Sydney, Australia--Heavyweight wrecking machine Cain Velasquez continues to be the most talked about heavyweight by insiders in and out of mixed martial arts. His destruction of living legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in just one round gives credence that we may very well be looking at the next Lesnar killer. It took one round and exactly two minutes and twenty seconds for the Mexican-American fighter to put away "Minotauro," who spoke of Velasquez as "One of the best fighters in the heavyweight division." From the start of the fight Nogueira was completely overwhelmed, with Velasquez jabs setting up textbook combinations that could of came straight out of a instructional striking how to. Kicks to the legs, constant head movement, powerful jabs and punches in bunches put Velasquez's completeness as a mixed martial artist on display this night. The left hook was of significant importance as the American Kickboxing Academy standout would unleash it and score each and every time a Nogueira straight would come his way. Nogueira took those hooks flush on the chin a few times before finally crumbling; after throwing a straight right hand that was immediately countered by a three hook combination. The former Pride and UFC heavyweight champion buckled to the mat and Velasquez followed up with five straight shots to the face to put away the Brazilian.
“We were planning on pushing the pace wherever we could. Stay on the outside, work the stand-up, and when the takedown was there, take it. Just kind of keep him off balance the whole time," said Velasquez of his victory. It was announced soon after that UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will defend his title against the young contender later this year.
Wanderlei Silva edges out Bisping
He's still the same old Wandy, but with some big time tweaks. The "Axe murderer," was the beneficiary of the biggest applause in the Acer Arena on Saturday night and he did not disappoint in a thrilling three round performance to edge out Michael Bisping in a close hard fought unanimous decision. Wanderlei Silva recently reunited with his old Chute Box coach in Raphael Cordeiro and while many expected to see the aggressive style that made Silva thee most feared fighter in all of mma it was a controlled aggression that made a big impression. Displaying new technical prowess Silva used leg kicks in all three rounds in an attempt to keep Bisping standing. It was apparent that Bisping's game plan was to utilized his takedowns and was successful in the first round, but as the bout went on Silva was able to easily adapt and stuff or scramble back to his feet. Bisping would take the first round, landing the cleaner shots while making Silva miss his controlled flurries. In between the first and second round, Bisping's corner warned that Silva would push the pace in the next two rounds. He would do so immediately by catching a Bisping body kick and kicking his leg from under him, a move that would be repeated in the third. Silva would then use his head movement to set up a looping overhand right that hit its mark. It would seem the Brit would be on his way to stealing the round as in the last twenty seconds he scored with a takedown. The crafty Pride veteran, immediately transitioned and caught Bisping in a Guillotine that was in deep. Time was of the essence as the bell halted the potential early stoppage.
With the fight now up for grabs, Silva would have to overcome some major roadblocks in the final round. First by way of a kick to the nuts and later a eye poke. The Silva of old would finally make an appearance though. With ten seconds left and the round still not tipping in either fighters favor, Silva unleashed a barrage of shots. A looping right finally connecting to the temple of Bisping as he immediately fell to the floor and ate punches from all angles. The referee immediately ran in and many thought Silva got the last minute knockout, though time had actually ran out. When he was announced the winner Silva celebrated and had a few words for his fans, "This is for everybody in life who has had bad moments," said Silva.
Bader pulls the come from behind knockout victory
Ryan "Darth" Bader was on his way to potentially giving up a unanimous decision to Keith Jardine before scoring a one punch knockout at 2:10 of the third round. Bader had a strong first round, displaying his strength advantage by tackling Jardine with a takedown and keeping him there. Jardine was forced to work from butterfly guard and just held on while Bader got in his licks. The awkwardness of Jardine would give Bader frustrations as in the second round he could not keep the Greg Jackson Protégé down on numerous takedown attempts. Bader would mostly hit air as well, as Jardine used feints and swift in and out movements to land point scoring shots of his own. By the third round, Bader was not throwing with the ferocity he was in the first as Jardine started to pull away. Bader finally got the break he was looking for, landing a loaded left hook that staggered his opponent back into the cage. He instantly followed up with a flying knee to the rib cage and then landed another big left hook that put Jardine to sleep. Bader continues an impressive 11-0 run continuing to make power moves in the stacked UFC light heavyweight division.
Cro-Cop tastes glory via stoppage
Mirko Cro-Cop, undoubtedly one of mma's legendary figures stopped Anthony Perosh via TKO at the end of the second round due to a cut to get back into the win column. Cro-Cop definitely has had a roller coaster ride in reference to his UFC career. With losses to Gozanga, Kongo and Dos Santos many questioned if Filipovic was fighting on borrowed time. Perosh, a last minute replacement for the injured Ben Rothwell, the original opponent for Cro-Cop showed alot of heart in the two rounds he was able to fight. The skill level was simply not there and it showed with Perosh on the defensive for most of the fight. Recently we have grown accustomed to Cro-Cop being in this position but he reversed the tables pressing forward and throwing stiff leather. The trademark kicks that spurred Cro-Cop to fame in the hay day of Pride made their way out as well, but in limited fashion. Perosh desperately tried to get the fight to the ground but Cro-Cop was all over him like white on rice; shrugging him off and attempting anaconda chokes. Perosh attempted to change it up in the second, by pulling guard. Cro-Cop was more than happy to punish him for that decision landing shots to the face of that welted his opponent. A big elbow finally made its way crashing down on the forehead of Perosh, instantly making him a bloody mess. Doctors were called in momentarily but elected to keep the fight going until the end of the round. With Perosh on his stool, the cage side doctors said "no mas," and stopped the fight. Filipovic commended Perosh for displaying courage to wanting to stay in the fight and his guts for taking the fight on such short notice.
In other bouts:
George Sotiropoulos def. Joe Stevenson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Krzysztof Soszynski def. Stephan Bonnar via TKO by cut in R3 (1:04)
Chris Lytle def. Brian Foster via knee-bar in R1 (1:41)
C.B. Dollaway def. Goran Reljic via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
James Te Huna def. Igor Pokrajac via TKO in R3 (3:26)
Marcos Villegas
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