St. Pierre reclaims the UFC welterweight belt.
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Whoa Canada! GSP Regains Title with TKO of Serra
By Thomas Gerbasi
MONTREAL, April 19 – It was loudat the Bell Centre Saturday night – chair shaking, eardrum breaking, can’t hear ring announcer Bruce Buffer loud. But just when you thought the decibels couldn’t go higher, they did, when hometown hero Georges St-Pierre regained his UFC welterweight crown from Matt Serra via a second round TKO, putting a fitting cap on UFC 83, the organization’s first ever show in Canada.
Five seconds into the bout, Montreal’s St-Pierre (16-2) secured a takedown, trying to ensure that there would be no repeat of April 7, 2007, the night Serra (16-5) took his title via a first round knockout. Serra kept the challenger close, looking to negate St-Pierre’s reach advantage and to force a standup. St-Pierre worked his punches and forearms while muscling the New Yorker to keep him down. With under two minutes left, St-Pierre worked his way to side control, and as Serra turned, the Canadian kept firing away, not allowing the champion to get back to his feet. As the round entered its final minute, Serra, sporting a mouse under his right eye, stood and tried to land punches, but St-Pierre scored another takedown and ended the round with a fearsome attack that left the crowd roaring with each
blow.
The second round didn’t start much better for Serra, as he found himself on his back again almost immediately. For his part, St-Pierre kept moving and kept throwing punches, and even when the two stood, St-Pierre was throwing everything in his arsenal at Serra to keep him off balance, which led to another takedown with under three minutes left. The 33-year old Serra, as expected, would not surrender to his younger foe, but for everything he tried, St-Pierre had an answer, and with under 30 seconds left, the Montrealer opened up and let all the frustration of the last year out in the form of vicious knees to the body. Again, Serra wouldn’t quit under the onslaught, but referee Yves Lavigne intervened, stopping the bout at the 4:45 mark and crowning St-Pierre champion once again.
The kid from St. Isidore did good.
(ufc.com)
Round by round:
 R1: St. Pierre immediately takes Serra down. St. Pierre works from Serra's half guard. Serra almost puts St. Pierre into guard. St. Pierre stands up to throw punches and Serra gets full guard. St. Pierre connects with punches. St. Pierre advances to Serra's half guard. Serra puts St. Pierre into full guard. St. Pierre lands an elbow and continues to work punches. St. Pierre advances to Serra's half guard and then side mount. Serra gives up his back and St. Pierre throws rights to Serra's head. Serra tries to stand up but St. Pierre just pulls him back down. They stand back up. St. Pierre attacks with a quick superman punch followed by leg kick. St. Pierre scores another effortless takedown.
 R2: Serra throws a leg kick that St. Pierre catches and finishes with a takedown. Serra attempts to stand up while St. Pierre lands punches to Serra's head. They stand up. St. Pierre tries to take Serra down but this time Serra escapes it. Serra connects with a kick to the head. St. Pierre throws a spinning back kick that misses. St. Pierre connects with jabs. St. Pierre takes Serra down and moves right into Serra's half guard. Serra gives up his back and turns into full guard. Serra gives up his back and St. Pierre is working strikes. Serra rolls back into full guard. St. Pierre passes to half guard and then side. Serra gives up his back again and St. Pierre punishes Serra with knees. Serra rolls over, but St. Pierre continues with ground and pound strikes. Serra gives up his back again. St. Pierre lands unanswered knees. Serra is just covering up and the referee has no choice but to stop the fight. St. Pierre reclaims the UFC welterweight belt.
St. Pierre wins via TKO - R2 (4:45)
(mmafighting.com)
Franklin comes up Aces in win over Lutter; Bisping Halts McCarthyBy Thomas Gerbasi
MONTREAL, April 19 – Based on the reception he got from the packed house at the Bell Centre Saturday night, you would have thought that Rich Franklin was Canadian. But
the former UFC middleweight champion from Cincinnati justified those cheers in emphatic fashion, posting his most impressive win in over two years by stopping Travis Lutter in the second round of their UFC 83 co-main event.
With the crowd chanting his name, Franklin came out fast, with Lutter responding by going for a takedown which he eventually got a minute into the bout. On the mat Lutter got Franklin’s back and then worked to get into the mount, but Franklin pushed off and made Lutter settle for being in half guard. Lutter kept working though, and with under two minutes left he got the mount and transitioned into an armbar. Franklin deftly escaped and stood, bringing the fight back to the feet. Lutter immediately looked for another takedown, but Franklin wasn’t about to give it to him, and even though Lutter hung on to his foot, Franklin fired blows down on his foe’s head before ending the round with a knee.
The war of nerves continued in round two, with Franklin hurting Lutter with a kick to the head and Lutter subsequently going for Franklin’s leg in the ensuing scramble. When the two stood up, Franklin began to land more frequently and Lutter looked to be fatigued and / or hurt. The Texan wouldn’t stop going for the takedown though, an increasingly slimmer and slimmer proposition as Franklin started to find his range and open up. Finally, with a little over two minutes left, a right-left-right put Lutter on the canvas, with a final barrage bringing in referee Steve Mazzagatti to halt the bout at 3:01 of the second round.
