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UFC 137 Results and Play-by-Play

Sherdog.com will report from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas at 6:15 p.m. ET with play-by-play and live results of UFC 137, which is headlined by a welterweight contest between B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card.

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Press F5 on your keyboard to refresh this page, as play-by-play is updated in real time.


Dustin Jacoby vs. Clifford Starks

Round 1
The Octagon newcomers are taking their time, feeling one another out in the opening minute with Starks in the center and Jacoby on the outside. Starks is throwing out more combinations, but it’s Jacoby who sticks his man first with a stiff straight right. Jacoby splits the guard of Starks with a left hand and Starks replies with a right hand over the top. Midway through the round, neither man has taken a clear advantage, as Jacoby continues to sidestep Starks’ punches and look for his own. Starks goes to the body with a right hand as the slow-paced round enters its last minute. With 30 seconds to go, Starks grabs a single-leg and plows Jacoby to the mat. Jacoby turns to his right side and immediately starts working on a kimura from the bottom, but time runs out before he can lock it up.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-10
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Starks
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Starks

Round 2
Jacoby plugs Starks with three left straights in the first minute of the second frame. It’s moving at the same pace as the first, with Jacoby in the center this time. Jacoby grazes Starks with a turning kick, goes for a walk and slips an overhand right from his opponent. Starks is looking for the homerun shot, loading up on his right hand, but the taller Jacoby is aware of it and doing well to get out of the way. Starks closes the distance and ducks inside for another easy single-leg takedown. Jacoby quickly closes up his guard and ties up the arms of Starks to negate any strikes. Starks throws a few half-hearted elbows as he presses his face to Jacoby’s chest, then connects more soundly with a left hand. Starks puts a couple short right hands on the body and another flurry of lefts on Jacoby’s face before the round ends.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Starks
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Starks
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Starks

Round 3
Jacoby is still looking to box as the final frame begins, but his work rate is slowing and Starks is finding more success with his left hand counterpunches. With just over three minutes to go, Starks gets another easy takedown. This time, Jacoby keeps his guard a bit more active, angling for escape and digging his heel into Starks’ body, but still doesn’t attempt any submissions. Starks gets to side control for a split second, then voluntarily returns to half-guard as Jacoby frames up a kimura on Starks’ left arm. Starks does well to defend until Jacoby gives it up with 45 seconds to go. Starks finishes off the fight in top position, unloading punches.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Starks (30-28 Starks)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Starks (30-27 Starks)
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Starks (30-27 Starks)

Official result: All three judges score the bout 30-27 for the winner by unanimous decision, Clifford Starks. Judges’ names are not announced.

Chris Camozzi vs. Francis Carmont

Round 1
The middleweights trade leg kicks to open the bout, then Carmont goes to the body. Carmont gets a hold of Camozzi’s right leg and drags him to the canvas at the base of the cage. A nice left hand by Carmont has Camozzi scrambling to his feet, where he’s met by Carmont’s knee. Camozzi gets back up and reverses the position, putting Carmont’s back on the fence and looking for a trip. Carmont stays vertical and relaxed as Camozzi hugs and leans his weight on the Frenchman. Carmont drills a knee to Camozzi’s gut and steps out. They clinch up again and Carmont puts another pair of hard knees on Camozzi’s belly before going low to pick the ankle. Camozzi goes to a knee, pops up and takes a knee to the chest from the lanky Carmont. Down to the last 60 seconds of the round, Camozzi gets out of the clinch and walks Carmont down with punches. Camozzi tries a leaping knee of his own and shoves Carmont into the cage again. The American tries another single-leg, but Carmont keeps it on the feet.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Carmont
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Carmont
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Carmont

Round 2
Carmont comes out striking for the second, but it’s not long before Camozzi has him clinched against the cage again. Camozzi goes low, can’t find a takedown and stands back up, where he’s drilled with a series of knees to the body and head. Carmont is keeping active with his back to the cage while Camozzi stalls out from the dominant position. Carmont grabs the Thai plum and lets loose with a few more knees which cause Camozzi to back out. Carmont walks him down, scores with another knee and puts Camozzi on the cage. Camozzi tries to escape and gives up his back standing. He tries to shake Carmont, but the Tristar Gym fighter lifts Camozzi into the air and slams him to the mat with authority. Carmont is standing above Camozzi, dodging upkicks and thumping Camozzi with punches. Camozzi tries to stand and is drilled by a right uppercut-left hook combo from Carmont that sends him to his back. Carmont tries to polish off his bloodied opponent, but Camozzi survives, even trying for a guillotine at the end of the round.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Carmont
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-8 Carmont
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Carmont

