UFC 111 Recap

* Ricardo Almeida v. Matt Brown

It's impossible to read the Tale of the Tape since UFC put black text over the backdrop of a crowd largely wearing dark colors - that doesn't work at all. I have no idea why their on screen text wasn't in white.

Okay at least the fighter graphics for the introductions are clear and visible. Brown is 13-7, 6'0", 170 pounds. Almeida is 11-3, 6'0" and also 170 pounds! Our referee in charge is Dan Miragliotta. Here we go!

Almeida in the black trunks goes for a takedown attempt right away on Brown in the white. Action stalls out there for 45 minutes until Almeida finally secures the attempt. Brown tries to pop back up and Almeida pushes him right back down again. Brown almost gets out 90 seconds in and Almeida shoves him down again with ease. Fail. Matt finally makes it to his feet two minutes in and we stall out on the fence again. Rogan notes the crowd is booing - I can hear him but I can't hear them. Dan makes them break apart and GUESS WHAT Almeida goes for the takedown again! Matt is sprawling and defending much more effectively now but all that does is result in a stalemate on the fence. R1 ends with both men jockeying for position. 10-9 for Almeida but not that exciting.

Brown gives chase right away in R2 with leg kicks and Almeida uses that aggressiveness to take him down 10 seconds in, though Brown is quickly back to his feet... AND we're on the fence again. Yay. Another takedown at 45 seconds. Brown back up at the 1 minute mark. This fight is rinse lather repeat. They're seperated again with 2:50 to go. Almeida lands a shot and pounces. Brown pops right back up and Almeida puts him right back on his butt and takes his back. Now we might get some action. Almeida is behind him look for a submission with 2 minutes left in R2 using a body triangle to hold his position. The rear naked choke is sunk in... Brown hangs on... and he's DONE. ALMEIDA WINS VIA RNC. The official time according to Bruce Buffer was 3:37 of R2.

To fill time UFC gives us a cutaway interview with GSP backstage. Unfortunately with the volume at the bar and St-Pierre's accent I really can't make out a word of his promo. I'm sure it went something like this: "Eez a tough ah-pponent. I will put awn a strong pur-for-manz. I'm in the best shape of my life so eez in for a 'ard fight." I keed Georges, I keed. We love you. Dan Hardy is in for a world of hurt tonight. Afterwards we get a sneak preview of the next season of Ultimate Fighter, apparently during the evaluations to see who makes the cut this season. One fighter has a spiked hairdo like The Misfits, the other has a neon bright green and black mohawk. Whichever one of these guys makes the show is bound to be a handful for their coach (Liddell or Ortiz). Commercial. After the break we see Carwin and Mir warming up backstage.

* Nate Diaz v. Rory Markham

Markham comes out first - I can't hear if the crowd is booing him or not but he looks to be all smiles either way. Diaz looks calm and confident, pumping his fists on his way to the cage. Tale of the Tape - let's see if they get the graphic right. It's 24 to 28, 6'0 to 5'11", 171 to 177 and 76" to 71" reach from Diaz to Markham. Silver backdrop behind the black text made it legible this time. Markham is 16-5 and fighting out of Bettendorf, IA. Diaz is 11-5 and fighting out of Stockton, CA. Our referee in charge for this one is Keith Peterson. Let's go!

Diaz is in the black truks, Markham is in the white. Markham looks HUGE by comparison to Diaz. Diaz is not afraid of him though, going right at him with strikes. Diaz even throws a right head kick. Spinning fist by Markham misses and Diaz nearly takes him down. Diaz is timing his shots remarkably well - Markham seems to be getting tagged a lot. 90 seconds in he's hurt! Diaz knees him when he starts to drop and immediately takes his back. Finish him Diaz, finish him! Markham rolls and turtles - Diaz starts walloping him in the head. Markham rolls again and gives up his back. Markham keeps trying to roll but he's got nowhere to go as the striking is relentless and PETERSON STOPS IT WITH 2:13 TO GO.

