UFC on Versus 1 Live Results

BROOMFIELD, Colo. – Heavy.com is live on the scene for tonight’s “UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones” event. The card, headlined by a light heavyweight tilt between Brandon Vera and Jon Jones, takes place at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, a suburb of Denver.

You can follow along with our fight updates (located after the jump for the sake of spoiling things for you) beginning with the preliminary card at 6 p.m. ET.

JASON BRILZ VS. ERIC SCHAFER

Sometimes you’ll find that the least technical bouts are the most exciting. That was certainly the case with Eric Schafer taking on Jason Brilz in the opening bout of “UFC on Versus 1” here in Broomfield, a slugfest that saw Brilz take a unanimous decision.

Schafer and Brilz both felt the effects of the high Colorado altitude, but Schafer bore the brunt of it. Gassed near the end of the first round, “Red” spent the majority of the fight taking 3/4 speed punches from his opponent. Schafer’s granite chin didn’t fail him, but his lack of stamina gave him very little chance to win against an opponent who didn’t have much energy himself.

A great way to open up the fight card. If that bout is any indication, Broomfield is in for a good night of fights.

WINNER: Jason Brilz by unanimous decision

JULIO PAULINO VS. MIKE PIERCE

I heard big things about Julio Paulino heading into his fight tonight. Sadly, Mike Pierce made sure to negate anything Paulino might bring to the table, using his strong wrestling base to capture and control Paulino on the ground on the way to a unanimous decision.

Pierce reminds me of Jon Fitch, a guy who can outmuscle and frustrate you on the ground. He’s a grinder, and it was highly effective against Paulino. It wasn’t the most exciting thing to watch, but it got the job done.

WINNER: Mike Pierce by unanimous decision

CHASE GORMLEY VS. BRENDAN SCHAUB

Brendan Schaub got a superstar reaction from his hometown Denver crowd, and the former Ultimate Fighter season 10 finalist didn’t disappoint. Schaub used a drastically improved boxing game to beat Chase Gormley half to death before the ref mercifully called a stop to the bout 47 seconds in.

It was an impressive outing for Schaub, who said post-fight that he trained his boxing relentlessly while preparing to face Gormley. It was a wise decision, as the Denver local blitzed Gormley to run his record to 1-1 in the UFC. This fight will almost certainly make the Versus broadcast.

WINNER: Brendan Schaub by TKO (round one, 0:47)

JOHN HOWARD VS. DANIEL ROBERTS

Daniel Roberts held his own for much of this back and forth fight, giving “Doomsday” all he could handle and more. But one simple mistake by Roberts gave Howard all the opening he needed, dropping a giant left hand to a prone Roberts and knocking him unconscious with one hand. He followed up with several shots before the ref was able to put a stop to it.

Roberts didn’t move for several minutes after the fight and was still being tended to in the cage during intermission.

WINNER: John Howard by KO (round one, 2:01)

DARREN ELKINS VS. DUANE LUDWIG

Ludwig’s left leg was trapped under his body during a takedown from Elkins. It was almost an exact replica of the Mirko Cro Cop injury during his loss to Gabriel Gonzaga. The only difference was that Elkins landed on top of Ludwig, so the pressure on his leg was enormous. If you’ve got a weak stomach, this is one you’ll probably want to avoid.

WINNER: Darren Elkins (Ludwig unable to continue, 0:41)

VLADIMIR MATYUSHENKO VS. ELLIOT MARSHALL

Every Colorado native tonight has received a warm response from the crowd here in Broomfield. Boulder citizen Elliot Marshall also received a rabid response, but fifteen minutes of stale non-action with Vladimir Matyushenko soured the crowd.

Neither man seemed willing to get involved in lengthy exchanges. Matyushenko was content to be a counter-puncher, and when he wasn’t waiting for Marshall to instigate the action, he used sparse leg kicks to leave Marshall’s lead left leg red and covered in welts. Marshall whiffed on the majority of his strike attempts and never landed anything solidly.

It wasn’t entirely his fault, but the Janitor claimed two victims tonight — Elliot Marshall and the passion of the crowd.

WINNER: Vladimir Matyushenko by split decision

CLAY GUIDA VS. SHANNON GUGERTY

The very idea of Clay Guida fighting on the non-televised preliminary card seemed ludicrous, doesn’t it? Yet here he was, on the undercard of a Versus television show.

