UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida - Results and Event Coverage

[Keithlewis]

UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida - Results and Event Coverage
July 5, 2014
Mandalay Bay Events Center
Las Vegas, Nevada



Main Card (PPV):

UFC middleweight title bout:
Chris Weidman def. Lyoto Machida - Unanimous Decision (49-45, 48-47, 49-46)


UFC women's bantamweight title bout:
Ronda Rousey def. Alexis Davis - KO (GnP) Round 1 (0:16)


Stefan Struve vs. Matt Mitrione*


Uriah Hall def. Thiago Santos - Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Russell Doane def. Marcus Brimage - Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)



Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1):

Urijah Faber def. Alex Caceres - Submission (RNC) Round 3 (1:09)

Kenny Robertson def. Ildemar Alcantara - Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

Bruno Santos def. Chris Camozzi - Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Rob Font def. George Roop - KO (Punch) Round 1 (2:19)



Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass):

Luke Zachrich def. Guilherme Vasconcelos - Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Kevin Casey def. Bubba Bush - TKO (Elbows) Round 1 (1:01)



*The UFC 175 main card took a blow Saturday night when the heavyweight bout between Stefan Struve and Matt Mitrione was scratched after Struve took ill in the locker room.

[Keithlewis]

UFC 175 fight recaps from www.ufc.com


The streak continues. Bantamweight contender Urijah Faber, the man who has never lost a non-title fight in a career that spans 38 fights and nearly 11 years, walked away a victor once again Saturday, turning back a tough challenge from Alex Caceres to submit the Ultimate Fighter 12 alum in the third round of their UFC 175 prelim bout at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

An entertaining scramble in the clinch kicked off the bout, with a stalemate against the fence being the result until the two frantically fought for position once again, this time with Faber getting the takedown in the second minute. Faber kept Caceres on the mat for the remainder of the round, though a late scramble at the end of the frame did get the crowd back into it.

A right-left by Faber jarred Caceres early in round two, allowing “The California Kid” to get his opponent to the canvas again. This time, Caceres was able to get out of trouble and back to his feet, and a lead right uppercut got Faber’s attention. The former WEC champion was able to dominate at close range, but while at long range, the lanky Caceres had some success. Unfortunately for “Bruce Leeroy,” the majority of the fight took place at close quarters.

Caceres came out fast for the final round, but Faber met him in intensity, and when the two hit the canvas, Faber took the Floridian’s back, and from there it was academic, with a rear naked choke forcing Caceres to tap out at 1:09 of the frame.

With the win, Faber improves to 31-7; Caceres falls to 10-6, 1 NC.


ROBERTSON vs. ALCANTARA

Welterweight vet Kenny Robertson picked up his second straight victory, winning a three-round unanimous decision over Brazil’s Ildemar Alcantara.

Scores were 30-26 across the board.

Robertson took over from the start, getting Alcantara to the mat and keeping him there for the entire frame, letting loose with enough strikes to avoid a restart by referee Chris Tognoni.

Alcantara was able to stay upright for two minutes in the second frame, but soon he was back on the mat, with Robertson continuing to get his strikes off with little resistance. With under two minutes left, he took the mount position and looked for a submission in the midst of his striking assault, but Alcantara made it out of the round.

Two accidental low kicks by Robertson didn’t make matters any better in the final round, and when it came to everything within the rule book, the Illinois product didn’t slow down either, controlling the bout on the feet and on the mat to sail to the victory.

With the win, Robertson ups his record to 14-3; Alcantara falls to 20-7.


SANTOS vs. CAMOZZI

Brazilian middleweight Bruno Santos’ three-round unanimous decision win over Chris Camozzi wasn’t pretty, but he’ll take the victory, his 11th straight that has gone the distance.

Scores were 29-28 twice, and 28-29 for Santos, who improves to 14-1; Camozzi falls to 19-8.

Camozzi was able to effectively avoid Santos’ smothering grappling attack for the first three
minutes of the fight, but in the final two, it was the Brazilian locking him up against the fence for the remainder of the round.

In the second, Santos landed some hard shots before taking Camozzi down in the midst of a standup exchange, and from there it turned into a typical Santos fight, as he dominated the action on the mat, with only a brief respite for Camozzi in the final minute when he stood for a second, only to be taken down once again.

