Will
12-14-2006, 07:26 AM
Sanchez Starches Riggs in One before 3,000 Marines in Miramar
MIRAMAR, CA, December 13 – The fighter jets taking off with a thunderous roar at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar had nothing on Diego Sanchez tonight, as the unbeaten welterweight contender impressively improved to 19-0 with a roar of his own in the form of a perfect right hand and right knee which sent Joe Riggs down to a knockout defeat at 1:45 of the first round before 3,000 loud and appreciative United States Marines in the first live UFC event ever held on a military base.
The fight was mainly tactical in the opening moments, with Riggs looking good while stuffing a takedown and landing with a kick. But as Sanchez calmly stalked, he faked a left hook, came across with a right on the jaw and Riggs fell hard to the mat. Riggs quickly got his bearings, but as he shot forward, Sanchez ran in with a right knee that landed cleanly and put ‘Diesel’ down a second time, this time for good, as a follow-up barrage was nothing but a formality before referee John McCarthy halted the contest.
“I said I’m just gonna be calm and let the techniques come into play,” said Sanchez. “This is what happens.”
In main card action, Josh Koscheck continued his rise up the welterweight ranks with a clearcut three round unanimous decision over UFC debutant Jeff Joslin.
Scores for ‘Kos’ were 30-27 across the board.
Neither fighter wanted to fully commit in the early going, though Joslin was busier as he stalked Koscheck behind his jab. By the 1:30 mark, Koscheck responded with an impressive takedown of his opponent. Joslin impressively snuffed Koscheck’s attack for the most part, and forced a standup by referee Herb Dean with 1:37 left. ‘The Inferno’ briefly kept the fight standing, but again, the former All-American wrestler got the takedown and attempted to ground and pound the Ontario native.
Joslin began the second round like he did the first, behind his jab, and this time he added leg kicks to the mix. Koscheck responded with his homerun right hand, but was unable to do any serious damage. With under three minutes left, Koscheck went back to his bread and butter, the takedown, and again Joslin tried to smother him enough to force a standup, which he did with a minute and a half left. Koscheck put Joslin right back on the mat seconds later, and even though the Canadian was able to briefly get a triangle on his foe, it was too late to pull out the round.
By the third, both fighters showed the scars of battle, with Joslin bleeding from a cut over his right eye, and Koscheck sporting a huge knot over his right eye and again scoring the takedown. This time, Koscheck briefly eschewed his ground and pound tact for a guillotine choke that Joslin managed to get out of. After another restart by Dean, Joslin let go with both hands but eventually found himself on his back yet again, and his inability to stop Koscheck’s takedowns proved to be his downfall in the fight.
Welterweight contenders Karo Parisyan and Drew Fickett left it all in the Octagon during their three round battle, but in the end, ‘The Heat’ did enough to earn a unanimous decision over Fickett by three scores of 30-27.
Surprisingly, the first round took place primarily on the feet, with Fickett finding success with his kicks and knees and Parisyan scoring well with his right hand, which reddened the left side of Fickett’s face. There wasn’t enough consistent solid punching or kicking from either man to do any serious damage.
Parisyan changed the parameters of the fight in the second, as he flurried on Fickett and then slammed him to the mat. Fickett responded with an elbow from the bottom that cut Parisyan under the right eye, and ‘The Heat’ answered back with a shot of his own which cut Fickett on the forehead. After a visit from the ringside doctor, Parisyan kept the pressure on as his right eye began to close shut and Fickett soon had a cut on his eyelid for his trouble. With a little over a minute to go, the two stood briefly before Fickett scored a takedown and started to ground and pound his foe until the bell rang.
The third round was cat and mouse for the first two and a half minutes as Parisyan outworked Fickett while standing. Fickett responded by trying to work a clinch as well as take his opponent down in an effort for a strong finish, but Parisyan would toss Fickett aside with little difficulty, sealing the victory.
Marcus Davis scored the biggest win of his mixed martial arts career in the Spike TV opener, winning a lopsided three round decision over seasoned vet Shonie Carter in a welterweight bout.
Scores for Davis were 30-26, 30-27, and 29-28.
Davis stunned the pro-Carter crowd early with a takedown and transition to his foe’s back, which led to a rear naked choke attempt, which the ex-Marine from Chicago was able to escape. ‘The Irish Hand Grenade’ wouldn’t let Carter escape his clutches though, and ‘Mr. International was forced to work his way into the top position with little over a minute left in the round. Once on top, Carter let loose with punches and elbows, but Davis weathered the storm.
Both fighters tested their standup early in the second, with a straight right hand stunning and dropping Carter briefly. And though he rose quickly, Carter’s legs still seemed rubbery as Davis again and again found a home for the lead right.
“I knew I had him hurt, but he’s tricky and he got me caught up in the mental game,” said Davis.
