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UFC 37.5 Official Results June 22, 2002 Bellagio Hotel & Casino-Grand Garden Arena Las Vegas, Nevada Fight One-Lightweight Bout Yves Edwards def. Joao Pierini Marcos by TKO (head kick), 1:19 R1 This fight took place in the standup, with Pierini landing two overhand lefts that opened a small cut under Edwards' right eye. Then, Edwards landed several low kicks before going upstairs with a high kick that nearly beheaded his Brazilian opponent. After following Pierini to the mat and landing twice, Edwards stood up and stepped away in order to return to the standup. After bringing Pierini to his feet, the referee called time for a doctor's examination. The bout was then halted, as it appeared that the discombobulated Pierini had injured his shoulder during the fall. Fight Two-Middleweight Bout Tony Fryklund def. Rodrigo Ruas by TKO (strikes from mount), 3:34 R2 Ruas opened the bout by landing several counter lefts that seemed to stun Fryklund. Then, the ever-advancing Fryklund landed two overhand rights, scoring a knockdown with the latter. After following Ruas to the ground, Fryklund landed a succession of right heavy hands from inside the guard and from the half guard. Avoiding a Ruas leglock attempt, Fryklund finished the round on top, softening his foe with forearms and punches. The second round brought even more action as the fatigued Ruas went for a quick finish. The fighters traded combinations and knees before Fryklund scored another knockdown with an overhand right. From there, it was a bludgeoning, with Fryklund landing huge strikes from the mount that left Ruas' face bloody and battered. After escaping from another leglock attempt, Fryklund finally managed to gain a full mount and finished the affair with a flurry of punches. Fight Three-Welterweight Bout Robbie Lawler def. Steve Berger by TKO (strikes), :27 R2 The first round saw Lawler initiate a methodical attack employing an assortment of strikes and kicks. Berger held his own, however, withstanding a straight left and ducking several high kicks. Lawler countered two strong takedown attempts to keep the fight standing, moving to the clinch and landing knees to Berger's midsection and a collection of devastating right hooks to the ribs. Berger managed to turn the tables and momentarily took control with knees and strikes from the collar tie before Lawler broke loose and took control again from the outside. Lawler used a bodylock from the clinch to slam Berger to the mat as the round wound down, finishing the period above Berger looking for strikes. The next round was frighteningly furious-and one-sided-as Lawler landed a huge right hook, two left hooks that put Berger on his back. Then, Lawler used five hard right hands to end the bout, leaving Berger prone and stunned as referee John McCarthy halted the affair just 27 seconds into the second round. Fight Four-Welterweight Bout Pete Spratt def. Zach Light by submission (tap out to arm bar), 2:25 R1 Spratt came out with two big high kicks, the second of which Light caught and used to work to the clinch. After a bodylock takedown, Light ended up in Spratt's guard, a position that he seemed very uncomfortable in. Light attempted to drive Spratt against the cage, but to no avail. When Light did finally try to pass the guard, Spratt used his feet to push off the fence and position his hips for an arm bar. While it seemed that Light was in a good defensive position, Spratt soon rolled through, extended his hips and earned the tap out. Fight Five-Welterweight Bout Benji Radach def. Nick Serra by unanimous judges' decision Radach took the unanimous decision by resolutely sticking to his game plan-strike on the feet and strike on the ground. Though Serra did nothing on his feet but take shoots and pull guard, Radach landed occasionally from the outside while using a strong sprawl to avoid most of the takedowns. When Serra did manage to pull guard, Radach was patient from inside the guard, evading several triangle attempts while scoring with a steady stream of calculating right hands. Each round brought more of the same, with Radach's best standup connection coming in the third round behind the strength of a straight right that put Serra on the canvas. Serra, however, was able to last the round, only to lose on all three judges' cards. Fight Six-Light Heavyweight Bout Chuck Liddell def. Vitor Belfort by unanimous judges' decision This much-anticipated match-up certainly lived up to the hype as Liddell and Belfort convened to deliver an exciting fight that satiated the action-hungry audience. Rounds one and two were almost too even to call, with Belfort seeming to win the first and Liddell the second. Belfort surprised the crowd -- and Liddell -- with an impressive takedown from a bodylock. Pushed against the fence, Liddell was able to use the side of the cage to help push himself to his feet. Unfazed, Belfort scored another bodylock takedown and Liddell again escaped, this time working into the clinch. Once his underhook was in place, Liddell controlled the pace, using the fence to trap Belfort while landing knees to the thigh and strikes to the ribs. Once Belfort escaped the clinch position toward the end of the first round, the fight turned into a stand-up war with Liddell pushing the pace. Belfort seemed content to throw counter left hands while Liddell was throwing big right hands and left low kicks. For his part, Belfort unleashed a series of high kicks that served to excite the fans-however, none of them landed cleanly. Liddell also provided some fireworks, in the form of a series of spinning back kicks, several of which landed hard on Belfort's side. The fight appeared even going into the third round. Sensing that he needed to win the final period, Belfort tried to establish control early, advancing toward Liddell for the first time in the fight. After three minutes and thirty seconds of seesaw battle, the two warriors unleashed a salvo of strikes upon each other. Belfort's left landed several times, but Liddell seemed unfazed-rather than retreating he pressed ahead. With less than a minute remaining, Liddell finally landed the big punch he had been looking for, a looping right hind that cam from the waist and knocked Belfort to the mat. Liddell then threw several low kicks while Belfort butt-scooted and then followed him to the mat with about thirty seconds to go. From there, Liddell worked from inside Belfort's guard, pushing him to the fence and then throwing a barrage of strikes in the final ten seconds to seal the victory. Though the fight was scored 30-27 on two judges' cards, the third judge who scored the bout 29-28 was in all likelihood the most accurate. Whatever the case, this is a fight that is sure to remain a topic of conversation for MMA fans for years to come. Be sure to check out the July 2002 issue of Full Contact Fighter for full coverage of the event |
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