The Ultimate Fighting Championship travelled to Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas tonight for UFC Fight Night 23: “Fight For The Troops 2.” The main event of the evening saw top contender Evan Dunham take on hard-hitting veteran Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard in a pivotal lightweight clash.
Also on the card, Matt Mitrione battled Tim “The Thrashing Machine” Hague in the heavyweight co-main event, while Mark “The Machine” Hominick faced George Roop in a featherweight bout that could propel Hominick into a title fight later in 2011. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard vs Evan Dunham
Round 1:
Dunham opened the fight with a body kick and Guilard blasted him with a right hand. Dunham tried for a takedown and Guillard defended with hammerfists. Dunham managed to get Guillard down against the cage, but could do little on the ground and Guillard battled back to his feet. A trio of right hands scored for Guillard and both fighters threw jumping kicks at the same time. Guillard scored with a right hook to the body and he dropped Dunham with a one-two.
Dunham recovered and tried to take Guillard down, but Guillard rocked him with more punches. A huge knee staggered Dunham badly and he fell backward to the cage. More knees followed from Guillard and Dunham crumpled to the mat. Guillard got in two punches before referee Mario Yamasaki stopped the fight.
Winner: Melvin Guillard by TKO (Knees) at 2:58 of round one. He improves to 27-8-2, 1 NC.
Matt Mitrione vs Tim “The Thrashing Machine” Hague
Round 1:
Both fighters landed single punches early on and followed with leg kicks. Mitrione missed with a wild flurry, but landed another leg kick. Hague responded with kicks to the leg and head, then caught one from Mitrione. He clinched and backed Mitrione up to the cage. Mitrione used a front headlock to push Hague away and backed up. Mitrione dropped Hague with a kick-punch combo, but allowed him to stand.
Hague attempted a takedown and Mitrione easily shrugged him off. More kicks landed for Mitrione and he dropped Hague with a hard left cross. Mitrione followed with punches on the ground and referee Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight.
Winner: Matt Mitrione by TKO (Punches) at 2:59 of round one. He improves to 4-0-0.
Mark “The Machine” Hominick vs George Roop
Round 1:
The fighters traded kicks and punches early on and Hominick floored Roop with a big right hand. Hominick backed up and Roop stood. Hominick battered Roop with more punches and dropped him again with a big left hook. Roop fell to the ground against the cage and Hominick landed one more punch before the referee came in to stop the fight. Roop got to his feet and nearly fell down. Big win for Hominick.
Winner: Mark Hominick by TKO (Punches) at 1:28 of round one. He improves to 20-8-0.
Pat “HD” Barry vs Joey “The Mexicutioner” Beltran
Round 1:
The fighters circled early on and Barry landed a short right hook 40 seconds into the fight. A clinch followed and Barry backed Beltran up to the cage. Beltran reversed and threw punches to the body, then looked for a takedown. The fighters were separated and Barry landed a leg kick. Beltran pushed forward with wild punches, but Barry stayed out of range.
Another leg kick landed for Barry and he just missed with a head kick. Beltran countered with a flurry in close, then clinched. He landed a knee that struck Barry in the groin, but the fight continued. Time was called after a second low blow. Action resumed and the fighters exchanged strikes in the final seconds. Very close round. 10-9 Barry, just barely.
Round 2:
Barry landed another hard leg kick in the second round and Beltran began to favour his lead leg. He fired back with punches and a leg kick of his own, but Barry connected with a glancing head kick. A leg kick from Barry backed Beltran up and Barry stayed busy with more kicks. Beltran rushed forward with a flurry of punches and clinched. He stomped at Barry’s foot until referee Mario Yamasaki separated the fighters.
Barry continued to mix things up with kicks to the leg and head, but Beltran landed punches in succession. A hard leg kick from Barry was followed by a head kick that backed Beltran up. More leg kicks landed for Barry and he just missed with a wild uppercut. Beltran fired back with a body kick, but ate two leg kicks in return. Barry landed a kick to the body and Beltran responded with three solid uppercuts. Beltran finished the round strong with punches and a knee. Still 10-9 Barry.
