UFC 101: "Declaration" Results
by Robert Sargent
A lacklustre night of fights at UFC 101: "Declaration" concluded with BJ Penn successfully retaining his UFC Lightweight Championship against Kenny Florian, but it was Anderson Silva's destruction of Forrest Griffin that created headlines.
Credit must be given to Florian for putting forth his best effort, but he was unable to do anything to threaten Penn and was submitted late in the fourth round.
UFC Lightweight Championship
"The Prodigy" BJ Penn vs Kenny "KenFlo" Florian
Looking to be in tremendous shape, Penn fought off numerous takedown attempts and clinches against the cage as he weathered the early storm from Florian, then took Florian down in the fourth round and quickly secured a fight-ending rear naked choke.Florian opened the fight with a head kick that was blocked and Penn soon sent him off-balance with a counter right cross. Penn clinched against the cage and landed a punch and an elbow over the top before backing away. The fighters tied up in the middle of the ring and traded short punches and knees. Florian looked to kick from the outside, but Penn rushed in with a looping left hook and clinched again. More knees and short elbow strikes were exchanged and Florian backed away and threw another head kick. This time, Florian clinched and seemed to try for a takedown, but Penn easily evaded and broke free. Florian clinched a second time and kneed the ribs of Penn, but Penn fired back with punches. With 15 seconds to go, Penn staggered Florian with a right hook and followed up with a flying knee and a second knee to the jaw. 10-9 Penn.
The second round began with leg kicks from Florian, but Penn countered with a one-two and Florian clinched. Both fighters landed strikes in close, but nothing damaging. Penn scored with a left hook over the top and Florian pressed him against the cage. Florian's game plan appeared to mimic that of Georges St. Pierre, but he lacked the strength to take Penn down and Penn landed knees and punches in the clinch. The fighters separated and Penn landed a looping right hook behind the ear. Florian tried for a takedown against the cage, but Penn drilled him with uppercuts and punches over the top. Florian backed off and began to find a home for his kicks, but Penn's boxing was clearly superior. Both landed strikes in the final seconds to end the extremely close round. 10-9 Penn.
Florian narrowly missed with a head kick early in round three, but Penn countered with a quick three-punch combination. Florian once again pressed Penn up against the cage and both fighters landed knees to the body. Florian tried for a takedown, but Penn easily fought it off. Penn landed punches and elbows to the side of Florian's head, then separated from the clinch. Penn came forward with big punches that backed Florian up. Yet again, Florian tried to pin Penn against the cage, but Penn countered with two hard punches, then turned the tides and pushed Florian up against the fence. Penn just missed with a knee and Florian backed away. With 30 seconds to go, Penn reversed a takedown attempt and unloaded with punches as Florian backpedalled to escape danger. Florian attempted a pair of Superman Punches and a head kick, but ate four punches for his troubles. 10-9 Penn.
Penn caught Florian with a left hook counter in the early goings of round four, then followed up with three quick punches. Florian landed a body kick and circled away, then rushed in to attempt more clinch work against the cage. Penn drilled Florian with four big right hooks in a row, then did what Florian couldn't do by scoring a takedown. Penn stayed in Florian's half-guard and landed short elbows that caused Florian's left eye to swell. Penn postured up and rained down punches and elbows, then passed to mount. He landed more punches and Florian gave up his back. Penn continued to strike from the top as Florian attempted to roll free. Penn then used heel strikes to the liver to weaken Florian's defences and soon secured a rear naked choke. Florian gamely tried to fight it off, but could not and was forced to submit.
Winner: BJ Penn by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:53 of round four. He improves to 14-5-1 and remains the UFC Lightweight Champion.
Anderson "The Spider" Silva vs Forrest Griffin
After dropping Griffin twice in the opening minutes of round one, Silva handed his opponent one of the most embarrassing knockout losses in mixed martial arts history when he floored Griffin for good with a short jab while backing up.Griffin looked to land jabs to set up combinations early in round one, but Silva avoided all of them by circling to his left. After about 45 seconds, Silva had had enough circling and began to get into a rhythm. He switched to an orthodox stance and caught a kick from Griffin, then pushed him away. Griffin threw kicks and more jabs, but was dropped by a right hook. Silva allowed Griffin to stand and landed another right hook, then a one-two. Griffin rapidly began to look way out of his league as Silva pumped himself up and floored Griffin with a left cross. Silva followed up with punches on the ground, but let Griffin stand once again. Griffin tried to score with a trio of two-punch combinations, but Silva, with his hands completely down, bobbed and weaved to avoid them. As Griffin stepped forward, Silva threw a half-power jab while backing away that crumpled Griffin to the mat. Griffin held his hands up as if to say, "no more," and the referee stopped the fight.
