Paulo Thiago vs. Martin Kampmann
Kampmann and Thiago began the fight with seemingly little desire to grapple. Each man stood opposite one another, looking for openings, but Kampmann quickly defined himself as the more technical striker. Thiago struggled to land anything significant and would eat a counterstrike every time he would engage. Kampmann landed a nice shot Thiago, and the Brazilian quickly looked for a takedown. Thiago tripped Kampmann to the mat, and Kampmann quickly locked on a guillotine to roll Thiago over. Thiago got out and quickly looked for another takedown, but Kampmann locked on a nice guillotine again. Thiago survived the choke and the round came to a close.
The second round began much like the first, as the two tentatively traded on the feet. When Thiago inevitably looked to take the fight to the floor, Kampmann stuffed the takedown and moved to the back. He remained in a dominant position for the majority of the round, until a kimura attempt from Thiago gained the Brazilian top position. However, Kampmann managed to move back to the feet and finished the round in a nice fashion, sending Thiago back two rounds to none.
Kampmann entered the third one round away from a clear decision victory and he quickly worked to a dominant position on the ground, even locking in a nice arm triangle attempt. Simply outclassed, Thiago was running out of time, continuously failing to mount any type of offense. The majority of the third round was a grappling competition, and Kampmann certainly got the better of Thiago. The two headed to the judges’ scorecards, and the decision should not have surprised anyone. Kampmann def. Thiago via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Pat Barry
Not a big surprise in terms of the way this one started. Barry and Cro Cop came to the cage to kickbox and that is exactly what they did. Barry landed the early significant blows, dropping Cro Cop twice. Barry seemed to be getting the better of the striking game, but Cro Cop scored a quick takedown and landed some nice shots when Barry stood back up. The two smiled, touched gloves, and embraced with a hug in the center of the cage. The round came to an end without any further significant action.
The pace of the fight changed in the second, however, with Cro Cop coming out looking for the head kick. He did not land anything solid, but he landed several nice combinations. Cro Cop looked for a takedown again, but Yves Lavigne separated the two from a brief clinch. Barry threw a big head kick, but it missed, and Cro Cop tripped him to the ground. The Croatian ended up on top and looked to ground and pound his opponent. From half guard, Cro Cop started to work towards the body, looking for an opening for the mount…and he got it. Barry looked to roll out and gave Cro Cop his back, but Barry survived the round and the two went to the third round.
Just like the first two rounds, the heavyweights came out swinging. Cro Cop scored a rare axe kick, but Barry quickly looked to turn momentum, kicking Cro Cop’s feet out from under him with a leg kick. Cro Cop took the role of stalker, and Barry looked to be wearing down, as his punches had seemingly lost a lot of power. Cro Cop began to pick Barry apart and pushed his younger opponent up against the cage. With 90 seconds left in the fight, Lavigne separated the two and Cro Cop smelled blood. Cro Cop landed several huge shots on the feet and Barry fell to his back. Cro Cop continued to pound out Barry, but the fight was not stopped and the Croatian looked for another opening. With the time ticking down, Cro Cop slid in a rear naked choke, forcing Barry to tap out. Both fighters showed great appreciation for one another after the fight, but mixed martial arts legend Cro Cop was the one smiling. Cro Cop def. Barry via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:36 of Round 3.
Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin
One punch can finish any fight. Sadly, it seems Chuck Liddell knows that all too well. “The Iceman’s” return to the Octagon after his UFC 97 knockout loss to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was against Rich Franklin, and the two kept a solid pace through the entire first round. Liddell landed some nice shots, while Franklin landed several solid combinations as the more technical striker. Liddell was the first to break the stand up game and take the fight to the floor. Franklin managed to work his way back to the feet and the two stood opposite one another again. In the waning seconds of the first round, Liddell moved in for a last second flurry, landing several nice shots. But it was not a punch from Liddell that would finish the fight, as Franklin landed a powerful uppercut to the forward-moving Liddell. Liddell went limp and fell to the floor, and Franklin finished the fight with a few more shots. The huge win launches Franklin further into the light heavyweight division, as it seems the end has come for the legend Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell. Franklin def. Liddell via knockout at 4:55 of Round 1.