UFC 103: "Franklin vs Belfort" Results
by Robert Sargent
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Texas for UFC 103: "Franklin vs Belfort" tonight and the card was an excellent one. In the main event, Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort knocked out Rich "Ace" Franklin in a catchweight bout.
In other main card action, British knockout artist Paul "Semtex" Daley put the UFC's welterweight division on notice with a first-round TKO victory.
Rich "Ace" Franklin vs Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort
The fighters circled each other early on and looked to find their range. Belfort landed a pair of quick single punches and a leg kick. Both fighters threw quick flurries and Belfort ended with a right hook. Belfort landed a one-two and a left hook to the temple that dropped Franklin. It looked as if Franklin would recover, but Belfort swarmed him with devastating punches on the ground and the fight was stopped. Extremely impressive win for Belfort.Winner: Vitor Belfort by KO (Punches) at 3:02 of round one. He improves to 19-8-0.
Junior "Cigano" dos Santos vs Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović
Dos Santos rushed forward with punches, but ate a kick to the body. Filipović just missed with a head kick and dos Santos continued to push the pace. He clinched and rocked Filipović with four punches. Filipović backed away, but dos Santos kept the pressure on. Both landed knees and a bloodied dos Santos backed away. He clinched again and Filipović pressed him against the cage. He tried to take dos Santos down, but dos Santos reversed, then stood up. Filipović stunned dos Santos with a left cross as dos Santos began to bleed from above both eyes. Dos Santos pushed forward with three punches, then clinched. He landed knees and both scored with crosses just before the bell. Very close round. 10-9 dos Santos. Just barely.Dos Santos landed a right cross early in round two and Filipović narrowly missed with a kick. Dos Santos rocked him again with punches, but Filipović held strong. He landed a left cross and dos Santos fired back with an uppercut and hooks. Another combination to the body landed for dos Santos and he followed up with a flurry. More punches to the head and body landed for dos Santos and he clinched against the cage. Time was called after a kick from Filipović strayed low. Action resumed and dos Santos cut Filipović above the left eye with a right hook. He landed a body kick and a punch soon after. 10-9 dos Santos.
Filipović looked to press the action in the final round and landed a left hook, but dos Santos immediately countered with a right. Both fighters landed punches and dos Santos scored with a nice uppercut to the body. More punches landed for dos Santos and he followed with hard knees to the body. He rocked Filipović with punches and more knees. A big knee staggered Filipović, who backed away. Dos Santos locked on another Thai clinch and landed more knees. Filipović signalled to the referee that he could not see and the fight was stopped. The end may have been anti-climactic, but dos Santos picks up another tremendous victory.
Winner: Junior dos Santos by Verbal Submission (Eye Injury) at 2:02 of round three. He improves to 9-1-0.
Paul "Semtex" Daley vs Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann
Kampmann opened up with a pair of nice combinations, but Daley replied with three left hooks. Kampmann tried for a takedown and Daley defended with an uppercut. Both landed big punches as they looked for the knockout. Daley landed two more hard punches, but Kampmann ate them and fired back with punches of his own. The two continued to trade heavy punches and Kampmann clinched against the cage. Kampmann landed a big knee, but Daley countered with a one-two and rocked Kampmann with a left hook. A dazed Kampmann backed up to the cage as Daley unleashed a huge flurry of power punches. Kampmann did not go down, but the referee correctly stopped the fight and saved him from further punishment.The win is a great one for Daley, who immediately puts himself among the elite at 170, but huge credit must be given to Kampmann for taking Daley's best shots and never falling down. Few can say that they've done that.
Winner: Paul Daley by TKO (Punches) at 2:30 of round one. He improves to 22-8-2.
Josh Koscheck vs Frank "Twinkle Toes" Trigg
Trigg landed a nice left hook early on in round one and kept Koscheck on the defensive. Koscheck looked to land haymakers to the head and body. He caught Trigg behind the ear with a looping right hook and dropped him with a follow-up right cross. Trigg tried to hold on and turtled, but Koscheck landed a number of punches on the ground and the referee stopped the fight.Trigg protested the stoppage initially, but it did not appear that he was defending himself and the referee made the right call. Koscheck takes one step back towards the top of the division, while Trigg's UFC return did not go as planned.
Winner: Josh Koscheck by TKO (Punches) at 1:24 of round one. He improves to 13-4-0.
