UFC on FUEL TV 1: Sanchez vs Ellenberger | Results **Spoiler**

**Kemal** · 16-02-2012, 06:35

Main card
Jake Ellenberger def. Diego Sanchez via unanimous decision
Stefan Struve def. Dave Herman via second-round TKO
Ronny Markes def. Aaron Simpson via split decision
Stipe Miocic def. Philip De Fries via first-round TKO
T.J. Dillashaw def. Walel Watson via unanimous decision
Ivan Menjivar def. John Albert via submission (rear-naked choke)

Preliminary card
Jonathan Brookins def. Vagner Rocha via first-round TKO
Justin Salas def. Anton Kuivanen via unanimous decision
Tim Means def. Bernardo Magalhaes via unanimous decision
Buddy Roberts vs. Sean Loeffler (Loeffler out due to ankle injury)

**Kemal** · 16-02-2012, 06:37

UFC on FUEL Bonuses: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger Is Fight of Night

Jake Ellenberger, Diego Sanchez, Stipe Miocic and Ivan Menjivar each won a $50,000 bonus for their performances at UFC on FUEL Wednesday in Omaha.

The main event between two welterweight contenders lived up to the hype and earned the Fight of the Night award, as announced at the post-fight press conference. Jake Ellenberger rocked and bloodied up Diego Sanchez to win the first two rounds convincingly. Needing a finish for the win, Sanchez took the initiative to push forward in the third and nearly pulled off the upset. Sanchez late in the fight pounded a tired Ellenberger against the fence with punches, but Ellenberger somehow ate the shots and found a way to escape.

In the end, Ellenberger won on all three score cards two rounds to one, perhaps slotting himself in line for a shot at the interim UFC title.

Croatian Stipe Miocic engaged in a brawl with Philip De Fries and came up on top for the 43-second knockout later declared the official Knockout of the Night. Miocic was hit early, but returned fire with right hands that sent De Fries to the canvas. Miocic finishes with punches to record back-to-back UFC wins.

In the evening's lone submission, Ivan Menjivar won Submission of the Night with an exciting come-from-behind win over John Albert. Menjivar was in serious trouble minutes into the fight and weathered a storm of strikes to scramble to top position. From there, Albert gave up his back and Menjivar capitalized with a rear-naked choke to close the FUEL television opener at three minutes and 45 seconds.

**Kemal** · 16-02-2012, 06:44

Jonathan Brookins Knocks Out Vagner Rocha

Jonathan Brookins earned his first victory since winning The Ultimate Fighter on Wednesday night's UFC on FUEL card, unloading on Vagner Rocha with several hard right hands on the ground and knocking him out in the first round.
For Brookins, who lost to Erik Koch in September, it was a big win that gets his career back on track, and he said afterward that he was delighted to beat a well-regarded opponent like Rocha.

"Vagner is super tough," Brookins said. "So I'm really thankful. ... That's just the way it goes sometimes. It could have been either one of us right there."

It didn't take Brookins long to get on top of Rocha on the ground and knock him out with vicious ground and pound, but Brookins said he isn't going to take any time to celebrate because he's going to get right back to work.

"I'm thrilled, but it's back to the drawing board for me," Brookins said. "I've got to grow and grow and grow. I'm just thrilled to be growing in this organization."

**Kemal** · 16-02-2012, 06:45

Ivan Menjivar Submits John Albert in Thrilling Fight

Ivan Menjivar submitted John Albert with a rear-naked choke after a round of intense action at UFC on FUEL on Wednesday night.

The Fight of the Night candidate saw more action in three minutes and 45 seconds than many fights have in 15: Menjivar went for a spinning back fist and took Albert down early on, Albert answered by attempting multiple submissions off his back, Menjivar stayed poised and pulled free of every submission attempt, Menjivar got back to his feet only to have Albert batter him with punches against the fence, and then Menjivar got the upper hand on the ground, took Albert down, and sunk in the rear-naked choke. Albert had no choice but to tap out.

It was a fight that had just about everything: Good striking, good grappling and a lot of fun.

For Menjivar, the victory improves his professional MMA record to 24-8. Menjivar is now on a three-fight winning streak in the UFC, and he's doing impressive things in the bantamweight division.

Albert, fresh off a win at the Ultimate FIghter Finale, falls to 7-2. But there was no shame in this loss. This was a good showing from both fighters.

**Kemal** · 16-02-2012, 06:46

T.J. Dillashaw Beats Walel Watson

T.J. Dillashaw dominated Walel Watson for 10 minutes at Wednesday night's UFC on FUEL event, then hung on for five more minutes as Watson mounted a surprising comeback, with Dillashaw winning the fight by unanimous decision.

