Kenny “KenFlo” Florian vs Clay “The Carpenter” Guida

Round 1:
Guida circled Florian and threw quick punches and kicks early on. Florian answered with a nice one-two and the fighters traded more punches. Florian partially landed a head kick, but fell and Guida took top position. Guida cut Florian beside the right eye, but Florian defended well on the ground and worked back to his feet. More quick strikes were exchanged and both fighters landed.

Florian tried for a flying knee, but Guida caught it and both landed hooks. A hard one-two scored for Florian, but Guida immediately answered with an uppercut. He took Florian down very briefly, but Florian stood up. Florian opened a bad cut on Guida’s temple with a standing elbow, then sprawled out to defend a takedown. He pushed Guida to his back and worked from the top, but Guida scrambled to his feet.

Both fighters landed strikes in a clinch and time was called to check Guida’s cut. The doctor allowed the fight to continue and action resumed. Another exchange of punches ended the round. 10-9 Florian in a very close round.

Round 2:
Quick punches were exchanged early in the second round and Florian re-opened Guida’s cut with strikes on the ground. Guida got back to his feet and Florian began to pick him apart with crisp strikes. A big right hook dropped Guida, who fell to his knees. Florian landed more punches on the ground, then secured a rear naked choke and Guida was forced to submit. Excellent win for Florian.

Winner: Kenny Florian by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:19 of round two. He improves to 12-4-0.

Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve vs Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello

Round 1:
Buentello landed a nice one-two right away and caught a pair of kicks from Struve. Two more punches landed for Buentello and Struve tried to pull guard. He gave up and scored with a big uppercut, then took Buentello down. Struve landed in mount, then quickly took Buentello’s back. He secured a tight body triangle and looked to set up a rear naked choke.

Struve struck from the top and Buentello was unable to move at all. Struve flattened Buentello out and looked for a rear naked choke again. Buentello, barely able to breathe from the body triangle, fought off the choke attempts. With 30 seconds left, Buentello managed to reverse and took top position. The fighters traded elbows on the ground. 10-9 Struve.

Round 2:
Buentello connected with a right hook early in the second round as Struve tried to set up a kick. Buentello dropped Struve with another right, but Struve recovered and stood up. Struve clinched and landed short knees, but Buentello reversed and pressed him against the cage. Struve dropped down for a leg submission, but Buentello evaded danger. He landed a short punch and the fighters stood up.

The fighters traded one-twos and Struve landed a flurry. He rushed in with a flying knee attempt and was dropped like a rock by a counter right from Buentello. Struve survived and Buentello allowed him to stand. Both fighters landed an uppercut and Struve clinched again. An exchange of elbows against the cage ended with a series of huge power punches from both fighters.

Again, the fighters teed off with hard punches and both landed. Buentello appeared to tire as the round neared end, but Struve seemed fatigued himself. An uppercut scored for Buentello before the end of the insane round. Great action from both fighters. 10-9 Buentello.

Round 3:
The final round was delayed slightly due to a piece of tooth stuck in Struve’s mouthguard. It was removed and the fight resumed. Struve landed a quick combination of punches and kicks. He followed with stiff leg kicks and Buentello tried to counter with overhand rights. A right cross scored for Struve and he clinched against the cage. He landed an elbow over the top, but Buentello fought out of the clinch with punches.

More kicks landed for Struve as the pace slowed a bit. Buentello backed Struve around the cage and tried to set up a power punch, but Struve kept him at bay with more leg kicks. Buentello could not find his range against the 6’11” Struve and Struve continued to pick his shots with kicks. Struve slipped late in the round, but Buentello allowed him to stand. Both landed punches in a final exchange. Great fight. 10-9 Struve.

One judge scored the fight even, while two others sided with Buentello. It should be noted that the Tennessee crowd booed any lull in action during the fight and they showered the arena with boos when Struve was announced as the rightful winner. Very disrespectful.

Winner: Stefan Struve by Majority Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28) after three rounds. He improves to 19-3-0.

Alan “The Talent” Belcher vs Wilson Gouveia

Round 1:
Belcher, sporting cornrows and bright pink trunks, landed a one-two early on and just missed with a wild haymaker. A pair of right hooks landed for Belcher, but that only angered Gouveia, who answered with hard punches of his own. Both fighters connected in a big exchange and each was hurt by punches from the other.

Gouveia landed crisp punches and Belcher missed with wild counters. More huge punches were thrown by both fighters and Belcher dropped Gouveia with an uppercut against the cage. Gouveia covered up as Belcher landed more punches and the referee stopped the fight. Solid win for Belcher, despite his bizarre appearance.

Winner: Alan Belcher by TKO (Punches) at 3:03 of round one. He improves to 15-6-0.

“Handsome” Matt Wiman vs “Sugar” Shane Nelson

Round 1:
Nelson scored with quick flurries early in the opening round and Wiman answered with a looping right hook. Nelson landed a quick combination and a body kick that backed Wiman up. Wiman recovered and rushed in with a flying knee that missed the mark.

A pair of Wiman uppercuts rocked Nelson against the cage and Nelson fell to the ground. He managed to regain his composure and trapped Wiman in guard, but Wiman landed a vicious elbow to Nelson’s forehead that cut him late in the round. 10-9 Wiman.

Round 2:
Nelson caught a body kick in round two and took Wiman down, but very little transpired on the ground and the referee soon stood the fighters up. Wiman scored a single-leg takedown against the cage and fought off a triangle attempt from Nelson.

Wiman landed some big elbows from Nelson’s guard and Nelson tried to set up a submission while avoiding taking too much damage. Nelson managed to scramble free and grabbed onto Wiman’s leg, but Wiman stayed calm and landed punches until the bell. 10-9 Wiman.

Round 3:
Time was called early in round three after a kick from Wiman strayed low. Nelson recovered and action resumed. He landed a grazing low blow of his own, but Wiman was unfazed and scored a takedown. Wiman stood over Nelson, but Nelson used the opportunity to get to his feet.

Nelson connected with a solid combination, but Wiman quickly clinched and secured a front head lock. He easily took Nelson down and looked to strike from the top, but Nelson rolled into a desperation leg lock. Wiman evaded danger and took Nelson’s back. He secured a body triangle and worked for a rear naked choke until the end of the round. 10-9 Wiman.

Winner: Matt Wiman by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 11-5-0.