UFC & FX CABLE GO “DOWN UNDER”
Sydney, Australia– The main event of the second UFC FX Cable fight card, held at Allphones Arena, delivered exactly the kind of unpredictable action fans have come to expect after seeing Martin Kampmann and Thiago Alves at work over the past several years.
Coming in with a combined 29 UFC fights and a dozen-plus Octagon stoppages between them, no one doubted that the welterweight (170 lbs) bout between strikers Thiago Alves and Martin Kampmann would be a good one.
At the bell for round three, the momentum continued to swing in Alves’ direction as he pummeled Kampmann forward then went for his own takedown, which The Hitman rebuffed. A re-energized Kampmann then repaid the favor, charging with strikes and working unsuccessfully for a takedown on the cage. Alves, the left side of his face now swollen, poured it on in the final minute, following up a huge kick with heavy hands and a takedown from against the fence. Sure enough, the 14-plus minute war brought back-and-forth action before Kampmann scored a come-from-behind submission at 4:12 when Kampmann expertly maneuvered into a guillotine position, and seconds after hitting the mat, Alves tapped. The victory brings Kampmann’s record to 19-5; Alves slips to 24-8.
In a flyweight semifinal of the night, Team Alpha Male pedigree wrestler Joseph Benavidez showed fans that the smaller guys still pack big power with a TKO 2 over wild striker Yasuhiro Urushitani and securing his spot in the UFC’s first flyweight title bout. Benavidez’ record rises to 16-2, with his only two losses coming at the hands of UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. The loss drops Urushitani to 19-5-6.
BAD SCORING IN FIGHT OF FLYS!
In the UFC’s first-ever flyweight bout, top-ranked 125-pounder Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall made his UFC debut against former bantamweight title contender Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. After fifteen heart-pounding minutes, it was UFC vet Johnson who took the judges’ split decision. After the event, the commission announced that they’d miscalculated the scores, and the bout should have been a draw and therefore was supposed to send the fight into a fourth sudden-victory round that never happened.
Judges’ scores were announced as 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29 for Johnson, a decision booed loudly by the Australian crowd. McCall exited the cage to the cheers of the arena. Re-examination of the judges’ scorecards showed the scores to be 29-28 Johnson, 29-29 and 28-28. Now 14-2-1, Johnson will rematch McCall (11-2-1) for rights to battle Benavidez for the UFC flyweight title.
ULTIMATE FIGHTER WINNER COURT MCGEE IN ACTION
The first bout of the main card pitted TUF 11 winner Court McGee against the equally tough Costa Philippou, who didn’t make it out of the elimination round of that season. But Philippou used his clean boxing to avenge that loss, handing McGee his first Octagon defeat in their three round middleweight battle. All three judges scored the bout 29-28 for Philippou, who improves as a pro to 10-2 (1 NC). The loss was only McGee’s second, and he leaves Australia with a 13-2 record.
“Ring Talk News Service”