Round 3
Carmont has Camozzi rocked with another combination early in the round, but Camozzi just comes straight forward and clinches up. Carmont breaks off, socks his man with an uppercut, an elbow, then has a head kick blocked. Camozzi hugs Carmont and tries to trip him up, but can’t and instead settles for the familiar position, leaning on the cage. Referee Herb Dean threatens to split the inactive fighters up, but doesn’t get the chance before they disengage. Camozzi gets off a few outside leg kicks and sends a left hand down the pipe. He sprawls on a high double-leg from Carmont, but Carmont gets the takedown anyway and goes into Camozzi’s full guard with just under two minutes remaining. Carmont stands up and won’t allow Camozzi to his feet, slapping with a few kicks to Camozzi’s legs before finally stepping back. Camozzi charges and clinches, but not for long, as ref Dean breaks them quickly this time. Carmont lands a kick to the legs, one to the body, and he dodges a punching attack from Camozzi. With seconds to go, Carmont gets a waistlock and Camozzi tries for a last-ditch kimura, but it doesn’t come.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Carmont (30-27 Carmont)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Carmont (30-26 Carmont)
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Carmont (30-27 Carmont)

Official result: The judges’ scorecards read 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27, all in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Francis Carmont.

Ramsey Nijem vs. Danny Downes

Round 1
Nijem closes the distance on Downes and tries for a single-leg against the fence. The Roufusport fighter defends momentarily, but Nijem drags him down and is soon trying to take Downes’ back. Downes escapes the bad position and Nijem chases him with a solid flurry of punches. Nijem gets another takedown and drops punches from half-guard as Downes tries to pick the ankle and escape out the backdoor. Downes works back to his feet and puts his back on the cage, but it doesn’t keep him standing. Nijem gets another easy takedown, drops a few elbows and then knees Downes’ legs and thighs when he stands back up. Nijem takes Downes down one more time, hops on his back and locks up a rear-naked choke. Downes is resisting , so Nijem lets go and socks him in the head a few times. Nijem tries to slap on the choke again, and again Downes peels his hands off. The third time looks to be the charm for Nijem, but again Downes guts out the deep choke and escapes to his feet. Nijem hits another single leg, Downes gets up and Nijem gets him down again. Another RNC attempt from Nijem yields nothing, but he finishes the round on Downes’ back, punching at his head.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Nijem
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Nijem
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Nijem

Round 2
Nijem opens up the round with a solid one-two on Downes’ chin and then goes for another takedown. Downes catches the diving Nijem’s head in an inverted triangle and throws strikes to the body, but soon loses the position. With Nijem back on top, Downes tries for a guillotine, then settles for restoring full guard. Downes looks to roll for a leglock with Nijem in side control, and Nijem uses the opportunity to hop into full mount. Downes gives up his back and Nijem slaps on the RNC again, but again cannot finish. Nijem goes back to full mount and gives up the position to try and take the back again. Instead, Downes works to his feet and Nijem sticks to his back there. Nijem tries to loosen Downes up for the RNC with a few more elbows, but the choke just won’t stick. The round ends with Downes locked in a body triangle, a large mouse sprouting beneath his left eye.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Nijem
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Nijem
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Nijem

Round 3
Nijem has his first takedown attempt stifled, but the second one works. Downes is on his back again less than 40 seconds into the final frame and is being shoved into the cage after a minute. Nijem traps the right arm of Downes between his legs, gives it up and tries to take the back instead. He winds up in north-south position, elbowing at Downes’ head. Nijem hops on Downes’ back with three minutes left in the fight and sinks a single hook in, keeping his balance in the position as Downes tries to stand. Nijem keeps him on the floor and peppers with right hands; Downes is just hanging in there, not mounting any sort of offense in return. Nijem takes the back, locks up a tight body triangle and tries the RNC again. It doesn’t work, so Nijem postures up and drops punches on the turtling Downes as referee Josh Rosenthal hovers nearby. Downes survives to hear the final horn.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Nijem (30-26 Nijem)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-8 Nijem (30-26 Nijem)
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Nijem (30-27 Nijem)

Official result: The judges have it 30-25, 30-26 and 30-27, all for the winner by unanimous decision, Ramsey Nijem.