The replay shows how Diaz just picked him apart from every position on the ground, even using heel strikes to the thigh to make him roll over. Official time is 2:47 of R1 according to Bruce Buffer. Post-fight promo Diaz thanks his brother, Cesar Gracie, Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez, all of the usual suspects. Post-fight interview with Dan 'The Outlaw' Hardy backstage follows. It looks like they're going to fill the rest of the hour with hype for Carwin v. Mir and GSP v. Hardy - can't say I blame them. That saves more of the prelim fights for the PPV if needed.

CUE THE COPYRIGHT WARNING. CUE THE ZUFFA ELECTRICITY. CUE THE GLADIATOR MUSIC. IT'S TIME!! Mark Bocek, Jim Miller, Ben Saunders, Jon Fitch, Fabricio Camoes, Kurt 'Batman' Pellegrino, Shane Carwin, Frank Mir, Dan Hardy and Georges St-Pierre are all on deck! FACE THE PAIN, FACE THE PAIN, RIP HIM INTO PIECES. Mike Goldberg welcomes us to the soldout Prudential Center for UFC 111! Joe Rogan helps him preview the card. There's really not much more to say at this point - three UFC Primetime specials have said it all. The only surprise for those who haven't been keeping up on the news is that Ben Saunders takes the place of Thiago Alves in the Jon Fitch fight.

* Jim Miller v. Mark Bocek (UFC Lightweight Bout)

Pre-fight package tells us both men are putting a 3 fight streak on the line. Bocek makes his way to the cage first slowly, almost methodically, but looks fit and full of adrenaline after Stitch gets him ready to step in. Sparta, New Jersey's own Jim Miller on the other hand is pumped up all the way to the cage, and who wouldn't be fighting so close to home? He's high-fiving everybody in reach on his way down. 26 to 28, 5'8" each, 155 to 154 and 71" to 75" in reach from Miller to Bocek. Bocek is in the blue corner, 8-2 record, and he fights of of Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada. Miller is in the red corner, 16-2, and he fights out of Whippany, NJ. Our referee in charge is Yves Lavigne. Don't screw this up Yves!

Miller is in the white trunks, Bocek the black. Bocek shoots for a takedown after landing a nice shot and they're in the fence 30 seconds in. The maple leaf on Bocek's trunks is now right in the center of the camera. He completes the takedown 1 minute in. Miller pops back up 25 seconds later and they start trading knees. Miller clears him out with a knee and they move back to the center 2 minutes in. Miller eats another shot and a BIG SLAM takedown as Bocek looks to pass to side. That could be an opening for Miller to work the submission game. Bocek seems to be stuck in half guard now. Miller may be looking for a kimura. Bocek manages to muscle his way out of the attempt but in the process Miller winds up on top in the guard. Rogan wonders if Bocek tweaked his shoulder in the process. Miller tries to posture up and drop bombs from the air. 10 seconds to go and Bocek throws elbows from the bottom to end the round.

Frankie Edgar watches from the crowd as we come back to start R2. Miller is jabbing away with the right and setting it up with kicks. Bocek shoots in and gets another big takedown. Sure it's successful but if I'm Bocek I'm not sure this is where I'd want to be. Bocek does get side control but Miller is staying busy on the ground. Miller tries to back away and drop one down the pipe but Miller keeps him at bay with the threat of an upkick. Bocek tries again two minutes in and winds up in guard and suddenly Miller tries to turn it into a rolling leg lock and nearly pulls it off! Bocek winds up in full mount momentarily before they start rolling again. Bocek almost sinks in the RNC but Miller squirms away. Bocek is all over his back though and keeps trying to tuck his arm under the chin - he just can't get it. 1 minute to go. Bocek tries to soften him up with shots to the head. 20 seconds to go - Bocek is getting close. This may go to the horn. MILLER STANDS UP! Miller winds up on top of him even though Bocek still has his back as the round ends back on the ground.

