Yamamoto vs. Johnson to Air on Facebook

UFC® TO STREAM LIVE SPORTING EVENT ON FACEBOOK® THIS SATURDAY
BROADCAST-QUALITY STREAM WILL FEATURE HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED CLASH BETWEEN DEMETRIOUS ‘MIGHTY MOUSE’ JOHNSON AND KID YAMAMOTO In a move that further cements it as one of the most savvy social media organizations in all of professional sports, the Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced plans to stream a broadcast-quality live sporting event on Facebook this Saturday.

In this exciting broadcast taking place on Feb. 5 at 8:25 p.m. ET/5:25 p.m. PT, sports fans are invited to watch the highly-anticipated UFC bantamweight clash between Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Japanese sensation Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto for free at www.facebook.com/ufc.

By simply “liking” the UFC Facebook Page, fans will gain access to the live broadcast of the fight from the sold out Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, home to Saturday’s UFC® 126: SILVA vs. BELFORT Pay-Per-View event.

This ground-breaking technology was introduced by UFC at the Fight for the Troops 2 event on Jan. 22. Thanks to tremendous feedback from fans and increased traffic to the UFC Facebook Page, UFC now takes broadcasting live on Facebook to a new level.

“We understand the power of social media,” UFC President Dana White, who boasts one of the most significant social media followings in all of sports, said. “Fans all over the world have been telling me that they want to see this fight! You got it. We are going to broadcasting live on Facebook, giving UFC fans all over the world access to a great fight between Kid Yamamoto and Demetrious Johnson. Plus, we’re continuing to show that we are the best at using social media to attract new fans.”

Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.

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TUF 12 Finale Main Card: Brookins Bounces Back, Defeats Johnson

After his three round unanimous decision win over Michael Johnson, Jonathan Brookins earned The Ultimate Fighter season 12 title, but what will be most remembered about Saturday’s bout at The Pearl at The Palms is Brookins’ ultimate comeback from a rocky first round to pull off the stirring victory over the next two frames.

Scores were 29-28 twice and 29-27 for Brookins, who, like Johnson, represented Georges St-Pierre’s Team GSP on the Spike TV reality series. See post-fight interview with Brookins

Trading strikes to open the bout, Johnson was the crisper puncher of the two lightweights, prompting Brookins to look for a takedown. Johnson’s defense was solid though, and he refused the trip to the canvas, opting instead to try to keep his luck going on the feet. With a little over three minutes left, a left to the head rocked Brookins and put him on the mat. Brookins weathered the storm, but after rising, Johnson delivered the hurt again with another left. With two minutes left, a right uppercut jarred the Floridian, but the game Brookins was able to hold on and clear his head. By this time though, Johnson was starting to impose his will on his opponent, not just turning away takedown attempts but pushing them off with ease, capping off a big first round.

“I was stunned,” said Brookins. “I said ‘Here comes Michael Johnson.’ He’s an incredible competitor.” See post-fight interview with Johnson

Looking to turn the tide, Brookins made an almost desperate takedown attempt early in round one, and while it wasn’t pretty, he got it, following up with a series of ground strikes as he battled his way back into the fight. Johnson unable to escape, was forced to take the punishment before eventually making it to his feet with less than two minutes left. Brookins wouldn’t let go of his foe’s leg though, and he used it for a throw to the mat with under a minute left, turning the tide in emphatic fashion.

With five minutes left, there would be no saving it for next time with these two 155-pounders, and after Johnson briefly rocked Brookins with a shot to the face, Brookins took Johnson back to the mat, where he had so much success in the previous round. After working to break Johnson’s defense, Brookins found himself in the mount position, but Johnson escaped, got back to his feet, and looked to fire off some fight-ending strikes. Brookins responded with another takedown and more ground strikes, and this late flurry of activity sealed the final round for the Orlando product.

With the win, Brookins improves to 13-3; Johnson falls to 9-5.

Bonnar vs. Pokrajac
Stephan Bonnar continued his 2010 resurgence, following up his July knockout of Krzysztof Soszynski with a clear cut three round unanimous decision win over Croatia’s Igor Pokrajac. See post-fight interview

Scores were 29-26 across the board.

Pokrajac met fire with fire as the bout opened, trading punches with Bonnar.  After a brief lock-up against the fence, Bonnar took the bout to the mat, but Pokrajac scrambled to his feet and the two broke. Again, the two light heavyweights traded punches, and as the bout hit the mat again, Bonnar looked in a choke. It appeared that Pokrajac was in trouble, but he escaped, only to catch more heat from Bonnar’s ground strikes. Now in side control, Bonnar fired off elbows to the ribs before finishing up the round with punches to the head from the back position.