Brandon Vera vs. Eliot Marshall

Round 1
Vera backs Marshall up with some low kicks and Marshall tries to answer with a body kick. Some more chopping kicks land on the inside of Marshall’s legs before Vera gets inside and clinches on the fence with one underhook. Marshall breaks off and rushes Vera with knees and a series of right hands, one of which appears to stun “The Truth.” Vera stays up, though, and slows the pace by muscling Marshall into the cage and driving knees into Marshall’s thighs. Referee Kim Winslow splits them up with a minute remaining and Vera gets off a few more strong leg kicks before the round expires.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Vera
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Vera
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Vera

Round 2
Marshall absorbs a couple more leg kicks before initiating the clinch and digging for a single-leg. Vera avoids the takedown and reverses the position, keeping busy with inside knees before dumping Marshall to the ground with a trip. Vera sits in Marshall’s half-guard as Marshall grabs the fence to try and escape and is admonished by referee Winslow. Marshall scrambles to his feet with 80 seconds left and eats a knee for his trouble. Vera is keeping Marshall pinned to the cage, not mounting much offence, and Winslow resets them with 30 seconds remaining. The round ends without any further significant offense.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Vera
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Vera
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Vera

Round 3
Both men look tired, the pace slowing in the opening minute of the final frame, until Marshall drops Vera with a big right cross. Vera’s legs buckle and Marshall gives chase, sitting atop Vera and punching away while Winslow looks on intently. Vera covers up, works back to his feet and clinches Marshall on the fence. Marshall gets the fight to the ground and jumps on Vera’s back, sinking both hooks in as he hunts for the rear-naked choke. Vera is controlling Marshall’s right arm, keeping himself safe from the RNC but leaving himself open for an armbar. Marshall sees the opening and peels off, extending Vera’s arm. Vera keeps calm, extracts the limb and makes it to the final horn.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Marshall (29-28 Vera)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-8 Marshall (29-29 Draw)
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Marshall (29-28 Vera)

Official result: All three judges score the bout 29-28 in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Brandon Vera.

Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski

Round 1
Palaszewski flicks out a crisp leg kick on the much shorter Griffin, who answers in kind. Griffin stands low in the pocket, waiting to counterpunch on Palaszewski and connecting with a few. Palaszewski clips Griffin with a pair of hooks and Griffin stands back up, his back to the fence. Palaszewski chases him down and unloads with 10 or 12 hard punches. Griffin avoids a few of them by covering up, but drops his guard just long enough for a crushing right hook to find his face. Griffin crumbles to the mat, unconscious, and referee Steve Mazzagatti intervenes at 2:45 of the opening round.

Dennis Siver vs. Donald Cerrone

Round 1
Cerrone goes to the body of Siver with a kick early, and the German counters with a quick combination. Siver looks to keep the lanky “Cowboy” at range with a push kick, but Cerrone gets inside to put punches on anyway. A high kick has Siver on rubber legs and Cerrone tries to pounce, but Siver keeps his composure and rushes Cerrone into the fence. Siver seems to regain his wits as he throws knees at Cerrone’s head. Cerrone breaks away and Siver tags him with a pawing hook. Cerrone thuds a kick to Siver’s body, then drops him with another kick to the jaw. Siver is in dire straits this time as Cerrone leaps on his back and flattens him out, belly down. Cerrone sinks in the rear-naked choke and Siver taps the mat in submission at 2:22 of the first round.

Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop

Round 1
Hioki goes to touch gloves, but Roop wants none of it and circles away. Both lanky featherweights are aiming high with leg kicks early, but it’s a right straight from Roop which becomes the first meaningful strike of the bout. Hioki fires off a solid combination before he catches an inside thigh kick on the cup. He takes a moment to recover and they’re back to business. Hioki uses a left jab to get inside and dig an underhook on Roop. He grapples with Roop along the fence, trying to trip the American but finding no success. Hioki throws a couple weak knees to Roop’s thighs, then lands a little stronger to the body. Hioki has underhooks and Roop uses both hands to push the Shooto champ’s face. Hioki sees the opportunity to turn the corner and take Roop’s back standing. Roop twists around to escape danger, then gets hurled to the canvas by Hioki with a big slam. Hioki lands in side control and tries to spin to the other side, and Roop regains full guard. Hioki catches a stiff elbow from the bottom and backs away from Roop, who scrambles to his feet. Roop is warned for grabbing Hioki’s shorts in the clinch. He chases Hioki down and lands a few punches in close quarters before the first frame ends.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Roop
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Roop
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-10