And here we go with R3 of an exciting fight! Miller immediately backs Bocek off with a shot. Bocek responds with a leg kick. Both men seem a little wary but not too gassed. Miller is not afraid to exchange with Bocek in the least. Solid right leg kick by Miller. Bocek shoots and Miller stuffs the attempt. Miller is keeping his hands up more than Bocek. This fight could go either way on the scorecards at this point and I really wouldn't have a problem with it. Bocek has him up against the fence again with 2:42 left. I really feel like Miller got an adrenaline rush from surviving R2 because he seems much stronger now than he was in R1. Bocek just isn't able to manhandle him any more.

Bocek may want to give up on the takedown. He gets Miller off his feet for a split second and he's right back up at 1:30. Bocek is trying to weigh him down but it's not working, Miller gets right back up. Bocek may think he's already ahead judging by his strategy here. Miller os on the ground but he's got two arms around a leg and Bocek has to let him up to protect from being swept. MILLER TAKES HIS BACK WITH 10 SECONDS LEFT. It's not enough time to find a sub but it's a great looking finish!

Buffer: ALL 3 JUDGES SCORES THIS CONTEST 29-28 FOR THE WINNER BY UNANIMOUS DECISION - JIM MILLER! The people at BW3 seem stunned by this decision but if you look at Miller's excellent striking and Bocek's inability to do anything with him on the ground there's a case to be made that Miller won and apparently the judges agreed, although 29-28 definitely says it was close. No post-fight interview - we're moving on!

* Jon Fitch v. Ben Saunders (UFC Welterweight Bout)

Saunders makes his way to the Octagon first, hailing from Fort Lauderdale. Fitch is up next hailing from Fort Wayne. I don't care how many people say he's boring, I watched the man go five rounds with GSP live at the Target Center, and get his ass beat up almost the whole time, so I have a ton of respect for his heart as a fighter. Tale of the Tape: 32 to 26, 6'0" to 6'3", 171 to 169 and 74" to 77.5" reach from Fitch to Saunders. SEMPER FI everybody, this fight is sponsored by the USMC. Saunders is 8-1-2 and fighting out of Orlando in the blue corner. Fitch is 24-2, 1 NC, and fighting out of San Jose. Dan Miragliotta is our referee in charge. Here we go!

Fitch is in the black trunks, Saunders in the white. Saunders tries to secure a muay thai clinch and pummel Fitch with knees. Fitch has double underhooks on the fence and quickly gets Saunders back to the wall. Not surprisingly Fitch gets a takedown 70 sconds in and he's going to work on Big Ben. Saunders is going a good job of keeping his hips up to keep Fitch's weight off him and keep him from passing to side control. Fitch is relentless though and keeps working his way around. Saunders changes tacks and tries to wrap his right leg around Fitch's back. Fitch recognizes the danger of Saunders' long legs and backs off. 1:10 to go. Fitch sneaks in a hammerfist wherever he can and keeps working for position, and Saunders tries to get him off with a nice upkick. Nothing doing, Fitch stays right on top and keeps pummeling the side of the body until the horn.

Goldberg reminds us to check out www.twitter.com/danawhite. Cain Velasquez is shown watching in the crowd. Fitch and Saunders are both throwing headkicks to start R2. Fitch gets a single leg 37 seconds in and Saunders gets away, but Fitch counters that by just picking him up and slamming him down exactly 1 minute into the round. It's more of what we saw before - Fitch relentlessly beating him up on the ground while trying to improve position. 1:50 gone by. If Fitch got side control or full mount he could quickly finish this fight, so you have to credit Saunders for his good defense, although the crowd in NJ is getting impatient with seeing a repeat performance of the last 5 minutes.

Fitch gets about 85% of the way around to side control with 90 seconds to go but it's that last 15% that stymies him every time. Miragliotta has had enough of it and stands them up with a minute left. Fitch has him back against the fence in nothing flat. I'll say this much - at least Almeida found a way to finish in R2, it doesn't look like Fitch is going to be able to do that. Crowd boos as Fitch lays in the knees to end this round.

