UFC 114 Live Coverage from Las Vegas

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By Todd Martin

Welcome to our live coverage of UFC 114, featuring the grudge match main event between Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and ‘Sugar’ Rashad Evans.

Ryan Jensen vs. Jesse Forbes

Forbes is a former Ultimate Fighter contestant, while Jensen is a hard luck fighter who has struggled in UFC in large part because he has been matched with very tough initial competition.

Round 1. Jensen catches Forbes with a nice straight right punch early on. Forbes then drops Jensen with a hard straight punch of his own and immediately goes for the takedown. Forbes looks for a rear naked choke submission but Jensen postures out and applies a guillotine choke for the tap. Very exciting quick fight.

Winner: Ryan Jensen, guillotine submission, 1:06, round 1.

Joe Brammer vs. Aaron Riley

Brammer is entering the Octagon for the second time and looking for his first UFC victory, while Riley is an old school MMA veteran who first fought in the UFC in 2002.

Round 1. Riley and Brammer clinch to start and trade knees. They break up and Riley comes in swinging with overhand punches that miss. Riley lands a high kick and pushes the pace moving forward on Brammer. They clinch and again trade knees. Riley looks for a takedown but Brammer defends well. Riley lands an inadvertent low blow and after a brief delay they resume action. Riley lands a series of kicks to the body as the round comes to a close. 10-9 Riley.

Round 2. Riley hits a hard kick but Brammer catches it and pushes Riley back. Riley continues to push with the kicks. He’s not hurting Brammer badly but he is consistently getting the better of the standup exchanges. Brammer lands a nice body punch and they clinch again. Riley finally scores a takedown and ends up in Brammer’s guard. Brammer looks for an armbar but isn’t close. Riley pulls up and out back to the standing position. Riley lands a head kick but Brammer again catches it and tries to get a takedown of his own. He doesn’t get it and the round ends. 10-9 Riley.

Round 3. Riley lands more kicks, including a high kick that may have been the best blow of the fight. Riley takes the fight to the ground but they quickly return to the standup position. After a clinch, Riley scores the takedown and is in Brammer’s half guard. Riley advances to side control but just as quickly both men return to the standing position. Riley lunges in with overhand punches but Brammer easily avoids them. Riley gets a takedown with a minute and a half remaining in the fight. They move back to their feet and trade high kicks as the fight comes to a close. Brammer lands a pair of nice ones but it is too little too late and this may be Brammer’s last UFC fight for a little while. 10-9 Riley, 30-27 Riley. Not a terribly exciting fight but hard fought.

Winner: Aaron Riley, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Luiz Cane vs. Cyrille Diabate

Cane was at one point a very highly regarded light heavyweight prospect, but his reputation has taken a hit after a few less impressive performances. Diabate is an unusually tall fighter and a veteran of Japan’s Pride Fighting Championships.

Round 1. Cane pushes forward with punches while Diabate looks to exploit his reach advantage. Cane drops Diabate with a hard punch to the chin but is unable to finish. Diabate gets to his feet and Cane unsuccessfully looks to score a trip takedown. Diabate lands a nice series of punches. Cane answers with one of his own but Diabate comes with a barrage of punches. He drops Cane and continues with punches on the ground before referee Herb Dean stops the fight. Cane immediately protests and he does appear to have his senses but he was getting hammered. Arguably an early stoppage but I’m fine with it. This fight will almost certainly air tonight on Spike TV or pay-per-view.

Winner: Cyrille Diabete, TKO, 2:13, round 1.

The crowd is a little earlier arriving than for a lot of Vegas shows. Arena is already pretty full with the Spike TV card not yet started.

Waylon Lowe vs. Melvin Guillard

Guillard gets a nice reaction from the crowd. He’s an Ultimate Fighter alumnus who hasn’t yet put his full game together. However, he’s still only 27 with a wealth of experience and strong striking and wrestling. Lowe is a late replacement for this fight.

Round 1. Lowe shoots for a takedown. He lifts Guillard off his feet but Guillard maintains his balance and lands on his feet. Lowe then takes him down but Guillard gets up immediately. Guillard is showing tremendous takedown defense here while throwing hard punches at Lowe as he tries to take him down. Guillard unloads with elbows and punches as Lowe pushes forward for a takedown. They break and Lowe shoots for another takedown. In the process Guillard lands a very hard knee to the body. Lowe collapses and the fight is over. You don’t see too many fights ended with a single knee to the body, but it is certainly more common than the time when Guillard finished a fight with a single punch to the body. Guillard after the fight says he wants to fight Jeremy Stephens, which would be an exciting contest.

