UFC 88 Results & Recap
by Robert Sargent
A night that featured many tactical and strategic battles ended with a bang, as UFC 88 concluded with one of the most shocking knockouts in recent memory when "Sugar" Rashad Evans turned out the lights on Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell.
In the second round, Evans countered an uppercut attempt from Liddell with Liddell's own trademark punch - the overhand right - and left Liddell unconscious.
"Sugar" Rashad Evans vs Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell
While an Evans victory was certainly not out of the question, few would have predicted the vicious nature in which he finished Liddell; all but ending any hopes the UFC may have had for Liddell ever holding a title again.The first round saw Liddell circling Evans, waiting for Evans to engage, but Evans - like his teammate Keith Jardine - kept his distance and used footwork to avoid strikes from Liddell. Two minutes into the round, Liddell landed a solid right and Evans countered with a body kick. A leg kick landed for Evans, and Liddell began to push forward. Liddell landed a right and Evans countered with a left that opened up a cut below Liddell's right eye. Liddell landed three punches in the final 25 seconds, but Evans avoided damage and ducked a last-second head kick attempt. Extremely close round with little action.
Liddell pressed forward early in round two, landing a pair of punches as Evans backed up to the cage, but Evans fired back with wild punches of his own and drilled Liddell with a hard right hand and a left hook. A quick combination landed for Evans, and he followed it up with a looping right. Liddell tried to back Evans up to the cage once again, but was hammered with his own weapon, a counter overhand right hook, and fell face-first to the canvas, completely unconscious. The crowd went completely silent as their hero lay motionless for many minutes, with the only audible noise being the elated screams from Evans's wife beside the cage.
While the shocking nature of Evans's victory will live on in highlight reels for years to come, the reality of the situation is that Liddell's one-trick game plan for every fight no longer works against fighters with tactical strategies and power in their strikes, and this devastating loss has effectively ended any hopes Liddell may have had of ever being a champion again. With the victory, Evans was announced as being next in line to face UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin.
Winner: Rashad Evans by KO (Punch) at 1:51 of round two. He improves to 12-0-1.
Rich "Ace" Franklin vs Matt "The Hammer" Hamill
Franklin's move back up to 205 turned out to be a successful one, as he outstruck Hamill through rounds one and two and finished the fight with a liver kick early in the third stanza.Franklin came out throwing inside and outside leg kicks to the lead leg of Hamill in round one, hoping to slow down the forward march of his opponent. Hamill switched stances and landed a quick one-two, but Franklin continued to land kicks to the legs. Both fighters landed strikes in an exchange and Franklin was cut above the right eye. Franklin continued to use punching combinations and quick leg kicks to dominate the striking exchanges. Franklin came forward with a combination and Hamill scored a takedown. Franklin briefly locked on an armbar and then landed a knee as the fighters got back to their feet. Another knee and two punches landed for Franklin, and Hamill was now cut above the right eye as well. 10-9 Franklin.
Franklin again used leg kicks early in round two, and landed a solid head kick and two punches seconds later that ended Hamill's hopes for a takedown attempt. Time was briefly called to check the cut above Franklin's eye, which was now a huge gash, but the fight was allowed to continue. Franklin stuffed a takedown attempt and landed four quick punches, then kicks to the body. Another hard kick to the body landed for Franklin, but the next kick went low and time was briefly called for Hamill to recover. Franklin scored with two more quick flurries, as Hamill could do little to counter. In the final two minutes, Franklin continued to tee off with knees and kicks to the legs as Hamill began to fatigue. 10-9 Franklin.
Franklin landed a hard kick to the body early in round one, then pushed forward with a jumping knee and a right hook. Seconds later, another vicious kick to the liver landed for Franklin, and Hamill crumpled to the mat. The referee stopped the fight, giving Franklin a much-needed win in his return to light heavyweight.
Winner: Rich Franklin by TKO (Liver Kick) at 0:39 of round three. He improves to 24-3-0, 1 NC.