There was more solid close quarters action in round two, with both fighters battling it out until Bonnar was able to throw Pokrajac to the canvas. Bonnar stayed busy with strikes while the two stood on the mat, and after standing, he kept the heat on with knees in the clinch. Pokrajac didn’t wilt under the pressure, as he delivered strikes of his own, and in the final minute he appeared to rock Bonnar briefly before the “American Psycho” got him against the fence and finished the round strong. To add insult to injury for Pokrajac, he was docked a point by referee Steve Mazzagatti for illegal knees to the head when the two were on the mat earlier in the round.

Bonnar came out fast for the final round, getting a quick takedown. Bonnar kept his hands busy, throwing whenever he had the opportunity. With a little over three minutes left, Bonnar got the mount position and began digging to the body. After a scramble, Pokrajac appeared to find daylight, but only for a moment, as Bonnar again took the dominant position and fired away. At the bell, another point was deducted, this time from Bonnar for punches to the back to the head, but it had no impact on the final verdict for the longtime light heavyweight standout, who improves to 16-7; Pokrajac falls to 22-8.

Maia vs. Grove
In middleweight action, Demian Maia drilled out a close, but unanimous three round decision win over Kendall Grove. See post-fight interview

Scores were 29-28 across the board for Maia, who improves to 14-2; Grove falls to 14-8 with 1 NC.

Grove used his reach advantage well in the first round, reddening Maia’s face with accurate strikes. In response, Maia took Grove down in the second minute, and even thought ‘Da Spyder’ was able to fight his way back up, Maia stayed locked on to him and eventually got the bout back to the mat. By the three minute mark, Maia got into the mount position and then took Grove’s back, but in a scramble, the Hawaiian was able to get out of immediate danger. And while Maia’s strikes loosened Grove’s defenses and scored points, he was not able to finish his foe.

Maia’s first takedown attempt of the second round was turned away, and Grove’s striking continued to look sharp, but the next shot by Maia produced a takedown, and the Brazilian went back to work. With a minute left, Maia took Grove’s back in search of the choke, but again Grove was able to survive and make it out of the round.

After some tentative standup to open the final stanza, Maia started to get more confident in his punches as he tagged his opponent with quick counters. Grove didn’t start getting his own striking back in gear until under two minutes remained, and he needed something big to turn the fight around. Maia made sure that didn’t happen, as he pinned Grove against the fence and kept him there until the bell.

Hendricks vs. Story
Welterweight up and comer Rick Story made it five wins in a row, winning a hard-fought three round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Johny Hendricks. See post-fight interview
“I knew it was gonna be a battle of wills, and it was close,” said Story, who earned the victory via scores of 29-28 across the board.

Showing off their chins after eating flush shots, Hendricks and Story knew immediately that they were going to be in for a rough night. Plan B turned into digging to the body for Story and kicking to the legs for Hendricks. And when they put everything together, it made for some high-level welterweight action. With 30 seconds left in the round, Hendricks scored the first takedown of the fight, but Story was able to make it back to his feet at the bell.

Hendricks (9-1) began the second with some quick counters, prompting a flurry of body shots from Story and a takedown. Story (12-3) almost caught Hendricks from the back, from the former National Champion wrestler got free and back to his feet. At close range, the two locked up, with Hendricks landing his own body shots as he looked for a takedown. With a little over two minutes left, the two broke loose, and after some spotty standup, Story scored a takedown. Hendricks stood, but remained locked up against the fence for much of the remainder of the round.

Opening the third round with a takedown, Hendricks appeared to have the upper hand, but Story turned things around with a guillotine choke attempt. As the two stood, Hendricks remained attached to Story’s leg, while the Washington native secured his foe’s arm. A stalemate ensued, with neither fighter able to pull loose until two minutes remained and the fighters got upright again. Hendricks wouldn’t release his foe, but he wasn’t able to mount any offense either, leaving the final round in a stalemate.

Phan vs. Garcia
The Ultimate Fighter season 12’s Nam Phan got a tough assignment in his UFC debut against Leonard Garcia, and it appeared to most observers that the Team Koscheck member had done enough to earn his first Octagon victory, but the judges didn’t agree, awarding an unpopular three round split decision to Garcia. See post-fight interview with Garcia

“I don’t know what they were looking at,” said a disbelieving Phan. “I thought I won all three rounds.” See post-fight interview with Phan

So did the fans that vehemently booed the 29-28, 29-28 and 27-30 verdict for Garcia, the former WEC featherweight standout who was making his first UFC start since 2007.

