TUF 12 Prelims: McGuillotine Remains Unbeaten

LAS VEGAS, December 4 – Everyone knew it was coming, but Aaron Wilkinson still couldn’t stop Cody McKenzie’s guillotine, succumbing to what is growing into one of the most dangerous submissions in the game in the first round of their lightweight bout at The Pearl at The Palms Saturday.

McKenzie, a member of Team GSP on The Ultimate Fighter 12, raced across the Octagon to start the bout, and after a quick flurry, got the fight to the mat. Wilkinson, a cool customer, fought his way back to his feet as McKenzie tried to lock in his signature guillotine choke.

Team Koscheck’s Wilkinson (6-4) was ready for the maneuver, but that didn’t stop the Washington product from continuing to work for it, and with a little over three minutes left, he got, forcing the Liverpool native to tap out at the 2:03 mark. See post-fight interview

Toner vs. Loveland
Late replacement Ian Loveland made the most of his opportunity in featherweight action, parlaying two knockdowns into a unanimous decision victory over Tyler Toner. See post-fight interview

Scores were 30-27, 30-26, 29-28 for Loveland, who replaced Leonard Garcia in the bout.

Both fighters came out throwing and Loveland got there first with a flurry of shots that dropped Toner. Toner cleared his head quickly, but Loveland did his best to make sure that he remained in control as he pinned his foe to the fence and delivered more strikes until the bell intervened.

Back on his feet to start the second, Toner was able to get some kicks off on his countering foe, but when Loveland’s hands got into the picture, his speed and accuracy put him back in front. With 1:33 left, a spinning back fist from Loveland dropped Toner, and though the Colorado product looked for a submission from the bottom, Loveland’s strikes still ruled the day.

The pace dipped in the final round, as fatigue set in, and neither man was able to make a final emphatic statement before the end of the bout.

With the win, Loveland improves to 14-7; Toner falls to 11-3 with 1 NC.

Chivitichian vs. Watson
Veteran Illinois lightweight Kyle Watson issued Sako Chivitchian his first pro defeat via unanimous decision in a meeting of TUF 12 alumni. See post-fight interview

Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for Team GSP’s Watson, who improves to 16-7-1; Team Koscheck’s Chivitchian falls to 5-1.

The first round was a competitive one, with the two TUF12 competitors trading stiff strikes in between extended grappling sessions against the fence. A couple takedowns from Watson may have found favor with the judges, but Chivitchian’s more effective standup certainly evened the score.

Watson started to open things up in the second, scoring solidly from long range as Chivitchian pursued him around the Octagon. “The Psycho” still got his own shots in though, making it another difficult round for the judges.

Looking to pull away, Watson scored a brief and sloppy takedown early in the third, but Chivitchian jumped right back up. The Armenia native wasn’t able to capitalize on the scramble though, and as the seconds ticked away, his lack of urgency kept the ball in the busier Watson’s court.

Campuzano vs. Pace
The first bantamweight bout in UFC history saw Nick Pace finish strong and submit Will Campuzano in the third round. See post-fight interview

Pace (6-1) dominated the opening round behind takedowns and Octagon control, rendering Campuzano (8-3) helpless under the smothering attack.

Campuzano got back into the fight in the second, using some crisp standup combinations to put Pace on the defensive. Once the two locked up though, the New Yorker got his bearings back, and he sent Campuzano back to the canvas. And while Campuzano was able to turn the tables in the final 30 seconds, his late spurt wasn’t enough to turn the tide.

Swinging for the fences and refusing a touch of gloves to start the final frame, Campuzano got the crowd back into the fight as he went for broke in a quest to salvage the fight. Pace greeted the initial charge coolly with a kick to the head that drew blood from his foe’s nose, and moments later, he scored yet another takedown. This time Campuzano reversed position quickly, and he delivered hard ground strikes while Pace tried to stall for a re-start. Campuzano’s recklessness cost him though, as he sunk in a rarely seen choke that forced the Texan to submit at the 4:33 mark.

“We’ll call it the Pace,” said the Staten Islander with a smile when asked what his finishing move was.

Paixao vs. Garza
Fargo, North Dakota’s Pablo Garza gave UFC fans an explosive introduction to the featherweight division, scoring a single knee first round knockout of veteran Fredson Paixao in the first 145-pound fight in UFC history. See post-fight interview

Garza came out sticking and moving, finding his range and waiting for Paixao to shoot in. And when the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace did, Garza was waiting for him with a devastating left knee to the head that knocked Paixao out before he hit the mat. Referee Steve Mazzagatti jumped in immediately, calling a stop to the fight at the 51 second mark.

