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UFC 158 blog: Georges St. Pierre wins every round, rolls past Nick Diaz

Off of a Fight of the Night win, Johny Hendricks emerges as St. Pierre’s next challenger

158

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Fighter Georges St-Pierre flexes during the weigh-in for UFC 158 in Montreal on Friday March 15, 2013.

Updated Saturday, March 16, 2013 | 10:35 p.m.

St. Pierre-Diaz

Georges St-Pierre from Canada, left, has his arm raised by an official after defeating Nick Diaz from the United States in their UFC 158 mixed martial arts title fight in Montreal, Saturday, March 16, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes) Launch slideshow »

UFC 158

Johny Hendricks from the United States, right, celebrates following his UFC 158 welterweight fight with Carlos Condit, left, also from the United States in Montreal, Saturday, March 16, 2013.(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes) Launch slideshow »

Note: Full results from the preliminary card available at the bottom of the page.

MONTREAL — In the end, they embraced.

Georges St. Pierre took Nick Diaz's hand and raised it to the packed crowd in his hometown Bell Centre. St. Pierre showed no lingering animosity from all the craziness Diaz spouted about him before their UFC 158 main event.

Of course, that was an easy position to take with the way the fight went. St. Pierre stifled Diaz, barely letting his longtime rival mount any kind of offense. The champion won his 11th title fight, cruising to a unanimous-decision victory (50-45, 50-45, 50-45).

"He did a great job promoting the fight," St. Pierre said immediately afterward in the octagon. "Nick Diaz is a good guy. Give him a hand."

As most had forecast, St. Pierre attacked Diaz's weakness from the start of the five-round bout. St. Pierre took Diaz down in every round, taking his back multiple times and landing enough elbows and punches to open a cut on the challenger's face.

"I don't want to make excuses," Diaz said. "I think I'm done with mixed martial arts."

Diaz then thanked St. Pierre for giving him "the credit I think I deserve" and shook his hand. Diaz might not hang around the UFC much longer, but it's possible that St. Pierre's next two challengers fought on this night.

In the co-main event, Johny Hendricks took a unanimous-decision victory (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) over Carlos Condit in a bout that's likely to be called the Fight of the Year. Both fighters rocked each other on the feet throughout the 15 minutes, but Hendricks' wrestling proved to be the difference as he took Condit down nearly a dozen times.

"I said we were going to come out and steal the show and we did it," Hendricks said.

Jake Ellenberger could lay claim to that, too. Ellenberger knocked out Nate Marquardt faster than anyone in UFC history, dropping the former Strikeforce champion with a right hand three minutes into the first round.

Hendricks is next for St. Pierre, but Ellenberger isn't far off. "The Juggernaut" has now won eight of his last nine fights.

"I can knock out anyone in the division and I go for the KO every chance I get," Ellenberger said.

Two dull contests opened the main card, as Mike Ricci and Chris Camozzi beat Colin Fletcher and Nick Ring, respectively, in plodding affairs by unanimous decision.

Look below for round-by-round coverage of the main card and results from the preliminaries. Stay tuned to lasvegassun.com for full coverage of UFC 158 later.

Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz

Fifth Round Both men still look fresh after 20 minutes of combat. Neither St. Pierre nor Diaz is breathing hard. They exchange on the feet with Diaz scoring with his right hand. St. Pierre jabs him right on the button in answer, though, and spit flies out of Diaz's mouth. They clinch up against the cage and Diaz lands a knee. St. Pierre dos the same. It's a strange move from Diaz At this point, you'd think he'd want to be creating separation and not closing the gap. In other words, Diaz needs a knockout if he's on the feet. He goes for that in the middle, looking for a high kick but slips to the ground. St. Pierre pounces. The crowd is chanting "na na na Goodbye". St. Pierre loads up punches and lands all of them on the grounded Diaz. St. Pierre drives him into the ground some more, but Diaz grabs his arm. The armbar won't work. Diaz gets up and kicks St. Pierre twice in a row. Diaz starts talking with 1:30 to go. They clinch and St. Pierre uppercuts. They stay in it until 50 seconds remain and St. Pierre backs up. He kicks Diaz in the head and then shoots to take him down. The crowd responds with an ovation. St. Pierre has just cruised over the former Strikeforce welterweight champion. He wins 50-45 on the Sun's scorecard. Georges St. Pierre takes a unanimous decision, winning every round on every judges' scorecard.