Round 3:
Barry landed a head kick in the final round, but Beltran did not seem to be fazed. A second head kick landed cleanly, but Beltran again stayed on his feet. Barry returned to leg kicks and Beltran attempted a takedown. Another head kick from Barry just missed. Beltran put together a combination of punches to the head and body and clinched against the cage. Uppercuts landed for Beltran and Barry replied with a leg kick. Beltran continued to throw punches from in close. Barry escaped the clinch with a head kick, but Beltran punched his way back in.
Beltran bloodied Barry’s face with left hands until the referee separated the fighters. Barry landed a leg kick and followed with two more, but inadvertently poked Beltran in the eye. Time was called and Beltran was clearly in pain. He fought on and Barry hurt him with two leg kicks. Beltran caught the second one, but Barry got his leg free and dropped Beltran with a leg kick. Barry punched at Beltran’s injured leg from the top and moved to mount, but stood up. Beltran followed and Barry landed a grazing head kick. Punches were exchanged and Beltran collapsed at the bell after three more leg kicks. 10-9 Barry.
Winner: Pat Barry by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 6-2-0.
“Handsome” Matt Wiman vs Cole “Magrinho” Miller
Round 1:
Wiman landed leg kicks early on and followed up with a punching flurry. He clinched, but Miller punched free. The fighters battled for position against the cage and both landed hooks. Another flurry landed for Wiman and he followed with a glancing head kick. Wiman resumed kicking at Miller’s lead leg, but Miller drilled him with a knee to the body from a Thai clinch. Wiman backed away and threw a pair of combinations.
Wiman pushed Miller up against the cage briefly, then continued to walk him down with punches. Miller answered with more knees to the body and tried to pull guard with a triangle choke, but Wiman powerbombed him to the mat. Wiman stood over Miller, then moved into his half-guard. He postured up and landed a nice elbow, then added more seconds later. Miller tried to sweep, but Wiman stayed on top and stood. He blasted Miller with punches and a double hammerfist strike. 10-9 Wiman.
Round 2:
Wiman opened round two with an inside leg kick and tried to use a front headlock to fall into mount. Miller scrambled out, but wound up on his back with Wiman standing over him. Miller looked to get back to his feet, but Wiman kept him down and landed short punches. The fighters stood and Wiman landed a hard leg kick. He clinched and backed Miller up to the cage. The fighters traded punches and Wiman scored with a knee that dropped Miller.
Wiman dove in with punches and an elbow. Two huge punches landed, but Miller was unfazed. He regained guard, but Wiman nailed him with punches, more double hammerfist strikes and a pair of elbows. Wiman stood over Miller and picked his shots with single punches. Miller tried to push Wiman off, but Wiman kept the pressure on with more punches. He finished the round on top and landed an elbow at the bell. 10-9 Wiman.
Round 3:
The final round began with a flurry of punches and a head kick from Wiman. Miller answered with a combination and the fighters clinched briefly. Wiman tried to pull guard with a guillotine choke and wound up on top in mount, but Miller quickly regained half-guard and escaped danger. As in the previous rounds, Wiman stood over Miller and blasted him with punches. He alternated between lefts and rights and mixed in more double hammerfists.
From Miller’s half-guard, Wiman landed elbows, then stood over Miller again. Miller tried to hold onto Wiman’s arms to limit damage, but Wiman managed to get in two more punches before falling into Miller’s guard. Wiman stood and rained down two punches, then tried to cartwheel through Miller’s guard. More punches landed for Wiman and he took Miller’s back. Miller defended well, but ate another barrage of strikes in the final seconds. Total domination. 10-9 Wiman.
Winner: Matt Wiman by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 13-5-0.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)