SportsRatings: Boxing/MMA

UFC 114 results & live scoring - Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Rashad Evans

UFC 114, featuring the main event of Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans. Jackson is #5 and Evans #7 in the latest SportsRatings MMA Top 100 (as of April). Among light heavyweights they are #2 and #3, and the winner has a chance to claim the top spot due to Lyoto Machida's loss to Shogun Rua in UFC 113.

Other noted combatants include "Little Nog" Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in a light heavyweight match, and Michael Bisping fighting at middleweight. At heavyweight relative newcomer Todd Duffee is back after having won his first UFC fight in a record 7 seconds.

Main card

WW: #61 Diego Sanchez vs. John Hathaway
Light HW: #23 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Jason Brilz
HW: Todd Duffee (6-0) vs. Mike Russow (12-2)
MW: Mike Bisping vs. Dan Miller
Light HW: #5 Quinton Jackson vs. #7 Rashad Evans

Welterweight: #61 Diego Sanchez vs. John Hathaway

• Round One: The undefeated (but unranked in the top 100) Hathaway won the first round decisively. As Sanchez went for a takedown Hathaway met his head with a knee. The next several minutes saw Hathaway landing shots from inside Sanchez's guard. Hathaway 10-8.
• Round Two: Much more even, much more standup, but Hathaway won a close round. 10-9 Hathaway; 20-17.
• Round Three: Hathaway hit his stride while standing, countering well and avoiding big shots and Sanchez's takedown attempts. 10-9 Hathway; Hathaway wins on SportsRatings' card 30-26.

The judges called it pretty much the same: 30-27, 30-27, and 30-26 for Hathaway getting the upset win.

Light Heavyweight: #23 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Jason Brilz

• Round One: A back and forth round which saw both men on top on the ground, then back to standup. Close, awkward round but Brilz might have gotten more ground-and-pound in than Little Nog. Brilz 10-9.
• Round Two: A takedown by Brilz turned into a near-guillotine by Nog, but as these things almost always work out he couldn't hold it. Then tired, he got caught in a very bad choke himself but held on as they wrestled for position. Brilz then changed to a forearm choke before going for some ground and pound. But again the strain of holding a choke for 2 minutes left him tired, and Nogueira was able to escape to his feet. Brilz tried a few more takedowns but failed and generally lost the standup, though a few wild shots connected late. Brilz 10-9; 20-18.
• Round Three: A Brilz takedown was reversed by Nog, then both stood up again. Nog is fighting like he thinks he needs a stoppage to win, which may be the case. On the ground again, Nog tried a submission from unorthodox position, but the fighters stood again. Brilz attempts another takedown resulting in another unorthodox position. Nog trapped one of Brilz's arms with his legs and almost had him in a terrible position. But Brilz escaped, and survived some ground and pound at the end. Nogueira 10-9; SportsRatings' card: Brilz 29-28.

A really interesting fight with lots of twists and turns. It could go either way based on the first round scoring. Not surprisingly, the crowd takes issue with the split decision for Nogueira: 29-28, 29-28, and 28-29.  Though I had it for Brilz, the first round was awkward and close. Joe Rogan has to notify us that the crowd is shouting "bullshit" in the middle of Nog's interview. Classy, Joe. But Brilz shows great class in not criticizing the decision, and telling the crowd not to boo Nogueira.

Heavyweight: Todd Duffee (6-0) vs. Mike Russow (12-2)

• Round One: Duffee, in far better shape than Russow, quickly takes control of the standup with some damaging shots. Russow can't close for an effective takedown. But he survives the initial onslaught from Duffee. The rest of the round is uneventful save one big shot by Duffee, who easily wins the round. Duffee 10-9.
• Round Two: Russow isn't showing much, playing defense and attempting a pathetic takedown now and then. Two minutes in Duffee has him in some more trouble, but Russow has a tough chin and won't go down. Duffee fights well but looks vulnerable to a good puncher, which Russow isn't. Duffee keeps things in the center of the ring, and wins this round clearly. Duffee 10-9; 20-18.
• Round Three: The crowd is getting impatient at the stalemate nature of the fight. Russow can't do anything, and he won't fall to Duffee's punches, which are becoming fewer and farther between as he tires. SUDDENLY RUSSOW GETS A KO!!! Yes, Duffee was vulnerable to the punch, I stand by that...