The pace was fast from the start, with both fighters taking their own unique ways to the same goal. For Garcia, it was his typical swing from the heels style, while the more patient Phan picked his shots. Regardless of the method, both were getting their shots in without even thinking of a takedown. And not surprisingly, as Phan began to land with more frequency in the final 90 seconds, Garcia would wing shots back even harder in order to get even, drawing frequent roars from the crowd.

Garcia came out aggressively for the second round, upping his work rate with his punches as well as his kicks. The “Bad Boy” even scored a brief takedown. But Phan stayed cool under pressure, and midway through the round he rocked Garcia with a series of pinpoint strikes and then got the bout to the mat. Phan quickly took Garcia’s back and tried to work for the rear naked choke. He didn’t get it, but he clearly locked up the second round.

Down, but not out, Garcia continued winging bombs at Phan, yet even the ones that landed were having little effect on Phan outside of a cut on his forehead. And when the Californian fired back, he was definitely landing the cleaner and more effective blows. In the final stages of the bout, Garcia was gassed, but still throwing, and Phan still looked fresh as he peppered his game foe with flush counters until the bell.

With the win, Garcia improves to 19-6-1; Phan falls to 16-9.

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‘TUF 12’ Teammates Brookins, Johnson Expecting Unexpected

They trained together for six weeks as part of Georges St. Pierre’s team on “The Ultimate Fighter 12,” but both Jonathan Brookins and Michael Johnson expect to see different versions of one another when they face off for the six-figure UFC contract which goes to the winner of Saturday’s “The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale.”

“It definitely doesn’t hurt, the fact that [I] know him that well,” Brookins said during a conference call Thursday. “But I can’t say that it helps. It might have helped a little bit more if we were fighting the week after the semi-final fights, but since you had so much time since we left the house, you’re not really fighting that same guy that you knew. But that’s just how time goes -- you change. You’re not going in there blind. Not completely.”

Johnson said he benefited from his time spent with Brookins on the show, but is aware of the potential changes that his opponent has likely made.

“He was one of my main training partners on the team. I loved working with Jonathan. We competed a lot in the training room. He made me a better fighter during the course of the season,” Johnson said.

“It helps because I do know some of his strengths. I know to watch out for certain things. Also, it might hurt, because he’s not gonna be that same fighter come Saturday night, and neither am I. It’s going to be exciting to see what new things we’re going to bring to the table.”

Brookins defeated Ran Weathers, Sevak Magakian, Sako Chivitchyan and Kyle Watson to earn his spot in the final bout, while Johnson was victorious over Pablo Garza, Aaron Wilkinson, Alex Caceres and Nam Phan.

After taping for the show wrapped, Brookins returned to training at the Gracie Barra Orlando gym. Johnson, however, spent some time working out at his home in Springfield, Mo., before heading to Albuquerque, N.M., to get some instruction from Greg Jackson’s and Mike Winkeljohn’s Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts. There, Johnson sparred with UFC fighters such as Diego Sanchez, Carlos Condit, Clay Guida and Donald Cerrone.

“I think it’s helped me out as a fighter and gotten me well prepared,” Johnson said.

Brookins has the advantage when it comes to fighting big-time opponents, having lost to Jose Aldo by third-round technical knockout at WEC 36 in 2008. Brookins, who has also competed in Bellator, took the loss as a learning experience.

“I felt really prepared. I felt like it was a great fight for me. I felt like I had a great chance, and I was really excited about it,” he recalled.

“There were just certain things going on in the fight that I wasn’t prepared for. Ultimately, it taught me some incredible lessons in the sport. Immediately after the loss, it didn’t take me long to come to the conclusion that I was thankful for the things that [Aldo] introduced me to.”

Brookins was released by the WEC after that bout. Having previous fights as a featherweight gives the Florida-based more options now that the UFC and WEC have merged. Brookins said that his decision to compete at either 145 or 155 pounds could be made on a fight-by-fight basis.

“I’m just gonna go by the fights where they need me. If there’s a good fight at ‘45 and they call me up...I’m gonna be there. If there’s a fight at ‘55...I’ll be there. It’s nice to be able to go to both weight classes,” he said.

Johnson, who has won four of his last five fights, said it was his most recent loss -- a submission defeat to Bellator veteran Eric Marriott in May 2009 -- that gave him the motivation to reach his current level of success.

