The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia tonight for UFC on Fuel TV 3: “Korean Zombie vs Poirier.” The event was headlined by a featherweight bout between “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung and fellow contender Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier.
Also on the card, TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah faced Jorge “Lil’ Monster” Lopez in a welterweight matchup, while former WEC title contender Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone battled Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens in lightweight action. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s UFC event.
“The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung vs Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier
Round 1:
Poirier scored with a nice left hook early on, but Jung caught a kick and took him down. Poirier scrambled up and Jung landed elbows in a clinch. Poirier countered with knees, but Jung tripped him to the mat and landed in side control. Poirier scrambled back to guard and tried to set up a triangle choke.
Jung landed elbows from the top and opened a cut on Poirier’s upper forehead. Poirier kicked Jung off and took over top position on the ground. Jung used the fence to work back to his feet and Poirier landed an elbow and a knee. Big punches were exchanged and Jung sprawled out of a takedown. Close first round. 10-9 Jung.
Round 2:
Jung caught another kick and took Poirier back down in round two. He postured up and landed a hard left hand and an elbow. Poirier scrambled up and landed a punch-kick combo. Poirier answered with a right hook and Jung rushed in with a flying knee. He punished Poirier with punches and reversed a takedown into mount.
Jung peppered Poirier with short punches from the top and tried to posture up. He spun into an armbar and then a triangle choke. Jung threw a series of elbows, but Poirier managed to roll and escape. Poirier took over in Jung’s full guard and found himself trapped in another triangle choke as the bell sounded. 10-9 Jung.
Round 3:
The pace slowed a bit in the third round as the fighters traded punches at a measured pace. Jung put together a combination and Poirier circled away. A stiff jab and a left cross scored for Poirier and Jung answered back with a right. He took Poirier down and moved to side control in a top-side crucifix. Poirier quickly scrambled to his feet.
Poirier landed punches, but Jung countered with a knee to the body and a quick flurry against the cage. The pace of the fight continued to slow, but Poirier landed another solid left cross. Jung backed him up with a body kick and a lunging series of punches. Poirier responded with three left hands in succession. The fighters closed out the round with a big exchange of punches. 10-9 Jung by a slim margin.
Round 4:
Poirier landed punches in round four and Jung countered with a knee. He hurt Poirier with an uppercut, left hook combo. Poirier stumbled backwards to the cage and dropped down to his knees for a takedown. Jung locked on a Brabo Choke and Poirier was quickly rendered unconscious. Huge win for Jung.
Winner: Chan Sung Jung by Technical Submission (Brabo Choke) at 1:07 of round four. He improves to 13-3-0.
Amir Sadollah vs Jorge “Lil’ Monster” Lopez
Round 1:
Lopez flurried with punches early on and landed some nice jabs and leg kicks. The fighters clinched and Lopez landed knees to the body. Sadollah broke away and Lopez landed another stiff jab and a right cross. Lopez caught a kick and took Sadollah’s back while standing. Sadollah turned into the clinch and Lopez slammed him down. Lopez moved to half-guard and looked to set up a Kimura. Sadollah stood and landed knees. 10-9 Lopez.
Round 2:
The fighters clinched in round two and Lopez landed knees while pinning Sadollah against the cage. Sadollah circled out and landed his best combination of the fight. Lopez clinched and tried to slam Sadollah to the mat. Sadollah locked on a power guillotine choke, but Lopez fell backwards and took Sadollah’s back in a scramble on the ground. Sadollah stood and turned into the clinch. The fighters separated and Sadollah landed a kick and a left hook to the body. Lopez took him down in the final 30 seconds. 10-9 Sadollah.
Round 3:
Sadollah punched his way into a clinch in the final round and the crowd booed the lacklustre fight. Lopez looked for another takedown and Sadollah countered with a guillotine. Lopez took Sadollah down very briefly and tried for a Kimura on the way up. Sadollah landed a front kick to the face and clinched. Lopez tripped him to the mat. Little transpired on the ground and the fighters were stood up. Sadollah reversed a takedown and the fight ended in a clinch with Sadollah landing knees. 10-9 Sadollah, barely, in an uneventful fight.
Winner: Amir Sadollah by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 6-3-0.
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone vs Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens
Round 1:
Stephens landed a three-punch combination early on and kicked at Cerrone’s lead leg. Cerrone landed a nice leg kick of his own and followed with a one-two and another leg kick. Cerrone kept his distance and avoided looping left hooks from Stephens. A body kick and another punch-kick combo scored for Cerrone. Stephens stuffed a takedown, but ate a body kick. Cerrone picked up the pace and mixed up his strikes with kicks and punches. He continued to land leg kicks in the final minute and most of Stephens’s counterpunches came up short. 10-9 Cerrone.
