UFC Results Recap: Gustafsson makes his case for a title shot
UFC on Fox 5 is in the books and provided a great night of fights for the fans, even if there was not too many surprises on the main card. In the co-main event, Alexander Gustafsson showed that he is truly ready for a title shot with his unanimous decision over Mauricio Shogun Rua. Shogun, always game, came throwing his trademark bombs but never seemed to put Gustafsson in true danger. The taller Swede used an impressive aray of mixed takedowns to control Shogun, who did try some of his BJJ leglocks from the bottom. Overall, Gustafsson showed a truly well-rounded game and picked Rua apart to earn his much talked-about title fight.
In other main card action, BJ Penn made his return to the Octagon in an unsuccessful effort. Rory MacDonald proved to be the better fighter on this night, peppering Penn with a great and diverse selection of strikes. Penn remained somewhat inactive for much of the fight, living up to his negative perception of a lazy fighter. At certain points, MacDonald appeared to mock Penn by shuffling his feet and lowering his hands. After his win, MacDonald challenged Carlos Condit to revenge match. Certainly something to immediately consider for the UFC Welterweight division.
Mike Swick looked to continue his winning ways after defeating DeMarques Johnson in his long-awaited return fight. Matt Brown, although in possession of a less-than-impressive record, is always a game fighter who comes to put it all on the line. After a first round that saw Brown attempting a close triangle, Swick escaped to the second round. However, the next stanza proved to be the end of the AKA product, as Brown felled him with a massive punch to take home the impressive win.
UFC on Fox 5 Full Results:
Main Card:
Ben Henderson defeated Nate Diaz by Unanimous Decision
Alexander Gustafsson defeated Mauricio Rua by Unanimous Decision
Rory MacDonald defeated B.J. Penn by Unanimous Decision
Matt Brown defeated Mike Swick by R2 KO (Punches)
Preliminary Card:
Yves Edwards defeated Jeremy Stephens by R1 TKO (Punches)
Raphael Assuncao defeated Mike Easton by Unanimous Decision
Ramsey Nijem defeated Joe Proctor by Unanimous Decision
Daron Cruickshank defeated Henry Martinez by R2 KO (Head Kick)
Abel Trujillo defeated Marcus Levesseur by R2 TKO (Knees to the body)
Dennis Siver defeated Nam Phan by Unanimous Decision
Scott Jorgensen defeated John Albert by R1 Submission (Rear naked Choke)
LowKick.com Awards:
Performance of the Night: It’s hard to not give the award to Lightweight champion Ben Henderson here, as he truly appeared to never be in any sense of the word danger here. He pounded surging challenger Nate Diaz with a diverse set of strikes to take home another successful title defense.
Finish of the Night: This one has to come from the prelims, as Abel Trujillo made his UFC debut with a bang. He finished off another wrestler in Marcus Levesseur with some absolutely vicious Muay Thai in addition to extreme takedown defense. This guy is absolutely a force to be reckoned with at 155, a division with a champion who appears to have no serious challengers to his belt right now.
Upset of the Night: It may have been a tough match to predict, but Mike Swick was no doubt a bigger name than Matt Brown. Instead, Swick got knocked out cold by a nasty punch from Brown, who improves his stock with an impressive performance.
