Attached is our coverage of tonight’s UFC 47: It’s On from Las Vegas. We’ve got a brief summary of the event and the only true round by round, blow by blow match recaps on the web, and the only place to get a detailed recap of Texan Yves Edwards’ match against Hermes Franca. Check it out by clicking on READ MORE. Enjoy.
UFC 47: It’s On
April 2, 2004
Mandalay Bay Events Center
Las Vegas, NV
by Paul Erickson
UFC 47: It’s On was the long-awaited epic meeting of the light-heavyweight rivals and former friends, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell. In a case of MMA-meets-soap-opera, the long-running drama of Ortiz vs. Liddell has been one of speculation and hypothesis as to whether they would ever actually fight. That would come to an end tonight as the two light heavyweight contenders would finally face each other on the road to each avenging their respective losses to Randy Couture. Unfortunately the magnitude of the event was marred somewhat by the last minute juggling of the card caused by the failure of Tim Sylvia to pass a last-minute urinalysis by the NSAC. Sylvia apparently still had trace amounts of Winstrol in his system from the original usage that had him suspended months ago. In his place, Wesley “Cabbage” Correira was bumped up to take his place in a non-title fight against Andre Arlovski. To take Correira’s place against Mike Kyle, controversial behemoth Wes “The Experiment” Sims was called into play as a last minute replacement.
The stage was set for last minute changes to possibly sabotage some of the energy of the event, however a night of great fights and finishes proved a great crowd pleaser. In attendance for the huge matchup between Ortiz and Liddell were stars such as George Clooney, Carson Daly, Michael Clarke Duncan, Chuck Zito, NWAs Jeff Jarrett, Fernando Vargas, Juliette Lewis, and Joe “Joey Pants” Pantoliano.
Full play by play recaps of each fight are featured at the very end, however brief rundowns of the fight are below, followed by a summary of the event and some comments on the postfight press conference.
Genki Sudo faced Mike Brown, and gave a solid performance on the way to finishing Brown with a triangle/armbar in round one. Brown had a good takedown and showed some good skills, but could not overcome Sudos ground game, submitting to a triangle/armbar in the first round. Sudo didnt get the chance to show much of his usual over the top antics but fans can look forward to a definite return for another chance to see some more trademark Sudo madness.
Wade Shipp and John Wiezorek fought in a one round war, with both fighters coming out hard and Wiezorek absorbing equal amounts of punishment and fatigue to score a comeback TKO on Shipp in the first round. Shipp was doing a good job controlling the clinch and repeatedly got head control and fired knees and inside punches on Wiezorek. Wiesorek looked like hell at the press conference, but victory seemed to have him feeling no pain.
On the main card, Wes Sims and Mike Kyle led off the first bout. All eyes were on Sims, the last minute replacement who always seems embroiled in controversy. The two fighters clinched and Sims went for a guillotine and fell to guard. After a stalemate and standup, Kyle hit Sims with several punishing knees and punches, and dropped him with a shot to the chin. There was some unresolved controversy over whether or not Kyle bit Sims on the chest during the guillotine attempt.
Robbie Lawler looked to make a leap back into his division with a victory over Nick Diaz, however Diaz elected to battle on the feet and seemed to get into the head of an abnormally tentative Lawler. Diazs tactic paid off, as he eventually sent Lawler crashing down to the ground with a shot to the chin during a flurry. This is even more ironic since Diaz was expected to try and work the ground game as one of Cesar Gracies fighters and Lawler was expected to destroy him standing up – except Diaz had been working a lot of standup. A huge upset for Diaz, and a disappointing loss for Lawler. Lawler seemingly has not been the same go for broke fighter after his loss to Pete Spratt.
Cabbage Correira stepped up to fill the shoes of Tim Sylvia in taking on Belarussian juggernaut Andre Arlovski. Arlovski, for lack of better words, looked like the cat and Cabbage was the mouse. Arlovski worked a good outside game and was simply sharper and faster to the punch and kick than Cabbage on multiple occasions. Cabbage landed a couple of good kicks and a good knee, but never really got off on Arlovski. Arlovski on the other hand, settled in and got the range, and eventually felled Cabbage at the end of two good exchanges where he landed heavy shots on Cabbages head multiple times. Arlovski expressed his surprise at the strength of Cabbages chin at the postifight press conference. A title shot is probably next for Arlovski, who looks strong, fast, and well rounded.