Fourth Round Diaz throws the body, but St. Pierre backs up and counters. They exchange in the middle until St. Pierre shoots for a takedown. Diaz sprawls and gets away. Diaz peppers St. Pierre with a combination and the champion goes for another takedown. The single-leg isn't there. Diaz lands a straight right. He thwarts another takedown attempt, but takes a kick to the side of the head. St. Pierre locks Diaz up against the cage. They head back towards the middle and St. Pierre knees out of the clinch. Diaz backs up and throws a combination to the body. Diaz has a cut open in the middle of his forehead, but taunts St. Pierre. He walks around with his hands down, daring St. Pierre to hit him. St. Pierre does so on his own schedule. Then takes down Diaz again. St. Pierre knees Diaz to the side before the challenger gets back up against the fence. St. Pierre slams him back down to the delight of the ground. The bloody Diaz gets back up and then pulls guard with an armbar. It's a desperation move. Not one that actually has a chance of succeeding. St. Pierre keeps the pressure on until the bell. The champion is perfect so far, up 40-36.

Third Round Diaz is talking and coming forward. He lands a right, but St. Pierre answers with a kick to the face. Diaz keeps running his mouth, but takes a couple jabs because of it. Diaz throws a combination that scores. For the first time in the fight, Diaz stuffs a St. Pierre takedown attempt. Only one. St. Pierre gets the next one. Diaz continues talking off of his back. St. Pierre is all over him. Diaz works his way to his feet, but St. Pierre has his back and could take him down again. He doesn't. St. Pierre backs up and jabs. Diaz isn't mounting much offense, just trying to block St. Pierre's constant jab. A right hand from St. Pierre catches Diaz hard on the chin. Diaz comes forward with a couple leg kicks. St. Pierre seems content to stand for this round. Diaz lands a kick and tries a spinning one, but St. Pierre gets out of the way. Diaz rocks St. Pierre to the body, but the champion comes back harder with a right hand. St. Pierre shoots and presses Diaz against the cage. He breaks out and starts out-striking the challenger again. This is something Diaz said would never happen. Diaz starts to hit St. Pierre clean a couple times late. One combination sends St. Pierre and then another. The crowd goes silent. St. Pierre decides that's enough. He plants Diaz on the ground. Diaz is swinging off of his back, but not even close to getting up. St. Pierre throws ground-and-pound and Diaz may have taken a swipe after the bell. St. Pierre wins another round to go up 30-27.

Second Round The crowd started a chant cursing at Diaz in between rounds. The challenger is unaffected, lunging forward early bur coming up empty. St. Pierre counters one of his advances. On the next one, he gets the takedown. And St. Pierre made it look easy. Diaz tries to work his submission game out of guard but St. Pierre isn't letting anything through. St. Pierre stands up and rains down a punch. Diaz has nothing for the champion so far. Diaz rolls over to his back and St. Pierre loads up a big knee to his side. St. Pierre uppercuts from his back. Diaz is covering up, but can't do much else. Diaz gets up on all fours until St. Pierre breaks him down again. Diaz starts to throw punches off of his back, but St. Pierre puts a premature end to that. The crowd awes as he elbows Diaz hard in the face. "GSP" chants start, but the champion doesn't even need them. This isn't close. St. Pierre drives Diaz's head into the ground when he gets on all fours again. Diaz gets up but eats a stiff jab on the way. Diaz leg kicks and fires a left hand. St. Pierre tosses a Superman punch. Diaz goes upstairs with a kick that St. Pierre checks, but then he lands to the champion's body. St. Pierre is also winning on the feet. St. Pierre wins another 10-9 round as Diaz yells at him on his way back to the corner.

First Round Diaz hits with some jabs after St. Pierre leg kicks early. Within a few seconds, St. Pierre has the takedown after a double-leg. Diaz has his arms tight around his neck, but St. Pierre fights loose. Diaz takes a big elbow to the nose. St. Pierre grits his teeth and throws some more ground-and-pound, punches this time. Diaz pushes him off and tries to get up, but St. Pierre takes his back. Diaz isn't in good position early. Diaz tries to get an armbar for a second, but abandons that plan and tries to get up. St. Pierre smothers Diaz's back. He throws one hook in, but Diaz fights out. St. Pierre is back in Diaz's guard. He brutalizes Diaz with a couple elbows and the crowd comes to life. Diaz rolls over after St. Pierre lands some more ground-and-pound. St. Pierre looks to take his back again. Diaz goes to a knee and keeps taking shots to the face from St. Pierre behind him. Diaz finally works his way to his feet — for a second. GSP tosses him to the ground like he's a doll seconds later. Diaz takes more punishment. He's back up with 30 seconds to go. St. Pierre is still pushing him against the fence, though. He creates some separation and slams the challenger. St. Pierre wins the first round 10-9.