Round 2
Roop zaps Hioki with a one-two and has a head kick blocked, then chases his man down and rips a punch to the body. Roop is aggressively looking for the head kick. He gets too close to Hioki, who wraps Roop up and trips him to the ground, landing in full mount. Hioki is riding high and hops off to side control on Roop’s left side. They’re in the middle of the cage with plenty of space for Hioki to work as he leans across, framing up a keylock. Hioki drives a few knees into Roop’s body before taking full mount again. Butterfly hooks now for Hioki, who stays flat on Roop and postures up to throw occasional punches. Roop nearly scoots out, but Hioki puts him back down and threatens with a headlock. Finally, with seconds left in the round, Roop shoves Hioki off and drills him in the face with a right upkick. Hioki wheels back and tries to dodge Roops punches for the few remaining seconds.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Hioki
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Hioki
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Hioki

Round 3
Roop drives forward almost immediately and brings Hioki down, but Hioki pops back up. Roop sprawls on a double-leg from Hioki, who settles for bullying Roop into the fence. The featherweights pummel for position inside until Roop establishes the dominant position and scores with a few knees. He stomps Hioki’s foot, the only offense taking place at the last round’s midway point. Referee Josh Rosenthal asks them to work and then breaks them up. Roop, who’s now cut on his cheek, drive Hioki down and scoots him to the fence. Hioki throws up his legs, angling for an arm or a triangle. He catches Roop in the face with a foot and referee Rosenthal warns him to watch the upkicks. There’s little action in the final 30 seconds, with Roop throwing sporadic shots on top and trying to break the posture of Hioki, who ends avoiding damage on the bottom.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Roop (29-28 Roop)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Roop (29-28 Roop)
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Roop (29-29 Draw)

Official result: One judge scores the bout 29-28 in favor of George Roop, while the remaining two officials see it 29-28 for the winner by split decision, Hatsu Hioki.

Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran

Round 1
Curran is mixing it up early, kicking to the legs and the body, even slipping a right hand through. Jorgensen soon decides to bring the fight to the floor, however, and does so with ease, planting Curran on his back in the middle of the cage. Curran ties up, trying to negate the space, while Jorgensen works to pass and lands a couple hard, short punches to the face. Jorgensen is having trouble passing and throwing strikes as Curran keeps tight and nearly sweeps to the top. Jorgensen backs out and then goes back to Curran’s open guard, 90 seconds left in the round. Curran barely gets to his feet before Jorgensen brings him straight back down. Referee Kim Winslow wants the bantamweights back up with 40 seconds left. Curran puts a left hand on Jorgensen and misses with another pair of winging punches. Jorgensen finishes the round with another takedown.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Jorgensen
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Jorgensen
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Jorgensen

Round 2
Curran has a head kick blocked and tries to take Jorgensen’s head off with an overhand right. He shoots a single-leg on Jorgensen, who sprawls and catches the “Big Frog” in a front headlock. Jorgensen throws knees at Curran’s body and head until Curran leans down to put a hand on the mat. Curran pulls his head out and throws a knee up high which Jorgensen catches and uses to score another takedown. Curran pops back up and Jorgensen finds himself trapped in a guillotine, but expertly twists out of it. Jorgensen ducks a punch from Curran and shoves him away, then ties up and trips Curran to the floor. Curran has his back to the fence, keeping Jorgensen stifled with butterfly guard. Jorgensen turns Curran away from the fence and works some grinding ground-and-pound from Curran’s active guard. Curran squirts out and Jorgensen drives forward on a leg. Curran catches and keeps Jorgensen on his knees for the last 20 seconds.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Jorgensen
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Curran
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Jorgensen

Round 3
Curran scores well with jabs and uppercuts in the opening minute of the last frame, while Jorgensen covers up and counterstrikes, throwing leg kicks. Nonetheless, it’s Curran who’s bleeding from the nose 90 seconds into the frame. Curran ties up with the forward-moving Jorgensen, who keeps moving forward, landing knees to the body and putting Curran on the fence. Curran shoves Jorgensen off and they go back to trading tit-for-tat punches in the last minute. Jorgensen scores with a pair of right hands; Curran lands an inside leg kick and shoots a long shot. Jorgensen sprawls and puts Curran on his back, finishing the fight in side control.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Curran (29-28 Jorgensen)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-10 (29-29 Draw)
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Curran (29-28 Jorgensen)

Official result: Two judges score the bout 29-28 while one sees it 30-27, all in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Scott Jorgensen.

