UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez

© Marc Wickert 
www.knucklepit.com
December 12, 2009

All photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC
Photography by Joshua Hedges

In Earlier Matches

Matt Wiman def. Shane Nelson by unanimous decision.

Johny Hendricks def. Ricards Funch by unanimous decision.

Rousimar Palhares def. Lucio Linhares by heel hook – 3.21, Round Two.

Damarques Johnson def. Edgar Garcia by triangle – 4.03, Round One.

TJ Grant def. Kevin Burns by TKO – 1.57, Round One.

The Battles

Alan Belcher (6’2” 185) vs. Wilson Gouveia (6’1” 185) 
Middleweight
Referee: Herb Dean

Alan moved in on Wilson and pressed the action.  Wilson employed jabs and low kicks to maintain his fence, but Alan kept coming, causing Wilson to circle out of his flight path.
3.41: Belcher eventually cornered Gouveia, however Gouveia retaliated via blazing fists and then decided to pursue Belcher.
3.08: Belcher became the hunter again.
3.03: They broadsided and traded cannon balls.
2.25: They paused and Alan switched to southpaw – possibly due to a damaged left hand from the previous exchange.
2.06: Alan slammed Wilson’s body with a thumping right, then a right uppercut that floored Wilson.

Result: Alan Belcher by TKO – 3.03, Round One

Stefan Struve (6’11” 247) vs. Paul Buentello (6’2” 255)
Heavyweight
Referee: Dan Miragliotta

Round One
4.54: Stefan’s high kick whizzed over Paul’s head.
4.50: Stefan leg-kicked as Paul countered with a right and a left fist.
4.37: And again.
4.28: Paul caught Stefan’s kick and they clinched before Stefan took Paul into guard whilst still standing.
4.11: They were free; Struve threw a big uppercut and clinched.
3.51: He dragged Buentello down and took his back whilst wrapping Buentello in an anaconda and attacking him with g’n’p.
2.01: Struve looked for the RNC whilst maintaining his anaconda body-lock.
0.46: Struve released the hold.
0.37: Buentello remained poised and slipped into Struve’s guard.

Round Two
4.43: Paul tagged Stefan with a big right.
4.34: He intercepted Stefan’s leaping knee with a powerful right hand and decked him.
4.24: The Headhunter ordered Stefan up.
4.18: Stefan delivered a body kick and a right hook.
4.07: They clinched.
3.24: Stefan collapsed and looked for an ankle lock that didn’t happen.
2.49: They stood.
2.31: They traded and clinched.
2.18: The pair parted briefly before Struve rushed back in; however Buentello saw him coming and flattened Struve with another right-handed thunderbolt.
2.08: Buentello walked away and Dan Miragliotta ordered Struve up. They traded bombs before locking up.
1.13: They let loose with elbows and knuckles.
What a great showdown!  Stefan dominated the first round with grappling and Paul sealed the second with his loaded guns.

Round Three
The final round was delayed as Dan asked the ring physician to remove a piece of tooth from Struve’s mouth guard.
They sparred.
4.17: Buentello threw a right hand and Struve answered via consecutive leg kicks.
3.33: They banged and clinched.
3.10: Struve caught Buentello with a solid elbow, Buentello replied with rights and uppercuts as Struve continued to leg kick.
0.39: Stefan fell after Paul’s right hand connected again.
0.26: Paul called Stefan up.  They banged it out up to the bell.
This could have gone either way.  Stefan was gracious after being awarded the decision, stating, “I don’t feel like a winner right now… It was more of a draw.”

Result: Stefan Struve by majority decision.

Kenny Florian (5’10” 156) vs. Clay Guida (5’7” 156) 
Lightweight
Referee: Mario Yamasaki

Round One
They poked out jabs, with Kenny in southpaw and Clay in orthodox stance.  Clay mixed his punches up with low kicks as Kenny focused on delivering mitts.
4.03: Clay absorbed a high kick in order to take Kenny to the ground before falling into open guard.
3.19: Florian used his legs to shove Guida away before the pair resumed their toe-to-toe battle.
1.37: Florian snapped up Guida’s left leg and briefly tugged him down before they sprang back up.
1.16: Guida attempted a shoot that backfired and allowed Florian to take his back in the 6 o’clock position.
0.57: Clay looked to dislodge his opponent only to have Kenny get side control.
0.47: They stood up after a scramble.
0.35: Kenny slammed Clay into the floor with a double-leg takedown.
0.23: Clay stood – his face bloody from Kenny’s elbow assault, causing Mario Yamasaki to call time out at 0.19.  Play resumed, with Clay looking like an Easter apparition.

Round Two
The tit-for-tat sparring continued.
4.29: Guida shot in and took Florian to the ground.
4.17: They were back up and banging it out.
2.58: Florian dropped Guida with a left and a right before fitting him out with a RNC.

Result: Kenny Florian by RNC – 2.19, Round Two.

