Rafael dos Anjos vs Terry Etim

Round 1:
Etim opened the fight with a stiff leg kick and just missed with a head kick. Dos Anjos threw a counter one-two and Etim landed a kick to the upper body. Dos Anjos scored a takedown, but was trapped in a guillotine choke. Etim kept dos Anjos in the choke and locked on a body triangle from his guard. Dos Anjos powered out and threw elbows and hammerfists from the top. He passed to side-control and landed three knees to the back that were deemed to be illegal strikes to the spine.

Referee Marc Goddard stood the fighters up and warned dos Anjos, though he did not appear to have done anything wrong. The fighters clinched and Etim tripped dos Anjos to the mat. He avoided a heel hook attempt and spun into dos Anjos’s butterfly guard. Etim struck from the top and dos Anjos rolled for a kneebar before the end of the round. Close round. 10-9 Etim.

Round 2:
The fighters traded leg kicks in the second round and dos Anjos pushed forward with a pair of lunging punches. He clinched and Etim drilled him with a knee. Dos Anjos recovered and scored a takedown. He landed in side-control and threw short strikes from the top. Dos Anjos tried to move to mount, but Etim regained half-guard. Dos Anjos moved back to side-control and briefly looked to take Etim’s back.

From the top, dos Anjos landed short elbow strikes and moved straight to mount. Before he could land anything damaging, Etim regained half-guard again. Dos Anjos returned to side-control and threw more elbows, then moved to North-South position. He secured a Kimura and transitioned into an armbar. Etim tried to spin free, but could not and was forced to submit. Good win for dos Anjos.

Winner: Rafael dos Anjos by Submission (Armbar) at 4:30 of round two. He improves to 14-4-0.

Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Munoz vs Kendall “Da Spyder” Grove

Round 1:
Grove jabbed and kept his distance early on. Munoz shot in for a takedown and got Grove to the mat against the cage. Grove got back to his feet, but ate a pair of punches on the way. Grove drilled Munoz with a big uppercut as he shot in for a second takedown. Munoz maintained his grip on Grove’s leg, but was clearly rocked. Grove teed off with punches and hammerfists as Munoz appeared to be on the verge of unconsciousness, but he recovered and clinched.

A brief scramble followed, but Grove stayed on his feet. The fighters were separated and Munoz looked wary. He tried for another takedown and Grove countered with an anaconda choke. Munoz stood and landed two big right hands. He was trapped in a guillotine choke and Grove dragged him to the ground. Munoz survived, but Grove stood over him and landed more hammerfists. Grove locked on another guillotine before the bell. 10-9 Grove. Could be a 10-8.

Round 2:
Grove landed a nice uppercut early in round two and Munoz replied with an overhand right. A big knee found the mark for Grove and Munoz fell forward. Grove took his back and transitioned into an armbar. Munoz escaped and struck from the top. Munoz missed with a diving punch, but landed some solid strikes from Grove’s guard. More punches followed to the head and body and Grove tried to set up an armbar.

A big punch landed for Munoz and he unleashed a barrage of strikes on the ground against the cage. Grove turtled and rolled over. Referee Marc Goddard stopped the fight. Big comeback victory for Munoz, who was in all sorts of danger in round one.

Winner: Mark Munoz by TKO (Punches) at 2:50 of round two. He improves to 8-1-0.

Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis vs Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson

Round 1:
Davis worked his way into a clinch early on and tried to take Gustafsson down. Gustafsson stayed on his feet, but Davis landed knees to the legs. Gustafsson reversed and tried to put Davis on his back, but Davis scrambled to his feet. Davis trapped Gustafsson against the cage and isolated his left arm and leg. Davis looked for a choke, but gave it up and threw strikes instead.

Gustafsson got back to his feet and threw a kick, but Davis ducked under and clinched. He tripped Gustafsson to the mat and landed short elbows from the top. With 15 seconds to go, Davis secured an anaconda choke. He rolled through just as the ten-second mark sounded and Gustafsson immediately tapped out. Very impressive win for Davis.

Winner: Phil Davis by Submission (Anaconda Choke) at 4:55 of round one. He improves to 6-0-0.

Undercard Fights:

Ricky “The Horror” Story defeated “Slick” Nick Osipczak by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 10-3-0 with the win.

DaMarques Johnson defeated “Bad” Brad Blackburn by TKO (Kick To The Body) at 2:08 of round three. He improves to 11-7-0 with the win.

Paul “Tellys” Kelly defeated Matt Veach by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 3:41 of round two. He improves to 10-2-0 with the win.

Jon Madsen defeated Mostapha Al-Turk by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 5-0-0 with the win.

Note: A planned lightweight bout between John “Quick Guns” Gunderson and “Relentless” Paul Taylor was cancelled earlier today due to undisclosed medical reasons pertaining to Taylor.

What started off as an excellent card for the UFC turned disastrous in the main event of the evening, as Anderson Silva retained his title in anything but impressive fashion. The UFC Lightweight Championship changed hands in a big upset and there will surely be discussions about the bout’s scoring for weeks to come. MMARising.com scored the fight for the winner and new champion, Frankie “The Answer” Edgar.