Winner: Melvin Guillard, TKO, 3:28, round 1.

Good undercard. Spike TV portion starts at 6PM.

Efrain Escudero vs. Dan Lauzon

Escudero was an Ultimate Fighter winner and has excellent wrestling and submissions. Lauzon is the brother of fellow UFC competitor Joe Lauzon and was the youngest fighter to ever fight in the UFC.

Round 1. They feel each other out early, with Escudero sticking out his jab and Lauzon throwing some leg kicks. There hasn’t been a great deal of engagement the first minute and a half. Escudero scores a knee to the body and moves to take Lauzon down. He backs up and lands a series of knees to the body and head, then moves back to attempting the takedown. Lauzon defends well. They trade punches and Lauzon has opened a cut above the left eye of Escudero. Escudero goes for a combination of hooks but nothing really lands. The crowd begins to boo the fight. Lauzon lands a nice left. Crowd boos as the round comes to an end. Close round, the first debatable one of the evening. 10-9 Escudero.

Round 2. Escudero is bouncing up and down and encouraging the crowd to get into it as the round begins. Escudero lands a nice punch and goes crazy with punches and knees. Lauzon simply covers up against the cage, but he is able to avoid much of the damage. Escudero hammers Lauzon repeatedly at an incredible pace before backing up, obviously not wanting to gas himself out. Lauzon shoots for a takedown, but can’t get it. Escudero hits Lauzon with low kicks and moves him against the cage. Lauzon looks tired, even though Escudero has pushed the pace of the fight throughout. Escudero is following Lauzon around the cage and hitting him with punches, kicks and knees. Lauzon has defended for the most part but he just isn’t providing much offense of his own. Lauzon falls to the ground and waits there for the referee to stand it up. Clear round for Escudero. Crowd boos, but that’s clearly on Lauzon and not Escudero. 10-9 Escudero.

Round 3. Escudero throws a nice low kick that throws Lauzon off balance. Lauzon throws a couple punches and a high kick of his own but none land. Escudero moves in and gets countered with a nice right hook by Lauzon. Escudero again goes for a series of knees that Lauzon defends. Escudero hit another leg kick and throws a side kick. Crowd does not like this fight and again boos. Escudero encourages Lauzon to fight and moves forward with more punches and kicks. Lauzon takes an accidental low blow very late here in the last round. Escudero threw a body kick and it skirted up a bit. Escudero is docked a point for that, which is absolutely ridiculous, but it’s not going to matter. They have a crazy brawl to end the round. 9-9 round thanks to an abysmal call by referee Josh Rosenthal, and a 29-27 fight.

It doesn’t matter, but that point deduction is really one of the worst referee calls in recent UFC history. Completely unjustifiable.

Winner: Efrain Escudero, unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27).

Amir Sadollah vs. Dong Hyun Kim

Sadollah is another Ultimate Fighter winner with relatively little professional MMA experience. Kim is an undefeated prospect from South Korea, although he lost a fight to Karo Parisyan that was overturned due to a drug test failure by Parisyan.

Round 1. Kim immediately scores a takedown. He looks to pass Sadollah’s guard, but is unsuccessful. Kim thus looks to work some ground and pound from inside Sadollah’s guard. He throws some punches and then again looks to pass. Sadollah controls Kim’s wrists and prevents offense from Kim. Kim keeps trying to pass but Sadollah just won’t let him move past half guard into side mount position. Kim throws a few punches and looks to take Sadollah’s back in the last minute of the round. Kim has both hooks in and throws some punches at the conclusion of the round. Kim completely controlled the round. We’ll see how he does in the next two, as he has a reputation for gassing later in fights.

Round 2. Sadollah throws a few jabs and push kicks. Kim shoots and gets the takedown 30 seconds in. Kim finally gains side control like he had been looking for the entire first round. However, Sadollah then gets back up. Kim grabs a body lock and looks to take Sadollah back down. Kim scores the takedown and looks or mount. The crowd boos because Kim isn’t doing a lot of damage, but he is dominating the fight. Kim ties up Sadollah’s arm with one hand and pounds him with the other. Sadollah fires down punches as the round comes to an end. That’s a borderline 10-8 round to me, although I am generous with them. 10-9 Kim.

