James Vick’s submission victory (0:58) with a power Guillotine against Ramsey Nijem was brilliant. Many people gave him no chance if Nijem got him to the ground. Vick was better known as a pure striker on TUF Live, but his training with Lloyd Irvin has obviously paid off. Nijem is a very talented grappler and former standout college wrestler, so the fact that Vick was able to beat him at his own game and submit him so quickly is even more remarkable. Vick made a mockery of the skills gap that some pundits were referring to in regards to their respective grappling abilities.

Ovince St. Preux spent the first part of the first round on the wrong end of a few striking exchanges and clinch battles, but dramatically changed his fortunes in a matter of seconds to win the fight. When his opponent, Cody Donovan, used a clinch throw to get him to the ground, St. Preux exploded and expertly executed a Whizzer technique to reverse position on his way down to land in Donovan’s guard. St. Preux immediately began raining down hard punches from inside Donovan’s guard. After connecting with a flurry of punches that easily snuck past Donovan’s defenses, St. Preux was granted the KO stoppage as Donovan’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and his defenses collapsed. I’m sure “OSP” is glad to have this win to erase the bad taste in his mouth from his controversial eyepoke-induced Majority Decision victory of Gian Villante.

Cole Miller vs. Manny Gamburyan showcased many different aspects of MMA. The importance reach in the first round was displayed, as Miller handily controlled the tempo of the striking exchanges while he landed numerous teep kicks and 1-2 combinations to great effect. Right before the end of the round, Gamburyan was working for a takedown and had Miller backed up against the cage. Miller threw a few elbows at the side of Gamburyan’s head, but as the round ended, Gamburyan appeared to be rocked and was holding the back of his head, implying that some of the elbows were illegal. After more than a few minutes of being checked out by the ringside physician, the fight was allowed to continue. The second round showcased the impressive grappling abilities of both competitors, with Gamburyan successfully executing several takedowns and Miller’s stellar guard game not allowed his opponent to capitalize of the takedowns at all. The 3rd round saw Miller take a few shots, but really utilizing his reach advantage to land a lot of shots from a safer distance. Gamburyan shot for a takedown and Miller nailed him right on the chin with a knee, but Gamburyan was able to complete the takedown. Gamburyan did a great job at maintaining his top position and keeping Miller unable to utilize his vaunted submission skills from the bottom position for the rest of the round. Manny Gamburyan wins by Unanimous Decision in a very entertaining fight that showcased the stellar grappling abilities of both fighters.

Diego Brandao vs. Daniel Pineda

RD1: Both fighters started throwing hard shots from the outset of the fight. Brandao landed a series of hard punches and knees after he originally landed a right hand flush on Pineda’s chin. Pineda appeared to be briefly on the ropes, but seemingly recovered. As Brandao landed another flurry of punches and easily shrugged of Pineda’s takedown attempt to land a takedown of his own, his strength and power is clearly evident. The round ended with Pineda looking to land kicks and punches at a distance, with Brandao avoiding the majority of them and doing his best to counter.

RD2: Pineda began second frame by landed a series of kicks and punches. Diego Brandao achieved the Muay Thai “plum” clinch and then successfully shot for a takedown. Pineda briefly threatened with a series of submission attempts but Brandao eventually got back up to his feet. Brandao secured another takedown and looked to land punches to the body and elbows to the head from inside Pineda’s guard. Pineda threatened for a Kimura and then expertly used the submission attempt to sweep into the top position in mount. Pineda than began to land a barrage of elbows and punches to the head of Brandao, who seemed to be tiring and wilting. Brandao craftily secured to ankle of Pineda and briefly attempted an Ankle Lock, but Pineda rolled through it and eventually landed on top in Brandao’s guard. Commentator Joe Rogan pointed out the fact that Brandao seemed to be quite tired as the round ended.

RD3: After a few probing striking exchanges, Brandao shot for and got yet another takedown, but almost immediately stood back up. After Pineda returned to his feet and missed with a kick, Brandao took him to the ground for a few seconds before he popped right back up. Pineda then began to look for takedowns but Brandao shrugged them off. Brando then easily achieved yet another takedown and landed an elbow to the head of Pineda. With both fighters showing signs of tiring, commentator Joe Rogan took a few seconds to apologize to viewers for the perceived lack of cardio possessed by the two fighters. Pineda is taken to the ground yet again by Brandao, where they are quickly stood up due to a lack of activity. Pineda throws a few sloppy wheel kicks, but he is far too tired to throw the kick at its intended speed. Both fighters are clearly exhausted and they end the fight with a brief exchange of punches and kicks.

