MMA Fight World

It may not be widely recognized as the deepest division in the world, but the bantamweights are starting to carve out quite a reputation in the UFC.

Mike Easton and Jared Papazian added to the cause by putting in some awesome work tonight on the UFC on FX 1 card in Nashville.

At the end of the fight, both fighters were still standing after throwing over 400 strikes at each other. Easton got the nod via majority decision, 30-27, 29-29 and 29-28, in a crowd-pleasing brawl that got better as the fight went along.

"He's a tough dude. He was the champ back in the division where he was at," Easton told UFC play-by-play voice Jon Anik. "All we wanted to do was please the fans and we rapped. We the 35ers baby! Nothing but non-stop action. We love to fight."

Papazian (14-7, 0-1 UFC) making his UFC debut, was a huge underdog at plus-275, but he didn't look intimidated whatsoever. Easton (12-1) is now 2-0 with the UFC.

Easton generally takes a while to get going, but when he did tonight it made for an awesome final round. With the fight on the line, Easton fired up the pace and Papazian, 23, stood in front him willing to bang. The fighters combined to wing 213 shots at each other over the final five minutes.

Source:Yahoo Sports

Josh Neer is 2-0 in his fourth stint with the UFC as he choked Duane Ludwig unconscious in the first round of their bout at UFC on FX 1 at Nashville on Friday.

After the two clinched for the beginning of the first round, Duane Ludwig came in with several strikes that wobbled Neer, but then Neer answered back with jabs of his own. This patter continued to repeat until Ludwig tried for a takedown. Neer put in a deep guillotine. Ludwig raised his hand to tap, but was out before he even had the chance to tap. The bout was stopped at 3:04 of the first round.

Neer is 33-10 after this win. He has been in and out of the UFC, but has two straight stoppage wins since rejoining the promotion in October. Ludwig has been on a two-fight win streak, and now is 21-12.

Source:Yahoo Sports

Fundamentals took out flash Friday night.

Melvin Guillard looked spectacular at times, but after three minutes of wowing the crowd, he was caught in another choke and had to tap to the very steady and tough Jim Miller.

Guillard, a dynamic striker, was lighting up Miller when he made a big mistake. He left his feet to attempt his fourth flying knee of the fight. Miller was waiting and dumped him to the ground where he eventually locked on a rear-naked choke to finish things at the 2:02 mark of the first round in the main event of the UFC on FX 1 card in Nashville.

"It always something I've been able to do and then from there it was just about securing the position," Miller told UFC play-by-play voice Jon Anik. "I'm pretty confident that I am the most dangerous lightweight in the world. I'm willing to make you guys believe that."

The dominant victory puts Miller (21-3, 10-2 UFC) right back in the middle of the UFC lightweight title hunt. A second straight loss Friday and he would've tumbled down the rankings. Miller lost badly his last time out against Ben Henderson. He revealed this week that he was battling some medical issues entering that fight. That's all in the past now.

Guillard's regarded as one of the most explosive fighters in any weight division. He came out on fire.

Just 35 seconds into the fight, Guillard dropped Miller. As Miller scrambled, he got drilled by six more hard punches. Miller clutched and grabbed to avoid more damage. He ate another big knee as the fighters separated. With 2:48 left, Miller absorbed another huge Guillard punch, right down the pipe, but he never wilted. When Guillard tried a fourth flying knee, Miller was ready.

The 28-year-old from New Jersey dumped Guillard on his back and 10 seconds later scored a momentary mount. Guillard did himself in when he flipped to his back in an attempt to free himself. Miller's jiu-jitsu is too nasty to attempt such an elementary escape. Miller jumped on Guillard's back as he tried to stand up and instantly sunk in his hooks. Guillard's suffered seven previous choke losses during his career. He wasn't getting out of this one.

A relieved Miller gave Guillard (29-10-2, 10-6 UFC) much credit following the fight.

"I don't get knocked down often and he knocked me down. He hits hard man. There are a lot of guys, I think in this weight class and the one above, that don't want to fight that kid," said Miller.