Texan Yves Edwards looked good in his match against American Top Team BJJ black belt Hermes Franca. In an extremely close fight, Edwards got the split decision after avoiding and counterattacking many submission attempts from Franca. Edwards moves up in line for the lightweight title, and with any luck will have a title shot very soon given the scarcity of depth in the lightweight division.
Chris Lytle looked good in his bout against the always-aggressive Tiki Ghosn. The two fighters seemed locked in a fairly even striking battle , with Lytle able to take Tiki down after catching several of his kicks. The tide truly turned when Lytle was able to get the clinch and a scramble, and lock in his own version of the Carlos Newton Schoolyard Headlock Choke to tap Tiki in the second round. Both fighters looked good, and the wheel of luck again goes against Tiki.
Chuck Liddell proved the folly of Tito Ortizs promise to stand with him, by overwhelming Tito with a flurry and knocking Ortiz out in the 2nd round. They both circled and probed for most of the first round but Chuck seemed to land more consistently. Liddell ends the squabble in convincing fashion, and Ortiz immediately got up after the knockout to shake Chucks hand. This fight was proof that sometimes logic is your friend – dont trade blows with a more seasoned striker.
At the postfight press conference, there were the standard thank yous and speeches from the fighters, but there were a few highlights. Genki Sudo received the Tapout Submission of the Night award and smiled like a little kid when he got it. Tito self-deprecatingly said he was a jackass for trying to stand with Chuck, and that he was a stubborn man that didnt listen to everyone. Yves Edwards stated that he was going to knock Josh Thompson out when Josh commented during Yves postfight speech. Ricco Rodriguez had beef with Mike Kyle during the Q&A, stating that if Kyle ever tried to bite him, he would basically punish and destroy Kyle. Kyle fired back and the two began to escalate threats of MMA-related bodily harm until Dana White laughed and cut them off to conclude the press conference before the smack talk got too heavy.
Overall, another exciting event and great show for the UFC in Vegas; the show sold out again and pulled a new record live gate of $1.7 million in revenue. The Mandalay Bay will seemingly be the new home for the UFC in Vegas as both parties are happy with the arrangement.
Preliminary Bouts
Genki “The Neo-Samurai” Sudo vs. Mike “Mayhem” Brown
Round 1: They touch gloves, Sudo immediately gets into a low stance, clowning for a bit. They clinch near the fence, with Sudos back to the fence. Brown tries to scoop up the single but Sudo gets his leg free, They trade some knees from inside the clinch against the fence. Sudo is able to trip and take down Brown, there is a scramble and they are back to standing clinch, Brown now is able to take Sudo down with a slam. Sudo immediately starts looking for submissions and Brown escapes a triangle attempt. Brown is in Sudos open guard, attempting some GNP, Sudo maneuvers them away from the fence using his feet. Brown keeps working GNP as Sudo looks for submission opportunities. Sudo gets his legs high and locks in a triangle/armbar. Brown fights it hard, landing some good fists to Sudos head as he defends, but Sudo steps it up and cranks the arm hard, and Brown taps to the armbar at 3:31 R1.
Wade “Nightmare” Shipp vs. John “Lock & Load” Wiezorek
Round 1: Wiezorek rushes Shipp, and Shipp quickly goes for head control, and nails him with a solid knee. The two trade on the feet, and Shipp gets the better of Wiezorek, landing knees iniside the clinch and body shots as well. Wiezorek still goes for the clinch and tries a lateral drop on Shipp, and gets it, but Shipp quickly recovers and fights his way back to standing. Wiezorek is tired/rocked, and Shipp capitalizes by throwing a big knee. The pace slows as both continue infighting in the clinch. Wiezorek looks fatigued; he falls while attempting a takedown. They continue fighting for control in the clinch near the fence. Wiezorek looks like he is overreaching for the guillotine in the clinch at an odd angle over Shipps back, and executes a trip takedown. There is a scramble as Shipp escapes the attempted guillotine and Wiezorek gets Shipps back and breaks him down flat. Wiezorek starts throwing a long series of unanswered shots to Shipps head until the ref stops it for a great comeback TKO victory for Wiezorek at 4:39 R1.