Tyson Griffin vs Hermes "The Unreal" Franca
Griffin opened the fight with leg kicks and jabs to the body. Right hooks followed to the body and head for Griffin and he went back to leg kicks. Griffin continued to mix up strikes with punches and kicks while Franca threw single punches in return. A four-punch combination and more leg kicks landed for Griffin. Jabs followed from Griffin and Franca still could do little. Griffin landed left hooks to the liver and head, then followed up with two leg kicks and a nice right hook. Both fighters landed punches in an exchange and Griffin threw a series of leg kicks. 10-9 Griffin.Franca landed a looping right hook to begin round two and Griffin fired back with leg kicks. Franca rocked Griffin with a huge flurry of punches, but Griffin held on and threw back big shots of his own. Wild, looping punches from Franca followed and some connected. Franca caught a kick from Griffin and punched away, but Griffin landed punches himself while balancing on one leg. Griffin went back to leg kicks and scored with a quick combination. More strikes followed as Mike Goldberg horribly botched some commentary. Franca missed with two extremely wild uppercuts and Griffin dropped him with a right hook. Franca tried to trap Griffin in a desperation heel hook, but Griffin spun free and teed off with powerful punches from a standing position until Franca was left unconscious.
Phenomenal stoppage win for Griffin, whose string of decisions ends with a knockout of an opponent who had only been stopped once before in his career.
Winner: Tyson Griffin by KO (Punches) at 3:25 of round two. He improves to 14-2-0.
Efrain "Hecho en México" Escudero vs Cole "Magrinho" Miller
Miller opened the fight with a variety of kicks and followed with a nice right cross. He used a jab to keep Escudero at a distance, but Escudero caught a kick from Miller and knocked him down. Miller stood up and landed more jabs and another right cross. Miller continued to find a home for his right hand, but Escudero fired back with a one-two and a knee. More strikes were exchanged and Miller just missed with a head kick. Escudero slammed him down to the mat, but Miller got up. Escudero rocked him with a one-two, then dropped Miller with a huge right cross. Escudero followed with three more punches on the ground, but the right cross had done the damage. Big win for Escudero.Winner: Efrain Escudero by KO (Punches) at 3:35 of round one. He improves to 12-0-0.
Tomasz "Gorilla" Drwal vs Drew "The Massacre" McFedries
Round one began with an early exchange of kicks and Drwal cut McFedries twice with one punch. Drwal attempted a takedown, but McFedries defended and landed an uppercut. Punches were exchanged and McFedries threw more uppercuts. Drwal took McFedries down, but McFedries worked back to his feet. Drwal landed hard knees to the thigh of McFedries and backed away. Both fighters landed solid punches and McFedries connected with a combination to the head and body. Another big exchange followed and Drwal ate some hard punches. Drwal landed a one-two that backed McFedries up, but McFedries countered with a combination. Drwal briefly sent McFedries to his back with a grazing punch, then scored another takedown. Drwal landed punches and moved to mount, then took McFedries's back. 10-9 Drwal.Drwal opened round two with a big combination and McFedries backed up to the cage. He took McFedries down and moved to mount, then took McFedries's back and secured a rear naked choke. McFedries quickly tapped out, giving Drwal a big win.
Winner: Tomasz Drwal by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:04 of round two. He improves to 17-2-1.
Ricky "The Horror" Story vs Brian Foster
The fight began with a huge punching exchange for nearly one full minute, as both fighters landed big shots. Foster got the better of the final exchange and tried for a guillotine choke. Story escaped the choke and stood up, then took Foster down. Bleeding badly from the nose, Story worked from the top and landed elbows from half-guard. He moved to side-control and threw more short elbows, but Foster regained half-guard. Story looked to set up an arm-triangle choke, but had no luck. The fight briefly returned to the feet, but Story took Foster down again. Foster defended punches on the ground and stood up, then connected with a nice combination. The close round ended with a clinch. 10-9 Story.The second round saw both fighters throw big punches again and Story scored with a one-two and took Foster down. From half-guard, Story set up an arm-triangle choke, but he could not pass Foster's guard. It didn't matter, however, as Foster evidently could not breathe and quickly submitted to the arm-triangle, even though Foster was still in his guard. This is quite possibly the first time that an arm-triangle choke has finished a fight from an opponent's guard. Extremely impressive victory for Story.
Winner: Ricky Story by Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) at 1:06 of round two. He improves to 8-3-0.
