-Jay Glazer is our host and breaks down the fights that we'll see.
FROM ELITE XC's STREET CERTIFIED SHOW: 160lb Catch Weight Bout - Yves Edwards vs. James Edson Berto
-The Fight: ROUND ONE: The official is Jorge Ortiz. Edwards specializes in THUG-JITZU. They come out and both go for leg kicks. Edwards with a leg kick, jabs and another good leg kick. He backs off Berto, Berto with leg kicks and Edwards backs him off with a combo. A good body kick by Berto. He shoots in on Edwards, takes him down and Edwards looking possibly for a guillotine as Berto moves to side control for a moment, but is now in half guard. Berto now gets a guillotine, Edwards moves to the side and is working out. He escapes and now has a kimura. Berto defends as Edwards keeps working for it. Berto escapes and Edwards into the guard. Edwards works the body, nice hard shots and then a few headshots. Hammer fists by Edwards and then rights and lefts. A huge elbow shot by Edwards from the top and then more body shots. Berto is defending well, and they get stood up. Lame. They were working hard. A HUGE body kick from Berto and he shoots, tries a single leg but Edwards gets a knee to the head while standing on one foot, follows up with two ground shots and THAT is all!
Awesome, just awesome.
-The Result: Yves Edwards via RD1 (4:56) KO
FROM ELITE XC's DESTINY SHOW: Gina Carano vs. Julie Kedzie:
ROUND ONE: Carano tries leg kicks to begin, but Kedzie lands first. Straight kick by Kedzie, but Carano back with leg kicks. They clinch and Kedzie takes her to the cage and a knee by Kedzie and then a right. Clinch again, knees by Carano and to the ground. Carano to her feet and she doesn't want to go to the ground. Good right by Carano. They clinch and Kedzie takes her down, but Carano gets her back. Kedzie to her back, she works for an arm but Carano to her feet, smartly. Good left by Carano. Another right connects. Left hook by Carano, jabs and a right. Leg kick and a high kick connects. A good right connects as the round ends.
SCORECARD:: Strong first round, Carano mostly stayed away from the ground and connected with good strikes. I have it Carano 10-9.
ROUND TWO: Carano in with a right to start. She stalks Kedzie, Kedzie with a spin kick and the clinch. Takes Carano down and gets a closed guard. Carano on top, Kedzie with shots and tries to work, and Carano escapes. Kedzie catches a high kick and answers with strong rights. Leg kick by Carano, Kedzie shoots and takes her down. Carano had her back and lets her up. Carano with rights and leg kicks now. They clinch, knees by Carano and a HUGE right takes her down, she follows with a right and then backs off and doesn't finish. Leg kick again and Kedzie clinches and takes Carano down as the round ends.
SCORECARD:: Carano is still landing strikes at will and Kedzie's right eye is swelling. Kedzie had some good counters, but Carano still takes the round 10-9. I have it 20-18 overall for Carano.
ROUND THREE: Final round begins and Kedzie with leg kicks. Carano with a leg kick, take down by Kedzie and she gets side control. Carano holds on while Kedzie works the ribs. Carano tries to battle out, but Kedzie almost gets a choke, Carano finally gets to her feet. Kedzie shoots and gets a knee but no take down. Straight kick by Kedzie. Carano largely staying away as we are in the final minute. Good jabs by Carano and a leg kick. Kedzie answers with one of her own. Kedzie tries to shoot in, but Carano with a knee stops that. Kedzie tries one more and the round ends as they hit the mat.
They got a standing ovation and deservedly so, this is still an awesome fight.
SCORECARD:: Kedzie tried hard the last round, but Carano largely coasted. Kedzie was close to submission, and in my opinion had the better round. I had the last round 10-9 to Kedzie, but overall 29-28 for Carano.
THE RESULT: Unanimous Decision: Gina Carano - 29-28, 29-28, 30-27
Bonus Post Match Thoughts, written back on 2.15.07: I think that they were hoping for a quick win for Carano. First of all for her to come off as impressive so that she can be their face of female MMA, and also so that she doesn't look exposed or chance a decision loss. Now while the fight did go all three rounds, and Carano was a bit exposed as far as being taken down, facts are that this was actually the BEST thing that could have happened for EXC. These ladies went all three rounds and put on one hell of a fight, and in my opinion the fight of the night for this show. Kedzie kept herself in it with takedowns and took a vicious shot in the 2nd round that could have been the end, but she kept on fighting. Carano took the fight easily with the judges and I agree, and they also got a huge ovation after the fight. The bonus was the post match interview with both ladies. Both ladies were gracious in victory and defeat and just put over the fact that women in MMA had arrived. This fight probably went a long way to swaying people that were against or on the fence of the ladies fights and really, EXC couldn't have hoped for more than this.
