411's UFC 81: Breaking Point Report 02.02.08

Posted by Michael Huckaby on 02.03.2008

Brock Lesnar makes his UFC debut and Tim Sylvia battles Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the UFC Heavyweight Title.

We're live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Tyson Griffin vs Gleison Tibau

The great JZ Calvancante is cornering Tibau. Tyson Griffin becomes the 211th person to come out to "Eye of the Tiger."

Round 1: They touch gloves and we're underway. Tibau takes the center of the Octagon with Tyson circling. TIbau looks to be the MUCH bigger, stronger fighter and doesn't look like a lightweight at all. They exchange some leg kicks and single punches before Tibau throws a flying knee which half connects. Wild swing by Tibau just misses as they continue to exchange single shots and feel each other out. Tibau is throwing some big punches but they're missing as Griffin finally clinches and we're up against the cage. They're over/under and switching positions as Tibau looks for the takedown and briefly gets it but Griffin pops back up immediately and we're standing in the center with two minutes left. Nice right hand connects by Griffin as he follows up with three or four more which might win him the round. Griffin super aggressive and lands three or four big shots on Tibau who gets sick of it and shoots in like a rocket with a huge takedown. They're back up to the feet with Griffin looking for a leg takedown. Griffin tries to throw a knee against the cage but Tibau uses his momentum to take him to the ground. End of the first round. Incredibly close round but that flurry by Griffin wins it for me, could go either way. 411 scores it 10-9 for Tyson Griffin.

Round 2: They exchange some missed shots before Griffin rushes Tibau against the cage. After some work they separate and we're back in the center. The two exchange big punches in a fun exchange but both men have solid chins. Tibau again with a quick takedown out of nowhere and he takes Griffin's back on the ground but again Griffin pops right back to his feet halfway through the round. Nice left by Tibau responded in kind with a counter right by Griffin. They exchange kicks to the body at the same time, these two have been on the same page several times thus far. The crowd starting to get semi-restless as they're circling and throwing missed shots as Tibau again dives in for the takedown and Griffin hops up again. End of round. I have no idea who won that round, 411 scores it a 10-10 draw.

Round 3: They again exchange missed shots as this fight has been rather bland. Tibau with his fourth big takedown of the fight and this might win him the judges' favor in a close decision. Tibau finally gets upper body control on the ground as Griffin for once does not pop right out and up to his feet. Little action as Tibau is just trying to maintain control and isn't doing anything major. Griffin finally hops back up to his feet and again we're circling in the center halfway through the final round. Excellent left uppercut by Griffin but Tibau gets another takedown off of it. Back to the feet again with Griffin landing a couple more big punches, this fight is the definition of split decision. Griffin with a body lock against the cage and some foot stomps but Tibau looks too big for Griffin to take down. Tibau goes on offense in the body lock and takes control looking for a takedown of his own with 10 seconds left in the fight. End of the fight. Completely even round again, this is the definition of a draw. 411 scores it again, 10-10, 30-29 overall for Tyson Griffin and that first round was razor thin either way.

Winner: Tyson Griffin, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

The crowd boos. Three judges scoring it 30-27 is absolutely ridiculous.

The UFC 82 commercial highlights Silva vs Henderson and of all fights Kongo vs Herring. On a card featuring Evan Tanner vs Yushin Okami, Andrei Arlovski, Diego Sanchez, Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch, and others they highlight Kongo/Herring as the second main event.

Ricardo Almeida vs Rob Yundt

Yundt took this fight for an injured Alan Belcher on three days notice. Yundt apparently tried out for the next The Ultimate Fighter season so his medicals were already on record allowing him to take this fight. So they're showing a guy on a main card UFC PPV that couldn't make the 32-man field for The Ultimate Fighter 7?

Round 1: They touch gloves and we're underway. A couple nice body shots by Almeida as the two men gauge their distance. Almeida shoots in and gets the takedown right against the cage. Yundt pops up and leaves his head out there so Almeida slaps on a guillotine. Yundt picks him up and slams him but Almeida retains position and gets the tap at 1:08 of the opening round.

Winner: Ricardo Almeida, submission (guillotine choke), Rd1

Nathan Marquardt vs Jeremy Horn

Round 1: They hesitantly tap gloves and we're underway and immediately locked up. Marquardt gets the takedown and is in Horn's full guard. Marquardt rains down 3 or 4 huge hands which hurt Horn and looked like they could end the fight but Horn keeps his composure. Marquardt pushes Horn's head up against the cage and stands over him, backing up and allowing him up. Marquardt lands a shot and we're locked up in the center again and eventually Marquardt ends up on top on the ground after a failed throw by Horn. Horn back up to his feet and immediately looks for the takedown but Marquardt with great defense and we're clinched against the cage. Beautiful elbow by Marquardt might end the fight as Horn drops down to his knees and holds on to Nate. Marquardt with two or three short elbows but Horn works back to his guard. Marquardt, as he's known for, stands over Horn looking for a shot but can't land anything. Horn works for a quick omoplata and gets it with only ten seconds left in the round. Horn uses the move for a sweep and gets top position to end the first round. 411mania scores it 10-9 for Nate Marquardt.

