Evan Dunham vs Tyson Griffin
Round 1:
Dunham landed a nice body kick early on and Griffin answered with a trio of right hands. He followed with a leg kick and a right hook. Dunham grabbed onto Griffin’s leg, but Griffin hopped backwards and punched Dunham repeatedly. Griffin stuffed a takedown and landed a right hook. Dunham landed a left and a front kick to the face, but Griffin quickly answered with a leg kick.
A six-punch flurry and a body kick all landed for Dunham and Griffin threw a hard leg kick. A head kick backed Griffin up, but he recovered and landed a leg kick. Dunham took him down and secured partial back control. He landed punches and Griffin stood. Dunham dragged Griffin back down and worked for a rear-naked choke. Griffin defended and punched backwards with his free hand. He fought off the choke until the bell. 10-9 Dunham.
Round 2:
Dunham opened round two with a glancing head kick and both fighters landed punches. Dunham ducked under a right hook and took Griffin down. He escaped a guillotine choke attempt and landed elbows from Griffin’s half-guard. Dunham worked for a Brabo Choke, but let it go and the fighters stood up. Griffin landed a solid right hand and a leg kick. Dunham took him down again and worked from half-guard a second time.
A scramble followed and Dunham took Griffin’s back. He tried for a rear-naked choke and Griffin attempted to use punches and elbows to the leg to escape. Dunham secured a body triangle and Griffin stood up with Dunham on his back. Dunham continued to work for the choke and Griffin dove forward to try to get Dunham off. Dunham was unfazed and Griffin stood again. The round ended seconds later. 10-9 Dunham.
Round 3:
A big exchange of punches opened the final round and Dunham landed a hard kick to the body. Griffin replied with a big right hand and Dunham promptly answered with a one-two. More punches landed for Dunham and he just missed with a looping head kick. Griffin clinched and pressed Dunham up against the cage, but Dunham punched free. Griffin landed a right hook, but collapsed forward after a body kick from Dunham.
Griffin stood and Dunham dragged him to the mat. He took Griffin’s back and worked for a rear-naked choke, just as in the opening two rounds. Griffin tried to roll to his side, but Dunham kept him in place. Griffin stood up with Dunham on his back again. Dunham worked for a neck crank, but let it go. He continued to try for submissions until the bell. Complete domination in the grappling and on the ground. 10-9 Dunham.
Cageside judge Tony Weeks inexplicably gave two rounds to Griffin, who clearly lost at least the second and third rounds, leaving Dunham as the winner by Split Decision in a fight that was nowhere near that close.
Winner: Evan Dunham by Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 11-0-0.
“Handsome” Matt Wiman vs Mac Danzig
Round 1:
Both fighters opened up with leg kicks and quick punches. Danzig caught a kick and took Wiman down, then stepped out of a leglock attempt. He struck from the top and pressed Wiman up against the cage. Wiman secured a guillotine choke from his back and rolled Danzig over. Danzig was in all sorts of trouble, but held on and was okay.
Referee Yves Lavigne missed Danzig’s moving arm and believed that Danzig was unconscious. He stopped the fight and Danzig immediately protested, as the crowd showered Lavigne with boos. Dreadful stoppage from Lavigne and Wiman was not pleased with the win. Unfortunate ending to what was a brief but solid fight.
Winner: Matt Wiman by Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:45 of round one. He improves to 12-5-0.
Mario Miranda vs David “The Crow” Loiseau
Round 1:
Miranda immediately rushed in and took Loiseau’s back while standing, then slammed him to the mat. He landed punches and Loiseau rolled over. Miranda threw elbows from Loiseau’s half-guard and tried to move to mount, but Loiseau regained guard. More elbows followed for Miranda and he pressed Loiseau up against the cage on the ground. Loiseau tried to get back to his feet and Miranda secured a front headlock.
Miranda punished Loiseau with big knee strikes to the body, which prompted Loiseau to stand up. Miranda clinched and landed knees to Loiseau’s thighs. He took Loiseau down and threw punches from the top. Loiseau battled back to his feet and Miranda returned to knees to the legs. The referee separated the fighters and Miranda missed with punches and a standing elbow. Loiseau threw a head kick before the bell. 10-9 Miranda.
Round 2:
Loiseau, with his eye badly swollen, threw flashy kicks in the second round, but none had any effect. Miranda connected with a counter hook, but Loiseau drilled him with a hard right hand. Miranda scored a takedown and took Loiseau’s back, then landed punches as Loiseau turtled. A strike opened a bad cut on Loiseau’s head and Miranda prevented Loiseau from standing up.
Loiseau rolled over and pulled guard, but Miranda promptly moved to side-control and then took Loiseau’s back again. Miranda threw punches and worked for a rear-naked choke. He continued to punish Loiseau with punches and elbows as Loiseau did absolutely nothing in return. After more strikes, the referee finally stopped the fight. Poor performance from Loiseau.
Winner: Mario Miranda by TKO (Punches) at 4:07 of round two. He improves to 10-1-0.
James “Lightning” Wilks vs Peter Sobotta
Round 1:
The fighters traded punches early on and Wilks landed a hard leg kick. Sobotta answered with punches and the fighters clinched against the cage. Sobotta landed a left hook and the fighters traded kicks. The fight went to the ground and Sobotta worked from Wilks’s guard. Wilks defended well and secured an armbar, but Sobotta managed to roll and escape.
Sobotta stood over Wilks and threw punches, but Wilks got back to his feet and connected with punches to the body. He backed Sobotta up and tried for takedowns against the cage. Wilks gave it up and pulled guard, then worked for a gogoplata. Sobotta escaped and the fighters stood. Sobotta clinched, but Wilks reversed against the cage and the round came to a close. 10-9 Wilks.
