As always, BloodyElbow.com will be here to bring you live results and commentary for the event, beginning with my arrival at the venue.

The undercard can be viewed live on Sherdog, the main card is available via online ppv at the UWC web site. Personally I think that's a real dumb business decision. A promotion like this should either cut the deal with HDNet or air it for free on Sherdog.

Well hello, I'm reporting from cage side at UWC: Redemption in the George Mason Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia.

I missed all but the final moments of the third round of the first fight, but I can report that Freddy Assuncao won a decision over Felipe Ariantes in a Featherweight tilt that seemed very close from what I saw of it. Ariantes won me over by fighting in a svelte pair of black grappling pants ala Shinya Aoki. That's what I'm talking about. 

The second fight is about to begin...

Jesse Riggleman vs Josh Ferguson: Flyweights
Round 1 A ton of back and forth action to kick this one off. Riggleman is dominating position and twice traps Ferguson on his back against the cage. Riggleman lands an omaplata and reverses position! very nice. Suddenly the lights go out in the arena. BOO!!!!!

Good thing Big John McCarthy is reffing, he stops the action until the floodlights can be restarted and restarts the action. Bad break for Ferguson as Riggleman quickly reverses position and begins battering him from the guard. BloodyElbow scores the round 10-9 Riggleman.

Round 2 They exchange strikes to start the round before Riggleman forces the action into the cage and works for a takedown. Riggleman baits Ferguson into trading punches and after a hard exchange (about four feet from me!) gets the double and takes Ferguson down. Ferguson fights back to his feet, but is still pinned with his back to the cage. Riggleman gets a HIGH crotch lift off a single and slams Ferguson down. Quickly gets side mount. Ferguson threatens ans armbar from his back. Riggleman answers with two hard slams and then escapes. Now in Ferguson's guard. Riggleman landing shots from top position as time runs out on the round. BloodyElbow scores the round 10-9 Riggleman.

Round 3 Furious exchange of strikes. Ferguson shoots, Riggleman uses a whizzer to escape. Trading, Ferguson shoots again, gets himself taken down. Riggleman in 1/2 guard. Working for a keylock from top position. Loses it. Riggleman working for a D'arce choke. The yokels in the crowd are calling for a standup. Ferguson escapes. Back to their feet. Cracking each other with punches. Ferguson shoots again, gets stuffed again. Ferguson's face is bloodied up as they clinch in the center of the cage. Riggleman pins him against the cage again. Big John breaks them up. Riggleman scoring. Ferguson fires back. Brutal exchanges. It's over. BloodyElbow scores it 10-9 Riggleman for a final score of 30-27 Riggleman. We'll see what the Virginia judges say. Split decision but the judges go for Jesse Riggleman.

Chick Fight! The crowd is pumped as the ladies enter the cage. Boos for the Japanese national. Cheers for the local girl.

Sumie Sakai vs Iman "Mannie" Achhall Round 1 Mannie has her game face on. They lock up. Sakai gets the takedown, into Mannie's guard. Mannie quickly threatening an armbar. Sakai seems safe but is getting pulled in. She slams her way out and fires from the top position. Mannie goes for another arm. Ref Mario Yamasaki stops it for a knee to the head by Sakai. Damn Gan McGee. Those should be legal. They clinch after the restart. Sakai's judo background is showing as she turns and works for trips while Mannie is digging for double unders. Sakai throws her again. In Mannie's 1/2 guard. Mannie reverses and gets on top, now in Sakai's full guard. Nice posture control from bottom by Sakai. Mannie landing punches from the top. Crowd chanting Mannie! Mannie! Sakai stands up. They clinch against the fence. Mannie throwing knees to the thighs. Bloody Elbow scores the round 10-9 for Sumie Sakai.

Round 2 They clinch again. Mannie drives Sakai into the fence and scores a trip takedown. In Sakai's full guard. Back to their feet. Yamasaki restarts the action and they immediately clinch again. More knees to Sakai's thighs. Mannie gets another takedown, passes to 1/2 guard. Scoring with strikes. Crowd is in a frenzy. Iman "Mannie" Acchal wins by TKO at 2:30 of the second round.