With the win, Franklin improves to 25-3; Lutter falls to 12-5.
After a heated war of words with Charles McCarthy over the last few weeks, Michael Bisping made his final statement in the Octagon, stopping the Ultimate Fighter 4 alum at the end of the first round, notching a successful middleweight debut in the process.
Bisping (16-1) pecked away with his jab and fired off combinations in the opening stages of the bout, with a series of blocked knees in close drawing a yell of disdain from McCarthy (10-5). Bisping kept his cool and continued to throw punches, but eventually McCarthy saw his opening at the midway point of the round and slammed the Manchester resident hard to the mat. It was there that McCarthy went to work, trying to lock Bisping’s arm up. ‘The Count’ soon escaped and the two fighters stood to begin the final minute of the round. Bisping immediately let loose with a fearsome barrage, and while most of the shots were blocked, eventually the British standout broke through McCarthy’s guard with knees that dropped the Floridan. And though the final barrage from Bisping was interrupted by the bell, it was obvious that McCarthy couldn’t continue, forcing a halt to the bout at the end of the round.
The Ultimate Fighter season six winner Mac Danzig began his post-reality show UFC career in style as he submitted Toronto’s Mark Bocek in the third and final round of their lightweight bout.
Danzig’s standup, especially his footwork, was sharp early, but it didn’t keep him from hitting the canvas after a Bocek takedown attempt a minute and a half into the contest. Both fighters were busy on the mat, with Bocek showing some solid ground and pound as Danzig tried in vain to escape his opponent’s clutches. With under a minute to go, Danzig – who was returning to the 155-pound weight class after winning the TUF6 welterweight division - did escape, giving Bocek a taste of his own medicine before the bell sounded.
30 seconds into round two, Danzig pulled ahead as a knee to the head dropped Bocek. A follow-up barrage wasn’t able to take the Canadian out though, and as the crowd chanted his name, he worked his way back to his feet, only to be sent to the canvas again. Danzig kept the pressure on, getting Bocek’s back and firing away. Bocek gamely held on and eventually Danzig let his foot off the gas and stood up. While standing, Bocek aggressively pursued his foe and secured a takedown, but by the end of the round Danzig was back in control.
Looking to turn things around in the final stanza, Bocek again
used his standup to close the gap and then take Danzig down, and once on the mat, Bocek continued to fire away. Danzig got to his feet after a few moments and started to pick at Bocek with heavy shots, one of which opened a gash over Bocek’s left eye. After a brief stoppage by referee Yves Lavigne to have Bocek’s eye checked by the Octagonside physician, the bout resumed and so did Danzig’s attack, rendering Bocek’s face a mask of crimson. Courageously Bocek held on, but after the bout hit the mat, Danzig ended matters with a rear naked choke at the 3:48 mark of the final round.
With the win, Danzig improves 19-4-1. Bocek falls to 5-2.
Nate Quarry tried to make a fight out of it against Surrey, British Columbia’s Kalib Starnes, but it was to no avail, as what promised to be an exciting middleweight bout turned into a track meet, with the aggressive Quarry cruising to a unanimous decision victory that was easy for him, but dreadful for the fans.
Scores for Quarry were 30-26, 30-27, and 30-24.
Quarry (16-2) was on the offensive immediately, closing the gap and scoring with leg kicks as well as wide haymakers upstairs. Starnes (10-4-1) eluded serious trouble, but his backpedaling wasn’t making any friends for him as the action consisted of Quarry chasing and the sporadic jab from the Canadian.
Starnes opened the second in a more aggressive mode, something that suited Quarry just fine, but within 30 seconds, the pattern from round one began to be repeated again. Starnes did show signs of life with under two minutes left, scoring with some wuick combinations that got Quarry’s attention, but the fact that the crowd started chanting “GSP” for Montreal hero Georges St-Pierre made it clear that the fight was far from compelling enough to keep the packed house’s attention.
The pace picked up slightly in the final round, with Quarry continuing to move forward in an attempt to win the fight while Starnes remained content to counter, a strategy that was backfiring badly. In fact, the best ‘action’ of the fight occurred when Quarry mock-sprinted after Starnes, drawing a huge ovation.
(ufc.com)
Prelims:
MacDonald over Doerksen by TKO (strikes) at 0:56 of Round 2 (middleweight, 185 lbs.)
Day over Belcher by TKO (strikes) at 3:58 of Round 1 (middleweight, 185 lbs.)
Maia over Herman by submission (triangle choke) at 2:27 of Round 2 (middleweight, 185 lbs.)
Velasquez over Morris by TKO (strikes) at 2:10 of Round 1 (heavyweight)
Clementi over Stout by split decision (29-27, 29-28 and 28-29) (lightweight, 155 lbs.)
Goulet over Hironaka by TKO (strikes) at 2:07 of Round 2 (welterweight, 170 lbs.)
