UFC 175, held last night in Las Vegas was one of the biggest cards of the year, and featured not one, but two title defenses. While Chris Weidman and Ronda Rousey both left the octagon with their UFC Titles intact, the way in which they did so was very different.
Weidman vs Machida (UFC 175 Main Event)
Chris Weidman defeated challenger Lyoto “the Dragon” Machida in a five round welterweight war. He won by unanimous decision with judges scoring the contest 49-45, 49-46 and 48-47 in favor of Weidman. It was Weidman’s first fight since beating Anderson Silva in their title rematch at the UFC’s annual new year’s pay-per-view.
The five round fight won the fight of the night bonus, and was an epic battle between the two. It featured Weidman pushing the pace and attacking Machida, while the Brazilian would attempt to dodge the attacks and provide a counterattack. Weidman would score big in the second and third rounds taking Machida down and doing damage. However, it was a close battle and Machida was nearly successful scoring with body kicks, and winning a slugfest in the fourth round, and finishing on top of Weidman in the fifth round attempting one last flurry to take the fight.
Both fighters looked worse for wear after the fight, and had the crowd giving an enthusiastic ovation to the finish.
“He’s as good as I thought,” Weidman said of Machida.
Asked if he was ever hurt in the fight, the champion replied: “Probably. I can’t remember right now.”
Rousey vs Davis (Co-Main Event)
Meanwhile, there was little drama in the other title fight on the card, as Ronda Rousey annihilated challenger Alexis Davis, winning by TKO just 16 seconds into the first round. Rousey has still has only had one fight go longer than a single round.
Rousey hurt Davis with a punch to the face almost immediately after the bell. She followed it up with a knee, and then a judo throw to the ground. Rousey pounced and was raining down shots at Davis when Yves Lavigne stopped the fight.
It is the second fastest knockout in a UFC Championship fight ever, tied with Ken Shamrock’s win over Kevin Jackson, and behind Andrei Arlovski KO of Paul Buentello which took 15 seconds.
After the fight Rousey was offered the main event of UFC 176 (as UFC looks for a fight to replace the main event due to an injured Jose Aldo), but turned it down as she has injuries to her finger suffered in the beatdown, and needs surgery on her knee (for a chronic condition).
Stefan Struve Scare
There was also some nervous moments at UFC 175 as Stefan Struve passed out while warming up for his scheduled fight with Matt Mitrione. The fight was cancelled as he was rushed to hospital but is said to be okay. He apparently suffered from an elevated heart-rate and a panic attack.
“With his health and safety in mind, he’s been removed from the card and is currently under the care of the medical staff,” the UFC said in a statement.
Uriah Hall Perseveres
One of the most impressive performances of the night came from TUF alumni Uriah Hall, who won a three round decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) over Thiago Santos.
Hall’s big toe was either broken or dislocated in the first round. It was seen standing vertically at the start of the second round, and the bone was protruding from the skin by the end of the fight, but Hall fought on to grind out an impressive win in the circumstances.
“Any movement I would feel my bone shift in and out of the skin,” said Hall following the fight.
He received a huge round of applause when the decision was announced.
Urijah Faber Wins
In the featured undercard fight, Urijah Faber took a third round submission victory over Alex Caceres. He won by rear-naked choke as Caceres gave Faber his back after a flurry of blows, followed by a takedown while the two were standing.
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