The Iceman gets a pop as he is shown in the crowd. R3 underway! Fitch tags Saunders with a shot and closes the distance. The two break apart. Saunders backs away as Fitch snaps off a leg kick. He comes in with knees and drops levels for another takedown. Can Saunders prevent it? No. It's only a matter of time before Fitch grinds him down again. Crowd boos 75 seconds in. Miragliotta isn't willing to wait though and breaks them apart. Rogan is mystified as am I. Fitch just goes right back to the single leg so I don't see how it made any difference whatsoever. Fitch transitions to his back.and lands a few head shots from behind. Saunders gets away but gets popped with an uppercut.

Fitch manages to knock Saunders off his feet and goes back to work from the guard. It's pretty much academic at this point that Fitch will ride this out with 90 seconds left. He's at least making a show of trying to pass to side but I don't think he cares if he gets it or not. The nicest thing you can say about Big Ben in this contest is he showed good defense - not a lot of offense but solid defense. He's a tough guy to finish but he's also not going to win fights being dominated like this. Final ten seconds ends the way most of this fight has save for a couple more elbows and fists by Fitch.

Bruce Buffer: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN AFTER 3 ROUNDS WE GO TO THE JUDGES SCORECARDS FOR A DECISION: ALL 3 JUDGES SCORE THIS FIGHT 30-27 FOR THE WINNER BY UNANIMOUS DECISION - JON FITCH.

* Fabricio Camoes v. Kurt 'Batman' Pellegrino (UFC Lightweight Bout)

Tale of the Tape - 30 each, 5'8" to 5'10", 155 each, 71" reach from Pellegrino to Camoes. Camoes is 10-4-1 and fights out of San Diego. Pellegrino is 20-4 and fights out of Point Pleasant, New Jersey. Our referee in charge for this one is Yves Lavigne - oh no. Don't screw this up Yves. Here we go!

Camoes in the white trunks, Pellegrino in the black trunks with the bleached blonde haircut - he always looks like the fighting version of Eminem. Camoes has his back 45 seconds in. Pellegrino is trying to walk around with him on top! Camoes is pummeling him with lefts to the head and looking to sink an arm under the chin. Pellegrino is ox strong and keeps on carrying him, not giving up or letting his defense slip and PILEDRIVES CAMOES INTO THE GROUND.

Pellegrino gets MOUNT and the bar goes nuts! Somebody behind me is so excited they fell over with a full beer in hand. While this is going on Camoes tries to sink in a triangle choke but doesn't have the position. Pellegrino moves to side control. 1:40 to go. Pellegrino tries to take his back and Camoes rolls him into full guard. Pellegrino is looking to pass with 50 seconds left. Camoes is just trying to hold on until R2 for a fresh start. Pellegrino lands some nice elbows to the forehead before the horn.

I'm not sure anything can top the pop the piledriver got in R1 but let's find out as R2 gets underway, "presented by Tapout - an expression of combat known worldwide." Thanks Mike! Pellegrino ends up back in guard 25 seconds in. 10 seconds later he takes his back. 10 more seconds and they're apart. 10 more seconds and Pellegrino takes him down again. He turns to look at his corner (and the cameraman over there) and he has a big toothy grin.

Batman starts making Camoes' night dark with elbows to the head. For starting out so strongly he's now on the wrong side of a lopsided beating. Pellegrino gets full mount with two minutes gone. If he can posture up and drop bombs this is all over. Camoes senses danger and tries to roll. Pellegrino keeps pounding with elbows and fists. Cameos momentarily gets to his knees but Batman stays right on top of him as they move into the fence. Camoes manages to get back to his feet and eats some knees before Pellegrino is back down and on top of him in side control. Pellegrino pulls him back for a RNC with 45 seconds left and CAMOES TAPS OUT!!! We'll get the official announcement momentarily from Bruce Buffer.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN REFEREE YVES LAVIGNE CALLS A STOP TO THIS CONTEST AT 4:20 OF ROUND 2 FOR THE WINNER BY REAR NAKED CHOKE: KURT 'BATMAN' PELLEGRINO! Pellegrino: "NEW JERSEY HOW YOU LIKE THAT!!!" No man could be happier to get the win than him. Rogan congratulates him on his best performance ever as Pellegrino thanks his training partner Kenny Florian and screams "KENFLO IN THE HOUSE!!!"

