ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey, June 4 Never before has a UFC rookie received the kind of ovation Nathan Quarry, the first member of the Ultimate Fighter cast to participate in an official UFC fight, enjoyed from the welcoming crowd inside this citys historic Boardwalk Hall.
Surviving an early test to his chin after Carter dropped a right hand to the chin, Quarry clipped a left hand off the veterans experienced whiskers.
Carter, whose lengthy career holds nearly 100 bouts compared to his middleweight challengers seven, reacted badly, jelly-legging his way back to the cage fencing. Quarry raced in and launched a push-kick that met the 33-year-old Carters midsection.
A barrage of power punches followed and though Carters spirit remained his legs did not. Disengaging the attack, Quarry, also 33, took several steps back. In his attempt to move forward Carter appeared to be walking down a flight of stairs before ending up face first on the canvas.
Referee Mario Yamasaki had seen enough and jumped in to halt the fight. Carter, still wobbly, stood and walked to the media-side of the cage, where he rested his head and mouthed I tripped I f___king tripped.
The crowds reaction grew exponentially when Quarry, standing dead center in the Octagon, raised his hands in victory. I feel like my family is here watching me now, Quarry said afterwards, thanking the East Coast crowd for its reaction to him.
The next time you dismiss the effectiveness of spinning kicks in a mixed martial arts bout, think of David Loiseau.
The 25-year-old from Montreal, Quebec slammed the heel of his right foot into the ribcage of Miami, Floridas Charles McCarthys, freezing the UFC rookie in his tracks near the two-minute mark of the second round. A flying knee followed, putting McCarthy to the canvas and out of the fight 2:10 of round two.
McCarthy (7-3-0) held the early upper hand, planting the striker on his back before neatly taking the mount close to his corner along the fence. Loiseau, who with the win upped his record to 11-2-0, turned his back, allowing McCarthy to control the fight from that position for nearly two minutes.
Loiseau remained calm as McCarthy worked to finish the fight with rear-naked chokes. But the submission never materialized and after Loiseau escaped a McCarthy armbar attempt, he bombarded the middleweight with his most dangerous weapon elbows.
As the fight moved into the second period it was Loiseau that dominated on the canvas, pummeling McCarthys face, which was smashed into the gray mat, with more chopping elbows and ripping punches.
With the fight back on its feet, Loiseau fired power shots at McCarthy, who could do little but cover up at this point. The stunning end came on Loiseaus third attempted spinning-kick of the fight.
Im a black belt in tae kwon do, said Loiseau Ive been doing that all my life.
If Nick Diaz victory in 1:24 of the first round over Japanese welterweight Koji Oishi isnt enough to get him a main-draw fight in his next UFC appearance, nothing will. The Californian southpaw, who came into the Octagon with a strong jiu-jitsu, wrestling and boxing pedigree, used a stiff jab and jolting left straight to batter the undersized Oishi around the Octagon.
A solid left caught Oishi flush on the nose, stumbling the Pancrase fighter, in his second-career UFC appearance, backwards to the cage fencing. Diaz followed with a three-step sidekick that connected solidly to the body before connecting with a series of jab-left straights.
The end came when Diaz (11-3-0) walked undeterred into Oishi, who by this time could only cover and absorb shots coming from the lanky 21-year-old. The left straight mingled neatly with the right hook and Oishi (11-4-3) fell to the canvas. Referee Mario Yamasaki stepped in to save Oishi.
The win, UFC matchmaker Joe Silva said after the fight to media at ringside, puts Diaz next in line to earn a UFC title shot.