Mirko Filipovic vs. Roy Nelson

Round 1
The heavyweights meet in the center of the cage and shake hands even before their names are announced. When the bell rings, Filipovic circles actively away from Nelson, who ducks low and tries to get inside with overhand punches. After a minute, “Big Country” finds his opening and puts Cro Cop on his back. The Croatian closes up his guard and Nelson lays his forearm across Cro Cop’s throat. Nelson is posturing up, trying to extract his arms from Filipovic’s clutches to rain punches. Cro Cop creates space to get up and socks Nelson with a left hand, grazes with a high kick. Nelson lands his big right hand and Cro Cop backs up, then comes straight forward with a strong left uppercut. Cro Cop scores with a left uppercut and continues circling, pecking away as Nelson gives chase. Nelson connects with another right, eats a straight left.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Filipovic
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Filipovic
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Nelson

Round 2
Nelson stuns Cro Cop with another overhand right, but Filipovic turns the tides immediately and traps Nelson on the fence. The former Pride star blasts away, thudding a dozen or more punches to the body and head of Nelson, who comes out on the other side of the exchange with a bloodied beard. Cro Cop scores with a high kick and shoves Nelson into the fence. The American reverses and trips Filipovic down, hopping quickly from half-guard to side control on Filipovic’s right side. Nelson leans across Filipovic’s head and arms, possibly looking for a crucifix or a kimura on the far arm. One minute left and Cro Cop is defending ably from the bottom, circling and staying out of trouble with Nelson on top. With 40 seconds left, Nelson gets his crucifix and lands 15 or 20 short left hands to the unprotected face of Cro Cop, who survives to see round three.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Nelson
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Nelson
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Nelson

Round 3
As he has most of the fight, Nelson continues to walk Cro Cop down in the final frame. Cro Cop is backing up but not counterpunching now. A straight right hand sends Cro Cop staggering backward and another pair of punches has him driving forward, slipping on the canvas and landing on his face. Nelson pounces and lands heavy punches from back mount until referee Steve Mazzagatti intervenes. The official time of the TKO stoppage is 1:30 of round three.

Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione

Round 1
Mitrione takes center cage in the southpaw stance, hands by his waist, while the orthodox Kongo flicks his jab to keep “Meathead” at bay. Mitrione is feinting and twitching, making faces and trying to psych the Frenchman out, but still hasn’t thrown anything. Scattered boos can be heard in the Las Vegas crowd as the round enters its third minute of inactivity. Mitrione finally comes inside and the pair clinch on the cage, Kongo in the dominant position with underhooks. Mitrione just grins and tries to escape as Kongo throws short knees inside and referee Herb Dean asks for more work. Dean breaks them up with just under two minutes to go and Kongo misses with a pair of right hands. Mitrione whiffs as he chases Kongo down with a punching combo. Mitrione backs Kongo into the fence, then steps away, giving Kongo room to come forward. Kongo is quickly on his backward trajectory again, trying to counter Mitrione. The strategy isn’t working, though, as neither man is throwing. Kongo gets tripped up, but pops back up and punches to the body. A lusty boo emerges as the round ends.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-10
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mitrione
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-10

Round 2
Mitrione is throwing his hands a bit more in the second, as is Kongo, who also scores with leg kicks. A combination from Kongo has Mitrione backing up, but the “Ultimate Fighter” alum is soon coming forward again. There’s little action in the middle of the round, save a few outside leg kicks from Kongo. Mitrione backs Kongo up with a combination and socks him with a nice right uppercut. Kongo is trying combinations, but can’t find the space to get through Mitrione’s defense. The final minute is more of the same, with Mitrione giving chase to the backpedaling Kongo and connecting with a pair of solid shots before the horn.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mitrione
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mitrione
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Mitrione

