(Leonard Garcia [left] paid Tim Burton $3,250 for that custom-made zombie-head. And still, the crowd cheered harder for Dan Hardy‘s ironic Charlie Sheen t-shirt. There’s just no accounting for taste. / Photos courtesy of the UFC Fight Night 24 Weigh In Pics gallery on CombatLifestyle.com)
Just think: If not for a completely unexpected injury, you’d all be watching Tito Ortiz‘s big comeback tonight — or not watching it, depending on your current interest level in Tito Ortiz. Instead, Phil Davis gets a shot at the big time, and Tito’s retirement fight is delayed until July. Anyway, we’ve got a solid lineup of free fights on Spike TV, kicking off at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT with Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung 2, Revenge of the Zombie. We’re excited, and we hope you are as well. Round-by-round results can be found after the jump; refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest. Thanks for coming.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira tells us that Davis is going to decide how he loses this fight. If he stands, he’s going to get knocked out. If he goes to the ground, he’ll get submitted. And if he decides to hover in mid-air? Didn’t think of that, did you Nog?
Elapsed time until Mike Goldberg uses the term “explosiveness” in reference to Phil Davis: 4.5 seconds.
Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung
Wisely, the Korean Zombie says he doesn’t want to go to the judges this time. Garcia goes one step further, and predicts that this sum’bitch is ending in the first round.
Round 1: Jung makes first contact with a leg kick. He throws a jab. Garcia lands a leg kick. He fires a high kick. Leg kick Jung. Garcia lands a dashing right hand, and throws a body kick. Garcia with another hard right, and a leg kick. Jung returns a counter-cross. Garcia scores with a hook. Jung with an uppercut and leg kick. He throws the high kick. Garcia catches a kick and shoves Jung away. 1-2 from Garcia. Jung with an uppercut, Garcia brawls in response, Jung tangles him up and gets the takedown. Jung gets on top in north south and tries to wrap an arm up. Garcia scrambles out and gets to his feet. Jung drives a knee into his dome and Garcia wilts to the mat. Jung on top. Garcia tries to create some distance with his legs. Jung jumps to mount and transitions to his back. He throws down some punches as the horn sounds. Jung might have taken the round with all the action at the end. Greg Jackson tells Garcia the round was his.
Round 2: Jung rushes in with an uppercut. Garcia is being a lot more patient this time around. That might not do him any favors with the judges. But he lands a nice flying knee; Jung with a counter-punch. Garcia jabs. Jung stalking forward and throws a flying knee of his own. They trade punches. Jung whiffs a head kick. Leg kick Garcia. Garcia starts throwing his ugly haymakers. Leg kick Jung. Jung shoots in, Garcia stuffs. Jung with an uppercut and a flying knee. Jung lands a body kick and Garcia slips to the mat. Jung is on top, looking to secure the round. He throws down some hard elbows. And some punches. Garcia rolls, Jung takes his back. Elbows to the side of the head from Jung. Jung sets up a twister neck crank and torques it until Garcia taps in agony. Very impressive. “Somewhere, Eddie Bravo is smiling,” Joe Rogan says.
Chan Sung Jung def. Leonard Garcia via submission (twister), 4:59 of round 2. What? There was only one second left in the round? Damn, didn’t realize that. Poor Leonard. Jung says he feels like he made it up to the fans who he let down in his last two fights. Rogan says that was the first twister submission in UFC history. Jung says he’s been watching a lot of Eddie Bravo videos on YouTube and practicing on his KTT teammates. Homeboy wants that Sub of the Night bonus, and shouts out Team Alpha Male and his Korean fans.
Jake Shields comes on via satellite to talk about his upcoming fight with Georges St. Pierre. Fun fact: He’s got Chael Sonnen coming out to train with him. Hopefully Jake will pick up some tips on how to give a memorable interview. Sorry, I had to.
Amir Sadollah vs. DaMarques Johnson
Amir: “If he takes me down 10 times, I’ll get up 11, and I’ll be looking to end the fight on the feet.”
Round 1: Leg kick Sadollah. And again. Sadollah runs into a counter-punch. Damarques gets Sadollah to the ground and moves to half guard, but Sadollah gets up, as promised. Johnson gets kicked in the Johnson, but only takes a few seconds’ break. Sadollah sticks the jab. Johnson catches a high kick and brings Sadollah to the mat again. Johnson tries to pass to half guard but is blocked. He throws down an elbow. Sadollah kicks him off and gets up again. Sadollah rushes in, Johnson counters. Hook from Johnson. They trade jabs. Teep from Sadollah. Sadollah catches Johnson with a punch, and Darkness slips to the mat. He’s back up quickly and they clinch against the fence. Great judo toss from Johnson. But again, Sadollah scrambles to his feet. Johnson pulls guard when Sadollah threatens a takedown. Johnson looking for a triangle off his back in the closing seconds, Sadollah avoids it and throws down one last punch.
Round 2: They come out brawling. Hard knee to the body from Johnson. Sadollah clinches and gets in a nice knee to the head. Sadollah teeing off with punches, Johnson gamely returns fire. Hard 1-2 and a body shot from Johnson. And a knee to the body. Johnson slips and Sadollah pounces on him to clinch. Knee to the body, a takedown, and a knee to the body on the ground from Sasollah. Hard ground and pound from Sadollah now. More knees to the body when Johnson rolls and turtles. Johnson finally springs to his feet. But Sadollah drags him back down and gets mount. Sadollah traps one arm and starts hurling down elbows and punches. Johnson is helpless, and referee Mario Yamasaki elects to stop the fight. Great finish.
