411's UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz Report 01.11.10

Posted by Jeremy Lambert on 01.11.2010

Gray Maynard potentially earned a UFC Lightweight title shot against BJ Penn by defeating Nate Diaz by split decision in the main event of the night. Elsewhere, Evan Dunham submitted Efrain Escudero in the third round to remain undefeated and Amir Sadollah defeated Brad Blackburn by decision. Click for the full report.

UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz
From The Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia
Live on SpikeTV

-Gladiator Intro

-Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan are the hosts. They talk about Maynard and Diaz having Lightweight title implications. Goldberg runs down the rest of the card.

Welterweight Fight: Brad Blackburn (15-9-1, 1NC) vs. Amir Sadollah (3-1)

-Blackburn is coming off a split decision victory over Edgar Garcia at The Ultimate Fighter Finale: US vs. UK. Amir is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Phil Baroni at UFC 106.

-Mario Yamasaki is the referee.

Round One: Amir working the kicks early. Blackburn with some good inside leg kicks. Quick exchange won by Blackburn. Body shot by Blackburn. Amir over the top with the right. Blackburn working the jab. Leg kicks by Amir. Amir really using the front kick to create the distance. Blackburn countering the overhand right with a good left. Amir continues to score with the leg kick. They clinch. Body shots by Blackburn. They break. Counter right by Blackburn. They clinch. Amir tries to grab the plum and land a knee but Blackburn avoids. They break. Uppercut by Amir rocks Blackburn. He stays on his feet. Amir clinches and lands some knees. Amir with the takedown. Blackburn scrambles and gets guard. Blackburn pushes Amir away and gets up. Front kick to the face by Amir. They clinch as the round ends.

10-9 Amir. Close round until the uppercut that stumbled Blackburn and that was the most significant damage of the round and it was all Amir after that.

Round Two: They trade inside leg kicks. They trade body kicks. Left followed by a right uppercut by Amir. Blackburn clinches and pushes Amir against the cage. They trade knees to the body. They break and Blackburn lands a decent right. Leg kick by Amir. Blackburn clinches again. Blackburn pushes Amir against the cage. Knees to the body by Amir. The ref breaks them. Amir really scoring with the leg kick. Blackburn catches Amir with a right as a throws a leg kick that knocks him down. He's up quickly. Blackburn clinches. Blackburn with a left on the break. Counter right by Blackburn. Blackburn looks for a takedown but Amir stuffs it. Blackburn clinches. They break. Right hook by Blackburn. Quick exchange won by Amir. Good left by Amir. Dirty boxing by Blackburn. Leg kick by Amir. Uppercut by Amir and he ends the round with a head kick.

10-9 Amir. Close round but Amir was busier on the feet and landed some good leg kicks.

Round Three: Leg kick by Amir. Body kick by Amir. Flying knee by Amir that rocks Blackburn. Amir gets the takedown and is in half guard. Elbows by Amir. Blackburn gets guard. More elbows by Amir. Amir postures up and comes down with a left. Amir moves to side control. Amir tries to pass to mount but Blackburn blocks it and gets him back to guard. Amir postures up and comes down with a right followed by another. Amir stands, pushes the legs aside, and passes to side control. Blackburn turns into him and Amir looks for a choke. Blackburn spins out but Amir still has half guard. Elbow by Amir. Blackburn holding onto him. Body shot by Amir. A flurry of body shots by Amir. Amir stands up and throws down as the round ends.

10-9 Amir. Not even close. All Amir that round.

Official Decision: Amir Sadollah by Unanimous Decision (30-27 across)

-Amir thanks his camp and says he loves the fans. He also wanted them to play a clip of him kicking someone so he could say, "Roadhouse."

-Randy Couture joins Joe Rogan for an interview. Couture says he's been looking forward to fighting Coleman for 12 years now. Couture says his plan is to stick and move and make it hard for Coleman to take him down.

Middleweight Fight: Aaron Simpson (6-0) vs. Tom Lawlor (6-1, 1NC)

-Simpson is coming off a TKO victory over Ed Herman at UFC 102. Lawlor is coming off a submission victory over CB Dollaway at UFC 100.

-Kevin Mulhall is the referee.

