UFC Live 4 Results: The Prelims – The Aftermath

By Sean Farrell

UFC Live 4 on Versus was INCREDIBLE…I for one have been highly critical of the UFC’s recent lackluster fight cards and last night made up for all of them. It wasn’t even the fact that this card was held in my hometown of Pittsburgh, it was simply the fact that EVERY fight delivered even the prelims on Facebook which I am starting with.

Below are fully detailed results and fighter’s quotes from the incredible event.

Griffin vs. Gamburyan

After three-straight losses and facing a release from the promotion, Tyson Griffin knew he needed a win. Dropping to 145 pounds for the first time in his UFC career and facing recent title challenger Manny Gamburyan, Griffin delivered a much-needed unanimous-decision victory. This fight served as the main event of the UFC on Versus 4 preliminary card which streamed live on Facebook and preceded the evening’s Versus-broadcast main card.

Gamburyan was the aggressor early, looking for the takedown numerous times while mixing in strikes as well. Gamburyan locked on a standing guillotine that Griffin escaped, but Manny remained in control of the action in the first. The fight shifted in round two however, due to Griffin’s powerful leg kicks, which left Gamburyan’s legs bruised and battered. A pair of low blows to Gamburyan stalled most of the round also, but Griffin gained his confidence as the action moved on.

With the fight clearly up for grabs in the third, Gamburyan came out swinging for the fences. However, Griffin avoided all of the advances, countering with a few of his own and scored a few takedowns as well. Griffin was awarded the much needed majority decision but not for dominating Gamburyan, simply for outworking him.

After the bout Griffin spoke on his win stating “I got the win, but (I’m) a little disappointed in my performance, I wanted to go out there and finish Manny. He’s a tough guy and fought smart. I had a chance to kick his legs, and I did. I think it slowed him down and really affected him. I’m disappointed I couldn’t entertain the fans more and get a nice finish, but you can’t complain when you get the win.”

Griffin has moved to 15-5 and seems to have new life as a featherweight and ends his three-fight skid. Meanwhile, Gamburyan falls to 11-6 overall while falling to 2-4 in the UFC.

Vazquez vs. Stevenson

Another featherweight contest featured a pair of fighters who are both in a must-win situation, five-time WEC veteran Javier Vazquez and UFC favorite Joe Stevenson.

Vazquez looked in trouble early on as Stevenson attacked his arm, but Vasquez remained patient and pulled free from the hold. A questionable standup interrupted the action on the floor, but Vazquez again worked the fight to the floor and looked to deliver damage until the end of the slow paced first round.

In the second, Vazquez tried a deep guillotine choke attempt, but Stevenson struggled and wrestled free. Vazquez was able to control again on the ground and avoid any real damage on the feet. Vazquez appeared to be gassing as the round wore on, but he still found enough energy to deliver a few more knees to the body and briefly secure Stevenson’s back ending the round.
In the final round, it appeared Stevenson was going to need a finish to claim a victory and save his job. Despite a few attempts at the finish, he was unable to land any strikes of real significance and lost this bout by decision.

After the bout the victor Vasquez said “I kept trying to advance, but it was tough when he just kept holding me, I know that makes it hard to be entertaining. I didn’t want to make too much space for him to get out, so I had to do things systematically. He wasn’t trying to get out though – just trying to keep me in the same spot. He played smart. The more he scrambled with me, it was only going to be a matter of time. Every time we scrambled, I got in good position. I think he was afraid of me catching something in transition.”

Vazquez proves victorious in his UFC debut proving his signing worth by dispatching a veteran. While the fight was his first at featherweight, Stevenson has now dropped four straight fights inside the Octagon and is now facing release from the promotion.

Lauzon vs. Warburton

Seven-time “Fight Night” bonus winner Joe Lauzon made an early claim for UFC on Versus 4’s “Submission of the Night” award with an incredible first-round tapout of Curt Warburton.
It was Warburton who looked more effective in the early going, finding range with his jab and staying just outside of Lauzon’s advances earning a quick advantage. That would quickly change and Lauzon flipped the switch.

A left hook floored Warburton, and Lauzon pounced to finish. After driving punches, elbows and knees into his dazed opponent, Lauzon slipped almost effortlessly into a kimura attempt and rolled to his back. The submission looked immediately tight, but Warburton relented as best he could. Lauzon adjusted the hold, cranked the arm to torqued the shoulder and the painful submission earned the tap less than two minutes into the fight.

Lauzon hardly breaking a sweat said “I want to thank the crowd for their support and all the fans of UFC, We were working on not rushing things, keeping my balance and staying fundamentally sound. I hit pretty hard, but we had about five or six things we wanted to work in rotation. The first one I threw was the one that landed and put him away. I’m always trying to hunt down submissions. I never leave it to the judges.”

With the quick win, Lauzon bounces back from a disappointing submission loss to George Sotiropoulos this past November, possibly earning him a match with another top guy in the division. Meanwhile, Warburton falls to 1-2 in the octagon.

Attonito vs. Roberts

After posting two wins in three fights as a middleweight, “The Ultimate Fighter 11” cast member Rich Attonito made the choice to drop to welterweight at 170 pounds. If his performance against Daniel Roberts was any indication of his potential in his new division, Attonito made an excellent choice.

In the first round, both fighters looked comfortable on their feet. Attonito looked to stalk his opponent in the standup department, and he defended the takedowns from the clinch, as well as other shots. Roberts did hit the deck briefly after an Attonito strike, but it appeared more of a slip from the backpedal than a result of the blow.

