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CASE (Casey, Art, Scott and Euan) Preview UFC 69Watching the preshow now and it is all Sanchez-Koscheck and GSP-Serra talk.
Goldberg and Rogan open the show and they run down the card and then the rules.
Bout 1: Middleweight Division
Alan "The Talent" Belcher: 22, 6'2, 184, 9-2-0
Vs.
Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove: 24, 6'6, 185.5, 9-3-0
Referee: Big John McCarthy
Round 1: Starts out on the fight but not much happens then Belcher takes him down and in to side control. Grove escapes and hits a couple of knees. Back up to the feet they go.
Grove hits an elbow and then pushes him away with a straight kick. Goes to the clinch and delivers a couple of knees to the body.
Tito shouting instructions to Grove. His instructions do not include the phrase: "Skip the weigh-in and piss off the State Athletic Commission".
Belcher tries to take him down to the end of the round but Grove defends. Fun first round.
Scoring: Grove did more damage even with Belcher taking him down, 10-9 Grove.
Round 2: Belcher is a good striker but Grove's reach is hard to defend against so he hasn't struck as well as he'd like.
Grove has Belcher in trouble and is looking to finish. Grove has Side Control.
Ortiz shouting instructions again. Grove has started to deliver some nice knees and elbows. Grove just picks Belcher up and slams him hard to the mat. Now he's punching Belcher on the ground. Now he's laying in some elbows and is just taking Belcher apart.
Grove has Belcher in a choke and it is all she wrote.
Winner: Kendall Grove - 4:42 R2 via submission
That was a good way to start out the live portion of the card.
Rogan with Grove: Does this victory feel sweeter tonight considering the trash talking? Yes, something something, bla bla bla. Is it just me, or is he hard to understand? Its not just me.
We go backstage to Diego's locker room. Then we get a promo for UFC 70 from the United Kingdom.
Bout 2: Middleweight Division
Yushin Okami: 25, 6'2, 184, 20-3-0
Vs.
Mike "Quick" Swick: 27, 6'1, 184, 10-1-0
Referee: Mario Yamasaki
Round 1: Goldberg runs down the quick times in which Swick won some of his early UFC contests before going the distance with David Loiseau at UFC 63.
Feeling out process to start. The men exchange some early kicks. Swick likes to strike early and Okaim prefers to counter.
Swick wanted the flying knee but couldn't have it. Okami pushes Swick up against the cage. Okami takes him down and is looking to t-off but Swick is trying to get back to his feet.
Okami still holding Swick down and is over-powering him at this point.
Okami has the arm of Swick as Rogan and Goldberg talk up the success of the Ultimate Fighter competitors.
Okami is looking to finish but the time in the round expires.
Scoring: Okaim dominated the ground work and won the round 10-9.
Round 2: Its been standing throughout the early part of round 2 with neither man doing any real damage. Rogan talks about how Okami is a much bigger 185 than is Swick who could drop to 170.
Rogan and Goldberg talk about some purchase just made by Zuffa, some Pride thing.
Very slow round with Okami trying a takedown and Swick avoiding.
Swick starts to land some blows to wake up the crowd a bit as Rogan instructs us that Mirko Cro Cop better not sleep on Gonzaga. The fact is that they've done more talking about stuff outside the Octagon than inside which aught to tell you all you need to know about this round.
Yamasaki stands them up. Swick is striking him and now it is Swick that presses for the finish to end the round.
Scoring: It is Swick's round because of the finish 10-9. A pretty lack-luster round until the end.
Round 3: Swick starts out on the feet again but Okami goes for the takedown, a nice sprawl by Swick. Then Swick lands an inside legkick and Okami is really breathing hard at this point.
Okami counters Swick's offense and takes him down to the mat. Okami has the mount on Swick who has to do something. Swick trying to escape but Okami has him in some deep, deep trouble. Okami has Swick's back and Yamasaki is telling Swick to defend himself.
