The Champ Survives Carwin’s First-Round Assault To Win UFC Heavyweight Unification Bout
LAS VEGAS — The message was undeniably clear.
There sat Brock Lesnar, moments after his victory over Shane Carwin at UFC 116 here at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, straddled atop the Octagon. First there was a punch. And then another. And another. Each punch Lesnar threw landed directly on his chin. Then he flashed a smile for the MMA world to see.
Yes, UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar can take a punch, and he wanted to make sure everyone knows that. And no one knows that better than Carwin, who lost the title unification bout July 3 when Lesnar submitted him in Round 2.
The bout started with a quick takedown by Lesnar, but Carwin scrambled to his feet and attacked Lesnar with a flurry. In the ensuing minutes, Carwin punished Lesnar, who ended up on the canvas. Carwin’s heavy ground and pound opened a cut on Lesnar, while the big man did the best he could to cover up.
In Round 2, Lesnar scored a takedown at 4:05. He controlled the action until he submitted Carwin at 2:19 with an arm triangle choke. Lesnar improved his record to 5-1 while Carwin suffered his first loss after a dozen victories.
“He [Lesnar] passed the test tonight,” said Dana White, UFC president. He’s tough. He took shots that 12 other guys could not take. Tonight was a big night for Brock.”
And Lesnar realized it.
“It’s just great to win,” said Lesnar at the post-fight press conference. “From my sickness to new feels like it’s been 10 years. It has been a grueling, grueling road. I can say this. It’s really a miracle. To come back from all that and be here and win and … words cannot describe it. I feel like I’m in a dream.”
And Lesnar, who battled through that diverticulitis, probably wished he were dreaming in Round 1, as Carwin blasted away.
“He hit me pretty good,” said Lesnar. “I ended up on the ground, where I went into survival mode and tried to stay busy. I want to thank the ref for letting that thing go on. I was not hurt, and I could feel Shane’s punches becoming less and less. He’s a beast. He definitely won the first round.”
But, as Lesnar pointed out, that was a five-round title fight.
“I knew I lost the first round, but I knew there were four rounds left,” said Lensar. “I knew I was in a fight, for sure.”
Lesnar impressed White, as did the other fighters on the card, but the UFC president admitted it was a bit of a white-knuckle ride.
“Seriously, this is one of the best nights ever in my UFC career,” he said. “Every fight lived up to expectations. There are some of the best fights I have ever seen. I bow down to what happened at the MGM Grand tonight. [But] the show [almost] gave me a heart attack. After the fight, I went into a back room, and I thought I was going to need a defibrillator. I was that blown away.”
OTHER BOUTS
Fighters: Chris Leben (21-6) vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-2-2 no contests)
Division: Middleweight
Notes: Leben, who was on “The Ultimate Fighter 1”, last fought June 19 when he beat Aaron Simpson by TKO.
The Fight: In Round 2, Leben took some big shots and seemed to be hurt, but he stood in there and delivered some big shots of his own and seemed to have Akiyama wobbly.
In Round 3, Akiyama dropped Leben with a punch and stayed on top of him for more than four minutes. While he was on his back, Leben stayed active with punches and elbows. Finally, Leben submitted him near the end of the round.
Winner: Leben
How: Triangle choke at 4:40 of Round 3
Fighters: Matt Brown (13-9) vs. Chris Lytle (39-17-4 draws)
Division: Welterweight
Notes: Brown, who came in having won three of four, is a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Lytle was on season four of The Ultimate Fighter.
The Fight: In the first 20 seconds, Lytle threw two big punches that would have knocked Brown to downtown Las Vegas had he connected. Ultimately, Lytle secured the win via submission.
Winner: Lytle
How: Armbar
Fighters: Stephan Bonnar (15-7) vs. Krzystof Soszynski (20-11-1)
Division: Light heavyweight
Notes: Bonnar came into the fight having lost his last three fights. His last opponent was Soszynski. Bonnar lost that fight due to a TKO from an inadvertent headbutt at UFC 110 in February. Soszynski came in having won seven of his last eight. The loss was to Brandon Vera at UFC 102.
The Fight: This was a slugfest right from the start, as both Bonnar and Soszynski came out with fire in their eyes. The round featured high kicks, front kicks, blood, punches and action from start to finish.
In Round 2, each fighter took turns beating on the other with huge bombs. Bonnar threw in a knee as well as a takedown. At 2:20, Bonnar dropped him with a knee and then hit him with more than 10 lefts before the ref stopped the fight.
Winner: Bonnar
How: TKO at 3:08 of Round 2
Fighters: Kurt Pellegrino (21-5) vs. George Sotiropoulos (13-2)
Division: Lightweight
Notes: Pellegrino came into this bout on a four-fight winning streak. His last loss was to Nate Diaz in April 2008. Sotiropoulos is a former member of Team Serra from “The Ultimate Fighter.” Sotiropoulos currently trains in BJJ with Eddie Bravo in Los Angeles.
The Fight: Sotiropoulos, who continued to dazzle with his boxing, won the first two rounds. In Round 3, Sotiropoulos again outboxed Pellegrino. With less than 10 seconds to go, Pellegrino drilled Sotiropoulos with a knee that rocked him and then he dropped him with a punch. However, time elapsed.
