Ok, my laptop died and I gave up, but now I'm trying again.
Doug Marshall vs. Ariel Gandulla
Boy that was underwhelming. I was pulling for Gandulla, but Marshall certainly schooled him on the ground going from a loose triangle into a tight armbar and getting a tap in short order.
Ian McCall vs. Charlie Valencia
They run tape on this one since Marshall finished the first fight so quick. Damn! Valencia dropped some effing bombs. He stalked McCall, counter-punching then as Mir said, did some "sharp-shooting". Dropping McCall with a right hook then later DROPPING him with another right that he followed up Houston Alexander style and then a quick and nasty guillotine. Good display.
Paulo Filho vs. Chael Sonnen
So everyone thinks Filho will win this. We'll see. BJJ legend Amaury Bitteti is in Filho's corner. Matt Lindland and Dan Henderson in Sonnens. Rd 1 -- HOLY FUCK!!!! Sonnen puts a beat down on Filho. Landing shots from the outside then dropping Filho . Sonnen is screaming "he's out" to the ref. Filho hangs on to survive. filho goes for a couple of submissions, Sonnen leaves the round holding a hurting elbow. But damn, Sonnen was impressive in round 1 -- I score it 10-9 Chael.
Round 2 -- Sonnen is clearly dominating the standup with his reach, power and takedown defense but he keeps taking Filho down, very risky. Sure enough! There's the armbar-- Sonnen taps.Filho is getting booed and has a nasty mouse on his right eye. Crowd chanting "BULLSHIT" while Mir talks to the champ. We need a rematch on this one. Sonnen is much better than he was rated before this fight.
Jens Pulver vs. Cub Swanson
Here comes the "grudge match" between Pulver and Swanson. It's kind of sad/funny to hear Rogan and Pulver talking about how "big" the WEC is now. But Jens is big-time MMA regardless. No pick here from me. Too many variables. Rooting for Pulver though.
Plenty of good trash talk before the fight. The Mrs. and I are both pulling for Jens. That's big for her, she's a huge B.J. Penn fan. When did Pulver's right eye turn blue? He looks like David Bowie with one brown eye and one blue eye.
Mazzagatti is flying a full blown Tom Selleck/Don Frye mustache tonight. Swanson shoots in immediately. Pulver sprawls and gets the choke! Damn! So much for all that shit talk Swanson. Too bad Pulver didn't get to punch the dude. "Fuck you!" says Pulver. My wife is laughing at Swanson too. Lol. No chance of Swanson making a name off Pulver -- unless that name starts with a "b" and ends with "ch." Win by anaconda choke in 0:35.
Another quick fight means another taped fight. Here comes:
Marcos "Louro" Galvao vs. Brian Bowles
Yamasaki's the ref -- hope these guys have life insurance. Nut shot causes a time out. Bowles throwing punches, Galvao answering with kicks and knees. Galvao shoots, gets stuffed. Bowles pushes into the fence. big elbow! Galvao tries a judo throw, Bowles counters with a whizzer. Back to stand up. Galvao lands a big right and gets the thai plum. Galvao gets a single leg into Bowles guard. Back to the feet. Tought round to score. I guess I'd go 10-9 Bowles.
Round 2 -- They're trading. Galvao landing a couple punches. DAMN -- Bowles tags Galvao and drops him. Sheesh, Galvao gets guard and goes for an ankle lock. Bowles escapes. They're back to their feet. Bowles tages him again then goes for the kill. Bowles by KO. Frank Mir warned Galvao not to retreat straight back throughout the fight, too bad Galvao doesn't speak English. Bowles makes a strong case for the WEC vis a vis the Japanese promotions, beating Sherdog's #2 in the world at 135.
Urijah Faber vs. Jeff Curran
Here we go, the California Kid vs the Big Frog. Uriah's looking pretty cocky heading into the ring. Uh oh, Yamasaki's back. No mercy mofos. I'm kinda feeling Curran right now, but maybe it's the wine. Did I hear Yamasaki say the fight is for the "chocolate chip" belt?
Faber clinches, Curran gets the takedown, almost has mount, Faber fights back to the guard. My wife calls Faber "a bratty little monkey".
Wow. Curran gets mount and now the back. Shit! Faber is getting completely outclassed on the ground. Curran has the body triangle. Curran is punching and fighting for the choke. Uriah has good hand control. But no one wants the Big Frog on their back. Faber slams him down, can't get the Frog off his back though. Faber is rolling him and landing some shots to the face. Now he's in Curran's guard. Nice survival by Faber. Very nice. Faber passes guard. Curran kicks him off. Uriah throws a diving elbow and lands in 1/2 guard. Belly stomps from Uriah. Nice round. Definitely championship caliber.
Round 2. They quickly clinch against the fence. Faber landing elbows. Faber going for a heel hook. Curran throwing punches. Faber going for a triangle with a leg in. If Frank Mir's never seen this position, I certainly ain't. Curran gets his back in a lightening transition. Faber rolls him into closed guard. Faber landing elbows. Curran is bleeding. Those elbows hurt. Driving Curran into the cage. Big upkick by Curran. Curran's trying to get a leglock. Faber answers with legkicks and stomps. Curran gets up and gets a single -- Faber gets a knee from the single!!! DAmn never seen that. Faber gets the choke. Faber is amazing. Great performance from the champ. Curran never got to trade strikes standing but certainly gave Faber everything he had on the ground. Faber is incredible tonight. Let's see Kid Yamamoto. More likely Jens Pulver next. I don't give Pulver much of a shot but then again, Little Evil thrives as the underdog.
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