UFC Fight Night 19 Results
by Robert Sargent
Easily the best Fight Night to date, and one of the best UFC events period, UFC Fight Night 19 featured four action-packed main card bouts. In the final fight of the evening, Nate Diaz took advantage of a mistake and submitted Melvin Guillard.
The opening bout of the telecast was an all-out back-and-forth war between Nate Quarry and Tim Credeur, and Quarry rallied to win a very hard-fought decision.
Nate Diaz vs "The Young Assassin" Melvin Guillard
After being dropped by the first punch of the fight and losing the striking battles, Diaz took advantage of a mental lapse from Guillard in round two and submitted him with a modified guillotine choke.Guillard dropped Diaz with a right hook to begin the fight, but backed away and Diaz stood up. Guillard ducked under punches from Diaz and just missed with two lunging rights. Diaz landed a lead right hook and scored a trip takedown. Guillard immediately got up and used a Judo throw to take Diaz down. Guillard stood up and Diaz began bleeding badly from beside the right eye. He took Guillard down again, but he could not keep him there for long. Guillard missed with a big uppercut, then ducked under more punches from Diaz and landed a knee in a clinch. A right hand landed for Guillard and he evaded more punches from Diaz. Guillard scored with a stiff left jab and Diaz countered with an awkward body kick. The fighters traded punches in close and Guillard landed a hard kick to the body. Diaz locked on a standing Kimura and tried to roll with it, but Guillard escaped and the round ended. 10-9 Guillard.
Both fighters landed quick punches early in round two and Guillard followed with a vicious body kick that forced Diaz to clinch. Guillard punched free and narrowly missed with a Superman Punch. Diaz backed Guillard up to the cage and Guillard attempted another Judo throw, but Diaz countered and quickly got to his feet. The fighters traded punches and Diaz attempted another standing Kimura. Guillard backed away and drilled Diaz with a one-two that buckled his legs. Diaz came back with punches of his own and Guillard made a critical error by showboating. He then lunged forward with a wild punch and made a huge mistake by taking Diaz to the ground. Within seconds, Diaz secured a modified guillotine choke and Guillard had no way to escape. He tapped out and Diaz picked up a much-needed win.
Winner: Nate Diaz by Submission (Modified Guillotine Choke) at 2:12 of round two. He improves to 11-4-0.
Gray "The Bully" Maynard vs Roger "El Matador" Huerta
In Huerta's final UFC fight before departing to continue a career in movies and modelling, the UFC put him up against Maynard, who had looked very impressive in his previous two bouts. While Huerta came up short, he looked much-improved, while Maynard clearly has leagues to go before he's ready to ever challenge for a title.The fighters looked to find their range with punches in the opening minute and Huerta landed a solid leg kick. Soon after, Maynard landed a big one-two, but Huerta shook it off and countered with a quick combination and a body kick. Both fighters threw wild punches and Huerta briefly stumbled off-balance. Maynard just missed with a huge right hook and both landed short punches in an exchange. Maynard connected with a right, then a one-two as Huerta rushed in. Huerta replied with a lightning-fast combination that stunned Maynard and backed him up to the cage. Maynard circled away to try to clear his head, but Huerta landed another combination. Maynard landed rights to the head and body, but Huerta replied with a flurry. Maynard shot in for a takedown, but gave it up to defend a guillotine choke. He tried for another takedown, but Huerta stuffed it and scored with another combination. 10-9 Huerta.
Quick punches and leg kicks landed for Huerta early in round two, but Maynard landed a haymaker overhand right and followed with a one-two that forced Huerta to backtrack. Maynard landed a lunging left and Huerta countered with leg kicks. Another flurry landed for Maynard and Huerta once again fired back with leg kicks. Maynard rocked him with a right hook counter, but Huerta immediately recovered and rushed forward with a series of punches. Maynard began to mix up his punches and briefly dropped Huerta with a jab as Huerta walked forward. Huerta landed quick shots that bloodied the nose of Maynard, but Maynard replied with another hard right hand. Huerta stalked Maynard with more punching flurries, but Maynard landed effective counterpunches and avoided danger. Both fighters landed lead hooks and Hueta scored with a quick combination. Huerta pushed the pace with more punches before the bell. Close round. 10-9 Maynard.
Maynard countered a leg kick with a looping right hook to begin round three, then briefly staggered Huerta with a hard left hook. Huerta continued to rush forward with leg kicks and punches, then followed with a knee to the body and a solid one-two. Maynard scored a takedown, but Huerta rolled and tried to get back to his feet. He briefly stood up, but Maynard dragged him back down again and landed hammerfists. Huerta punched from the bottom and tried to roll, but Maynard wound up in Huerta's half-guard and locked on an extremely deep Kimura. Despite the fact that his shoulder was no doubt popping out of place behind his back, Huerta somehow did not submit to the vicious Kimura and eventually managed to reverse position, then landed knees and punches from the top. Huerta stood up, but Maynard slammed him down again. Maynard landed short punches on the ground in the final seconds. 10-9 Maynard.
