[LIVESMACK!] Play-By-Play of UFC 148: Silva Vs. Sonnen II

STUDIO MMA, LAS VEGAS, NV — We are here in the city of entertainment for the biggest combat sports event in the history of the universe!  Keep refreshing this page as we provide you with a detailed blow-by-blow of the main card of UFC 148.  The StudioMMA.com LIVESMACK is back!!! Starting now!!!

 

MIKE “THE HULK” EASTON vs. IVAN MENJIVAR

Buffer with the intros.  Josh Rosenthal to ref.

Round 1

The bantamweights meet in the center.  Easton misses with a leg kick, now jabbing.  Easton much more lively to start.  Easton stalking.  Menjivar at peace.  Big headkick misses by Menjivar.  Hulk has some good movement.  Nice combos.  Menjivar misses a spinning back fist.  Easton attacking.  Nothing connecting yet.  Leg kick by Easton lands on the groin, but Menjivar ok.  Menji with some big overhand rights that miss.  Lots of dancing and swinging, but both men elusive.  Nice headkick lands by Menji.  Now a front kick to the body.  Easton controlling the Octagon and lands a headkick that staggers Menjivar.  Another head kick by Menji is blocked.  Spinning leg kick by the Salvadoran.  Stiff body combo by Easton.  The Hulk always the aggressor in this round.  Menji has nice kicks, but Easton defending.  Leg kick from Easton.  Superman from Easton misses.  Trickle of blood from Menji’s nose.  He wings a right hand, but Easton fine.  Easton’s last ditch take-down attempt is stuffed.  Studio MMA scores it 10-9 for Easton, the more aggressive fighter.

Round 2

Scrappy fight.  Easton again controlling the landscape.  Menjivar looking for counters.  Another spinning leg kick by Menji.  Interesting technique, but not causing damage.  Both men miss head kicks.  Nice head movement from both men.  Stiff leg kick by Menji.  Nice left hook from the Hulk.  So far the Salvadora can’t seem to halt the advances of the Hulk, but a somewhat even technical fight.  Low spin from Menjivar and a jab.  Caution from both sides.  Easton winging and missing repeatedly.  Another overhand right attempt from Menji.  Menjivar using the front kick to keep Easton at bay.  Roundhouse from Easton misses.  Menjivar keeps trying that spinning heel kick to the leg.  He loves it.  Easton blocks a switch kick.  Now Easton wings an overhand right but misses.  Nothing landing cleanly for these guys – a testiment to their movement and defense.  Lots of strike attempts though.  A couple of big body shots land for Easton.  Flying knee by the Hulk to end the round.  Another 10-9er for Easton for aggression and for landing that knee.

Round 3

Easton even more aggressive in this round.  Heavy leg kick.  Big combos.  Left hook lands.  Twice.  Easton looking to hurt his opponent.  Menjivar with a weak shot.  Easton still stalking.  Menji with a high kick that doesn’t phase the American.  Pace has slowed.  Easton keeps landing a killer body hook.  Can’t feel good on Menjivar’s ribs.  Side kick from Menjivar does nothing.  He’s flat-out losing this fight and doing little to fix that problem.  Easton with the first takedown of the fight!  He has Menjivar against the cage.  Easton posturing and pounding.  Menjivar looking for an armbar, but no.  Menji holding guard.  They scramble, and Menjivar falls as he throws a knee.  Back up.  Easton takes one to the jewels, but the fight continues.   Easton out-striking, out-working, out-advancing.  Easton misses a high kick, and another one.  Menjivar not trying to win this fight.  Sad.  Easton can ride out the victory here.  Crazy flying kick by Easton misses, as does a wheel kick.  And the horn sounds.  Another 10-9 round for the Hulk should give him a 30-27 sweep.

Easton wins by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27), round 3.  (Just as we predicted in our recent edition of sMMArt Money!)

 

CHAD “MONEY” MENDES vs.  CODY McKENZIE

McKenzie is something like a 5:1 underdog here.  This is his first time at 145-lbs and 6 inches taller than Money.  Can McKenzie pull off the biggest upset on the card?

Round 1

Quite a contrast in body types as the men square up.  Both men attack with knees.  Vicious leg kick by Mendes.  Mendes catches a kick and lands a straight right body shot that crumples McKenzie.  Some hammer fists finish it!  That was sad for Cody.

Mendes by TKO, round 1 (0:31).

