With UFC Fight Night: Marquardt vs. Palhares in the books, Showdown Joe recaps all the action.
With UFC Fight Night: Marquardt vs. Palhares officially in the history books, let's take a look at some of the stories that were produced.
The main event saw Nate "The Great" Marquardt emerge victorious, albeit with some controversy, vs. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu leg lock specialist, Rousimar "Toquinho" Palhares. For those that missed it, Marquardt was able to successfully defend an ankle lock attempt by Palhares, who complained to the referee that Nate slipped out easily, forgot to protect himself, then succumbed to a barrage of fight finishing punches.
Palhares retracted his accusation, and has learned a valuable lesson, one which all competent referees speak about prior to the beginning of a fight: "Protect yourself at all times".
It should be noted that Marquardt, and his coach Greg Jackson, not only asked numerous Texas State officials to check Nate for "grease" before the fight, but referee Herb Dean also checked after the fight. Marquardt did not have any grease on him whatsoever, so the tainting of this victory should be dismissed.
The co-main event saw the emergence of what many are calling "the lightweight Jose Aldo", as Brazilian Charles Oliveira submitted Efrain Escudero in the third round, with a standing rear naked choke. The youngster propped himself atop Escudero's back, while Efrain was standing, and yet was still able to secure the tap out.
Make no mistake about it, Oliveira is the real deal. One thing we should note about him, is that in two UFC bouts, he has submitted both opponents. However, what I believe we all should be paying attention to is what UFC President Dana White always talks about when referring to his roster of fighters. White has an adage that holds true, when he explains that fans must give fighters the time to adapt to fighting in the UFC's octagon, under the bright lights, and as guys get comfortable, we then can truly see them reach their potential. One can just imagine how bright of a star Oliveira will be, once he truly gets "comfortable" in the organizations 155 lbs weight class.
The Jim Miller-Gleison Tibau fight showcased the Miller's improved striking, but also showed Tibau's excellent takedown skills. Miller continues his rise up the lightweight ladder, and should be a formidable challenge to it's top contenders with a few more victories under his belt. The caliber of competition for Jim will only get tougher, so look for the UFC to start showcasing the New Jersey native vs. some higher ranked fighters shortly.
In the opening bout of the broadcast, Cole "Magrinho" Miller proved why he is such a stud in the division, taking out Ross "The Real Deal" Pearson via rear naked choke in the second round. Miller stunned Pearson in the first round, and you could see Ross beginning to deteriorate as the fight progressed. He was having a difficult time finding his range, and just when you thought he had figured it out, the round came to an end.
During the next frame, Miller tagged him and successfully finished him off. "Magrinho" is going to be a handful for many fighters, and now that he's learned the power of speaking out, look for the organization to potentially fast track him up their internal rankings, in hopes to make him a challenger to Frankie Edgar's title.
Other winners included Yves Edwards, Kyle Kingsbury, Dave Branch, Rich Attonito, Anthony Waldburger, and Brian Foster. If you read Wednesday's "The Edge" column, we went seven for ten on the evening.
Forty thousand dollars in bonuses were handed out to Kyle Kingsbury and Jared Hamman for "Fight of the Night", Brian Foster for "Knockout of the Night", and both Cole Miller and Charles Oliveira earned "Submission of the Night" honours.
Finally, the organization announced an attendance of 7,724 earning a live gate of $595,900, a standard for typical "Fight Night" events.
UFC Fight Night: Marquardt vs Palhares Full Results
• Nathan Marquardt defeats Rousimar Palhares via TKO 3:28 of Round 1
• Charles Oliveira submits Efrain Escudero via RNC @ 2:25 of Round 3
• Jim Miller defeats Gleison Tibau via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Cole Miller submits Ross Pearson via RNC @ 1:49 of Round 2
• Yves Edwards defeats John Gunderson via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27,30-27)
• Kyle Kingsbury defeats Jared Hamman via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Dave Branch defeats Tomasz Drwal via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Rich Attonito defeats Rafael Natal via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Anthony Waldburger defeats David Mitchell via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Brian Foster defeats Forrest Petz via TKO (punches) @ 1:07 of Round 1