* Frank Mir v. Shane Carwin (UFC Interim Heavyweight Title Bout)

Appropriately enough Carwin comes out to LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR. They certainly have in every fight Carwin's had to date - 11 fights, 11 first round knockouts, no defeats. Can he pull it off again tonight? Frank Mir comes out to AMAZING by Kanye West. When you consider his comeback since his motorcycle accident, it's hard to argue. Tale of the Tape! 30 to 35, 6'3" to 6'5", 265 each, 79 to 80" in reach from Mir to Carwin. IT'S TIME FOR THE CO-MAIN EVENT OF THE EVENING. Time for 5 rounds of heavyweight action! Carwin is 11-0 and fights out of Denver, Colorado. Mir is 13-4 and hails from Las Vegas, Nevada. Our referee in charge is Dan Miragliotta. Carwin bounces around, Mir mean mugs. here we go!

Mir is in the black trunks, Carwin the white and red. Both men are cautious for the first 35 seconds. Carwin shoots Mir into the fence and tries to pop him with a couple of uppercuts. I'm not sure you want to go to the ground with Mir but if you're gonna go for it you might as well go for it early. Action stalls out 90 seconds in. Carwin is trying to pop his hips out and throw short hard jabs from the clinch along with knees to the body. Dan gets tired of it and breaks them apart with 2:45 left. Rogan complains again. Carwin is rolling his hands like he wants to throw a punch. Mir slugs his way to the fence and Carwin turns it around and pushes him into the cage. 2 minutes to go. Dan calls for work. Carwin obliges and ROCKS FRANK MIR'S WORLD AND THIS COULD BE STOPPED AT ANY SECOND AND IT IS ALL OVER!!! The replay shows us how he threw lefts from the clinch that TOTALLY screwed Mir up and dropped him to his knees at wich point Carwin flattened him like a pancake and pounded on him 'til the ref had no choice but to save Mir's life.

Buffer: CONTEST STOPPED AT 3:48 OF R1 FOR THE WINNER AND NEW UFC INTERIM EHAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION - SHANE CARWIN!!! Carwin is obviously pleased with his performance and Rogan is jumping around like a little kid with glee. BROCK LESNAR STEPS INTO THE CAGE. It's so loud in the bar that I can't hear what Carwin says about facing him. Lesnar comes over to shake his hand and Rogan goes to interview him. "It was a good fight Shane but you don't have the real belt."

* Rousimar Palhares v. Tomasz Drwal (UFC Bonus Fight)

THIS ONE ENDS BEFORE IT HAS EVEN BEGUN. Drwal slips and trips on the Bud Light logo and Palhares sinks in a VICIOUS heel hook before the ref stops it for at least 5 seconds. Something is clearly torn and will need surgery. Drwal limps out of the cage. 35 SECONDS OF R1 VIA HEEL HOOK FOR THE WINNER ROUSIMAR PALHARES.

* Georges 'Rush' St-Pierre {C} v. Dan 'The Outlaw' Hardy (UFC Welterweight Title Bout)

'The Outlaw' comes out first with his bandana on, throwing up the devil horns to the crowd. He's Nottingham's own and I know my good friend Al 'The Hollis' Hollis is so proud of him right now. For Al's sake (heck for Dan's sake) I hope he turns in a good performance tonight... but against GSP I worry about his chances. GSP comes out at 11:52 EST in the gi and headband, bouncing up and down, looking ready for war. It's very loud in the bar but the bassline sounds like "Juicy" by Notorious B.I.G. Tale of the Tape (as if we really need one for this fight) goes like this: 28 to 27, 5'11" to 6'0", 170 each, 76" to 74" in reach from GSP to Hardy. Here's Bruce Buffer! Our referee in charge is Kevin Mulhall. Blue corner first. DAN HARDY DOES THE BUFFER 360. He's 23-6 with 1 NC hailing from Nottingham, England. And in the red corner is the champion GSP, 19-2, hailing from Montreal, Quebec, Canada! Here we go!

