Weidman Lifts Middleweight Crown From Silva Via 2nd Round KO

The event was the annual 4th of July week extravaganza that the UFC usually produces for the patriotic American holiday. A neatly packaged event to put the icing on the cake for all the loyal mma fans traveling the globe to make it to the Nevada desert for the famous UFC Expo that week leading into the big night. The fight was at the all too familiar MGM Grand in Las Vegas for the UFC middleweight title held by undisputed “Pound for Pound” #1 ranked fighter in the world, “The Spider” Anderson Silva. However, the outcome was not at all what anyone expected except undefeated challenger, “All-American” Chris Weidman; a highlight reel 2nd round knockout finish.

The championship bout started with Weidman taking Silva to the ground off of a take down 30 seconds into the match. Silva defended the challenger’s submission attempts and ground and pound well, eventually getting the fight back to the feet with roughly 2 minutes left. During those 120 seconds Anderson transformed into the extremely confident title holder that has crushed his opponent’s confidence by show boating or begging them to attack him while he puts himself in dangerous situations with his hands to his side or purposely stepping backwards towards the cage wall. Weidman seemed unconcerned while Anderson really got the fans at the MGM Grand Garden Arean going as he put on an interesting display of taunts before the opening round came to a close.

For the 2nd stanza, the champion officially got into his unique comfort zone lowering his guard against Weidman as the two elite 185-pound combatants stood toe-to-toe trading strikes in the middle of the Octagon. Weidman went in for a shot but Silva stuffed the take down with ease. Shortly thereafter they resume their striking battle with Silva returning to the disrespectful stance as he placed his fists to his waistline and backed up avoiding some punches from Chris. Nonetheless, Weidman’s 5-punch combo ended with a looping left hook flush that landed flush unto the Brazilian’s chin. Instantly the all-time great’s head rattled from the punch then he collapsed to the mat as the back of his head bounced off of the canvas. Chris Weidman immediately followed up with a couple of punches to the fallen champion before the referee jumped in, ending Anderson Silva’s unprecedented middleweight title reign via KO.

The official time of the 2nd round stoppage was (1:18) and will forever be the mark of the greatest upset this year inside a UFC cage. With the loss, Anderson Silva moves to (33-5) as Chris Weidman remains undefeated lifting his record to (10-0) and lifts the UFC 185-pound championship belt from an MMA legend in front of a stunned crowd from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Edgar Returns To Win Column Behind Vintage Performance

Former UFC lightweight champion, Frankie “The Answer” Edgar, returned to Las Vegas after a disappointing outing against Jose Aldo just 5 months ago to take on BJJ ace, Charles Oliveira. The Brazilian fighter has finished 15 of his 16 victims therefore it was detrimental that Edgar take this 145-pound match the distance in order to favor a points triumph. He did just that by masterfully popping the jab, circling and taking down his Brazilian adversary almost at will for 15 minutes. Oliveira stood in front of the New Jersey native looking to land something big and connected with some straight punches but never followed up the attack. Edgar on the other hand countered with a left hook that rarely missed, also leading with it or using it to unload some solid combinations.

Heading into the 3rd round, “The Answer” questioned his opponent’s chin with some powerful right hands that really took their toll on Oliveira who was staggered twice by Edgar. Frankie did not let up on the relentless offense continuing to punch his foe repeatedly to the head and body before taking the fight to the ground and adding to the assault with some serious ground and pound. Still, Charles Oliveira had no quit in him and even though he suffered a loss to a former champion, only made his stock rise with his warrior’s heart and promising future as a UFC stand out. For Frankie Edgar, his course is now set to get back into title contention off of this points verdict and with scores of (30-27) twice and (29-28), the numbers prove he is in the right direction.

