SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The HeavyMMA.com team is reporting live from the Arco Arena in Oakland for tonight’s “UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen” event. Check this post for the latest preliminary card results and notes.
The preliminary card is now underway. Stick with Heavy.com for all the results as they happen throughout the evening.
Ben Saunders vs. Dennis Hallman
Hallman’s gameplan was clear early in his fight against Saunders, taking down the American Top Teamer early in the opening round. Hallman managed to stay on top of Saunders for nearly the entire round, and “Killa B” headed into the second desperately needing to make some changes to avoid his second consecutive loss.
Saunders entered the second round with a bit more success, scoring a nice counter early, as well as landing several body shots to remind Hallman that the striking game was probably a bit one-sided. Hallman recognized this, immediately scoring the takedown. Just as he did in the first, Hallman looked to stay active, seeking an opportunity to continuously improve on his position. Before the round ended, Hallman earned the mount once and utilized effective ground and pound to close out the second.
Hallman entered the third round no doubt looking to avoid a late knockout loss like he suffered in his last fight. Unfortunately for him, Saunders would not go quietly. Hallman was completely outmatched on the feet, allowing Saunders to basically have his way with him. However, Saunders could not keep the fight on the feet, and Hallman pulled out the unanimous decision win after earning a late takedown to avoid a knockout. Hallman def. Saunders via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
Stefan Struve vs. Christian Morecraft
Struve looked for submissions early and often in this heavyweight contest, but that was only because Morecraft stayed on top of him for basically the entire round. The smooth heavyweight scored an early slam and pounded away at the tall heavyweight, who looked for a guillotine and a pair of triangles. However, Morecraft escaped everything and completely dominated the opening round of the bout.
The second round was not even remotely close to the first, as Struve immediately dropped Morecraft and finished him off with punches. The finish came out of nowhere, and put a disappointing end to a night that started off so well for Morecraft. Struve def. Morecraft via technical knockout at 0:22 of Round 2.
Tim Boetsch vs. Todd Brown
Boetsch vs. Brown was meant to be a slugfest, but it didn’t exactly turn out in such a way. Boetsch got the better of the early action, utilizing his strength in an advantageous manner. He didn’t dominate the round, but he landed the better shots and did better in the clinch than his underdog opponent.
The second round turned out to be a little bit different, as Brown managed to work his way into the striking game. However, neither striker was willing to commit at any point in the round. Both would throw a punch or a kick and then get out of the pocket. The lack of combinations really hindered the fighter’s chances of earning a stoppage, but it did give them a chance to rest after a fairly fast-paced opening round.
In the third round, it became apparent early that Brown was running low on steam and that the second round did little to replenish his energy levels. Boetsch looked for a guillotine on a pair of occasions in the early going of the final round, but failed to lock any in for a finish. He did continue to press the action, however, and scored a takedown as the round came to a close. Not very convincing, but a win for Boetsch nonetheless. Boetsch def. Brown via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Johny Hendricks vs. Charlie Brenneman
Warning: The ending to this fight was so epic, it could very well make the pay-per-view broadcast.
Brenneman came out the aggressor in the first, landing some nice shots that forced a clinch from Hendricks. Whilst in the clinch, Hendricks landed several big knees, but it wasn’t long before he found himself on the floor with Brenneman throwing elbows from the top. Following a stand up by the referee, Brenneman scored a second takedown to close out the first round.
The second round started off with a bang. Hendricks landed a nice shot early that dropped Brenneman. Regardless of the trouble he found himself in, Brenneman started throwing off bombs of his own. Hendricks dropped his relentless victim a handful of times more, and the referee stepped in to save Brenneman. Very exciting finish. Hendricks def. Brenneman via technical knockout at 0:40 of Round 2.
Phil Davis vs. Rodney Wallace
Davis opened up this one with hopes of exciting a rather critical Oakland crowd, missing with a head kick. However, “Mr. Wonderful” quickly scored a takedown and began working elbows to the head of his opponent. Wallace struggled on bottom, and Davis controlled the situation perfectly. The dynamic athlete earned the mount and continued hammering away at his opponent after deciding against an arm triangle attempt he had considered for a moment. Wallace survived the round, but barely.
In the second, Davis elected to go with another head kick to start things off. The two light heavyweights entered into a short exchange with Davis being the first to look for the takedown. He got it and immediately began going to work on the ground with vicious knees. Wallace finally managed to stand back up, but Davis continued pounding away with knees to the body. Back to the ground, Davis continued to work his ground and pound as the round came to a close.
The two entered the third round of one of the more one-sided fights we’ve seen in a while. And yes, Davis opened with another head kick. Wallace, with a tentative look on his face, opted out of the stand up, looking for a leg lock. However, Davis simply moved to top position and then into side control. After earning the mount, Davis looked for a kimura, but his opponent worked his way back to the feet. Unfortunately for Wallace, Davis immediately brought it back down to the floor as the round came to a close. Dominant win for Davis, who continues to rise in ranks alongside Jon Jones. Only difference, not nearly as many people see this guy coming yet. Davis def. Wallace via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27).
Dustin Hazelett vs. Rick Story
You could say the first round was a horror story of sorts for Hazelett, and, yes, that is a rather direct reference to the submission specialist’s opponent, Rick “The Horror” Story. Story came out swinging and landed some big shots early against his opponent, who looked to pull guard, but failed. Story proceeded to slam Hazelett and showed nice control throughout the round, which proved to be a rather dominant one for him.
After five minutes of taking a pretty good beating, Hazelett entered the second round looking to turn things positive after the negative opening round. Unfortunately for the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace, Story had no intention of letting this fight last another round. He moved in for the finish after the one minute mark and got it, scoring the technical knockout victory. Quite the dominant performance from Rick Story. Story def. Hazelett via technical knockout at 1:15 of Round 2.