Main Card
Wes Sims vs. Mike Kyle
Round 1: Sims holds a hand out baiting Kyle and throws a high kick that misses. Kyle closes and clinches, drives Sims to the fence where they fight for control. Kyle has a bodylock on Sims but cant capitalize. Sims takes a guillotine with an arm in and falls to guard but cant get it. Sims then switches to a side choke with Kyle in his closed guard (leg triangle) which Kyle escapes. Kyle tries to GNP and Sims keeps tying him up and looking for the standup or escape. Kyle scores with some big shots and goes for a can opener which Sims just ignores. The two stalemate for a few minutes and are stood up. Sims looks noticeably tired. Kyle lands a good shot on Sims which staggers him and then Kyle closes to clinch, gets head control, and blasts Sims with a hard knee to the head and several to the body This is the beginning of the end, as Kyle lands another hard knee that staggers Sims again, then a shot to the head and a final hard right hand to the chin that crumples Sims to the ground next to the fence. Mike Kyle wins by KO at 4:29 R1. Sims had a noticeable bite mark on his chest which Kyle attributed to being incidental during the guillotine or side choke attempts.
Robbie Lawler vs. Nick Diaz
Round 1: The two circle, Diaz starts to taunt Lawler to throw on him, Diaz continues to chase and they have a brief skirmish where Lawler trips but is back on his feet before Diaz can capitalize. They continue to circle and skirmish but Lawler seems tentative. Diaz clinches and lands a knee. They go back to skirmishing and circling, with Diaz almost daring Lawler to engage. Diaz lands a shot that seems to wake Lawler up but Lawler disengages after a brief exchange. Diaz continues to taunt Lawler. Definitely not the same Robbie Lawler. They clinch against the fence, with Lawlers back to the fence and both fighters trading knees. Both fighters infight until Lawler escapes the clinch with a good hook, and now seems the same lawler, now going after Diaz. In the exchange that follows lawler is the aggressor and even lands a flying knee. The two continue to skirmish, with Lawler engaging more and landing several solid shots on Diaz. Lawler avoids three kicks from Diaz, who than lands two low kicks to Robbies lead leg. Both fighters throw punches as the round ends.
Round 2: The two again circle, with Diaz landing a light low kick, Lawler getting off a good exchange, and Diaz landing another low kick. They continue to skirmish but again it seems Lawler is constantly giving ground to Diaz. Finally they stand and exchange and it seems that Lawler gets some solid shots in but Diaz catches Lawler with a solid shot right to the chin that drops him like a stone. Diaz gets the KO and the ref stops it, but at the same time Lawler is fighting to get up and cant believe it.. his KO-short-circuited body betrays him and he stumbles backward into the fence. Diaz wins with the upset knockout at 1:31 R2
Wesley “Cabbage” Correira vs. Andrei Arlovski
Round 1: They square off, both fighters feeling each other out. Arlovski throws some jabs and tentative low kicks to probe. Arlovski skirmishes with Cabbage once, landing a punch and a low kick, and seems to get his range, and starts to circle and work on Cabbage, with landing occasional low kicks and launching punches that Cabbage avoids by backing up. Cabbage seems tentative likely due to the low kicks. Arlovski lands several hard shots and Cabbage comes after him and Arlovski lands several more good shots. Arlovski circles and lands a hard low kick. Arlovski seems content to circle and hack at Cabbage with outside leg kicks, until he lands a low kick and lands a couple of shots to Cabbages head. Arlovski rushes forward to capitalize and lands a couple of more shots but Cabbage comes firing back. Cabbage is bleeding from his left ear. Arlovski continues to work, getting Cabbage against the fence and landing some good shots, and Cabbage still goes after him. On the following exchange Cabbage lands a big knee that may have stunned Arlovski, but Arlovski deftly backs out and circles away too fast for Cabbage to capitalize.
Round 2: They circle, Arlovski lands another inside leg kick, Cabbage answers back landing a leg kick of his own. Arlovski lands another inside leg kick, and a few seconds later lands a punch that stuns Cabbage and he pounces, landing many hard shots in the exchange. They disengage, and Arlovski circles for a second or two and goes after Cabbage again, landing an uppercut that stuns Cabbage and the followup shot that drops Cabbage (who falls head over heels). Cabbage only seemed stunned and was up immediately, but the ref stops the fight in a TKO for Arlovski at 1:15 R2.
Yves Edwards vs. Hermes Franca
Round 1: They circle, with Hermes throwing some big shots that miss, and a couple of kicks that do no damage. The two continue to circle until Franca shoots a good takedown and spins as Edwards sprawls, briefly getting on top of Edwards, But Edwards scrambles and gets out, ending up in Francas guard. Franca looks for opportunities as Edwards lands a few good shots and passes to half guard. Edwards gets back to standing and lets Franca up after a brief stalemate. The two square off briefly and Yves lans a hard jab-low kick combo. Franca shoots from far away but Yves quickly avoids it. Franca lands a low kick. Yves avoids Francas attempts to close and lands a low kick. Franca misses a high kick and slips and gets back up. Yves seems to be circling and picking his shots now, his reach is apparently a problem for Franca. Yves blocks a big high kick from Franca, who shortly thereafter shoots and takes Yves down against the fence. Yves quickly escaps back to standing as Franca attempts to land punchs against the fence. They circle and Franca shoots again, sprawled on by Edwards. Franca pulls guard and Yves lands a good shot from inside guard before the round ends.