By the three-minute mark, Carter’s nose was bloodied and he seemed a combination or two away from defeat. With under a minute to go, Carter tried to pull some magic out of his bag with his patented spinning backfist, but he missed and instead ate a left that staggered him again. Finally, with the seconds ticking away, he caught Davis in a choke and was able to right his ship briefly, only to eat an inadvertent knee to the groin at the bell.
Carter, refreshed by the minute’s break came back strong in the third behind some effective kicks to the legs and body, and though Davis continued to stalk, he was unable to find the mark like he did in the previous frame, but did enough to earn the victory.
In preliminary action…
Light heavyweight prospect David Heath remained unbeaten by pounding out a three round split decision over Canadian newcomer Victor ‘The Matrix’ Valimaki.
Scores were 29-28 twice and 28-29 for Oklahoma’s Heath.
The action was brisk in a first round that saw both men stand for the entire five minute period, with Heath landing the harder shots and drawing roars from the crowd for some showboating and unorthodox techniques.
Valimaki upped his output in the second round as he landed some hard kicks, but it was Heath who had the last word as he stunned his Canadian foe on a number of occasions and opened a cut over his left eye that prompted a look from the ringside physician. Opting for a different look, Valimaki took Heath down in the final minute and opened up with both hands on the mat until the bell rang.
Round three saw both fighters trade and miss spinning backfists in the early going, before resuming hostilities, with Valimaki’s more traditional technique and Heath’s heavier hands clashing once again. This time though, Valimaki appeared to squeak out the round as Heath showboated more than punched.
Biloxi, Mississippi’s Alan Belcher evened his UFC record at 1-1 with a one kick knockout of Jorge Santiago in middleweight preliminary action.
After a slow start, Santiago picked the pace up in the final two minutes of the first round, going for a number of submissions while Belcher was forced to defend.
The Brazilian switched things up early in the second, as he started winging wild right hands at Belcher before the fight went back to the mat. After a brief exchange on the ground, the two stood again, with Santiago using a more varied attack as Belcher advanced. ‘The Talent’ rebounded on the ground, briefly locking up Santiago’s leg before the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt escaped further trouble.
Looking to break the fight open in the final round, Belcher stunned Santiago with a series of leg kicks, and after softening his foe up downstairs, Belcher pounced with a right head kick that put Santiago down and out, prompting an immediate stoppage from referee Steve Mazzagatti at 2:45 of the final round.
Former US Marine Luigi Fioravanti made a huge statement in his welterweight bout against Dave Menne, stopping the former middleweight champion in the first round.
Fioravanti’s intent was obvious from the opening bell – he was going for the knockout – and despite some hard return kicks and brief submission attempts by the veteran Menne, it was obvious that the quick and compact punches of the Floridian were going to hit paydirt eventually, and after a big right hand put Menne on the mat, a follow up barrage forced referee John McCarthy to halt the bout at the 4:44 mark of the opening round, sending the crowd of Marines into a frenzy.
Welterweight Brock Larson earned his first UFC victory in his second try as he scored a solid but unspectacular three round unanimous decision over Keita Nakamura.
Scores were 29-28 across the board for Larson, who lost his UFC debut via decision to Jon Fitch
The superior strength of Larson was evident from the outset, as he controlled the entire fight in workmanlike fashion, whether on the mat or against the Octagon fence. It wasn’t scintillating action, but it got the job done, and he even started landing confidently from close range with his strikes while standing with Nakamura late in the second and at moments in the third.
Nakamura stalked his foe when able to escape from his grasp, but he had few, if any, answers for Larson, a stablemate of UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk. With under a minute to go, and with Larson bleeding from the nose due to a knee strike, ‘K-Taro’ did make a final rush while standing, but it was to no avail as the Minnesotan slammed Nakamura to the mat to put an exclamation mark on the victory.
Another ex-Marine, “Sergeant” Steve Byrnes, got the night off to a rousing start, but the judges seemingly didn’t agree, as they awarded a three round unanimous decision to a game Logan Clark in a middleweight bout that marked the UFC debut for both fighters.
Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for Clark, in a bout that was a lot closer than the two shutout scores would indicate.
Clark and Byrnes traded control in an entertaining first round, with Byrnes taking an early lead thanks to a takedown and a couple of submission attempts, and Clark getting back in the game with some ground and pound and a rear naked choke try that fell short.
The second round matched the fast pace of the opening stanza, with Byrnes continuing to push hard in an attempt to finish. Just when it seemed the Hawaii resident was on the verge of victory though, Clark would come back, either with some well-placed punches or a submission attempt of his own.
With the Marines chanting “Let’s go Steve” for their fellow leatherneck, Byrnes fought past fatigue and again took control of the action in the final round. But as if on cue, the resilient Clark came back again, landing some solid strikes in the final minute that put an exclamation point on a hard fought battle.
