun.

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UFC 123 Main Card: Penn Blitzes Hughes

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Nik Lentz celebrates his win over Tyson Griffin during UFC123.AUBURN HILLS, MI, November 20 – 21 seconds. That and the idea of fighting an old rival was all it took for BJ Penn to get his mojo back, and he did just that, knocking out Matt Hughes in their rubber match to break a two fight losing skid and send the crowd at The Palace at Auburn Hills into a frenzy during Saturday’s UFC 123 co-main event.

Hughes vs. Penn
“Matt you’re my idol, you will always be my idol,” said Penn, who ran out of the Octagon after the bout, recalling the time he did the same thing after halting Caol Uno in 11 seconds in 2001. When he returned, it was as a triumphant hero in his first welterweight bout since 2009. The win also brought him back to prominence after he lost his lightweight title and back-to-back bouts to Frankie Edgar. See post-fight interview

Penn came out firing at Hughes immediately, looking sharper and more intense than he has in a long time. Hughes tried to weather the storm, but after firing a kick and having it caught by Penn, ‘The prodigy’ turned up the heat even more, landing with a right hand that sent Hughes to the canvas. A follow-up barrage ended matters at the 21 second mark.

“He hit me hard,” said Hughes. “I thought it was a knee or a kick.”

The loss ended Hughes’ three fight winning streak. As for his future, the 37-year old Hall of Famer was non-committal.

“I had a lot of momentum and I had a lot on the line. I don’t know what happens from here.”

With the Knockout of the Night win, Penn improves to 16-7-1; Hughes falls to 46-8. The two fought twice before, Penn winning in 2004, and Hughes returning the favor in 2006.

Harris vs. Falcao
With a burst of intense action bookended by nearly two rounds of tedious “action”, Brazilian middleweight Maiquel Falcao scored his first UFC win, ending Gerald Harris’ three fight Octagon winning streak via unanimous decision. See post-fight interview

Scores were 29-27 and 29-28 twice for Falcao, who improves to 26-3 with 1 NC; Harris falls to 16-3.

A tentative opening from both fighters was greeted with boos from the fans in attendance, and rightfully so, as Harris was doing little and Falcao was doing nothing. With less than two minutes left, the Brazilian finally woke up, firing off a flurry of punches and a knee that allowed him to get Harris to the mat. He continued to fire off punches there as well, eventually sinking in a rear naked choke. It looked like the end was near, but Harris powered out. Harris got caught again moments later, but the bell intervened. Unfortunately, Falcao didn’t immediately release the hold, prompting a warning from referee Dan Miragliotta.

Looking to keep the momentum going, Falcao landed a hard punch to the head to start the round and Harris went back to the canvas. He bounced up immediately, swinging haymakers at his foe, but it was Falcao who got Harris on the mat, sinking in yet another rear naked choke. Harris broke loose again, standing and pinning his foe against the fence. Now it was Falcao’s turn to break loose, and he did bringing the fight back to the center of the Octagon. Harris shot in for a takedown, but was turned away. With 1:50 left, Harris slammed Falcao down, but “Big Rig” shot right back up and went back to his striking attack as well as some solid takedown defense.

The first four minutes of round three mimicked the opening stages of the bout, with the lack of action igniting the crowd – and not in a positive manner. With a minute left, Harris shot for a takedown, but didn’t get it, and the two went back to circling each other and throwing single shots that came up short, drawing a loud chorus of boos after the final bell.

Davis vs. Boetsch
Unbeaten light heavyweight prospect Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis delivered perhaps his most impressive UFC performance to date, dominating always tough Tim Boetsch before submitting him in the second round. See post-fight interview

The two former college wrestlers spent the first half of the opening round kickboxing, with both landing their share of shots. Midway through the round, Davis (8-0) shot in for his first takedown and he got it, proceeding to go to work with strikes from all angles. After a prolonged period of punishment, Boetsch (12-4) was able to make it to his feet in the final minute, but Davis kept him locked up, finishing off an impressive round with more strikes.

Davis picked up where he left off in the second round, getting the fight to the mat just before the two minute mark. While there, Davis attempted a kimura, modified it and forced Boetsch to tap out at 2:55 of the frame. The innovative armbar earned him Submission of the Night.

Sotiropoulos vs. Lauzon
Lightweight George Sotiropoulos finished 2010 with a bang, ending a 3-0 run this year with an impressive second round submission win over Joe Lauzon in a bout named Fight of the Night. See post-fight interview

The two exchanged punches to begin the bout, with Lauzon the sharper of the two. Sotiropoulos responded moments later with a takedown attempt, but Lauzon fought it off and went back to peppering his foe with strikes. With two minutes left, a mad scramble of a takedown attempt from Sotiropoulos ended up with Lauzon on top and scoring with ground strikes, but the Australian kept moving, and he was able to reverse position and wind up on top. The high-level grappling from both men didn’t stop though, and by the end of the round, it was Lauzon on top and in control.

After some more scrambles to start round two, Sotiropoulos made a concerted effort to attack Lauzon’s body with punches and knees, and after a series of both, he got Lauzon to the mat and went to lock up his arm, but Lauzon pulled loose. The second time Sotiropoulos got his arm though, there would be no escape, as a tight kimura produced a tap out from Lauzon at 2:43 of the second round.

With the win, Sotiropulos, who also defeated Joe Stevenson and Kurt Pellegrino this year, improves to 14-2; Lauzon falls to 18-6.

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