After the humiliating defeat, Griffin sprinted from the cage to the backstage dressing rooms. Silva, on the other hand, spoke at length about wanting to compete against the best of the best. Whether that means continuing to fight at 185, where he is a champion, or further testing himself at 205 remains to be seen.
Winner: Anderson Silva by KO (Punch) at 3:22 of round one. He improves to 25-4-0.
Aaron Riley vs "Sugar" Shane Nelson
Getting his revenge after being on the receiving end of quite possibly the worst referee stoppage in UFC history, Riley avenged the UFC 96 "loss" to Nelson by using his size and strength advantage to dominate all three rounds.Riley scored with a looping left hook early on, which prompted Nelson to briefly drop for a takedown. Both landed punches in a clinch and Riley pressed forward with another left hook. Nelson slipped on the edge of the cage and Riley punished him as he stood up. Knees were exchanged in a clinch and Riley backed Nelson up with punches. Riley just missed with a head kick as Nelson backed away. Nelson caught a kick from Riley and pushed him to the mat, but Riley immediately got back to his feet. Both fighters landed one-twos and narrowly missed with head kicks. Riley clinched and targeted the body with knees and punches, but Nelson replied with elbows over the top. Riley caught a kick from Nelson and partially landed a head kick, then easily stuffed a takedown. Both landed knees in a clinch before the bell. 10-9 Riley.
Riley scored with a left cross and a head kick in round two, but Nelson countered with a knee to the jaw. Riley landed another left and a head kick, then clinched and peppered Nelson with knees and elbows. Nelson landed a solid body kick, but Riley sent him off-balance with a knee and followed up with more strikes in close. Riley continued to overpower Nelson, but Nelson tried to fire back with strikes of his own. Two more head kicks landed for Riley and he went back to striking from in close, then took Nelson down. From Nelson's half-guard, Riley landed elbows and hammerfists until Nelson regained guard. The referee stood the fighters up and Riley stuffed a takedown, then landed a body kick. Both fighters landed punches in close and Riley tripped Nelson to the mat at the bell. 10-9 Riley.
Quick strikes were exchanged in the third round and both scored with punching combinations. Nelson tried for a takedown, but Riley stuffed it. Riley landed a nice right hook to the body and clinched, then landed short punches to the body. Nelson fell down and Riley wound up on top, where he landed punches and hammerfists from Nelson's guard. The crowd suddenly went crazy as a fight, involving both men and women, broke out in the crowd (Video). It is Philadelphia, after all. Inside the ring, Riley continued to strike from the top as the disinterested Octagon Girls were busy texting at ringside. Riley postured up and landed some big elbows and more hammerfists that caused a mouse to form below Nelson's left eye. He battered Nelson all the way until the final bell to earn a dominant decision victory that erased much of the stigma of the first bout.
Winner: Aaron Riley by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 28-11-1.
Johny Hendricks vs Amir Sadollah
After rocking Sadollah with a counterpunch very early in the fight, Hendricks dropped Sadollah with a series of uppercuts and referee Dan Miragliotta rushed in for what some believed was a premature stoppage.The fighters traded punches in the opening seconds and Hendricks blocked a head kick. Sadollah rushed forward with a flurry of punches, but was rocked by a left hook counter. Hendricks grabbed Sadollah's head and teed off with five uppercuts that dropped Sadollah to the mat. Sadollah looked up and appeared to be getting to his feet as Hendricks threw more glancing punches, but the referee rushed in and pulled Hendricks off. Sadollah was definitely in trouble and could have been KOed seconds later, but the stoppage may have been early. Regardless, Hendricks takes the win.
Winner: Johny Hendricks by TKO (Punches) at 0:29 of round one. He improves to 6-0-0.
Ricardo "Big Dog" Almeida vs Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove
Controlling the fight on the ground for much of the duration, Almeida survived a deep armbar in round two and cruised to a clear-cut decision in an otherwise uneventful bout.Almeida rushed forward and clinched, then looked for a takedown as both fighters landed knees to the body. The fight remained in a clinch for well over a minute as neither fighter held an advantage. Almeida continued to push forward with one-two combinations of punches and tried again for a pair of takedowns, but the fight returned to a clinch again. Grove showed impressive takedown defence, but Almeida finally got him to the mat. Almeida dropped punches from the top and Grove replied with elbow strikes from the bottom. Almeida nearly passed all the way to mount and then tried to take Grove's back as Grove stood up, but Grove backed up against the cage. Almeida picked Grove up and slammed him to the ground, then landed a few punches before the bell. 10-9 Almeida.