Round 2: Franca again tries two high kicks that dont land. The two continue to circle with Yves going for a low kick and landing, but Franca capitalizes and takes Yves down, ending in Edwards closed guard. The two pretty much stalemate but Franca is able to pass to Edward half guard eventually. Edwards reverses Franca and ends in Francas open guard. Edwards attempts to scramble and escape and Franca goes for an armbar, Yves avoids it but Franca goes for a kneebar and then a footlock, Edwards escapes both and gets back to standing. Franca goes for a takedown again and goes for a heel hook on Edwards, who sits there defying Francas attempts to leg lock him. Franca gives up and comes forward on Edwards, who scrambles and is able to get back to standing. Franca throws some kicks and a flying knee to close the round on a high note with the judges.
Round 3: Franca throws a hook and drops level to try and pick Yves’ ankle but Edwards escapes. Edwards goes for a low kick which Franca catches and takes him down with. Franca is in Edwards half guard. Edwards goes for a kimura, and Franca spins and goes for an armbar which Edwards pulls out of. Edwards kick at the now-buttscooting Franca but he lets Franca back up, and they skirmish but Franca throws a flurry of blows and tries to take Edwards down again, pulling guard. Edwards backs out to standing and lets Franca up. Both miss with huge punches. Franca drops level and shoots again, Edwards sprawls on the single but Franca stays in there Edwards lands shots to the body as Franca finally concedes and Edwards ends in Francas guard. Edwards tries some shoulder shots, and eventually backs out to standing again, They are restarted on the feet, Franca shoots and Edwards executes a huge sprawl, Franca goes to guard and tries a kneeebar but Edwards defends successfully, jamming Franca and throwing shots. Franca switches position, still trying for a kneebar and Edwards continues jamming the move and landing punches on Franca as the fight ends. Edwards wins by split decision. Very close fight.
Chris “Lights Out” Lytle vs. Tiki Ghosn
Round 1: Tiki and Lytle circle, getting a feel for each other with probing punches and leg kicks. A few shots land here and there until Lygle lands a low kick and Tiki immediately throws a counter low kick which Lytle catches and trips Tkik for the Takeodwn, Ghosn immediately scrambles and is able to escape. The two continue to skirmish, with Lytle being the bigger aggressor of the two. The two keep picking at each other. Tiki lands a good low kick. The two fighters continue to skirmish, Tiki throws a low kick that Lytle catches and tries to take Tiki down with, Tiki defends and throws a knee, they clinch and infight with knees and short punches against the fence. Tiki is able to land a good forearm-punch, bodykick flurry. They go back to center ring and Lytle backs up Tiki with a good punch. The two go back to skirmishing from the outside to close the round.
Round 2: The two skirmish again, with both fighters landing occasional punches and low kicks from the outside. Tiki scores with a good one-two bodykick combo. Lytle and Tiki start trading from close range, eventually Tiki throws a body kick that Lytle catches and uses to trip and take Tiki down with. Lytle is able to pass Tikis guard, and Tiki scrambles, and Lytle takes his back momentarily. Tiki tries to avoid this but gets caught in more or less a head lock choke and has to tap out at 1:55 R2.
Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz
Round 1: They meet at center ring, both probing with punches. Both continue to circle and probe, neither really getting off. Tito tries to shoot but Liddell backs away immediately. Both keep circling and probing, neither really landing any big shots. Chuck lands a decent straight. Tito tries to clinch but Chuck circles away. Tito lands a shot but Chuck circles away. They go back to circling and probing, with the occasional one-two. Chuck seems to land more on average. Chuck flurries and hits mostly Titos guard, throws a high kick that is partially blocked but Tito gestures for more just as the round ends.
Round 2: They start off with more of the same but Chuck launches a flurry on Tito that backs him to the fence, and Chuck opens up, Tito has his guard up but too many shots get through and Tito gets dropped next to the fence and Liddell hits him with a followup shot before the ref steps in to stop the bout. Chuck Liddell wins by knockout at :38 R2.