Scratch that. In the replay, we see that Johnson actually tapped to the strikes. Amir Sadollah def. DaMarques Johnson via submission (strikes), 3:27 of round 2
And now Georges St. Pierre joins us for a quick Q+A. He says he’s gone back to his “root” in training: karate. He says he knows what Shields wants to do to him, but Shields doesn’t know what GSP is going to do to him. So there’s that. Anyway. Who wants to watch a couple dudes stand and bang?
Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson
AJ: “Whoever’s in the crowd…get your baseball glove, because you might get a souvenir of Dan Hardy’s head.”
Hardy: “I need to knock out Anthony Johnson and prove to the fans I’m back.”
Round 1: Inside leg kick Johnson. The crowd chants for Hardy. Johnson flicks the jab. He lands a head kick and Hardy goes down! Johnson looks for a choke but Hardy gets to his feet safely. It doesn’t last long; Johnson goes against his word and takes Hardy down. Hardy works his guard. Johnson gets a little space and throws down some brutal punches. More heavy shots. Hardy tries to grab an arm, Johnson pulls out and gets back on top. Hardy looking for a kimura. He extends Johnson’s arm out, but Johnson powers out of it. Hammerfists from Johnson. Hardy survives the round.
Round 2: Hardy bleeding from his nose. Johnson dives in for a double-leg and nails it. This is not how Hardy thought the fight would play out. The crowd howls their disapproval. Johnson fires down a blistering punch from the top. Hardy looking for that kimura again, while Johnson slugs him in the ribs. Hardy loses it. But he goes for it again, briefly. Big elbow from the top from Johnson. Johnson sort of stalling on top. But then he fires down a series of left hands. Hardy is stuck on the bottom. Finally, the ref stands ‘em. Johnson shoots in again and bulls him all over the cage. Hardy stays on his feet for a while, but Johnson finally takes him to the mat. Hardy has been officially trolled; Johnson had no intention to stand and bang. Clever strategy, but the fans hate him for it.
Round 3: Hardy clinches up as Johnson throws a knee, but Johnson assumes control and puts Hardy on the mat once again. Hardy looking for the kimura again. It ain’t happening. Johnson moves to Hardy’s back. Hardy stands. Johnson works some knees, and a head kick when they separate. Another big takedown from Johnson, who immediately moves to Hardy’s back. Punches to the side of Hardy’s head. Hardy isn’t doing much to improve his position. Hardy tries to spin out, and Johnson transitions on top of him and sets up an arm-triangle choke. He loses it and switches to a headlock/neck-crank attempt. Johnson fires down some punches in the closing seconds of the fight. Hardy lays on the mat for a while after the last horn sounds, stunned and disappointed.
Anthony Johnson def. Dan Hardy via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3). Rumble doesn’t get the privilege of a post-fight interview.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Phil Davis
Props to Phil for sticking with his pink motif. Lil’ Nog comes out to some rap track that was probably chosen by Anderson Silva‘s son. (SethF identifies it as “Da Rockwilder,” whatever the hell that is. I’m old.)
Round 1: Davis swings some kicks, low and high. Davis with a front kick to Nog’s face. Davis shoots in and clinches with Nog against the fence when his takedown is stuffed. Knees to the thigh from Phil. Nog shucks him off. Another high kick and body kick from Davis. Davis shoots again, Nog defends and breaks. Another high kick from Davis. He ducks to shoot, Nogueira stuffs. Davis with a high kick, but he gets countered with a punch from Nog. Nog stuffs another takedown, but slips at the end and Davis tries to swarm on him. Nog avoids trouble. Straight left from Nogueira. Counter-punch and another stuffed TD from Nogueira. There’s the horn.
Round 2: High kick Davis. Nogueira stalking. Nog grans a kick and shoves Davis down. Davis springs back up, lands a body kick. Nogueira throws the hook. And a straight left. Body kick and a quick shot from Davis, but Nog stuffs it yet again. Nogueira lands a heavy knee to Davis’s head, and Mr. Wonderful stumbles backwards. Low kick Davis. Davis shoots low and finally gets his first takedown. Nog kicks him off, Davis gets back on. Nog trying to kick off again, but Davis stays on and lands a looping punch from the top. Nog kicks him off, Davis chases Nogueira down as he escapes and latches onto his back. Nogueira is warned for grabbing the fence. Davis on Nogueira’s back, throwing punches to his temples. Now a group of knees to Nog’s body as the round comes to an end.
Round 3: Davis throws a weird jumping front kick. He shoots for the single, and gets it. Davis in half-guard. Nogueira works his way out, but Davis grabs onto his back. Nogueira establishes guard. Nog kicks him off and they’re back standing. Davis with a body kick that’s nearly caught. Nog stuffs a single-leg attempt. Body kick and a single-leg attempt from Davis, and he’s successful this time. Davis in half-guard once again. Nog tries to throw a punch off his back. He kicks Davis away, but Davis keeps the pressure on. Davis stands to throw some longer punches down, and the fight comes to an end. Clear-cut win for the young up-and-comer.
Phil Davis def. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3) Lotta boos from the crowd, who didn’t expect to see the night end with two wrestling matches. Davis says he was falling apart in his training camp, battling injuries, but he stayed “prayerful” and pulled it off. Well alright. You’re welcome, Seattle. Let’s talk more tomorrow…
@rwr Good points ………. something , anything , needs to be done about it though. It’s a foolish part of the whole fight industry right now and makes for shitty match ups.
Idk if someone was insulting my english skills or someone else’s but I blame the twelve pack I drank for my poor grammar and spelling.