Carlos Condit vs. Johny Hendricks

Third Round Condit presses forward early, but lands nothing of substance. Hendricks loads up his left hand for the beginning of the round for the third straight time. He lands one, but gets what he really wants a few seconds later with a double-leg takedown. Condit can't stop Hendricks' wrestling. He has been able to get up frequently, though. This might be the longest Hendricks has kept him down as it approaches a minute. Condit swings both hands from below, but Hendricks won't let up in top position. Condit then starts to grab Hendricks' right arm for an armbar. They get to the feet. Condit lands a combination against the fence. Hendricks pushes his head down and unloads uppercuts. Condit answers by coming forward and swinging. Hendricks takes him down. Condit pops right back to his feet, but Hendricks is pressuring him against the fence. Hendricks gets Condit down again. He hits Hendricks with enough elbows that the wrestler lets him up. Condit rocks him with a straight right. Hendricks goes down his knees for a second but then wraps himself around Condit. Hendricks is probably ahead but will need to hold on for another 1:30. Condit is making it tough with strikes galore. Hendricks goes for a double-leg and he's got it. One of the right hands opened a large cut on Hendricks' face, though. They get up and exchange wildly against the fence. Hendricks might be in trouble. He goes to his bread-and-butter — a late takedown. They stand with 10 seconds and Condit throws everything he has at Hendricks. Hendricks stays alive, but it's not clear who won. The Sun gives the last round to Condit, 10-9 and awards him the fight 29-28. Johny Hendricks beats Carlos Condit by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Second Round Crowd gives an ovation as the top two welterweights in the UFC rankings touch gloves. Condit continues kicking to the body early. Hendricks counters one with a combination. But he leaves his chin open and Condit lands a flying knee. Condit jabsand kicks Hendricks to the head. Hendricks circles back to the middle. "Condit" chants start, but he takes some shots from Hendricks. "Big Rigg" follows by taking Condit down. He's in Condit's half-guard and throws a few elbows but Condit gets up. A straight right pushes Hendricks back. Hendricks rocks Condits with two straight left hands. Condit throws a flying knee, but this one isn't there. An uppercut lands for Hendricks, who dumps Condit on his back with a double-leg takedown. Condit finished strong in the last round. Let's see if he can do it again here with two minutes to go. He rocks Hendricks out of the Muay Thai clinch with a knee. Condit backs Hendricks into the cage with punches. Condit lands his best knee yet and the crowd gasps, but Hendricks takes him down. The wall isn't there to help Condit this time. They're in the middle of the octagon. Hendricks elbows and punches Condit before the former No. 1 contender works his way up. Condit mixes his strike well when he gets up. Hendricks isn't doing much until 40 seconds remain. He nails Condit with an uppercut and takes him down again. Condit elbows from his back, but Hendricks is all over him. The round ends with Condit working his way up. Hendricks wins the second, 10-9, to even the score.

First Round Hendricks comes forward and lets his left hand fly. Condit crashes into the cage, but comes right back out. Hendricks swings wild some more and hurts Condit. But Condit answers with a knee. Hendricks slams Condit to the ground, but lets him back up. Lots of action early. Condit tries to keep his distance with kicks to Hendricks' body. He first a Superman punch and follows with a flying knee. They hit Hendricks cleanly, but he comes forward anyway with an offering of jabs. Hendricks wraps Condit up against the cage and takes him down. But all that recent training for wrestlers works for Condit, who gets back up. Scratch that. Hendricks places him right back down. Condit is active off of his back — looking for a triangle before settling for elbows. He bothers Hendricks enough that he stands back up. Condit comes forward and connects with a couple kicks in a row. Hendricks swings for the fences with an uppercut. When it doesn't work, he tries to slam Condit down. Condit stays up for a second, but Hendricks smothers and takes him down. Condit tries to sweep off of the fence to his feet, but Hendricks gets his hands around his neck. Condit works his way up and blasts Hendricks in the stomach with a kick. Condit goes upstairs with a head kick and a flying knee. Hendricks circles and hits Condit with a combination. Condit goes to the floor with an armbar. Hendricks has to give up his back to get out. Condit is wrapped around him against the fence and hits him with a kick to the chin as they break out. They exchange punches and Hendricks drops. Hendricks takes Condit down as the round ends. Close, entertaining round goes for Condit 10-9.