Kennedy Successful In His UFC Debut Over Gracie Family Member

Formerly an active member of the U.S. Army, Tim Kennedy, now does battle in the MMA cage and for his UFC debut he took on another Octagon newcomer in Roger Gracie. Both men once did battle inside the Strikeforce cage so it was only fitting that they debuted together in another middleweight bout for the UFC 162 PPV. Kennedy found himself defending the take downs early from Gracie who wanted nothing more than to make this strictly a ground game chess match. The 2nd degree black belt found success using a double leg take down then taking his foe’s back fishing for a rear naked choke with about 2 minutes left in the 1st round but Kennedy weathered the storm and made it to the 2nd round. From there on, the former Green Beret implemented his game plan of using take downs to set up his left hook or over hand right and when those were partially blocked by Gracie, Tim connected with some crisp leg kicks.

The momentum of the bout changed completely over to Kennedy who strategically pinned Gracie along the cage wall as they stood using a tight clinch and sneaking in some short punches and knees to the body. As soon as Gracie looked to counter he was being driven down by Kennedy and kept there for the better half of the 2nd round. Going into the 3rd stanza, Tim Kennedy mixed up the attack using the already successful clinch and pin approach as he showcased his left hook and solid kicks to his foe’s lead leg for the entire round as he cruised to a unanimous decision victory. The official scores read (30-27) twice and (29-28) for Kennedy as he spoils Roger Gracie’s UFC debut.

Munoz Back And Better Than Ever With Points Win Over Boetsch

Mark Munoz personified his “Filipino  Wrecking Machine” moniker as he wrecked Tim Boetsch’s visit to Vegas with a unanimous decision earning performance in an action packed middleweight tilt. Tim got off to a great start scooping up Mark and dumping him unto his back twice early in the 1st round and also locking in a relatively tight guillotine. However, that was about it for the successful Boetsch offense as Mark found his rhythm around the midway point of the stanza and took over from there using intelligent counters, positioning and relentless top control. Munoz also got the better of the connects inside the clinch and put together some great work to the body ripping his foe’s stomach or thighs with devastating hooks taking allot of the steam from Boetsch.

The 2nd and 3rd rounds were all Munoz thanks to his jab which he used to close the distance, or the clinch and also the use of body locks to drive Boetsch back to the cage and keep him off balance in order to cancel out his momentum. Boetsch would not go quietly as he returned fire with some straight right hands and front kicks as well as look for some take downs but the newly improved cardio of Munoz really shined through. If Munoz didn’t make his man guess on what angle an overhand right was coming from, the Pinoy powerhouse was already sinking in a double leg take down unto Boetsch, planting him on the canvas. The second that the fight was on the ground, Boetsch went on the defensive as Munoz landed some clean ground and pound strikes just as potent as he did in the 1st round, attributed of course to his superb conditioning. Once the dust settled, Mark Munoz had returned from a knockout loss to Chris Weidman a year ago, regrouped, refreshed and re-determined to capture a UFC title in the not too distant future. With scores of (29-28), (30-27) and (30-26) over Tim Boetsch, it sure is a good start for Mark Munoz who put the middleweight division on notice.

Swanson Stops Another Opponent In His Ongoing Quest For Featherweight Gold

Jackson’s MMA fighter , Cub Swanson, has stopped 4 out of his last 5 foe’s by TKO. All of them brutal, all of them highlight reel worthy and all of them before the final bell sounded. The latest victim on the Californian’s hit list was German striker, Dennis Siver who joined Swanson in opening the main card for the UFC 162 PPV. The 145-pound battle was waged by both men using various strikes, leg kicks as well as constant take down attempts. But as the action progressed, the fast pace seemed to take a toll on Siver who got lazy with his jab and started to counter more so than lead the attack.

In the 3rd round Swanson closed the distance and during a heated exchange, caught his man flush with an beautiful right hand to the neck and ear area instantly disrupting Siver equilibrium. The proud German warrior stumbled down to the canvas as a result of the punch and Cub barely wasted a second stepping over him to land some more vicious right hands and putting out the lights of his opponent. The official time of Cub Swanson’s latest TKO victory came at (2:24) of round 3 as he reminds fans why he has clawed his way into the UFC’s top ten featherweight rankings.