Round One: Lawlor comes out southpaw. Quick exchange that Lawlor wins. Good uppercut by Lawlor. They clinch. Dirty boxing by Lawlor. They break. Lawlor scoring with the counter right. Lawlor with a big flurry. Simpson appears to be in trouble. Lawlor continues to let his hands go. Simpson survives the flurry and regains his composure. Counter right against by Lawlor. Another flurry by Lawlor as Simpson tries to survive against the cage. They clinch. Big punch by Lawlor on the break. Lawlor continuing to unload on Simpson. Simpson tries to clinch but continues to eat punches. Simpson survives but he's on wobbly legs. Leg kick by Simpson. Quick exchange won by Lawlor. Left hand by Lawlor after taking a leg kick. Another counter right by Lawlor. The round ends.

10-9 Lawlor. Dominating round. He had Simpson rocked multiple times in the round. Possibly 10-8.

Round Two: Lawlor catching Simpson with the counter right every time he moves in. Exhcnage won by Lawlor. They clinch. Quick flurry by Simpson on the break. Simpson goes for a single. Lawlor tries to grab a guillotine but Simpson drags him down and gets side control. Elbows by Simpson. Lawlor turns into him but gives up his back in the turtle position. Lawlor gets to his feet but Simpson is still on his back. Lawlor turns into him. Left hand by Lawlor on the break. Right hook by Lawlor stumbles Simpson. Lawlor gets a takedown but Simpson is right back up. Lawlor still has a hold of him and pressed against the cage. Dirty boxing by Lawlor. Body shots by Simpson. Right hand by Simpson on the break. Uppercut by Lawlor but Simpson comes back with a left. They clinch. Lawlor looks for a standing guillotine. Knees by Lawlor. Simpson escapes the choke. Big left hook by Simpson on the break. Simpson pressing forward and connecting. They clinch. Lawlor looking for a guillotine as the round ends.

10-9 Simpson. Close round but Simpson just edged it out.

Round Three: Counter right by Lawlor as Simpson presses forward. Lawlor winning the early exchanges. Body kick by Simpson. Simpson looks for a takedown but can't get it. Knee by Lawlor on the break. Another exchange won by Lawlor. They clinch. Good knee by Simpson. Simpson drops for a single and gets a big takedown. Lawlor right back up to his feet. Still in the clinch. Lawlor drops for a double and lands a big takedown of his own. Simpson right back up. They clinch again. Simpson drops for a single. Lawlor goes for a kimura and drops down with it. Simpson escapes and ends up in half guard. Simpson moves to mount. Lawlor gives up his back. Lawlor goes to turtle position and then rolls to grab a single. Simpson slips his leg out and gets the back of Lawlor. Simpson gets the hooks him. Simpson trying to soften up Lawlor for the choke. Simpson gives up the hooks and Lawlor turns into him and grabs a single. Simpson sprawls out. Simpson spins out of the single and gets the back again. He stands up and allows Lawlor to stand. They clinch. Dirty boxing by Simpson. Big flurry at the end of the round and Lawlor tags him with a good hook. The round ends.

10-9 Simpson. Dominant round for Simpson on the ground.

Official Decision: Aaron Simpson by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

-The crowd boos the decision. Rogan yells at the crowd and says, "Simpson fought his heart out. Give him a round of applause."

-Simpson says to get your kids into wrestling practice.

-The stars of Blue Mountain State join Joe Rogan to plug their show. The show is about college, drinking, and having fun.

Lightweight Fight: Evan Dunham (9-0) vs. Efrain Escudero (13-0)

-Dunham is coming off a split decision victory over Marcus Aurelio at UFC 102. Escudero is coming off a KO victory over Cole Miller at UFC 103.

-Dan Miragliotta is the referee.

Round One: Dunham comes out southpaw. Body kick by Efrain. Efrain initiates a clinch. Right hand on the break by Efrain. AN exchange goes nowhere as the both miss. Good right by Efrain. Efrain slipping everything Dunham is throwing. Left by Efrain and then he slips under and gets the back of Dunham on the feet. He has Dunham against the cage. Efrain tries to land a left on the break by misses. Uppercut by Efrain. Another uppercut by Efrain. Jumping knee by Efrain. Efrain presses forward and throws a heavy right hand. BIG RIGHT DROPS DUNHAM! Efrain pounces on him and tries to finish. Efrain falls into guard. Dunham survives and looks for an armbar. Efrain pulls out. Dunham goes for a single and Efrain grabs a guillotine. Efrain moves him into mount. Dunham survives. They both get to their feet. They both throw a jumping knee at the same time and Efrain falls. Efrain tries to grab a leg as Dunham moves in but Dunham sprawls out. The round ends.

