The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight with UFC 116: “Lesnar vs Carwin.” The event was headlined by a blockbuster UFC Heavyweight Championship unification bout between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin.
Also on the card, Yoshihiro Akiyama returned to the Octagon when he took on late replacement Chris “The Crippler” Leben, while heavy hitters Chris “Lights Out” Lytle and Matt “The Immortal” Brown squared off for a second time. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the event.
UFC Undisputed Heavyweight Championship
Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin
Round 1:
The fighters jabbed early on and Carwin landed a right hand. Lesnar scored a brief partial takedown, but Carwin reversed and stood up. Carwin landed big punches and an uppercut that hurt Lesnar. Carwin landed more punches and Lesnar fell against the cage. Carwin continued the assault and threw punches and elbows from the top that cut Lesnar. Carwin postured up and rained down two big elbows.
Big power punches landed for Carwin, but Lesnar held on. He kicked Carwin off, but Carwin quickly returned to Lesnar’s half-guard. Lesnar, cut beside both eyes, tried to scramble to his feet. He did so and clinched against the cage. Both fighters landed knees in close as the pace slowed. The fight remained in the clinch until the bell. 10-8 Carwin.
Round 2:
Carwin appeared fatigued in round two and both fighters threw right hands at the same time. Lesnar scored a takedown and landed in Carwin’s half-guard. He threw short punches from the top and passed to side-control. Lesnar secured a tight arm-triangle choke and Carwin, after fighting it for over 15 seconds, was forced to submit. Impressive comeback for Lesnar after a lopsided first round.
Winner: Brock Lesnar by Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) at 2:19 of round two. He improves to 5-1-0 and remains the UFC Undisputed Heavyweight Champion.
Chris “The Crippler” Leben vs Yoshihiro Akiyama
Round 1:
Akiyama caught a kick right away and tripped Leben to the mat, but Leben got back to his feet. Akiyama landed a leg kick and Leben answered with one of his own. More leg kicks were exchanged and Leben scored with one to the body. Akiyama missed with a lead left hand and Leben answered with a left hook and two leg kicks. Time was called after an accidental low blow from Akiyama. The fight resumed and Akiyama landed a counter right hand. He just missed with a spinning back elbow and tripped Leben to the mat.
Leben tried for an armbar from his back, but Akiyama escaped and worked from the top in Leben’s guard. Again, Leben attempted an armbar and Akiyama spun out. He transitioned into an inverted triangle choke and tried for an armbar, but Leben pulled his arm out. Akiyama wound up on top in Leben’s half-guard. Leben worked back to his feet and fought off a guillotine choke. Both fighters landed punches and Akiyama scored a trip takedown before the bell. 10-9 Akiyama.
Round 2:
Leben fell while throwing a head kick in the second round, but stood up and ate a right hand. Akiyama tried for a trip takedown and Leben stayed on his feet. A spinning backfist landed flush on Leben’s chin, but he was unfazed. The fighters exchanged power punches and Akiyama landed a left hand. Leben just missed with a left hook, but connected with another. He rocked Akiyama, but Akiyama staggered him with a counterpunch. Both hurt, the fighters traded wild punches and Akiyama hurt Leben again.
Leben stayed on his feet and fired back with punches until Akiyama took him down. He held Leben down against the cage and punched with his right hand. Leben stood and was hit with more short rights. Leben attempted a guillotine as Akiyama clinched, but Akiyama escaped. Leben threw a kick and Akiyama answered with a right hand. Punches and a head kick landed for Leben and Akiyama staggered backwards. The fighters clinched before the bell. Amazing round. 10-9 Akiyama.
Round 3:
Leben scored with a nice body kick in the final round and followed with a combination. He sidestepped an Akiyama takedown attempt and threw a head kick. Leg kicks also landed for Leben, but Akiyama caught one and scored a takedown. Leben elbowed from the bottom as Akiyama attempted a Can Opener submission from the top. Leben tried for an armbar and Akiyama was forced to stand up to escape. He returned to Leben’s half-guard and moved to mount. Leben tried to scramble from the bottom, but Akiyama stayed on top.
Leben regained half-guard and struck from his back. Akiyama answered with short strikes of his own and Leben got back to full guard. Leben stayed very active from his back with elbows and short punches, as Akiyama struck from the top. More elbows landed for Leben and he remained the more aggressive. With 30 seconds to go, Leben locked on a tight triangle choke. Akiyama tried to escape, but could not and was forced to submit. Incredible fight and a great comeback for Leben in his second fight in two weeks.
Winner: Chris Leben by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 4:40 of round three. He improves to 21-6-0.
Chris “Lights Out” Lytle vs Matt “The Immortal” Brown
Round 1:
Brown opened the fight with a kick and Lytle immediately answered with swarming punches. The fighters clinched and Lytle continued to throw punches over the top. Brown answered with a combination and tripped Lytle to the mat. He tried for a guillotine choke and Lytle quickly escaped. Back on the feet, Brown landed a knee to the body and followed with a head kick. Lytle reversed against the cage and Brown took him down again.
Lytle secured an omoplata from his back, then landed an upkick as Brown stood. Lytle tried to stand, but Brown locked on a very tight Brabo Choke. He held Lytle in the choke for quite some time, but Lytle managed to survive. Brown tried to roll for an Anaconda Choke, but Lytle escaped and stood up. The fighters traded strikes and swung for the fences on the feet. Lytle landed a hard body shot and Brown tripped him before the bell. 10-9 Brown.