It was a highly entertaining battle that showed Dillashaw off as a very powerful fighter in the bantamweight division, but also showed that Watson has a lot of heart -- not to mention long limbs that make him a danger to submit his opponents from the bottom.

Dillashaw wanted to get things started with a takedown and worked at it non-stop for the first 40 seconds of the first round before finally getting Watson to the ground and getting on top of him. Dillashaw transitioned to Watson's back and nearly sunk in a rear-naked choke, and although Watson managed to defend himself against Dillashaw's submission attempts, it was a dominant first round that I scored 10-8 for Dillashaw.

At the start of the second round Dillashaw hit Watson and then jumped on top of him on the ground again, and then it was more of the same: Dillashaw switched back and forth between vicious ground and pound from mount and attempts at rear-naked chokes, and it was a wonder that Watson even survived. It was another 10-8 round on my scorecard.

Amazingly, Watson came back from that brutal beating for the first 10 minutes and put on a great showing in the third round, putting Dillashaw in serious trouble with submission attempts off his back. But Dillashaw managed to escape and get back on top and in control, and he finished the fight where he had been for much of it, battering Watson from the top.

I gave the third round to Watson 10-9 and therefore gave the fight to Dillashaw, 29-26. The three judges scored it 30-25, 30-25 and 30-26.

**Kemal** · 16-02-2012, 06:47

Stipe Miocic Knocks Out Philip De Fries

In a battle of undefeated heavyweights, Stipe Miocic showed he's a much, much brighter prospect than Philip De Fries. Miocic won by first-round knockout with brutal punches at Wednesday night's UFC on FUEL event in Omaha, Nebraska.

De Fries landed a looping overhand right at the start of the fight that briefly got Miocic's attention, but from there it was all Miocic: He landed a straight right hand to knock De Fries back, then knocked him down with another punch and finally pounced on top of him and landed more punches until the referee stepped in to stop the fight.

Miocic has been viewed as a promising heavyweight prospect for quite some time, and now he has finally delivered in the UFC, after a mediocre decision win over Joey Beltran in his UFC debut. By running his record to 8-0 in impressive fashion, Miocic showed just how lethal he can be with his punches.

As for De Fries, who falls to 8-1, he doesn't look like a UFC-quality fighter. He'll probably be one-and-done inside the Octagon.

**Kemal** · 16-02-2012, 06:48

Ronny Markes Beats Aaron Simpson by Split Decision

Ronny Markes withstood a hard punch from Aaron Simpson in the first round and fought hard enough in the second and third to win a close split decision at Wednesday night's UFC on FUEL event. The victory improves Markes' record to 13-1, and shows that he's a promising young fighter in the middleweight division.
But it wasn't easy.

Markes tagged Simpson with several hard punches in the first 30 seconds of the first round, but Simpson maintained his composure and clinched with Markes against the cage. After the referee separated them, it was Simpson who took control by landing a huge uppercut that knocked Markes down. Simpson then pounced and tried to finish Markes with ground and pound, but Markes stayed active from his back and survived. Simpson won the first round, but Markes did a nice job of staying alive when it looked like Simpson was ready to finish him.

The second round was slower, with a lot of clinch work and fighting for position. Simpson is a strong wrestler, but Markes more than held his own in that department, taking Simpson down and getting on top of him late in the round.

The third round featured more clinch work, and the crowd started to boo, wanting more hard-hitting action like the first round delivered. As Markes controlled him against the cage, Simpson asked the referee to separate them, and the referee obliged. That gave Simpson his last, best chance, and he came out swinging, but Markes soon grabbed hold of him again, and the round ended without a lot of action.

The judges scored it 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29 for Markes. The fans booed, but it wasn't a bad decision: After Simpson's early flurry, he didn't do much of anything in the second and third rounds, and Markes did just enough to win.

**Kemal** · 16-02-2012, 06:49

Stefan Struve Stops Dave Herman

Stefan Struve made it through a difficult first round against Dave Herman at Wednesday night's UFC on FUEL event, then poured it on in the second round, using his ground and pound to win the fight by technical knockout.

It wasn't a great showing for Struve, but it was good enough to get the job done, and he now has a two-fight winning streak and a 23-5 overall record.

The first round had the fans booing, as both fighters looked a little tentative on their feet. But Herman landed the more effective punches, getting inside, connecting and then backing away, and Struve failed to use his reach advantage effectively.