Henderson faces Edgar for the UFC lightweight title next month in Japan. Beyond that fight, it's anyone guess who'll get the next shot against the winner. Miller certainly put himself in the conversation.

Source:Yahoo Sports

Don't be fooled by records in MMA. It's all about quality of competition.

Pat Schilling learned that tonight in Nashville. The 5-0 fighter got steamrolled by Daniel Pineda. Pineda, a seven-loss fighter, stormed across the cage and walked through Schilling to post a victory in his UFC debut in just 97 seconds.

With 4:09 left in the round, Pineda (16-7, 1-0 UFC) got things rolling with a short left. He grabbed Schilling and scored an easy takedown. Just six seconds later, he mounted the stunned Schilling. Pineda unloaded with some big shots to Schilling's forehead, who turned to give his back with 3:53 left. Eventually Schilling stood up with Pineda on his back. That only made it easier to slap on the rear-naked choke. Referee Mario Yamasaki saved Schilling a few seconds later after it went back down to the ground.

Denis brutalizes Sandoval in 22-second win

Who could pen a better script for a UFC debut, than what Nick Denis produced on the UFC on FX 1 undercard?

The Canadian let his hands go in the opening seconds then backed it up with four vicious standing elbows to drop Joseph Sandoval and post a win in just 22 seconds in the opener of the prelims on FUEL TV.

Denis (11-2, 1-0 UFC) showed good boxing early and landed a big right just 12 seconds in. When he got a hold of Sandoval's head in a thai clinch, the smaller American was in big trouble. Sandoval has made two trips to the Octagon and dropped both fights in a combined 99 seconds.

Camoes won't let debutants go 3-for-3, Brazilian subs Hayden

Tommy Hayden was holding his own for a while, but he was stepping up to another level tonight in Fabricio Camoes.

Camoes withstood an early onslaught from the UFC rookie. Hayden got a little too grapple-happy, had his back taken and had to tap to a nasty rear-naked choke at the 4:03 mark of the first round in fight No. 3 of the night.

Camoes hit the deck three times early in the fight. Two times, he was on his knees and another on his back, but Hayden couldn't settle him. Hayden got on top again with 2:35 left, but Camoes eventually scrambled to score a sweep and take top control.

After a few seconds, he stood up and launched himself back on top landing a hammerfist. Camoes eventually got Hayden's back where he began to work the finishing choke.

With just over a minute left in the round, Hayden was shot. The choke was tight. It appeared he actually tapped twice before referee Josh Rosenthal honored a third tap to end the fight.

Hayden, 25, dropped the first fight of career after an 8-0 start. Camoes (14-6-1) evened his UFC mark at 1-1-1.

Source:Yahoo Sports

Charlie Brenneman and Khabib Nurmagomedov walked away from UFC on FX 1 winners. Brenneman took a decision, while Nurmagomedov had an impressive, late submission.

Brenneman grapples his way to a win

Charlie Brenneman took the win over Daniel Roberts with a 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 decision.

Roberts started the first round strong with a bevy of punches, and Brenneman responded with a takedown. Roberts grabbed a guillotine, but wasn't in a good position to finish him off. Brenneman popped  his head out, and controlled Roberts. He moved into side control and maneuvered Roberts into a crucifix hold, landing several punches to Roberts' head along the way. Several appeared to hit the back of Roberts' head, but referee Herb Dean did not see the illegal strikes.

The second round started with another Brenneman takedown. Again, Brenneman worked Roberts into a crucifix. This time, he landed more strikes to Roberts' face. Roberts worked his way out from the crucifix, but Brenneman remained in control until they were stood up with 1:30. In the final minute, Brenneman tried for another takedown, and Roberts used the opportunity to lock Brenneman into a triangle choke with seconds left in the round. Though a submission appeared close, Brenneman was saved by the round ending.

The third verse was the same as the first: Brenneman took Roberts down and moved Roberts into side control. Again, Brenneman landed several strikes, but didn't do much damage to Roberts' face. Roberts hit another last-minute submission. This time, it was a Kimura. Again, Brenneman was saved by the end of the round.