Winner: Sotiropoulos
How: Unanimous decision
Fighters: Chris Tuchscherer (18-3-1) vs. Brendan Schaub (7-1)
Division: Heavyweight
Notes: Tuchscherer, a former Division II All-American wrestler, came in having won four of his last five. That loss was to Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 102 by TKO. Schaub, a former collegiate fullback, also played in the Arena Football League and was on the Buffalo Bill’s practice squad. Schaub was a member of season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
The Fight: Schaub dropped Tuchscherer with a big right and then finished him off with a ton of unanswered blows.
Winner: Schaub
How: TKO at 1:07 of Round 1
Fighters: Seth Petruzelli (14-6) vs. Ricardo Romero (11-1)
Division: Heavyweight
Notes: Romero made his debut and came in on a five-fight winning streak. Petruzelli’s first MMA fight was in 2000.
The Fight: In Round 1, they both came out and exchanged, but Petruzelli came out especially strong, connecting with a flurry and backing Romero up against the cage. The action in this fight, both on the ground and on their feet, woke the crowd out of its slumber.
In Round 2, the fast-paced action continued, as both fighters exchanged on their feet and went for submissions on the ground.
Winner: Romero
How: Armbar
Fighters: Goran Reljic (8-2) vs. Kendall Grove (14-7)
Division: Middleweight
Notes: Grove came in having lost two of his last three. Reljic won his first eight and lost his last bout to C.B. Dollaway.
Winner: Grove
How: Split decision
Fighters: Dave Branch (6-0) vs. Gerald Harris (15-2)
Division: Middleweight
Notes: Branch is a Renzo Gracie black belt.
The Fight: Harris earned the win when he slammed Branch to the canvas and knocked him out. Harris was ready to drill him with a punch, but he realized Branch was out.
Winner: Harris
How: KO at 2:35 of Round 3
Fighters: Daniel Roberts (10-1) vs. Forrest Petz (24-8)
Division: Welterweight
The Fight: In Round 2, Petz threw three leg kicks. After the third kick, one of his cornermen yelled, “You can do that all day.”
Roberts then secured another takedown and again went for a rear naked. In Round 3, Petz was again more effective on the feet, but Roberts scored a takedown and maintained control on the ground for the last several minutes.
Winner: Roberts
How: Split decision
Fighters: Jon Madsen vs. Karlos Vemola
Division: Heavyweight
Winner: Madsen
How: Unanimous decision
Memorable Moments
After Round 2, as Jonathan Chaimberg walked back to his seat at cage side, he yelled to his fighter, Kurt Pellegrino, “You have to work. Leave it.”
After his victory, Stephan Bonnar stood and did a muscle pose for the camera.
Chris Leben’s walkout was more like a disco dance and was a little reminiscent of a Phil Baroni walkout.
Yoshihiro Akiyama paid tribute to the traditional arts with his gi and the bow before he began his walk out.
An Extra $75K
Submission of the Night
Brock Lesnar
Fight of the Night
Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama /Stephan Bonnar and Krzystof Soszynski
KO of the Night
Gerald Harris
JON MADSEN
“I liked that I mixed in some takedowns this fight. My last couple of fights have been primarily standup, and I like the fact that I showed improvement in that department.”
“I knew that he was going to come out hard at me in the first minute and try and bully me. But I train with a lot of big guys like Brock Lesnar and Chris Tuchscherer who helped me get ready.”
DANIEL ROBERTS
“I was definitely rocked by a couple of his shots. He’s a really tough guy.”
“I’m surprised at his submission defense. My plan was to take him down and submit him, but he had really good rear-naked choke defense.”
“When they were announcing the decision I thought I did enough. I knew they were going to say my name.”
GERALD HARRIS
(On the finish)
“We trained that triangle scenario, and I knew he was going to go for it. So I worked staying out of those in practice.”
“He’s a good boxer and a tough guy, but I’m a new man now. After The Ultimate Fighter, I became a much better fighter and a completely new man.”
KENDALL GROVE
I didn’t expect him to take me down. He is a dangerous southpaw, and he showed some good jiu-jitsu tonight.”
“He was hanging his head low over me so I threw an upkick. I felt like his tempo changed after I landed that kick.”
“It was a big win. I’m like a cockroach. I’m hard to get rid of.”
RICARDO ROMERO
“I’m a little disappointed, but I’m happy I stuck with it. I have a lot of work to do.”
“Nothing hurt me. I knew I was losing on the cards though so I had to push it.”
Mike Constantino, Romero’s trainer:
“Ricardo gives a lot of credit to Seth because he went right after Ricardo and banged him up pretty good. Ricardo persevered and that says a lot about him.”
BRENDAN SCHAUB
“I was really surprised I was able to hurt him and knock him out because he’s a really tough guy. He’s 18-2. It wasn’t something I planned on it being a quick fight.”
“I come from a really good gym, and I’m always getting better. I’m open to all challenges.”
STEPHAN BONNAR
“Everyone knows I like to win ugly and that’s the way I look tonight.”
“There was no way I was losing this fight. They weren’t taking this one away from me.
“I’ve spilled so many pints of blood in this Octagon for you guys and I’m always honored to do so. Thank you, I love you.”
CHRIS LYTLE
(On Brown’s choke on him)
“That was real tight, but I was able to keep my base and make him wear himself out.”
(On his submission)
“I call that my double submission. That’s the second time I hit that. I call it the submission of the night.”
