Fabrizio 'Vai Cavalo' Werdum, 32, Porto Alegre, Brazil, 11-4-1 v. Tim 'The Tower of Power' Boyer, 30, Toronto, 16-3-2
(Blurcat: Boyer via TKO)
Boyer looks to be a tough opponent for Werdum: he defends submissions well and has an excellent stand-up game. And Werdum will likely not be able to take advantage of Boyer's dodgy chin with his own weak striking.
Werdum seems determined to show the pre-fight predictions to be wrong, and dominates the first through two takedowns and a couple of very nearly successful submission attempts.
Round 2
A brief exchange of jabs only serves to get them into a clinch, right next to the cage. The referee positions himself to watch for illegal punches. Werdum turns his hips and suddenly turns sharply, taking the legs out from under Boyer. They smash into the ground at speed, but that doesn't stop Boyer pulling guard, preventing Werdum from gaining side control, which was what he was aiming for. Werdum fires off a few punches, forcing Boyer to cover up. Werdum works his way onto the right-hand side of the body, Boyer unable to do much to stop him. Boyer tries to scrabble out of trouble, but finds his right arm is trapped under the body of Werdum, who is quick to turn that situation into an armbar attempt. Boyer desperately tries to turn them both over to alleviate the pressure, but there is no way he can move Werdum from that position, he has no leverage at all. Werdum cinches in the armbar and Boyer has to tap out. Werdum wins via 2nd round armbar submission with the official time being 0:42.
'The King of Ground and Pound' James Foster, 29, Aurora, Illinois, 16-2 (4) v. 'North Star' Ben Rothwell, 27, Kensosha, Wisconsin, 33-6
(Blurcat: Foster via KO)
Foster is an ex-GAMMA champ, who, despite being ranked #4, finds himself in the bottom tier due to a loss against the new UFC champ Hassan Fezzik. He faces Rothwell, who may find it difficult to get past Foster's wrestling skills.
The fight goes to plan in the 1st: Foster gets the takedown and dominates. In the second Rothwell is knocked down! But he survives comfortably, but is clearly two rounds down...
Round 3
Rothwell may have realised that he left the gas on back at home, as he starts the round as if he needs to get this fight finished quickly, throwing two giant-sized right hand bombs and a vicious uppercut within the first thirty seconds. Foster dealt with them well though, avoiding the first two and parrying the uppercut away. Foster fakes a takedown, causing Rothwell to back up, ready to sprawl. Rothwell stalks Foster, forcing him back toward the cage. Rothwell moves in, looking to throw another big shot, but Foster springs forward and connects with a great punch, crunching his fist into the cheek. Rothwell goes down! Foster tries to pounce and pound his way to victory, but Rothwell has enough awareness to ensnare Foster in the guard position as he dives in. Foster tries to work free from the guard, but can't. Rothwell reaches up to try and bring Foster down into a clinch, but the attempt gets swatted away. Foster fires off a couple of punches, leaning forward to get some leverage, and Rothwell is forced to cover up. Foster switches and starts firing off some rapid-fire shots to the chest, Rothwell deals with it by pulling the guard tighter and punching upward. Foster looks like he is happy to sit there and throw punches at his leisure, with no real effort to pass guard. Rothwell occasionally tries to roll his hips to get free, but it may be that he has realised that this round is beyond saving, and is just making sure that he doesn't put himself into a position to be knocked out or submitted by trying to escape. Indeed, time ticks away with nothing breaking the pattern of occasional strikes and defensive positioning. That's the end of the round. Blurcat.com gives that one to Foster by 10-9. The official scores are: 30-27 from all three judges for James Foster.
Randy 'The Natural' Couture, 45, Everett, Washington, 16-9 (9) v. 'The Pit Bull' Rick Stanley, 34, Philadelphia, 20-7-3 (10)
(Blurcat: Stanley via KO)
Can Captain America return after his loss to Lesnar? He faces a formidable foe, a knock out specialist who also has a decent ground game. However, Stanley can be shaken, and he only ever one punch away from both victory and defeat...
Round 1
The two fighters circle. A series of looping punches from Stanley forces Couture back up against the cage, and he has to cover up to withstand the three strikes that follow. No real damage caused, but Stanley is aggressively chasing this match. A hook finds the body and Couture clinches. They almost lose their balance as they jockey for position, Couture gets in a couple of knees when they regain their footing. Stanley seems to be trying to break the clinch, it's Couture who is holding it tight, perhaps hoping to calm the energetic start that Stanley had. The referee finally does break them up, after nearly a full minute of inactivity. Stanley hits two jabs, then a high kick. It glances off Couture's shoulder, catching him on the top of the head. He stumbles backward, ending up against the cage. Stanley charges in and starts unloading, and after several crunching punches have landed the referee has no choice but to jump in and bring the match to the end. Official time of the TKO is 3:45 of the first.