Jim Miller vs Steve Lopez
Both fighters threw a number of hard punches in the early stages of round one, with both landing left hooks. Miller dropped Lopez with a left hook, but Lopez got right back to his feet and shrugged it off. Two leg kicks landed for Miller, but he was poked in the eye during a subsequent exchange. He was unfazed and landed a combination and a head kick. Miller badly rocked Lopez with three big punches, then dropped him with two more hooks. Lopez survived and tried to get to his feet, but Miller secured a front choke. Lopez battled through it, but ate a series of punches. Miller postured up and landed punches and elbows. He stood up, then dove back into Lopez's guard with wild punches and a solid elbow. Miller attempted a heel hook just before the bell. 10-9 Miller.Lopez landed jabs early in round two and Miller countered with a leg kick. Lopez scored with a one-two that backed Miller up, but a follow-up punch bounced awkwardly off of the side of Miller's head as Miller deflected it with his arm. Lopez's shoulder clearly popped out of place as the punch landed and he immediately backed away and waved off the fight. An unfortunate ending to what was a very good battle.
Winner: Jim Miller by TKO (Dislocated Shoulder) at 0:46 of round two. He improves to 15-2-0.
Rafael dos Anjos vs Rob "The Saint" Emerson
Dos Anjos landed leg kicks and quick one-twos in round one, then tried for a takedown. Emerson shrugged him off and rushed forward with punches that missed. Emerson landed a stiff leg kick and dos Anjos countered with a one-two and a leg kick of his own. Emerson landed two punches, but dos Anjos continued to mix up his strikes with kicks and punching combinations. More kicks landed for dos Anjos, but he was unsuccessful in a takedown attempt. Dos Anjos continued to punish the lead leg of Emerson with kicks and rushed in with a flurry. Emerson shrugged off another takedown attempt, but dos Anjos tried to take him down again. He scored a takedown, but time expired before he could do any damage. 10-9 dos Anjos.The second round began with more hard leg kicks from dos Anjos and he followed with a left hook. Dos Anjos landed an uppercut and Emerson countered with a right hook. More strikes were exchanged and Emerson threw a series of right crosses. Dos Anjos landed more leg kicks and Emerson scored with a flurry that opened a small cut beside dos Anjos's left eye. Dos Anjos tried for a takedown and briefly got Emerson down, but Emerson scrambled back to his feet. Emerson defended another takedown attempt, but ate more leg kicks. Both fighters landed hard single strikes, but dos Anjos's leg kicks were clearly taking their toll. Dos Anjos landed quick punches and a one-two before the bell. 10-9 dos Anjos.
Dos Anjos buckled Emerson's leg with a kick to begin the final round and took Emerson down. He pinned him against the cage and tried to take Emerson's back. Emerson regained half-guard, but dos Anjos landed elbows from the top. Dos Anjos postured up and landed more elbows and hammerfists, but Emerson managed to land some elbows of his own from the bottom. Emerson tried to get to his feet, but dos Anjos kept him on the ground and landed more strikes. Dos Anjos passed to side-control, but Emerson worked back to his feet. He pressed dos Anjos against the cage and landed knees, but dos Anjos reversed and looked for a takedown. The fighters separated and dos Anjos landed another hard leg kick. And another. Emerson connected with two punches, but ate more leg kicks in return. 10-9 dos Anjos.
Winner: Rafael dos Anjos by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 12-4-0.
Nik "The Carny" Lentz vs Rafaello "Tractor" Oliveira
Round one began with an exchange of kicks and Oliveira added knees in a clinch. He took Lentz down and Lentz tried for a guillotine. Oliveira escaped and stood up, then rocked Lentz with a right hook. Lentz recovered and pulled guard with another guillotine choke, but Oliveira pushed free again. The fight returned to the feet and both fighters connected with punches. Oliveira scored a takedown and worked from the top as Lentz once again looked for a guillotine. Lentz briefly secured an omoplata, but Oliveira easily spun free. Both fighters landed big punches on the feet and Lentz began to win the striking battles. A left hook landed for Lentz and he scored a takedown. Extremely close back-and-forth round. 10-9 Lentz by the slimmest of margins.Lentz opened round two with a stiff kick to the body and Oliveira replied with a right cross. Another body kick and a pair of one-twos landed for Lentz, who pushed Oliveira to the ground. Lentz evaded a leglock attempt and just missed with a head kick. The pace slowed a bit and the fighters traded leg kicks. Both landed punches and Lentz backed Oliveira up with a combination. Lentz, bleeding from the nose, landed a knee to the body and tried to pull guard with another guillotine. Oliveira escaped and landed elbows from the top, but Lentz kept him in place and attempted a number of submissions. Oliveira tried to pass Lentz's guard and a scramble saw both fighters take top position briefly. Lentz worked back to his feet and walked into a left hook counter. Another close round. 10-9 Oliveira.
