UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann — Blow by Blow

(Being around all these skinny guys just made Dana want to gorge on buffalo wings even more. Photo courtesy of this set on CombatLifestyle.)

One of the many advantages of living on the East Coast is that these UFC Fight Night thingies are actually broadcast live for us. That may not be the case for some of you in the "flyover states," so check your local listings and maybe come back later if you want to avoid all spoilers. When you're ready, hit that "Read More" link and refresh the page every few minutes for live updates from the Sommet Center in Nashville. Are you ready to see some local refs ruin some fights? Then let's DO this!

We open with a brief moment of silence for Charles "Mask" Lewis, Jr.

Joe Rogan informs the noobs who Carlos Condit is. The main event has "sick-nasty" written all over it.

Cole Miller vs. Junie Browning
Junie is described by Goldie as "the baddest boy in Ultimate Fighter history." So now you're even going to take that from Chris Leben? What else does the man have to live for? Cole Miller calls Junie a "big douche of stupid hair and tattoos." Well, yeah. Though Miller is a beanpole, his tiny arms negate the reach advantage. Junie gets booed during the introductions, while Sean Tompkins and Randy (!) cheer him on.
Round 1: Push kicks by Miller. Miller dashes in with an uppercut and tries for a thai clinch, but Junie scrambles against the fence and winds up taking Miller's back. He's too low for a choke, but he rolls on top to half-guard. Miller's able to get to his feet, and decks Junie with a hard right. Junie clinches and Miller grabs a guillotine, falling to the mat in full guard. Junie taps.
Miller def. Browning via submission (guillotine choke), 1:58 of round 1. What Cole said to Junie after the fight was "Who's overrated now?" Cole shouts out Mask in the post-fight and says he wants the winner of Fisher/Uno at UFC 99. Goldberg on Browning: "The sky's the limit for this kid." Word?

And now Goldberg gives a more extended tribute to Charles Lewis. A clip montage shows Mask at his inspirational best. What a unique fucking dude. RIP.

Tyson Griffin vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
Round 1: Leg kicks from Griffin. Griffin slips in a sharp right. A high kick off Dos Anjos's glove. Dos Anjos with a leg kick of his own. Both men swinging and missing. Griffin sticks the jab, then lands a big right and takes Dos Anjos to the mat. He throws down some punches from the top.Dos Anjos looks for a heel hook, but Griffin escapes. Dos Anjos tries for it again, tying Griffin's leg up with his legs. Interesting. Griffin is pretzeled up in a weird position. Dos Anjos uses it to reverse the position and get to his feet. Rogan observes that Griffin's leg might have gotten injured in the process. Dos Anjos tries for a flying knee. He scores with a jab and the round ends.

Round 2: Dos Anjos wobbles Griffin with a straight left. Leg kick Griffin. Griffin lands a right. Dos Anjos shoots for takedown but is stuffed. Strong right from Griffin. Both men trade punches. Griffin tries for a head kick. Griffin pushes Dos Anjos against the cage and tries for a single-leg, but Dos Anjos escapes. Body shots from Griffin. Now Dos Anjos is shaken by a punch and Griffin charges in, but Dos Anjos ties him up against the cage. Nice Dirty boxing from Griffin. The round ends. I'd give it to Griff.

Round 3: Both guys land leather in a clash of punches. Leg kick Griffin, followed up by a right hand. And another leg kick. Dos Anjos with a flying knee that grazes Griffin's chin. Griffin nails Dos Anjos with a right. Another sharp leg kick from Griffin. Dos Anjos and Griffin swing hard in striking exchanges as the round closes out. Griffin bulls Dos Anjos against the cage and takes him down, but Dos Anjos has an arm locked up, almost setting up a kimura. Griffin pounds Dos Anjos from the top for a few seconds until the horn. Unsurprisingly it goes to the judges, but I think Tyson has this locked up.

All three judges score it 30-27 for Tyson Griffin. Griffin redeems the Xtreme Couture camp after Junie's loss. He says the leg compression slowed him down for a few seconds, but didn't really hurt him, which is good because knee surgery is a real drag.

Ryan Bader vs. Carmelo Marrero
Round 1: Marrero is jumpy. Niiiice takedown by Bader. Bader looking for an armlock, but loses it. Marrero tries to get up but fails. Bader in Marrero's full guard. Bader passes to half-guard, and makes a very slick transition to an armbar. Somehow Marrero defends it and winds up on top. Bader pushes Marrero off, then takes Marrero down and gets back to top position. He passes to half-guard. Marrero rolls and gets up. Bader shoots again and eventually gets the takedown after Marrero tries to resist it against the cage. Marrero controlling Bader's body from the bottom. Marrero kicks Bader off in the closing seconds, but it's still a clear 10-9 for Darth.

Round 2: Marrero lands a stiff right. Leg kick Bader. Bader pulls Marrero to the ground after a clinch and returns to his comfortable position on top. Marrero tries to roll out but gives up his back. Bader can't find the choke. Marrero gets up, and Bader drags him back down. The crowd starts to boo Bader's difficulty in finishing this fight. Bader drops an elbow from the top. Bader hops to mount, but Marrero escapes and Bader's back in full guard. The round ends; less exciting than the first, but another 10-9 for Bader.

Round 3: Marrero tries a high kick. Bader gets another swift takedown and looks for an arm-triangle choke, but Marrero pops out. Marrero rolls but Bader stays on him and goes back to full guard. The ref stands them up after a stalemate. Bader's takedown attempt is stuffed. They clinch and Bader slips in an elbow. Bader shoots again and gets Marrero to his knees. And then to the mat. The round ends with Bader in full guard. This should be an easy UD for Bader.
Bader takes it, 30-27 on all three cards. His wrestling looked fantastic, but he seemed to miss some opportunities to end the fight when he had Marrero's back (as well as the arm-triangle choke, and the armbar).

Chuck Liddell joins us via satellite to talk about his preparation for this month's fight against Maurio Rua at UFC 97. He's been working on his defense, wrestling, and cardio. And he wants his belt back, dammit. (You mean Lyoto's belt?)

Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann
God damn...technical difficulties. My writeup of the first round disappeared, and I couldn't put anything down for round 2. But Kampmann put Condit in serious trouble in round 1 with guillotine choke and heel-hook attempts, but he took the most damage from striking. It was more back-and-forth in round 2, with both fighters almost finishing with chokes. Now we're in round 3. Kampmann's on top, and throws down a big punch. Condit gets up, but Kampmann stays on his back and pulls him back to the mat. Condit looking for the kimura. Condit tries for a heel-hook but Kampmann pulls out and gets back on top, working for an arm-triangle choke. Condit gets up and tries for a desperation guillotine in the closing seconds. Kampmann is saved by the bell.

The scores are: 29-28 Kampmann, 29-28 Condit (what's up Cecil Peoples!), 29-28 Kampmann. Kampmann def. Condit via split decision.  So Condit fails his first test in the UFC, and Kampmann continues to impress. And here we go into the premiere of TUF 9. Let's talk tomorrow, okay?