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Bonnar-Hoger Affair to Remember at UFN 1 By Loretta Hunt
From the start of the three rounder, which handed Denver native Marquardt his first victory in his inaugural UFC appearance; the focused newcomer scored early with repeated kicks, then caught Salaverry's return fire and took him down at the 3:00 mark. Salaverry rose quickly, and tried to find some rhythm with occasional high kicks that Marquardt amply defended till round's end. The Chilean middleweight's inability to commit to an attack often telegraphed his next move, and Marquardt, an experienced champion in Japan's Pancrase organization, was able to meet Salaverry at every turn. Off an anticipated kick, Salaverry found himself on his back, and Marquardt landed two solid elbows before they stood. At a later moment, Marquardt landed a combo on his feet and squashed a Salaverry takedown to push him to his back again. Rather than hunt for the submission, the former Matt Hume student punched upwards till the bell. Marquardt continued to control the pace into the third round and Salaverry began to get desperate, throwing a wide swing uncharacteristic of a fighter his caliber that elicited jeers from the live crowd. Again, Marquardt caught Salaverry's kick and got the takedown, and tried to follow-up with an illegal kick to the head (most likely a product of his Pancrase rearing). Scrambling to his feet, Salaverry's awkward shoot was halted and Marquardt secured a guillotine choke that Salaverry nimbly rolled out of, but Marquardt was right there to try and take Salaverry's back as he rose to his feet. The pair ended the round with a struggle for control along the fence, but it was clear Marquardt would savor the victory in this outing. TUF season one's most emotional fighter Chris Leben was a rock against Canadian Patrick Cote in their middleweight showdown that gave the fiery-haired Team Quest fighter a split decision victory in the end. Leben's plan was clear: throw a few punches and clinch to the fence for a takedown. However, Cote proved a formidable roadblock, often reversing Leben on the fence and clearing out to the middle where the two entertained the crowds with some head-turning swings. In these exchanges, Cote's speed gave him a slight edge in the first round. To the delight of fans and probably the UFC/Spike TV brass looking on, rounds two and three also hosted some feverish trades of leather. Off an early flurry, Leben went for another takedown and the two fell simultaneously to the mat for the first time where Cote nestled into Leben's guard. The Montreal striker wanted to stand though, and ate a knee from Leben as he rose. Leben scored his first clean takedown shortly after, and Cote tied up his aggressor well, to the point where referee Herb Dean stood them for inactivity, and in the round's final seconds, Cote landed a punch just as Leben slipped to the ground. In round three, Leben again punched his way into the clinch and tried to wrestle Cote to the mat. Cote landed once more before being pushed to the now familiar fence and suddenly attempted a throw, probably at the most inopportune time. Cote twisted to his back instead with Leben in tow into a half guard, a commanding final position that probably gave him the round as well as the fight. Fans enjoy Stephan Bonnar's fighting. It's just that simple. Of course, it helps when opponents like Sam Hoger rise to the challenge. Starving for a meaty showdown that might go past the first round following a string of rapid bouts, Bonnar was just the man to deliver the goods. The versatile Bonnar caught Hoger's kick early on and secured the takedown, and while things quickly progressed like Bonnar would barrel over Hoger as he moved to half mount and began an elbow and punching onslaught, the Miletich Martial Arts fighter surprised when he caught Bonnar in a tight side choke and didn't let go. It was the first of numerous times where Hoger exceeded expectations in what would become an inspiring three round brawl that had the fans on their feet. Reversing out of Bonnar's mount in both the second and third rounds, Hoger also caught the better of the Chicago fighter at times on their feet, even after taking some hard combinations against the fence that might have floored a weaker soul. Still, Bonnar deservingly took it all in the end with another riveting performance that left him with a swelling, purple mouse under his left eye for his efforts. East coast fans might not have savored the flash KO of their boy Pete Sell at the hands of Team Quester Nate Quarry fourteen seconds in, but referee Cecil Peoples saw something that encouraged him to jump in after the middleweight took an angled follow-up left to his right cheek and fell to his back. Peoples was already moving in as Quarry dived in and nailed another punch, and though Sell's face might have looked somewhat alert, his body certainly wasn't defending. To make matters worse, spectators had a good few minutes to boil during a commercial break so they could really let America know what they thought of the stoppage once the show went live again. "I was moving in to get a closer look," said referee Peoples following the knockdown punch. "That second punch was what did it, absolutely not the first one." Continuing to impress with his natural athleticism, reinstated welterweight Josh Koscheck jumped a notable hurdle this evening on his way to a promising career in the sport. Kickboxer Pete Spatt certainly had the tools and experience to knock the All-American wrestler out if he had chosen to stand with him. Wisely, Koscheck felt out a brief passage on his feet with the Texan, then shot in for a single-leg takedown. Pinned against the fence, Spratt wiggled back up to his feet and Koscheck jumped his back. It took a few seconds for the rear naked choke to come, but when it did, Spratt fell backwards and quickly tapped 1:53 in. With the victory over Spratt, the 6-0 Koscheck crosses the threshold from novice to a fighter to watch. American Kickboxing Academy's Mike Swick has got the flashy name, he's got the flashy hands. With a left hook and follow-up right straight, he floored Keith Hackney student Gideon Ray in twenty-two seconds, "quickly" etching a reputation in fan's minds that he can conjure up the finish at will. Along with his ten second knockout of Alex Schoenauer at April's TUF Finale, will he be able to make it a three-peat in his next outing? It doesn't matter. "Swick Fu" converts will pay to watch anyway. Kenny Florian had something to prove in his return to the Octagon and the welterweight division he had temporarily departed to become a reality TV middleweight on TUF's first season. A finalist for the show after he had sliced Chris Leben's brow with an elbow in its semi-finals, Florian was steamrolled by grappling monster Diego Sanchez in the show's live finale. Tonight, Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Florian came out aggressive despite eating a crisp Karalexis punch in their first exchange, and threw high kicks and even a deflected flying knee. Yet, even though Florian was throwing more often, Karalexis's short punches in the clinch appeared to have more heat behind them. And then the kick came, a barreling left to Karalexis's right ribcage, and the Las Vegas transplant face contorted into a painful gasp as he backed away. Florian crowded Karalexis to the fence and tried to seal the deal with punches and knees to his opponent's tender side, but Karalexis fended and averted a possible finish. Circling off the fence, a more cautious Karalexis went back to his KO hunt, his side beginning to resemble the mark an iron would leave on a forgotten shirt. Again, Florian managed to land the same devastating kick to seal the first round nod. In the second, Karalexis began his offensive to turn the tides, landing a body shot and then a succession of combos on Florian along the fence. But, at the end of this exchange, again Florian threw an elbow and backed away. Raising his arms in the air, Florian saw first what the crowd saw minutes later on the jumbo screens—the bridge of Karalexis's nose had been split apart. A doctor's stoppage handed Florian his first Octagon victory. It was like watching a rear naked choke in slow motion, as welterweight Drew Fickett improved his record to 27-3 with an easy handling of Josh Neer in the first bout of the evening. Coming in at the bell with knees to close the distance for the clinch, Fickett beat Neer to a takedown and began to work in his guard. Iowan Neer managed to his feet, but always a step behind his confident opponent, couldn't find his bearings. Fickett took advantage of the Miletich Martial Arts upstart and hopped his back. Hooks in, Fickett slowly found his arm positioning and squeezed. Fickett pulled a waning Neer to the ground and waited for referee Steve Mazzagatti to step in when Neer wouldn't tap out. Mazzagatti finally surmised it was time to call it a day at 1:35 into the first round. UFN 1 Results
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