Struve started the second round with a great takedown directly into mount, but Herman did a nice job of bucking Struve off and getting back to his feet. Standing up Struve began to land more effectively, with punches getting through and doing damage to Herman's face. Eventually Struve knocked Herman down, got on top of him in full mount, and pounded away at his face until the referee stopped the fight.

The loss drops Herman to 21-3 in his MMA career.

**Kemal** · 16-02-2012, 06:42

Brookins vs. Rocha, Loeffler vs. Roberts, More

Tim Means vs. Bernardo Magalhaes
Round 1: Means taking the center of the cage early. After some slow action in the opening moments, Means lands a hard knee to the face. Magalhaes counters with an overhand right. Means with another knee to the face, this one knocks Magalhaes down. Means attacks with a D'arce but Magalhaes defends it and they go back to their feet. Means takes round 1 on damage, 10-9.

Round 2: Means walks out confidently to start the second. Magalhaes dances around the outside but Means finds his target with long jabs and power punches. Magalhaes has some blood leaking from his nose now. Magalhaes shoots but Means stuffs him easily. Means stalking Magalhaes around and pressing forward. He lands a hard body shot with :20 left. Magalhaes goes down and Means lands hard strikes from the top. Another 10-9 round for Means.

Round 3: Magalhaes fires off an overhand right that misses, then lands a left hook. Magalhaes shoots in for a single leg takedown, but he's rebuffed by a nice sprawl. Magalhaes' strategy of taking the fight to the ground has come up empty thus far, and he's getting tagged in the process. Means with another body shot. Magalhaes goes down, but he might be trying to lure Means down, and Means doesn't go for it, inviting him back to his feet. Means with another hard right and this time he follows Magalhaes down and punishes him with elbows. Magalhaes is in trouble but Means lets him up again. He controls the standup to the horn, 10-9.

Winner: Tim Means via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)

Anton Kuivanen vs. Justin Salas
Round 1: Both fighters are UFC newcomers. Salas walks out southpaw while Kuivanen is orthodox. Salas tries an early takedown that fails. Kuivanen landing some early kicks to the body. He backs up Salas with a right hand to the body. Kuivanen stops another takedown. Salas lands a nice lead right hook. Salas scores his first takedown with two minutes left. Salas lands one overhand right but Kuivanen sweeps and gets free and back to his feet. Kuivanen with another kick to the body. He's the one moving forward. Salas completes another takedown at the final horn. A very close round that MMA Fighting scores for Kuivanen 10-9.

Round 2: Salas closes the distance and pushes Kuivanen against the cage, landing a knee. They reset in the center. Salas lands a straight left. Salas is looking to take advantage of his grappling while Kuivanen likes distance. Salas looks a bit more comfortable now trading, and it's anyone's round with one minute left. Salas tries a takedown with :20 left. Kuivanen's balance is too good. Salas exits with a left. Another very tight round. Salas 10-9.

Round 3: Salas gets an early takedown, scoring some ground and pound. Kuivanen looks for a leg lock but Salas pulls free. Salas still on top with more strikes. This is the most dominant stretch of the fight. Kuivanen gets back to his feet midway through the round. There's some blood from Kuivanen's face. Kuivanen begins stalking Salas, perhaps realizing he may be behind. Salas takes advantage of it, ducking low for an emphatic slam takedown. Salas lands strikes from the top. Kuivanen gets to his feet as Salas lands a knee. It's Salas' round 10-9.

Winner: Justin Salas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-27)

Sean Loeffler vs. Buddy Roberts
In a bizarre and unfortunate accident, Loeffler hurt his ankle in pre-fight warmups and suffered an injury that left him unable to compete. As a result, the Loeffler-Roberts fight was canceled.

Jonathan Brookins vs. Vagner Rocha
Round 1: Brookins catches a kick and lands a left hand. Rocha shoots in with a body lock but Brookins ends up on top. Rocha hunts a leg lock but leaves his face undefended and Brookins smashes him with strikes from the top. A series of right hands puts Rocha's lights out for the quick finish.

Winner: Jonathan Brookins via first-round KO, Rd. 1 (1:32)

**Kemal** · 16-02-2012, 06:51

Jake Ellenberger Outlasts Diego Sanchez in UFC on FUEL Main Event

A back-and-forth 15-minute main event on Wednesday night ended in Jake Ellenberger taking a decision over Diego Sanchez in the first UFC on FUEL card.

It was an excellent fight featuring two of the sport's top welterweights, and it was a good display of both Ellenberger's great skill and Sanchez's tremendous heart. Ellenberger was the better fighter in the Octagon, but Sanchez deserves credit for making it through 15 minutes.