GSP is in the black trunks, Hardy in the red. Or if you prefer, GSP has the bald head, and Hardy has the mohawk. GSP TAKES HIM DOWN 25 SECONDS IN AND BW3 GOES WILD. Dan Hardy is doing his best to hold GSP down but I don't think it's going to work. They're on top of the Kick-Ass logo 75 seconds into the fight with GSP working his way to side control, which he takes with seeming ease. Hardy gives up his back and GSP takes it to start looking for the submission 2 minutes in. Hardy rolls and escapes and GSP immediately takes him down again at the halfway point, drawing another huge pop from the bar. GSP gets the mount again with 90 seconds to go. Hardy is squirming looking for any way out. Hardy gives up his back again to escape. GSP rolls unto his back and looks to sink an arm under the chin. Hardy is transitioned into a NASTY ARMBAR BUT HARDY ESCAPES!!! GSP lands a jumping punch right before time expires. The bar debates about whether or not Hardy tapped. There was a phantom hand movement but I don't think it was a tap. It's amazing Hardy's arm isn't torn out of its socket.

I'm wondering if Hardy is jut putting on a game face now or whether he really can't feel the pain due to adrenaline. GSP respects the opponent and keeps his distance regardless for the first 60 seconds. Hardy swings wildly and misses as GSP keeps moving. Single leg takedown by GSP at 75 seconds. What's next on Rush's agenda? Side control and he gets it with ease. GSP is so far around he's almost in North-South. Rogan calls for a mounted crucifix. Hardy gives up his back again. GSP is looking for a leg triangle but he's up too high and slips down with Hardy ending up on top in mount. GSP wastes no time getting up and out. 1:45 left in R2. Hardy throws a leg kick that's perfectly checked. GSP peppers Hardy with shots to the head. Hardy throws a limp kick and GSP responds with a Superman punch and another slam to the mat. GSP has only 20 seconds left in the round to do something in mount though. Looks like the round will end here with him firing shots at the body. On to R3! I have GSP up 10-9 in both rounds.

Renzo Gracie looks on from the crowd as R3 begins. GSP closes the distance much quicker this time and it only takes 15 seconds to get the takedown. Hardy tries to slither backwards like a worm and that only creates more distance for GSP to posture up and drop elbows. When he can't reach the head, he pummels the body. To his credit Hardy keeps moving around, hoping GSP will make a mistake. GSP clips his chin. 3:15 left in this round. Two more times to the chin. Hardy is having a very bad day. He tries to pull GSP down to avoid more shots but he's just too strong. GSP almost puts himself in position for a triangle but he's too wily to get caught and instead moves to side control. GSP looking for an armbar or kimura now. He's moved all the way to the other side. 1:10 to go Hardy stands up and is taken right back down again. 30 seconds Hardy gives up his back again. GSP wants to finish so bad. Hardy tries to reverse and GSP leg locks him and slams him back to the mat before the horn. On to the fourth!

Hardy throws one punch and GSP ducks under it and takes him right down again. At 45 seconds GSP has his back. Everywhere this fight goes is bad news for Hardy. He stands up with GSP putting all his weight on top and for a split second it looks like Hardy will reverse it but GSP immediately winds up back in guard posturing up and throwing shots. Side control 2:20 in. HERE COMES THE KIMURA! THE WHOLE BAR SCREAMS TAP TAP TAP AS WE NEAR 90 SECONDS. Hardy just refuses to tap out! GSP takes side control again. GSP looks for a kneebar but time expires as he starts to set it up. Fifth and final round coming up!

Championship round! Hardy is throwing leg kicks but only GSP's are doing any damage. 20 seconds in and he has another single leg takedown. GSP is looking for the submission again as The Outlaw gives up his back. He's driving knees into the ribs from Hardy's side before he winds up back in guard. He's going for the arm again with 2:40 left. Hardy is doing his best to not get tapped out. It looks like this fight will probably end with GSP in side control... oh wait Hardy gives up his back again so GSP picks him up and slams him down with 30 sconds left. GSP wins an easy unanimous decision here, we just have to wait for the judges to make it official.