Round 2:
The second round began with an exchange of leg kicks and Stephens landed a right hook to the temple. Cerrone missed with two spinning back elbow strikes, but landed a three-punch flurry that damaged both of Stephens’s eyes. Stephens covered up as Cerrone pressed forward with more punches. For every one punch from Stephens, Cerrone answered back with at least four of his own. Two hard leg kicks buckled Stephens momentarily and Cerrone landed more punches. A big right hook scored for Stephens and Cerrone promptly took him down. 10-9 Cerrone.
Round 3:
Time was called right away in round three when Stephens was kicked in the groin. Action resumed with a leg kick from Cerrone and a nice right hook from Stephens. Cerrone landed a punch-kick combo and tried for a takedown, but Stephens stuffed it. Cerrone sent Stephens to the mat with a leg kick and allowed him to stand. Stephens just missed with a flurry of power punches and Cerrone landed another leg kick. Stephens scored with a one-two and Cerrone answered with body kicks. Cerrone punched to the head and body and continued to target Stephens’s lead leg. Stephens missed with a late flying knee. 10-9 Cerrone.
Winner: Donald Cerrone by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 18-4-0, 1 NC.
Yves “Tiger” Jabouin vs Jeff “Hellbound” Hougland
Round 1:
Jabouin landed a lead left hook early on and Hougland answered with a leg kick. A spinning back kick from Jabouin backed Hougland up and Jabouin landed another hard leg kick. Hougland blocked a head kick, but Jabouin remained the aggressor as the round progressed. Hougland scored with a lead left hook, but Jabouin landed one of his own and pushed him backwards with a front kick. A spinning back kick to the liver sent Hougland crashing to the mat, but the fight continued and Jabouin punched from the top. He landed an axe kick to the body and more punches. 10-8 Jabouin.
Round 2:
Jabouin landed a kick to the body and avoided a takedown attempt in round two. Hougland switched to a southpaw stance and threw front kicks. He blocked a head kick from Jabouin and another one seconds later. Hougland missed with a spinning backfist and Jabouin landed more kicks. Hougland tried for a takedown and landed an uppercut on the way up. Jabouin just missed with two looping hooks. He landed a body kick and a one-two. Jabouin threw two head kicks and a right hook late in the close round. 10-9 Jabouin.
Round 3:
Jabouin dropped Hougland with a lead left hook in the final round and landed more punches on the ground. Hougland turtled up and rolled to escape the punishment, but Jabouin landed more big shots. Hougland gave up his back, but Jabouin lost the position and Hougland wound up on top. Jabouin stood and reversed a takedown. He landed short punches from the top in half-guard. Hougland scrambled back to full guard. Jabouin continued to strike from top position and moved back to half-guard. The fighters were stood up and Jabouin dropped Hougland with a knee to the body. 10-9 Jabouin.
Winner: Yves Jabouin by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 18-7-0.
Igor “The Duke” Pokrajac vs Fabio Maldonado
Round 1:
Pokrajac countered a wild punch from Maldonado by taking him down very early in round one. Maldonado tried to scramble up, but wound up mounted. Maldonado got back to half-guard, but Pokrajac scored with some solid punches and elbows from the top. Maldonado nearly escaped to his feet, but Pokrajac took his back. Maldonado rolled and Pokrajac stood up. Maldonado followed and rocked Pokrajac with punches. Maldonado continued to score with punches to the head and body in the final minute. Pokrajac landed two knees in return. 10-9 Maldonado due to the late rally.
Round 2:
Pokrajac backed Maldonado up with a pair of short left hooks and a follow-up combination in round two. He clinched against the cage and dropped levels for a takedown. Maldonado stayed on his feet, but ate a knee. Both fighters flurried with punches and Maldonado reversed the clinch. He targeted the body with left hooks and mixed up his strikes with quick combinations in close. Pokrajac landed a weak spinning backfist and tried for a takedown, but wound up on the bottom. 10-9 Maldonado.
Round 3:
Maldonado punched his way into an early clinch in round three and targeted both the head and body with punches. Pokrajac countered with knees and punches over the top. Maldonado appeared to be the most effective in the clinch until Pokrajac landed a flying knee. The fighters were separated and both landed combinations. Pokrajac scored with left and right hooks as he pressed forward. He stuffed a takedown and circled on the outside. Lead left hooks landed for both fighters and a big exchange of power punches ensued. Very close final round. 10-9 Pokrajac, barely. Fight could go either way.
Winner: Igor Pokrajac by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 25-8-0.
“Filthy” Tom Lawlor vs Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald
Round 1:
After a brief exchange of strikes, Lawlor sprawled out of a MacDonald takedown attempt. A left cross hurt MacDonald and Lawlor sent him to the mat with a right hook behind the ear. MacDonald fell face-first and the fight was stopped.
Winner: Tom Lawlor by KO (Punches) at 0:50 of round one. He improves to 8-4-0, 1 NC.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)