Okami is pressing the action and the referee has not stopped the fight. Swick gives up his back to Okami now. This is Okami's fight and the crowd starts booing, but Swick finally manages to role out. He's going to have to do something big because this is Okami's round.
Rogan tells Swick to pull out, but that's not effective birth control. Swick trying to escape but it doesn't work. Round and fight ends.
Scoring: This is Okami's round and it is his fight 29-28.
Eddie Bravo Scores the bout 29-28 as well.
Winner: Yushin Okami - 5:00 R3 via Unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Crowd not happy, but this was obviously the right decision.
Rogan with Okami and translator: Rogan asks if this puts him in line for a title shot. Well, before we get an answer the translator has trouble translating Okami's speech. Seriously, this is a bad bad promo.
Okami was surprised that he didn't get the finish earlier but figured the ref let it go because he's the local boy.
Another look at Sanchez-Koscheck and it is clear this fight is the focus of the show.
Promo for UFC 70.
Rogan with Dana White. White has an announcement to make. It is the signing of Antonio "Rodrigo" Nogueira.
Rodrigo is very excited to come to America and show his submission skills. He wants a couple of fights before he fights for the title but he will fight for the title. He does get a nice pop from the crowd.
Bout 3: Lightweight Division
Leonard "Bad Boy" Garcia: 27, 5'10, 154.5, 13-1-0
Vs.
Roger "El Matador" Huerta: 23, 5'9, 155, 18-1-1
Referee: Mario Yamasaki
Round 1: Some fast moving early on. Garcia had the clinch but Huerta was able to escape. Garcia had the head of Huerta but not much else. Huerta on top with Garcia's back.
Garcia slams Huerta and is looking for a guillotine but Huerta is able to work his way free.
Roger Huerta is landing some shots, but Garcia is still able to defend himself.
They're back on the feet and exchanging shots and then it goes back to the mat. 45 seconds left in the round. Garcia landing some blows from the bottom, but Huerta weathers the storm.
Garcia rolls into the guard of Huerta and Huerta lands an elbow from the ground to end it.
Scoring: 10-9 for Huerta but barely, could go either way.
Huerta is opened up..
Round 2: Garcia starts out with a leg kick. Huerta is landing some nice elbows now to Garcia. Garcia catches Huerta with a knee but Huerta is right back up.
Garcia lands a big right. A big knee for Garcia and now Huerta is in there and exchanging punches. It is a slug fest.
Finally, Huerta takes Garcia down and into the mount. Huerta is just Teeing off on Garcia now, but Garcia is still fighting, this fight is officially awesome.
Huerta takes Garcia down yet again and has the mount.
Garcia is looking for an armbar but Huerta is avoiding as the round comes to a close.
Scoring: This round was Huerta's 10-9 and Garcia seems to be the more tired of the 2.
Round 3: Garcia tries the takedown early but doesn't get it. Huerta is landing some big bombs with the right.
The pace has slowed considerably right now but how could it not with the frenetic pace of the first 2 rounds?
Garcia has Huerta's back right now. The fans are starting to boo but this is good ground skill. Huerta avoids and is now in the dominant position and is looking to finish Garcia.
Garcia just trying to survive as the round ends.
Scoring: Again, I'll give this round to Huerta 10-9, so I've got him winning 30-27 but that first round was very close. This was a great fight.
Winner: Roger Huerta - 5:00 R3 Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Rogan with Huerta: He thanks God, Texas and uh, some other people who aren't Jesus or Mr. McMahon. He gives props to his opponent Leonard Garcia and then utters some spanish. Perhaps Huerta is looking to join the Latin American Xchange.
Garcia says he had a month to train for the fight, but that doesn't seem right to me. I'll take his word though.
Huerta declares that his last fight with John Halverson did not end with an illegal knee.
Promo for The Ultimate Fighter 5. Then the promo for the White-Ortiz boxing match.
Bout 4: Welterweight Bout
Josh Koscheck: 29, 5'10, 170.5, 10-1-0
Vs.
Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez: 25, 5'11, 168.5, 19-0-0
Referee: Big John McCarthy
Diego has a Marriacci band with him campaigning to join LAX.