Duffee was laid out cold on his back by a right cross that took him completely by surprise at 2:35. That shows you how much a good defense, a good chin, and perseverance will do for you. Nothing was working for him, and all he was trying were takedowns that weren't effective, but he kept trying. Duffee, on the other hand, was exposed as a very one-dimensional fighter with a defense problem (and a questionable chin).

Middleweight: #152 Michael Bisping vs. #317 Dan Miller

Two fighters trying to regain their form at middleweight are up next. Bisping has lost 2 of his last 3, and Miller his last 2 fights.

• Round One: Bisping catches a kick in the crotch but he's ok. Over the next few minutes few punches connect, Miller lands a few soft kicks, and Bisping has a good straight right. An active but uneventful round won by Bisping 10-9.
• Round Two: Miller is kicking a bit more frequently. Bisping responds with punches and eventually a high kick of his own, then a strong right hand in the middle of the round. Miller's face is bloodied. Despite a last second shot from Miller, Bisping clearly wins the round. 10-9 Bisping; 20-18.
• Round Three: Bisping unloading; Miller returns fire but so does Bisping. Both want to win by stoppage. After two minutes, Miller gets a takedown into Bisping's guard. Bisping quickly escapes to his feet. Miller's next takedown attempt only gets to a fence clinch. Bisping continues to dominate the standup and he survives Miller's last ditch succession of wild punches to get the win. Bisping 10-9; SportsRatings card: Bisping 30-27

Miller had his moments but Bisping had more of them. The UFC judges call it 30-27, 30-27, and 29-27 for Bisping.

Main Event - Light Heavyweight: #5 Quinton Jackson vs. #7 Rashad Evans

• Round One: Evans connects with a hard punch early that rocks Jackson; Evans pins him against the fence. Rampage tries to hold off the takedown for several minutes and the fight is reset. Rampage misses a wild punch and Evans dives for a takedown, getting good partial mount position against the fence. Rampage somehow stands up but Evans controls the action. Another reset from against the fence. Jackson gets his best punch in with seconds to go, but Evans wins the round. Evans 10-9.
• Round Two: Evans battles inside for a clinch, and gets Jackson against the fence where I'm sure the fight will go at least once every round. Rampage forces his way out, but they go right back there again a minute later. The third reset of the fight from the fence. Rampage misses wildly, with Evans keeping far distance. Once again the the fence; Evans can't get the takedown from there, but delivers some knees. He takes Jackson's back on a takedown attempt and once again forces him into the cage. Not much offense that round. Evans 10-9; 20-18.
• Round Three: Rampage's corner implores that he needs a KO this round. Evans' speed is giving him problems though. He misses on a wild right, and another. Evans' takedown is stuffed and Rampage hits him with a huge shot, and goes on to ground and pound. Somehow Evans survives against the cage, and even gets back up with the round half over, relatively unharmed considering what could have happened. Evans gets a tackdown and has Rampage in bad position, landing punches to the face at side mount. Rampage stands but Evans takes him back down with 30 seconds left. Rampage stands again. Evans turns a clear Jackson round into one of his own, as his ground and pound was more effective. Evans 10-9; SportsRatings' card: Evans 30-27.

Evans wins a unanimous decision by the judges, 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28. He sets up a bout with Mauricio Rua for the UFC light heavyweight title. Seems like Rampage was a step slow. Perhaps making movies and having to cut a lot of weight took its toll.

Klitschko-Sosnowski results/live round-by-round scoring

SportsRatings #2 Vitali Klitschko defends his WBC belt against #20 Albert Sosnowski (#11 WBC) in Germany.

On the undercard, #46 Johnathon Banks and #88 Jason Gavern fought to a draw in a sloppy bout where both fighters were deducted points and extensive holding and illegal blows were common. The draw will lift Gavern, the lower-ranked fighter, and drop Banks slightly as a result.

