LAS VEGAS – NEVADA – Rich Franklin said that he would come out and trade punches with the deadly David Loiseau. And when the bell sounded, that’s exactly what he did for the next five rounds, battering and bloodying the Canadian en route to a lopsided decision at the Mandalay Bay Event Center.

The judges saw it as a blow-out, scoring it 50-42 (twice) and 50-43. But the champion disagreed.

“It wasn’t dominant because he lasted to a decision,” Franklin said. “This is my first fight that went to a decision, so I’m very displeased with my performance.”

Crow comes out with back-to-back high kicks. A minute later, he threw two more, both found nothing. After the second pair, Franklin pressed with some punches, forcing Loiseau to the fence.

But when the Canadian spun out and Franklin fired again, Loiseau landed a good left hook right on the cheek. Franklin, who is often criticized as having a weak chin, didn’t even move.

Moments later, the champion landed the first significant blow of the fight, a straight left hand that sent Loiseau sprawling in the fence. But he bounced right back ready to fight.

More exchanges ensued with Franklin continuing to stalk his foe and Loiseau looking to counter. With about two minutes left, Loiseau landed another good left hook that moved the champ.

Franklin, however, merely resumed his pressure attack, taking the fight to the challenger with lead right hooks, left kicks and straight left hands. He even landed something of a leaping right hook with 30 seconds left in the round.

The opening stanza ended with Franklin chasing Loiseau with a series of hooks and then dropping him at the bell with a one-two combination.

The fighters touched gloves for a second time to start the second round – an impressive display of showmanship.

But the warm and fuzzy ended there, as Franklin continued his attack, causing Loiseau to retreat early in the round from a three piece combination. Seconds later, the champ landed a left hand that wobbled the challenger.

Smelling blood, Franklin pressed with a measured pace, dropping him for the second time in the fight with a one-two combination.

Loiseau turtled up on the ground, but defended well and soon found himself back on the feet striking. But Franklin forced him to turn and flee yet again from a series of strikes.

By the point of the round, both of Loiseau’s eyes had noticeable swelling and there were traces of blood on his face. Franklin remained patient in his attack, not overcommitting on his shots as he pressed to end the fight.

With a minute to go, Franklin even landed a Loiseau-like elbow out of a clinch. Seconds later, Loiseau found himself turning his back and fleeing again. This time, however, Franklin pounced on him, grabbing the Crow from behind and throwing him to the ground.

The challenger quickly turtled up again in the face of a Franklin onslaught, but the bell stopped the carnage.

Unbeknownst to everyone in the arena, the champion suffered a bad injury in the round.

“I broke my left hand in the second round,” he admitted. “It really changed my game, but I had to keep throwing punches.”

The fighters started the third round out just like the previous two, with a friendly touch of the gloves. Then, Loiseau unleashed a few vicious kicks. Franklin defended expertly, pressed with punches, and when Loiseau turned his back, the champ again slammed him to the Octagon mat, drawing huge cheers from the crowd.

Again, Loiseau defended well from the ground. Franklin backed off, and when Loiseau stood, the champion landed an excellent kick to the head, causing serious damage to both eyes.

Referee John McCarthy called for a halt in the action so that the doctor could check Loiseau’s badly swollen eyes, both of which ran with blood.

At the restart, Loiseau almost hit the lottery, landing a monstrous left hook that sent Franklin crumbling to the mat. The Crow seemed energized by the turn of events and jumped all over the champion, landing another brutal right hand that seemed to hurt the champ.

“No, I wasn’t hurt. I wanted to create some drama for the crowd,” Franklin laughed. "No, I’m joking. Dave clipped me. He hits very hard.”

Franklin wisely held on, seeking a moment of reprieve to clear his head. He forcded Loiseau into the cage in a clinch and rested for a moment, half trying for a takedown. Seconds later, the cobwebs were gone and Franklin resumed peppering his opponent, looping his right hook to try and score over Loiseau’s guard.

For the fourth time in four rounds, the fighters touched gloves to start the action. Thirty-eight seconds later, Franklin dropped Loiseau again with a right hook over the top, apparently finding a chink in Loiseau’s defense because he usually throws his hooks very straight.

Just like with the previous knockdowns, Loiseau turtled up. Franklin pounded away at the sides of his head and the Crow did nothing but cover up.

With his opponent being completely passive, Franklin took the opportunity to get both underhooks from behind and suplex the challenger.

For whatever reason, Franklin then backed away and let Loiseau standup and resume a kickboxing match, where he resumed chasing the Crow around the Octagon with right hooks and left hands.

It’s amazing that the doctor allowed Loiseau to continue into the fifth round. His upper face was completely distorted from swelling with his right eye seemingly completely closed. But David Loiseau is a warrior – and I don’t use that word lightly.

He wasn’t about to quit. The Canadian striker came out firing fight-ending kicks in search of a desperation knockout. Franklin wisely stayed out of range to avoid the bombs and when Loiseau telegraphed a kick, he shot in for the takedown.