Nurmagomedov wins debut

Khabib Nurmagomedov won his UFC debut with a third round rear naked choke of Kamal Shalorus.

Shalorus stalked Nurmagomedov down in the first round. Shalorus wobbled Nurmagomedov, but it was Nurmagomedov's counter that changed the tenor of the fight. His uppercut knocked Shalorus to the ground. Though Shalorus was able to avoid the knockout, Nurmagomedov controlled Shalorus on the ground. At the 45-second mark, Shalorus got back to his feet and swung wildly at Nurmagomedov.  Somehow, the two made it to the end of the round.

In the second, Nurmagomedov caught Shalorus' head when he shot in for a takedown. Nurmagomedov ended on top. They were stood up for a lack of activity around the three-minute mark, and Nurmagomedov got another takedown. Again, they were stood up. Nurmagomedov showed strong striking just before the horn sounded to end the round.

Nurmagomedov again took down Shalorus in the third round. Shalorus tried for a guillotine, but couldn't hold on. When Shalorus lost the submission attempt, Nurmagomedov had full mount. Shalorus flipped over, but gave up his neck. Nurmagomedov grabbed a rear naked choke, causing Shalorus to tap at

Source:Yahoo Sports

He doesn't rank up there with the likes of Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture, but Jorge Rivera certainly did his part as one of the building blocks for the UFC.

A long-time card filler since 2003, Rivera announced earlier in the day that he was retiring following his fight tonight. He seized the opportunity to shine in his final trip to the Octagon by wearing down and eventually punching out Eric Schafer at the 1:31 mark of the second round of the final fight on the FUEL TV portion of the UFC on FX 1 card.

"I want to thank Zuffa. I want to thank Dana White, the Fertitta brothers, Burt Watson, whose voice I'm going to miss dearly in the back," Rivera told UFC play-by-play announcer Jon Anik.

Rivera then turned his attention to thanking his family and training partners. That's when he got a bit emotional.

It was nice to see the near 40-year-old make it to the cage tonight for his 15th career fight with the promotion. He nearly retired back in 2009 after the tragic passing of his daughter Jessica.

Rivera (19-9) turned pro back in 2001. He finishes with an 8-7 record in the UFC. He rose near the top of the division facing former UFC middleweight champ Rich Franklin at UFC 50. He also lost to current contender Michael Bisping. He had to overcome some rough times in his personal life when Jessica, 17, passed away after a fatal reaction to birth control medication.

"I'm grateful I fought here in front of a lot of people. It's been a real nice trip. It's been real good to me," said Rivera.

Rivera's seen the sport come a long way. In 2003, UFC pay-per-views had trouble eclipsing 50,000 buys. Tonight, between FUEL TV and FX, all 11 fights are being televised to a nationwide audience.

The victory was typical Rivera. He never panics in the cage, so even when he was getting dominated in the grappling game, Rivera stayed composed in the first round. Schafer, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, had top control for much of the opening round, but never threatened with a submission.

Schafer (12-7-2, 3-6 UFC) is a new entry to the middleweight division. His stamina was an issue in his UFC debut fight at 185 pounds against Aaron Simpson and it happened again tonight.

"He's a strong guy. I was watching him in the back. He had a real tough [weight] cut, so I knew the longer the fight would go, he would have a harder time. And I could feel him breathing harder and harder," said Rivera.

Rivera escaped one final takedown attempt with 4:10 left in the second. With Schafer on his hands and knees, Rivera stunned him with a right uppercut. He eventually faded to the cage where he ate 23 unanswered shots. After several requests from referee Herb Dean to defend himself, Schafer didn't respond and the fight was stopped.

Source:Yahoo Sports

Pat Barry broke a two-fight losing skid with a first-round knockout of Christian Morecraft at UFC on FX 1 in Nashville on Friday. The path to Barry's knockout win was paved with a much better ground game from Barry.

As the fight started, Morecraft caught Barry's kick, took Barry down, and immediately tried for a rear naked choke. Morecraft wasn't in good position for the choke, and Barry defended it, then pushed Morecraft off of him. After they returned to their feet, Barry landed stiff jabs that damaged Morecraft's face. Morecraft got a takedown and briefly moved into full mount before getting an armbar.