FROM CAGE RAGE 11: FACE OFF - Anderson Silva vs. Jorge Rivera:
ROUND ONE: They come out and circle, Rivera in with the right and misses, clinch and knees by Silva. To the cage they go, still clinched and after another knee Rivera works some body shots. Rights by Silva, and then the clinch allows him to land more knees and then a left. Silva muscles Rivera against the cage, Rivera stops a takedown try as Silva works the knees once again. A left and another knee after a right by Rivera, combo by Rivera and then a combo by Silva. Rivera in with a big right, clinch by Silva and to the cage they go again. Short body shots by Rivera, but Silva maintains the power position and lands rights and knees. Rivera with a knee, but Silva right back with a right hook. Silva dances, gets a knee out of the clinch and just dominates Rivera back to the cage. Silva with short lefts and more knees to the body, combos to the body and then a great elbow strike. Silva shoots and takes Rivera down now, into the half guard and he round ends.
SCORECARD:: A dominating round for Silva as he worked the clinch beautifully and landed lots of clean strikes. I have it 10-9 for Silva.
ROUND TWO: Round two begins and Rivera misses a leg kick. Silva gets the clinch again, to the age and Rivera has the power position. Short rights by Rivera, they separate and good rights by Rivera. He lands 4-5 clean shots, Silva did not like that and lands a leg kick. They trade center cage, HUGE head kick by Silva and then great body shots follow. Elbow lands, straight left as well. Clinch by Silva, knees land, body kick follows and then back to the leg kick. Right jab by Silva, more knees follow and he just unloads with the knees and drops Rivera. A few rights follow and the fight is stopped!
THE RESULT: Anderson Silva via RD2 (3:53) TKO
That was just excellent work from Silva.
FROM the StrikeForce-EliteXC: Shamrock vs. Baroni Show - ELITE XC MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUT – Joey Villasenor vs. Murilo "Ninja" Rua:
ROUND ONE: Yamasaki is the official, they come out and dance a bit. Leg kick by Rua and then a body shot by Villasenor. Villasenor rocks Rua with a left, to the ground they go and Rua had side control, but Villasenor works for the guillotine. He's pinned against the cage, to his feet and takes Rua back down but Rua escapes the guillotine. Villasenor to cross side position, great right-left combo and Rua scrambles to escape, and gets Villasenor to half guard. Rua transitions for a heel hook, Villasenor escapes, to the feet and Rua in with a left and then a body kick. Rua stuffs a takedown, pulls Villasenor down and into the half guard. Rua to side control and he lands some body shots. Elbows to the body now, right to the head and gets knee on belly, but can't get mount. Good lefts by Rua, rights to the body but Villasenor gets to his feet. They trade rights, Rua gets a single leg and he goes to the half guard. Rua flattens out Villasenor, works the kimura on the right arm but Villasenor gets out of that, but Rua lands big elbows. Mount by Rua for a moment, Villasenor out, to his feet and the round ends.
SCORECARD:: Villasenor came out strong, but Rua turned the tide and dominated the latter part of the round. I will go Rua 10-9, he turned the round into his favor and with another 30-seconds, he may have finished Villasenor.
ROUND TWO: We head to round two and a big flying knee by Rua. Rua stalks Villasenor, catches Villasenor with a right and then follows with a knee. Another right, wild right by Villasenor and then a body kick follows. Great right by Rua, combo follows and then a right by Rua DROPS Villasenor, he pounces on him, lands a few shots on the ground and IT IS ALL OVER!
THE RESULT: Winner and NEW Champion Murilo "Ninja" Rua via RD2 (1:05) TKO
Damn good fight, but an overall dominating performance by Rua. Unfortunately he wouldn't have a successful title run.
THE 411: I don't have much to say other than this was a great hour of fights. I believe this is airing Sunday night on FSN, so if you have the chance, catch the show.