50-43, 50-44, 50-45 FOR THE WINNER BY UNANIMOUS DECISION AND STILL THE UNDISPUTED WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD: GEORGES 'RUSH' ST-PIERRE! Rogan asks if he was surprised Hardy didn't tap. GSP: "I t'ought 'e was made of rubber." GSP apologizes to the fans for not being able to finish the fight and puts over Dan Hardy for being a very game opponent. Hardy is interviewed next and says it was an honor to fight him and he can see now why he was the world champion. Hardy says for all his lack of technique and strength he has a lot of heart and never gives up. Rogan says no one will every argue with that after tonight's fight and offers him a well deserved handshake.

* Rodney Wallace v. Jared Hamman (UFC Bonys Fight)

Wallace is in the red trunks, Hamman is in the white. Wallace ends up in guard 30 seconds in. Hamman escapes. Wallace rocks him and takes him down again. Hamman is back up at the one minute mark with Wallace heavy on his back. They break apart and Wallace lands a left hook and an uppercut that find the mark. Hamman is reeling and ends up on the ground again at the two minute mark with Wallace in full mount. He jumps over him to take side and lets Hamman back up in the process. Wallace takes him back down at the 2:20 mark. Everywhere Hamman goes Wallace seems to be a step ahead of him. Hamman tries to hit him with some knees and elbows and Wallace backs away. Wallace throws a punch and Hamman throws a headkick and both seem to connect. Hamman may have got the better of it as Wallace looks a little dazed even though he's on top in guard. He seems recovered though with a minute to go, Hamman gets out, Wallace throws him down, Hamman gets back up and the two get into a slugfest that Hamman starts to get the better of. Wallace escapes and pushes Hamman into the fence. Both guys try to land some knees. Hamman is on top as R1 ends.

R2 underway at 12:41 EST. Wallace is swinging hard in the first 20 seconds. He completes a single leg and Hamman gets back up then trips Wallace to the ground, taking side control and throwing reverse elbows to the side of Wallace's head. Hamman is trying to get his leg out and take side control but Wallace reverses and winds up in guard. Both are back on their feet with 2:45 left in R2 before Wallace takes him down again. Hamman is back on top again at 1:45 doing damage. Rogan warns that he could get rolled over. The bar is emptying out so fast I can hear vacuums running to pick up the debris. Speaking of picking up, Wallace seems to be gassed out and Hamman seems to be picking up steam and coming on strong now, forming a mouse under Wallace's eye and continuing to land hard head shots from guard. If it continues to go this way Hamman will get a unanimous decision. Final 20 seconds is pure punishment from Jared Hamman.

Wallace is in full on recovery on his stool, with a cutman on one side and a cornerman with smelling salts on the other. Wallace looks bruised up, swollen and bashed up as he comes out for the third. Hamman puts him on the ground and it's the same thing we saw at the end of the last. Other than a couple of shots that stunned Hamman in the early going, I have him winning the majority of this fight. It's got to be 29-28 for sure at this point and most likely it will wind up 30-27 on at least one if not 2 cards when it's all said and done. Wallace gets back to his feet 100 seconds in and he's still headhunting and even manages to land a shot and get the takedown to half guard.

Does Wallace have enough energy to make this work? No. Hamman overpowers and counters into being in the guard. They're right in front of the spanish commentary team so Rogan throws them a shoutout. 90 seconds left with Hamman continuing to wail away. Wallace breaks away for just a second looking for an armbar but nothing doing. Hamman takes side control and does damage. Both men are back on their feet for the final horn. We await the scores. BUFFER ANNOUNCES 29-28 UNANIMOUS FOR JARED HAMMAN. No surprise. That's it for UFC tonight! PS: Submission of the night is Kurt 'Batman' Pellegrino.

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