Barry showed greatly improved submission defense, working his way out of the submission. When they returned to their feet, Barry threw a massive left hook and knocked Morecraft to the ground. He finished with three strikes on the ground before referee Herb Dean stepped in and stopped the fight at 3:38 in the first round.

This is the best Barry has looked in a year. He was on a two-fight losing streak, but this Barry finally had a ground game and submission defense.

"I'm sorry. That took me nine choked out experiences to make that happen," Barry said after the bout.

Source:Yahoo Sports

Explosiveness against technique. It's a solid way to describe the main event tonight at UFC on FX 1.

Melvin Guillard can overwhelm his opponents, while Jim Miller can slowly pick you apart with his overall game. But there may be one other factor that determines the outcomes of this one. Guillard may simply be too big for Miller, one of the smaller fighters in the lightweight division.

Guillard tweeted this morning that he'll actually be over the welterweight limit as he steps into the Octagon tonight (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) for this 155-pound tilt.

Kevin Iole and Frank Trigg joined myself on ESPN1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas to make our picks using the Sin City betting odds. Iole likes Guillard and Trigg thinks the size disparity won't make a difference. He's worried about Guillard surviving if he doesn't finish the fight in the first few minutes.

UFC on FX 1 betting odds:
Best bets in bold

Melvin Guillard (+150) vs. Jim Miller (-170)
Duane Ludwig (-105) vs. Josh Neer (-115)
Mike Easton (-345) vs. Jared Papazian (+285)
Pat Barry (-155) vs. Christian Morecraft (+135)
Jorge Rivera (+130) vs. Eric Schafer (-150)
Kamal Shalorus (-140) vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov (+120)
Daniel Roberts (+265) vs. Charlie Brenneman (-325)
Daniel Pineda (-135) vs. Pat Schilling (+115)
Nick Denis (-255) vs. Joseph Sandoval (+215)

Source:Yahoo Sports

Mark Munoz lost out on a huge opportunity when he had to bail on his UFC on Fox 2 fight against Chael Sonnen.

It looks like the middleweight contender had no choice. The injured elbow that got operated on, had that stuff floating around in it.

Munoz faces 4-6 weeks of recovery time and hopes to return to the Octagon in May. Michael Bisping was bumped up the card to face Sonnen with Chris Weidman sliding into Bisping's spot against Demian Maia.

Source:Yahoo Sports

Dana White released his first video blog for the card on FX today. One interesting scene includes the UFC president dealing with the withdrawal of Mark Munoz from the UFC on Fox 2 card. White is getting ready to release news of the new Chael Sonnen-Michael Bising fight and says the winner will get a title shot against the currently sidelined UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva.

White must know something Sonnen doesn't because the outspoken contender sounds pretty sure he'll never face Silva.

"I'm not going to fight Anderson either way. They can say whatever they want. Anderson is never going to do that fight," Sonnen told "The MMA Insiders" show last week on Las Vegas' ESPN1100/98.9 FM. "I hope he's healthy and has a good life, but I'm not buying into this mythical world that Anderson is going to some day sign a contract to fight me."

During today's UFC on Fox 2 conference call, Sonnen reiterated his theory and said Silva turned down the fight to their boss' face.

"He even said no to (UFC executive) Lorenzo Fertitta's face. Face-to-face, not over the phone — Lorenzo brought him out, sat him down, and said, 'This is the fight we want.' And Anderson said no," said Sonnen.

Sonnen knows management isn't pleased and questions the severity of Silva's back and shoulder injuries.

"They're not happy about it. The message to Anderson was this ' Chael is the opponent for you. You can fight him or you can't fight nobody. He elected to fight nobody,'" said Sonnen. "Dan Henderson said it perfectly, if the right opponent comes up, all of Anderson's injuries will go away."

Silva's next opponent will be known next Saturday night. A date and location is completely up in the air until Silva announces when he can officially return.

Source:Yahoo Sports