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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
"THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: CHINA" FINALE
MARCH 1, 2014
LIVE FROM MACAU, CHINA
=====Fight Pass Prelims Quick Results=====
* Mark Eddiva def. Jumabieke Tuerxun via unanimous decision
* Wang Anying def. Albert Cheng via TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of the first round
* Vaughan Lee def. Nam Phan via unanimous decision
* Yui Chul Nam def. Kazuki Tokudome via split decision
=====Fight Pass Main Card=====
Good morning all! The UFC is live from Macau with their second live Fight Pass event, and we kick off tonight's main card with a fight between Hatsu Hioki and Ivan Menjivar.
FIGHT ONE: HATSU HIOKI VS. IVAN MENJIVAR (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Both fighter took the center and tested the range. Hioki got in close and got a grip of Menjivar after taking a few shots. Hioki snuck around and took his back standing and started working for a choke. Menjiver shrugged him off to the side but didn't get him off his back entirely. Hioki continued working standing. Menjivar broke free and landed a few strikes before separating. Menjivar landed a solid right. Hioki grabbed a clinch again. He worked to a body lock and then scored a trip takedown into half guard. Menjivar tried to transition to his guard but Hioki wouldn't allow it. Menjivar tried to scramble out and Hioki took his back. Hioki got a bit high and lost position, but transitioned to a knee bar attempt before winding back on top to end the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hioki. Dominant grappling round. Could easily be 10-8.
ROUND TWO: Menjivar came forward aggressively and landed an early uppercut. Hioki connected on a couple of jabs. Menjivar got through with the right hand again. Hioki clinched in the center briefly and landed a few strikes in combination. The crowd booed as the action got a little tentative. Menjivar closed the distance, but the clinch left Hioki with the advantage, and he turned him around for a takedown. He got right into side control. He tried to trap the arm for a mounted crucifix but couldn't secure it. Menjivar spun to the side and Hioki took his back. Menjivar again scrambled and Hioki tried to grab an arm. He lost it and Menjivar got on top. Menjivar grabbed a headlock and landed a knee to the body. Hioki turned him around and took him down, though. He tried to move to mount from half guard but got held in half guard. Hioki set up for a straight armbar/kimura attempt, but Menjivar used the attempt to sweep. He got in a knee to the body at the end of the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hioki. Menjivar's proving tough to put away, as Hioki keeps losing positions, but he's still controlling the action.
ROUND THREE: Hioki landed a kick to the body early. Menjivar continued moving in as the aggressor, and he landed a nice elbow with some punches behind it. Hioki tossed out a few strikes, landing a jab and a body kick. Menjivar landed a hard right hand that dropped Hioki to a knee. Menjivar followed up and Hioki got split open but got his feet. Menjivar moved in and landed a few strikes. They briefly clinched and landed a hard elbow. Menjivar popped in a high kick that wasn't a full-fledged power strike. Menjivar missed a spinning back fist. Menjivar's attack slowed down a bit as Hioki had regained his bearings. Hioki landed a step in knee. He got in a body kick. He landed a hard jab. Hioki shot in and scored a takedown, avoiding Menjivar's head lock sweep attempt. Menjiver went for a heel hook and nearly locked in a knee bar to close the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Menijvar. Strong comeback round, but not enough to take the fight back.
WINNER: Hioki via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**+) Solid opening fight. Hioki was the better grappler, and mostly employed his will against Menjivar for the first two rounds. Menjivar survived some bad spots in the first ten minutes, and tried to steal it in the third round, but it just wasn't quite enough.
FIGHT TWO: MATT MITRIONE VS. SHAWN JORDAN (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Mitrione came in early but it was Jordan landing a couple of hard strikes off the bat. Mitrione landed a leg kick but took an even harder one in return from Jordan. They briefly clinched at the cage, but Mitrione circled out. Mitrione stepped in and landed a left. Jordan got in a leg kick but ate a punch. They traded strikes. Jordan rushed in and connected on a couple of strikes. Jordan avoided a big power strike. Jordan connected with the right hand in close. He connected on a short combination. Mitrione landed a strike to the body. The action slowed and there were more boos from the crowd. Jordan landed a hard left hand. He landed two more as Mitrione tried to step in. Jordan ate a kick and shot in, but Mitrione held off the takedown attempt in the clinch.They battled in the clinch. Jordan got in a hard knee, but got hurt with several big strikes. Mitrione landed a flurry of strikes and Jordan got dropped! The ref stepped in right before the horn. Jordan was hurt badly there, very good stoppage.
WINNER: Mitrione via KO at 4:59 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**) That's pretty much all for the violent finish. There wasn't a ton to the fight prior to that, but Mitrione scored a huge combination out of the clinch and didn't let Jordan off the hook. Good win.
FIGHT THREE: WANG SAI VS. ZHANG LIPENG (TUF: CHINA WELTERWEIGHT FINALS)
ROUND ONE: Wang landed a few leg kicks early. Zhang fired back with a kick to the outside leg. They continued trading kicks in the opening minute. Wang missed a winging strike. Zhang landed a right, countering a kick. Wang got in a hard kick to the body and one to the leg. Zhang landed a hard leg kick. Just as the crowd started to boo, Zhang ducked down for a takedown and quickly took Wang's back. Wang tried to buck out of the position, but Zhang kept himself on the back and locked on a choke. Wang was able to survive and then reverse to get on top. Wang landed a few hard elbows from the top. Zhang kicked upwards and nearly got on a triangle, but Wang got free and wound up taking his back before the round ended.
