The Weekly Wrap: Feb. 7 - Feb. 13

Lauzon Shines at UFC Fight Night 17

Joe Lauzon picked the right match in which to showcase his dynamic ground skills, as he submitted Jeremy Stephens after taking a swift mount in the main event of UFC Fight Night 17 on Feb. 7 -- the promotion’s first card in Tampa, Fla. The 7,596 fans on hand at the USF Sun Dome translated into a $428,000 live gate. UFC President Dana White told the St. Petersburg Times the company was encouraged by the crowd and would stage a pay-per-view in the city next year. The Spike TV broadcast averaged 1.7 million viewers over its two hours, the lowest for a Spike event since an April 2008 bill headlined by Lauzon and Kenny Florian.

Lauzon avoided the heavy hands of “Lil Heathen” by taking the fight to the ground in various ways, including a leg scissor takedown reminiscent of Ryo Chonan vs. Anderson Silva in Pride. Lauzon eventually tied up the tough-to-tap Stephens with an armbar toward the end of the second round. Lauzon was originally set to face lightweight stalwart Hermes Franca, who cornered Stephens for the fight. Stephens is still expected to face “The Ultimate Fighter 8” winner Efrain Escudero on April 1 in a match that was planned before he was called to replace the injured Franca.

Another fighter called upon to make an impression -- blue chip heavyweight prospect Cain Velasquez -- mostly rose to the occasion, as he swarmed Golden Glory fighter Denis Stojnic with diverse muay Thai striking in the first round. However, he struggled to seriously hurt the double-tough European heavyweight. The undefeated Velasquez dropped Stojnic in the second and landed unanswered ground-and-pound from back mount, though the referee appeared to call it off a bit early. Nonetheless, the finish earned Velasquez a $30,000 “Knockout of the Night” bonus on top of his $30,000 disclosed fight purse, making him the night’s top earner. Lauzon’s win earned him a $30,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus for a $50,000 total haul.

The “Fight of the Night” payday went to Josh Neer and Mac Danzig for an intense two-round battle that saw each man put the other down in the first. Danzig hung on through a spattering of hard shots early and executed strong fundamental striking. Neer, busted open by a Danzig punch, came out extra strong in the second and trapped Danzig in a triangle choke for the tapout. Neer told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show that he felt the win was the highest-profile of his career, and he used the fight training as motivation to put a New Year’s Eve drunken driving arrest behind him.

Also picking up wins were Anthony Johnson, who took apart Luigi Fioravanti with strikes in the first round for the technical knockout, as well as Dan Miller and Matt Veach in preliminary fights that made it onto the Spike TV telecast. Miller deftly submitted All-American wrestler Jake Rosholt with a guillotine; Veach -- the first UFC fighter harvested solely at Matt Hughes’ H.I.T. Squad gym -- battled wildly with Matt Grice, surviving a perilous early knockdown to score one of his own with a left hook for the TKO stoppage. Veach was a late replacement for the injured George Sotiropoulos.

Other preliminary card victors were Kurt Pellegrino, who earned the highest disclosed purse at $32,000, Gleison Tibau, Nick Catone and Matt Riddle. Tibau’s impressive win over veteran Rich Clementi was posted for free viewing at UFC.com. Clementi and Fioravanti were cut from the UFC after their losses, according to FiveOuncesofPain.com.