Jake Ellenberger vs. Nate Marquardt

First Round It takes nearly a minute for anyone to engage. Ellenberger just throws a leg kick to get things started. Marquardt tries to answer but slips and winds up on he ground. Ellenberger is happy to let him get up. About 20 seconds later, Marquardt comes forward and hits Ellenberger with a combination. Ellenberger looks hurt but answers with an uppercut when they get back towards the middle. Ellenberger follows with a few more successful strikes. Marquardt gets out of the way of a big right hand and starts throwing his kicks. He lands two to Ellenberger's leg, but the ensuing shot to the chin is way off. Ellenberger circles and takes a kick to the face, but counters with a left hook and then a right. Marquardt falls. Ellenberger punches him a few more times on the ground before the referee pulls him off. Jake Ellenberger knocks out Nate Marquardt exactly three minutes into the first round.

Nick Ring vs. Chris Camozzi

Third Round Ring lands a leg kick and bounces around looking for an opening. Camozzi's doing a good job staying covered with his hands up, though. Ring catches Camozzi on the chin with a straight right, one of his best strikes of the fight. Ring is more aggressive early, but Camozzi finds some success when he comes forward. Camozzi continues, but Rings get his timing down for some counters. Camozzi locks up with Ring in the center of the cage after he misses with a right hand. Camozzi can't get Ring to the ground, but stalks him into the fence. Ring breaks away and his corner celebrates, telling him to push the pace now. Ring tries, but Camozzi pressures with a counter combination. Ring hits Camozzi square in the face with a couple strikes. Both guys look a little tired, however, and have lost power on their swings. Ring circles and lands a jab but Camozzi knees him to the body. Camozzi ducks under a Ring left and fires a jab. Ring shoots for a takedown, but Camozzi stays up easily. They trade hooks with Camozzi sending Ring back. With 30 seconds left, they exchange in the middle of the octagon. Both guys land, but without much power. Camozzi pieces together a combination. Ring answers. In the final 10 seconds, Camozzi comes forward and hits Ring with a knee. Camozzi steals another round late, 10-9 on the Sun's card but these scores could be all over the place. Chris Camozzi defeats Nick Ring by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).

Second Round Ring leg kicks, but leaves himself open to punches from Camozzi. After a couple jabs, Camozzi nails Ring with a knee. Camozzi keeps the pressure on and runs forward with a combination. He catches one of Ring's kicks, but lets it go. Ring hits with a jab and brushes Camozzi off as he closes the distance and looks to clinch. Ring lands a combination, but eats a Camozzi knee on the way out. Camozzi rocks Ring with a knee and peppers him with a punch afterwards. Ring stumbles towards fence, but regains his bearings quickly. Camozzi might not have even realized he was hurt. But Camozzi lands another knee before they head back to the middle. Ring's gone scoreless for much of the round as it hits the halfway point. Camozzi catches Ring slightly with a spinning back fist. Camozzi jabs, but Ring lands his best punch of the round in a counter right. Ring's face is a little bloody now. Camozzi matches with some blood in between his mouth and nose. Ring hits Camozzi a couple times, but then gets kneed to the jaw. Ring wings a right hand. He's finding his range late. Camozzi scores with a straight right. Ring gets off balance for a second. He may have just tripped, but Camozzi also grazed him with a right hook. Camozzi, with his nose even more bloody, comes forward and swings. In another uneventful round, Camozzi wins 10-9 to go up 20-18.