Penick's Analysis: 10-9 Zhang. Close round, but Zhang came closest to a finish there.
ROUND TWO: Wang threw out a couple of kicks early. Zhang tried for a trip takedown but Wang wound up on top briefly. Zhang scrambled, but Wang took his back standing. He got out of that and went for a takedown, but ate a few elbows to the side of the head for his troubles. Wang landed a glancing knee to the head while Zhang had his knee down and he got a warning. As they restarted, Zhang popped in with a takedown. Wang got to his feet with Zhang on his back. Zhang landed a hard knee to the thigh, then scored slam takedown. Zhang tried to set up a choke, then gave it up and landed a few strikes. Wang escaped and got on top himself, then taking Zhang's back. Zhang scrambled and tried to grab a leg lock. Wang stepped out, then turned back around and got into Zhang's guard. Wang stood up briefly and ate an up kick. Wang went back into the guard and landed a couple of strikes that opened Zhang up before the end of the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-10. Neither is gaining much of an upperhand. Zhang is attacking with takedowns and submission attempts, but Wang continues to break free and do damage in the striking department.
ROUND THREE: Zhang went for a takedown, then pulled guard when it got stuffed. He tried to attack for a triangle but Wang avoided it. They were stood up as the action stalled in the guard. Zhang landed a right hand and shot in, but Wang wound up stuffing the shot and scrambling to take Zhang's back. Wang tried to look for a choke, but Zhang forcefully spun out to get on top. Zhang lost position and Wang got to his feet. Wang landed a kick to the leg, but ate two hard up kicks as he tried to jump in. Zhang pulled guard again as he got to his knees, shot in, and failed on the takedown attempt. Zhang neutralized him from the bottom for a bit. Wang got free and landed an elbow. They were stood up and they traded strikes before clinching at the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Wang. I guess. Zhang was attacking from his back for some of the round, but Wang was getting a bit more offense in. Not a good fight, and scores could be anywhere here.
WINNER: Zhang Lipeng via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30)
STAR RATING: (*-) That fight was just bad. Didn't belong in a UFC cage whatsoever, and neither fighter's going to do much of anything in the UFC.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FOUR: DONG HYUN KIM VS. JOHN HATHAWAY (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Hathaway landed a big knee right off the bat. He landed another, but then got cracked by a big right hand from Kim. The action hit the clinch and slowed, but Kim scored another big right. Hathaway regained his bearings, scored a body lock and briefly took Kim down. Kim got to his feet and landed a spinning back fist, but only a grazing one. He came back in and scored a right hand at the cage. Hathaway turned him around, then broke free. Kim missed a big left hand as he pressed the pace. He missed two more and ate a counter punch. Hathaway missed a knee. Kim landed a solid elbow. Both continued to swing wildly. Kim landed a right. They briefly clinched again but then separated. Both already looked a little tired and there was still two minutes left in the round. Kim sent Hathaway stumbling to the ground and landed some strikes from the top. Hathaway almost tripped him up to reverse, but Kim dropped into his guard. Hathaway landed a few elbows from his back. Kim stood and dropped down an axe kick. He nearly got caught in a triangle but got out. He made Hathaway stand with 15 seconds left in the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kim. Got the better of the striking exchanges and had time in top position.
ROUND TWO: Hathaway landed a few right hands early. Kim closed the distance but got cracked by a step-in knee. Kim tried to trip Hathaway up but couldn't complete it. He landed a knee as he separated. Hathaway then came forward with several strikes and landed a jumping knee at the cage. They went into the clinch. They separated again and traded strikes in a sloppy exchange at the cage. Hathaway landed a nice knee in close. They battled in the clinch again briefly. Kim tried to walk him down, but Hathaway landed a nice uppercut and avoided Kim's shots. Hathaway clinched again, but this time Kim pulled off a nice throw into side control. He trapped the arm briefly but Hathaway got free. He avoided most damage as the round wound down, though he ate a hammerfist at the end of the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hathaway. Kim may have stolen it with the final minute of side control, but Hathaway did a lot more offensively that round.
ROUND THREE: Hathaway jumped in with the knee early and avoided the return. He got in a solid kick, then landed a nice right hand. They went in and out of the clinch. Hathaway side stepped and Kim flattened him with a ridiculous spinning back elbow! Holy crap. That was insanity. Hathaway just went down in a heap.
WINNER: Kim via KO at 1:02 of the third round
STAR RATING: (***+) Really good fight with an unbelievable finish. Seriously, if you have Fight Pass, watch this as soon as you can. It's among the single greatest KOs you'll see in this sport, an ultra-quick spinning elbow that just destroyed John Hathaway and sent him crashing to the ground.
-Thanks for joining us this morning! We'll have reactions to some of these fights throughout the week, and we lead right in to the UFC's London return next weekend, also on Fight Pass.
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_PPVs_6/article_20498.shtml
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