LAS VEGAS — UFC 114 preliminary action is underway and the main card is coming up later tonight. Heavy.com is live on the scene at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada for tonight’s action. Check out the results from the main card of tonights event when the pay-per-view action gets underway at 10 p.m. ET.
Main Card Results
Diego Sanchez vs. John Hathaway
Sanchez returned to the welterweight division, but it wasn’t the warm welcome back he was looking for. British fighter Hathaway dominated Sanchez throughout the entire contest, beginning his onslaught over the former lightweight top contender with a powerful knee early in the first. Hathaway nearly finished the fight, but Sanchez survived to get beat up for the remainder of the first, along with the entire second and third rounds. Hathaway was unable to stop his tough-as-nails opponent, but he certainly beat him up pretty badly, even earning a 10-8 round from one of the judges. Sanchez just could not figure out how to deal with the reach advantage of his British foe, leading to his second consecutive loss. Hathaway def. Sanchez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26).
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Jason Brilz
When Brilz took this fight on short notice, many probably saw it as a terrible idea. But the underdog certainly gave Nogueira a challenge, as the two engaged in a three round battle. Brilz managed to take the fight to the ground early, but struggled against the grappling capabilities of Nogueira. However, early in the fight, Brilz did control Noguiera at times on the floor and the first round ended with Brilz shocking the vast majority of spectators with his performance. The second round was an even bigger surprise, as Brilz nearly submitted Nogueira when he got the fight back to the ground. However, Noguiera survived the ground game and the two went back to the feet. In the waning moments of the round, the two exchanged on the feet, but Brilz beat Nogueira at his own game, wobbling the Brazilian as the round ended.
The two light heavyweights entered the third round, and it seemed that Brilz was ahead on the scorecard with his performance in the first two rounds. However, Noguiera dominated the round, even getting Brilz into the rare crucifix position. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, he was unable to finish Brilz, and the two went to the judges’ scorecards. Brilz shocked everyone with his performance and the judges decided to surprise him the way he surprised the fans, granting Nogueira a rather shocking split decision victory. Nogueira def. Brilz via split-decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).
Todd Duffee vs. Mike Russow
If you were with Heavy.com for the preliminary card results, you know the theme was “Come From Behind Victories.” Well, consider this fight the comeback to end them all. Russow came in looking terribly out of shape, while Duffee, who holds the record for fastest knockout in UFC history, looked to be in incredible shape, as usual. Duffee teed off on Russow early, with the underdog mounting literally no offense whatsoever. Duffee never managed to earn a knockout throughout the first two rounds, and that ended up hurting him badly. Russow, who literally landed no power shots the entire first two rounds, landed a shot to the temple of Duffee and the young heavyweight prospect went out cold. The knockout was one of the most shocking come-from-behind victories in the history of MMA. It was just so ridiculous. Russow def. Duffee via knockout at 2:25 of Round 3.
Michael Bisping vs. Dan Miller
Tonight was full of surprises, and Dan Miller decided to continue the trend. The top-notch grappler opted to abandon his strongest asset and attempt to stand and bang with Bisping. The early moments of the fight saw little action in the striking, but Bisping quickly adjusted and took the dominant role in the exchanges. It was more of the same in the second when Miller failed to mount much offense in the striking, yet continued to avoid any attempts to get the fight to the floor. Bisping gladly obliged his opponent in a stand up match, once again getting the better of the exchanges.
The fight entered the third and final round with Bisping clearly ahead on the scorecards. Miller, still without a takedown in the fight, entered the third with a bit of a change in mindset. He began the round exchanging with Bisping, but Miller finally realized it was in his best interest to drag the fight to the floor. He managed to haul “The Count” down, but Bisping quickly stood back up, and the two ended the fight with a nice exchange. The judges’ issued their scores, granting Bisping a unanimous decision win after three solid rounds of fighting. Bisping def. Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans
Rashad Evans needed to follow a smart gameplan if he wanted to defeat his nemesis Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in tonight’s main event and he did just that. Evans began the fight with a nice shot that seemingly stunned “Rampage” and proceeded to work his speed and wrestling to take the first round. The second round was similar to the first as Evans continued trying to use his wrestling and speed to dictate the fight. Jackson failed to land any effective combinations due to Evans’ control, and the two went to the third round with Evans ahead on the scorecards.
The third round featured the most exciting, dynamic moment of the night when “Rampage” landed a vicious combination on Evans that hurt him badly. Jackson followed Evans to the ground, looking for the finish over his damaged opponent. However, Evans managed to recover before absorbing any more punishment and worked his way out of the unfortunate positioning. The two moved back to the feet where Evans scored yet another takedown, and the rivals rolled to the judges’ scorecards after the closing bell. Evans earned the unanimous decision due to his solid gameplan. Jackson simply could not handle the speed and, with every takedown and clinch, time was against him as Evans looked to grind out the decision. Not exactly the result that either man had promised, but a big victory for Evans, who earns a title shot against UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Evans def. Jackson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27).