The brass at Zuffa must be pleased at the turnout of UFC 71. With ESPN providing massive coverage the event did not disappoint. In the main event Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson knocked out Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell to capture the UFC Light Heavyweight Belt. Here is a quick recap of all the televised bouts.
Fight #1 – Chris Leben vs Kalib Starnes
Rd 1 – Most of the round took place standing with Leben getting the better of it. His punches were more accurate and more powerful. Starnes forced a standing clinch a few times but was unable to get the takedown until the final minute. Once there, his best moment came when he tagged Leben as he was standing up.
Rd 2 – Starnes hurt Leben several times in this round, especially with a big right hand that staggered his opponent. Starnes gassed badly towards the end of the round but still did enough to win it.
Rd 3 – Leben picked the pace up in the third and scored a devastating body kick that hurt Starnes. Starnes fell to guard and Leben made a big mistake by following him there. Leben was unable to do much on the ground and was eventually reversed. He stayed busy from his back but when the horn sounded all three judges saw Starnes as the victor.
Winner: Kalib Starnes by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 (3)
Fight #2 – Keith Jardine vs Houston Alexander
Alexander bombed out Jardine in just 48 seconds. He overwhelmed him with right hooks and right uppercuts until Keith collapsed in an unconscious heap on the floor of the Octagon.
Winner: Houston Alexander by KO (punch) at :48 of rd 1
Fight #3 – Terry Martin vs Ivan Salaverry
After some short standup the fighters clinched near the fence. Martin then slammed Salaverry and whaled away at the back of his head until referee Mario Yamasaki stopped it.
Winner: Terry Martin by TKO (strikes to back of head) at 2:04 of rd 1
Fight #4 – Karo Parisyan vs Josh Burkman
Rd 1 – Karo’s striking was the difference. He landed several hard shots on Burkman and controlled the action on the feet. He also landed a nice Judo throw in round one.
Rd 2 – Burkman gassed badly and was barely able to move his head out of the way of Karo’s punches. If the Punchstat guys were ringside Karo’s numbers would likely show a 50% connect ratio.
Rd 3 – Josh finally scored a takedown but Karo was not down for long. He transitioned beautifully to an armbar and came close to tapping Burkman.
Winner: Karo Parisyan by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 (3).
Fight #5 – Din Thomas vs Jeremy Stephens
Thomas ran a clinic on Stephens. Textbook takedowns, textbook guard passing and textbook choke attempts. The youngster showed good composure in avoiding the rear naked toward the end of the first round but in the second round he got caught in a tight armbar. Stephens didn’t tap but since Thomas was about to break his arm referee Big John McCarthy stopped the fight.
Winner: Din Thomas by ref stoppage (armbar) at 2:44 of rd 2
Fight #6 – Chuck Liddell vs Quinton Jackson
Chuck was reluctant to trade with Quinton and it cost him. The few times he got close enough to punch, he’d throw a shot or two and then back straight out. A sweeping hook from Jackson caught Liddell flush and dropped him. Jackson pounced on Chuck and landed two more shots before referee Big John McCarthy stopped the bout.
Winner: Quinton Jackson by KO at 1:53 of rd 1
Fight #7 – Wilson Gouveia vs Carmelo Marrero
Gouveia kicked Marrero’s ass all over the Octagon. The beatdown began with vicious leg kicks that all but crumpled Marrero. Once the fight was on the ground Gouveia easily secured a Guillotine choke. He rolled into a mount which deepened the hold and forced Marrero to tap.
Winner: Wilson Gouveia by tapout (Guillotine choke) at 3:06 of rd 1
Off TV results courtesy of Sherdog:
- Alan Belcher defeated Sean Salmon by Guillotine choke at :53 of rd 1
- Thiago Silva defeated James Irvin by TKO (knee injury) at 1:06 of rd 1
anybody have audio/video of karo singing last night??