Igor Almeida vs Kris McCray Round 1 Big John McCarthy in the cage. Middleweight bout. Big pop for the local McCray who's looking to build on his 3-0 record but he's facing another undefeated fighter in the 5-0 Almeida. McCray with the takedown. Igor gets back to his feet. Kris scoring with punches and kneess. Backs him up and batters him standing until Big John McCarthy stops the fight. Kris McCray by TKO in 0:49.

Jacob McClintock vs Beau Baker Round 1 McClintock comes in 5lbs over. Disappointing from anyone, especially an Arizona Combat Sports fighter. WEC lightweight champ Jamie Varner is in his corner. McClintock tags Baker repeatedly before Baker clinches him up against the cage. Baker throwing knees to the thighs. McClintock lands a knees to the face and a REALLY hard left hand to the face. Damn that hurt from six feet away! (I love this!) Back to the center. Baker forces "Tick Tock" up against the cage, eats a barrage of punches but gets the takedown into Tick Tock's 1/2 guard. McClintock gets a full guard, back to his feet, tagging Baker but gets taken down again. Tick Tock works for a guillotine. Baker escapes, in Tick Tock's full guard. McClintock kicks him off. Jacob is the far more explosive fighter. He drops Baker with punches and follows him down. Ref Mario Yamasaki stops the fight. Jacob McClintock by TKO in 3:30.

Ryan Sturdy vs Timothy Woods Round 1 Sturdy coming in over-weight. Woods drops him with a hard left, but he's back to his feet. Sturdy bulls in lands a hard shot of his own with a left that stuns Woods. Sturdy forces him back but Woods gets double unders. Exchange against the fence, advantage Woods. Another hard shot! Nice leg kick from Woods. Sturdy locks up, Woods gets double unders again. Back to distance. Nice shot from Sturdy. Woods working for a Thai Plum. Sturdy gets a hip toss to a head lock. Woods escapes. The ref stops it to look at a cut on Sturdy. They restart the fight. Woods with a jab and a hard leg kick. Woods lunges in. Nothing. Sturdy looks like a wounded animal from up close, he charges in and eats a hard right for his troubles. Bloody Elbow scores it 10-9 Woods.

Round 2 Woods tags a charging Sturdy and drops him. But the Rhino gets back up. Woods stalking. Seeing their eyes up close I can see Woods is very calm and Sturdy is almost panicked. Hard jab from Woods. Leg kick. Another. He corners his prey, firing uppercuts. Sturdy escapes. The ref calls time out to look as a cut UNDER Sturdy's eyes. Bad call. Crowd boos. Sturdy bullrushes and eats four hard punches. Again an advancing Sturdy is battered. Now I can see the new cut is in the corner of Sturdy's eye, not such a bad stop at all. Winging right misses from Woods. He elbows a charging Sturdy. Another really brutal outside leg kick to Sturdy's lead leg. Another. Sturdy can barely stand. Another. Another. The crowd is screaming for the kills. Flying knee! Another leg kick. Sturdy is wounded and limping. He bullrushes again, gets tossed aside. Another leg kick. The round ends. Bloody Elbow scores it 10-8 for Timothy Woods.

Round 3 Woods stalks. Another bullrush ends badly as Sturdy stumbles down Woods batters his prone opponent with punches. Timothy Woods by Knock Out.  Impressive performance by the Lloyd Irvin student.