“I made a lot more sacrifices. I started taking my training a lot more serious and actually focusing on my goal at hand. [I stopped] letting in the things that stopped me from doing what I had to do or any distractions,” he said.

Johnson utilized a similar determination when trying out for “The Ultimate Fighter.” After being passed over for the eighth and ninth seasons, the Springfield Fight Club product persevered and finally made the cut for the show’s most recent installment.

“I think it was almost like a blessing in disguise that I didn’t make Season 8 and Season 9. Season 12, I’m in the finale against a great fighter...I had the best coach, one of the best fighters in the world -- Georges St. Pierre -- so the timing couldn’t be any more perfect.”

Reflecting on their time spent filming the show, both fighters were grateful to be part of St. Pierre's diverse team. By the end of the season, many of the members of Josh Koschek's squad were complaining about the lack of quality coaching.

“You almost didn’t want to brag to the other team, but you almost had something to brag about,” Brookins said. “You could tell kind of quick that we were getting a better coaching staff than the other team.”

Added Johnson, “I think the main thing that separated our coaching staff from their coaching staff was Georges actually trained with us every day. I got a feeling that Koscheck didn’t do that.”

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Voelker Avenges Loss to Bowling; Johnson, Evangelista Victorious

FRESNO, Calif. -- Bobby Voelker evened the score with Roger Bowling on Saturday night, and this time around, the verdict carried with it no controversy.

Voelker pounded out a TKO victory in the main event of Strikeforce Challengers 11 at the Save Mart Center. The end came at 3:58 of the second round, as Voelker avenged his contentious technical decision loss to the Team Vision product at Challengers 8 in May.

Bowling came out aggressive in the first, but presented little offense that put his opponent in any real danger. Midway through the second, it was obvious that Bowling was tired and hurt after absorbing several shots. Voelker turned it up, taking top position and unloading until the referee stepped in to rescue the battered Bowling.

In the pair's first meeting, the Finney's MMA fighter caught Bowling with an accidental eye poke in the third round that prevented his then-undefeated opponent from finishing the fight. The match went to the incomplete scorecards, and Bowling was awarded a unanimous technical decision.

Lavar "Big" Johnson had little trouble knocking out Virgil Zwicker in the first round of the co-main event. Johnson came out measuring “Rezdog” with his left jab, looking to set up a hard right. Zwicker was game, however, dropping his hands at one point and taunting his much larger opponent. It did not take Johnson long to find his range, stunning Zwicker and pushing him against the fence with wild power punches. The American Kickboxing Academy product finally landed the uppercut he was looking for, and Zwicker crumpled to the canvas. Knowing the fight was finished, Johnson walked away, even before the official stoppage at 2:17.

Evangelista vs. Spiritwolf Hometown favorite Billy Evangelista kept his undefeated record intact with a tough decision win over a game but outmatched Waachiim Spiritwolf. Spiritwolf came out strong, dropping Evagelista with a right hook just after the opening bell. Evangelista went immediately into survival mode, hanging on and trying to recover. He did just that, bouncing back and controlling the pace of the action-packed contest.

Spiritwolf proved to have an amazing chin, walking through knees and head kicks, all the while winging wild punches that would occasionally catch Evangelista cleanly. But Evangelista stuffed multiple takedown attempts and kept the pressure on his game opponent.

The final round was as exciting as fights get. Evangelista stalked a wobbly Spiritwolf around the cage, and both fighters let loose, swinging with everything they had. The crowd came to life, roaring with deafening approval. In the end, all three judges scored the fight for Evangelista: 30-27 (twice) and 29-28.

Debuting Muay Thai-turned-MMA fighter Julia Budd put an end to Shana Olsen’s undefeated streak, dominating her more experienced opponent from start to finish. Budd used her range and takedown defense en route to a second-round TKO victory.

Budd showed her inexperience early, losing a point for landing an illegal elbow, but Olsen couldn't capitalize, never truly finding her pace. Budd landed on top during a scramble, transitioned to mount and kept the pressure on Olsen until the referee intervened at 2:51 of round two.

John Devine had little trouble with local fighter Brandon Cash, submitting the striker via rear-naked choke in the first round. Devine turned it into a wrestling match, avoiding Cash’s power by staying clinched. The wrestler took Cash’s back several times, flattening him out and sinking in the choke at 3:05 of round one.

David Douglas pulled off an impressive come-from-behind victory over local fighter Dominic Clark in the night’s first bout. Clark dominated the first round, but Douglas found his range in the second and dropped Clark with a clean right. Douglas followed his stunned opponent down and pounded away until the ref stepped in at 2:33.

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