Round two began the same way as the first, with Almeida rushing forward with a right hook and looking for a takedown. He got Grove down and worked from the top, but Grove used the cage to spin into a very deep armbar. Almeida's skills on the ground allowed him to escape the hold, which would have submitted most competitors, and he spun out of a follow-up heel hook attempt as well. From Grove's guard, Almeida landed weak punches and Grove countered with elbows. Almeida passed to half-guard and Grove briefly looked for a Kimura, then regained guard. Almeida stood up and teed off with his best punches of the fight, then switched to elbows from half-guard. More big punches landed for Almeida as Grove got to his feet. Almeida spent the rest of the round trying to take Grove down and managed to do so with mere seconds remaining. 10-9 Almeida.
Grove landed a solid combination early in the third round, but Almeida caught a kick and landed a right hook counter, then pressed Grove up against the cage and scored a takedown. Grove immediately got back to his feet and landed knees to the body and a right hook. Grove attempted to land more knees from a Thai clinch, but Almeida countered with a flying armbar attempt. Grove threw punches from the top and stood up. The fighters traded punches as Almeida began to slow down. Grove fought off one takedown, but Almeida got him down on the second try. Almeida landed sparse strikes from the top and Grove replied with elbows and a gogoplata attempt. More strikes were exchanged on the ground and Grove tried for a Kimura. Almeida escaped and the fight returned to the feet. Grove landed a one-two and defended a takedown from Almeida before the end of the close round. 10-9 Almeida.
Winner: Ricardo Almeida by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 11-3-0.
Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino vs Josh "The Dentist" Neer
Working from top position in all three rounds, Pellegrino fought off a number of submission attempts in the first round and did just enough in the latter two rounds to earn a decisive but lacklustre victory.Neer pushed forward with a quick combination and both landed punches. Neer followed with a head kick that was partially blocked. Pellegrino scored a takedown, but Neer immediately regained guard and threw elbows from the bottom. Pellegrino briefly passed to side-control and landed elbows of his own, then postured up and landed punches. Neer tried for an armbar, but Pellegrino fought it off. Neer attempted a second armbar and nearly had it, but Pellegrino slammed his way free. Neer drilled him with an upkick and tried for a heel hook, then a triangle choke seconds later. Pellegrino escaped, but Neer continued to actively seek submissions from the bottom. The fighters traded punches and Pellegrino began to mix in elbows from half-guard. The close round came to an end, but Neer had been the more active fighter from the bottom. 10-9 Neer.
Neer opened round two with a series of quick combinations and two hard leg kicks. Pellegrino replied with a nice one-two, but Neer tagged him with a right hook counter. Pellegrino tried unsuccessfully for a takedown, but managed to send Neer backwards with a left hook and a combination. Pellegrino went for another takedown and managed to get it. Both fighters landed elbows on the ground and Neer tried for an armbar and a triangle choke. Pellegrino landed weak punches and hammerfists from the top and Neer replied with more elbows from the bottom and another armbar attempt. Neer tried for a pair of triangles, but Pellegrino punched his way free. Neer switched to a Kimura, but Pellegrino once again escaped and passed to mount. Neer rolled and gave up his back, but Pellegrino could not secure a choke. 10-9 Pellegrino.
Pellegrino landed a pair of liver kicks in round three that got Neer's attention and Neer fired back with one of his own. Pellegrino caught a kick and scored a takedown, then worked from the top with short punches. Neer tried to roll for a kneebar, but Pellegrino had none of it. Pellegrino landed elbows and passed to half-guard, but Neer regained guard. Pellegrino punched from the top, but Neer cut him just above the forehead with elbows. Pellegrino landed weak strikes from the top and escaped a triangle attempt. Neer continued to be active from the bottom with elbows and submission attempts, but Pellegrino peppered him with small punches. Pellegrino moved to mount with 40 seconds left, but Neer immediately reversed and stood up. Pellegrino tried to take him down, but Neer blasted him with a series of vicious elbow strikes that opened a second cut above Pellegrino's eye. Time expired, however, giving Pellegrino the win. 10-9 Pellegrino.
