LAS VEGAS – HeavyMMA is live and on the scene for tonight’s “UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz” event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
The event is headlined by an explosive welterweight contender fight between B.J. Penn and Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz. The co-main event features rising heavyweight Matt Mitrione taking on Cheick Kongo.
Our live coverage of the pay per view event will begin at 9 p.m. ET. Stay tuned to this post for play by play and complete results from one of the biggest UFC events of the fall season.
Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop
Round 1 – Kick to the body from Hioki blocked by Roop. Hioki blocks a headkick. Roop is throwing kicks left and right. He misses with a combination. Action is stopped due to a shot to Hioki’s groin. Action resumes, and each fighter throws. Neither lands flush. Hioki looking for a takedown. He presses Roop against the cage. Roop reverses and is pressing his opponent against the cage now. A bit of a stalemate here against the cage. Roop nearly earns the takedown, but Hioki avoids successfully. Hioki moves to the back, but Roop readjusts to avoid the unfortunate positioning. Hioki throws Roop to the canvas and finds himself in side control. They roll, and Roop gets back to guard. He is back on the feet now and presses forward. He tags Hioki before pressing his opponent against the cage as the round comes to a close. HeavyMMA.com scores the round 10-9 for Hioki.
Round 2 – No touch of gloves as the round begins. Roop working kicks, but comes up short. Hioki lands a left. Roop presses forward. Head kick blocked by Hioki. Next headkick lands for Roop. Hioki works the fight to the ground and is in side control. He tries to lock on an Americana, but fails. He moves to full mount, however, and finds himself in a dominant position against the underdog. Roop attempts to escape, but fails. Hioki still in mount, but not dealing much damage. Roop is still stuck on bottom, but Hioki is doing nothing from full mount. Roop escapes and is back on his feet after an upkick. He finishes strong, but that won’t win him the round. HeavyMMA.com scores the round 10-9 for Hioki.
Round 3 – Roop with a quick takedown, but Hioki is back up right away. Roop with a flying knee, but it doesn’t land flush. Hioki looks for the takedown, but it gets stuffed by the WEC veteran. Hioki pressing his opponent against the cage now. He lands a knee. Nothing happening here. Roop transitions and presses Hioki against the cage. Still, nothing happening, and the official separates the fighters. Roop with a takedown and ends up in Hioki’s guard. 90 seconds remain. Hioki attempting rubber-guard, but Roop brushes it off. 30 seconds to go. Fight ends with Roop on top, but he didn’t land much from the top position. HeavyMMA.com scores the round 10-9 for Roop.
Official Decision: Hioki def. Roop via split-decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Jeff Curran vs. Scott Jorgensen
Round 1 – Fighters active to start, but dodging shots from one another. Curran lands a right, but eats a left. Nice left from Curran. Jorgensen with teh takedown. He is in Curran’s guard. Jorgensen landing shots to the body. Closed guard for Curran. He attempts to sweep, but fails to pull it off. 90 seconds remaining in the round, and Jorgensen is still on top. Nothing much has happened on the ground. Curran is back up for a second, but Jorgensen puts him back down. The referee stands them up with 30 seconds to go. Curran lands nicely, proving much better on the feet. Jorgensen with another takedown, and the round comes to an end. HeavyMMA.com scores the round 10-9 for Jorgensen.
Round 2 – Leg kick from Jorgensen is answered by a head kick from Curran. Curran lands again, and Jorgensen once again looks for the takedown. Curran stuffs it, but is eating knees now. He escapes and is pressing Jorgensen against the cage. The former top contender reverses and gets a takedown. Curran is back up, and Jorgensen looks for a takedown. Guillotine choke from Curran, but his opponent escapes. Jorgensen pressing Curran against the cage now, but the veteran escapes and is back to the feet. Jorgensen with another takedown. Nothing happening here. Curran reverses and ends up on top. 30 seconds remain in the round. Jorgensen attempts to gain back dominant position, but Curran stays strong from the top. HeavyMMA.com scores it 10-9 for Curran.
Round 3 – Curran throwing early and lands a right. He is clearly the dominant fighter on the feet. He lands a right. Jorgensen very tentative now. Leg kick lands for Curran. Jorgensen is not looking for the takedown, and two minutes have transpired. Uppercut by Curran partially blocked. Jorgensen clinches. They separate. Curran with a nice shot. He misses with a head kick. Right lands for Jorgensen. Curran shoots for a takedown, but Jorgensen stuffs it. He is in side control as the round comes to a close. HeavyMMA.com scores the round 10-9 for Curran.
Official Decision: Jorgensen def. Curran via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Mirko “Cro-Cop” Filipovic vs. Roy Nelson
Round 1 – Fighters touch gloves to start the fight. Nelson misses with a right hand. Cro-Cop seems hesitant here. Nelson is pressing forward, but not landing flush. He looks for a takedown and gets it. Cro-Cop moves to guard, but he has Nelson on top of him, which could spell trouble. Nelson looking to strike, but isn’t landing much. Cro-Cop is back up Nelson lands a nice right hand, but Filipovic comes back with a strike of his own. Nelson pressing forward again. Nice right lands for him after Cro-Cop lands one of his own. Left lands for the legend. Left hook lands for Nelson. Round comes to a close. Close one. HeavyMMA.com scores the round 10-9 for Nelson.