Round 2: Leg kick by Horn starts the round and we're immediately on the ground with Horn on top position. Horn is holding Marquardt down and trying to improve position rather than throwing anything. Marquardt has a medium cut over his eye but nothing that would stop the fight. They get back to standing and when Horn goes for the takedown Marquardt lands a standing guillotine. Horn tries to fight out and spin to the ground but he can't break free and is forced to tap out.

Winner: Nate Marquardt, submission (guillotine choke), Rd2

David Heath vs Tim Boetsch

Action from the preliminary card before we get to the double main event.

Round 1: They touch and we're underway. They feel each other out with nothing being thrown for the first minute as the crowd grows restless. Nice kick combo by Heath but nothing lands solidly. Great front kick by Boetsch, who shoots in for a takedown but Heath throws him off. Another great front kick by Boetsch who has taken center Octagon position. Beautiful knee to the head by Boetsch and those front kicks have made a welt on Heath's stomach. They exchange jabs but Boetsch gets the better of it prior to another front kick. Nice leg kick by Heath but he eats three or four shots from everywhere by Boetsch before counter striking himself. Nice striking exchange by both men. Boetsch gets ahold of Heath's head and lands three or four knees before Heath is able to back away. Body shot and knee by Boetsch as he's punishing Heath. Boetsch grabs Heath's body and literally throws him right onto his head, pretty much knocking him out. Herb Dean gives Heath a chance but he's eating solid punches and the fight is stopped with ten seconds left.

Winner: Tim Boetsch, TKO (strikes), Rd1

Brock Lesnar vs Frank Mir

They show Kurt Angle in the crowd with the caption "TNA World Champion" as well as The Undertaker and Steve Austin. I've never seen a guy as fit as Brock Lesnar at the 265lb weight limit.

Round 1: Half boos and half cheers from the crowd for Lesnar and we're underway. Lesnar immediately gets the takedown and we're in the center of the cage. Lesnar throwing big leather but the referee stops the fight saying Lesnar was landing big shots to the back of the head. Lesnar is penalized one point, which is odd because he didn't get a warning and it didn't look intentional. Restarted, Lesnar lands a hard shot which drops Mir and begins slamming down hammerfists. Mir almost hooked on an arm but Lesnar powers out and he's in a top dominate position. Lesnar stands over Mir and Mir uses the opportunity to lock up a leg out of nowhere from his back. Lesnar falls down to the ground and taps out immediately.

Winner: Frank Mir, submission (kneebar), Rd1

Lesnar was too aggressive against a great BJJ practitioner as he was looking to finish against all regards.

HW Title: Tim Sylvia vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

And again Nog doesn't come out to his normal PRIDE entrance of "No Way Out" by ZZ which should be a crime. Cecil Peoples is a judge, just keep that in mind as the rounds add up.

Round 1: Nog starts with a leg kick and the question is if Nog will decide to stand with him. Another leg kick by Nogueira but Sylvia lands a nice right hand. Nog clutches Tim and falls to his back but Tim stands right back up and we're standing in the center again. A couple nice jabs by Sylvia but Nog responds with a nice right before going for a takedown again. Jab by Nog, uppercut by Sylvia, and we're two minutes in. Big right hand by Sylvia takes Nog down as Tim pounces looking for the finish. Realizing he's not going to finish, Sylvia stands back up and we're standing. Nog is in real trouble and just looking to be on the ground, blood coming out of his left eye. Sylvia lands a couple of elbows and if he doesn't sense a finish he needs to stand back up. Sylvia does indeed stand back up and Nog against fails at a takedown and eats a punch. Another takedown by Nog fails and he's getting dominated. Nice right-left by Nog as Sylvia backs him up against the cage. Nog gets a takedown finally but the round ends. 411mania scores it 10-9 for Tim Sylvia.

Round 2: Nog starts by going for a takedown and fails again. Nice left hook by Sylvia followed by a right straight and we're pretty much set on how the rest of this fight is going to go. Nog eats another left jab and fails at another takedown. Two more nice shots by Sylvia as Nog, even though improving, still can't strike with someone like Big Tim. Nog fails at another takedown as Tim throws three or four big punches that miss their mark. This entire round is just Nog failing at takedowns and eating random punches from Tim. Nog goes for a big takedown and actually gets Tim up against the cage this time. He has a single leg but Tim fights it off and we're standing again. They exchange big punches but neither man seems hurt, neither Nog or Sylvia have been knocked out in their MMA careers. We end the second round in a stalemate. 411mania scores it 10-9 for Tim Sylvia.

Round 3: Great right hand by Sylvia but Nog doesn't look any worse for the wear. Nog with another takedown attempt and again it fails. Nog goes for a takedown but immediately pulls guard and looks to control Tim's body and stop him from getting back to his feet. Nog sweeps Sylvia with nice control and gets to side position with still 3:40 left in the round. Nog pops on a guillotine and Tim taps, we have a new interim UFC Heavyweight Champion.

Winner: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, submission (guillotine choke), Rd3

As always Nog seems to find a way to win even when he's getting dominated.