It wasn't the walk in the park that some expected, but "Mr. Wonderful" Phil Davis kept his flawless record intact at Ultimate Fight Night 24 on Saturday, after taking a unanimous decision victory over top-10 light heavyweight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
Despite all three judges scoring the bout 30-27 for Davis, the opening round could've easily gone to Nogueira, who out-landed the 26-year-old in the exchanges and fended off every takedown attempt.
"I know he's tough and resilient," Davis told UFC commentator Joe Rogan after the fight.
In the second and third rounds, Davis finally started finding success with his takedowns when he switched from the double-leg to the single. Other than showing great wrist control, Nogueira wasn't able to do much from his back to thwart Davis' strong top control.
Davis, a former 2008 NCAA wrestling champion at Penn State University, was careful in the Brazilian's guard. When Nogueira made attempts to scramble, Davis would transition to his back and tee off with punches and knees.
Seattle fans surely weren't blown away by Mr. Wonderful's performance, but it was a huge win in his young, rising career.
"I want to thank God because I was falling apart in the training camp," said Davis, who stepped in as a late replacement for the injured Tito Ortiz. "I didn't think I could make this fight. I had all types of injuries."
Johnson Decisions Hardy
If anything, the 16-month layoff seemed to help Anthony "Rumble" Johnson in his bout with Dan Hardy. Instead of swinging for the fences, Johnson opted to use his underrated wrestling to keep the Brit on his back and grind out the unanimous decision.
Johnson dropped Hardy with a head kick in the opening round. Despite Johnson's efforts to finish, "The Outlaw" regained his senses and survived the initial onslaught. After his first taste of ground action, Johnson continued to seek out the takedown throughout the rest of the fight.
Outside of a few kimura attempts, Hardy showed little resistance as Johnson rode out top position and rained down ground-and-pound, handing the Brit his third consecutive loss.
Sadollah Stops Johnson
Never one to back down from a war, The Ultimate Fighter season seven winner Amir Sadollah earned a second-round submission victory over TUF season nine runner-up DaMarques Johnson.
Johnson was game in the exchanges, but Sadollah proved to be the more refined striker, as he mixed up his offense with punches, kicks and knees from the clinch.
The first round was tough to score. Sadollah may have edged out the standup exchanges, but a couple of takedowns and top control from Johnson may have been enough to sway the minds of the judges.
Fortunately for Sadollah, the judges wouldn't have a say in the fight's conclusion. It didn't take Johnson long to crack in the second round, as Sadollah began to pick up the pace and find his rhythm.
After wearing Johnson down on the feet, Sadollah secured an easy takedown and transitioned to mount, where he rained down unanswered elbows until Johnson was forced to tap at 3:27.
"I want to give a huge thank you to DaMarques. He took this fight at two weeks notice," said Sadollah. "I'm not here just to look good. I want to be the best, and I want to fight the best."
"The Korean Zombie" Takes Advantage of Second Opportunity
Chan Sung Jung reached into his bag of tricks and submitted Leonard Garcia with the first twister, a move popularized by jiu-jitsu ace Eddie Bravo, in UFC history.
"I've been watching Eddie Bravo videos on YouTube and practicing at Korean Top Team," Jung said through a translator. "I kept saying I was going to do the twister, and I finally got one. Hopefully, we get Submission of the Night with that one."
The first bout between Jung and Garcia was back in April 2010. It was a back-and-forth battle that many crowned Fight of the Year. Garcia took home the controversial split decision on that night.
The rematch played out quite differently. Abandoning his tendency to windmill punches in sloppy slug-fests, Garcia was patient in the exchanges and tried to pick his punches. The only significant action in the first round didn't occur until Jung forced Garcia to the ground with a knee and finished the round with a barrage of punches.
In the second round, Garcia reverted to his usual, overaggressive self and quickly found himself fending from his back. When Garcia tried to scramble back to his feet, Jung transitioned to his back and set up the twister submission for the stoppage at 4:59.
"For all the fans that I let down after losing my last two fights, I'm glad to make it up to them with this one," said Jung.
Official Results
Phil Davis defeats Antonio Rogerio Nogueira by unanimous decision.
Anthony Johnson defeats Dan Hardy by unanimous decision.
Amir Sadollah defeats DaMarques Johnson via Round 2 submission (elbow strikes).
Chan Sung Jung submits Leonard Garcia in Round 2 (twister).
Mike Russow defeats Jon Madsen by Round 2 TKO stoppage.
Mackens Semerzier submits Alex Caceres in Round 1 (rear naked choke).
John Hathaway defeats Kris McCray by split decision.
Michael McDonald defeats Edwin Figueroa by unanimous decision.
Christian Morecraft submits Sean McCorkle in Round 2 (guillotine choke).
Johny Hendricks defeats Anthony Waldburger by Round 1 TKO stoppage.
Aaron Simpson defeats Mario Miranda by unanimous decision.
Nik Lentz submits Waylon Lowe in Round 3 (guillotine).
Bonuses
Fight of the Night: Michael McDonald and Edwin Figueroa
Submission of the Night: Chan Sung Jung
Knockout of the Night: Johny Hendricks
(SportsHaze.com Original)
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