The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight with a stacked card at UFC 126: “Silva vs Belfort.” The event was headlined by a UFC Middleweight Championship bout between Anderson “The Spider” Silva and Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort.
Also on the card, top light heavyweight contenders were in action when Rich “Ace” Franklin faced fellow ex-UFC champ Forrest Griffin, while Ryan “Darth” Bader took on rising star Jon “Bones” Jones, and a new title challenger was named. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s impressive card.
UFC Middleweight Championship
Anderson “The Spider” Silva vs Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort
Round 1:
Silva circled around Belfort for the opening minute before settling into his standard dancing routine. Belfort landed a leg kick and Silva threw a front kick to the knee. Nothing transpired as Silva continued to circle and Belfort finally landed another leg kick.
Belfort scored with a lunging one-two and caught a kick from Silva. He tried to punch Silva on the ground, but Silva escaped and stood up. Belfort flurried and landed one punch. Silva front kicked Belfort in the face and Belfort crumpled to the mat. Silva followed with two punches to seal the deal. Insane ending to the fight.
Winner: Anderson Silva by KO (Front Kick & Punches) at 3:25 of round one. He improves to 28-4-0 and remains the UFC Middleweight Champion.
Forrest Griffin vs Rich “Ace” Franklin
Round 1:
Griffin caught a kick from Franklin early on and took Franklin down. He struck from the top and tried to pass Franklin’s guard, but Franklin defended and prevented him from landing anything damaging. Griffin landed a short elbow and Franklin tried to set up a triangle choke.
More short strikes landed for Griffin as he stayed just busy enough to avoid a standup. Griffin postured up and landed punches as Franklin continued to try to tie up Griffin’s wrists. Griffin kept the pressure on with weak punches to the head and body, and elbows to the face. This continued until the bell. 10-9 Griffin.
Round 2:
The fighters traded punches in close in the second round and Griffin landed a body kick. Franklin countered with left hands and Griffin targeted Franklin’s lead leg. More punches landed for both and Franklin scored with a body kick of his own. Griffin countered another kick by taking Franklin’s back and dragging him to the mat. Franklin managed to get back to his feet, but was taken down again.
Once more, Franklin stood and this time he managed to break free of the clinch. The fighters exchanged punches and body kicks. Franklin threw two hooks and Griffin answered with another kick. He staggered Franklin with a hook, but Franklin recovered. Griffin scored with a hard one-two and Franklin answered with a lead right hook and a body kick. Two more punches connected for Franklin and he followed with another body kick. Griffin landed a head kick at the bell. 10-9 Griffin.
Round 3:
Franklin landed a nice left hook and a flurry in the final round, then drilled Griffin with a hard kick to the body. The fighters exchanged punches and Griffin landed a kick to Franklin’s left arm. Franklin clinched and scored a takedown, but wound up with Griffin on his back. The fighters stood and both came up short with punches. Franklin threw a body kick and Griffin answered with a head kick. A right hook landed for Franklin, but Griffin fired off a one-two in reply.
Griffin continued to target Franklin’s left side with kicks. Franklin landed a lead right hook and sidestepped a head kick. Griffin took Franklin down and tried to pass Franklin’s guard, but Franklin escaped to his feet and scored a takedown of his own. Seconds later, Griffin stood and took Franklin back down. The fight returned to the feet and Franklin backed Griffin up to the cage. Both landed punches in the final seconds. Razor-thin round. 10-9 Franklin by a slim margin.
Winner: Forrest Griffin by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 18-6-0.
Jon “Bones” Jones vs Ryan “Darth” Bader
Round 1:
After a quick exchange of strikes, Jones shot in for a takedown, but Bader countered with a guillotine choke. Jones had to scramble to the side to escape and eventually moved to North-South. Jones secured an arm-in North-South Choke and Bader struggled to defend. He eventually escaped, but Jones stayed on top in side-control. Bader scrambled and stood up.
Jones threw a right hand to the body and Bader just missed with a counter hook. Jones fired off a head kick and sprawled out of a takedown attempt from Bader. Jones took top position in Bader’s half-guard and managed to land two short elbows. Bader stood and Jones took his back. More elbows landed for Jones as Bader regained half-guard. Jones elbowed Bader’s ribs, then stood and landed two punches at the bell. 10-9 Jones.
Round 2:
Jones landed left hooks in round two and followed with a jumping head kick that was blocked. Jones missed with a jumping elbow and Bader drilled him with a counter right hook. Jones was unfazed and Bader followed up with a leg kick. Bader threw a lunging one-two, but missed with a big right hand. Two punches and a leg kick scored for Jones and the fighters traded knees in close.
Jones landed a nice leg kick as Bader looked to set up a knockout punch. Jones remained the aggressor and walked Bader down. Bader caught a kick and tried to take Jones down, but Jones reversed. He worked for a Brabo Choke, then switched to a guillotine choke from the top. Bader held on briefly, but tapped out. Huge win for Jones.
Following the fight, Jones was named the new number one contender for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship due to a knee injury suffered by former top contender Rashad Evans. Jones will next face Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the title.