The close fight was clearly a 29-28 either way, but two judges (including the ever-asleep Cecil Peoples) scored it 30-27 in Maynard's favour. This brought up more than a few questions on message boards as to whether Huerta had been put in a no-win situation for his final UFC appearance, but it did appear that Maynard had done enough to deserve the win. He has a long ways to go to a title shot, though.
Winner: Gray Maynard by Split Decision (30-27, 30-27, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 8-0-0, 1 NC.
"The Natural Born Killer" Carlos Condit vs Jake Ellenberger
Surviving a first round that easily could have been a 10-8 against him, Condit rallied and did enough in the latter two rounds to take a contentious Split Decision in a fight that could have gone either way.Ellenberger caught a kick from Condit early on and sent him to the mat with a right cross. Condit kept Ellenberger trapped in his guard and prevented him from doing any damage. Condit stood and landed a knee, but Ellenberger countered with a right hook and backed away. Ellenberger caught another kick from Condit and drilled him with a counter right, then followed with three more huge punches that forced Condit to turtle on the ground. Ellenberger teed off as notoriously terrible commentator Mike Goldberg quipped that, "It's allllll...about over" and then called guest commentator Kenny Florian "Joe." Awful.
Meanwhile, Ellenberger looked to set up a Brabo Choke, but Condit escaped. Condit stood up and landed three huge knees, but was rocked by a looping right hook and turtled on the ground again. Ellenberger unleashed hammerfists, but Condit put him on his back and moved directly to mount. Ellenberger escaped an armbar and stood up, then secured a guillotine choke. Condit rolled out, but wound up on his back. He landed elbows from the bottom and got to his feet, but was met with a head kick from Ellenberger. Condit missed with a spinning back fist and slipped while throwing a knee. The fighters traded punches and Condit looked to take a fatigued Ellenberger down, but the round came to an end. 10-9 Ellenberger.
Both fighters landed quick punches and kicks in the opening 30 seconds of round two and Ellenberger scored a takedown. Condit landed punches from the bottom and prevented Ellenberger from doing anything. Condit added in elbows and looked to set up a Kimura. Ellenberger landed a solid elbow from the top, but Condit stood up. Ellenberger took him down again, but Condit used a Kimura to sweep and wound up in mount. He landed strikes from the top as Ellenberger became even more tired, but Ellenberger managed to reverse and worked from Condit's guard again. Condit defended well and stood up, then landed two punches before the bell. Extremely close round. 10-9 Condit. Barely.
Condit landed a head kick in the early stages of round three, but Ellenberger shrugged it off. He reversed a takedown from Condit and worked from Condit's guard. Condit landed punches and elbows from the bottom, but Ellenberger countered with one big elbow of his own. Condit got to his feet and was hit with a head kick. Ellenberger landed a knee from a Thai clinch, then dragged Condit to the ground with a tight guillotine choke. Condit escaped and landed elbows from half-guard, then added in punches as Ellenberger attempted to get up. Condit took Ellenberger's back and landed even more punches. He could not secure a rear naked choke and Ellenberger soon reversed position. Condit quickly pushed him off and got to his feet, then stuffed a takedown from Ellenberger and landed elbows. He took Ellenberger's back again and looked to set up a rear naked choke with punches. Ellenberger narrowly held on until the bell. 10-9 Condit.
The judges were rightfully split, as the second round could have gone either way, but two sided with Condit and the final WEC Welterweight Champion picked up his first UFC victory.
Winner: Carlos Condit by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 24-5-0.
Nate "Rock" Quarry vs "Crazy" Tim Credeur
Both fighters lived up to their nicknames in this ridiculous war, as Quarry survived early danger and used his devastating right hand to turn the tide of this battle on two separate occasions, while Credeur's unorthodox striking led to a number of memorable exchanges. In the end, Quarry took the win, but both fighters gained huge numbers of fans for their performances.Credeur opened the fight with a variety of kicks and followed with a right cross that snapped Quarry's head back. The fighters exchanged strikes and Credeur landed a pair of one-twos. Credeur landed more quick combinations, but Quarry replied with two hard punches to the body. Credeur landed two quick flurries of punches, but was met with a huge left hook counter. The punch did not faze Credeur and he continued to land punches at will. Credeur dropped Quarry with a one-two that landed behind the ear and he dove in with more punches to try to finish the fight. Credeur immediately transitioned into a rear naked choke, but Quarry rolled over to escape. Bleeding from his clearly broken nose, Quarry scrambled back to his feet and landed another punch to the body. The fighters traded punches before the bell. 10-9 Credeur.
