The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its return to Germany today with UFC 122: “Marquardt vs Okami” at the König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen. The card was headlined by a middleweight contender’s bout between Nate “The Great” Marquardt and Yushin “Thunder” Okami.
A planned co-main event between Alessio “Legionarius” Sakara and Jorge “El Conquistador” Rivera was scrapped on last-minute notice due to illness. As a result, Duane “Bang” Ludwig faced “Slick” Nick Osipczak on the main card. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for all of the fights.
Yushin “Thunder” Okami vs Nate “The Great” Marquardt
Round 1:
A stiff jab landed for Okami early on and he shot in for a takedown, but Marquardt countered with a guillotine choke and took top position. Marquardt released the choke and tried to pass Okami’s guard. He moved to half-guard and Okami scrambled. Marquardt attempted another guillotine choke, but Okami easily escaped and Okami threw short punches from the top.
Marquardt used butterfly guard to prevent Okami from posturing up until Okami managed to pass to half-guard. Marquardt tried for a heel hook and the fighters returned to their feet. Okami backed Marquardt up and both fighters landed punches at the same time. Okami dropped for a takedown attempt, then tried to trip Marquardt. He finally got Marquardt down with seconds remaining in the round. 10-9 Okami, barely, but could easily be a 10-10.
Round 2:
Okami looked for a takedown in the second round and Marquardt defended with an uppercut. Marquardt then tried for a takedown of his own, but Okami stayed on his feet and spun out. Okami clinched and both fighters landed knees. Marquardt reversed a takedown and tripped Okami to the mat against the cage. Okami managed to battle back to his feet, but ate a knee on the way.
Marquardt scored with kicks and Okami clinched once again. He took Marquardt down to a knee, but Marquardt quickly got up and Okami kept the pressure on with takedown attempts. Marquardt landed two punches in close and Okami backed up. A one-two connected for Okami, but Marquardt drilled him with a right hook as he threw a flying knee. Okami was not hurt and remained the aggressor late in the round. 10-9 Marquardt.
Round 3:
Okami landed punches early in the final round that opened a cut below Marquardt’s right eye. He kept Marquardt backing up, but Marquardt landed a right uppercut counter. Two solid punches scored for Okami, but Marquardt continued to find success with counter right hands. Okami landed a left cross as Marquardt slowed down and circled. Jabs and a straight left also connected for Okami and Marquardt replied with a leg kick.
Okami landed a glancing left hand in close and Marquardt countered with a right. The fighters traded punches and clinched in the centre of the ring. Marquardt took Okami down, but Okami returned to his feet. Okami resumed jabbing and Marquardt fired back with a right hook. Okami landed two hooks and Marquardt countered with a right. He landed another at the bell. Razor-thin round. 10-9 Okami, despite the brief takedown.
Winner: Yushin Okami by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 27-5-0.
Dennis Siver vs Andre Winner
Round 1:
Big punches were exchanged right away and both fighters landed hard leg kicks. They went leg kick for leg kick and Winner scored with a kick to the body. Siver quickly countered with a punching flurry and looked for a takedown. He let it go and fired off a combination as he backed up. More leg kicks were exchanged and Winner just missed with a left hook. As he threw a head kick, Siver countered with a looping overhand right.
Hard leg kicks scored for both and Siver just missed with a one-two. He followed up with two more leg kicks and floored Winner with a huge left hook counter as Winner rushed in. Winner struggled to remain conscious as Siver blasted him with punches from the top. As Winner tried to stand, Siver took his back and eventually secured a tight rear-naked choke. Winner held on, but eventually tapped out. Excellent win for Siver.
Winner: Dennis Siver by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:37 of round one. He improves to 17-7-0.
Amir Sadollah vs Peter Sobotta
Round 1:
Sobotta landed a nice combination early on, but Sadollah quickly countered with a leg kick. He pushed forward and clinched, but Sobotta reversed against the cage. The fighters separated and Sadollah walked in with punches and a front kick. He clinched again and landed knees to the thigh. Sobotta once again reversed and landed a combination, then backed away. He threw a head kick and big punches landed for both. Another exchange followed and Sadollah missed with a jumping knee.
Sadollah stayed aggressive, but Sobotta took his back while standing and tried for a throw takedown. Sadollah stayed on his feet and spun into a clinch against the cage. Sobotta attempted another takedown, then a second throw, but could not get Sadollah down. Sobotta remained relentless in his pursuit to get the fight to the mat, but Sadollah stayed up and landed punches and a kick before the bell. Very close round that could go to either fighter. 10-9 Sadollah.