Diego Brandao wins by Unanimous Decision.

Mike Brown vs. Steven Siler

RD1: Siler looks to be trying to use his length to his advantage. Siler connected with a right uppercut during a striking exchange that dropped Brown. Siler followed him to the ground and ended up stopping Brown with an expertly placed air-to-ground punch that caused Brown to wilt and then suffer under a subsequent barrage of punches. After referee Yves Lavigne stopped the fight, Mike Brown appeared to be protesting the stoppage, but it definitely seemed to be justified stoppage.

Steven Siler wins by Knockout at just 50 seconds into the first round.

Conor McGregor vs. Max Hollaway

RD1: McGregor immediately lands a head kick and is keeping Hollaway guessing with his constant adjustments in his stance and striking angles. Hollaway darts in with a few striking combinations. While McGregor is throwing a wild array of strikes, Hollaway is landing a good amount of counter strikes in return. McGregor lands yet another jumping switch-kick. While Hollaway is doing a good job at landing his fair share of strikes in return, Conor is putting his hands out to the side and yelling at Hollaway to hit him. McGregor lands a hard straight-left to the chin of Hollaway. Right before the end of the first round, McGregor misses on a cartwheel-kick and immediately rolls over again and turns it into a takedown attempt that pushes Hollaway against the cage.

RD2: McGregor immediately lands another jumping switch-kick, as well as a side-kick to the ribs of Hollaway. Hollaway is game and looks to land some leg kicks. McGregor claps his hands and continues to land a wide array of strikes against Hollaway. Hollaway clips McGregor as he jumped it for a switch kick. McGregor takes Hollaway to the ground and ends up in the guard of Max Hollaway. McGregor postures up and throws a few strikes, but Hollaway manages to tie him back up. McGregor then stands up and passes to side control as the round comes to a close.

RD3: McGregor lands two consecutive front leg side-kicks against Hollaway, then handily gets a takedown. McGregor passes to side control and then mount in quick succession, but Hollaway explodes out and briefly returns to his feet before he is dragged down again. McGregor then quickly advances to Mount again and stays tight on top of Hollaway. McGregor’s choice to spend a lot of time training with Gunnar Nelson in Iceland has clearly paid great dividends. After Hollaway tries to explode out of his bad position, McGregor stays tight and controls from the top position. Hollaway finally gets to his feet and eats a knee to the face on his way up. McGregor then gets another takedown to close out the round in Hollaway’s guard. While it is highly possible that Hollaway could lose the decision, he proved plenty of people wrong who predicted that he would be quickly dispatched by the Irish hype-machine that is Conor McGregor.

Conor McGregor won by a Unanimous Decision, including one judge scoring the fight 30-26. It was a great fight. McGregor mentioned that he suffered a knee injury early on in the fight that caused him to abandon his usual striking-heavy approach and spend the majority of the fight on the ground.

Brad Pickett vs. Michael McDonald

RD1:  The speed of both fighters is evident, as both of them are landing punches simultaneously. McDonald clips Pickett and has him on wobbly legs while he does his best to avoid further damage. Pickett manages to stay composed and is able to recover. Pickett shrugs off a takedown attempt by McDonald. McDonald knocks Pickett down yet again with a head kick and subsequent punches, but Pickett is able to whether the strikes and return to his feet. Pickett throws a leg kick but is quickly countered and eats a few punches from McDonald, who then goes on the offensive and lands another few strikes as the round comes to a close.

RD2: McDonald comes in with an uppercut, but Pickett counters him and then throws a combination of his own. McDonald and Pickett are throwing strikes with great frequency and hand-speed. Pickett handily gets a takedown and starts working short punches from with McDonald’s guard. McDonald is keeping a tight hold on Pickett, limiting Pickett’s ability to work ground and pound or take advantage of Pickett’s own accomplished ground game. Pickett continues to land short punches and elbows. McDonald expertly throws up a Triangle Choke and briefly switches to an Armbar. As Pickett defends the Armbar, McDonald switches back to the Triangle and rolls Pickett over, sinking him deeper into the choke, forcing Pickett to tap or face the loss of his consciousness.

Michael “Mayday” McDonald wins by Submission (Triangle Choke) in the second round. What a great and competitive fight!