Crowd seems to be behind Diego here.
Round 1: Koscheck lands an early right. Sanchez trained some with Oscar De La Hoya, don't tell Floyd Mayweather Jr. about that or he'll get pissed.
Koscheck has not even attempted a takedown yet in this round. Diego pressing forward, but really not a lot has happened thus far.
Crowd turns on them as Diego hits a leg kick. Diego lands a nice right, but this round has slowly moved. Koscheck takes Diego down with about 25 seconds left in the round but it didn't amount to much.
Scoring: I give this round 10-9 to Koscheck because it was pretty even before the Takedown to end it.
Roun 2: Diego starts out a little more aggressive in this round. The boo-birds come out as again not much is happening. UFC 70 plugged by Goldberg.
The hatred is not translating in to action real well. Koscheck nails a right hand. Another right hand from Koscheck. Koscheck is a lot more comfortable in the Octagon right now, as he's firmly in control. Koscheck nails a leg kick and Diego hits one of his own.
Koscheck rocks Diego with another right hand and that one hurts Sanchez. I'm seeing a different Koscheck than I expected. He is out boxing Diego and has not gone for a takedown. The round ends with a chorus of boos. This fight is not good, and is hurt by the fact it followed Garcia-Huerta.
Scoring: Clearly Koscheck's round 10-9. He didn't need a takedown to win this one. I've got Koscheck 20-18 right now.
Round 3: Diego tries to pick up the pace early but it slows down again the the crowd starts chanting for someone named "boo".
The crowd booing is getting louder with 3 minutes to go in this one. I'm eager for this to end.
Crowd is hating this and hating it bad and I don't blame them. 2:10 left before this trainwreck can finally be looked away from.
Koscheck with a jab but whatever, this is blowing hard. The booing just gets louder and louder and louder. Rogan has no choice but to acknowledge the fact that the crowd hates this.
Goldberg: "Sometimes, the fight doesn't live up to the hype." No shit!
If Jim Ross were calling this it would be bowling shoe ugly. Can I go back and watch Kane-Khali instead?
Some kicks end this sucky fight and it is mercifully over here.
next!
Scoring: Koscheck 10-9,
Bravo also scores it 30-27.
Winner: Josh Koscheck - 5:00 R3 Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Crowd boos and chants bullshit.
Rogan with Koscheck: Koscheck boos, and declares Diego 19-1. He thanks the coaches and Houston who just keep booing the hell out of him.
They do not go to Diego and that disappoints me. Goldberg: "This will not go down as the greatest fight in UFC History, but it will go down as the first defeat of the Nightmare." No shit!
Randy Couture joins Rogan and Goldberg. They talk about how the odds are well against Serra in this fight and what he has to do to win.
They show a promo that starts out with St. Pierre dropping on his knees and begging for a title shot. They show his conquests and eventual beating of Matt Hughes. Then we get some comments from Matt Serra as clips of him are shown. GSP says he's got to take him seriously. GSP admits that Serra is better at submissions.
Bout 5: Welterweight Title Bout
Matt "The Terror" Serra: 32, 5'6, 169.5, 15-4-0
Vs.
Georges "Rush" St. Pierre: 25, 5'10, 169.5, 13-1-0
Referee: Big John McCarthy
Round 1: It has been on the feet early with neither man landing a big bomb, but some nice blows from both.
Serra is holding his own in the striking game early. Serra is laying in to ST. Pierre and St. Pierre is having to weather a storm and holy shit!!!
ST. Pierre has been defeated, Holy shit.
Winner: Matt Serra - 3:25 R1 Via TKO
Rogan with Serra: Uh, Serra says things and I'm stunned.
They show Luke Cummo Vs. Josh Haynes to close out the show. Labels: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Diego Sanchez, Georges St. Pierre, Josh Koscheck, Leonard Garcia, Matt Serra, Mike Swick, Mixed Martial Arts, Pay Per View Coverage, Roger Huerta, UFC, UFC 69, Yushin Okami
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