In the end, the judges all agreed that Ellenberger had won the first two rounds and Sanchez had won the third, and the scorecards were unanimous, 29-28.

Ellenberger had the crowd on his side in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, and they carried him through a close first round in which both men had their share of effective strikes. Ellenberger knocked Sanchez down with a punch, and that knockdown may have been the difference in a close round.

In the second round Sanchez appeared to grow more frustrated as Ellenberger continued landing punches and then moving out of Sanchez's range. With a minute left in the round, Ellenberger ducked under a Sanchez punch and executed a takedown, and he landed some big elbows from the top, clearly winning the second round.

Sanchez wouldn't go down without a fight, and in the third round he did some damage to Ellenberger in the striking exchanges. Ellenberger took Sanchez down with just over a minute to go in the round and appeared to be in good position to ride out the victory, but Sanchez did a sensational job of transitioning into a dominant position and pounding away on Ellenberger. Sanchez had Ellenberger in big trouble as the third round drew to a close, but he wasn't able to finish the fight, and Ellenberger held on for the decision.

"Diego's known for that -- he's the toughest guy I've ever fought and he's a true warrior," Ellenberger said. "It's an honor to fight him."

It's an honor for UFC fans to watch Ellenberger. He's a future title contender, but he demurred when asked if he wanted to call out interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit.

"I'm not sure, that's up to the UFC," Ellenberger said.

Ellenberger is willing to wait for his title shot, but he won't have to wait too long. Ellenberger has the talent and the toughness to be a champion.

**Kemal** · 16-02-2012, 06:56

**Kemal** · 16-02-2012, 06:57

**Kemal** · 16-02-2012, 06:56

**Jeru** · 16-02-2012, 07:24

Lekker hoor van Struve! Ben benieuwd wie ze nu voor hem in petto hebben...

**lukashenko** · 16-02-2012, 09:01

jaaaaaaaaaaaa ik werd helemaal gek net achter de comp wat een heerlijke overwinning van struve en nog zo jong ik ben echt benieuwt hoever deze jongen zijn capacitijten liggen.
ik zou zeggen hupakee een goede sterke tegenstander hierna zoals een brandon shaub of een rematch tegen kung fu panda (nelson)

**Hendy** · 16-02-2012, 09:18

Gefeliciteerd Stefan!! erg sterke 2e ronde!

**weks** · 16-02-2012, 09:37

ik twijfel of een 'sterkere' tegenstander verstandig is nu
vond t eht tegenvallen gisteren
pas toen hij combinaties ging maken kwam t aan
daarvoor leek erg afwachtend en bijna onzeker
gun het hem absoluut en kijk altijd uit naar z'n partijen maar deze overwinning was voor mij eht niet overtuigend
maar alsnog op naar de volgende

**yuko** · 16-02-2012, 11:00

Originally Posted by weks

ik twijfel of een 'sterkere' tegenstander verstandig is nu
vond t eht tegenvallen gisteren
pas toen hij combinaties ging maken kwam t aan
daarvoor leek erg afwachtend en bijna onzeker
gun het hem absoluut en kijk altijd uit naar z'n partijen maar deze overwinning was voor mij eht niet overtuigend
maar alsnog op naar de volgende

Een echte topper komt denk idd nog wat te vroeg maar een stapje naar boven kan wel gemaakt worden. Schaub of een rematch tegen Nelson zoals Lukashenko al zei lijken mij goede tegenstanders. Of misschien Kongo?

**wrestler_nl** · 16-02-2012, 14:47

Ik vond de partij van Struve ook een beetje tegenvallen om eerlijk te zijn maar een WIN is een WIN dus felicitaties voor Struve. Ik zou hem graag tegen de winnaar van Kongo vs Hunt willen zien. Ik denk dat beide vechters problemen voor Struve kunnen bezorgen vooral staand & beide heren zijn bekend bij MMA fans dus een kans voor Struve om een mooie win te pakken. Sanchez vs Ellenberger vond ik ook niet echt een super partij om eerlijk te zijn maat toch een goede winst voor Ellenberger maar het was wel erg close imo. Hopelijk gaan ze nu Condit vs Ellenberger boeken voor de interim title en dan de winnaar tegen GSP voor de echte title. Verder ook leuke partijen van Menvijar, Miocic en Brookins.
Geen super card maar toch leuke gevechten kunnen zien!