Joe Lauzon vs. Michael Johnson

RD1: Johnson lands a leg kick and a straight left to open the round, and looks to try to establish himself as the aggressor in the striking department. Lauzon seems to be hanging back and measuring Johnson, and finally lands a right hand after two minutes elapse. Johnson comes in and clips Lauzon with a hard left hand, but Lauzon is able to recover. Sensing opportunity, Johnson tires to turn up the tempo of his striking. Lauzon seems a bit tentative, and Johnson is taking every available opportunity to light him up with punches to the head and body. Johnson is fighting like he’s got the hounds of Hell on his heels, as he is coming off of two straight losses and could very well be fighting for his place in the UFC.

RD2: Michael Johnson immediately resumes his out-striking of Lauzon, showcasing his definitive speed advantage. Lauzon gets inside and attempts a takedown, but Johnson’s wrestling is pretty solid, and Johnson prevents the takedown and separates. Lauzon seems to be turning up his pace, and both commentators are noting that Johnson seems to be tiring and slowing down after the blistering pace he kept in the first round. Lauzon is landing punches with increasing frequency, and ends up clinching with Johnson against the cage. Johnson throws a few knees before both fighters separate. Johnson shoots for and gets a takedown right as the round ends.

RD3: Both fighters meet in the middle of the Octagon and begin to throw various striking combinations that are largely landing on target. After he seemed to be waning in the second round, Johnson is really turning it on against Lauzon, landing a series of hard strikes. Johnson continues to land striking combinations with near-impunity while Lauzon is mostly just covering up to try to avoid damage. Johnson lands an upward-elbow strike and another series of punches, as he continues to out-strike Johnson by a ratio of almost 2-1. Johnson ends the third round by landing a great combination and follows it up with a huge slamming takedown that sees him land in side control. Joe Lauzon recovers position and ends the fight on the bottom in full guard. Joe Lauzon’s face shows the damage that he took in a fight that he spent the majority of the time being out-struck.

Michael Johnson wins by Unanimous Decision in a fight that saw one judge score the fight 30-25! Michael Johnson rights the ship and wins a fight that saved him from the prospect of likely being cut if he were to have lost.

Uriah Hall vs. John “Doomsday” Howard

RD1: Hall immediately lands a huge double-leg takedown to open to round. Hall stays tight on top while Howard keeps him in Butterfly guard. Hall gets back up and allows Howard to stand up. Hall lands several punches to the chin of Howard while using his reach advantage to great effect. Howard lands a hard left hook to the chin of Hall, backing him up against the cage. Hall then lowers his level and goes for a takedown against the cage, but Howard defends it well. Hall gets the Muay Thai plum against Howard, but Howard nails him with an elbow and sends him backing up. Howard lands a succession of strikes and then shoots for a single leg takedown, but Hall avoids it. In what has become his hallmark, Hall throws a spinning back-kick to the head of Howard at the end of the round, but Howard backs up to avoid it.

RD2: Hall lands a snapping front kick to the body of Howard, who responds with a hard leg kick. Hall then throws a succession of kicks to varying points on Howard’s body. Hall shoots for a takedown that sees Howard backed up all the way across the Octagon, but Howard ends the attempt when he threatens with a standing Guillotine choke and then lands a few punches to the chin of Hall. Howard then goes for a takedown, but ends up battling in the clinch with Hall against the cage. Referee Mario Yamasaki separates the fighters, who then resume their efforts. Hall catches Howard with a knee to face but sees his leg caught. Hall gets Howard to the ground but Howard quickly gets back to his feet. Hall tries to control Howard’s back while standing, but Howard gets away and then chases him while looking for punches to land. Howard then takes Hall to the ground and then both fighters close out the round with both of them throwing strikes on the ground.

RD3: Hall looks for a takedown immediately looks for a takedown but Howard easily shrugs it off. Howard lands a hard punch to the jaw of Hall in return. Both fighters exchange hard leg kicks and then smile and touch gloves to congratulate each other for their respective efforts and gameness. Hall lands another knee to Howards chin, but Howard catches his leg and takes him down against the cage. Hall is attempting to get back up but Howard it holding on for dear life to keep his dominant position. Hall returns to his feet and battles within the clinch against the cage. Hall reverses position and then takes Howard down as the fight enters its final minute. Both fighters are showing the signs of an exhausting fight. Hall misses with a cartwheel kick and Howard misses with a huge leaping air-to-ground punch as the round closes out the fight.

John “Doomsday” Howard wins by Split Decision after being labeled as a 4-1 underdog against Uriah Hall. I agree with the decision for sure. What a great fight!

