Recap – UFC Fight Night 14 – Silva Prevails

By:  | Posted: Saturday, July 19th, 2008 at 11:46 pm.

It’s been clear for over a year now that UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva’s approach to mixed martial arts is to take opponents out swiftly and emphatically. It’s now clear that Silva’s approach, and his ability, transcend the weight class at which he fights.

 

A beefier Silva, moving up to light heavyweight from the middleweight division he dominates, vaporized veteran James Irvin with a straight right after catching a kick about a minute into the main event of Saturday night’s “Ultimate Fight Night” card at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas on Spike TV. Silva followed up with strikes on the ground, opening a gash under Irvin’s eye and securing the stoppage after just a minute of fighting.

 

Silva was showered with cheers after the performance. He said through his translator that he wants to be involved in the biggest fights in the future, but feels his responsibility is to defend the middleweight title.

 

“I’ve been doing Muay Thai since I was a kid,” Silva said through translator Ed Soares. “I didn’t step into the 205-pound category to disrespect any fighters. I’m here to do my job. But, you know, you stand up and exchange Muay Thai, this is what happens.”

 

After receiving praise from interviewer Joe Rogan, Silva hesitantly took his first stab at speaking English on the microphone, a gesture that put a nice punctuation on a performance that elevated Silva’s already incredible aura.

 

“Thank you ladies and gentlemen,” Silva said. “Thanks for coming. Thank you, mom. This for you. Thank you.”

 

For another UFC star, the move in weight classes yielded a mixed result. Brandon Vera didn’t appear the kind of force at light heavyweight who could give top competitors in the UFC’s marquee division a run for their money. 

 

In dropping from heavyweight to light heavyweight, Vera came in slim and with a pronounced height and overall size advantage over a stout Reese Andy, an accomplished NCAA wrestler and veteran of the International Fight League. Vera used proficient Muay Thai clinching and striking in the first to punish Andy, though the impact of his shots waned during round two and more or less disappeared in round three. Vera held several clinches for all they were worth in the last frame, and said afterwards he felt big fatigue set in when he tied up with Andy.

 

“The fight for sure wasn’t the most exciting fight that I’ve ever had, by far,” Vera said. “The 205 cut was a little bit more tough than I thought . . . I felt a little bit weird today. It was good times, though. I can’t complain.”

 

The two fights topped off the “Ultimate Fight Night” card from the 2,100-seat Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas, the second UFC card in the venue in the past five weeks. The television broadcast featured a new, bolder graphics package, a change from the timeworn black-and-gold scheme UFC broadcasts have used for years. The event was organized mostly to counter the debut of the Affliction promotion on pay-per-view in Anaheim, Calif., with Anderson Silva advertised repeatedly as the best fighter in the world, a challenge to the status of Affliction headliner Fedor Emelianenko.

 

In other action, Frankie Edgar had all the answers for submission wizard Hermes Franca, as the New Jersey wrestler powered of a tight armbar attempt in the first round and kept intense pressure on Franca for the next two rounds with easy takedowns. Franca, whose forehead was swollen with bumps from several Edgar shots, proved dangerous at times, including a knee in the closing moments of round three that bloodied Edgar, who bounced back from the first loss of his career in April with the unanimous decision nod over a former lightweight title challenger.

 

At heavyweight, Cain Velasquez put forward the exact effort he needed to in order to match the expectations of his future in his division. Velasquez outmatched accomplished wrestler Jake O’Brien by achieving side mount about a minute into the first round and keeping O’Brien’s arms pinned while he landed punches in bunches until the referee stepped in.

 

In one of the more bizarre finishes seen in the UFC, Kevin Burns was awarded a TKO victory after one of his fingers dug into the eye of Anthony Johnson so deeply that Johnson flailed to the mat in pain. A confused Burns, who struck Johnson’s eye when attempting a jab, followed up with a light strike on the ground before referee Steve Mazagatti stepped in. Johnson couldn’t open his eye as Burns explained that he had broken his left hand so badly that he can’t form a fist. Therefore, he’s left to resort to palm strikes that leave his fingers extended.

 

“It was extremely accidental,” Burns said of the eye poke.

 

Johnson had complained of being poked in the eye at several points throughout the fight, in which he struggled to get ahead of Burns despite landing heavy knees in the second round. Johnson, who was cornered by Cung Le, switched to mostly takedowns in an apparent sign of fatigue. Burns looked impressive on the feet in hanging with the knockout artist.

 

C.B. Dollaway used the wild “Peruvian Necktie” submission to coax a tap from Jesse Taylor in a battle of “Ultimate Fighter 7” alumni to kick off the live broadcast. Taylor, who called himself as a “wild monkey” in describing his personality on the reality show, came out looking for a takedown immediately until Dollaway hit a hip throw. Dollaway hit an illegal knee when Taylor was on his knees. Though hurt, Taylor stayed in the hunt, avoiding several submission attempts until Dollaway was able to scramble up from a downed position into a back mount and secure the unique submission, a sort of angled head-and-arm choke with one leg draped over the Taylor’s head for added control.

 

“I guarantee you we’re going to see a lot more Peruvian neck ties in the UFC,” Joe Rogan said. 

 

The preliminary bouts proved eventful, as IFL veteran Rory Markham hit a tremendous head kick in his UFC debut to put down Brodie Farber. The knockout aired on Spike TV after the live card concluded. Another IFL vet, Brad Blackburn, notched a TKO over Jams Giboo in round two. Ultimate Fighter 7 cast members Tim Credeur and Cale Yarbrough mixed it up, with Creduer taking a TKO just under two minutes into the first.

 

Anderson Silva def. James Irvin (R1, 1:01 – TKO)

Brandon Vera def. Reese Andy (unanimous decision, 30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

Frankie Edgar def. Hermes Franca (unanimous decision, 30-27)

Cain Velasquez def. Jake O’Brien (R1 2:02 – TKO)

Kevin Burns def. Anthony Johnson (R3, 3:35 – TKO)

C.B. Dollaway def. Jesse Taylor (R1 3:58 – tapout, Peruvian Necktie)

Tim Credeur def. Cale Yarbrough (R1 1:54 – TKO)

Rory Markham def. Brodie Farber (R1 1:37 – KO, head kick)

Nate Loughran def. Johnny Rees (R1 4:21 – tapout, triangle choke)

Brad Blackburn def. James Giboo (R2 2:29 – TKO)

Shannon Gugerty def. Dale Hartt (R1 3:33 – tapout, rear naked choke)

 

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