In the main event Sosnowski is more than a 20:1 underdog, but looks fit and up for the challenge. Vitali appears to be in shape as usual.

• Round One: Not much action; Vitali staying at distance, keeping left hand low. Sosnowski trying to lunge in to punch. Vitali using almost an uppercut jab with the left, it's so low. Not a terrible first round for Sosnowski, but Vitali connected more with jabs. 10-9 Klitschko.
• Round Two: More of the same; Sosnowski can't get the range against the bigger man. Both fighters sort of pawing. Klistchko trying to unload a bit more but not finding it. Sosnowski's defense is decent, and he's moving fairly quickly. Klitschko's left hand is held down by his knee. Another round for Klitschko, but neither has been dominant. Klitscko 10-9; 20-18.
• Round Three: Now Klitschko is holding BOTH hands low, his left by his knee, his right by his waist. Sosnowksi is ducking left hooks, trying to land stinging punches to the unguarded Vitali. He lands on on Vitali's chin, no damage but a confidence builder. Most of Vitali's combos are being blocked. Very little clinching in this fight. Sosnowski probably held his own in that round. 10-10; Klitschko 30-28.
• Round Four: Vitali's continues the very low hands. Pawing uppercut jabs with the left, occasional combos land on Sosnowski, who remains undaunted so far. He hits Klitschko with a jab. Another clinch, only the 2nd of the fight, and they're back to the normal distance. Sosnowski lands another 2 jabs, and a third when Vitali moves in. Albert misses with a looping punch. Sosnowski may have taken that round despite not landing much, as Klitschko landed little himself. Sosnowski 10-9; total: Klitschko 39-38.
• Round Five: Sosnowski brushes Vitali's unguarded face again. Klitschko is having almost as much trouble hitting Sosnowski as he did Kevin Johnson, except that Sosnowski is fighting back. Vitali is now waiting for Sosnowski to lunge in and countering. Sosnowski gets in a right. Vitali is looking a bit slow. I can't really give that round to either one...punting again. 10-10; Klitschko 49-48.
• Round Six: Klistchko comes out looking determined. Maybe his corner told him to stop being lazy. Sosnowski has to be happy with his survival so far; he gets in two snappy jabs. Another jab, and Vitali counters. Sosnowski misses a wild one. He's slipping a lot of Klitschko punches, and appears to be gaining confidence. Sosnowski 10-9; total 58-58. Note that the rounds are close and the judges could conceivably be calling a Klitschko shutout; I'm probably giving Sosnowski too much credit.
• Round Seven: Hard right by Klitschko. Vitali is more active this round, pre-empting Sosnowski's lunges rather than countering. Sosnowski in turn is being more agressive. Vitali looks more tired than Sosnowski, thought the latter is tiring as the round continues. Despite his agressiveness Sosnowski didn't connect much. 10-9 Klitschko; 68-67.
• Round Eight: Vitali's hands are a big higher, with his left fending off Sosnowski. Klitschko still having trouble connecting. Very good right by Sosnowski at 1:30, but Klitschko responded by controlling the last half of the round easily, tagging his opponent at will while avoiding anything in return. Vitali's best half-round of the bout so far. Klitschko 10-9; 78-76.
• Round Nine: Strong right by Klitschko to start the round. Jab by Sosnowski, but now Vitali is controlling the distance. It seems he's finally figured out Sosnowski's rhythm. He's hardly putting on his usual offensive show. But he connects on a good right near the end of the round, and another with a few seconds left, and yet another right at the bell. Klitschko 10-9; 88-85.
• Round Ten: Vitali is keeping the distance closer now, looking for an opening to end things. Sosnowski is walking into jabs. Good counter at 1:30 but Sosnowski has a range problem again as he tries to make the distance wider, which makes him unable to close fast. Sosnowski almost goes down from a right, he's bent totally over at the waist...ten seconds later, he's down. And he's not getting up. It was a huge right overhand both times. Klitschko by KO, with Sosnowski slumped against the corner post.