 

DEMIAN MAIA vs. DONG HYUN “STUN GUN” KIM

Sorry for the technical delay.  Play-by-play coming after fight.

Round 1

 

Demian Maia via TKO, round 1.

 

 

CUNG LE vs. PATRICK “THE PREDATOR” COTE

Sorry for the technical delay.  Play-by-play coming after fight.

Round 1

 

 

Round 2

 

 

Round 3

 

Cung Le via unimous decision, round 3.

 

TITO “THE HUNTINGTON BEACH BAD BOY” ORTIZ vs. FORREST GRIFFIN

Tito walks to the cage wearing something that looks like a gladiator helmet.  He means business. (?)  He looks fired up.  We’ll see if the emotion of this momentous night will carry the tide for the Bad Boy.

Buffer introduces the two men.  This the end of the trilogy.  Here we go.

Round 1

Griffin takes the center and throws a headkick.  Nice combo by Tito.  Another headkick by Forrest.  Big overhand by Tito misses.  Nice combo by Griffin lands.  Tito with the takedown!  Looking to pass the guard.  Forrest scrambling.  Huge elbow by Tito.  Right hook by Tito as Forrest tries to stand.  Tito all over him.  Half-guard now.  Griffin escapes and back up.  Both men look tired from that scramble.  Lead hook by Tito lands.  Forrest jabbing.  Tito stalking.  Both men landing solid punches.  Forrest with some front kicks.  Tito slowing.  Nice right hand lands for Forrest.  Head kick lands for Tito.  Forrest a bit more active here.  Leg kick, right cross from Forrest.  Uppercut from Forest.  Tito dives for a shot, stuffed by Griffin.  Tito not offering much hee as we have a minute left.  Forrest mixing kicks and punches nicely.  Tito somewhat paralyzed.  Right lands on Tito’s cheek.  Body kick lands for Griffin.  Griffin circling, offers a superman punch.  Tito with almost no movement here.  Forrest with a very late single-leg that trips Forrest, but that won’t win him the round.  We give it to Griffin for aggression and multitude of strikes, 10-9.

Round 2

Tito with a straight right countered by Forrest.  Tito drops Griffin with a right and he’s still wobbly!  Tito hoping to finish but Griffin is a survivor!  Tito does not have the stamina to close it out and now they are clinched against the cage.  Forrest recovering.  They square up again.  Nice right by Forrest, mixed with leg kicks.  Both warriors huffing a bit.  This is fight of the night so far.  Trading punches in the center of the ring.  An admirable display of heart and toughness by both men.  Forrest lands a right and more punches in bunches.  Leg kicks from Griffin.  Jab lands on Tito’s eye.  Tito standing right in front of Forrest, who is landing more strikes.  Uppercut by Forrest, but nothing seems to be hurting Tito.  Forrest’s upper lip is swollen quite a bit.  Combos.  Griffin throwing everything he can.  Tito very slow now.  Head kick barely misses for Forrest.  These guys are earning their payday.  Battered faces on both sides.  They’re standing in the middle of the ring and brawling.  Front face kick by Forrest misses.  Nice left from Griffin.  Tito looking for another late-round takedown.  Not quite.   Very, very close round.  Much more landing for Forrest, but Tito almost ended it with a straight right.  10-9 for Tito.

 

Round 3

Final round.  Does Tito have one big bomb left in that right hand?  Forrest attacking.  Tito conserving — he’s not afraid of Forrest’s power.  Great combo by FG.  Another right hand by Tito drops Griffin!  But he can’t finish again.  Tito takes him down!  Ortiz with some elbows from the top.  Forrest doing what he can to get back up.  They’re in the middle of the octagon.  Forrest holding guard.  An exhausting scramble.  Both men tired.  Both men desperate to win.  Tito with an elbow.  Forrest has to get up or he’ll lose this round.  Forrest looks for a kimura but doesn’t get it.  Tito causing no damage, but still on top.  Forrest wall walks.  They’re back up. Exhausted and clinching.  Tito against the fence.  2 minutes to go.  Knee from Griffin hits the belly.  Great fight.  The heart of the UFC.  Griffin throwing and throwing.  Landing some on Tito’s chin.  1 munte to go.  They’re in the center of the cage.  The crowd roaring as Tito lands.  Tito needs to unload.  Forrest connecting with combos.  Both men slugging.  Tito not doing much.  He’s out of gas.  They swing for the fences as the fight ends!  So close, but this one goes to Tito.  He almost finished it again.  That’s 10-9 and a 29-28 decision to close out his career in our view.