**carlo1** · 17-02-2012, 09:08

Originally Posted by wrestler_nl

Ik vond de partij van Struve ook een beetje tegenvallen om eerlijk te zijn maar een WIN is een WIN dus felicitaties voor Struve. Ik zou hem graag tegen de winnaar van Kongo vs Hunt willen zien. Ik denk dat beide vechters problemen voor Struve kunnen bezorgen vooral staand & beide heren zijn bekend bij MMA fans dus een kans voor Struve om een mooie win te pakken. Sanchez vs Ellenberger vond ik ook niet echt een super partij om eerlijk te zijn maat toch een goede winst voor Ellenberger maar het was wel erg close imo. Hopelijk gaan ze nu Condit vs Ellenberger boeken voor de interim title en dan de winnaar tegen GSP voor de echte title. Verder ook leuke partijen van Menvijar, Miocic en Brookins.
Geen super card maar toch leuke gevechten kunnen zien!

lijkt me idd een goede stap om tegen de winnaar tussen hunt en kongo te vechten

**Kemal** · 16-02-2012, 17:10

Jake Ellenberger Deserves a Shot at Carlos Condit

Jake Ellenberger's UFC on FUEL victory over Diego Sanchez on Wednesday night was an entertaining battle, but it was more than that: It was a demonstration that Ellenberger is one of the best welterweights in the world, and a fighter who's ready for a title shot.
So let's not wait. Let's see that title shot right away. Let's see Carlos Condit defend the UFC interim welterweight title against Ellenberger as soon as possible.

It's not so much that Ellenberger is the clear No. 1 contender as that it's just the right fight to make right now. It makes sense based on timing -- Ellenberger and Condit should both be ready to take the fight by the summer -- and it also makes sense because Condit and Ellenberger have already fought once, in 2009, and it was a split decision. Condit and Ellenberger had a close 15-minute fight last time. Let's see if one of them can finish it within 25 minutes this time.

UFC President Dana White said after the fight that he sees Condit waiting to fight until champion Georges St. Pierre is healthy. But Condit said that if GSP won't be ready to go until November or later he'd be up for fighting again in the meantime, and GSP has said he thinks November is as soon as he'll be ready. There's no reason for Condit to be sitting on the sidelines just because St. Pierre is hurt. (Ask Rashad Evans how that usually works out.)

Ellenberger was classy after his victory on Wednesday night, praising Sanchez as a tough opponent. But I wish he had also called out Condit and asked for a rematch. The fans in his native Nebraska would have roared for that, and when the fans ask for a fight, the UFC usually delivers.

Even if Ellenberger isn't demanding the fight, this is the fight the UFC should book. The UFC has a whole lot of fight cards it needs to fill up on pay-per-view, FOX, FX and FUEL, so it can't afford to pass up booking great fights. And a great fight is just what an Ellenberger-Condit rematch would be. This is the fight that needs to happen.

**Kemal** · 16-02-2012, 17:17

Dana White: All Main Events to Be Five Rounds After Ellenberger vs. Sanchez

"We blew it," UFC President Dana White said. "It should have been a five round fight."

After UFC on FUEL TV's thrilling main event between Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez last night, media and fans alike questioned why a headlining bout of significance between two known action fighters would only be scheduled for three rounds. Sanchez himself wondered aloud in his post-fight comments with UFC announcer Jon Anik why the fight wasn't longer. In fact, the UFC had previously announced all main events would be five-rounds whether a title was on the line or not. According to White, it should have been and that mistake won't be repeated.

"I was sitting here again tonight looking at the fight going, 'Yeah, this should have been five rounds.' I think that if Ellenberger and Diego went back in there for a fourth round the place would have went crazy. People were ready for it at home," White lamented.

Contrary to suggestion, the decision to make Ellenberger vs. Sanchez was not a directive from FUEL. "FUEL would have let us do 33 rounds if we wanted to," White noted. Remaining coy about who had responsibility for the decision, White hinted the choice was made internally at the UFC, but not one they'll make again. "I'm not gonna throw anybody under the bus but we blew it, we should have done it."

The only caveat to UFC's plans for universal five-round main events would be existing contractual limits. "There will be five round fights from here on in," White continued, "other than contracts that have already been signed."

The UFC first hinted at the possibility of holding non-title five-round main events in April of 2011. By June, the UFC formally announced the change. "From this day forward, any fight that is signed after right now today will be a five-round fight," White announced days prior to UFC 131.

The move to five rounds is designed to reduce the possibility of controversial or indecisive endings as well as to add a measure of grandeur to main events.

The first UFC main event non-title bout took place at UFC 138 in Nottingham, England in November of 2011 between middleweights Chris Leben and Mark Munoz.