The rundown on the Prelims;
Jason MacDonald vs. Joe Doerksen (middleweight, 185 lbs.)
These guys hate each other, and it showed in the cage. Both fighters were caught in outrageous submissions but refused to tap. MacDonald, who beat Doerksen in 2005, somehow survived the worst of it.
MacDonald (21-9, 4-2 UFC) got off to a quick start by jumping into a guillotine choke just 10 seconds into the first round. Doerksen survived for close to 90 seconds in the choke and would not tap. Doerksen (39-12, 1-5 UFC) stayed calm and eventually freed himself into side control. He then worked a kimura to perfection. MacDonald's shoulder looked like it could be shredded at any moment. He nearly tapped with 2:35 left and actually yelled out in pain. MacDonald withstood the pain and made it to the second.
MacDonald scored a hard takedown 43 seconds into the round. He then unloaded seven straight brutal elbows to the side of Doerksen's head. The bloodied Doerksen was out cold on elbow No. 5, and MacDonald actually stopped for a second, thinking referee Steve Mazzagatti would step in. He didn't, and so MacDonald landed two more punches to the defenseless Doerksen before the stoppage.
"He was going to rip my arm off," said the Edmonton native MacDonald, about Doerksen's dominant position in the opening round. "You have to hang in there and pull it out when it counts. Joe and I had some bad blood. He's been a sore loser (after the first meeting) and made some excuses. I wanted to do it in dramatic and dominating fashion."
MacDonald over Doerksen by TKO (strikes) at 0:56 of Round 2
Alan Belcher vs. Jason Day (middlewight, 185 lbs.)
Day exploded onto the UFC scene with a stoppage victory against the highly regarded Belcher (12-5, 3-3 UFC).
Day, from Alberta, was dangerous on the ground and the feet. Belcher scored a takedown 59 seconds into the fight, but Day smoothly slipped his left leg behind Belcher's head. He then pounded the trapped Belcher from bottom with 28 punches and elbows.
The fight went back to the feet and Day (17-5, 1-0 UFC) pounced on Belcher, landing two brutal standing elbows that stunned the American. Belcher backtracked to the cage and Day unloaded 25 unanswered punches before the fight was stopped.
Day over Belcher by TKO (strikes) at 3:58 of Round 1
Demein Maia vs. Ed Herman (middleweight, 185 lbs.)
Wrestler vs. Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert ... and the bjj master wins. Herman and Maia scrambled all over the cage for nearly eight minutes. Herman made a crucial mistake from the top, allowing Maia to shift his hips out of a butterfly guard and slap on a triangle choke. Herman then did himself in by trying to flip out of it and landed on his back.
It was a devastating position. Maia (8-0, 2-0 UFC) was on top with the triangle choke, all his weight bearing down on Herman (14-4, 3-3 UFC) and then he got off seven flush punches to Herman's head as he was put to sleep.
Maia over Herman by submission (triangle choke) at 2:27 of Round 2
Rich Clementi vs. Sam Stout (lightweight, 155 lbs.)
This was a tough one to score. Clementi wanted to get the fight to the ground, while Stout is the much more effective striker. Stout, an Ontario native, didn't get off enough shots to win on the scorecards and never landed a fight changing strike.
Stout was also tentative after a first round where he spent nearly four minutes on his back. One judge actually scored that first round 10-8 in favor of Clementi.
Clementi over Stout by split decision (29-27, 29-28 and 28-29)
Cain Velasquez (235.5) vs. Brad Morris (225.5) (heavyweight)
Velasquez, a former Arizona State wrestler, won this one easily, but not in the fashion expected. The 25-year old Mexican-American showed good hands in dropping Morris less than 15 seconds into the fight.
From there, Morris (10-3, 0-1 UFC) was brutalized on the ground. He was mounted several times and continually gave up his back. It was clear Velasquez (3-0, 1-0 UFC) isn't comfortable with the submission game. A rear-naked choke was there to be had, instead Velasquez let Morris rise to his feet where he landed a solid combo and then got the stoppage.
Velasquez over Morris by TKO (strikes) at 2:10 of Round 1
Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Jonathan Goulet (welterweight, 170 lbs.)
This was a solid stand-up battle. Goulet was in huge trouble at the end of the first round but recovered and got the best of things in the second to finish Hironaka with a solid left-right combo just over two minutes into the round.
Hironaka (11-5, 1-3 UFC) looked like he was on the way to his second UFC win when he floored Goulet (22-9, 3-3 UFC) with a big left with 1:01 remaining in the opening round. The Japanese fighter had top control with several mounts over the next 60 seconds, but couldn't get referee Dan Miragliotta to stop the fight.
Hironaka fought recklessly in the second holding his hands at his waist. The fight turned on a big right from Goulet at the 1:46 mark of the second. Hironaka got on his horse actually running from Goulet. When the French-Canadian got in front of him the winning combo was landed.
Goulet over Hironaka by TKO (strikes) at 2:07 of Round 2
(www.ufc.com)
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