The final round began with an exchange of punches and Lentz mixed in kicks. Oliveira scored a takedown and Lentz tried briefly for a guillotine, then a triangle choke. Oliveira landed a handful of punches from the top, but Lentz countered with elbows from the bottom. More punches landed for Oliveira, but Lentz got back to his feet. A lead left hook scored for Lentz and Oliveira replied with a right cross and a leg kick. Lentz scored a takedown and moved to half-guard. He stood up and looked to pass Oliveira's guard, but could not. Lentz moved back to half-guard and landed punches and hammerfists. More solid punches scored for Lentz. He maintained top control and landed strikes until the bell. 10-9 Lentz.
Winner: Nik Lentz by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 17-3-1.
Eliot "The Fire" Marshall vs Jason "Hitman" Brilz
Brilz walked Marshall down early on in round one and Marshall used jabs to keep his distance. Marshall scored with a quick combination and Brilz tried for a takedown. Marshall stuffed it and backed away. A brief exchange followed, but neither fighter landed cleanly. Brilz attempted to take Marshall down again, but Marshall's takedown defence was very impressive. More jabs landed for Marshall and he stuffed another takedown. Marshall partially landed a head kick and Brilz clinched. He pressed Marshall against the cage, but could do nothing before the bell ended the rather uneventful round. 10-9 Marshall.Round two began with another takedown attempt from Brilz and he once again met with absolutely no success. Brilz landed knees in the clinch, but one strayed low and time was called. Action soon resumed and Brilz once again tried to take the fight to the ground. He could not get Marshall down and ate a hard right hand for his troubles. Marshall landed a combination and evaded one from Brilz, then stuffed yet another takedown attempt. In the final few seconds, Brilz finally landed a few decent punches, but it was not enough to take the round. 10-9 Marshall.
Brilz refused to give up and tried to take Marshall down again in round three. Predictably, he failed. The fighters clinched against the cage and Brilz was relentless with his takedown attempts, but could do nothing. Brilz missed with wild haymakers and tried for another takedown. Marshall backed away and defended a takedown with a nice one-two. He landed jabs and tried to keep his distance. Little transpired until the final ten seconds when Brilz once again looked for the knockout, but he could not get it and the lacklustre fight came to an end. 10-9 Marshall.
One judge strangely awarded all three rounds to Brilz, despite all of his failed takedown attempts and little else. The other two judges correctly scored the fight for Marshall, who takes the well-deserved win in a fight that featured little action.
Winner: Eliot Marshall by Split Decision (30-27, 30-27, 27-30) after three rounds. He improves to 8-1-0.
Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko vs Igor Pokrajac
Pokrajac opened the fight with a series of leg kicks, but Matyushenko countered with an overhand right and landed numerous jabs. Pokrajac scored with a combination that stunned Matyushenko, but the veteran evaded further danger and scored a takedown. Matyushenko landed weak strikes on the ground, then stood up and looked to pass Pokrajac's guard. Matyushenko dove back into his opponent's guard and quickly moved all the way to mount. Pokrajac gave up his back and Matyushenko tried for a rear naked choke. Pokrajac escaped and reversed position, then moved to mount himself just before the bell. Close round. 10-9 Matyushenko.The second round began with a punching exchange and Pokrajac landed a nice combination that bloodied Matyushenko's nose. Matyushenko countered with jabs and rocked Pokrajac with a one-two. Both fighters threw big punches in an exchange, but Matyushenko's strikes were more effective and he took Pokrajac to the ground. Matyushenko landed punches from the top and trapped Pokrajac's arm. More punches followed from Matyushenko and Pokrajac could do little to defend them. Pokrajac managed to scramble free, but Matyushenko took his back. He tried for a rear naked choke, but Pokrajac escaped and got back to his feet. Matyushenko then attempted a guillotine choke, but could not secure the submission. 10-9 Matyushenko.
Matyushenko answered a leg kick from Pokrajac by blasting him with a right hook counter in the early stages of round three. He took Pokrajac down, but little transpired on the ground and the fight was soon brought back to the feet. Matyushenko clinched and pressed Pokrajac against the cage, but a stalemate followed and the referee once again separated the fighters. A brief striking exchange saw neither fighter land cleanly and Pokrajac scored a takedown, but he was immediately swept. Matyushenko maintained top position until the bell and landed occasional strikes, but could not put Pokrajac in any real danger. 10-9 Matyushenko.
Winner: Vladimir Matyushenko by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 23-4-0.
Though the card was long, UFC 103 featured excellent fights from top to bottom and served as notice that striking sensations Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort and Paul "Semtex" Daley are both on their way to great things in the near future.
