Memphis, Tennessee welcomed the Ultimate Fighting Championship for the first time tonight at UFC 107: “Penn vs Sanchez,” which featured a UFC Lightweight Championship bout between “The Prodigy” BJ Penn and Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez in the night’s main event.

Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir continued his quest back to the title when he destroyed Cheick Kongo, while two-time UFC Lightweight title challenger Kenny “KenFlo” Florian submitted Clay “The Carpenter” Guida. MMARising.com has live play-by-play of the event.

UFC Lightweight Championship

“The Prodigy” BJ Penn vs Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez

Round 1:
Penn dropped Sanchez early on and absolutely teed off with punches, but Sanchez somehow narrowly survived. More punches landed for Penn, but Sanchez managed to get back to his feet. Soon after, Penn dropped Sanchez again as Sanchez rushed in, but Sanchez managed to clinch against the cage. He landed an elbow over the top and Penn backed away.

Sanchez threw kicks from a distance and Penn answered with a counter one-two. He sprawled out of a takedown attempt from Sanchez and continued to stalk Sanchez around the cage. A two-punch flurry landed for Sanchez and Penn staggered him again with another counter right hook. 10-8 Penn.

Round 2:
Sanchez ducked under a right hook to begin round two and clinched for a takedown. Predictably, he could not get the ultra-agile Penn down and the fighters separated. Penn backed Sanchez up with a flurry and easily evaded a takedown attempt. Sanchez landed a high kick, but Penn shrugged it off and scored with two right crosses.

Penn caught Sanchez with a counter hook and stepped out of a takedown, then blasted Sanchez with punches. Sanchez missed with a head kick and Penn landed another combination. A trio of punches scored for Penn and Sanchez’s face continued to swell. Sanchez shot in for another takedown attempt and got Penn down for all of one second. 10-9 Penn.

Round 3:
Sanchez landed a nice body kick in round three, but Penn immediately answered with a counter left hook. Sanchez once again tried for a takedown and met with zero success. Penn landed uppercuts in the clinch and backed away. Sanchez, now bleeding from the mouth, attempted another single-leg takedown.

Penn defended against the cage and connected with an elbow over the top. He picked up the pace and landed a pair of looping hooks. Sanchez answered with a leg kick and clinched. Penn reversed position against the cage briefly, but Sanchez continued to feebly try for takedowns. Penn landed a combination before the bell. 10-9 Penn.

Round 4:
Counter hooks from Penn continued to stop Sanchez in his tracks in the fourth round and Penn did not appear to be tired at all. Penn stuffed a takedown with punches and rocked Sanchez’s head back with a powerful one-two. Sanchez’s takedown attempts became even more desperate and Penn punched free of another clinch.

Refusing to give up on his quest for a takedown, Sanchez shot in again and could do nothing to get Penn down. A counter left hook scored for Penn as Sanchez dove in again. The crowd grew restless with Sanchez’s repeated takedown failures, but he managed to land a head kick. Penn landed a flying knee and two big hooks in the final seconds. 10-9 Penn.

Round 5:
A hard body shot from Penn opened the final round and Sanchez answered with a high kick. He grabbed hold of Penn’s leg and tried for a takedown, but Penn once again shrugged it off with ease. Sanchez tried to pull guard, but Penn secured a front head lock and stood up. A lunging right hook and a brutal head kick landed for Penn. The kick opened a massive gash on Sanchez’s forehead above his left eye.

Penn blasted Sanchez with uppercuts and Sanchez clinched. A series of elbows landed to Sanchez’s head and Penn broke free of the clinch with punches. Time was called to check the cut on Sanchez’s forehead and the doctor immediately waved off the fight. The cut was one of the worst of any fight in the UFC.

Extremely impressive and dominant victory for Penn, who has solidified his place as the best lightweight in the UFC and the best lightweight in the world.

Winner: BJ Penn by TKO (Doctor Stoppage – Cut) at 2:37 of round five. He improves to 15-5-1 and remains the UFC Lightweight Champion.

Frank Mir vs Cheick Kongo

Round 1:
The fighters missed with punches early on, but Mir floored Kongo with a huge looping left hook. Kongo recovered, but Mir trapped him in a tight guillotine choke. Kongo managed to get to half-guard, but Mir wrenched on the choke from the bottom and Kongo was soon completely unconscious. Amazing victory for the refocused and significantly stronger Mir.

Winner: Frank Mir by Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:12 of round one. He improves to 13-4-0.

Jon Fitch vs Mike Pierce

Round 1:
The fight began with an exchange of lightning-fast punches from both fighters. Fitch caught a kick from Pierce and took him down. He took Pierce’s back and tried to set up a rear naked choke. Pierce stood up briefly, but Fitch stayed on his back and forced him back down to the ground. The frustrating crowd began booing for no reason as Fitch continued to use punches to set up a choke.

Pierce managed to scramble out and stood up, then took Fitch down. He pressed Fitch against the cage on the ground, but Fitch easily made it back to his feet. Short body shots landed for Pierce until the referee separated the fighters. Fitch, bleeding from between the eyes, scored with some solid punches, but Pierce answered with a flurry of his own. Pierce defended a takedown at the bell. 10-9 Fitch.

Round 2:
Fitch opened round two with leg kicks and Pierce clinched against the cage. Fitch punched his way free and landed a pair of stiff jabs. Both fighters threw looping hooks and Fitch just missed with a knee. Fitch caught a kick from Pierce and took him down. As in round one, Fitch tried to take Pierce’s back, but this time Pierce escaped. Back on the feet, Pierce landed a counter left hook.

A hard one-two rocked Fitch’s head back, but he was unfazed and answered with a knee. A stiff leg kick landed for Fitch, but Pierce fired back with a flurry of punches. Fitch scored a takedown and took Pierce’s back, but Pierce stood up. Knees landed for both fighters and they traded power punches in the final seconds. 10-9 Fitch.

Round 3:
Fitch connected with two hard knees to begin the final round and tried briefly for a takedown. Pierce defended and Fitch went back to quick punches and leg kicks. Pierce landed a left hook to the body and clinched against the cage. Fitch secured a Thai clinch and punished Pierce with a series of knees. Pierce backed away, then pushed Fitch to the fence again. Pierce landed a big left hook, but Fitch shook it off and broke free of the clinch.

Fitch fired a head kick and added a second one soon after. Fitch scored a takedown and Pierce tried to work back to his feet. Fitch took Pierce’s back momentarily, but Pierce spun free. A leg kick landed for Pierce and Fitch immediately answered with a hard flurry and a knee. Pierce badly rocked Fitch with a left hook and more punches late in the round. He continued to tee off as Fitch clinched, but Fitch survived until the bell. 10-9 Pierce.

Winner: Jon Fitch by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 21-3-0, 1 NC.