The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California tonight for UFC 117: “Silva vs Sonnen.” The event was headlined by a UFC Middleweight Championship bout between champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva and outspoken wrestling standout Chael Sonnen.
Elsewhere, welterweight contenders Jon Fitch and Thiago “Pitbull” Alves squared off for a second time, while former long-time champion Matt Hughes faced Ricardo “Big Dog” Almeida in an important 170-pound bout for both. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the impressive card.
UFC Middleweight Championship
Anderson “The Spider” Silva vs Chael Sonnen
Round 1:
Silva pawed out with jabs and caught Sonnen’s leg as Sonnen attempted a flying knee. Sonnen circled out and threw a leg kick. He rocked Silva with a left hand and an uppercut, then another punch soon after. Sonnen scored a partial takedown and tried for a guillotine from the top, but Silva escaped to his feet. More punches landed for Sonnen and he took Silva down. He isolated Silva’s arm and punched with his free hand. Silva tried to use the cage to get back to his feet, but Sonnen kept him down.
Sonnen continued to punch with his left hand and landed strikes to both sides of Silva’s head. Silva rolled and Sonnen rained down elbows and punches from the top. Sonnen stood up and landed a big right hand. He returned to Silva’s half-guard and isolated his right arm again. Sonnen landed a left and Silva regained full guard. Sonnen stood and punished Silva with more hard punches. He moved to side-control briefly, then unloaded with more punches before the bell. Absolute domination. 10-8 Sonnen.
Round 2:
Silva was more aggressive in round two and landed a right hand and a leg kick, but Sonnen took him down again. He struck briefly from the top and moved to half-guard. Sonnen began to box Silva’s ears with both hands as Silva held on. Shoulder strikes followed for Sonnen, but Silva regained guard. A hard left hand and hammerfists landed for Sonnen and he paintbrushed Silva’s face with weak punches.
More short punches and an elbow landed for Sonnen and Silva tried to set up an armbar. A big left connected for Sonnen and Silva postured up for a triangle and an armbar. Sonnen evaded danger and kept the pressure on with short punches and elbows. Silva tried to scramble to his feet and Sonnen took his back. Silva briefly secured a Kimura, but let it go and ate another punch from Sonnen. 10-8 Sonnen.
Round 3:
Silva landed a nice shot in round three and threw a spinning back kick, but Sonnen took him down. He took Silva’s back and threw knees to the body. Knee after knee landed to Silva’s thigh until Silva rolled to his back. Sonnen worked from the top and returned to short punches and elbow strikes. An unrelenting barrage of hammerfists followed for Sonnen and he postured up with right hands.
Sonnen struck to the body and head as Silva seemingly had no answer from the bottom. Silva briefly looked to set up a submission, but Sonnen elbowed his way out of danger. The pace slowed, but Sonnen continued to land single punches and elbows that kept Silva on the defensive. The assault continued until the bell. Zero offence from Silva. 10-8 Sonnen again.
Round 4:
Silva hurt Sonnen early in the fourth round and the fighters exchanged wild punches and knees. A combination landed for Silva and Sonnen dove for a takedown. He wound up on his back, but quickly swept and struck from the top. Short punches and hammerfists scored for Sonnen and he mixed in a handful of elbows. Sonnen alternated between strikes to the head and body and fought off Silva’s attempts to use butterfly guard.
More and more punches and elbows landed for Sonnen from the top as Silva locked on a body triangle from the bottom. Sonnen scored with a series of right hands, but Silva cut him with an elbow. Undeterred, Sonnen continued to throw strikes from the top and postured up. Silva landed another elbow from the bottom, but Sonnen punched until the bell. 10-9 Sonnen.
Round 5:
Sonnen landed a right hand and shot in for a takedown, but Silva stuffed it. Sonnen grazed Silva with a right hand and Silva fell to his back. Sonnen secured an arm-triangle choke from side-control, but let it go and punched from the top. Punches and elbows scored for Sonnen as he resumed his assault from the first four rounds.
A trio of hard right hands all landed for Sonnen and he threw lefts to the body. Sonnen postured up and Silva locked on a triangle choke. He switched to a triangle armbar and Sonnen tapped out. Controversy followed as it was questioned whether Sonnen had tapped, but the replay showed that he had. Ridiculous comeback victory for Silva, who was completely dominated throughout the fight.
Winner: Anderson Silva by Submission (Triangle Armbar) at 3:10 of round five. He improves to 27-4-0 and remains the UFC Middleweight Champion.
Jon Fitch vs Thiago “Pitbull” Alves
Round 1:
Fitch opened the fight with a leg kick and a head kick as Alves countered with punches. Fitch caught a kick and slammed Alves to the mat. He took Alves’s back and landed knees to the body as Alves worked back to his feet. Fitch tripped him to the mat again, but Alves stood a second time. Another slam from Fitch returned the fight to the ground and he threw short elbows from side-control. Alves scrambled and took top position.
