Clark Kent
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12-12-2009 08:49 PM:That was a nice way to start UFC 107. Hopefully the veteran fighters can live up to the standard set by Kevin Burns vs. T.J. Grant and DaMarques Johnson vs. Edgar Garcia. The winners really did pull victory from the jaws of defeat -- both Grant and Johnson were at risk of being finished.
Grant was floored in the opening 45 seconds of his fight against Burns. Burns cracked Grant (15-3, 2-1 UFC) with a right hand, and it's still hard to believe he survived. And not only did he survive, but he thrived over the next three and a half minutes before scoring a TKO finish with just three seconds left in the round to open the night at UFC 107 in Memphis.
Garcia, who has huge power in his hands, was mauling Johnson in the stand-up. Johnson went to his back twice after taking big shots, but Garcia didn't look comfortable trying to finish from the top. The second time he made a huge mistake by getting stationary and allowing Johnson to drill him on the chin with an upkick. The stunned Garcia fell right into a triangle, where he tapped two seconds later to give Johnson his first UFC win at the 4:03 mark of the first.
After the initial knockdown, Grant took some big shots on the deck but scrambled to get it back standing. The next three minutes were spent on the ground with Grant gaining top control. When they got back to their feet, Burns got nailed with a low blow. There was just 24 seconds left in the first round. Burns took about three minutes to let the family jewels recover, and when it restarted, he wasn't ready. Grant wrapped his hands around Burns' neck and delivered some good knees out of a Thai clinch. Burns tried to exchange with his hands but got caught by a big right, and down he went. On the ground, Grant landed six more shots and bounced Burns' head off the canvas three times. Referee Greg Franklin couldn't allow it to go to the second round as Grant got the TKO win at 4:57.
Grant still had no idea what happened in the first minute of the fight.
"I recovered real quick but I didn't know what happened. I know we were exchanging, next thing I knew I was on the ground. He's a big guy and hits hard."
Burns (7-4, 2-3 UFC) looked devastated after the fight. It was his third straight loss in the UFC, which generally means a ticket to the uneployment line. He's been a good "earner" for the UFC in the past, with fight of night and submission of the night honors.
Garcia (7-2, 0-2 UFC), an addition to the roster from WEC's welterweight class, may find the same fate, and that's too bad. The 25-year-old Mexican-American was rolling to an easy win before one mistake did him in.
PALHARES' WIN OVER LINARES PUTS AN END TO THE GREAT FIGHTS
Well, every fight wasn't going to be a slugfest with a dramatic finish. Rousimar Palhares beat Lucio Linares via heel hook. The Memphis crowd was amazingly classy during what was a slow-paced grappling match. Palhares caught Linares in an awkward position that didn't allow for any type of roll attempt. Linares (13-5, 0-1 UFC) tapped immediately at 3:21 of the second round.
The finish was a bit of letdown. It almost appeared as if it were a training session. Palhares, the winner, was also slow to rise to his feet for about 60 seconds.
It was a solid win for Palhares (9-2, 2-1 UFC), who missed the last 11 months recovering from a broken leg. That said, he still appears to be a very limited one-trick pony with zero ability to hurt anyone standing. Linares had his opportunities throughout. He had top control on several occasions during the second round and even scored a mount, but he was tenative offensively during those scenarios.
More...
Yahoo! Sports.
Cagewriter is an MMA blog edited by Steve Cofield.
Grant was floored in the opening 45 seconds of his fight against Burns. Burns cracked Grant (15-3, 2-1 UFC) with a right hand, and it's still hard to believe he survived. And not only did he survive, but he thrived over the next three and a half minutes before scoring a TKO finish with just three seconds left in the round to open the night at UFC 107 in Memphis.
Garcia, who has huge power in his hands, was mauling Johnson in the stand-up. Johnson went to his back twice after taking big shots, but Garcia didn't look comfortable trying to finish from the top. The second time he made a huge mistake by getting stationary and allowing Johnson to drill him on the chin with an upkick. The stunned Garcia fell right into a triangle, where he tapped two seconds later to give Johnson his first UFC win at the 4:03 mark of the first.
After the initial knockdown, Grant took some big shots on the deck but scrambled to get it back standing. The next three minutes were spent on the ground with Grant gaining top control. When they got back to their feet, Burns got nailed with a low blow. There was just 24 seconds left in the first round. Burns took about three minutes to let the family jewels recover, and when it restarted, he wasn't ready. Grant wrapped his hands around Burns' neck and delivered some good knees out of a Thai clinch. Burns tried to exchange with his hands but got caught by a big right, and down he went. On the ground, Grant landed six more shots and bounced Burns' head off the canvas three times. Referee Greg Franklin couldn't allow it to go to the second round as Grant got the TKO win at 4:57.
Grant still had no idea what happened in the first minute of the fight.
"I recovered real quick but I didn't know what happened. I know we were exchanging, next thing I knew I was on the ground. He's a big guy and hits hard."
Burns (7-4, 2-3 UFC) looked devastated after the fight. It was his third straight loss in the UFC, which generally means a ticket to the uneployment line. He's been a good "earner" for the UFC in the past, with fight of night and submission of the night honors.
Garcia (7-2, 0-2 UFC), an addition to the roster from WEC's welterweight class, may find the same fate, and that's too bad. The 25-year-old Mexican-American was rolling to an easy win before one mistake did him in.
PALHARES' WIN OVER LINARES PUTS AN END TO THE GREAT FIGHTS
Well, every fight wasn't going to be a slugfest with a dramatic finish. Rousimar Palhares beat Lucio Linares via heel hook. The Memphis crowd was amazingly classy during what was a slow-paced grappling match. Palhares caught Linares in an awkward position that didn't allow for any type of roll attempt. Linares (13-5, 0-1 UFC) tapped immediately at 3:21 of the second round.
The finish was a bit of letdown. It almost appeared as if it were a training session. Palhares, the winner, was also slow to rise to his feet for about 60 seconds.
It was a solid win for Palhares (9-2, 2-1 UFC), who missed the last 11 months recovering from a broken leg. That said, he still appears to be a very limited one-trick pony with zero ability to hurt anyone standing. Linares had his opportunities throughout. He had top control on several occasions during the second round and even scored a mount, but he was tenative offensively during those scenarios.
More...
Yahoo! Sports.
Cagewriter is an MMA blog edited by Steve Cofield.