Pressed against the cage, Loiseau still refused to quit, working his way back to his feet and taking the champ down. But Franklin used his superior ground game to reverse to the mount within seconds.

And for the umpteenth time, Loiseau turtled up, defending a series of strikes to the side of the head. The ploy led to another suplex and some ground and pound. Nevertheless, the brave Canadian survived to the final bell.

It was a dominant performance for Franklin and an amazing show of the human spirit – heart, courage and a never-say-die will – by Loiseau.

It wasn’t the fight of the night. But Mike Swick’s entrance definitely stole the show.

The American Kickboxing Academy star entered the ring to the slamming beats of Tupac Shakur’s “Ambitionz Az A Ridah.” The heavy drum beats worked the crowd into a frenzied lather as Swick walked confidently to the ring to words such as: “I won’t deny it, I’m a straight ridah, you don’t want to f__k with me.”

The entrance actually lasted longer than the fight itself.

Swick, however, didn't score a quick knockout win like in his first two UFC fights, opting instead for a submission win in 2:09 against Canada’s Steve Vigneault.

The fight started out with both fighters jostling for an advantage on the feet, including some slow moments against the fence. But the minute Swick got space he exploded with an excellent knee.

The strike caused Vigneault to shoot for a takedown. But the well-rounded Swick proved that he is more than a one-trick pony, sinking a deep guillotine and jumping guard to increase the pressure and force the tap out.

“I knew he was tough,” Swick admitted. “Nobody gives him respect. I gave him mad respect. I trained like I’ve never trained before. That was the Swick-atine. It’s like a guillotine, but it’s a little bit quicker and stronger. I was going to go for the Swick-aconda (choke), but I didn’t need it.”

BJ Penn's shirt said it all.

The former champion entered the arena wearing a shirt that said “World Champ” with his UFC Welterweight Title strapped tightly around his waist, sending a crystal clear message to Georges St Pierre, current UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes and the rest of the world.

But it wasn’t to be, as the young Canadian superstar won a split-decision in a fantastic fight.

The judges scored the fight 29-28 (twice) for St. Pierre and 29-28 for Penn.

The crowd booed violently when Bruce Buffer announced the decision.

Penn came out pressuring St. Pierre right from Jump Street, landing heavier leather in the early exchanges. Thirty seconds into the round, the Canadian began rubbing his right eye, ostensibly due to a thumb. But Penn kept coming forward behind a jack-hammer jab that left St. Pierre’s nose bloody and swollen moments later.

The assault made St. Pierre change his tactics, opting to close the distance and force Penn to the fence in a clinch. The fight stayed there for the next several minutes with little action. St. Pierre tried a single-leg takedown, but Penn defended.

Soon, the pair found themselves kickboxing again. Penn’s quick jab repeatedly peppered his foe’s nose, drawing more and more blood. With just over a minute left, St. Pierre started to bleed from a rapidly growing mouse under his right eye.

“I got poked in the eye and I saw two BJ Penns,” St. Pierre explained. “But I think this fight is going to give me a lot of experience. It’s the first time in my career that I bled a lot. I’m going to become a stronger fighter because he hurt me really badly in the fight, but I won.”

All three judges scored the round for Penn.

Penn resumed his piston-like jab to open the second round. The pounding got St. Pierre to again try for the takedown. Penn initially defended, but the Canadian ended up scoring an impressive double leg.

But the jiu-jitsu master wasted no time working his ground game from his back, attempting a triangle choke. St. Pierre stood up out of the triangle and unleashed some of his fan-friendly ground and pound with axe kicks and flying punches.

Penn soon worked back to his feet where the stand-up war resumed. St. Pierre started finding some success in the exchanges, but Penn was right there with his jab, rarely taking a backward step.

At the end of the round, St. Pierre’s face was bright red with blood, while Penn had nary a mark. Still, that doesn’t tell the story of the round, as it was extremely close.

The judges disagreed on the second round. Nelson Hamilton and Marcos Rosales scored it for St. Pierre, while Cecil Peoples gave Penn the nod.

The third round opened with both men throwing bombs. They traded right hands with reckless abandon until St. Pierre forced Penn back to the Octagon in a clinch. Both men landed some strikes from that position. But St. Pierre, who was committed to another takedown, finally locked his hands around Penn’s knees and hoisted him for a crowd-roaring slam.

Penn wasted no time getting his feet on St. Pierre’s thighs and pushing himself out of the guard and back to his feet. After a brief clinch, Penn actually shot for a takedown, but St. Pierre was having none of it, dropping to a knee, standing and then reversing the position with Penn pressed up against the fence in a clinch.

The pair finally broke and resumed fighting, but St. Pierre won the jab exchange, setting up a second takedown. Penn worked feverishly for an omo plata with the crowd cheering wildly. But it wasn’t to be, as St. Pierre defended and landed an elbow at the end of the fight that brought the crowd to its feet.