First Round They touch gloves and get after it, as Ring starts tossing out his jab and leg kicks. Camozzi comes forward and Ring circles. Camozzi lands a couple soft jabs with Ring moving backwards. Ring switches to the aggressor for a bit, but Camozzi counters with a right hand. Ring lands a left hook and fires a shot to the body. Camozzi catches Ring coming forward with a knee. Camozzi is also succesful with another counter, but Ring moves away before taking any more strikes. Ring lands a shot or two to the body, but Camozzi keeps his hands up to block punches to his face. Ring push-kicks Camozzi to the stomach and goes back to leg kicks. Camozzi presses forward and lands a kick, but Ring catches it. He thinks about a single-leg takedown for a moment, but lets Camozzi go and the reconvene in the center of the cage. Camozzi counters a Ring hook with an uppercut and a cross. Ring lands a couple punches coming forward. Neither guy has really gotten any power behind anything yet, though. Ring is getting loose now, landing his right hand a few successive times. Camozzi looks bruised near his nose, but counters and advance with a right. Ring pelts him again and tries to clinch up momentarily, but the bell rings. The round could go either way, but the Sun will lean Camozzi 10-9.

Mike Ricci vs. Colin Fletcher

Third Round Fletcher senses he needs to do something dramatic, but can't close the gap between he and Ricci with anything more than a leg kick. Fletcher looks for a single-leg takedown, but Ricci hops to the cage to keep his balance. Fletcher footstomps and throws punches to Ricci's thighs. Points are nice, but he's going to need a finish in all likelihood. Ricci works his way around and presses Fletcher against the fence for a while. And round and round they go a few times. Ricci breaks out with an elbow to Fletcher's now-purple face. Ricci lands some jabs and stays out of the way from Fletcher. Freakshow resorts to more spinning attacks. A couple come up empty before one fist grazes Ricci's head. Ricci covers up to escape the follow-up, though. They trade jabs, with Fletcher's pushing Ricci back. Another exchange follows. This one is more even. Fletcher comes forward, but Ricci presses him into the fence and eventually to the ground. This may lock up the victory for the Montreal native. The crowd pipes up as Ricci throws a lot of unanswered ground-and-pound. Fletcher covers up and Ricci gets his back. Fletcher throws a few punches into Ricci's chin, but it might be too late. Fletcher sweeps to get on top, but Ricci takes another round and wins 30-27 on the Sun's scorecard. Mike Ricci beats Colin "Freakshow" Fletcher by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Second Round Fletcher comes out swinging, pushing Ricci back with a right hand. He keeps up the aggression, but Ricci grabs a hold of his leg after a kick and deposits him on the ground. Ricci is standing over Fletcher and using any opening he sees for punches. Fletcher is bleeding around his right eye as he slides down to look for a leg lock. But it's not good news for the British fighter. Ricci is never in danger and transitions to Fletcher's back. Freakshow feels a lack of pressure, though, and gets to his feet. Fletcher is pressing Ricci against the fence now. He can't take the Canadian down, but lets a few punches fly. Ricci reverses position before they break out. Fletcher's face has gotten noticeably worse. Ricci's next kick, however, goes to the body. Fletcher is throwing a lot to keep Ricci away from him, but rarely connecting. Ricci scores with a left cross. He then gets out of the way from another spin kick attempt from Fletcher. Freakshow circles, but Ricci is controlling the center of the octagon. Ricci lands a few kicks before the minute mark, and then another left hand. He's just faster than Fletcher, who finally catches Ricci with a spinning backfist. Ricci is unaffected, but takes another punch before the bell sounds. Ricci wins the second 10-9 to go up 20-18.

First Round The hometown fighter, Ricci, backs Fletcher up early and flings a right hook that misses. Fletcher hits with a leg kick, but Ricci answers with a straight right and a kick to the body. "Freakshow" Fletcher keeps his distance and jabs Ricci when he tries to rush in. Both are trying to get inventive with their kicks, but aren't landing anything. Ricci hits Fletcher into the fence and pelts his shin with a leg kick. Ricci lands a kick to the body, but Fletcher counters with a jab. Fletcher's face already looks a little bruised, but he hasn't taken many shots. They take turns coming forward. Ricci lands a combination, but Fletcher counters with a left. A spin kick from Ricci goes to Fletcher's body. Fletcher loads up a lopping left hand that Ricci evades. Ricci keeps working his leg kicks, and is probably out to an early edge on volume. Ricci pushes Fletcher back with a combination. The crowd boos with a minute to go as the lack of action is getting to them. Fletcher kicks, but it lands right on Ricci's cup. Fight is paused. Ricci lands a right hand on the re-start. Fletcher spins around. It looks fancy, but nothing scores. Ricci connects with a kick to the body. Fletcher's side is red. Fletcher catches a Ricci kick and pushes him up against the cage to end the round. Ricci wins 10-9.