Kyle Baker vs Tommy Truex Round 1 It's Bloody Elbow's favorite 6-4 fighter, Kyle Baker up against a Greg Jackson product in Truex. Baker isn't that great, but he has an interesting fighting style that both Luke and I enjoy a great deal. Big John McCarthy in the cage. Truex hits very hard and catches Baker coming in. But Baker forces the clinch and is working a low single leg. Now Baker is landing those body shots from the clinch he's known for. Baker gets the plum but Truex hists harder. Baker stumbles from a punch but keeps coming. Baker sporting a big mouse under his left eye. They lock up, Baker landing thudding body shots. Truex answers. The sound of these shots is brutal from this close. Baker with Thai Plum just cannot be separated, He's starting to drain Truex with his gritty clinch fighting style. Uppercuts and knees from both men. Baker getting the edge know. Truex works for a takedown gets stuffed. Baker lands a hard shot. They are at a distance and Truex scores again. Assymetrical warfare, Baker's dominant in the clinch, Truex at range. Bakers forces it to the cage. He stuns him! He goes for the kill with a brutal series of knees. GREAT FIGHT Kyle Baker by TKO.

I don't expect Baker to ever become more than a formidable regional ciruit fighter, but I love his fighting style. It's truly something that should be studied by more MMA fighters. It's nothing conceptually revolutionary, but the effectiveness of working the body from the clinch is unquestionable. Too many MMA fighters only head hunt. Even the best dirty boxers like Randy Couture usually focus on battering the head rather than working the body in a sustained fashion. Baker reminds me of Rocky Balboa working on a side of beef.

Pat Runez vs John Dodson Round 1 Here comes the flyweight title fight and I am pumped. Dodson's record is very deceptive because he's been fighting as a bantam or featherweight most of his career and in my opinion he beat Mike Easton a couple of UWC's ago. Runez is coming out of Arizona Combat Sports. Dodson is a Team Greg Jackson member. This guy is ENTERTAINING. Jamie Varner is cornering Runez. "Vaseline" Phil Nurse in Dodson's corner. Runez takes center cage. Dodson circling. Runez orthodox, Dodson southpaw. Dodson's footwork is incredible. They exchange shots. Great leg trip takedown from Dodson. Runez back to his feet. Runez TAGS Dodson. The Magician stumbles but gets too his feet. and forces the clinch. Back to center cage. Kick lands to the body for Runez. Dodson is evasive. Dodson with a body punch. Hard left from Dodson. Runez unphased. They clinch up. Runez has Dodson's leg in the air and eats a punch. Bloody Elbow calls it 10-9 for Runez 10-10(based on the knockdown. The replay makes it less impressive -- more stumble than knock down).

Round 2 Again Runez takes center ring, stalking the elusive Magician. Dodson scores with a jumping knee then slips a winging right. Combination from Dodson. Bodykick from Runez. Dodson drops him! Then goes for a choke, Runez escapes. Runez on his back. Dodson firing away. Crowd applauds as they get back to their feet. Runez is tired and hurt. Now Dodson is stalking him. Dodson working the head and body with lefts from the clinch. Runez looks very tired. Dodson is loading his left hand. High kick from Dodson. Hard left to the face of Runez. Dodson clinches, working a high single, gets the slam but Runez is back to his feet. Runez face looks worse for wear. Dodson stuns him and goes in for the kill. Gets him down but Runez fights back to his feet. Body kick from Dodson. It's all Dodson at this point but Runez survives the round. Bloody Elbow scores the round 10-8 Dodson.

Round 3 Dodson looks fresh. Runez looks battered. Dodson takes center ring. Leg kick from Dodson. Another. A third. Runez winging shots, missing. Dodson circles away. Seeing some sweat on Dodson for the first time. Leg kick Dodson. Combination. Runez loading up his right but can't catch Dodson. Dodson with a punch/kick combo but Runez corners him and lands a nice combination to the head. Dodson gets away. Runez back to his stalking role. They clinch. Knees traded for punches. They break. Runez cornering Dodson, Dodson slips away. They trade, Dodson works a single, Runez keeps it standing. Great fight! Dodson has him pinned to the cage, Runez with a tight whizzer. Back to center cage. Runez chasing the elusive Dodson. The action moves from one side of the cage to the other. The crowd booing as the ten second warning is sounded. Nice exchange to end the round. The judge in front of me says "They're making me work for my money." Bloody Elbow scores it 10-10.