Sosnowski will gain a lot of respect for this effort. He wasn't battered slowly over the rounds like Peter and Arreola. The end came fast, essentially from two punches, after Sosnowski finally slowed down in the last few rounds and Vitali figured out how to break his rhythm. Until then, Albert was doing about as well as he possibly could have been expected to do. His defense was as good as Kevin Johnson's while he was able to mount more of an attack than Peter or Arreola.

Vitali Klitschko's effort in the first six rounds was questionable. He looked slow and tentative, and was just inviting a surprise shocker by keeping his guard so low. But he took care of business in the end. Apparently Vitali's days of the early KO are over, but he's still able to finish fighters. The knockout blow was pretty fierce, once he was presented with a defenseless opponent for the first time in the fight. But his sluggish performance in the early to middle rounds will invite speculation as to the success David Haye might have against him should that fight ever come off.

Chagaev dismisses Meehan as expected; Haye next?

Ruslan Chagaev easily defeated Kali Meehan to move into a virtual tie at #4 with WBA title holder David Haye. Fittingly, Chagaev could be Haye's next opponent, depending on what happens with negotiations between Haye at #1 Wladimir Klitschko, and whether #6 Nicolay Valuev is given his shot at a rematch with Haye.

The fight was largely uneventful and one-sided. Though Meehan was more active early and in good shape, looking much younger than his 40 years, he'd actually been out of the ring even longer than Chagaev, and the layoff showed on both fighters as the rounds continued. Chagaev seemed a bit out of shape, and after building a big lead on the scorecards showed no inclination to risk thing by pushing for a stoppage. Meehan's chin absorbed the big left hands well, but he was clearly outclassed and almost all of his own punches were dodged or blocked.

The judges called it for Chagaev by scores of 118-110, 117-111, and 117-112 and those might even understate matters as only the first round—where Meehan threw dozens of ineffective jabs—clearly went to Meehan. Chagaev preferred to stay out of Meehan's reach, then close in for a few punches and fight inside, and Meehan had no effective counter. To his credit he managed to stay on his feet, even in the 4th round when he was in quite a bit of trouble.

prev month	Proj. Rank	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	Recent Results
1	1	WLAD KLITSCHKO	67.66	32-3-0
2	2	VITALI KLITSCHKO	41.37	21-2-0
3	3	ALEX POVETKIN	32.46	14-0-0
4	4t	DAVID HAYE	30.34	4-0-0
5	4t	RUSLAN CHAGAEV	30.34	12-1-0	UD 12 #112 KALI MEEHAN

Chagaev's win puts his rating score in the SportsRatings Heavyweight Top 100 almost exactly even with Haye's, meaning the two are essentially tied for 4th behind the Klitschkos and Alexander Povetkin. Haye took over the #4 spot from Chagaev with his win over John Ruiz; the win over Meehan, ranked just #112 before the fight, wasn't quite enough to regain the lead.

#2 Vitali Klitchko fights next week before the June rankings come out; in the event of an upset loss by Klitschko, Haye and Chagaev would share the #3 position.

Chagaev-Haye could be a very good fight. There have been concerns about Chagaev after his achilles' tendon tear and Hepatitis B diagnosis and subsequent lack of activity. Today's fight suggests Chagaev is healthy but would need to be in top shape to counter Haye's speed.

On the undercard, SportsRatings #69 Sergei Lyakhovich beat #148 Evans Quinn by a 9th round KO. This was only Lyakhovich's 2nd bout since losing to Valuev in a dismal effort early in 2008; late last year he beat unranked journeyman Jeremy Bates. The win will leave him just outside the top 50 in June's rankings.

UFC 113: Rua Deals Machida His First Loss, by KO

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua knocked out UFC light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida, giving him his first ever defeat in MMA competition. After Machida landed with a knee, Rua connected with a right that caused Machida to stumble to the ground; Rua followed up with more shots, got mount position, and with a flurry of punches knocked Machida out at 3:35 in the first round.

The first few minutes were competitive but had less action. Machida avoided Rua's kicks and even took him down a few times. Both fighters had their moments with strikes but neither established himself as the dominant fighter. But Rua rocked Machida once prior to the knockout flurry, and that may have set up the winning sequence. Machida's eye was cut and swollen, and he remained unconscious minutes after the fight.