We’ll never know, but the late takedown might have been the difference in the fight.

“Penn is one of the best fighters in the world, pound for pound,” St. Pierre said. “It was a great honor for me to fight him. I’m not asking for a title shot, it’s the fans asking. Please make it happen.”

In a move of total class, Renato Verissimo, Penn’s jiu-jitsu coach, went over to congratulate St. Pierre, giving him a hug and plenty of water to drink from his fighter’s water bottle.

“It looks like he lost, but that’s not how you judge it,” Penn said. “He fought a great fight. I think I did more damage. He fought well. I always want to fight the best. I’ll go relax for a little bit, regroup and go on.”

Hughes agreed with the judges, giving the first round to Penn and the second two to St. Pierre.

Nathan Marquardt lived up to his nickname “The Great,” raising his UFC record to a perfect 2-0 with an exciting unanimous-decision win over Joe Doerksen.

All three judges scored the fight 30-27.

 After a sleepy UFC debut against Ivan Salaverry on Spike TV, Marquardt definitely seemed motivated to put on a show, attacking Doerksen with punches and kicks to start the round. When the Canadian changed levels for a takedown, Marquardt sunk what appeared to be a deep guillotine and pulled guard.

He squeezed violently to end the fight, but Doerksen escaped. But the American might have gassed himself slightly during the submission attempt as he fought the rest of the round with his mouth open at a much more measured pace.

Doerksen opened the second round with a big takedown and a flashy ground-and-pound attack that brought the crowd to its feet. Marquardt, however, kept his cool, defended and then somehow stood straight up with Doerksen in his guard and transitioned into a takedown of his own.

The fight resumed on the feet after a few seconds and after a brief exchange, Marquardt scored another takedown. This time he methodically pushed Doerksen to the cage, rose up and landed a brutal right hand to his down opponent. The shot started some swelling under the Canadian’s left eye.

When he tried a second standing right hand, Doersken used the opportunity to standup, but Marquardt clipped him on the top of the head with a high kick. Unfazed, Doerksen landed the best punch of the fight – a lead right hand to the nose that sent Marquardt sprawling into the fence. As Doerksen rushed in, Marquardt smartly took him down.

The pair played transition jiu-jitsu for a moment before Marquardt stood. Doerksen landed another lead right hand. He tried for a second, this one of the flying nature, but Marquardt fired back with a good combination of his own to end the round.

Marquardt started the final round with a series of four good punches, including a great uppercut to the chin. The punch seemed to trigger something in his mind as he went back for two more, both landed. Doerksen slipped to a knee and caught a second grazing high kick as he regained his feet.

Marquardt used the opportunity to score another takedown, though he didn’t do anything inside Doerksen’s guard, prompting referee Big John McCarthy to call for a standup with just over three minutes remaining.

A lost mouthpiece by the Canadian added to the brief break.

Marquardt landed an overhand right followed by an uppercut when the action resumed. He kept firing away, drawing cheers from the crowd as his opponent’s head snapped back. But Doerksen found a way to get the fight to the ground, fighting momentarily from the top, until the ultra-skilled American reversed into Doerksen’s guard. Marquardt basically played it safe for the remainder of the round. When Doerksen tried to score a reversal, Marquardt rolled to his back with a partial guillotine as the bell sounded.

Both men looked tired after the fight, but Doerksen’s face showed much more wear and tear from the standup assault in the final round.

“He’s got a tough chin,” Marquardt said. “I’ve caught a lot of guys with lesser shots than that and they didn’t stand up. I’m here for the title. I’m not saying it has to be my next fight or anything. But I want to fight Rich Franklin.”

When asked who he thought would win in the main event between Franklin and Loiseau, Marquardt responded, “Franklin – I want to fight him.”

Mark Hominick shocked the world with a stunning submission win over
Yves Edwards

After a 19-month absence, the unofficial UFC Lightweight Champion Yves Edwards got a rude welcome back to the Octagon, losing to Canada’s Mark Hominick by second round submission.

Hominick landed the first big shot of the night, a good elbow to the cheek off a clinch. Edwards responded with a good right uppercut, left hand combination from the outside. For the remainder of the round, the fighters exchanged shots on the feet at a measured pace. But the smaller Hominick seemed to grow more and more confident as the round wore on, possibly stealing it on the cards with his constant pressure.

In a surprising turn of events, Edwards, an extremely skilled striker, started the second round with a quick takedown attempt. The Canadian defended expertly, working Edwards’ to the body with a series of brutal left hooks to the liver. But the world-ranked lightweight ended up getting the takedown.

On the ground, however, Edwards found himself in a triangle choke. When he tried to lift his opponent for a power-slam escape, it did little but sink the choke even deeper, causing Edwards to submit at 1:53 of the round.

“That left to the liver is my best punch,” Hominick said. “But Yves is the man. He’s one of my favorite fighters. It was an honor to fight him.”

Source: InsideFighting.com