Round 4 Runez looks a bit more drained as we enter the championship rounds but both men know they're in a fight with a worthy opponent. Dodson takes cage center. They circle. Dodson with a combo. High kick from Dodson. Runez chasing. Dodson firing back. Dodson with a double leg, gets the takedown but Runez is back to his feet. Runez working for a front choke, Dodson escapes. Dodson lands a combo. Runez is stalking again. Runez forces a clinch. The crowd boose Dodson for running. Runez scores against the fence. Lands a low blow, keeps punching. Yamasaki takes too long to step in. Runez thinks he won when the ref steps in. The crowd is booing. I don't know why. Dodson takes his time. Back to his feet. They restart with a hand tap. Dodson looks a bit drained as would anyone. Dodson with a leg kick. Runez gets the plum, but Dodson is firing back and working for the takedown. Runez escapes but Dodson clinches again and gets a HUGE SLAM. But Runez is instantly back to his feet. Runez chasing, clinches, hurts Dodson with a knee to the face from the plum. Dodson working a high single, Runez landing elbows. Bloody Elbow scores it 10-9 Runez. My guess is that Runez is ahead on most of the judges scorecard.

Round 5 Runez has the eyes of a killer. Dodson looks worried. Back to pattern, Runez stalking, Dodson evading. Dodson may be punched out. He's not throwing much and when he does his punches are nothing. They clinch. Runez is asking for a breakup. Yamasaki gives it to him. Runez lands a right. Dodson reverses tags Runez. Back to center cage. Leg kicks from Dodson. He should've done that earlier. Dodson's corner shouts "You're losing." Runez shoots. Gets Dodson's back. They're twisting around. Runez climbs his back, working for the choke. Dodson escapes. Dodson firing knees to the gut. Uppercuts. He needs a KO. Runez back to stalking. One minute left. Dodson shoots for a double, almost elevates Runez, but the ACS man is too good a wrestler, stuffs it. Back to center cage. 10 seconds. They trading in a fury as the round ends. Bloody Elbow scores it 10-9 Runez. Somehow my dumb ass scores it a tie but expects Runez to get the judges decision. The judge in front of me scored it 3 rounds to 2 for Runez. The Judges score it a split decision for Runez. A great title fight.

After the fight Runez tells me he doesn't remember what dropped him in the second, but he knew he had Dodson early in the third. "He's faster than me, stronger than me, more technical than me in the standup, but I knew I had the edge in conditioning and by the third round so did he."

Mike Easton vs Chase Beebe Round 1 Big John McCarthy in the ring. I'm pumped! Easton with nice head movement, tagging Beebe. Beebe's face is already red and Easton is working the body too. Easton looking fierce with the new mohawk. Leg kick from Easton. Another from the other leg lands. Beebe gets his back! Climbing Easton's back. Easton with wrist control. Loses it. Beebe has the wrestling match he wanted. He's on top, Easton is turtled up. Beebe gets his hooks in. Beebe with double unders and wrist control but he's high on Easton's back. Trying to get the wrist under Easton's chin. Throwing some punches, has control of Easton's right hand. Some moron calls for a standup. Jesus. Beebe with over-unders. Easton defending the choke. Easton stands up, but can't shake Beebe off his back. I'd rather have a heroin habit than Chase Beebe on my back. Easton with an elbow and he reverses! In Beebe's guard, firing down. Lands a nice shot, body to the knee. 10 seconds left.  Damn hard to score. Looks like we're in for another great fight. BloodyElbow scores it 10-9 Beebe.

Round 2 They're trading early. Beebe doing a little better in the stand up this round. Hard leg kick from Easton. Body shots. Beebe keeping his hands up. High kick from Beebe. Nice right hook from Easton. Beebe firing straights, none connect. Nice head movement from Easton. Stuffs a Beebe shot, lands a head kick. Beebe with one of his own. Beebe firing combination, none with power. Leg kicks from Easton. Another exchange into the clinch, Easton fends him off and scores in close. Now he's stalking Beebe. Easton bobs his way inside then tags Chase with a left. A knee. Nice hook to Beebe's body. Hard leg kick. Beebe coming forward, lands a leg kick. Hard shot from Easton. Beebe's eyes are watering. Easton corners him, lands an uppercut. Beebe's  mouthpiece dangles for a second. Beebe firing at close range. Easton covering up. BloodyElbow scores it 10-9 Easton.