Rua's record improves to 19-4, while Machida falls to 16-1. Machida joins a long line of MMA fighters over the years who have been dominant in their first 10-15 fights and seem invincible, but all eventually suffer the first loss, and the losses tend to become more frequent after that.

In other fights:

• Alan Belcher submitted Patrick Cote and called out #1 welterweight George St. Pierre.
   
• Jeremy Stephens beat Sam Stout by split decision; we felt Stout won 29-28, taking the 2nd and 3rd rounds, but it definitely could go to Stephens, who clearly won the first and was more agressive in the fight overall. Stout landed far more in the 2nd, and in the 3rd had Stephens in trouble after a leg kick. But Stephens gets the nod in the lightweight fight.
   
• Matt Mitrione beat Kimbo Slice into submission, the fight being stopped in the second round.
   
• Josh Koscheck won a unanimous decision (30-27 on all cards) over Paul Daley, who sucker punched him after the fight was over—not on the ground, either; after both were stood up, he walked over to deliver the blow. Daley should see a lengthy suspension, assuming he's ever allowed in the Octagon again.

Adamek replaces Arreola in HW Boxing top ten; Haye up to #4

Tomasz Adamek's mixed-decision win over former #8 Chris Arreola moved the Polish ex-cruiserweight into the top ten of the SportsRatings Heavyweight Top 100. Arreola fell to #25.

Arreola had his moments in the fight, including several rounds where he had Adamek on the run, but he was unable to cleanly land the power shots he needed to cope with the smaller, faster fighter.

Arreola now faces a situation similar to that which Sam Peter did a year ago. Peter, like Arreola, had lost  to Vitali Klitschko (both fighters quit between rounds) and subsequently to a smaller fighter (Eddie Chambers in Peter's case) with good fundamentals. Both fighters faced questions about their weight and commitment. Peter has since dropped nearly 30 pounds and won four straight fights and is back in the top ten. Arreola should take note of Peter's resurgence after many had written him off.

Adamek joins another ex-cruiserweight, David Haye, in the top ten. Haye moved past Ruslan Chagaev into the #4 position after dominating ex-champ John Ruiz in a 9-round stoppage. Though most would like to see him face #1 Wladimir Klitschko next, that fight may not happen for a while. Just who Wlad will face next is not known. #3 Alexander Povetkin has held the right to face him for several years, and is indeed the top-rated challenger for both of Klitschko's IBF and WBO belts, but there is no noise about that fight happening any time soon, either.

Apr Rank	May Rank	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	April Results
1	1	WLAD KLITSCHKO	67.66	32-3-0
2	2	VITALI KLITSCHKO	41.37	21-2-0
3	3	ALEX POVETKIN	32.46	14-0-0
5	4	DAVID HAYE	30.34	4-0-0	TKO 9 #59 JOHN RUIZ
4	5	RUSLAN CHAGAEV	29.69	11-1-0
6	6	NICOLAY VALUEV	24.75	21-2-0
7	7	DAVID TUA	21.91	26-3-1
27	8	TOMASZ ADAMEK	21.17	3-0-0	MD 12 #8 CHRIS ARREOLA
9	9	SAMUEL PETER	20.86	17-3-0
10	10	SAM SEXTON	20.63	4-0-0

The month of May will see two more top ten fighters in actions. First, Chagaev has a chance to win back his #4 ranking—and possibly set up a showdown with Haye—by beating Kali Meehan (currently #112) on May 22. A week later on the 29th, #2 Vitali Klitschko takes on #20 Albert Sosnowski with his WBC belt on the line. 

#10 Sam Sexton was slated to fight Danny Williams (#99) but had to pull out due to family emergency. Instead, #42 Derek Chisora will fill the slot.

Lower in the ranks there is a quick-turnaround rematch: #88 Jason Gavern, who jumped in all the way from #304, takes on #94 Manuel Quezada, whom Gavern beat by split decision on April 8th. Quezada was #36 and hadn't lost in four years until the upset. They clash on May 8, just one month after their initial fight.