After a lengthy look from the on-site physicians, Paixao left the Octagon under his own power, and then was wheeled to the locker room on a stretcher and then taken to a local hospital for precautionary purposes.

With the win, Garza improves to 11-1; Paixao falls to 10-4 with 1 NC.

Attonito vs. Branch
Brooklyn’s David Branch won his second in a row in the opener, outpointing Rich Attonito in a clash of middleweight prospects. See post-fight interview

Scores were 30-27 across the board for Branch.

Attonito had some standup success early in the opening round, prompting Branch to take the fight to the mat. There, the New Yorker controlled the action while tossing in enough position changes and strikes to keep Attonito from mounting his own offense.

Living up to his nickname, “Raging Bull”, Attonito got in his opponent’s face to start the second, and while Branch immediately locked him up and bulled him into the fence, the American Top Team product stayed busy with knees and short punches on the inside. In the final two minutes, the bout went back to the mat, with Branch again controlling the Octagon real estate.

Branch opened up the third with a takedown, but Attonito scrambled up immediately, albeit with his opponent on his back. Branch got the fight to the mat moments later, and he kept it there until the final minute, when Attonito got back to his feet. Unfortunately, his freedom was short-lived, as Branch kept him pinned to the fence until the final bell.

With the win, Branch improves to 8-1; Attonito falls to 9-4.

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UFC 119 Main Card: Bader Stays Unbeaten, Outpoints Nogueira

INDIANAPOLIS, September 25 – Unbeaten rising star Ryan Bader followed up his February win over Keith Jardine with another big victory in the UFC 119 co-main event at Conseco Fieldhouse Saturday night, outpointing longtime light heavyweight contender Antonio Rogerio Nogueira over three rounds.

Bader’s unanimous nod read 30-27 across the board.

Nogueira vs. Bader
Both fighters looked to get their standup games off as the fight began, yet accuracy was an issue, as Bader (13-0) and Nogueira (19-4) fell short with hard shots. But with two minutes gone, Bader made his move, emphatically taking Nogueira to the mat, where he unleashed some hellacious blows that looked to be close to ending the bout. Nogueira weathered the storm, and with a minute left he got back to his feet, where he was able to knock Bader off balance with a right hand late in the stanza.

The pace slowed in the first half of round two, with Bader breaking the stalemate with a takedown just before the three minute mark. But that would be the end of the significant scoring for the round until Nogueira was able to tag the former Arizona State All-American wrestler with some punches in the final minute.

Bader responded well to an inadvertent eye poke early in round three, as he scored with some hard shots on Nogueira and then took him down. The Brazilian - bleeding from a small cut over his left eye - got to his feet quickly and started pressing the action with more urgency, but he wasn’t able to score consistently enough to hurt Bader, and this led to another takedown as soon as Nogueira got within range, sealing the deal for the unbeaten Arizonan.

Serra vs. Lytle
With friends like these, who needs enemies? In a punishing welterweight battle, good buddies Chris Lytle and Matt Serra erased the memory of their dismal 2006 bout, going toe-to-toe for three rounds, with Lytle emerging victorious by a three round unanimous decision.

Scores were 30-27 across the board for Indianapolis’ Lytle, who improves to 40-17-4; Serra, who defeated Lytle via split decision in The Ultimate Fighter 4 finale, falls to 17-7.

Both fighters dug in and let loose with hooks as the bout began, Serra going downstairs and Lytle firing up top. After a few exchanges, Serra was bruised around the left eye, and Lytle was landing his punches with regularity. The New Yorker came back with under two minutes to go though, scoring with uppercuts and overhand rights as Lytle’s face began to show the scars of battle. By the end of the round it was Serra looking worse for wear as the bruise around his eye turned into a cut.

As Lytle continued to pepper Serra in the opening stages of the second right, he briefly put his foe on the deck with a right hand. Serra bounced back up and got back into the fray, but Lytle’s sharper punches continued to dominate the increasingly one-sided action. One thing Lytle couldn’t break was Serra’s heart, and Long Island’s ‘Terror’ kept throwing back haymakers, hoping to land one that would change the course of the fight. And even when it looked like Lytle was going to end things with under 30 seconds left, the last one throwing bombs was, you guessed it, Serra.

