The historic UFC 157: Rousey vs. Carmouche event goes down tonight from Anaheim, California’s Honda Center in the beautiful county of Orange.
The evening’s preliminary card kicks off on facebook.com at approximately 3:30 P.M. PT and will shift to the FX Network shortly thereafter.
BJPENN.COM will be providing up to the minute action in this live-play-by-play for those who can’t make the preliminary card viewing.
Follow along with the results as they unfold below:
NAH-SHON BURRELL VS. YURI VILLEFORT
Round 1 – Both fighters, making their Octagon debut, came out looking to find their range early. Burrell held a distinct stand up advantage but was taken to the ground after Villefort caught a kick and swept him to the mat. Villefort caught Burrell in a rear-naked choke but managed to narrowly escape and fight back to his feet. The stand-up game continued with Villefort holding his own and landing several effective leg kicks.
They continued to exchange punches with several great shots landed until Burrell caught Villefort with a hard punch that dropped Villefort who responded with a kneebar. Burrell managed to escape the kneebar with a beautiful switch and brought the fight back to the feet as both fighters swung wildly at one another, landing several hard shots to end the round.
Round 2 – The fighters picked up where they left off as they both swung hard shots at one another. An early advantage in the striking for Burrell was evened out by great combinations by Villefort, who utilized kicks to devastating effect. Villefort continued to pressure Burrell, backing him up while also landing a glancing front kick. Villefort continued to show his kicking prowess as he landing a head kick that landed mostly with the toes, and was ultimately ineffective. Body shots came next as Villefort sought to weaken Burrell as both men maintained a great pace late into the second. Villefort never missed a beat as the pressure got worse for Burrell who seemed to gas late in the second round.
Round 3 – Burrell’s boxing technique kept up but was taken down early in the third round and immediately threatened with a choke. After a switch by Burrell, Villefort countered and attacked the knee of Burrell, who snuck out to bring the fight back to the feet, all in just over a minute’s time. Shortly after the initial third round scramble, Villefort worked Burrell to the mat again and attempted a great heel hook a Burrell battered Villefort as he tried to escape. Burrell eventually got out and got on top of a turtled-up Villefort. Ever the ground wizard, Villefort attained a takedown and dragged Burrell up against the cage but was quickly turned around and held up against the cage by Burrell. A visibly battered Villefort stayed in the fight but was caught with a solid front kick to the face. The third round concluded with a wild exchange between both fighters as Villefort waved Burrell forward to exchange shots. A great fight to start the night off.
A Unanimous Decision win for Nah-Shon Burrell (30-27, 29-28 29-28).
NEIL MAGNY VS. JON MANLEY
Round 1 – An eager pair of fighters came and met in the center of the Octagon. Manley worked for a takedown up against the cage and found brief success, yet Magny sprung back up to his feet. The fight was a takedown battle as Manley held on to Magny in the clinch up against the cage. Halfway through the first, Manley got Magny to a knee but Magny again got back up but was held against the cage once more as both men fought to a stalemate in the clinch. Magny finally got separation and landed a good cross followed by a hard leg kick as he tried to establish rhythm. Magney eventually worked some clinch work of his own, briefly, but again was pressed back against the cage, seperating much quicker this time showing great takedown defense against a now exhausted Manley. They separated and traded uncommitted combinations to end the first.
Round 2 – Magny utilized a stiff jab but again put his takedown defense in display, stuffing yet another takedown defense. After a short break on the cage, Manley lifted Magny and dropped him to the mat, quickly advancing to side control before being swept. Both men scrambled and the fight went back up against the cage with the unrelenting pressure by Manley. Magny landed a nice elbow to separate from the clinch and chased Manley, shooting in for a takedown which brought nothing of significance for Magny. Not to be dubbed a quitter, Manley shot back in and held Magny again only to be hit with a nice combination and brought down to the mat. Magny found his offense as he hit Manley with solid knees to end round 2.
Round 3 – Magny attempted to circle away more in the beginning of the last round as a visibly tired Manley plodded around the Octagon. A spry Magny kept his feet moving and bounced around, avoiding shots and circling away from Manley dominate hand. No real offense came from Magny but he also nullified Manley’s stand-up game. It was Magny who landed the first takedown of round three as he advanced to side control but was caught in a tight armbar up against the cage. Magny stayed patient during the armbar attempt and made his way out while landing hard shots to Manley. Manley showed his heart, though, standing back up and bringing the fight back to its home, the cage-side clinch. They were separated by referee Herb Dean with 30-seconds remaining. Both fighters opened up with Magny finishing the fight strong with a nice trip takedown in a fight that saw positives (in the eyes of the judges) for both fighters. The takedown of Neil Magny spelled the difference between a win and a loss.