Winner: Jon Jones by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 4:20 of round two. He improves to 12-1-0.
Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger vs Carlos Eduardo “Ta Danado” Rocha
Round 1:
Ellenberger landed a left hook early on and Rocha countered with a brief trip takedown. Ellenberger stood and landed a knee. He slammed Rocha down and landed in side-control. Rocha scrambled to his feet and Ellenberger landed another left hook. He missed with a right and Rocha took advantage by dragging Ellenberger to the mat. Rocha transitioned from side-control to North-South and then to the other side. Rocha looked to set up submissions from the top as he moved from position to position.
Ellenberger scrambled, but Rocha instantly took his back and then moved to mount. He returned to side-control, then moved to North-South in search of a kneebar. Ellenberger defended the hold and scrambled into a guillotine choke. Rocha easily escaped and the fighters stood. Ellenberger defended a takedown with a knee and Rocha threw a spinning back fist followed by a spinning crescent kick. Rocha shot in for a takedown, then used a Kimura sweep to take top position. He worked for a straight armbar until the bell. 10-9 Rocha.
Round 2:
Ellenberger landed a barrage of knees to begin round two, then sprawled out of a takedown and blasted Rocha with punches. Rocha flopped to his back, then stood up. Ellenberger jabbed as Rocha threw a leg kick. The pace slowed as the fighters picked their shots. Rocha threw a head kick and followed with a body kick seconds later. Rocha threw another leg kick and Ellenberger just missed with an overhand right.
Ellenberger landed a lead left hook and Rocha looked to counter with a head kick. He missed the mark with a flying knee soon after. Ellenberger tried to land a knockout punch, but Rocha stayed on the outside. Another body kick landed for Rocha and Ellenberger took him down. Rocha looked for a triangle choke, but time expired. 10-9 Ellenberger, barely. Could easily be a 10-10.
Round 3:
The fighters exchanged kicks in the final round until Ellenberger landed two right hooks in close. Rocha clinched and tried to take the fight to the mat. He fell to his back, but Ellenberger wanted no part of it and backed away. Rocha threw more leg kicks and Ellenberger fired back with a three-punch flurry. Rocha seemed content to kick at Ellenberger’s lead leg, but Ellenberger cracked him with a counter hook. Ellenberger landed a glancing left hook and shot in for a takedown.
Rocha easily defended the takedown and stayed on his feet. More leg kicks landed for Rocha and both fighters scored with knees to the body in a clinch. Rocha landed a head kick, but Ellenberger pushed him to the mat. Rocha stood and kicked at Ellenberger’s leg. Ellenberger responded with a nice right hook. He took Rocha down and landed elbows from the top. Ellenberger landed one more punch before the bell. 10-9 Ellenberger, if not 10-10 again.
Winner: Jake Ellenberger by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30) after three rounds. He improves to 23-5-0.
Miguel Torres vs Antonio Banuelos
Round 1:
Torres threw a head kick early on and followed with a leg kick. Banuelos answered with quick punches, but Torres sidestepped. A left hook and a leg kick landed for Banuelos and Torres began to land jabs. A nice right hook scored for Torres and he landed a leg kick soon after. Action remained sparse as Banuelos struggled to find his range.
He caught a kick and tripped Torres to the mat, but allowed him to stand. Banuelos fired off a three-punch flurry and Torres answered with two counter rights and more jabs. Torres scored with a right cross and snapped Banuelos’s head back with jabs. Banuelos missed with a looping one-two. A spinning back kick also missed. The crowd booed. 10-9 Torres.
Round 2:
Torres landed kicks early in round two and Banuelos countered with a right hook. More kicks and stuff jabs landed for Torres and time was called after Banuelos was kicked in the groin. The fight continued and Torres picked his shots with single strikes. Banuelos struggled to find his range, but managed to defend most of Torres’s strikes. The fighters exchanged punches and Torres landed a leg kick.
Torres landed another kick and threw a one-two, but missed. Banuelos finally landed a counter hook, but struggled to hit his target. Banuelos flurried and Torres stopped his momentum with a short hook. Torres landed a three-punch combination and a series of jabs. He followed with a head kick and Banuelos answered with two punches. Hard punches landed for both just before the bell. 10-9 Torres.
Round 3:
Both fighters landed quick punches to begin the final round and Banuelos threw a leg kick. He just missed with a counter right hook as Torres pushed forward. Torres landed two punches and a body kick, then followed with a combination that was blocked. He continued to stay active with punches and a head kick, but Banuelos defended well. Banuelos ducked under a jab and threw a one-two to the body. The crowd remained restless as neither fighter was able to land anything damaging.
Torres stuck to his jab and kept Banuelos on the defensive. More and more jabs landed for Torres and Banuelos struggled to connect with anything. A right hook and a body kick landed for Torres. Banuelos missed with a haymaker. He avoided a right hand from Torres and fired off a trio of hooks and a spinning back kick. The fighters traded power strikes in the final seconds, but neither could land anything cleanly. 10-9 Torres.
Winner: Miguel Torres by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 39-3-0.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)