Round 2 – Nelson lands a nice right hand to start the round, but Cro-Cop counters with a nice shot of his own. Filipovic with uppercuts. Nelson looks hurt. He is bleeding badly now, but still presses forward. Cro-Cop misses with a hook. Nelson is tracking him down, but his opponent is avoiding confrontation. Left hook misses for Nelson. Left head kick from Cro-Cop is partially blocked. Nelson is pressing his opponent against the cage. He earns the takedown and moves to side control. He can take mount whenever he wants it. Under one minute remaining in the round, and Nelson is looking to trap an arm. Mounted crucifix for Nelson. Punches land for the former “Ultimate Fighter” winner as the round comes to a close. HeavyMMA.com scores the round 10-9 for Nelson.
Round 3 – Nelson tracking Cro-Cop down at the beginning of the round. Body kick from Nelson. Nice right lands for him, but Filipovic avoids any further damage. Takedown attempt from Nelson and he has Cro-Cop hurt. He has his back and is pounding away. Cro-Cop is in trouble here. Fight is over. Much needed win for Nelson. Devastating loss for Cro-Cop.
Official Decision: Nelson def. Cro-Cop via technical knockout at 1:30 of Round 3
Matt Mitrione vs. Cheick Kongo
Round 1 – Mitrione looking very relaxed to start the round. Not much action, as each fighter attempts to find his range. Crowd boos now, but both men seem content to get their feel before pressing forward. Mitrione misses with a right, and Kongo clinches against the cage. Fighters exchange knees. Referee separates them, and the two begin feeling each other out again. Mitrione still the aggressor. He trips Kongo to the mat, but the fight moves back to the feet. Mitrione lands left hand. Round ends with Kongo throwing a combo. HeavyMMA.com scores the round 10-9 for Mitrione.
Round 2 – Mitrione lands a pair of leg kick to start. Kongo still seems hesitant. Mitrione pressing forward again. Leg kick lands for Kongo. He presses forward, but Mitrione takes the punishment well. Nice shot by Mitrione. He throws a combination, and Kongo slips. He recovers quickly, but Mitrione is still pressing forward. Kongo is hesitant. Mitrione continues to press forward, but neither are landing much of anything. Mitrione with an uppercut. He blocks Kongo’s next combination. Inside leg kick lands for Mitrione. He lands flush with a combination as the round comes to a close. HeavyMMA.com scores the round 10-9 for Mitrione.
Round 3 – Mitrione presses forward again. Kongo with a leg kick. He misses with a right hand, but presses forward, looking for a takedown. He has it. Mitrione looks for a leg, but Kongo stays out of danger. North-South position for Kongo now. He has Mitrione’s back. The former Boilermaker is back to his feet. Kongo attempting another takedown. Referee Herb Dean calls for work against the cage, and Kongo earns the takedown. Mitrione is on his back against the cage, taking shots from Kongo. Mitrione is struggling against the cage, and Kongo is still putting on pressure. 20 seconds remain in the round. Mitrione attempts to escape, and the round comes to a close. HeavyMMA.com scores the round 10-9 for Kongo.
Official Decision: Kongo def. Mitrione via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-28, 29-28)
Nick Diaz vs. B.J. Penn
Round 1 – Great staredown from the two before the fight begins. We are underway, and Penn presses forward with a nice shot. They clinch against the cage, as Diaz presses the former champ against the fence. They separate. Diaz lands a nice right hand after eating a few from Penn. Another shot lands for Diaz. Penn with a takedown, but Diaz reverses. Penn works to get the back and he has it. Diaz rolls out, but Penn remains on top. The Stockton native pushes away and is back to the feet. He presses Penn against the cage. They separate, and Penn lands a right. Uppercut from the former champion lands. Diaz lands a jab, followed by a right. Penn with a jab of his own. Diaz lands, but Penn counters very nicely. HeavyMMA.com scores the round 10-9 for Penn.
Round 2 – Penn throwing early, and Diaz puts his head out there to show he is not impressed. Diaz pressing Penn against the cage now. The crowd is indecisive as to who to cheer for. They separate, and Penn lands nicely. Diaz pressing Penn against the cage again. Diaz is pressing forward and landing nicely. Great boxing from Diaz. He is working the body now. Two minutes remaining in the round. Nice combination for Diaz. Penn is eating shots now. Diaz is extremely confident, landing at will. More body shots from Diaz. He lands again. Penn is in trouble. Diaz continues to pour it on. They clinch. Knees from Diaz with under 20 seconds remaining. Diaz easily takes that round. HeavyMMA.com scores the round 10-9 for Diaz.
Round 3 – The two immediately get at it, and Penn looks to score early. Penn looking for the takedown, but Diaz counters. Diaz is pressing forward with short punches. Penn needs to avoid this. Nice combination lands for Diaz. Penn is attempting to counter, but Diaz is consistently landing. Penn lands a solid right. They clinch in the middle of the Octagon. Body shots land for Diaz. Nice right to the head. Diaz is pressing forward again, and Penn looks to counter. Penn is struggling against the former Strikeforce champion. Penn looks for the takedown, but Diaz avoids. Just over one minute left in the round. They are up against the cage, and Diaz lands. Diaz is tracking Penn down as the round winds down. Nice shots from Diaz, and Penn answers. Round comes to a close. Great fight. HeavyMMA.com scores the round 10-9 for Diaz.
Official Decision: Diaz def. Penn via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-28)