411's UFC: Unleashed Report 4.02.08
Posted by JB Lederman on 04.03.2008
Everyone has an opinion. Nate Diaz: someone please kick his ass. Karo: jerk. Thoughts on TUF and Fight Night Live. And a recap of the UFC Unleashed just prior to both of those shows. All of this and so much more inside!
UFC Unleashed, aired 4/2/08
Recap by JB Lederman
JBLederman@optonline.net
Welcome to the inaugural edition of UFC: Unleashed Recap, wherein I review, repeat, and reiterate a recap show.
Will someone please, PLEASE beat Nate Diaz? I really thought it was going to happen. Oh, well.
Thoughts on UFC Fight Night: Houston Alexander: poseur (yes, that's how the word is really spelled). Diaz is a jerk, but he's very entertaining, and I didn't even mind the double birds to the crowd. Mark Hamill may be for real, and what a freaking gross split lip that was. Tough guy. Glad to see Karo go down; he's a jerk. Speer got destroyed; I'm glad because Matt Hughes is, to quote Serra, a "dick," but sad because Speer seems like a good guy. Needs a New Nickname Department: "The Farmboy." Are you kidding? Maynard was the first guy to make Frankie Edgar look ineffective. Florian, despite that he finished the fight (HE FINISHES FIGHTS AT 155), should have tried an armbar or something else from the top besides those weak, ineffective punches. Lauzon could have taken another fifty of them.
Nate Diaz is, however, a talented guy:
Serra's impersonation of Hughes: comedic gold, I tell you!
Thoughts on TUF:
Great idea to have them fight to just get in the house. I felt bad for the guy that quit his job and sold all his stuff, however, assuming he was in.
Time for the main event of the column.
UFC Unleashed Recap
Goldberg welcomes us to the show. He is dressed predictably in black and has a disingenuous smile. On tap tonight are two exciting lightweight fights: Clay "The Carpenter" Guida (and his hair) vs. Marcus "Maximus" Aurelio and Roger "El Matador" Huerta vs. Leonard Garcia. At first, I wondered why there would be two seemingly unrelated fights before UFC Fight Night, but then realized that two lightweights make up the main event, so it makes sense to showcase the division.
First fight (155 lbs): Clay "The Carpenter" Guida (21-8 MMA record) vs. Marcus "Maximus" Aurelio (14-4).
Notes: Both men look in great shape. Guida absolutely makes me believe that he loves to fight, loves to hit and be hit, and is in general a crazy motherf**ker.
Round One: Both men feeling each other out for the first 90 seconds. Guida can't seem to find his range. He finally lands a body kick and a stiff left jab! Guida pushes the pace as Aurelio seems content to simply counter punch. Fight remains standing with Guida landing several shots. Nearing the end of the round. Guida drops Aurelio with a punch! He ends up in Aurelio's guard. Little damage being done. The round ends with a takedown by Guida and he sits in the guard again for a few seconds. At the bell, Guida pops up, gives a double thumbs-up to the crowd, and runs to his corner!
Round Two: The second round begins in awesome fashion as Aurelio tries to touch gloves, but Guida waves him off! Guida comes out and pushes the pace, landing punches. Aurelio tries to pull guard a few times and finally gets a takedown, but Guida reverses him.
Round Three: Guida takes over in the third round. Guida is pushing the pace and swinging with Aurelio moving away. It looks like Aurelio doesn't want to engage! About thirty seconds left and Aurelio is posturing as if he hasn't been avoiding the action. Both men are bloodied up, Guida from the nose and Aurelio from the mouth. The round ends. Guida yells, "Now THAT"S a fight!" at the camera. Then spits up some blood into a towel. Guida landed some good shots, but it goes to the judges' scorecards.
Winner: Clay Guida by Split Decision (30-27, 30-27 for Guida, 29-28 for Aurelio).
Second fight (155 lbs): Roger Huerta (18-1 MMA record) vs. Leonard Garcia (13-1).
Notes: In the pre-fight spiel, Garcia makes some idiotic remarks about being the bull and Huerta will be getting the horns. Um, as a Latino guy, shouldn't he know that matador just means killer? Huerta looks big compared to Garcia. Rogan notes that Garcia could fight at 145 in the WEC.
Round One: Huerta presses to start. They circle and exchange some shots. They clinch and fall. Huerta gets a knee and quickly back to their feet. Huerta charges in and looks for a takedown, Garcia tries a guillotine. Huerta escapes, on top and rights to Garcia as he has him against the fence. Elbows by Huerta, he gets Garcia's back and they roll. Huerta has a choke, but Garcia rolls out. To the feet, rights and knees by Garcia. Garcia cinches in a standing guillotine! Huerta won't tap so Garcia drops him on his head! Huerta sneaks his head out, lands shots from the top and Garcia answers from the bottom. Very good lefts connect from Huerta. Huerta looks for side control, lands shots and starts to open up on Garcia. They go to the feet and then Garcia takes him down. Garcia tries a kimura. Huerta escapes that and they both stand and throw wildly and Huerta takes him down. Huerta on top, works for side control and lands more shots on Garcia. Garcia lands some shots from the bottom. Garcia rolls and has top position now. Works from the guard, they trade shots here in the final seconds and the round ends.
Round Two: They both come out looking for kicks and collide. Wheel kick misses by Huerta, clinch and against the cage they go. Huerta takes him down and lands elbows on Garcia. Huerta is landing some big shots, Garcia is working, rolls and out. To his feet and gets a good knee. Nice left by Garcia and lands another. They stand and trade wildly again. Huerta lands a good knee off of a combo, lights up Garcia and he is leaving himself open. They go toe to toe and just throw and Huerta takes control and Garcia is rocked. Huerta takes down Garcia, who then SMILES. Huerta drops elbows and then hammer fists from the side. Garcia eats another elbow and then a left hook. Huerta starts to rain down and connecting at will. Garcia some how gets to his feet and rocks Huerta with a right and a leg kick! Huerta stumbles! They go toe to toe again and just throw! Huerta slams him to the fence and takes him down again very easily. Huerta in mount, Garcia keeps throwing and tries an arm bar, but fails. Huerta lands a few more shots as the round ends.
Round Three: Crowd is pumped up for this round. Garcia shoots in and then eats some shots from Huerta. They throw wildly again and Huerta catches a kick and takes Garcia down. Huerta in mount, now into side control and Huerta lands some elbows. He looks for a kimura. Garcia escapes and Huerta lands some more shots. Huerta controls mount easily, into side control and Huerta lands another good left. Garcia escapes and gets the back of Huerta. Big right to the back of the head by Garcia. He tries to hook a choke and works and throws rights. Huerta fights out and rolls into side control. Lots of shots landed by Huerta now and he stays on top as Garcia rolls away. More shots just rain down by Huerta. Garcia is being punished now as Huerta dominates. More shots connect by Huerta, into the mount and they both throw shots as the round ends.
Huerta hugs Garcia and whispers sweet nothings in his ear after the fight.
Winner: Roget Huerta, decision, 30-27 across the board.
Two great lightweight fights to showcase the division and lead up to UFC Fight Night Live.
That's all for today.
See you in a few days with a recap of UFC Wired.