Round 3
Mitrione lights up Kongo with a combination, but the offense only seems to make Kongo angry. He surges forward and dumps Mitrione to the ground, then catches him turtling and nearly takes the back. Mitrione gets to his feet, but Kongo is stuck to his back, still punching away at Mitrione’s now-bleeding face. Kongo muscles Mitrione into the cage, working from the front now. The action slows as Kongo goes for a double-leg, but Kongo gets his man to the ground before referee Herb Dean can split them up. Kongo works from half-guard on Mitrione’s right side, with his left side to the cage. The crowd jeers as the big men rest at the base of the cage. Kongo gets a little busier, pinning down the exhausted Mitrione and throwing enough punches to ward off the nearby referee. Mitrione tries to roll through and Kongo gets him on his knees again, lobbing right hands to the horn.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Kongo (29-29 Draw)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Kongo (29-28 Mitrione)
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Kongo (29-29 Draw)

Official result: The judges at cageside score the bout 30-27, 30-28 and 29-28, all for the winner by unanimous decision Cheick Kongo.

B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz

Round 1
Diaz has Penn on the fence early and the welterweights throw punches in tight quarters. Penn sticks Diaz with a left jab and scores with another bunch of punches in the collar tie. Diaz lands a few in a reply, but Penn’s strikes are coming hard, fast and accurate in the first 90 seconds. Penn shoots low and Diaz tries to take top position, but Penn gets Diaz’s back in the scramble. The Hawaiian is unable to sink both hooks in and loses the position, moving to side control and then half-guard on Diaz’s right side. Penn sneaks punches in as he tries to extract his leg, then stands up and allows Diaz to his feet. Penn grabs a headlock on the way and the doubled-over Diaz pushes him into the cage. Diaz straightens up and leans his weight on “The Prodigy” slamming a few right hands into Penn’s ribs. Penn breaks out and puts a combination on the face of Diaz, which is already starting to show signs of damage. Diaz stands stock-still, inviting Penn to punch; Penn obliges, but takes a few shots in return before the horn.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Penn
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Penn
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Penn

Round 2
Diaz is jawing and smacking Penn with long left hands. Penn seems to take exception to this and connects with a quick combo before being pressed into the fence. Diaz lobs right hands to the body, lefts to the face, while Penn tries to circle out with uppercuts. Referee Josh Rosenthal warns Diaz against grabbing the fence. The pair disengages and Diaz goes back to punching long and standing still. Penn shoots inside and has a takedown attempt foiled, takes a few knees for his trouble. Diaz puts a flurry of hooks on Penn and starts walking down the former two-division UFC champ. The volume is being turned up by Diaz, who has Penn backed into the fence and opens up with combination boxing to the head and ribs. The Stockton, Calif., native goes low for a shot, decides against it and keeps punching Penn on the fence. A left hook staggers Penn and he circles to the right. Diaz is relentless, walking after Penn with his hands at his side and tagging Penn whenever he gets in range. Penn is being lit up, barely staying standing as Diaz lands dozens of punches to the body and face. Penn is bleeding from his nose and has a nasty mouse beneath his left eye as he heads back to his corner.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Diaz
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-8 Diaz
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Diaz

Round 3
Penn and Diaz are standing only inches away and get to business as soon as referee Josh Rosenthal starts the round. Diaz is back to work with volume punches and gets Penn right back where he had him. Penn has his back to the fence and is slipping some of Diaz’s punches now, but still absorbing the majority. Penn moves off the fence and throws some punches of his own, further bloodying the face of Diaz. The former Strikeforce champion is still keeping very busy, though his punches aren’t as precise at this late point. Penn’s left eye looks almost totally swollen shut as Diaz leans him into a cage post. Penn tags Diaz with a left hook, a right straight. Diaz has a kick to the body partially blocked and gets Penn clinched into the cage again. Diaz sticks Penn with a long left and Penn answers with a nice right. Another straight left from Diaz has Penn backing up. Down the stretch, Diaz gets in close and finishes with rib-roasters to Penn’s body. Diaz raises his hands in victory at the horn while Penn returns to his corner.

Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Diaz (29-28 Diaz)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Diaz (29-27 Diaz)
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Diaz (29-28 Diaz)

Official result: Two judges score the bout 29-28, while the third has it 29-27, all in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Nick Diaz.

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