It’s not every day you see experienced 275-pound fighters get manhandled. But Brazilian Antonio Silva (Pictures) (8-1-0) did just that to Wesley Correira (Pictures), earning a stoppage at 3:49 of the first.
A fast double-leg takedown from Silva put the Hawaiian brawler on his back along the cage fencing. Silva unloaded a series of right hands, and though most missed their target Correira (18-12-0) was still rattled.
The end came calling after Silva launched himself into the air for a flying knee. He followed with two left hooks and put “Cabbage” on the canvas.
An anticipated showdown between veteran middleweights wasn't the competitive bout many hoped for. Joey Villasenor (Pictures) (23-5-0) dominated David Loiseau (Pictures) en route to an easy shutout decision.
For Villasenor (14-7-0) the difference came in the clinch, real estate he owned like Donald Trump. Repeated trips into side-mount allowed Villasenor to set the pace in the first.
“We had a game plan and we followed through,” said Villasenor.
So successful was Villasenor that Loiseau had no answer for the former KOTC middleweight champ’s attacks.
“I expected him to stand-up and fight, but he didn’t want that fight at all,” said Loiseau, a one-time UFC middleweight challenger. “I would love to fight him again — the decision was totally fair but I think that the ref took way too long breaking us up when were on the ground.”
Loiseau tried to pick up the pace in the third, but he looked more desperate than determined. The “Crow” fell in love with his counter left hook, and landed it several times.
With virtually his entire camp in his corner, Villasenor halted any comeback from the Canadian when he glanced a heavy right hand off Loiseau’s shoulder that sent him face-first to the canvas. When Loiseau rose to his feet on wobbly legs, there wasn’t much he could do in response.
“I was dominant,” said Villasenor, “it was great. He was the perfect opponent.”
There is talk that Villasenor could now face Murilo Rua (Pictures), who recently signed to fight for EliteXC.
Not only did Showtime make history tonight by becoming the first premium-cable network to air live mixed martial arts competition, it also had the guts to give women competitors their due.
Gina Carano (Pictures) and Julie Kedzie (Pictures) did not disappoint in the spotlight.
Though she was pensive in the opening period, the outsized Kedzie, who at Friday’s weigh-in allowed Carano a half-pound, made a fight of it. And it was largely due to her spirit that virtually everybody in the arena stood on their feet cheering after the three three-minute round contest.
“She’s strong and I’m glad that I am bigger than she is,” Carano, now 4-0-0, said with a smile. “I wanted to keep her standing up — my ground game is not as pronounced.”
In large measure that’s what happened. Carano stalked Kedzie throughout the opening frame. Things opened up a bit in the middle period. With Carano landing power shots, Kedzie was forced to battle through as her hyped foe found her mark.
Carano did enough damage and controlled the frame to the point that she earned a dominant 10-8 mark on the Sherdog.com card.
The final period was the fight’s most competitive. “She kept on comin’ back, like she always does,” Carano said. Kedzie (6-5-0) finally put the traditional Thai fighter on the floor and briefly took side-control before Gina stood out of danger.
“I expected a lot from Gina,” said Kedzie, “but she showed me even more. She is tough and hits harder than most guys.”
Judges at ringside at ringside agreed, scoring it unanimously for Carano: 30-27 and 29-28 twice.
If the crowd’s response to Carano after the fight is an indication, it won’t be close to the last time MMA fans will see women fight on Showtime.
Say what you will about Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett, but you can’t deny he did exactly what he said he would do in the opening bout of Showtime’s televised card.
The enigmatic lightweight Floridian waited, and waited, and waited until KJ Noons decided to throw hands. Then Bennett met Noon’s right hook with right hook of his own.
Bennett dropped to a knee. Noons dropped to the floor.
“He caught me with a good shot,” said a disappointed Noons. “That’s it.”
Bennett — who’s spotty record is as much a product of his failing to prepare properly as it is an inability to turn down offers to face world class competition when he’s nowhere near ready to fight — refused to shake hands with Noons before the opening bell, the final salvo in a series of pre-fight histrionics between the pair.
“Don’t talk smack to the ‘Horse’ because he might smack down on you black ass,” Bennett said, offering a smile befitting his gold-plated grill. “If you talk shit, I’m going to knock you out.”
Many thought it would be Noons (4-2-0) who would walk out of the cage a knockout winner, but Bennett took the Thai fighter’s punches with little problem.
“They brought me in here to lose,” proclaimed Bennett (16-13-2). “But I proved everybody wrong. This was a great win for me. I hope Showtime likes what they saw and brings me back. At the beginning, he didn’t want to commit but once he did, you saw what happened.”