411's UFC 80: Rapid Fire Report 01.19.08

Posted by Michael Huckaby on 01.19.2008

BJ Penn and Joe Stevenson battle for the UFC Lightweight Championship!

Live from the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England.

Kendall Grove vs Jorge Rivera

Round 1: They touch gloves and we're underway. They exchange missed punches and Rivera goes in and gets the early takedown. Rivera tries to control Grove down and get into sidemount. A couple big right hands from Rivera to a grounded Grove land solidly and we're up against the cage. Grove tries to spin out and gives up his back. They're up on the feet and Rivera continues to land massive punches as Grove's legs wobble. After another 3 or 4 shots standing the referee jumps in to stop the fight. Good stoppage, complete domination. That was unexpected.

Winner: Jorge Rivera, TKO (punches), Rd1

Jason Lambert vs Wilson Gouveia

Lambert comes down to Johnny Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down," no doubt upsetting Spencer Fisher. Eye of the Tiger is one thing but if you have excellent unique music that should be yours.

Round 1: They touch and Lambert charges him into the cage looking aggressive. Gouveia is retreating as Lambert goes for a takedown. Gouveia gives it up and falls into a guillotine attempt but Lambert slips his head out and looks for ground and pound. Gouveia looks for arm but Lambert picks him up and Gouveia drops it. Lambert pushes Gouveia's head into the cage and looks to land punches from a standing position. Lambert down to his knees in Gouveia's guard throwing punches. Gouveia is keeping active looking for submissions but Lambert is moving out of them and throwing shots down. Lambert steps back and Gouveia trips him beautifully allowing him to get back to his feet. Lambert is on him immediately against the cage and again gets him down. Gouveia snaps on a triangle choke out of nowhere but Lambert slams him twice and pops out of it. Gouveia with an omoplata but Lambert slips out of that as well and winds up on top yet again looking to pound. Gouveia doing a nice job from the bottom avoiding the big shots but he's still on his back getting shots thrown at him as the round ends. 411mania gives round one to Jason Lambert, 10-9.

Gouveia's corner in between rounds loses his mouthpiece momentarily and we stall before the second round. Professional.

Round 2: More pressure from Lambert to start as he immediately takes Gouveia against the cage. They exchange shots in the clinch and Gouveia lands an absolutely brutal left hook to knock out Lambert out of nowhere. That will be on an Ultimate Knockouts DVD.

Winner: Wilson Gouveia, KO (punch), Rd2

Marcus Davis vs Jess Liaudin

Round 1: They tap and we're underway. They feel either other out with punches and kicks checking distance. Nice body kick by Davis and he follows up with a big left hand which takes Liaudin down hard. A couple follow up punches and the fight is stopped.

Winner: Marcus Davis, TKO (punches), Rd1

Paul Taylor vs Paul Kelly

Round 1: Immediate big time exchange in the center. They're both swinging wildly until Kelly clinches and presses him up against the cage. Taylor reverses position and Kelly returns the favor. They let loose and start exchanging again. Taylor attempts a standing guillotine and flops to his back but can't control it and Paul Kelly is on top. Unbelievable intensity in round one. A couple short elbows by Kelly from the top as Taylor works to control an arm from the bottom. Kelly pushing Taylor toward the cage, throwing the occasional punch. Taylor tries to sit up against the cage but Kelly drags him back down and throws some punches and elbows. The two men exchange elbows on the ground and they both have a bloody nose. I have no idea who is winning this round. Taylor keeps working for an arm but when that fails he's left open for a couple of Kelly strikes. Beautiful elbows from the bottom by Taylor (ala Hughes vs GSP) and Kelly starts opening up and goes wild with punches from the top. Taylor attempts a guillotine but Kelly pulls out and retains top position. The round ends and it's very difficult to award it to someone. 411mania gives the round 10-9 to Paul Kelly based on top control the second half of the round.

Round 2: They touch and Taylor throws a quick jab. Another exchange but they clinch immediately and Taylor takes Kelly to the mat. Taylor lets loose with some punches from the top against the cage and when he goes for Kelly's back he fails and winds up on his own back with Kelly pounding. Little action on the ground as both men are getting their breath exchanging small shots. A couple nice shots from the bottom by Taylor but he's not doing anything to get off of his back. Taylor grabs an arm from the bottom and gets a kimura but he doesn't have the position to finish it looks like. Just as Taylor gets full guard Kelly is able to pop out of the attempt and we're back to Kelly on top. Kelly unloads some punches but nothing lands crisp. Taylor again looks for the kimura but he eats a couple of punches and lets it go. Giant cut via elbow has opened on the forehead of Paul Taylor and it's pouring blood as the second round ends. We'll see if this fight gets stopped. 411mania gives round two to Paul Kelly.

You can see on the replay that the Taylor cut opened less than a second after impact with the elbow. Nasty gash but he's going back out.