A Unanimous Decision win for Neil Magny (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
BROCK JARDINE VS. KENNY ROBERTSON
Round 1 – The final Facebook preliminary fight featured the third welterweight fight on the card. Jardine pulled guard early and caught Robertson in a nice arm-in guillotine that looked tight. Robertson escaped however and used a beautiful pass to grab Jardine’s back. Robertson landed some hard ground shots while flattening Jardine out. Jardine tried to escape but landed in a rear-naked choke with Robertson on his back, with both hooks in. The ground scramble continued as Robertson slipped high on Jardine’s back. Robertson used an impressive technique to catch Jardine’s left leg in a straight leg-lock, while high on Jardine’s back, folding Jardine in half, face-down. Jardine verbally submitted shortly after.
Brock Jardine wins via verbal submission (knee-bar) at 2:57 of Round 1.
CAROS FODOR VS. SAM STOUT
Round 1 – Big punches started this fight off with both men landing. Stout tied Fodor up against the cage and landed tight, hard shots on Fodor before separating. Fodor continued to pressure until he was caught with a right hand and shot in for a takedown, one that he achieved. Stout found his way back up. Deja vu kicked in with another big exchange leading to a clinch up against the cage. The action ceased for both fighters as they hand fought until Stout landed a huge trip takedown, landing in Fodor’s full guard. Stout advanced to half-guard and landed shots to soften Fodor. Stout eventually mounted Fodor, who bucked wildly as he tried to escape the mount. Stout sunk in a deep armbar with twenty-seconds left in the round but Fodor persevered to escape the round.
Round 2 – Fodor landed heavy shots on Stout who looked to clinch with Fodor once more. Fodor broke free and kept backing Stout down. Stout countered Fodor’s advances with clean combinations to the body. Fodor continually left himself open while backing up, sticking his chin straight up in to the air, but kept out of reach of Stout’s punches. The two continued to trade short combinations for the latter half of the round. Stout appeared to be slowing down slightly as his entire body was red and his mouth was left open as he took large gulps of air. Fodor ended the round with a clean takedown to earn some points heading into the final round in a fight that could go either way at this point.
Round 3 – Stout continued imposing his clinch game, holding Fodor against the cage. Fodor tripped Stout but they both sprung back to their feet and continue to trade. Fodor shot in after some stagnant stand-up by both fighters and held Stout to a knee. Fodor didn’t let go and worked around Stout’s takedown defense to no avail. Stout switched and broke away just to reenter the clinch, stifling Fodor’s skills to end the fight on a solid note for Stout, who controlled the pace of the fight throughout.
Sam Stout wins via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).
DENNIS BERMUDEZ VS. MATT GRICE
Round 1 – The first featherweight fight of the night, Matt Grice took on Dennis Bermudez. Bermudez took control early, working a takedown from the clinch, instantly mounting Grice. Bermudez pounded Grice with forty strikes landed in the mount. Grice found his way back up and pushed Bermudez back. The two traded with Grice seeming to get the better out of his combinations, rocking Bermudez. Bermudez landed back and rocked Grice and attacked him. Grice countered with hard shot that rocked Bermudez followed by a huge left hook that dropped Bermudez. Grice continually rocked Bermudez who did his best to recover and eventually reestablished his footwork. Grice swung until the end of the round.
Round 2 – Grice didn’t skip a beat, rocking Bermudez early on in the second. Bermudez instinctively shot in for a failed takedown attempt. Grice smelled blood still and threw haymakers every combination eventually catching a desperate Bermudez on his way in. Grice scored points throughout the round, defending takedowns, winning combination exchanges and landing the more significant strikes as he attempted to steal two rounds away from Bermudez. Bermudez never backed down and continued to advance, while landing an illegal knee during a scramble, one that didn’t land flush and was immediately apologized for. The round ended with a scramble on the ground.