But after his performance tonight, it should be a long time before “The Carpenter” fights anywhere but on television or pay per view. Guida, easily the biggest superstar on the show thus far (and perhaps probably the biggest star of the entire night), overwhelmed Shannon Gugerty just like he said he would, placing him in uncomfortable positions and outworking him. Gugerty had several decent submission attempts in the first round, but Guida was able to escape each time.

In the second round, Guida took Gugerty back to the ground with a hip toss. From there, he worked his way to an arm triangle, popped himself into side control and completed the arm triangle for a submission victory. After the bout, Guida noted that he’d never done the submission move before, even in practice, but said it felt natural.

WINNER: Clay Guida by submission (round two)

JAMES IRVIN VS. ALESSIO SAKARA

If you didn’t believe the old adage about James Irvin having the worst luck in UFC history, you might be a believer after tonight.

Alessio Sakara poked Irvin in the eye during a left hook. Sakara’s fist was closed, however, so a knuckle likely did the damage. Irvin fell to the mat holding his eye, but Sakara followed him and delivered several shots. Referee Josh Rosenthal initially waved off the bout, believing that Irvin was knocked out. But when Irvin came off the mat holding his eye, Rosenthal called for ringside doctors to examine him. After a lengthy examination, Rosenthal stopped the bout and awarded the victory to Sakara.

Irvin could protest the decision, but Sakara ultimately had his fist closed, so the decision will hold up. Still, not a good way to kick off the first televised Versus card in UFC history. I suspect things will get much better with the next fight.

Winner: Alessio Sakara

PAUL BUENTELLO VS. CHEICK KONGO

Paul Buentello came into this fight as a decided underdog, and for good reason. But few expected that Kongo, a world-class striker, would be unwilling to stand and trade punches with the less-portly-than-usual Headhunter.

Any time the two brawlers would exchange punches, it was Kongo who immediately sought an exit in the form of a takedown. He was successful nearly every time, but wasn’t able to keep Buentello on the ground or do much…except land illegal knees to the head. Ref Herb Dean called a timeout twice for the same infraction, hitting Kongo with a point deduction the first time.

The fight was a weird one. In the first round, Buentello injured his pinky finger and began yelping in pain. Dean called a timeout, and a ringside doctor put the finger back in place so Buentello could continue. That show of heart earned him a lot of fans in the arena, but Buentello took more punishment than he could handle in the third round and finally tapped out due to strikes.

WINNER: Cheick Kongo by submission (strikes)

GABRIEL GONZAGA VS. JUNIOR DOS SANTOS

Gabriel Gonzaga can add his name to the wake of destruction left in the path of Junior dos Santos in the UFC.

Gonzaga looked great in the opening minutes of the fight, connecting on leg kicks and avoiding dos Santos’ wicked power. But he couldn’t avoid “Cigano” forever. Dos Santos sent Gonzaga sprawling to the canvas with a crisp left hook, then immediately followed up with a brutal standing ground and pound to put Gonzaga out and finish the fight.

In my view, the win vaults Dos Santos into the number one contendership for the heavyweight title. Cain Velasquez had an impressive victory over Nogueira, but Dos Santos has a much more impressive record in terms of quality of opponents and his method of finishing them.

One UFC official came over to the media table and said “that’s a bad man.” We’d have to concur. Junior Dos Santos is going to be a handful for anybody in the top of the division.

Winner: Junior Dos Santos by TKO (round 1)

JON JONES VS. BRANDON VERA

It’s time to stop calling Jon Jones the future of the light heavyweight division, because he might just be the present.

Much like he did to Matt Hamill in his last bout, Jon Jones manhandled Brandon Vera from the beginning of the fight until its conclusion minutes later. Vera’s only offense, in fact, came in the form of an illegal upkick to the downed Jones that cost him a point. Herb Dean stopped the fight to take away a point and then set them back in the position they were in before the stoppage.

Shortly after, Jones landed a brutal elbow that seemed to throw Vera for a loop while also possibly shattering his orbital bone. Vera rolled to his stomach and Jones pounced, delivering shots on the ground before Herb Dean stopped the fight.

Jones ascends to the top of the light heavyweight heap. He’s not going to get a title shot because of this win, but he’s probably earned himself a fight with a top contender. He’s going to be a handful for anybody.

Winner: Jon Jones by TKO (round 1)

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