Mike “Quicksand” Pyle vs. Matt “The Immortal” Brown

RD1: Brown lands a leg kick to start the round. After working a few quick combinations, Brown drops Pyle against the cage. Brown then lands a few punches straight to the chin of a grounded Pyle that saw him go limp due to impending unconsciousness. The referee stepped in to stop the punishment after Pyle took two punches right to his chin after his lights went out.

Matt Brown wins by Knockout at just 29 seconds into the first round.

Urijah Faber vs. Iuri Alcantara

RD1: Both fighters clinch up and as Faber goes for a throw, Alcantara reverses position and lands in mount. Alcantara then starts landing strikes and threatens with an Armbar. Faber defends the attempt and tries to get into a better position, but Alcantara stays glued to him and takes his back. Alcantara gets his hooks in and patiently works for positioning to get a Rear Naked Choke. Faber bucks and gets back to his feet, where he immediately lands a huge slamming takedown. Alcantara briefly tries to go for a Triangle Choke, but Faber steps over his leg and starts raining down hard ground and pound. Alacantara is able to get Faber back into full guard, but Faber unrelentingly hammers him with punches and elbows to the face. Faber lands a slicing elbow as the round comes to a close.

RD2: Faber misses with a head-kick that sees Alcantara attempt to pounce on him. Alcantara tries to grab Faber’s arm, but Faber violently throws him to the ground and starts working some nasty ground and pound. Faber stays tight on top of Alcantara and works a gnarly succession of elbows to the head of Alcantara. Faber gets up to his feet to work some air-to-ground strikes, and returns to the ground and has Alcantara turtled up against the cage. Faber is battering Alcantara almost non-stop. Alcantara gets back to his feet and gets underhooks against Faber, but sees himself reversed on a takedown attempt with Faber landing on top yet again.

RD3: Faber lands a leg kick to open the round. Alcantara then eats an overhand right from Faber. Alcantara lands a punch but then has to contend with a takedown attempt from Faber, which he successfully defends. Faber then shoots in and takes control of Alcantara’s back and drags him to the ground against the cage. Alcantara again finds himself on the ground against the cage on the wrong end of elbows and punches from Faber. Alcantara attempts a sweep but Faber defends it and continues to batter him. Faber looks up at the clock and turns up his pace of strikes on the ground. Alcantara threatens Faber with a chain of submission attempts but Faber rides it out and ends up in side control on top. Faber closes out the fight while landing solid punches and elbows from the top.

Urijah Faber wins by Unanimous Decision. Two judges saw fit to score it 30-26, which really speaks to Faber’s dominance in the fight.

Alistair Overeem vs. Travis “Hapa” Browne

RD1: Overeem immediately begins to stalk Browne, connecting with a good combination and then a knee to the body of Browne against the cage. Overeem nails Browne with another set of punches at varying levels. Overeem then clips Browne and unleashes a huge barrage of strikes against him, but referee Mario Yamasaki does a good job of letting Brown continue to fight and recover. Browne lands a few punches of his own to back up Overeem. Browne looked to have been on the ropes but he is still hanging in there. Overeem is keeping a more measured pace, while Browne is landing numerous front kicks to the body of Overeem. Browne then lands a rear-leg front kick to the chin of Overeem, who topples to the ground. Browne follows up with two hammer-fists that see Overeem cross into the realm of unconsciousness. Referee Mario Yamasaki waves off the fight and separates the two combatants.

Travis Browne wins by Knockout at (4:08) in the first round. Travis Browne is quite durable, as he weathered the same types of body shots that absolutely floored Brock Lesnar.

Chael Sonnen vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

RD1: Sonnen immediately gets a huge double leg takedown, but Rua gets back up to his feet and then takes Sonnen down. Sonnen works for a Guillotine but just uses it to sweep Rua and get back to his feet, where he then Suplexes Rua to the ground. Sonnen gets into side control, with Rua getting into half guard and looking to stay tight and sweep from the bottom. Rua gets Sonnen into a tight butterfly guard, but Sonnen gets back into guard and continues to work his ground and pound. Sonnen is smothering Rua on the ground with effective top control and punches from half guard. Sonnen locks up a Guillotine Choke and gets to his feet with Rua standing up as well. Sonnen then pulls guard and gets Rua deeper into the choke, causing him to eventually tap after he was unable to remove his head. Great win for Chael Sonnen!

Chael Sonnen wins via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in the first round.