Jon Fitch (6’0” 171) vs. Mike Pierce (5’8” 171) 
Welterweight
Referee: Mario Yamasaki

Round One
4.36: Jon caught Mike’s kick, Mike stood and Jon took his back, then tugged him to the canvas whilst still clinging to his back.
2.01: The pair were vertical and entangled until Mike got a double-leg takedown.
1.26: They were standing and clinched with Jon’s back to the cage.
1.02: Mario Yamasaki separated them.  The pair exchanged strikes before Fitch shot for Pierce’s legs in the dying moments of the first five, but Pierce sprawled clear of the takedown.

Round Two
Jon commenced with leg kicks.
4.44: Mike tagged Jon with a left hook.
4.39: They tied up and swapped knees.
4.08: They broke free and banged before Jon caught Mike’s kick and took him to the ground.
3.25: Fitch had Pierce’s back when they stood clinched, then separated.  Fitch had the reach advantage, but in this round, Pierce was penetrating Fitch’s radar with his punches.
1.24: Fitch opted for the tackle and clung to Pierce’s back even after he was able to stand against the fence.
0.41: Pierce turned to face Fitch in the entanglement.
0.15: The pair banged it out up to the bell.

Round Three
They exchanged blows until 4.00, then clinched – the close-quarter battle favoring Jon.
3.22: They parted.
2.37: Mike punished Jon with powerful left hooks.
1.26: Jon shot in and maneuvered to take Mike’s back again at 1.06.
0.54: They stood toe-to-toe and Mike pounded Jon for the last 30 seconds, but was unable to put him away.

Result: Jon Fitch by unanimous decision.

Frank Mir (6’3” 264.5) vs. Cheick Kongo (6’4” 239) 
Heavyweight
Referee: Herb Dean

Frank stood in southpaw and Cheick was in orthodox as they faced off.
4.43: Cheick came in with a flurry and both men danced.
4.19: Frank lined Cheick up with a crushing left mitt before rushing in and applying a guillotine.  As Cheick climbed to his feet, Frank pulled him back down and choked him out.

Result: Frank Mir by guillotine – 1.12, Round One.

BJ Penn (5’9” 155) vs. Diego Sanchez (5’10” 154.5) 
Welterweight Title
Referee: Herb Dean

Round One
BJ takes center stage and Diego circles in southpaw stance, then rushes in with punches that BJ avoids.
4.33: BJ drops Diego with rights, grabs Diego’s back with his left arm, then hammers more right hooks into Diego’s scone as he tries to climb up, causing Diego to collapse on his back.
3.43: Sanchez shows true grit by weathering the storm and gets to his feet as they go toe-to-toe.
2.58: He rushes Penn, they clinch, and Sanchez unsuccessfully tries to take Penn down before he catches him with an elbow, and the pair separate.
1.52: Penn blocks a high kick.
The Hawaiian is a class act: He repels Sanchez’s takedowns and dodges most of his strikes throughout the opening five.

Round Two
BJ probes with praying mantis jabs, keeping Diego at a distance.
4.30: Diego shoots in and BJ sprawls with his back against the wires.
3.58: They part.  BJ is out-boxing his opponent and null’n’voiding his takedown attempts.
1.58: Diego shoots and BJ tags him with a right.
1.49: Penn ducks under Sanchez’s high kick and knocks him to the ground with blows; Sanchez springs back up and they face off.
Penn conserves energy by using his superior hands to counterstrike and capitalizes on Sanchez’s mistakes.

Round Three
4.38: Diego body-kicks.
4.31: BJ unleashes a left hook to the jaw.
4.23: Diego latches onto BJ’s left leg, wanting to take the action horizontal; however BJ refuses to oblige and punishes his opponent with uppercuts.
3.02: They break free.
2.28: They’re entangled again.
1.53: They’re free and BJ decides to let loose with knuckles.
1.07: The clinch is back on.  Diego spends the rest of this round trying to take BJ down.

Round Four
Penn uses his fists to stamp more authority on the match.  Sanchez has a big heart, but his strategy just isn’t working.

Round Five
BJ nods his head to say “Yes”, thus handing Diego’s mantra back to him.  They go into battle for the final set.
4.25: The crowd boos as Diego latches onto BJ’s leg and tries yet again to tug him down.
3.44: Diego collapses and drags BJ to the canvas with him, but what do you do with BJ when you do get him on the floor?
3.26: They’re back standing toe-to-toe.
3.02: Penn unleashes a right hand, a right kick, and a volley of right uppercuts before Sanchez vainly attempts yet another takedown.
2.27: Sanchez’s face looks like a busted tomato and Herb Dean calls in the ring physician.  There’s a gash over Sanchez’s left eye similar to the one sustained by Marvin Eastman after his forehead was carved open by Vitor Belfort at UFC 43.  The replay shows it was the high kick that did the damage.

Result: BJ Penn by TKO – 2.32, Round Five.

For info on BJ Penn’s instructional books:

 http://www.knucklepit.com/mixed-martial-arts-knucklepit%20book%20&%20dvd%20reviews.htm

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