Round 2:
Sobotta scored with hard punches early in round two and backed Wilks up to the cage. He clinched and tried to take the fight to the mat, but Wilks drilled him with a knee. Sobotta backed away as Wilks battered him with punches. Sobotta again clinched and tried for a takedown, but Wilks stuffed it and stayed on his feet. Wilks landed a big knee in close and reversed, then tripped Sobotta to the mat.
He moved straight to mount and tried to set up an arm-triangle choke. Sobotta scrambled and got to his knees, then latched onto Wilks’s leg. Wilks countered with a guillotine choke and Sobotta escaped. He tried for a North-South Choke and Wilks worked free. The fighters stood and Wilks missed with a kick, but connected with punches. The round ended in a clinch. 10-9 Wilks.
Round 3:
Wilks connected with sloppy punches in the final round and backed Sobotta up. More punches followed for Wilks and the fighters clinched against the cage. Wilks picked Sobotta up and tried to slam him down, but Sobotta escaped. Wilks scored with a right hand and Sobotta tried for a takedown of his own. The fighters fell and Sobotta took Wilks’s back in a scramble.
Sobotta secured a body triangle and Wilks defended as Sobotta looked to set up a rear-naked choke. Wilks attempted to roll to his side, but Sobotta kept him in place and continued to look for more submissions. Sobotta isolated Wilks’s arm, but Wilks spun and escaped. He worked from Sobotta’s guard and threw short elbows. Sobotta did well to defend and tied Wilks up until the bell. Razor-thin round. 10-10.
Winner: James Wilks by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-28) after three rounds. He improves to 7-3-0.
Claude “The Prince” Patrick vs Ricardo “Golden Boy” Funch
Round 1:
Patrick clinched early on and muscled Funch up against the cage. He landed knees to the thigh, but Funch reversed. Patrick tripped Funch to the mat and worked from the top in Funch’s half-guard. Funch regained guard and the fighters exchanged strikes on the ground. Time was called by the referee for a completely nonsensical warning of Funch for a non-existent illegal upkick.
The fight resumed and Funch was not penalised a point for his non-foul. Patrick stood and landed a big left hand, then punished Funch with elbows. Funch defended, but Patrick stood over him a second time and rained down two big punches. Patrick moved to Funch’s half-guard and tried to lock on a guillotine choke late in the round. He let it go a split second before the bell. 10-9 Patrick.
Round 2:
The fighters clinched in the second round and Funch tried for a takedown. Patrick countered with a guillotine choke, but Funch escaped and once again tried to take the fight to the mat. Patrick secured another guillotine choke and pulled guard. Funch tried to fight it off, but could not and was forced to submit. Impressive win for Patrick.
Winner: Claude Patrick by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:48 of round two. He improves to 12-1-0.
Mike “Quicksand” Pyle vs Jesse “The Ox” Lennox
Round 1:
The fighters exchanged quick kicks and punches in the first round and Pyle kept his distance with leg kicks. He circled away from power punches and landed more leg kicks. Pyle clinched and tried for a takedown, but Lennox stuffed it and landed a hard leg kick. Pyle stayed on the outside and both fighters targeted the body. Lennox landed a lunging right hand and two leg kicks.
Pyle answered with a kick to the body and Lennox threw one of his own. More body kicks were exchanged and Pyle snapped Lennox’s head back with a jab. Lennox missed with a wild haymaker and Pyle stuck to his jab. Two windmill right hands landed for Lennox, but Pyle was unfazed and floored Lennox with two right hands and a knee. He secured a guillotine choke late in the round, then landed elbows. 10-9 Pyle.
Round 2:
Pyle staggered Lennox with a right hand in the second round and began to showboat. He bloodied Lennox with jabs and countered a Lennox combination with a takedown attempt. Lennox defended and took Pyle’s back on the feet, but Pyle secured a Kimura. The fighters fell to the mat and a scramble followed. Pyle spun into an armbar, but gave it up and worked from Lennox’s half-guard. He threw short punches from the top.
Pyle tried to move to mount, but Lennox regained guard in the process. Pyle postured up, then stood over Lennox and scored with two big punches. He dove into side-control, but Lennox stood. The fight returned to the ground and Lennox wound up in Pyle’s guard. Pyle postured for a triangle choke, but Lennox landed hammerfists and escaped. Pyle attempted an armbar late in the round. Even round. 10-9 Pyle, barely.
Round 3:
Lennox threw winging punches in the final round, but most missed the mark. Pyle landed kicks to the legs and body and a straight right hand. A lead left hook partially landed for Lennox and he followed with a leg kick. Pyle landed one of his own. The fighters continued to trade punches, with Pyle sticking to his jab. Pyle missed with a spinning heel kick and Lennox replied with a wild spinning backfist.
Lennox rushed in with punches and clinched against the cage. Pyle landed a knee to the body and an uppercut. A one-two landed for Lennox and he stunned Pyle with a lengthy flurry in the final minute. Pyle fell and Lennox punched from Pyle’s guard, but Pyle locked on a tight triangle choke. Lennox could not escape and apparently tapped out, but the referee did not stop the fight until Lennox was out cold. Poor officiating, but an excellent submission from Pyle.
Winner: Mike Pyle by Technical Submission (Triangle Choke) at 4:44 of round three. He improves to 19-7-1.
Capped off by a highlight-reel knockout of Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell by fellow ex-UFC champion Rich “Ace” Franklin, UFC 115 was a solid event with excellent fights and more than a bit of controversy. In one of his best performances in years, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović won a war with Pat “HD” Barry, though the finish came by late-fight submission rather than the early knockout that many expected.