Working his jab effectively for the opening two minutes of the final round, Camozzi unfortunately found himself grounded with three minutes remaining. The Coloradan tried to work for a kimura as Santos bulled him against the fence, and while that didn’t work, it did allow him to get to his feet. But when Camozzi got a little too aggressive with his striking, he got dumped to the mat by his opponent, who kept him there until the final horn.


FONT vs. ROOP

Octagon newcomer Rob Font had a debut to remember, as he knocked out veteran George Roop in the first round of their bantamweight contest.

The first round had settled into a tactical rhythm, with Roop the more active of the two, but just when the fans were starting to get restless, Font exploded with an overhand right that caught Roop flush. The Arizona product stumbled and then fell to the mat face first, with referee Chris Tognoni stepping in at the 2:19 mark.

With the win, Font improves to 11-1; Roop falls to 15-12-1.


ZACHRICH vs. VASCONCELOS

Middleweight veteran Luke Zachrich picked up his first UFC win, taking a three-round unanimous decision over TUF Brazil 3’s Guilherme Vasconcelos.

Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for Zachrich, a member of the TUF 7 cast who is now 14-3; Vasconcelos falls to 3-2.

Zachrich took advantage of Vasconcelos’ sporadic offensive output in the opening round with a busy stand-up attack that kept the Brazilian from getting untracked.

Both fighters fought on even terms for much of the second frame, but a late surge by Zachrich might have earned the Ohio native another round.

Vasconcelos had a solid third round, but his lack of urgency in the all-striking contest wound up costing him in the end.


CASEY vs. BUSH

Former TUF 17 competitor Kevin Casey made a triumphant return to the Octagon, stopping Bubba Bush in the first round of the middleweight opener.

Casey got the fight where he wanted it to go almost immediately. But the fight’s move to the ground wasn’t due to a takedown, but courtesy of a short left to the jaw. From there, Casey calmly moved in for the finish, with a series of unanswered elbows knocking Bush out at 1:01 of the opening stanza.

With the win, Casey, who had won three straight after losing his UFC debut to Josh Samman in April of 2013, improves to 9-3; Bush falls to 8-3.

[Keithlewis]

ROUSEY vs. DAVIS


Hyperbole just doesn’t work with UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey anymore. In the fourth defense of her crown against Alexis Davis Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Rousey was flawless, knocking Davis out in just 16 seconds.

Simply put, it was one of the most spectacular performances you will see at the championship level in the Octagon. But the 27-year-old former Olympic Judo Bronze medalist believes the best is yet to come.

“I got hit once,” smiled Rousey. “I think I can do better.”

The fighters began trading as soon as the fight began, and Rousey quickly rocked Davis with a right hand and right knee. From there, she sent the Canadian for a ride with a perfectly executed throw to the mat. From there, she fired off with punches to the face that knocked Davis out and brought referee Yves Lavigne in to stop the fight at the 16-second mark.

Perfection.

With the win, Rousey improves to 10-0; Davis falls to 16-6. The 16-second knockout is tied with Frank Shamrock's win over Kevin Jackson for second fastest in a UFC championship fight. Andrei Arlovski's 15-second KO of Paul Buentello is the fastest.


HALL vs. SANTOS

No one ever questioned the talent of middleweight prospect Uriah Hall. But many wondered if he had the fire to take his career to the next level. Against Brazil’s Thiago Santos, he showed that fire, courageously battling through a broken toe to take a crowd-pleasing three-round unanimous decision win.

Scores were 30-27 and 29-28 twice.

Hall (10-4) was the aggressor from the start, but it took him a little while to find his range. Once he did late in the round though, he began tagging Santos (9-3) with series of jarring blows. Santos was able to make it out of the frame, and between rounds it was revealed that Hall had suffered a broken toe.

Continuing to fight on, Hall had the crowd chanting for him as round two commenced, and while Santos stayed competitive, the New Yorker remained in control and moved effortlessly on his injured toe.