Round 2:
Lytle threw a lunging right hand in round two and Brown tried to set up combinations. Hooks and an uppercut landed for Lytle and the uppercut hurt Brown. Lytle secured a guillotine choke and moved to mount. He released the choke and switched to side-control, then locked on an inverted triangle choke. Brown held on, but Lytle added a straight armbar as well and Brown was forced to tap out. The submission was very similar to what Lytle defeated Jason Gilliam with at UFC 73.
Winner: Chris Lytle by Submission (Inverted Triangle & Straight Armbar) at 2:02 of round two. He improves to 29-17-5.
“The American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar vs Krzysztof “The Polish Experiment” Soszynski
Round 1:
Soszynski landed big left hands right away that backed Bonnar up, but Bonnar recovered and caught a kick. He took Soszynski down and worked from the top, but Soszynski tried for submissions from his back and then stood up. He teed off with punches and opened a cut on Bonnar’s cheek. Soszynski clinched and landed short strikes, but Bonnar reversed and threw a knee and elbows over the top. Soszynski connected with a counter left hand and Bonnar backed up. He threw a spinning back kick, but Soszynski sidestepped and clinched.
Soszynski landed punches in close, but Bonnar reversed a clinch against the cage. More punches landed for Bonnar and he followed with a stiff kick to the body and a right hand. A big knee and a right hand stunned Bonnar and Soszynski battered him with hard punches. Bonnar staggered, but stayed on his feet and clinched. He threw a head kick before the bell. Excellent back-and-forth round. 10-9 Soszynski by a small margin.
Round 2:
Bonnar jabbed early in the second round, but Soszynski punished him with a lengthy series of punches. A big right hand scored for Soszynski and Bonnar backed up to the cage. The fighters swung wildly and Bonnar connected with some looping punches, but Soszynski hurt him with a counter right. Again, the fighters traded power punches and Bonnar landed a grazing head kick. Bonnar threw a knee and Soszynski answered with a left hand.
Bonnar took Soszynski down and landed in side-control. He threw short elbows from the top and tried to set up a submission, but Soszynski scrambled back to his feet. Bonnar dropped Soszynski with a knee and blasted him with left hands as Soszynski turtled. More punches followed for Bonnar and referee Mario Yamasaki stopped the fight. Huge victory for Bonnar, who was on the verge of potentially being cut from the UFC.
Winner: Stephan Bonnar by TKO (Knee & Punches) at 3:08 of round two. He improves to 12-7-0.
George Sotiropoulos vs Kurt “Batman” Pellegrino
Round 1:
The fighters traded punches early on and Sotiropoulos set up a trio of left-right combos. Both fighters landed kicks and Pellegrino looked to establish his jab. More one-two combos landed for Sotiropoulos and he dropped Pellegrino with a left hand. Sotiropoulos landed more punches on the ground and spun for a rear-naked choke, but Pellegrino recovered and got back to his feet. He landed a nice right hand and Sotiropoulos answered with one of his own.
Two more left hooks scored for Sotiropoulos and he followed with a flurry, but Pellegrino took him down. Sotiropoulos kicked Pellegrino off and stood up. A left landed for Sotiropoulos and Pellegrino countered with a one-two. Sotiropoulos continued to push the pace and remained the aggressor with punches. Pellegrino took him down again and Sotiropoulos immediately trapped him in rubber guard. He threw elbows from his back until Pellegrino escaped. Pellegrino worked from the top until the bell. 10-9 Sotiropoulos.
Round 2:
Pellegrino opened round two with a left hook and followed with weak leg kicks. Sotiropoulos grabbed onto Pellegrino’s leg and took him down. He passed to half-guard and looked to set up a submission, but Pellegrino regained full guard. A scramble ensued and Sotiropoulos moved to partial mount. He threw elbows from the top and Pellegrino regained half-guard. Sotiropoulos kept the pressure on with punches and big elbows from the top.
Pellegrino scrambled and nearly got to his feet, but Sotiropoulos dragged him back down again. Sotiropoulos moved to side-control against the cage and took Pellegrino’s back soon after. Pellegrino stood and ate a knee to the face. Sotiropoulos tried to slam him down, but Pellegrino stayed on his feet. The fighters exchanged knees and separated. Sotiropoulos threw a head kick and Pellegrino answered with a knee to the body. 10-9 Sotiropoulos.
Round 3:
Sotiropoulos jabbed early in the final round and landed a one-two, but Pellegrino countered with a four-punch flurry. More jabs backed Pellegrino up and Pellegrino struggled to find an answer. A big right hand landed for Sotiropoulos and he rocked Pellegrino with a left hook. Pellegrino took him down and Sotiropoulos immediately threw elbows from his back. Pellegrino punched from the top. Sotiropoulos looked to set up a submission from his back and Pellegrino continued to throw strikes from his guard.
Sotiropoulos once again used rubber guard to keep Pellegrino in place and he threw punches and elbows from the bottom. Pellegrino scrambled to his feet and landed punches as Sotiropoulos stood as well. Sotiropoulos pressed Pellegrino up against the cage, but Pellegrino broke free of the clinch with a one-two. He dropped Sotiropoulos with a big knee just as the bell sounded. Crazy end to the round, and a great fight overall. 10-9 Pellegrino.
Winner: George Sotiropoulos by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 13-2-0.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)