Round 2:
The second round opened with an exchange of kicks and Sadollah mixed in quick punches. Sobotta threw a spinning back kick and Sadollah countered with a head kick and a flurry. The pace remained high as the fighters traded powerful strikes. A kick-punch combo landed for Sadollah and he scored with a lead left hook. Two more kicks and a straight right snapped Sobotta’s head back, but he was unfazed and answered with a kick of his own.
Sadollah pushed Sobotta backwards with a kick, but Sobotta took him down very briefly. Sadollah stood and the fighters separated. Sadollah landed a nice combination and a leg kick. More hard kicks landed to the lead leg of Sobotta and he fell while throwing a spinning kick. Sadollah struck from the top, then stood and Sobotta followed. Sadollah landed two leg kicks and a one-two, then dropped Sobotta with a front kick to the body as the bell sounded. 10-9 Sadollah.
Round 3:
Sadollah opened the final round with four leg kicks and Sobotta replied with one of his own. A nice left cross connected for Sobotta, but Sadollah continued to land leg kicks at will. Sadollah fired off kicks to the head, legs and body, and Sobotta appeared to be hurt by a leg kick. Sadollah drilled him with another kick to the liver, but Sobotta caught it and clinched. He tried to take Sadollah down, but Sadollah circled out.
Sadollah threw a right hook as Sobotta countered with a left cross. More leg kicks and a lead left all landed for Sadollah as Sobotta began to favour his damaged leg. Sobotta missed with a spinning back kick and Sadollah racked up more points with leg kicks. Sadollah landed a solid one-two combination and a hard leg kick. Another one-two and more kicks scored for Sadollah, who remained in control. In the final 25 seconds, Sadollah landed a knee, a head kick and a flurry. 10-9 Sadollah.
Winner: Amir Sadollah by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 4-2-0.
Krzysztof “The Polish Experiment” Soszynski vs Goran Reljic
Round 1:
The fighters traded kicks for the first minute and Reljic scored with a body kick and a combination. Soszynski fired back with a flurry and a body kick of his own, but slipped. He stood and both fighters landed more kicks. They teed off in an exchange and both landed a punch apiece as Reljic bled from near the eye. He clinched and backed Soszynski up to the cage.
Little transpired in the clinch and referee Marc Goddard separated the fighters. They continued to trade hard punches and kicks to both the head and body. Reljic took Soszynski down and passed to half-guard, but Soszynski went for his trademark Kimura from the bottom. Reljic threw punches to the body, but Soszynski maintained his grip. Reljic continued to strike until the bell. Close round. 10-9 Soszynski, barely.
Round 2:
Reljic pawed out with lead right hooks in the second round, but Soszynski landed a combination in reply. Both fighters landed leg kicks and Reljic took Soszynski down. Soszynski looked to set up arm submissions from the bottom as Reljic punched to the body. A stalemate followed and the fighters were stood up. A right hook and a body kick landed for Soszynski and he backed Reljic up to the cage.
Reljic stayed on his feet and reversed the clinch, but Soszynski put him back against the cage again. The fighters battled for position, but neither held an advantage. Reljic attempted a single-leg takedown and Soszynski countered with strikes to the body. Soszynski began to throw knees to the legs and the fighters were separated. Reljic threw a head kick and a clinch followed until the bell. 10-10.
Round 3:
Jabs landed for both fighters in the final round and Soszynski countered a flurry from Reljic with a combination of his own. Reljic landed a leg kick and shot in for a takedown, but Soszynski stuffed it. Reljic stayed down and Soszynski took partial back control. He threw hammerfists until Reljic rolled for a kneebar. Soszynski punched out of the hold and followed with some solid right hands. Reljic attempted another kneebar and scrambled to half-guard.
Soszynski landed big punches and stood up. Reljic followed and Soszynski scored with a combination. Reljic clinched and looked for a takedown against the cage. Soszynski eyed a Kimura on Reljic’s left arm. He eventually broke Reljic’s grip and wrenched on his arm, but an exhausted Reljic escaped and circled away. Soszynski kept the pressure on and Reljic fell after punches and a knee. Soszynski moved to side-control and struck from the top. He stood and landed hard punches that hurt Reljic before the bell. 10-9 Soszynski.
Winner: Krzysztof Soszynski by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 25-11-1.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)