Forrest just left the Octagon and the crowd is booing.  Dana White is chasing after him.  WTF?!!!

Now Forrest is back in the Octagon as we await the decision.  Could it be a draw?

Forrest Griffin wins by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), round 3.

Forrest is now interviewing Tito in the center of the Octagon instead of Joe Rogan..  This is strange.  Forrest’s kooky behavior is not working for the crowd.   He’s actually getting booed by the crowd as Rogan interviews him.  Forrest saw it as a draw and says he wants a 4th round.
MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT
ANDERSON “THE SPIDER” SILVA vs. CHAEL SONNEN

A wildly pro-Anderson crowd here tonight.  Chael is booed heartily as he enters.  Anderson gets the king’s roar, and Chael makes “bring it on” hand signals as the champ approaches.  And, of course, Steven Seagal is on hand.

The fighters are introduced.  Anderson steps to the center of the cage to bow to the four corners and security almost has a coniption fit, concerned that he might do something to Chael.  Yves Lavigne calls them in for instructions, but does not allow them to shake hands.  Here we go.

Round 1

As the men converge, Anderson looks for a knockout punch immediately, but Chael ducks under for a power double.  And, 5 seconds into the fight, Anderson is on his butt with Chael in his guard.  De ja vu all over again.  Chael, of course, looking for the ground and pound.  He’s active and trying to take Anderson to the fence.  Anderson with outstanding posture control.  Chael throwing to the body and head, but no damage yet.  Anderson using butterfly guard.  Chael looking to pass, but can’t.  Half guard now.  Chael with some wrist control.  Perhaps looking for a kimura or americana.  Anderson holding tight, not giving Chael room to generate any power.  Silva is deceptively strong.  He look for a sweep, but no go.  Chael still on top.  Smacking the sides of Silva’s head now.  Knees to the body from Chael, but with little effect.  Anderson with the gable grip, refusing to let Chael posture.  Chael throws some bombs that miss.  Anderson throws up a leg for a triangle, but no.  Chael throwing short rights, but really no damage. The crowd wants the fight stood back up, but Yves isn’t playing that game.  Wrist control by Anderson.  Chael ineffective with his G-n-P here.  Chael MOUNTS ANDERSON!  45 seconds left and Chael looking to pound.  Shoulder strikes.  Anderson calm.  Chael needs to capitalize on this mount, but he can’t so far.  Anderson holds on.  Dominant round from Chael, but almost no damage to Anderson.  Some might call it a 10-8, but that doesn’t make sense here.  Chael did NOT hurt Anderson, but laid on top of him for 4 minutes and 55 seconds.  10-9 Sonnen.

Round 2

They converge and Anderson is more elusive.  Chael throws a few lead hooks before pushing Spider to the cage.  They clinch and Anderson defends with his back to the cage.  Anderson grabs a single but does not execute.  Chael with some knees, but Anderon is fine.  Great TDD from the champ.  Chael drops for a double and Anderson defends remarkably.  They move away from the cage.  Anderson connects with two sharp rights that make the challenger retreat!  The second one rocked Chael’s head back. Now Anderson drops his hand and walks backward as Chael follows him across the cage.  Chael takes the bait.  And as Sonnen attacks Anderson throws a blazing right counter hook to the chin.  Chael looks stunned.  Another combo and a right lands for Spider. Chael backs off.  He looks disoriented.  I think the challenger is hurt!  Chael drives in for a wild double-leg attempt, but Anderson’s takedown defense is beautiful.  They are against the cage now.  Chael tries for a trip, but no go.  Chael jumps in for a WILD spinning back fist that Anderson dodges.   Chael stumbles to the ground.  He must have been hurt by those right hands earlier, because he is way off balance.  Chael is on his butt against the cage as Anderson steps toward him, hands down.  Anderson throws a brutal knee to Chael’s neck!  Chael crumples to his side.  Anderson on top pounding! Huge right hands to the temple.  Chael back up and very wobbly, wounded, flailing.  Anderson drops Sonnen!  Chael in a fetal position as Anderson pounds on him, throwing huge right hands!  This could be it!  Yves Lavigne dives in to protect the Challenger and Anderson has just defended the belt… for the 10th time!!!!

The replay shows that Anderson’s knee was legal and to the body.

Silva by TKO, 1:57 of Round 2.  He retains the UFC Middleweight Belt.

 

 

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