Credeur badly rocked Quarry with a lengthy series of punches and a head kick at the very start of round two, but everything turned on a dime when Quarry floored Credeur with a counter right hook. Credeur got up, but was dropped again by a three-punch combination. Less than 20 seconds into the round, both fighters had been badly rocked, and Quarry tried to finish Credeur off on the ground. Credeur survived and regained guard, but Quarry landed punches and elbows from the top. Credeur tried unsuccessfully to set up submissions from the bottom and Quarry continued to strike from the top. The remainder of the round was more of the same, as Credeur could do little more than throw hammerfist strikes from the bottom as Quarry landed punches and short elbows. 10-9 Quarry.
The final round began exactly the same way as the second, as Credeur once again rocked Quarry with big punches in the opening seconds and was dropped by another counter right hook. Quarry dove into Credeur's guard and punched from the top. The fight returned to the feet and a dazed Credeur threw sloppy punches. Quarry rocked him with two more right hands and the fighters traded some powerful punches, with Credeur getting the worst of it. More punches followed and Credeur fell to his back after eating a shot to the temple. Quarry punched from the top, but the pace still remained quite high. Credeur rolled for a heel hook, but Quarry escaped and landed more punches. Quarry maintained top position and punched until the fight was stood up with 30 seconds to go. Credeur landed a jumping head kick, but fell in the process. Both fighters landed punches until the bell ended the incredible battle. 10-9 Quarry.
Winner: Nate Quarry by Unanimous Decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 12-3-0.
Undercard Fights:
"The All-American" Brian Stann defeated Steve "The Robot" Cantwell by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. This was the rubber match between the two, as they had split TKO victories in the WEC. However, unlike their previous two bouts, this was slow and featured little action, as neither fighter seemed willing to commit to anything. Cantwell was the aggressor throughout the fight, but Stann landed most of the meaningful strikes and did just enough to take a decision that just as easily could have been scored the same way for Cantwell. Very little happened. Stann improves to 7-2-0 with the win.Mike "Quicksand" Pyle defeated Chris "The Professor" Wilson by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 2:15 of round three. Pyle worked from Wilson's guard for much of the first two rounds and landed some effective strikes to win both of them, but could not put Wilson in any danger. That changed in the final round when Pyle countered a takedown from Wilson with a tight guillotine choke. Wilson tried to hold on, but could not and was forced to submit. All but two of Pyle's career victories have come by submission and he is one of the best submission fighters in the entire welterweight division. Pyle improves to 19-6-1 with the win.
CB "The Doberman" Dollaway defeated Jay Silva by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. Dollaway controlled most of the first two rounds with takedowns and strikes on the ground, as well as a series of rear naked choke attempts in round two, but Silva dropped Dollaway in the second round and again in the third. Dollaway had to survive Kimuras and a flying knee that cut him beside the eye in the final round, but held on to take the decision. He had apparently been very sick the night before and could barely stand at the end of the fight. Dollaway improves to 9-2-0 with the win.
Jeremy "Lil' Heathen" Stephens defeated Justin Buchholz by TKO (Doctor Stoppage - Cut) at 3:32 of round one. Following a lengthy striking exchange in the opening minute, Stephens dropped Buchholz with a pair of knees against the cage and teed off with punches that opened a bad cut above Buchholz's left eye. Buchholz battled back to his feet, but the referee called a halt to the fight to have the ringside doctor check the cut. The doctor deemed that the cut was too severe to continue, giving Stephens the victory. Stephens improves to 16-5-0 with the win.
Mike Pierce defeated Brock Larson by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. Extremely little transpired throughout the 15 minutes in this fight aside from takedowns from Pierce. He could do nothing once he got the fight to the ground, but prevented Larson from getting to his feet. A dejected Larson shook his head at his opponent, while Pierce seemed to be disappointed with his performance. Rightfully so, as the crowd hated it. Pierce improves to 10-1-0 with the win.
Ryan Jensen defeated Steve "The Hooligan" Steinbeiss by Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 3:56 of round one. The fight's conclusion was shrouded in controversy, as Jensen survived an early flurry and eventually trapped Steinbeiss in a guillotine choke. He pulled guard and had the choke in tight, but Steinbeiss gave a thumbs-up to the referee to signify that he was okay. The referee somehow misunderstood and stopped the fight, giving Jensen a victory that he did not earn. Steinbeiss protested as the crowd booed the decision. Jensen improves to 14-5-0 with the win.
A scheduled fight between Sam Stout and Phillipe Nover was cancelled after Nover suffered a seizure while warming up backstage. He has since stated that he was in fine physical condition but will take time away from competing to ensure that there are no underlying medical concerns.
Clearly the best UFC Fight Night to date, the UFC has set the bar high for MMA in Oklahoma and Strikeforce will need to put on a great show in Tulsa on September 25th to match the success that the UFC enjoyed.
