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02/08/2009 Archived Entry: "Fight Night 17"
Fight Night 17
By Lucius Shepard
The free UFC show on Spike last night proved to be at least as entertaining, perhaps more so, than last weeks PPV show.
In the headliner, a lightweight scrap, Joe Lauzon (18-4) dominated Jeremy “the Heathen” Stephens (14-4) on the ground en route to a second round stoppage. Stephens had his moments, including opening a gash on Lauzon’s forehead with an elbow shortly before the end of the fight; but Lauzon controlled the action, going for submission after submission, and finally slapped on an armbar from the mount position that finished Stephens at 4:43 of the second.
Heavyweight prospect, Cain Velasquez, 239, (5-0) was extended into the second round for the first time in five fights, by Denis “the Menace” Stojnic, 246 (5-3). Stojnic showed a great chin, but was dominated by Velasquez, who forced him against the fence in the first round and landed knees and punched from the Thai clinch. The ending came at 2:34 of the second, when referee Jose Ortiz stepped in after Stojnic gave up his back and absorbed more than a dozen punches to the head without answering back.
In an entertaining lightweight match, Josh “the Dentist” Neer (25-7-1) handled TUF 6 season winner Matt Danzig (18-6-1) by means of second round submission. After a competitive first round, Neer rained down some brutal elbows and locked up Danzig in a nifty triangle choke at 3:36 of the second. Neer was booed by the crowd afterward, perhaps because of Danzig’s popularity, though likely some of this response was due to Neer’s New Year’s Eve DUI, an incident during which he fled the scene of a hit-and-run.
One of the welterweight division’s best strikers, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (7-2), continued to impress, stopping ex-marine Luigi Fioravanti by TKO late in the first. Johnson, a huge welter who cuts to 170 from 200 pounds, had a distinct height and reach advantage, and kept him at a distance with leg kicks and punches, finally punctuating matters with a right hook at 4:39 of the round.
In undercard action, Matt Hughes protege, lightweight Matt Veach (11-0), stayed unbeaten after stopping Matt Grice (9-2). Grice was the early aggressor, knocking Veach down and nearly getting a stoppage himself with some effective ground-and-pound, but late in the stanza, Veach dropped Grice with a right hook and followed with a flurry of punches that caused referee Troy Waugh to step in and end the Matt-fest at 4:35.
Lightweight Kurt “Batman” Pelligrino (13-4) submitted Robert Emerson (8-7) at 3:14 of the second.
IFl fighter Dan Miller (11-1, 1 NC) needed just 62 seconds to hand three-time NCAA wrestling champ Jake Rosholt (5-1) his first defeat, stopping him by rear naked choke.
In a welterweight bout, Gleison Thibau (16-6) made short work of Rich Clementi (32-14-1), submitting the veteran fighter with a guillotine choke at 4:35 of the first.
Making his Octagon debut, middleweight Nick Cafone (6-0) finished Derek Downey (10-4) with a keylock at 1:15 of the second.
In the opener, welterweight Dan Riddle (2-0) earned a UD over Steve Bruno (12-5). All three judges had the same 29-28 scores.