A hug between the two friendly rivals began the final round, and after Serra knocked Lytle off-balance, the donnybrook began in earnest once again. And even with fatigue an obvious issue after the pace of the first two rounds, both veterans continued to scrap, with each fighter getting in his series of shots, but Lytle just a little more accurate with his as the final bell tolled.

Sherk vs. Dunham
Evan Dunham may have suffered his first pro loss via split decision in an exciting 15 minute battle against former Sean Sherk, but his stock only rose in defeat, as he fought through a nasty cut over his right eye to almost finish the former UFC lightweight champion several times before the final bell rang.

The judges’ unpopular verdict read 29-28 twice and 28-29 for Sherk, who improves to 38-4-1 in his first bout since May of 2009. Dunham falls to 11-1.

“I knew I had the first round, the second round was close, the third round was close,” said Sherk. “I felt it could have gone either way.”

Most in attendance booed the decision, letting it be known which way they wanted it to go, but what wasn’t in question was the high-level display of mixed martial arts and heart both 155-pounders showed over three fast-paced rounds. Dana White said at the post-fight press conference that he thought Dunham won the decision and awarded both men $70,000 Fight of the Night bonuses.

Sherk reintroduced himself to UFC fans in the first with one of his trademark slams, but almost got caught in a guillotine choke in the process. After a few tense moments, Sherk pulled himself out and used some ground strikes until Dunham worked his way back to his feet. Sherk sent him back to the mat again, but when Dunham got up, he was pulling out all the stops for a submission, and he almost caught the former champion again. But once Sherk broke loose, he unleashed more furious ground strikes, with one opening a cut over Dunham’s right eye.

Hoping to not let the cut dictate the final result, Dunham came out fast for round two, again almost catching Sherk in a guillotine choke twice before ‘The Muscle Shark’ worked his way free. With under two minutes left, the two traded blows standing, and Dunham, blood staining his face, had success tagging his opponent with punches, kicks and knees, earning him the round.

Dunham opened the final frame by rocking Sherk with a shot to the head. He rushed in for the finished, but Sherk quickly recovered and bulled his foe into the fence. Dunham held his ground and got free and when he did, he was able to continue tagging Sherk from long range and in close. With under a minute left, Dunham staggered Sherk with a knee, but instead of fading, Sherk fired back, and the two went toe to toe until the bell, garnering a well-deserved standing ovation.

Guillard vs. Stephens
Lightweight Melvin Guillard won his third in a row and sixth of his last seven, patiently picking apart Jeremy Stephens en route to a three round split decision victory.

“I trained hard and I felt like I did enough to get the win tonight,” said Guillard. “I did more and I honestly don’t think he hit me in the face one time. I knew he wanted to stand and bang. I was a state champion in wrestling and a brown belt in judo so I could’ve taken it to the ground but I wanted to stick to my game plan.”

Scores were 30-27, 29-28 and 28-29 for Guillard.

Guillard tried to finish things immediately with a haymaker to the head, but was greeted with a short shot to the jaw by Stephens that put him on the seat of his pants. Guillard bounced up immediately, and the two settled down – but not by much, as each punch and kick was designed for one purpose, ending the fight. As the round progressed though, Guillard found success with counters and quick kicks down the middle as Stephens advanced, and the amped up ‘Lil’ Heathen’ wasn’t able to score consistently on his quicker foe in response.

Stephens opened up the second with some leg kicks, hoping to slow Guillard down. Guillard responded by closing the gap and becoming the aggressor with his own punches and kicks, briefly knocking Stephens off balance. Undeterred, Stephens got right back in the pocket, but was forced to take a short break after an inadvertent low kick from Guillard.  Following the pause, Guillard started digging to the body with his punches. Stephens took them well, but moments later, it was Guillard taking a low kick and a break. Following another pause in the action, each fighter tried to make his case for a winning round, leading to some solid back and forth action.

Coming out of his corner with a sense of urgency, Stephens went right at Guillard to start the third, but ‘The Young Assassin’s counters and speed were still causing the Iowa native problems, and he was running out of time to figure them out. For his part, Guillard continued to pot shot his foe while maintaining the focus to stay tight defensively. And while Stephens was able to knock his foe off balance with an uppercut, he was not able to finish.

With the win, Guillard improves to 44-9-3 with 1 NC; Stephens falls to 18-6.

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