UFC 150 Results & Recap: Henderson Edges Edgar Once Again

nullAfter a close first encounter, a second fight was deemed necessary.

After UFC 150, we may need a third.

Benson Henderson managed to retain his UFC Lightweight Championship over Frankie Edgar in the main event of Saturday’s card, as two judges saw him winning a 48-47 decision, while another saw Edgar winning 49-46.

Most MMA writers feel that Edgar actually did win the fight, but most will also agree that neither man really dominated the fight.

Both fighters had high moments, but Edgar took on less damage this time around and Henderson didn’t seem to get into the same flow as he did in their first meeting.

Still, Edgar has now lost twice in a row to Henderson, no matter how close. It will be hard for the UFC to grant Edgar another title fight, as they have already committed to giving Nate Diaz the next shot.

In the co-main event, Donald Cerrone KO’d Melvin Guillard in an exciting and quick contest.

Guillard actually landed a big punch to open the fight and looked to be on the verge of an upset, but Cerrone gathered himself, and a minute later, landed a kick and right hand combo that put Guillard out cold.

The win for Cerrone keeps him in the discussion of top lightweight contenders, as his lone loss in the UFC is to Diaz by decision. Guillard now falls back out of the top 10, as he has been finished in the first round in two of his last three fights.

For complete results for UFC 150, click on the jump.

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Cerrone steps in for Stout, to face Siver at UFC 137

nullThe passing of trainer Shawn Tompkins has had its impact on the MMA world.

For Sam Stout, who was a brother-in-law and training partner with Tomkins, the impact has been even greater.

MMAJunkie.com confirmed that Stout has withdrawn from his fight with Dennis Siver at UFC 137 on Oct. 29 and former WEC star, Donald Cerrone, will fill in.

Donald Cerrone (16-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has stepped in for Sam Stout (17-6-1 MMA, 6-5 UFC) and now meets Dennis Siver (19-7 MMA, 8-4 UFC) at October’s UFC 137 event.

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported earlier today, Stout recently withdrew from the event for undisclosed reasons. Event sources confirmed the opponent switch.

Fellow lightweight Cerrone now takes his spot on the card and fights for the fourth time in 2011.

Cerrone is 3-0 in the UFC and is coming off a first-round TKO of Charles Oliveira at UFC Live 5 earlier this month.

Siver has won his last four, including a close decision victory over Matt Wiman back at UFC 132 in July.

The winner of this contest will quickly emerge as one of the top contenders in the lightweight division.

  

UFC on Versus 5 Recap: Lytle goes out a winner

nullUFC on Versus 5 took place Sunday night and the fights were as exciting as advertised.

The big winners on the night were Chris Lytle and Ben Henderson.

Lytle defeated Dan Hardy in the main event with a guillotine choke late in round 3. Lytle announced on Saturday night that he would be retiring win or lose after the contest and he shared a nice moment with his kids after the victory.

The fight was a slugfest as we expected, with Lytle doing a good job of working the body and Hardy landing some nice crosses. Surprisingly, neither man crashed to the ground and lasted nearly the whole fight before a big uppercut to the ribs forced Hardy to shoot on Lytle. Not having much wrestling experience, Hardy left his neck open for Lylte, who secured a very tight choke and got Hardy to tap with just 44 seconds left in the contest.

Lytle finished at 31-18-5 in his career and won five of his last six. He also secured Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night honors, a cool $130,000 in bonuses.

Hardy has now lost his last four in the UFC, but Dana White announced that Hardy will not be cut. Still, the colorful fighter seemed crushed by yet another loss.

In the co-main event, Jim Miller was unseated as the No. 1 contender in the lightweight division by Ben Henderson. Henderson put on the best performance of his career in dominating Miller for 15 minutes to earn a decision victory.

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UFC on Versus 5 Picks & Predictions

nullUFC on Versus 5 takes place this Sunday night and the main card has five very interesting bouts. Here are my picks for the contest.

UFC Welterweight Bout – Dan Hardy (23-9) vs. Chris Lytle (40-18-4) – Hardy and Lytle should put on quite a show. Both men like to slug it out and give something exciting for the fans. However, once this fight gets heated, I expect some grappling to take place. Lytle has a clear edge in that category, which is why I like him to win by decision. Lytle can take a punch, while Hardy can’t stop a takedown.

UFC Lightweight Bout – Jim Miller (20-2) vs. Ben Henderson (13-2) – This should be a great fight. Miller is on the verge of earning a lightweight title shot while Henderson is a former WEC champ. This should be primarily a grappling exhibition, and I think Miller is just a little bit better than Henderson in that department. I could see Henderson sneaking in a choke, but ultimately, my pick goes with Miller by decision in a great contest.

UFC Lightweight Bout – Charles Oliveira (14-1) vs. Donald Cerrone (15-3) – This should be another great fight. Both men are tremendous grapplers. The key in this contest will be striking. Oliveira thinks he has some good striking, which is never a good thing for a grappler. If he attempts to exchange with Cerrone, “The Cowboy” will pick him apart. Cerrone may not have knockout power, but he will be able to control the fight. I see Cerrone winning this fight by decision thanks to his boxing and ability to stay out of submissions.

UFC Welterweight Bout – Amir Sadollah (6-2) vs. Duane Ludwig (28-11) – Sadollah is a great grappler and has good muay thai striking, but Ludwig has one-punch power. I think Sadollah will ultimately win by submission, but he has to avoid that early surge from Ludwig. After the early surge, Sadollah should be able to push a pace that Ludwig can’t keep up with. I see Sadollah winning by choke in the third round.

  

UFC on Versus 5 Weigh-In Results

nullLike a typical UFC on Versus card, the weigh-in results didn’t exactly go on as planned.

But, this time around, it wasn’t a catastrophic mess like the Nate Marquardt situation.

Main event contender Dan Hardy failed to make weight the first time for his bout with Chris Lytle for Sunday’s card. Hardy originally weighed in at 171.5 pounds, but was able to weigh in at 170 pounds with a little extra time, making his contest with Lytle official and the main event of UFC on Versus 5.

In the co-main event, lightweight contenders Jim Miller and Ben Henderson both came in on weight. Henderson weighed 156 pounds while Miller was at 155.5. Henderson had to strip down to his birthday suit to hit his mark. Miller is looking to secure a lightweight title shot with a win.

In another intriguing lightweight contest, Donald Cerrone (156) and Charles Oliveira (155) both came in on weight. The two had an intense stare down while UFC broadcaster, Joe Rogan, proclaimed the fight to be one of the best in the century.

For complete UFC on Versus 5 weigh-in results, check out the jump.

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