VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Heavy.com is live and on the scene in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for UFC 115 this evening. The card features a light heavyweight bout between former champion of the division Chuck Liddell and former middleweight title holder Rich Franklin. Pat Barry and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic will also square off this evening, as the heavyweights have made the co-main event slot.
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The live pay-per-view is underway. Check out below for complete coverage from the main card of UFC 115.
Rory MacDonald vs. Carlos Condit
The 20-year old MacDonald got off to a quick start, looking confident and composed as he took the center of the cage. He held the advantage in the standing game, mainly due to his timing, and also had great success in getting the fight to the ground early and often. Throughout the entire first round, Condit landed one significant shot, while MacDonald had several nice combinations and a good deal of takedowns to take the round. Condit did not find much more success in the second round, failing to capitalize in the clinch and failing to compete with the superior grappler. However, in the final minute of the round Condit loosened up in the stand up and began to do a bit of damage. Unfortunately for him, he entered the third down two rounds to none.
The third round started the exact way the Vancouver crowd wanted, as the two welterweights came out swinging. Each man landed some significant blows, but MacDonald was the first to bow out of the war, looking for a takedown. The fight hit the floor and Condit quickly went to work. He landed several vicious elbows that cut MacDonald and moved to the mount. MacDonald managed to work his way back to the feet, but he was slowing down in a big way. The young prospect looked to get it back to the ground, but Condit ended up on top again, sending down thunder from the top position. MacDonald held on for survival as Condit continued to punish him, and with less than 10 seconds left, the referee stopped the fight. The stoppage was not received well from the fans, and while the official could have let it continue, MacDonald took a horrific beating in that final round. Condit def. MacDonald via technical knockout at 4:53 of Round 3.
Ben Rothwell vs. Gilbert Yvel
These two heavyweights came out swinging. Rothwell stormed in on Yvel, looking for the quick knockout, but a clinch and guillotine attempt by Yvel sent the fight to the floor. Rothwell gained the mount, but was quickly reversed. However, the heavier of the two didn’t waste anytime to get the fight back to the floor, ending up on top of Yvel in side control. Yet, once again, Yvel rolled Rothwell over, but was quickly put on his back again. However, once the fight hit the feet for the final minute of the round, Yvel was out for blood. The Dutch striker pummeled Rothwell as the round came to a close, and Rothwell looked very tired.
The second round began, and Rothwell was not the only one who looked exhausted. He scored a quick takedown and it was immediately apparent that Yvel was very tired from his first round efforts. Rothwell worked his way to the mount and began throwing down on his opponent, who was throwing strikes of his own from the bottom. However, the exhausted Rothwell lost his dominant position when Yvel swept him from the bottom and dominated Rothwell with a vicious series of punches from the top before Rothwell worked his way back to the feet. The round ended with Rothwell scoring another takedown and ending up in full mount once again.
The final round began with quite the surprise, as Yvel shot for a takedown, which was stuffed by Rothwell. Rothwell ended up in side control, and the two fighters looked absolutely spent. Rothwell moved to the mount yet again, but still managed to do little damage in the position. The remainder of the round was spent on the mat, with Rothwell on top the entire time. The first two rounds were entertaining, but these guys just did not have the cardio to exert themselves fully for anywhere close to 15 minutes. Rothwell def. Yvel via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
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.
