Post by Baqu3ro on Feb 11, 2009 18:49:40 GMT 8
by John Morgan on Feb 01, 2009 at 12:50 am ET
LAS VEGAS - With one of the most vocal crowds in UFC history hanging on every move inside the octagon, UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre (18-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) continued his dominant run through the UFC's welterweight division.
A bruising assault that rendered B.J. Penn (13-5-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC) defenseless for much of the third and fourth rounds left the lightweight champion unable to answer the bell for the bout's fifth and final frame, and "The Prodigy" fell short in his bid to become the UFC's first dual belt-holder.
The bout capped off the sold-out UFC 94 event from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
After a first round that saw the Canadian superstar unable to wrestle "The Prodigy" to the floor during an extended feeling-out process, the momentum shifted decidedly in St. Pierre's favor beginning with the second frame.
St. Pierre used his extended reach on the feet to bloody Penn's nose while using his wrestling prowess to negate the Hawaiian's elite-level jiu-jitsu. Penn looked for opportunities while alternating between open, closed and rubber versions of the guard, but St. Pierre provided little in the way of openings while providing much in the way damaging strikes.
Penn's will appeared broken as he walked dejectedly to his corner when the third round came to a close, and the fourth saw the increasingly inevitable end arrive.
St. Pierre rocked Penn repeatedly with shots from side control, half-guard and even Penn's full guard. Penn looked defenseless underneath his foe, and the damage continued to amass until the fourth round ended. Referee Herb Dean gave Penn every opportunity to survive, but his corner refused to send the lightweight champ out to endure any more damage in the final round.
With the win, St. Pierre has now won five-straight contests, and 11 of his past 12. The loss was Penn's first in his past four contests, but the 30-year-old will still maintain his lightweight title.
The evening's co-main event between previously undefeated Brazilian light-heavyweights Lyoto Machida (14-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and Thiago Silva (13-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) figured to favor the aggressive Silva early, but the elusive Machida late. In reality it favored "The Dragon" throughout.
Silva opened as aggressively as promised, but Machida once again displayed the masterful footwork and dangerous counter-striking that have provided him wins over a host of the world's best fighters.
After dominating the whole of the first frame, including several stiff counter-punches that visibly rocked Silva, Machida deftly tripped his opponent to the floor. With time running out, the move seemed innocent enough, but the right hand that followed was delivered with evil intentions.
The blow squeezed in a fraction of a second before the end of the round, and Silva was left unconscious on the mat. A glancing left followed just after the horn, but the damage had already been done. Referee Yves Lavigne waved off the contest when Silva could not rise to return to his corner.
Following the bout, Machida said he felt Silva was a game opponent.
"Thiago is a tough guy, but today I was better than him," Machida said. "I love my fans in Las Vegas, America. When I fight here, I feel at home."
After pandering to the sell-out crowd, Machida asked his new friends if he was ready for a 205-pound title shot.
"People, do I deserve the title shot?" Machida asked. "I'm ready. Whenever, whomever, I'll be here."
Light-heavyweight Jon Jones (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was looking to prove his August 2008 UFC debut win over Andre Gusmao was no fluke with an impressive performance against fan-favorite Stephan Bonnar (11-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC). After 15 minutes of wild kicks, powerful throws and spinning elbows, "Bones" had done exactly that.
Jones got off to a quick start, slamming Bonnar to the mat with a variety of tosses and throws. The 21-year-old landed an impressive array of strikes between the takedowns, and in his first appearance in 15 months "The American Psycho" was undoubtedly on the defensive.
Bonnar showed flashes of the counter-striking and heart made famous in his 2005 battle with Forrest Griffin, and Jones tired in the waning moments of the second frame. The pace slowed in the third as well, and Bonnar began to capitalize on his opponent's increasing fatigue. Unfortunately for Bonnar, the fight had already been decided.
Jones was awarded the unanimous decision win and remains undefeated in his young career.
Bonnar was defeated for the first time in three contests, and falls to 2-3 in his past five bouts.
A battle of welterweight judokas Karo Parisyan (19-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) and Dong Hyun Kim (11-1-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) didn't quite live up to most fans' expectations, but the result did fall right in line with the remainder of the card.
Overcoming recent battles with panic attacks, Parisyan returned to the cage for the first time in over nine months. Whether it was ring rust or mental preparedness, "The Heat" came out flat in the opening frame.
A Greg Jackson pep-talk between rounds lifted Parisyan's spirits in the second, and a vintage-Parisyan judo toss dropped Kim to the floor. That brief moment was one of the final highlights of the match.
An uninspired third round left the crowd booing the participants, and the ringside judges found themselves with the unenviable task of determining a winner. Two of the three selected Parisyan.
The evening's pay-per-view broadcast opened with a lightweight clash between Clay Guida (25-9 MMA, 5-3 UFC) and Nate Diaz (10-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC). An even contest in terms of cardio fitness and heart, many observers felt the great size difference between the two would prove difficult for Guida to overcome.
Guida erased those concerns by only going to the ground in select situations and instead outworking Diaz with a smothering attack for the duration of the 15 minute contest.
Guida utilized effective wrestling and body control to keep Diaz from using his long limbs to lock in any consequential submission attempts. A flurry of left and right hands from Diaz in the third round wobbled Guida briefly, but "The Carpenter" quickly recovered, closed the distance and rode out the round for a split-decision victory.
The victory was Guida's third-straight since his memorable 2007 loss to Roger Huerta.
"I know it wasn't pretty," Guida said. "(But) it's a win.
"I'm coming up to the top of the lightweight division. Be ready for it. I can not wait."
The loss was Diaz's first in six trips to the UFC.