Round 3. Sadollah moves in with punches but Kim gets a very easy takedown. Kim pushes Sadollah against the cage but Sadollah is able to avoid any damage. Sadollah tries to stand up but Kim keeps him down. Kim is looking to advance position more than do damage. Sadollah gets up with a minute and 20 seconds left and looks to do some damage but it’s not enough. 10-9 Kim, 30-27 Kim. He made Sadollah look bad.

Winner: Dong Hyun Kim, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

They rushed to read the decision with only 2 minutes left until the pay-per-view begins.

Diego Sanchez vs. John Hathaway

Hathaway is an undefeated prospect out of the United Kingdom, but he hasn’t faced a particularly high level of competition. Diego Sanchez, former lightweight title contender, is a huge step up in competition. This is the return to the 170 pound division for the eccentric Sanchez.

Round 1. Sanchez lands a straight left early. He moves in with punches and shoots for a takedown. Sanchez gets Hathaway down very briefly but Hathaway gets right back up and they break away. Hathaway lands a hard power punch right to the chin of Sanchez. Hathaway drops Sanchez with a vicious knee and Sanchez is in deep trouble. Hathaway looks to finish with hard punches and it appears Herb Dean may step in and stop the fight. Sanchez is narrowly able to survive, at which point Hathaway drops some hard elbows and has Sanchez in even more trouble. Sanchez keeps holding on and appears to be okay but Hathway then opens up with more hard punches and has Sanchez in trouble again. Sanchez lands an illegal upkick on the downed Hathaway but no punishment comes of it. Hathaway looked oustanding here. 10-8 Hathaway.

Round 2. Hathaway tags Sanchez with a left/right combination. Sanchez misses with a couple punches and is struggling with Hathway’s size and reach advantage. Sanchez moves in and lands a hook. He then takes Hathaway down. Hathaway uses the fence to get back up. Sanchez lands a couple low kicks and Hathaway moves in with a hard punch to the head. Sanchez is having trouble finding the right range and Hathaway is able to move in and out with effective strikes. We have the arrival of a new player at 170 pounds. 10-9 Hathaway.

Round 3. Slow start to the third round with each man avoiding the other’s punches. Hathaway lands a few jabs. Sanchez looks for a takedown but is brushed off and hit with a nice knee by Hathaway. Sanchez lands a nice right punch but Hathaway immediately answers. Sanchez shoots but is easily blocked again. Hathaway staggers Sanchez with a straight right. Hathaway lands a pair of crisp jabs and then a head kick. He follows that with another jab that connects and the crowd reacts to his impressive technique. Sanchez has success with a few hooks as time runs out. Sanchez is going to have to think hard about what weight class he should be at after this fight. Hathaway, on the other hand, has some big fights in his future. 10-9 Hathaway, 30-26 Hathaway.

Winner: John Hathaway, unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27).

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Jason Brilz

Nogueira, the twin brother of MMA legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, is one of the top light heavyweight fighters in the world. His original opponent was Forrest Griffin but Griffin out to pull out and UFC struggled to find a replacement. Brilz was the ultimate pick. He has an impressive record but not against the likes of Nogueira.

Round 1. They feel each other out early, and Nogueira moves in with a heavy knee to the body a minute in. Brilz looks to close the distance for a takedown but Nogueira cuts him off with strikes. Nogueira throws a leg kick and Brilz catches it for a takedown. Brilz looks to pass. Nogueira uses the opportunity to try to get up but is caught with a few punches and put on his back again. Nogueira reverses and grabs the back of Brilz but Brilz gets up and lands a few punches. Brilz moves for a takedown but Nogueira brushes him off. Brilz shoots again and Nogueira defends again. Nogueira lands a few punches at the close of the round. 10-9 Brilz.