Round 3: They actually hug to start the third round and then exchange. A Kelly shot lands and staggers Taylor so Kelly takes the opportunity to take him down against the cage again. Kelly is going for that cut with some elbows as he attempts to go to the side position. Two thudding elbows right to the forehead and unless Taylor does something he's going to lose this fight. He hasn't shown he can get off of his back even once in this fight. The referee steps in to restart them on their feet after inactivity. Taylor lets go a few bombs but Kelly responds in kind. They're against the cage throwing shots at one another until Kelly trips Taylor and takes him right back down. Less than two minutes remain in the round and Kelly is just keeping position and throwing occasional punches on Taylor. A couple of elbows and punches miss by Kelly but he's controlling him down and riding out a decision. The bell rings with the fighters on the ground and it's over. 411mania scores it 10-9 for Paul Kelly, and 30-27 Kelly overall.

Winner: Paul Kelly, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Gabriel Gonzaga vs Fabricio Werdum

Werdum trained at Chute Boxe for this fight, I did not know that. Gonzaga comes out to "Mother" by Danzig, making me love him.

Round 1: No glove touch and they circle the center of the Octagon. Gonzaga the first aggressor but Werdum charges forward only to get taken down by Gonzaga in the center. Gonzaga in Werdum's half guard and they're jockeying for position with no strikes being thrown yet a minute in. Still no strikes as Werdum is trying to sweep and Gonzaga is working for the side mount. Gonzaga stands back up after he can't improve position and we're standing. Two really nice leg kicks by Gonzaga buckle Werdum's knee. Gonzaga misses a headkick attempt and then takes Werdum down to the mat with a leg kick. Werdum back to his feet and needs to be aggressive. Another hard leg kick by Gonzaga makes four. Another kick attempt by Gonzaga gets caught and Werdum takes him down to the mat. Exact same position as before only in reverse with Werdum looking to improve past the half guard. Werdum postures up and lands a couple of punches and an elbow. Three short elbows by Werdum land but Gonzaga rolls over looking for a kneebar and we're stuck in a stalemate as the first round ends. Close very technical round but the leg kicks by Gonzaga are making Werdum walk a little gingerly. 411mania scores it 10-9 for Gabriel Gonzaga.

Round 2: Front kick attempt by Werdum followed up with a combination that backs Gonzaga up. Gonzaga stuffs a Werdum takedown and we remain on the feet. Werdum is more aggressive this round but he's charging forward like Babalu against Chuck Liddell throwing strikes looking to clinch. A leg kick by Werdum is caught and Gonzaga throws a shot but we remain on the feet with careful technical strikes. Werdum's kick is caught again and Gonzaga tosses him on his butt but lets him back up again. Gonzaga tosses Werdum down again and again lets him back up. Nice knee by Fabricio followed up with a second one, a third one, and a fourth in the clinch. Fabricio might have found his advantage if he can get close but that's easier said than done. Werdum again has the clinch and Gonzaga can only put his arms in front of his face to try and shield. Werdum takes Gonzaga's back standing and trips him down throwing a ton of unchecked shots until the referee finally steps in. Wow.

Winner: Fabricio Werdum, TKO (strikes), Rd2

LW Title: BJ Penn vs Joe Stevenson

Somewhat surprisingly, Sean Sherk joins Goldberg and Rogan for commentary. They don't mention the failed steroid test, simply stating he's "been out awhile." But they do confirm he'll face the winner of this fight.

Round 1: They tap and BJ immediately lands some strikes taking Stevenson to the ground. BJ has top control in the half guard as he looks to pass. It looked for a second like this fight would last 10 seconds but Stevenson is back under control. BJ scoots Stevenson's head into the cage, Joe momentarily gets BJ off of him but BJ hops right back down onto Stevenson against the cage. BJ takes Stevenson's back against the cage and then switches to a full mount. That doesn't last long as Joe is able to sit up against the cage as BJ tries to maintain control. BJ stands up and unloads a couple of punches before hopping back down to improve his position and get into side control. Stevenson starts to unload punches from the bottom and gets Penn back into his guard. Elbow by Penn opens a MASSIVE cut on Stevenson's forehead and there is a great deal of blood as the round comes to an end. 411mania scores it 10-9 for BJ Penn.

I can't imagine Stevenson could go long with this cut. It's right in the middle of his forehead and still bleeding as the second round starts.

Round 2: Stevenson comes out desperate and angry knowing his cut could well end this fight at any time. BJ stays calm in center position of the Octagon exchanging the occasional punch with Joe. Nice left hook by BJ Penn snaps Stevenson's head back. Left jab by Penn, who is absolutely the more technical striker right now. That big cut on Stevenson is flowing down his nose right in the middle of his head and staying out of his eyes. Two big shots by BJ Penn drop Stevenson down and BJ gets his back momentarily before moving to full mount. Stevenson is trying to buck him off but BJ switches right back over to Joe's back before getting full mount again. Stevenson is a bloody mess and trying to hold on to the torso of the attacking Penn. BJ takes his back and gets the hooks in with an arm trapped but with all of the blood who knows if he can hold anything. BJ sinks in a perfect choke on the bloody Joe Stevenson and he taps out.

Winner and NEW LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION BJ Penn, submission (RNC), Rd2