Credit: Thomas Gerbasi
MIRAMAR, CA, December 13 – The fighter jets taking off with a thunderous roar at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar had nothing on Diego Sanchez tonight, as the unbeaten welterweight contender impressively improved to 19-0 with a roar of his own in the form of a perfect right hand and right knee which sent Joe Riggs down to a knockout defeat at 1:45 of the first round before 3,000 loud and appreciative United States Marines in the first live UFC event ever held on a military base.
The fight was mainly tactical in the opening moments, with Riggs looking good while stuffing a takedown and landing with a kick. But as Sanchez calmly stalked, he faked a left hook, came across with a right on the jaw and Riggs fell hard to the mat. Riggs quickly got his bearings, but as he shot forward, Sanchez ran in with a right knee that landed cleanly and put ‘Diesel’ down a second time, this time for good, as a follow-up barrage was nothing but a formality before referee John McCarthy halted the contest.
“I said I’m just gonna be calm and let the techniques come into play,” said Sanchez. “This is what happens.”
In main card action, Josh Koscheck continued his rise up the welterweight ranks with a clearcut three round unanimous decision over UFC debutant Jeff Joslin.
Scores for ‘Kos’ were 30-27 across the board.
Neither fighter wanted to fully commit in the early going, though Joslin was busier as he stalked Koscheck behind his jab. By the 1:30 mark, Koscheck responded with an impressive takedown of his opponent. Joslin impressively snuffed Koscheck’s attack for the most part, and forced a standup by referee Herb Dean with 1:37 left. ‘The Inferno’ briefly kept the fight standing, but again, the former All-American wrestler got the takedown and attempted to ground and pound the Ontario native.
Joslin began the second round like he did the first, behind his jab, and this time he added leg kicks to the mix. Koscheck responded with his homerun right hand, but was unable to do any serious damage. With under three minutes left, Koscheck went back to his bread and butter, the takedown, and again Joslin tried to smother him enough to force a standup, which he did with a minute and a half left. Koscheck put Joslin right back on the mat seconds later, and even though the Canadian was able to briefly get a triangle on his foe, it was too late to pull out the round.
By the third, both fighters showed the scars of battle, with Joslin bleeding from a cut over his right eye, and Koscheck sporting a huge knot over his right eye and again scoring the takedown. This time, Koscheck briefly eschewed his ground and pound tact for a guillotine choke that Joslin managed to get out of. After another restart by Dean, Joslin let go with both hands but eventually found himself on his back yet again, and his inability to stop Koscheck’s takedowns proved to be his downfall in the fight.
Welterweight contenders Karo Parisyan and Drew Fickett left it all in the Octagon during their three round battle, but in the end, ‘The Heat’ did enough to earn a unanimous decision over Fickett by three scores of 30-27.
Surprisingly, the first round took place primarily on the feet, with Fickett finding success with his kicks and knees and Parisyan scoring well with his right hand, which reddened the left side of Fickett’s face. There wasn’t enough consistent solid punching or kicking from either man to do any serious damage.
Parisyan changed the parameters of the fight in the second, as he flurried on Fickett and then slammed him to the mat. Fickett responded with an elbow from the bottom that cut Parisyan under the right eye, and ‘The Heat’ answered back with a shot of his own which cut Fickett on the forehead. After a visit from the ringside doctor, Parisyan kept the pressure on as his right eye began to close shut and Fickett soon had a cut on his eyelid for his trouble. With a little over a minute to go, the two stood briefly before Fickett scored a takedown and started to ground and pound his foe until the bell rang.
The third round was cat and mouse for the first two and a half minutes as Parisyan outworked Fickett while standing. Fickett responded by trying to work a clinch as well as take his opponent down in an effort for a strong finish, but Parisyan would toss Fickett aside with little difficulty, sealing the victory.
Marcus Davis scored the biggest win of his mixed martial arts career in the Spike TV opener, winning a lopsided three round decision over seasoned vet Shonie Carter in a welterweight bout.
Scores for Davis were 30-26, 30-27, and 29-28.
Davis stunned the pro-Carter crowd early with a takedown and transition to his foe’s back, which led to a rear naked choke attempt, which the ex-Marine from Chicago was able to escape. ‘The Irish Hand Grenade’ wouldn’t let Carter escape his clutches though, and ‘Mr. International was forced to work his way into the top position with little over a minute left in the round. Once on top, Carter let loose with punches and elbows, but Davis weathered the storm.
Both fighters tested their standup early in the second, with a straight right hand stunning and dropping Carter briefly. And though he rose quickly, Carter’s legs still seemed rubbery as Davis again and again found a home for the lead right.
“I knew I had him hurt, but he’s tricky and he got me caught up in the mental game,” said Davis.