From the top in Fitch’s half-guard, Alves threw short hammerfists and Fitch regained full guard seconds later. The fight returned to the feet and Fitch landed a one-two and two knees. Alves answered with a hard right hand, but Fitch was unfazed and began to target the body with punches. Alves stuffed a takedown and the fighters clinched. Fitch took Alves down and worked for a rear-naked choke. 10-9 Fitch.
Round 2:
The fighters exchanged strikes in round two and Fitch took Alves down. He punched from the top and stood over Alves as Alves tried to scramble to his feet. Fitch kept him down and kept the pressure on with short strikes. Alves defended and managed to briefly get back to his feet, only to be tripped again. Fitch threw hammerfists from the top and looked for a guillotine choke as Alves stood.
Alves avoided danger, but Fitch used an ankle pick to partially take him down. A full takedown followed and Fitch worked for a rear-naked choke. Alves spun and escaped, then backed away. Fitch got to his feet and Alves connected with a combination. Fitch threw a head kick and the round ended in a clinch. 10-9 Fitch.
Round 3:
Alves opened the final round aggressively with kicks and a combination and Fitch answered with a knee in close. Alves landed a head kick and stepped free of a takedown attempt. Fitch immediately clinched again, but Alves broke free. He landed an uppercut, but Fitch used the oppportunity to take Alves’s back while standing. He tripped Alves to the mat and worked for an arm-triangle choke from partial back control.
Fitch released the choke attempt and switched to punches. He secured a body triangle and took full back control, then looked to set up a rear-naked choke. Fitch scored with short punches and rolled for an arm-triangle choke. Alves defended and scrambled to his side. He took top position, but remained trapped inside Fitch’s body triangle. Alves stood and landed punches as Fitch got to his feet. 10-9 Fitch.
Winner: Jon Fitch by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 23-3-0, 1 NC.
Clay “The Carpenter” Guida vs Rafael dos Anjos
Round 1:
The fighters exchanged looping left hands and uppercuts early in the fight and both landed. Guida followed with a head kick and dos Anjos answered with leg kicks. Another big exchange followed and Guida backed dos Anjos up with two punches. Dos Anjos recovered and landed a stiff leg kick. He clinched and tried for a takedown, but Guida stayed on his feet. Guida attempted a takedown of his own, but dos Anjos defended well.
Dos Anjos threw short hammerfists and elbows as Guida continued to try unsuccessfully for a takedown. Dos Anjos broke free of the clinch and landed a quick flurry. He just missed with a head kick, but landed a hard left hand soon after. Dos Anjos shot in for a takedown and Guida stuffed it. Dos Anjos contined to pick Guida apart with leg kicks, then took him down. He landed a right hand and a knee as Guida stood. Close round. 10-9 dos Anjos by a small margin.
Round 2:
Guida pushed forward with a flurry to begin the second round and just missed with a looping right. Dos Anjos responded with a left hook and a leg kick. Guida began to mix up his strikes, but dos Anjos sidestepped well. Dos Anjos landed a body kick and Guida answered with a counter right cross. Dos Anjos clinched briefly, then backed away. Guida missed with wild punches and dos Anjos picked his shots from a distance.
Another leg kick landed for dos Anjos, but Guida finally managed to take him down. Dos Anjos attempted an omoplata, but Guida easily escaped. Guida briefly passed to half-guard, but dos Anjos quickly regained guard. Once more, Guida moved to half-guard and tried to set up an arm-triangle choke. Dos Anjos regained guard again and Guida landed two elbows before the bell. 10-9 Guida.
Round 3:
Both fighters landed punches in the early stages of round three and Guida backed dos Anjos up with a combination. Dos Anjos answered with an uppercut and defended a takedown. Guida was undeterred and slammed dos Anjos down on his second try. He landed knees to the body from the top in dos Anjos’s half-guard. Guida pressed his shoulder under dos Anjos’s jaw and dos Anjos tapped out. The jaw injury had occurred in the first round.
Winner: Clay Guida by Submission (Broken Jaw) at 1:51 of round three. He improves to 27-11-0.
Matt Hughes vs Ricardo “Big Dog” Almeida
Round 1:
The fighters traded quick jabs early in the fight and Almeida landed a right cross. Hughes threw a body kick that just missed and Almeida answered with a grazing head kick. Almeida caught a leg kick and countered with a right cross. The fighters clinched and Almeida landed short punches before backing away. He followed with an inside leg kick and a lead left hook.
Almeida landed a flurry and sidestepped a clinch. Another combination connected with Almeida and he avoided a second clinch. Hughes dropped Almeida with a left hook. As Almeida tried to get back to his feet, Hughes secured a front choke that was essentially a combination of a guillotine choke and a Brabo Choke. Within seconds, Almeida was out cold. Very impressive win for Hughes.
Winner: Matt Hughes by Technical Submission (Modified Brabo Choke) at 3:15 of round one. He improves to 45-7-0.
