The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida tonight for UFC Fight Night 70: “Machida vs Romero.” The abbreviated fight card was headlined by a middleweight bout between Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida and Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero.
In tonight’s welterweight co-feature, Santiago “Gente Boa” Ponzinibbio took on Lorenz “The Monsoon” Larkin. Antônio “Cara de Sapato” Carlos Jr. tried to rebound from his first pro loss when he battled Eddie “Truck” Gordon at 185 pounds. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the main card.
Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero vs Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida
Round 1:
Kicks were exchanged in the opening two minutes and Machida landed to the lead leg and body. The fighters continued to throw kicks as the round progressed and Romero landed a one-two that knocked Machida off-balance. Machida recovered and landed a knee to the liver and a straight left hand. The round ended with an exchange of left hooks. 10-9 Machida.
Round 2:
Big punches landed for both men early in round two and Romero followed with a body kick. A leg kick from Romero was answered by a left hook from Machida, who resumed kicking to the lead leg and body. Romero landed a jumping knee to the chest and Machida clipped him with an overhand left. Romero flurried with punches and Machida landed two leg kicks. More power punches scored for Romero and he wobbled Machida with a left hook. Machida regained his composure and landed two kicks late in the round. Romero tried for a takedown before the bell. 10-9 Romero.
Round 3:
Romero backed Machida up with a lunging uppercut in round three and the fighters traded kicks on the feet. Romero powered Machida down to the mat and postured up with elbows. He landed a quick but vicious barrage of elbow strikes that rendered Machida unconscious within seconds.
Winner: Yoel Romero by KO (Elbows) at 1:38 of round three. He improves to 10-1-0.
Lorenz “The Monsoon” Larkin vs Santiago “Gente Boa” Ponzinibbio
Round 1:
Larkin flashed out kicks early on and followed with a combination that backed Ponzinibbio up. Ponzinibbio replied with punches of his own and Larkin pushed him back with a front kick. He chopped away at Ponzinibbio’s lead leg with kicks and he fought off a takedown by landing knees to the body. Larkin stuffed another takedown attempt and he landed another hard kick to Ponzinibbio’s left leg. 10-9 Larkin.
Round 2:
Larkin remained a step ahead in the striking exchanges in round two, and he connected with a leg kick and a flurry. Ponzinibbio countered with a left hook, but Larkin mixed things up well with punch-kick combos. Big left hooks landed for both fighters and Larkin lost his balance. A leg kick from Larkin was met by a pair of right hands from Ponzinibbio. Larkin fired back with power punches that finally dropped Ponzinibbio. Larkin swarmed on him with punches as a dazed Ponzinibbio regained his footing and the fight was stopped as Ponzinibbio staggered backwards.
Winner: Lorenz Larkin by TKO (Punches) at 3:07 of round two. He improves to 16-4-0, 1 NC.
Antônio “Cara de Sapato” Carlos Jr. vs Eddie “Truck” Gordon
Round 1:
Carlos landed an early head kick and a right hand before clinching against the fence. He took Gordon down and worked from the top in half-guard, but Gordon battled back to his feet and tried for a takedown of his own. Carlos reversed and he tripped Gordon to the mat. Carlos closed out the round with short left hands from the top. 10-9 Carlos.
Round 2:
Carlos scored with leg kicks and a nice overhand right in the second round. Gordon tried for a takedown and Carlos defended against the cage. The fighters separated and Carlos landed a flurry. He took Gordon down and landed hard left hands from the top in half-guard. Carlos dropped back for a heel hook attempt late in the round. 10-9 Carlos.
Round 3:
Carlos took Gordon back down in round three and he transitioned to back control. Gordon defended against Carlos’s rear-naked choke attempts and Carlos trapped him in a body triangle. He worked again for a rear-naked choke and Gordon fought it off until the final 40 seconds. Carlos slipped his arm under Gordon’s chin and secured a tight rear-naked choke that finally forced Gordon to submit.
Winner: Antônio Carlos Jr. by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 4:37 of round three. He improves to 5-1-0.
Thiago “Marreta” Santos vs Steve “The Boss” Bosse
Round 1:
Santos opened the fight with two body kicks and followed with a devastating head kick that landed flush. Bosse collapsed to the mat and the fight was waved off. Brutal KO.
Winner: Thiago Santos by KO (Head Kick) at 0:29 of round one. He improves to 11-3-0.
Hacran “Barnabe” Dias vs Levan “The Hornet” Makashvili
Round 1:
The fighters were cautious in the opening minutes of round one and Dias threw occasional punches from a distance. Makashvili replied with leg kicks and a flurry that came up short. He clinched against the cage and both men tried for takedowns. Makashvili connected with an overhand right and Dias countered by taking him down. Makashvili postured for an armbar from the bottom. 10-9 Makashvili.
Round 2:
Dias landed punches and took Makashvili down early in the second round. He worked for a kimura and used it to take Makashvili’s back, but Makashvili escaped out the back. He wound up on top, but Dias quickly trapped him in a triangle choke. Makashvili slammed his way out and followed with punches as Dias attacked with an armbar. The fighters stood and Dias took Makashvili down. Back on the feet, Makashvili missed with wild punches. Dias scored another takedown before the bell. 10-9 Dias.
Round 3:
Time was called immediately in round three after Makashvili kicked Dias in the groin. Action resumed and Makashvili clinched. He threw sloppy punches after the break and quickly clinched again. Makashvili eventually took Dias’s back momentarily, but Dias reversed and tried for a takedown. Makashvili tripped him and finished the round on top. He dropped short elbows to steal the round. 10-9 Makashvili. Terrible fight.
Winner: Hacran Dias by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 23-3-1.
Undercard Fights:
– Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira defeated Joe “Joey Slash” Merritt by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 12-2-1, 1 NC with the win.
– Leandro “Buscape” Silva defeated “Lethal” Lewis Gonzalez by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 18-2-1, 1 NC with the win.
– Tony “2.0” Sims defeated Steve “The Creepy Weasel” Montgomery by KO (Punches) at 2:43 of round one. He improves to 12-2-0 with the win.
– Sirwan “Zohan” Kakai defeated Danny “The Gremlin” Martinez by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 12-2-0 with the win.