INDIANAPOLIS – Things haven't always been easy in the UFC for "The Ultimate Fighter 7" finalist
C.B. Dollaway.
But on Saturday night, they were.
Dollaway needed just 2 minutes and 13 seconds to submit Canadian veteran Joe Doerksen in the final preliminary bout of "UFC 119: Mir vs. Cro Cop," which took place at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The six-bout preliminary card, a portion of which was featured on Spike TV, preceded the evening's pay-per-view-broadcast main card.
After a patient start from both, Doerksen latched hold of a Dollaway kick and shoved him to the mat. But as Dollaway fell, he grabbed an arm-in guillotine and fell to his back. From there, the action stalled with "El Dirte" trapped and Dollaway refusing to exert himself any more than necessary.
After several tense seconds, it became obvious that the choke was not going to work. As Dollaway looked to adjust, Doerksen alertly rolled to escape. The ensuing scramble saw an intense series of rolls with one fighter looking for freedom and the other hanging onto the neck.
When the dust settled, it was the "Doberman" that was in control.
Dollaway kept control of the choke while removing the obstruction of Doerksen's arm, and the Canadian had no choice to tap as his opponent wrenched his neck.
By tapping an opponent with 33 submission wins to credit, Dollaway proved his grappling game is progressing nicely. It was a thrill even to the fighter, himself.
"I can't believe I even got that," Dollaway admitted. "I was worried about his submission game and avoiding it.
"I can't believe I caught that."
Dollaway (11-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) has now won three-straight contests and five of his past six. Doerksen (46-13 MMA, 2-6 UFC) falls to 1-1 in his latest octagon stint.
With their brawling styles, heavyweight bangers Matt Mitrione and Joey Beltran were expected to provide a rousing standup affair for the evening's first Spike TV-televised contest.
Mission accomplished.
An Indiana resident, Mitrione opened the fight brimming with confidence as he utilized a seven-inch reach advantage to pepper Beltran from the outside. But as the round wore on, Beltran began to answer back with rapid-fire shots of his own on the inside. Add in a takedown, and the "Mexicutioner" appeared to have weathered the early storm and claim the opening round.
It would be his last.
Mitrione remained light on his feet for the final two rounds as he pressed the action and landed punches in bunches. Beltran refused to wilt in the face of adversity, but "Meathead" was just a little quicker, a little busier and a little more accurate. Beltran landed a few solid shots in the final round, but the blood trickling down his face told the story of the fight.
In the end, all three judges awarded the fight to Mitrione, 29-28. The jubilant victor had nothing but praise for his opponent following the win.
"I heard he had a good chin before," Mitrione said. "He's got stones."
With the win, Mitrione (3-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) remains undefeated in his young career. Beltran (12-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) loses for the first time in the octagon.
In the night's final dark match, UFC newcomer Pat Audinwood worked hard to survive underneath a top-position attack from Brazilian grappling ace Thiago Tavares. But just as things started to look up for "Awesomely Awesome," they suddenly got really, really bad.
After an early takedown from Tavares, Audinwood kept his opponent at bay with a well-executed rubber guard. But Tavares was eventually able to advance to side control. Sensing the danger, Audinwood powered his way back to the feet. Unfortunately, Tavares was tracking his every move.
In the scramble back up, Tavares locked in a guillotine choke and squeezed tight. Audinwood tried hard to break free, but the hold was too tight, and he was forced to tap while still standing.
Following the win, Tavares credited one of his students for influencing his winning maneuver.
"That's actually a move I learned from my students," Tavares said. "I saw one of my students finish like that one day, and I decided to try it."
For Tavares (15-3-1 MMA, 5-3-1 UFC), the stoppage was his first submission win since a June 2007 win over Jason Black. Meanwhile, Audinwood (9-1-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) tastes defeat for the first time in his three-year career.
While the UFC's lightweight division often provides some of the promotion's best action, 155-pounders Waylon Lowe and Steve Lopez appeared hesitant to engage beyond single strikes for the majority of the opening two rounds. But with the fight hanging in the balance in the third frame, the pace – and blood – began to flow.
