SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The Heavy team is live and on the scene for tonight’s “UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen” event in Oakland, and we’ve got the latest results from the pay per view card. Check this post beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT for the latest up to the minute results from all of the featured bouts, including the middleweight title grudge match between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.
We are about to get underway with live results from the evening’s main card. Join us for recaps of the five main card bouts from UFC 117 in Oakland.
Junior dos Santos vs. Roy Nelson
Roy Nelson immediately made it clear that he was not afraid to stand with his slugger of an opponent, but dos Santos didn’t take long to capitalize on that. After Nelson failed to secure a takedown in the clinch after a few shots on the feet, the two heavyweights began exchanging on the feet. The Brazilian powerhouse landed several vicious shots and, throughout the round, had Nelson seriously hurt several times. Nelson somehow weathered the storm to see another round, but not before nearly being finished on a couple occasions.
Surprisingly, Nelson came out in the second round anything but timid. “Big Country” took a few shots on the feet, but landed several nice shots of his own and looked for the takedown. He failed to earn it and the two continued on the feet. With Nelson continuously pressing forward, dos Santos seemed to be fading, just a bit, but that was obviously not the case, as the Brazilian continued to fend off the takedowns. However, a rare takedown attempt by dos Santos may prove that he was getting a bit fatigued, if not simply frustrated. Nelson had a much better five minutes in the second, but probably did not do enough to win it on any scorecards.
In the final round, Nelson looked absolutely exhausted, as the takedown by dos Santos displayed. Like he had done the entire fight, “Big Country” took some big shots and landed some big ones of his own. Both heavyweights continued to throw heavy punches, but the fatigue was apparent. Once again, Nelson avoided any devastating shots, but dos Santos’ boxing was simply so crisp. The two went out with an exciting exchange to finish a great fight to begin the live pay-per-view. Dos Santos earned the unanimous decision victory in dominant fashion, but Nelson showed some incredible heart. Dos Santos def. Nelson via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27).
Matt Hughes vs. Ricardo Almeida
This fight was a big test for the aging veteran welterweight, but Hughes passed with flying colors. The first three minutes of the round featured decent striking exchanges, but neither fighter landed anything seriously devastating. That is, until Hughes stunned Almeida with a left hook that floored the Brazilian. Hughes immediately moved in for the kill and the former welterweight champion secured a choke that put the submission ace to sleep. The victory was a huge one for the UFC Hall of Famer, who stated after the fight that he will be back in the cage next year. Hughes def. Almeida via technical submission at 3:15 of Round 1.
Clay Guida vs. Rafael dos Anjos
No one watching this fight should have been surprised by the way it started. Each lightweight jumped out of the gate and began hurling punches. Dos Anjos had the early success in the striking, but Guida, tough as nails, battled through to do some damage of his own. The fight came to a screeching halt in terms of pace when the dos Anjos pushed Guida to the cage after getting rattled. However, after a few minutes against the cage, the two separated and started swinging again. Dos Anjos landed a nice combination from the muy-thai stance and shot in for a takedown in the closing moments of the round. Guida climbed back to his feet, taking another big shot, and the round came to a close.
Down one round, Guida came out with a lot of motion, moving in and out with his striking. Dos Anjos, unable to land anything significant due to the movement of his opponent, shot in for the takedown, but Guida stuffed it and continued utilizing successful movement on the feet. However, dos Anjos utilized great movement of his own, and neither fighter was able to land any big combinations. After three minutes of little success, Guida put together a nice combination that led into a successful takedown. For the final two minutes, Guida remained on top, landing solid shots from dos Anjos’ guard, as well as utilizing ground and pound in half guard. The second was a much better round for “The Carpenter”.
Guida came out in the third round just as energetic as he was in the first and second rounds, moving nicely and putting together combinations. It did not take long for Guida to look for another takedown and, after clinching with dos Anjos, he threw his opponent to the ground, ending up in half guard. Up against the cage, Guida began working his ground and pound and looked to pass into side control. However, dos Anjos began frantically tapping when Guida’s shoulder was pressed up against his neck. The submission was odd and seemed to be a result of a broken jaw sustained in the first. Guida def. dos Anjos via submission at 1:51 of Round 3.
Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves
After missing weight for his 170-pound fight against Jon Fitch, questions lingered as to whether or not the weight cut would affect the Brazilian striker Thiago Alves. In the early going, Fitch seemed willing to stand with Alves for a bit, but quickly elected for the takedown, which he got. Alves avoided much damage on bottom and even reversed the positions at one point, ending up on top. However, Fitch was relentless in his takedown efforts and scored several throughout the round. Alves managed to ward off one, but it seemed the weight cut may have been a problem, as the vast majority of takedown attempts turned out positive for the wrestler.
In the second round, Fitch continued utilizing his stellar wrestling pedigree, forcing Alves to the mat in the early moments. Fitch dominated for the first half of the round on the ground, but Alves managed to work his way back to the feet, and it seemed the Brazilian would have a shot on the feet. However, Fitch quickly dragged him back down. Alves managed to stand for the final minute of the round, but it was not enough time to cover the points lost in the first four minutes of the frame.
The Brazilian striker entered into the third down two rounds, desperately needing a finish. For the first two minutes, the fighters remained in the stand up, but Alves failed to capitalize before being dragged back to the mats. Fitch immediately moved into back control and then into the mount, raining down punches. The American Kickboxing Academy product dominated the positioning for the next several minutes, before being reversed with 45 seconds remaining. The two stood back up in the waning moments, but Alves once again failed to land any significant shots. Fitch walked away with a dominant decision victory, one of his many, and another shot at welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. Fitch def. Alves via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen
After all the pre-fight trash talk courtesy of Chael Sonnen, the time came for the Team Quest fighter to back up his statements. Anderson Silva had no plans of letting that happen.
In the early action of the fight, it was clear that neither fighter was scared to stand, or at least they both appeared fine with it. After a short period of time without any damaging blows, someone finally got tagged, but it was not Chael Sonnen. Sonnen landed a nice shot that cause Silva to question his balance for a moment and he continued having success in the stand up. Strangely, Silva took about four shots without even putting his hands up, and Sonnen then took the fight to the ground and looked to pound out Silva. The remainder of the round was spent with Sonnen pounding away at Silva, who clearly lost the opening round of the five frame fight.
Silva bolted out of the gates in the second, looking to be dominant in the striking like fans are so used to. However, Sonnen immediately scored the takedown and moved to half guard. Silva grabbed onto Sonnen, but the underdog remained active. When he earned some breathing space, Sonnen began pounding away, and Silva looked helpless in his efforts to get the fight back to the feet. However, the champion stayed active looking for a submission, and nearly locked on a kimura and a leg lock, but failed to at the end of the round.
Much like the second round, Silva came out confident in his striking, landing several nice shots. However, Sonnen once again was able to work the fight back to the mats, where he worked solid ground and pound. Silva stayed fairly inactive early, but, like the second round, stepped up his activity with the round winding down. However, the submission attempts were nowhere to be seen, and Sonnen rode out the round on top of the champion. Another big round for Sonnen sends him into the fourth well ahead on the scorecards.
The first minute of the first championship round was quite the whirlwind. Silva came out swinging again, but this time he actually landed some nice shots. Sonnen appeared to be hurt, and Silva took the challenger to the floor. But just as things seemed to be changing, Sonnen reversed Silva, ending up back on top, the position he needed to acquire to continue dominating the fight. Sonnen spent the remainder of the round on top, staying busy with ground and pound against the champion. Silva remained rather inactive, and the two headed to the fifth and final round with the underdog clearly ahead.
Silva headed into the final frame, urging the audience to cheer and, perhaps, attempting to motivate himself after four discouraging rounds. Things looked bleak early once again when Sonnen scored yet another takedown. The challenger, now well ahead on the scorecards, continued working his ground and pound, and Silva needed to make something happen. The champion did just that when he timed a triangle submission perfectly. Sonnen was in deep trouble, and Silva worked the choke, while appearing to crank on other limbs to induce a tap. Sonnen was left no choice but to submit, and Silva earned the victory after losing the first four rounds. Silva def. Sonnen via submission (triangle choke) at 3:10 of Round 5 and remains the UFC middleweight champion.