Round 3 – Bermudez turned the tide with a big uppercut that dropped Grice. Bermudez swarmed with constant pressure and continuous shots. Grice worked on standing up and eventually did, while absorbing shots the entire way up. The pair of featherweights tested each other’s chin while they absolutely tee’d off on one another with horrifying shots that Bermudez seemed to land the better of. This went on for several minutes as Herb Dean approached closer with every punc. Grice stayed on his feet, miraculously, and withstood an onslaught from Bermudez straight out of a Rocky movie. Grice started to land shots of his own as they traded haymakers to finish off a fight that could possibly steal the Fight of the Night bonus.
Dennis Bermudez wins via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).
MIKE CHIESA VS. ANTON KUIVANEN
Round 1 – Chiesa came out the aggressor, using his long jab to make space. Kuivanen looked to close the gap with lunges forward. For the first half of the round, however, the two fighters circled the Octagon, feeling one another out. Kuivanen clasped his hands around Chiesa and pushed him back. This move turned into an advantage for Chiesa however who moved Kuivanen around until the two broke mutually and proceeded to strike. Chiesa dropped his hands towards the end of the round and payed for it by catching a big flying knee flush to the face. Chiesa survived the hit, and tackled Kuivanen. The two scrambled for position to finish a round that seemed to give the edge to Kuivanen.
Round 2 – Chiesa wanted a ground battle in the second, using a combination to grab ahold of Kuivanen’s legs. Kuivanen pummeled under Chiesa’s clasp and worked his way into a dominant clinch position. Chiesa showed his ground savvy and grabbed Kuivanen’s back and sunk in a rear-naked choke. Kuivanen defended the first few attempts at the submission but Chiesa’s submission skills saw to it that his arms found a home under Kuivanen’s neck, locking in the choke and finishing Kuivanen in the second round.
Michael Chiesa wins via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:29 of Round 2.
LAVAR JOHNSON VS. BRENDAN SCHAUB
Round 1 – The featured fight of the FX prelims featured two hard-hitting heavyweights as Lavar Johnson faced off with Brendan Schaub. Both men came out tentative, wary of each other’s power. Schaub countered a big punch by Johnson with a nice, powerful takedown. Schaub held Johnson there in half-guard with minimal activity, as Schaub advanced position. Schaub sunk in a deep anaconda in what looked like the end of the fight but Johnson used his tenacity to fight off Schaub’s attempt with huge shots while defending the choke, Schaub remained on top. Johnson escaped and stood up hastily while truning the tables on Schaub, dragging him to the mat. Schaub swept with a slick leg-lock that he used to flip Johnson over and regaining half-guard. Johnson was held down for sometime, but eventually caught Schaub sleeping momentarily and stood back up only to be driven backwards to the mat with a takedown that resembled Schaub’s professional football days.
Round 2 – Schaub, clearly comfortable with the ground game, looked to take Johnson down as soon as possible. He worked hard and finally secured another hard takedown leaving Johnson helpless and in half-guard once again. Schaub failed to do enough to stay on the ground and was stood up by referee Jason Herzog. Johnson looked desperate upon the stand up and threw heavy shots towards Schaub. Schaub kept with his gameplan and landed a quick combination followed by a smooth takedown. Schaub was slightly more active with ground shots and a single guard pass. The round ended in the same fashion, with Schaub on top, taking another round from Johnson.
Round 3 – Johnson showed some takedown defense, working out of the first two attempts of the round, while landing some of his haymakers that he is known for, none of which landed clean. The referee stood them up perhaps a bit prematurely. Johnson, now exhausted, was immediately taken back down, briefly mounted, and ultimately controlled on the ground. Schaub, not worried about referee stand-ups, threatened with a loose arm-triangle, but little else, still winning the round, however. Schaub attempted a gator roll on Johnson but mainly used it to sweep, ending up on top once more after a very short scramble. Schaub held Johnson down for a large majority of the round, utilizing a gameplan that protects his head, and his record against the power shots of Johnson, that never made clean appearances tonight.
Brendan Schaub wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Quick Results:
PRELIMINARY CARD: (FX, 8 p.m. ET)
Brendan Schaub def. Lavar Johnson via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Mike Chiesa def. Anton Kuivanen via Submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:29 of Round 2
Dennis Bermudez def. Matt Grice via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Sam Stout def. Caros Fodor via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD: (Facebook, 6:30 p.m. ET)
Brock Jardine vs. Kenny Robertson via Submission (kneebar) at 2:57 of Round 1
Neil Magny def. Jon Manley via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Nah-Shon Burrell def. Yuri Villefort via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)