Pre-main card

Joe Rogan introduced the fighters in the top three bouts of UFC 158 yesterday as “the top six welterweights on planet Earth.”

Matt Hughes, the second-best welterweight in mixed martial arts history behind only Georges St. Pierre, said the top five of the 170-pound division would be set in stone after tonight’s card less than an hour before.

Those might be slight exaggerations, but they succeed in illustrating what’s on the line in the UFC’s first trip to Canada in 2013. The welterweight division is up for grabs at UFC 158.

Either Georges St. Pierre will extend his dominance to a record 11 title wins or Nick Diaz will pull off one of the most memorable upsets ever in the octagon in the main event.

There’s a good chance the next challenger for the title will present himself in one of the two fights right before St. Pierre vs. Diaz.

Johny Hendricks gets the shot if he defeats Carlos Condit in the co-main event. Hendricks, winner of five in a row, is on a tear that’s too hard to ignore.

The picture gets murky if Hendricks loses, but not undecipherable. Like Hendricks, Jake Ellenberger recently went on a run that makes some wondering how he hasn’t already fought for the title.

Ellenberger, who meets Nate Marquardt in the third-billed bout, reeled off six wins in a row but got knocked out by Martin Kampmann nearly a year ago. Hendricks, in turn, knocked out Kampmann the last time the UFC was in Montreal in November.

But Ellenberger could get the next shot at the champion anyway if he wins and Hendricks loses. Winning seven of eight in a division as stacked as the UFC welterweight class is no easy feat.

If both Hendricks and Ellenberger win, then a long shot like Demian Maia or Tarec Saffiedine could challenge for the belt.

But that’s all talk about the future, and not necessary for a few more hours. Right now, it’s time to enjoy an event that’s been years in the making.

St. Pierre vs. Diaz is perhaps the biggest grudge match the UFC could stage at this point. The intensity only seemed to rise this week when Diaz continuing spouting rhetoric against the champion at every media gathering he attended.

St. Pierre tried to hold back, with mixed results. He concluded by saying he wanted to do his talking in the octagon.

Let’s see if he lives up to that cliché, but bold pronouncement. Before the three headlining fights, St. Pierre’s training partner Mike Ricci opens the main card against England’s Colin Fletcher.

A middleweight bout between Nick Ring and Chris Camozzi bridges the gap between the first fight and Ellenberger vs. Marquardt.

Stay tuned to lasvegassun.com for live round-by-round coverage of the pay-per-view card and look below for full results from the preliminaries.

A different hometown headliner already grabbed a victory. The question is whether he deserved it. Patrick Cote defeated Bobby Voelker by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in a welterweight bout, but the decision was shocking to several media members sitting cageside. Voelker easily won the third round with takedowns, and appeared to out-strike Cote in the second as well. The Sun scored the bout 29-28 for Voelker.

For the first time during his current five-fight win streak, featherweight contender Darren Elkins earned a victory by stoppage. It was marred by controversy, though. Antonio Carvalho popped right back up after taking a right hand from Elkins but referee Yves Lavigne had already waved off the bout. Elkins officially snagged a TKO victory over Carvalho at 3:06 of the first round.

One of the most promising young fighters out of Canada captured a large amount of attention in his UFC debut. Jordan Mein, 23-years old, became the first person to ever knock out veteran Dan Miller in a welterweight bout. Mein finished Miller at 4:43 of the first round with a combination against the cage, but only after sweeping to escape from an armbar attempt minutes before.

John Makdessi defeated Daron Cruickshank by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in a lightweight fight. Cruickshank won the first round by landing a small arsenal of kicks to the body, but Makdessi got his jab going to score frequently over the last 10 minutes.

Rick Story made a compelling case for why he shouldn't be stuck on the facebook portion of cards in the future. Story scored a TKO victory over Quinn Mulhern at 3:05 of the first round in their welterweight bout. Story, who had dropped from the top of the division after losing three of four, dropped Mulhern with a left hand and followed with ground-and-pound strikes to the body for the finish.

Try staying conscious after a knee square to the face. As Issei Tamura would attest, it's not easy. T.J. Dillashaw knocked out Tamura 26 seconds into the second round with a head kick that saw the American's knee collide with the Japanese fighter's forehead.

George Roop defeated Reuben Duran by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) in a bantamweight bout. The Las Vegas-based Roop took Duran's back in the second round and controlled him against the cage in the third.

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.

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