In the second, Roberts quickly moved into a clinch and brought the fight to the ground. After quickly sinking both hooks in around his foe, Roberts began working for the rear-naked choke. However, Attonito remained very calm and patient and reversed to top position after escaping the hold. From there, Attonito controlled the positioning for the remainder of the frame, launching a few heavy punches in the closing seconds.

By the third, Roberts had little energy left in his tank. Attonito capitalized on his tiring opposition by teeing off with heavy punches and mixing in slapping leg kicks. A high kick sent Roberts to the ground, though he somehow survived an onslaught of punches while on the ground. A weary Roberts returned to his feet and tried to turn the tide with a takedown, but Attonito outmuscled him to a clear-cut unanimous decision over a very dazed opponent.

“I didn’t get to finish the fight, which I would have liked to do, but it’s not always so easy to put guys away sometimes,” Attonito said. “Just going to go back to the gym and keep working hard so next time I can put that guy away. “I knew he was trying to take me down, so it was tough for me to open up with my punches. I hit him with that head kick, was swarming him with punches, and I thought they would stop it right there. Credit Daniel, he’s a tough kid, standing in there and he kept fighting back.”

With the win, Attonito bounces back from a December loss to Dave Branch and moves to 10-4 overall. Meanwhile, Roberts has now dropped two-straight fights for the first time in his career falling to 12-3, all 3 losses in the UFC.

Oliveira vs Lentz

Lightweights Charles Oliveira and Nik Lentz looked well on their way to another MMA classic, but an illegal strike and a HORRIBLE referee led to an unfortunate conclusion. I said this night had everything and here is the controversy of the evening.

The opening round was one of the most exciting in recent UFC memory, leaving potential for Fight of the Year open in this one. Both fighters took turns threatening to end the fight. It started with Oliveira’s clean striking, and a powerful right uppercut which sent Lentz to his back. Oliveira went to the ground to finish with strikes before switching to a guillotine-choke attempt. In an incredible turn of tides, Lentz escaped and locked in his own version of the choke, but he couldn’t finish the hold ending the round.

In the second, Lentz looked fatigued, but he still pressed forward. However, after escaping from a brief choke attempt, Oliveira moved to his feet. As his opponent looked to do the same, Oliveira nailed him in the face with a clearly blatant illegal knee, as Lentz still had one knee on the canvas. However, referee Chip Snider did not intervene, and Oliveira landed another knee (the latter one legal) to the face of Lentz. As a battered Lentz hit the mat, Oliveira swooped to his back and locked in a rear-naked choke, forcing Lentz tap out.

Despite the entertaining clash, the crowd booed the result with good reason. This was more in protest of the referee’s blind eyes than as a statement of the two fighters’ performances. “My plan was to fight standup,” Oliveira said after the controversial win. “I never wanted to hurt him. I just look for the submission or knockout. Many times I change my technique with standup. I put in a knee forward, an illegal knee, and I want to say I’m sorry. I feel bad.”

UFC executive Marc Ratner said that the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission will immediately review the result, but for now, it stands as a first-round submission win for Oliveira moving him to 15-1. Lentz 21-4 suffers his first loss in the Octagon because of the referee’s incompetence not the judges ala Martin Kampmann.

Lamas vs. Grice

In a battle of former lightweights competing in the featherweight division, wrestling standout Ricardo Lamas flashed some newfound striking skills in dispatching of Matt Grice.
The two traded early on, and Lamas actually took the fight to the mat halfway into the opening round. But after defending an armbar, Lamas returned to the feet and continued to trade with his opponent. It wouldn’t be long before he took advantage of the position sealing the win. A left high kick in the closing minute wobbled Grice, and Lamas refused to let his opponent recover. As Grice staggered backwards against the cage, trying to regain himself, Lamas blasted him with a clean punching combination that sent the action to the mat. A few follow-up shots on the ground was all it took for the fight to be stopped with 19 seconds left in the first frame.

“I came into this fight wanting to mix it up,” Lamas said of his performance. “I think I had better standup and ground game. When I had the opportunity to take him down I did, and when I had the opportunity to strike I did.” After posting a 4-2 record in the WEC, Lamas tasted victory in his UFC debut. Meanwhile, in his first UFC appearance in more than two years, Grice sees a four-fight win streak snapped.

Johnson vs. Faaloloto

In the night’s opening contest, “The Ultimate Fighter 12 ” finalist Michael Johnson flashed improvement in his striking skills, leading to a first-round TKO win over newcomer Edward Faaloloto.

The Hawaiian slugger looked crisp, hitting Johnson with powerful low kicks to both of his legs. But Johnson stood firm in the pocket, firing off combinations at every opportunity. As time wore on, it paid off and Johnson landed.

Faaloloto slowed as the round wore on, and with blood trickling down his face from an earlier elbow, Johnson capitalized in the Thai clinch. After a few knees up the middle, Johnson rocked his opponent with a stiff left. A follow up overhand right was mostly blocked but still sent Faaloloto toppling to the mat. Johnson pounced with a flurry on the ground, and the bout was waved off with 18 seconds left in the opening round.

Johnson was excited for his win stating “It feels amazing after six months off to go in there and get a TKO, He’s a tough guy. I knew he was going to bring it. We were both fighting for a job or fighting for comfort. He came at me with a barrage, then I just took over.”

With the win, Johnson bounces back from December loss to “TUF 12” winner Jonathan Brookins. Meanwhile, onetime WEC veteran Faaloloto is now 0-2 under the Zuffa banner and may be facing a release.