Junior “Cigano” dos Santos vs Roy “Big Country” Nelson
Round 1:
Nelson ducked under a hook early on and connected with one of his own. Nelson landed a right cross and dove for a leg, but dos Santos stayed on his feet and the fighters clinched. Nelson backed dos Santos all the way across the cage, but still could not take him down. Dos Santos broke free of the clinch with a big knee. A vicious uppercut staggered Nelson and he backed up. Dos Santos scored with another uppercut and power punches, but Nelson held strong.
The fighters traded hard shots and dos Santos got the better of the exchange. Nelson weathered the storm and dos Santos began to pick his shots with punches to the body. Another huge uppercut rocked Nelson and he fell to the ground. Dos Santos kept the pressure on, but Nelson stood and survived a follow-up barrage. Dos Santos landed straight punches and two more uppercuts. Nelson answered with a looping overhand right. Both landed one-twos and right hands before the bell. Good round. 10-9 dos Santos.
Round 2:
Dos Santos connected with a jumping switch knee early in round two, but Nelson drilled him with a right hand. Dos Santos stuffed a takedown and flurried with punches as Nelson backed up to the cage. Nelson landed a right hand, but dos Santos kept him at bay with jabs. Nelson missed badly with a wild right hook. The fighters exchanged short left hooks and dos Santos scored with a right hook to the body. The left hand from Nelson opened a cut below dos Santos’s right eye.
Nelson shot in for a takedown and threw dos Santos against the cage, but dos Santos stayed on his feet. Dos Santos then tried for a takedown of his own, but Nelson stuffed it. Dos Santos threw punches to the head and body and stunned Nelson with a pair of one-twos. Nelson missed with another wild overhand right and dos Santos countered with a right cross. Dos Santos shrugged off another takedown and connected with stiff left jabs. 10-9 dos Santos.
Round 3:
Dos Santos jabbed in the final round and scored with a nice kick to the body. Nelson missed with a right hook, but connected with a one-two. Both fighters landed punches and dos Santos threw a front kick. Dos Santos backed Nelson up with an uppercut and remained the aggressor with single strikes, but Nelson stayed up. Dos Santos took Nelson down, then blasted him with two punches as Nelson stood. Both landed short left hands and dos Santos connected to the body.
Nelson ate a left hook, but landed an overhand right. He just missed with a looping right hand, but appeared to be one step behind dos Santos. A combination and a knee to the body landed for dos Santos and Nelson answered with a leg kick. Nelson held strong and continued to try to land punches, but dos Santos stunned him with single strikes. Nelson landed a right hook and dos Santos answered with a knee in a clinch. The fighters traded punches until the bell. 10-9 dos Santos.
Winner: Junior dos Santos by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 12-1-0.
Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve vs Christian Morecraft
Round 1:
More craft clinched early on and took Struve down. He landed in side-control and attempted to isolate Struve’s arms. Morecraft looked to set up a Brabo Choke, but Struve spun free. Morecraft stood over Struve and rained down big punches. He returned to Struve’s guard and fought out of a triangle choke. Struve switched to a guillotine choke and Morecraft battled free again. He landed big punches and hammerfists from the top as Struve tried for an armbar and a triangle. Morecraft evaded danger and battered Struve with vicious hammerfist strikes.
Hard punches followed and Struve had absolutely no answer. Morecraft stood and teed off with punches as referee Herb Dean seemed seconds away from stopping the fight. Morecraft fought out of a triangle choke and moved to mount. Struve, bleeding from the mouth, ate more punches and hammerfists, but tried for a heel hook. Morecraft escaped and locked on a standing guillotine choke. Struve fell to his back and Morecraft punished him with more strikes. Complete domination. 10-8 Morecraft.
Round 2:
Struve entered round two with a badly cut and swollen lip, but the fight was allowed to continue. He opened the round with a leg kick and punches. Morecraft swarmed in with punches and was dropped by a counter right-left-right. Morecraft melted to the canvas and Struve followed with more punches until the fight was stopped. Incredible comeback win for Struve.
Winner: Stefan Struve by TKO (Punches) at 0:22 of round two. He improves to 20-4-0.
Undercard Fights:
Ricky “The Horror” Story defeated Dustin “McLovin” Hazelett by TKO (Punches) at 1:15 of round two. He improves to 11-3-0 with the win.
Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis defeated Rodney “Sho Nuff The Master” Wallace by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 7-0-0 with the win.
Johny Hendricks defeated Charlie “The Spaniard” Brenneman by TKO (Punches) at 0:40 of round two. He improves to 9-0-0 with the win.
Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch defeated Todd “Bulldog” Brown by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 12-3-0 with the win.
Dennis “Superman” Hallman defeated Ben “Killa B” Saunders by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 45-13-2, 1 NC with the win.
Capped off by a dramatic come from behind submission victory for UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva, UFC 117 was an excellent event that featured many entertaining and relevant fights. Jon Fitch took another big step towards a second shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship, while Junior “Cigano” dos Santos confirmed his spot as next in line for the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)