Round 2. Nogueira lands a leg kick. Brilz moves in for a takedown. Nogueira goes for a guillotine choke but Brilz pops out. Nogueira gets top position but Brilz goes for a guillotine of his own and has it tight. Nogueira looked to be in huge trouble but somehow got out. Brilz submitting Nogueira would have been an enormous shock. Brilz again looks for a guillotine but he isn’t close this time. On the feet Nogueira catches Brilz with a few punches and Brilz immediately looks for the takedown again. Brilz loads up with a big right that connects to Nogueira’s chin but Nogueira is able to withstand it. Brilz then goes for a couple takedowns which are easily blocked. Brilz looks tired and Nogueira is doing better in the standup but Brilz then comes back with a couple nice hooks of his own. Brilz is doing very well here. 10-9 Brilz.

Round 3. Brilz goes for another takedown early. Nogueira looks for a guillotine choke but doesn’t have it. Nogueira uses a nice sweep to gain top position and throws down some punches. Brilz gets up and goes back to another takedown of his own. Nogueira avoids that and moves in with punches. Brilz shoots desperately from the outside but Nogueira defends well. Nogueira looks for a D’Arce choke but it isn’t there. The round continues with a number of reversals. Each man takes the better position and Nogueira ends up on top at the end of the round throwing punches. 10-9 Nogueira, 29-28 Brilz. I expect Brilz to win but it’s not inconceivable a judge could give Nogueira the first and third rounds.

Winner: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Crowd heavily boos the decision so you can’t even hear what Nogueira is saying. I’m about 25 feet away and I don’t know anything he said. People absolutely hate this call. I disagree with the decision, but I really do think it’s justifiable. A classy Jason Brilz tells the crowd not to boo the decision and says he let the fight go to the decision.

Todd Duffee vs. Mike Russow

Duffee is a big question mark. He had a very impressive UFC debut and packs a lot of power but hasn’t been tested much early in his career. Mike Russow is a solid veteran with an unspectacular style but a quality record.

Round 1. Russow wants to touch gloves but Duffee shakes his head no. Duffee comes in throwing big bombs but doesn’t land anything of note early. He hits a big uppercut and has Russow dazed with that one. He follows with some more heavy punches but doesn’t want to overextend himself. Duffee is really opening up now on Russow. Russow shoots for a takedown but Duffee brushes it off. Duffee is doing a great job of pacing himself - landing big blows but not overexerting himself at over 250 pounds of muscle. He lands a nice hook and follows with more telegraphed punches that miss. Russow looks for a takedown that gets nowhere. Russow throws some jabs but you can see the difference in power between the two. Duffee rocks Russow with an uppercut but isn’t able to follow. That round was very one-sided but Duffee didn’t quite do enough to make it 10-8. 10-9 Duffee.

Round 2. Russow makes a half-hearted attempt at a takedown but doesn’t come close. He looks too concerned with Duffee’s power to close the distance and without closing the distance there’s no way he’ll get a takedown and win the fight. Russow lands his best shot of the fight, but it’s not a particularly damaging jab. Russow moves for a takedown but has no luck again. Duffee is controlling the fight but he isn’t landing much this round and it isn’t like Russow is the most elusive target in the world. The crowd boos late in the round, as it isn’t like either man is doing a heck of a lot. 10-9 Duffee.

Round 3. Duffee isn’t throwing with nearly the same power now. He’s using a lot more jabs and a lot fewer power shots. Russow, on the other hand, is fighting not to get knocked out. This is no good and the crowd is letting them know it. And then all of a sudden Mike Russow knocked Todd Duffee out cold with a straight right punch. That was an incredibly shocking finish.

Winner: Mike Russow, KO, 2:25, round 3.

Tim Duncan appears on the screen and is heavily booed. ‘That was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in ten years of calling MMA,’ Joe Rogan says. Russow acknowledges it was an awful fight prior to the KO. Rogan calls it the greatest one punch come from behind knockout in MMA history. Todd Duffee’s stock took quite a hit there.

Michael Bisping vs. Dan Miller

Bisping is yet another Ultimate Fighter winner, a big name with a big personality. The crowd really hated Bisping at the weigh-ins yesterday. Dan Miller and his brother Jim are a pair of tough, fun to watch competitors with good submissions in partcular. Miller is coming off some bad performances and needs to look good here.

Round 1. Bisping shoves his face into Miller until Miller eventually just shoves him back. The crowd chants ‘USA.’ Bisping lands a couple nice jabs. He connects with a right to the chin of Miller. Miller answers back with an uppercut of his own. Miller is throwing more kicks while Bisping is mostly concentrating on his punches. Miller lands a good punch to the head but Bisping counters with a hook of his own. Bisping is generally the aggressor, throwing jabs and hooks to the head. Miller’s offense is more versatile but also less effective. He is bleeding from the nose and hasn’t attempted a takedown.