Winner: Kurt Pellegrino by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 14-4-0.
George Sotiropoulos vs George Roop
In what was clearly the best fight of the night - which speaks volumes as to the quality of the remainder of the card - Sotiropoulos dominated all of the first round with submission attempts and strikes on the ground, then finally finished Roop with a Kimura in round two.The fighters traded strikes in the opening 30 seconds and Roop managed to land a nice right cross. He rushed in with a jumping switch kick, but Sotiropoulos caught it and took him down. Sotiropoulos immediately passed to side-control and looked briefly for a Kimura, then went straight to mount. He landed punches and elbows from the top, but Roop pressed off of the cage and reversed position, then stood up. Roop looked to land knockout strikes, but missed with all of them. He landed a body kick and Sotiropoulos countered with a spinning heel kick. Sotiropoulos rocked Roop with a one-two and followed up with more punches, but Roop held strong. Sotiropoulos clinched and dragged Roop to the mat, then looked for a rear naked choke. Roop rolled over and Sotiropoulos worked from side-control. He tried for a pair of Kimuras, but Roop escaped. Sotiropoulos took Roop's back and nearly secured a rear naked choke, then an armbar, but Roop broke free and landed some solid punches from the top. Excellent round. 10-9 Sotiropoulos.
More punches were exchanged early in round two and Roop scored with leg kicks and a hard one-two. Sotiropoulos pressed forward and both fighters threw big bombs, but neither connected cleanly. Sotiropoulos scored a takedown and moved directly to mount. He teed off with punches and elbows until Roop squirmed free. From side-control, Sotiropoulos locked on a Kimura and wrenched back on Roop's left arm, forcing Roop to submit. Great fight.
Winner: George Sotiropoulos by Submission (Kimura) at 1:56 of round two. He improves to 10-2-0.
Undercard Fights:
John "Doomsday" Howard defeated Tamdan "The Barn Cat" McCrory by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. Round one was all McCrory, as he attempted a variety of submissions, including a flying triangle choke and a number of flying guillotines, and dominated throughout. The third round was clearly Howard's, as he attempted submissions and landed strikes from the top. It was the middle frame that decided the fight, as both fighters secured guillotine chokes but two judges favoured Howard's takedowns over McCrory's strikes on the ground. As a result, Howard took the close and debatable decision. Howard improves to 12-4-0 with the win.Alessio "Legionarius" Sakara defeated Thales Leites by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30) after three rounds. This horrible fight featured very little action. In the first round, the lone highlight was a forearm shot from Sakara on the ground that hurt Leites, while Leites controlled round two with takedowns, choke attempts and a mount late in the round. The final stanza saw neither fighter do much of anything, but Sakara's occasional strike outweighed Leites's takedown in two judges' minds, and Sakara walked away with the win in a fight that most would like to forget. Sakara improves to 14-7-0, 1 NC with the win.
Matt Riddle defeated Dan Cramer by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-27) after three rounds. Riddle had to spend most of the first round fighting off an arm-in guillotine choke that seemed to have him in trouble, but he rebounded with a dominant second round that included strikes from the top and a series of rear naked choke attempts on the ground. Round three began with Cramer dropping Riddle, but the round was all Riddle after that. He opened a bad cut over Cramer's eye with elbows and punished Cramer with punches. Riddle controlled position for the remainder of the round and took the clear decision in the process. Riddle improves to 3-0-0 with the win.
Jesse "The Ox" Lennox defeated Danillo "Indio" Villefort by TKO (Cut) at 3:37 of round three. The close first round saw Villefort score a takedown and he later followed up with spinning back kicks to the face and body, while Lennox replied with a pair of takedowns of his own. Round two was all Lennox, as he staggered Villefort early on and semi-dropped him with a punch later on as Villefort appeared to be badly fatigued. Lennox opened round three with more big strikes, but Villefort got the fight to the ground and secured a tight armbar. Lennox broke free and reversed, but an inadvertent clash of heads caused a bad gash over Villefort's eye. The referee stopped the fight, giving Lennox the win, but this may be changed to a No Contest due to the circumstances behind the cut. Lennox improves to 11-1-0 with the win.
With a number of close and often uninteresting decisions on the undercard and an equally slow main card, the lone highlights of the night came in BJ Penn's dominant defence of his title and George Sotiropoulos's return to competition against George Roop. One thing is for certain, and that is that this was a night that Forrest Griffin would like to immediately forget.