In the third, Hall continued to lead the dance, with Santos’ best chance of turning things around coming when he locked up with “Prime Time” and took him to the mat in the final minute. But it was too little too late for “Marreta,” as he came up on the short end of the decision.


DOANE vs. BRIMAGE

Hawaii’s Russell Doane spoiled the bantamweight debut of Marcus Brimage, winning a close three-round split decision.

Brimage had a rough go of it early on, as Doane took him down and had his back for the majority of the round as he looked for the rear naked choke. But Brimage did get back to his feet late, even though he wasn’t able to mount anything seriously on the offensive end.

Having more success in round two, Brimage’s strikes sent Doane sprawling to the canvas and “The Bama Beast” kept the Hawaiian from dominating the ground action, a key to Brimage taking the victory, but it wasn’t meant to be, as the third round turned into a war of nerves that Doane was able to take on the cards, earning him his second Octagon victory.

Scores were 30-27, 29-28 and 28-29 for Doane, now 14-3; Brimage falls to 6-3.

[Keithlewis]

WEIDMAN vs. MACHIDA


If anyone ever says that a championship belt doesn’t mean anything, they obviously never saw Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida fight for it Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. But after five heated rounds, a winner had to be declared, and it was the unbeaten middleweight champion from Long Island, who won a hard-fought unanimous decision over Machida in an instant classic.

“He’s as good as I thought,” said Weidman, who retained the belt he won from Anderson Silva in July of 2013 for the second time. “He’s really tricky and tough as nails.”

“The plan was to keep it standing,” said the gracious Machida, a former UFC light heavyweight champion. “Chris Weidman is a tough opponent; he’s the true champion and he deserves the title.”

Scores were 49-45, 48-47, 49-46 for the 30-year-old New Yorker.

Weidman opened the fight with three kicks that didn’t hit that mark but that broke the ice immediately. Machida’s defense was up to par as usual, but he was taking his time getting into the bout offensively. In the second minute, a Machida kick was caught by Weidman, who looked for a takedown, but the Brazilian fought it off effectively. Weidman kept the pressure on, now focusing on his punches upstairs as well as the kicks to the body and legs, and he was getting the attention of Machida, who did little on the offensive end.

It sounded like a World Cup soccer game in round two as the two continued to battle, Machida just missing with a heat-seeking missile early on and Weidman continuing to press the action with a varied array of strikes. With a minute left, Weidman went all-in on the takedown and got it, pinning Machida to the fence. From there, he finished the round with ground strikes and some shots in the clinch as Machida rose to his feet.

Machida showed more urgency as the third commenced, and while Weidman blocked a couple of head kicks, he also saw his first two takedown attempts come up empty. The third hit its mark, though the action stalled on the mat. Midway through the round, the two rose and traded hard punches near the fence. Weidman briefly rocked Machida a few seconds later, and after missing a guillotine choke attempt, he dumped the challenger onto the seat of his trunks. Machida took some punches and rose, but Weidman slammed him back down emphatically. After getting some more punishment on the ground, the now bloodied Machida rose just before the horn.

Machida tried to get back in the fight with two hard kicks to open round four, but all that got was a wave from Weidman to bring it on. Machida did avoid a takedown by the champion, and midway through the round, he showed signs of life in the stand-up game as he landed with punches and kicks on Weidman, causing the crowd to erupt. Weidman started to show signs of fatigue for the first time, as his punches didn’t have the same pop on them, and when Machida tossed off another takedown attempt and went all-out offensively, ending the round with a flush left hook to the chin, it looked like a new fight in there.

With his left eye rapidly closing, Weidman still pressed the action in his first visit to the fifth round, but Machida’s takedown defense was airtight and he was having more and more success tagging the champion. Weidman wasn’t about to go away that easily, resulting in some tense close range exchanges that saw each fighter take turns stunning the other. With under two minutes left, Weidman finally got the bout back to the mat, and with under a minute remaining he was able to take the challenger’s back. There was no end to Machida’s gameness though, and after fighting his way back to his feet, he fired off a barrage of shots in the closing seconds that thrilled the crowd once more. And when the final horn sounded, they know that they saw a fight, one they won’t forget anytime soon.

With the win, Weidman moves to 12-0; Machida falls to 21-5

[Keithlewis]