10-9 Efrain. He had Dunham hurt but couldn't finish.

Round Two: Efrain slips a flurry by Dunham. Quick exchange but neither fighter landed anything clean. Straight left by Dunham. Quick exchange but neither connects. Left by Efrain. Uppercut by Efrain but Dunham comes back with a left. Left hand stumbles Efrain a bit. Jumping knee by Dunham. Right hand by Efrain. Uppercut by Efrain. Efrain wins a good exchange. Dunham grabs a single but Efrain stays on his feet. Dunham finishes the takedown and has half guard. Body shots and short elbows by Dunham. Dunham postures up and lands some really good punches. Efrain gets guard. Dunham stays postured. Dunham stands and tries to push the legs aside. Dunham gets the back of Efrain as Efrain tried to turn into him. Dunham has a body lock. Dunham flattens him out and lands some good punches trying to finish but the round ends.

10-9 Dunham. Close fight on the feet but Dunham easily won the round with the takedown and ground control.

Round Three: Dunham shoots as Efrain throws a leg kick. Efrain tries to grab a guillotine on the takedown. He uses it to roll through and end up on top of Dunham. Efrain gives up on it but he's still on top. Dunham scrambles to his feet and they're clinch. Dunham has a body lock and uses that to takedown Efrain. Dunham ends up in side control. Dunham passes to mount. Efrain tries to give up his back but Dunham holds on to the arm. Dunham transitions to a triangle. Efrain postures up but Dunham locks in a armbar. Dunham extends it. Efrain tries to fight it. HE TAPS!

Official Decision: Evan Dunham by Submission (Armbar) at 1:59 in Round Three

-They didn't interview Dunham after his win.

Lightweight Fight (Main Event): Nate Diaz (11-4) vs. Gray Maynard (9-0, 1NC)

-Diaz is coming off a submission victory over Melvin Guillard at Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard. Maynard is coming off a split decision victory over Roger Huerta at Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard. Diaz defeated Maynard on The Ultimate Fighter 5 in the semi-finals with a guillotine choke in the second round. If Maynard wins this fight it's widely believed that he will get a UFC Lightweight Title shot against BJ Penn.

-Mario Yamasaki is the referee.

Round One: Diaz comes out southpaw. Diaz ducks under the exchange. Jabs by Diaz. Good right by Maynard. Maynard is cut on the right eye. Left by Diaz. Right hook by Diaz. Maynard throwing with power but not landing clean. Right hand by Maynard. Left by Diaz. Diaz ducking under well. Uppercut by Maynard. They clinch and Maynard lands a knee. Leg kicks by Diaz. Good right by Maynard. Diaz taunting. Maynard taunts back. Maynard slips the punches of Diaz. Right by Diaz. More leg kicks by Diaz. The round ends.

10-9 Diaz. Close round. Could have gone either way. Diaz was more active though.

Round Two: Right by Maynard. Leg kick by Diaz. Uppercut by Diaz. Right hand by Maynard as Diaz ducks under. Left by Diaz. Body shot by Diaz. Dirty boxing by Maynard. Big right hand by Maynard. Body shot by Maynard. Good combo by Diaz. Quick exchange won by Diaz. Left by Maynard. Diaz ducks under and eats a knee that drops him. Maynard lets him back up. Right hand by Maynard stumbles Diaz a bit. Another right by Maynard. Jabs by Diaz. Good left hook by Diaz. Diaz with a good combo. ANother good combo by Diaz. Diaz landing a really good left hook. Both men taunting each other. Push kick by Diaz. Body shot by Maynard. The round ends.

10-9 Maynard. Another close round but Maynard landed the better punches.

Round Three: Body kick by Diaz. Quick clinch and a knee by Maynard before they break. Diaz the more active of the two to start the round but not landing anything. Right hand by Maynard. Right hand by Diaz knocks down Maynard but he's right back up. Right hand by Diaz. Diaz tagging Maynard but not much behind his shots. Dirty boxing by Maynard. Diaz working the jab. Good exchange by both men. Diaz peppering Maynard. The crowd boos. Good exchange won by Diaz. Dirty boxing by Diaz. Diaz continues to paw at Maynard. Right hand by Maynard. They go to the ground but right back up. Left by Maynard. Knee to the body by Maynard. The round ends.

10-9 Diaz. Another close round but Diaz was more active again.

Official Decision: Gray Maynard by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

-No interview with Maynard.

-End Show