Dan "Hendo" Henderson vs Rousimar "Toquinho" Palhares
In a battle of completely opposing styles, Henderson fought an incredibly smart fight and emerged with a clear decision victory, but the fight was definitely not as exciting as most of his past bouts.The fighters cautiously circled one another early in round one, as they did throughout the fight. Henderson defended an early takedown attempt with punches that sent Palhares to his back, then followed it up with a barrage of punches on the ground before standing back up. Palhares eventually landed a body kick, but was drilled with another right hand as he tried for a takedown. Henderson ducked a wheel kick from Palhares, then stuffed yet another takedown. Henderson dropped Palhares with a series of hooks and an uppercut, then once again pounced with more punches before standing back up. Palhares landed a wild knee and a kick, then finally scored a takedown. Time expired just as Palhares locked on a kneebar. 10-9 Henderson.
Henderson avoided an early takedown attempt in round two, but was picked up and slammed down to the canvas a few seconds later. Both fighters landed elbows on the ground, and Palhares scrambled and locked on a heel hook, then a kneebar. Henderson remained calm and pulled free of the hold, then stood up. Henderson stuffed two takedown attempts from Palhares, then ended up in Palhares's guard. Little happened on the ground and the fight was brought back to the feet. Both fighters narrowly missed with high kicks before the bell. A very close round.
Henderson landed punches early in round one, and Palhares countered with unorthodoxed wheel and side kicks. Henderson stuffed a pair of takedown attempts, then landed two solid right hooks. Henderson landed a quick flurry and blocked another takedown. Three looping hooks landed for Henderson, and Palhares landed a right of his own and scored a very brief takedown. Henderson knocked Palhares down, but was quickly trapped in a heel hook. He escaped the hold and got back to his feet, then defended another takedown attempt and landed a big overhand right. Palhares fell to the ground and Henderson threw a trio of big punches just before the bell. That was enough for the judges, who awarded Henderson with his first UFC victory since UFC 17.
Winner: Dan Henderson by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 23-7-0.
Nate "The Great" Marquardt vs Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann
Marquardt clearly had something to prove in this fight, after his controversial loss to Thales Leites, and blitzed Kampmann with relentless strikes that ended the fight in just over one minute.Both fighters landed kicks in the opening seconds, and Kampmann staggered Marquardt with a quick punching combination soon after. However, Marquardt immediately came back with a head kick that sent Kampmann reeling backwards. As Kampmann retreated, Marquardt rushed forward with constant punches and knees. Marquardt backed Kampmann up to the cage and teed off with punches to the head, then a vicious shot to the body, and Kampmann sat down and turtled to avoid further punishment as the referee stopped the fight. A very impressive performance for Marquardt.
Winner: Nate Marquardt by TKO (Punches) at 1:22 of round one. He improves to 27-8-2.
Dong Hyun "Stun Gun" Kim vs "The Immortal" Matt Brown
While definitely not Kim's best performance, credit must be given to Brown for surviving an onslaught of submission attempts in round one, but the native of South Korea, Kim, came back strong late in the fight and scored a hard-fought decision victory.The fighters clinched early on and traded knees before Kim scored a trip takedown. Brown got up, but Kim took his back and eventually locked on a standing rear naked choke. Brown somehow managed to escape the choke, but Kim leapt onto his back yet again. Kim wound up on the ground and Brown landed a few punches before Kim stood up again. Brown threw a head kick as Kim landed a left cross. An obnoxious "USA!" chant began, despite the fact that Kim had been very friendly and extremely respectful of the American audience. The fighters clinched and Kim tried for a sweep, but Brown locked on a bulldog choke. Kim escaped and took Brown's back, looking for a Kimura before the bell. 10-9 Kim.