By the three-minute mark, Carter’s nose was bloodied and he seemed a combination or two away from defeat. With under a minute to go, Carter tried to pull some magic out of his bag with his patented spinning backfist, but he missed and instead ate a left that staggered him again. Finally, with the seconds ticking away, he caught Davis in a choke and was able to right his ship briefly, only to eat an inadvertent knee to the groin at the bell.
Carter, refreshed by the minute’s break came back strong in the third behind some effective kicks to the legs and body, and though Davis continued to stalk, he was unable to find the mark like he did in the previous frame, but did enough to earn the victory.
In preliminary action…
Light heavyweight prospect David Heath remained unbeaten by pounding out a three round split decision over Canadian newcomer Victor ‘The Matrix’ Valimaki.
Scores were 29-28 twice and 28-29 for Oklahoma’s Heath.
The action was brisk in a first round that saw both men stand for the entire five minute period, with Heath landing the harder shots and drawing roars from the crowd for some showboating and unorthodox techniques.
Valimaki upped his output in the second round as he landed some hard kicks, but it was Heath who had the last word as he stunned his Canadian foe on a number of occasions and opened a cut over his left eye that prompted a look from the ringside physician. Opting for a different look, Valimaki took Heath down in the final minute and opened up with both hands on the mat until the bell rang.
Round three saw both fighters trade and miss spinning backfists in the early going, before resuming hostilities, with Valimaki’s more traditional technique and Heath’s heavier hands clashing once again. This time though, Valimaki appeared to squeak out the round as Heath showboated more than punched.
Biloxi, Mississippi’s Alan Belcher evened his UFC record at 1-1 with a one kick knockout of Jorge Santiago in middleweight preliminary action.
After a slow start, Santiago picked the pace up in the final two minutes of the first round, going for a number of submissions while Belcher was forced to defend.
The Brazilian switched things up early in the second, as he started winging wild right hands at Belcher before the fight went back to the mat. After a brief exchange on the ground, the two stood again, with Santiago using a more varied attack as Belcher advanced. ‘The Talent’ rebounded on the ground, briefly locking up Santiago’s leg before the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt escaped further trouble.
Looking to break the fight open in the final round, Belcher stunned Santiago with a series of leg kicks, and after softening his foe up downstairs, Belcher pounced with a right head kick that put Santiago down and out, prompting an immediate stoppage from referee Steve Mazzagatti at 2:45 of the final round.
Former US Marine Luigi Fioravanti made a huge statement in his welterweight bout against Dave Menne, stopping the former middleweight champion in the first round.
Fioravanti’s intent was obvious from the opening bell – he was going for the knockout – and despite some hard return kicks and brief submission attempts by the veteran Menne, it was obvious that the quick and compact punches of the Floridian were going to hit paydirt eventually, and after a big right hand put Menne on the mat, a follow up barrage forced referee John McCarthy to halt the bout at the 4:44 mark of the opening round, sending the crowd of Marines into a frenzy.
Welterweight Brock Larson earned his first UFC victory in his second try as he scored a solid but unspectacular three round unanimous decision over Keita Nakamura.
Scores were 29-28 across the board for Larson, who lost his UFC debut via decision to Jon Fitch
The superior strength of Larson was evident from the outset, as he controlled the entire fight in workmanlike fashion, whether on the mat or against the Octagon fence. It wasn’t scintillating action, but it got the job done, and he even started landing confidently from close range with his strikes while standing with Nakamura late in the second and at moments in the third.
Nakamura stalked his foe when able to escape from his grasp, but he had few, if any, answers for Larson, a stablemate of UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk. With under a minute to go, and with Larson bleeding from the nose due to a knee strike, ‘K-Taro’ did make a final rush while standing, but it was to no avail as the Minnesotan slammed Nakamura to the mat to put an exclamation mark on the victory.
Another ex-Marine, “Sergeant” Steve Byrnes, got the night off to a rousing start, but the judges seemingly didn’t agree, as they awarded a three round unanimous decision to a game Logan Clark in a middleweight bout that marked the UFC debut for both fighters.
Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for Clark, in a bout that was a lot closer than the two shutout scores would indicate.
Clark and Byrnes traded control in an entertaining first round, with Byrnes taking an early lead thanks to a takedown and a couple of submission attempts, and Clark getting back in the game with some ground and pound and a rear naked choke try that fell short.
The second round matched the fast pace of the opening stanza, with Byrnes continuing to push hard in an attempt to finish. Just when it seemed the Hawaii resident was on the verge of victory though, Clark would come back, either with some well-placed punches or a submission attempt of his own.
With the Marines chanting “Let’s go Steve” for their fellow leatherneck, Byrnes fought past fatigue and again took control of the action in the final round. But as if on cue, the resilient Clark came back again, landing some solid strikes in the final minute that put an exclamation point on a hard fought battle.
Credit: Thomas Gerbasi