Mike Tyson is shown and gets a very positive reaction. Snoop Dogg is then shown and he gets a bit more of a mixed reaction. I can’t recall Snoop at a UFC event before. The crowd is now really full. Hard to find a green seat anywhere.

Round 2. Miller has success with a few leg kicks early, but Bisping begins to pick him apart again with the boxing. Bisping catches Miller with a crisp hook and lands an impressive looking head kick as well. Miller strangely doesn’t go for any takedowns even as he loses the standup battle. 10-9 Bisping.

They just showed Larry Fitzgerald in the crowd. There have been a lot of stars in the crowd tonight, perhaps due in part to the first huge attraction African-American vs. African-American fight in UFC history. That’s a demographic UFC wants to hit harder going forward.

Round 3. Bisping continues to impose his boxing game on Miller. He’s got to be thrilled that Miller is happy to fight his fight. Miller charges forward with a few punches and finally gets a takedown a little over three minutes into the final round. Bisping gets up. Miller throws a body kick and Bisping fires back with a pair of hooks. Miller goes for a shot with a minute left but Bisping defends. Miller attacks with punches late in the round and Bisping answers with counters as the round comes to an end. 10-9 Bisping, 30-27 Bisping.

Winner: Michael Bisping, unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27).

Rashad Evans vs. Quinton Jackson

Both Evans and Jackson are former UFC light heavyweight champions and they have a major grudge here following their tenure coaching on the Ultimate Fighter. Jackson was livid at the weigh-ins yesterday and we will see whether that plays into Evans’ hands or not.

Evans’ fine taste in entrance music continues with Shook Ones Pt. 2.

Round 1. The crowd is electric for the start of the fight. Jackson moves right across the cage and lands a jab. Evans nails Jackson with a hard right that appears to rock Jackson. Evans then moves for the takedown. Jackson defends and throws a few knees from the clinch. Referee Herb Dean separates the two. Jackson is not walking right in. He goes for a punch, Evans switches levels beautifully and scores the takedown. He has side control. Jackson stands up but eats some punches in the process and Evans has him pushed against the cage. Evans looks for another takedown but Jackson is able to hold it off. Herb Dean separates them with 30 seconds left in the round. Evans goes for a takedown and gets caught with a couple hooks at the end of the round. 10-9 Evans.

Round 2. Loud ‘Rampage’ chants with the crowd stomping the ground. They open up with punches and then Evans closes the distance again. He puts Jackson up against the cage and the crowd boos. They break and Jackson goes for an uppercut as Evans moves back to the center of the cage. Evans shoots again for a takedown and has Jackson against the cage. Jackson defends again and referee Herb Dean separates them again. Jackson lunges with a hook that misses. Evans’ takedown attempts have made Jackson a little hesitant to let his hands go. It’s a smart fight if not a crowd pleasing one. Evans uses an uppercut that appeared to land to the body and moves in again for a clinch. He gets Jackson’s back but Jackson again avoids the takedown. Very close round, maybe 10-10 but I will narrowly give it to Evans. 10-9 Evans.

Round 3. Evans shoots early but Jackson defends well. Evans is able to get big reactions from Jackson by faking the takedown. Evans goes for another takedown but Jackson catches him with punches and opens up huge. Jackson fires down really hard punches and it looks like Jackson might get the stoppage but Evans is able to hold on. Evans gets back up and they separate. Jackson pursues and Evans is mostly just backpedaling. He shoots and secures the takedown. Jackson has butterfly guard up against the cage. Evans lands some nice punches and the Evans fans go wild with cheers. Jackson stands back up as Evans throws punches to the head. Evans then takes Jackson back down and fires punches as the round comes to an end. Evans might have stolen that one at the end but Jackson had Evans so close to defeat I have it Jackson. 10-9 Jackson, 29-28 Evans. Based on the reactions of the two fighters afterwards, both sides seem to think Evans won.

Winner: Rashad Evans, unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27).

Lots of cheers for the decision but some boos for Evans’ post fight interview. Jackson said he wants a rematch and was humble in defeat.