Alessio Sakara was a fight day casualty today in Germany at UFC 122. An undisclosed illness (described as flu-like symptoms) forced the promotion to scrap the Sakara-Jorge Rivera fight, which was slated to be the co-main event.
Duane "Bang" Ludwig was the beneficiary. His fight against against Nick Osipczak was moved to the main card. They engaged in a back and forth battle. Osipczak did more damage in the first and Ludwig was overwhelming in the third. The issue arose with the second. It was razor thin. Ludwig (pictured) got the nod on 2-of-3 judges' cards and walked away with a split decision win on the first televised fight at UFC 122.
If anyone deserved a break it was Ludwig (20-11, 3-2 UFC). A 72-match veteran of the fight game, he'd experienced heartbreak after heartbreak with the UFC. He made a stupid mistake at UFC 108 and got armbarred by Jim Miller. Then at UFC on Versus 1 this March, he suffered fluke injury in the first round when he tried to brace his fall on a takedown, Ludwig suffered a dislocated ankle.
Today in Oberhausen, he fought hard when it counted most. The third round proved that he belonged in the UFC.
Vemola looks awesome at light heavyweight
Seth Petruzelli has been in there with some pretty impressive fighters, that includes battling giants in the 230-260 pound range during Season 2 of "The Ultimate Fighter." So it was a bit shocking to see Karlos Vemola repeatedly slamming "The Silverback" on his head during their undercard bout.
From the opening seconds, Vemola wanted no part of the standup game so charged forward to play to his strength as a former amateur wrestler. He scored two huge takedowns. His strength was overwhelming. Petruzelli got to his feet but couldn't keep Vemola away. It went down a third time with 2:17 left in the first and that's where the Czech landed a huge right that may have broken Petruzelli's nose. He rolled to his side and covered up. Referee Leon Roberts jumped in to save Petruzelli at 3:46 of the first.
Vemola (7-1, 1-1 UFC) debuted in the UFC at heavyweight and lost to the much bigger Jon Madsen at UFC 118. He's a physical specimen but was simply too small to compete with the big boys at only 220 pounds. In his first fight down at 205, his stamina was solid. Vemola needs a lot of work on the feet but his wrestling and strength may good enough to compete at a high level in the light heavyweight division. Keep in mind, he's only 25 years old.
A nasty kneebar from Rocha sends TUF 11 runner-up McCray packing
With the addition of the WEC fighters at 135 and 145 pounds, the UFC roster is deeper than ever. That's also means the competition to stay on the roster is tougher than ever. Today at UFC 122, the runner-up from TUF 11, Kris McCray may have blown his shot with the promotion.
McCray, a good wrestler, played with fire by going to the ground with Brazilian jiu-jitsu whiz Carlos Eduardo Rocha. Rocha made him pay. The 29-year-old took advantage of a McCray mistake and slapped on a kneebar. McCray's left leg was hyperextended badly. He had no choice but tap at 2:21 of the first round. That makes it 10-0 with nine victories by submission for Rocha.
UFC 122 undercard:
Carlos Eduardo Rocha def. Kris McCray via submission (kneebar) - Round 1, 2:21.
Karlos Vemola def. Seth Petruzelli via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:46.
Kyle Noke def. Rob Kimmons via submission (rear naked choke) - Round 2, 1:33.
Pascal Krauss def. Mark Scanlon via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Vladimir Matyushenko def. Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 2:20
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