Round 3 Easton lighting the ex-champ up early with body and head shots. But Beebe is gritty and gets his back again. Beebe gets him down, on his back. Has both hooks in. One underhook with wrist control. Easton keeping his right hand up high to protect his throat. Beebe firing shots. Nothing serious. He's hunting for that throat. Firing shots but Easton is covering up. He tries to flatten him out, but Easton rolls half-way -- the cage saves Beebe from being reversed. Beebe working for the choke but he's over the chin, not under it. Easton gets the arm off . The legs are crossed, he can't turn into him. Beebe working the choke again. Beebe on top again with double unders. Damn dramatic! 35 seconds left. They pound the 10 second warning. Easton survives again. BloodyElbow scores it 10-9 Beebe as we enter the championship rounds.

Round 4 Easton stalking on the feet, tagging Beebe to the body repeatedly. Easton is TAGGING Beebe to the head. Beebe has a CHIN. Its a wrestling match again, brilliant exchange, looks like Easton will escape for a second, then Beebe's on his back again. Damn this is a classic striker-vs-grappler matchup. This is why we love MMA. Asymmetrical warfare at its best. Beebe once again working for the choke. Idiots shouting for standup. Beebe pecking away with shots, all the time looking for the choke. Easton stands up. Beebe slams him down again. Easton stands again. Beebe still has back. Easton gets wrist control and gets free! Crowd chanting EASTON EASTON as Big John stops the action to fix Easton's glove. Chant is resumed with the action. Beebe's eyes are focused and intent. Leg kick from Easton scores, Beebe acknowledges it with a smile. Another leg kick leads to a shot. Easton stuffs it. Easton fires off a combo. BloodyElbow scores it 10-9 for Beebe. Easton is in a hole going into the final round, will need the knock out to take the title.

Round 5 Easton smiles to his fans. They're trading, advantage Easton. Spinning kick from Beebe! Easton scores with punches. Beebe shoots. Gets on Easton's back again. The local favorite gets slammed. He has no answer for Beebe's wrestling. Beebe is working for the choke as Easton fights for his dreams. Beebe has him flattened out. Easton rolls. Beebe on his back but in total control, working for the choke. Two minutes to go. Easton's fans are frustrated but clinging to hope. Easton rises, Beebe high on his back. 90 second left, and he drops again. Beebe looks to be taking the UWC belt home to Iowa. One minute left. Crowd chanting for their hero as he struggles to his feet, Beebe still on his back. Easton reverses! Gets the Thai Plum, scoring, but Beebe gets him down again. Easton back up! Easton eating shots from a very very tough Chase Beebe. Easton scoring, but its too little too late. BloodyElbow scores it 10-9 for Beebe and the fight 49-46 for Chase Beebe, let's see what the judges say.

Easton is dancing as if he won the fight. Good performance! Split decision for Mike Easton. Another bullshit call from the hometown judges in Easton's favor. I love Mike Easton but he lost that fight IMO.

Someone call 9-11 there's been a robbery. The crowd is booooing!!!!! Other are chanting Easton! Easton!

Post-fight Chase Beebe cornerman Clay Guida is baffled at how his man controls four out of five rounds and loses a decision but says that Beebe will be happy to come back to the UWC and earn a rematch with the champ. Guida denies that Beebe fought cautiously because of his upcoming fight in Japan for DREAM. "He did enough to win, there was nothing else he needed to do."

Pat Runez cornerman Jamie Varner tells me -- "From watching the film on Dodson, we knew we could beat him with sustained pressure. Dodson fighs for the moment, for the fans, not for the legacy. Pat Runez is fighting to make his mark and tonight he did."

UWC 7: Redemption coverage