Lowe worked his opponent to the floor and opened up with a punching assault. Lopez fired back, but he took the worst of the exchanges as a huge gash was opened on his forehead. Blood poured out in generous quantities, though a check from ringside physicians didn't end the contest prematurely.
It didn't matter.
Lopez could not turn the tide in the final seconds, and MMAjunkie.com actually scored the fight 30-27 for Lowe. Judges saw thing a bit differently, and Lowe was forced to settle for a split-decision win, 29-28, 28-29, 29-28.
Lowe (9-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) earns his first octagon win after dropping his debut against Melvin Guillard in May, and he made little effort to discount the importance of that victory.
"I'm so happy to get my first UFC win," Lowe said. "This has been a dream of mine. I wanted to come out and I wanted to impress Joe (Silva) and Dana (White) so badly."
Meanwhile, Lopez (12-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) remains winless in his two UFC appearances.
With a 1-2 record in his past three octagon appearances, the ample-bearded T.J. Grant entered UFC 119 with the knowledge that a victory was paramount in his matchup with fellow welterweight Julio Paulino. Once the bell sounded, he fought accordingly.
While the crowd in attendance didn't always approve of his strategy, Grant stuck to a controlling gameplan throughout the 15-minute affair. Using a front headlock position to work Paulino to the floor on multiple occasions, Grant found himself in top position often in the fight. There were occasional submission attempts from the Canadian grappler, but for the most part, his concern focused on out-positioning the "Dominican Deacon."
It worked.
Paulino did work to the top in the closing seconds and land a few punches downhill, but it was far too little, too late. Grant was awarded the clear-cut decision, 30-27 on all three cards.
After the victory, Grant credited his opponent while admitting he had hoped to accomplish more in the matchup.
"I rushed a couple of submissions," Grant said. "I felt like my jiu-jitsu was a lot better, but he was good at escaping submissions. I went for a few bread-and-butter ones but he did not get caught.
"I felt like I should've thrown more strikes on the ground. He was strong though, and I felt like if I gave him too much space he would escape."
With the win, Grant (16-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) rebounds from a May loss to Johny Hendricks, while Paulino (17-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) is now winless in two octagon appearances.
The evening's first fight brought the Indianapolis crowd to its feet as hometown hero Sean McCorkle made quick work of K-1 veteran and eight-time PRIDE veteran Mark Hunt.
The former super heavyweights traded shots on the feet only briefly before McCorkle looked to take the fight to the floor. Hunt sprawled well, but McCorkle simply pulled guard and went to work from his back.
The 6-foot-7 "Big Sexy" failed to sweep his more compact opponent, but he used the failed reversal to lock in a kimura which he cranked immediately with sufficient power. Hunt had no choice but to tap just 67 seconds into his UFC debut.
Following the win, McCorkle admitted his original intention for locking in the kimura was simply to change positions.
"I felt relaxed in guard, and to tell you the truth, I was trying to sweep him with the kimura," McCorkle said. "But once I got it to that point, I felt he was in pain and I knew I was going to get the tap.
"If I get 'Submission of the Night,' that would be awesome, too. I've never fought in front of more than 1,500 people, so this was amazing."
An Indianapolis resident, McCorkle (10-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) remains undefeated with the win. Meanwhile, Hunt (5-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who was brought into the UFC due a contractual obligation pertaining to the UFC's 2007 purchase of PRIDE, has now lost six-straight MMA contests.
OFFICIAL PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS C.B. Dollaway def. Joe Doerksen via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 2:13 Matt Mitrione def. Joey Beltran via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Thiago Tavares def. Pat Audinwood via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 3:47Waylon Lowe def. Steve Lopez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)T.J. Grant def. Julio Paulino via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)Sean McCorkle def. Mark Hunt via submission - Round 1, 1:03For more on UFC 119, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of MMAjunkie.com.
(Pictured: C.B. Dollaway)
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