Round two was much different, as Kim had tired himself out looking for submissions in the first round. Kim fell after throwing a flying knee and the commentators began with their endless bias and praise of Brown, discounting Kim entirely. Kim got back to his feet, but Brown continued to push the pace with strikes. Kim tripped Brown, but ended up on the bottom. Brown stood up and Kim landed an upkick, then Brown used a spinning back fist to enter guard. Brown landed more punches from the top, then clinched with Kim as the fighters rose. Brown landed knees from the Thai clinch and scored with a punching combination soon after. Kim fell while trying for a takedown and Brown landed strikes from the top until the bell. 10-9 Brown.
Kim landed a glancing punch early in round three, and Brown realised that he'd somehow forgotten his mouthpiece, so time was briefly called. After the break, Brown threw leg kicks and was met with a punch. Kim scored a takedown and tried to move to mount, but Brown got back to his feet and landed knees in the clinch. The fighters clinched against the cage for well over a minute as the commentators again displayed their horrid bias in discounting everything Kim had done in the fight. Kim quickly silenced that by scoring a takedown and landing strikes from the top, including a series of elbows that cut Brown badly below the left eye, for the remainder of the round. 10-9 Kim.
In the final seconds of round three, commentator Mike Goldberg hilariously stated that Brown was trying to hold on for a decision victory, when it was clearly obvious that he had lost the first and third rounds. When the judges' scorecards were read and, as usual, Cecil Peoples had evidently not been watching the fight and scored it for Brown, the crowd booed the Split Decision win for Kim. This, despite the fact that Kim had clearly won the fight and that Peoples manages to get every decision wrong in every close fight that he scores.
As if that wasn't bad enough, commentator Joe Rogan then publicly stated in the ring that he had felt that Brown had won the fight and been robbed by the judges; completely disrespecting Kim in the process. Yet another pathetic display from UFC commentators who display endless bias and really have no business talking about the sport. However, full credit must be given to Brown for surviving the first round and making a good showing in the latter half of the fight.
Winner: Dong Hyun Kim by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 11-0-1.
Tim "The Barbarian" Boetsch vs Michael Patt
Boetsch made short work of UFC newcomer, Patt, who had taken the fight with Boetsch on relatively short notice after James Lee had been injured in training.Both fighters came out swinging early in this fight, and Boetsch connected with a hard right and an uppercut. Knees were traded in the clinch, and Boetsch again landed a solid punch. Patt landed a leg kick as Boetsch countered with a left hook. Soon after, Boetsch countered another leg kick with an overhand right that dropped Patt. Boetsch followed it up with more strikes on the ground before the fight was stopped.
Winner: Tim Boetsch by TKO (Punches) at 2:03 of round one. He improves to 8-2-0.
Jason "The Athlete" MacDonald vs Jason "The Punisher" Lambert
Taking the fight on short notice after his thrilling battle at UFC 87, MacDonald made the most of his opportunity by submitting Lambert in the second round.MacDonald came out throwing punches to begin round one, then scored a takedown. Lambert tried to lock on a guillotine choke from his back, but MacDonald avoided danger. MacDonald landed weak strikes to the body and head for the next minute, then postured up and began to land heavier strikes to the face of Lambert. MacDonald trapped Lambert's right arm behind his back and landed elbows and punches to the face, then went back to punches to the body. Finally, with 15 seconds left, Lambert locked on the guillotine choke that he'd been searching for, and MacDonald narrowly managed to hang on until the bell. 10-9 MacDonald.
Both fighters scored with big punches to begin round two and MacDonald scored another takedown. He moved to mount and Lambert gave up his back. MacDonald locked on a body triangle and secured a rear naked choke. Lambert could not escape and was forced to submit. An impressive victory for MacDonald.
Winner: Jason MacDonald by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:20 of round two. He improves to 21-10-0.
Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino vs Thiago Tavares
On paper, this seemed like a relatively easy fight for Tavares, but Pellegrino had other plans as he dropped Tavares twice with big punches in round one and did enough in round three to secure a victory in this all-out war.Both fighters landed jabs early in round one, and Pellegrino floored Tavares with a huge right hand soon after. He pounced and landed a barrage of follow-up strikes, but referee Yves Lavigne, arguably the best referee in North American MMA, gave Tavares a chance to recover, and he did. However, just as Tavares got back to his feet, he was dropped again with a right-left combo. Again, Pellegrino seemed seconds away from a victory, but Tavares held on once more. Pellegrino landed a series of elbows from Tavares's guard, cutting Tavares above and below both eyes. Tavares finally managed to get back to his feet and landed a few hard punches, but failed with a takedown attempt. Pellegrino landed more strikes on the ground before the bell. 10-8 Pellegrino.
Tavares came out wildly swinging to begin round two, aware that he was well behind on the scorecards. He landed two solid punches, but inadvertently caught Pellegrino in the eye. After a brief break, both fighters landed big punches in an exchange, then clinched. Neither fighter could do much damage and Tavares scored a trip takedown. Tavares landed elbows from the top until Pellegrino locked on an armbar. It appeared as though Tavares tapped, which was replayed multiple times between rounds, but Tavares managed to escape the hold after the alleged tap. In the final minute, Tavares continued to punish Pellegrino with hammerfists and punches on the ground, taking the round in the process. 10-9 Tavares.
Tavares narrowly missed a high kick early in round three, then used his jab to keep Pellegrino off-balance. Tavares tried for a takedown, but Pellegrino sprawled to defend. Both fighters traded strikes in an exchange, but neither landed anything damaging. Pellegrino clinched and looked for a takedown, but it was Tavares who scored a partial takedown against the cage. Pellegrino quickly reversed, taking Tavares's back briefly. Tavares managed to escape and the fighters clinched again. In the final minute, Tavares tried unsuccessfully for a takedown, ending up on his back, and Pellegrino landed strikes from the top until the bell. An excellent fight, and a very good performance by Pellegrino.
Winner: Kurt Pellegrino by Unanimous Decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 12-4-0.
Ryo "The Piranha" Chonan vs Roan "Jucao" Carneiro
Chonan made it two-for-two against Carneiro, scoring a convincing but less than exciting decision victory after three hard-fought rounds.Chonan landed a hard kick to the body to begin round one, then stuffed a takedown attempt. Carneiro pulled guard, looked for a triangle choke and later secured an omoplata. He used the opportunity to sweep Chonan and ended up in side-control. Chonan managed to regain half-guard, but Carneiro pushed him against the cage and landed strikes from the top. Carneiro stood up and attempted a standing guillotine choke, but quickly gave up the hold and landed a grazing overhand right. The fighters clinched before the bell, with neither able to do any damage. A close round that could go to either fighter.
Chonan again began round two with a kick to the body, and the fight quickly went to the ground. From Carneiro's guard, Chonan threw punches as Carneiro fought back with elbows. Chonan stood and landed kicks to Carneiro's legs before pouncing forward with a diving elbow. Chonan continued to land weak strikes from Carneiro's guard as Carneiro backed himself up to the cage. Carneiro tried twice for armbars, but found little success and was met with more small strikes from Chonan. Chonan continued to control position until the end of the round, landing small but undamaging strikes. 10-9 Chonan.
Both fighters landed jabs early in the third stanza, with Carneiro attempting a takedown. Chonan sprawled and locked on a front choke, but Carneiro got back to his feet. Carneiro scored a takedown and ended up in Chonan's half-guard, but could do little from the top. Chonan regained guard as Carneiro pressed him up against the cage. Carneiro landed shots to the body and passed to half-guard. Chonan scrambled back to his feet and Carneiro tried for another takedown. He wound up on the bottom, and Chonan landed a few punches before the bell. An uneventful round, with Carneiro holding a slight edge.
The judges felt that Chonan had done enough in the early rounds to take a close decision victory, putting him back on the winning track, while Carneiro suffers yet another disappointing defeat.
Winner: Ryo Chonan by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 15-8-0.
Though UFC 88 had its share of slow and uneventful rounds, Rashad Evans's overhand right will live on in highlight reels for years to come, making the night one to remember.
