UFC 136 Main Card Results - Sonnen Bullies Stann, Calls Out Silva

HOUSTON, October 8 – Middleweight contender Chael Sonnen picked up right where he left off from August of 2010, but this time he left the Octagon with the submission victory, dominating Brian Stann before finishing the “All-American” in the second round. But his fiercest attack was saved for the man who defeated him at UFC 117 last year, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Watch post-fight interview

“Anderson Silva, you absolutely suck,” said Sonnen, calling out the champion. “Super Bowl weekend, the biggest rematch in history. But we’re upping the stakes. I beat you, you leave the division. You beat me, I leave the UFC forever.”

Sonnen (27-11-1), who had been on the sidelines due to a California State Athletic Commission suspension and a legal issue, immediately closed the gap and locked up with Stann, bulling the Marine Corps vet to the fence. Stann fired off hard shots from close range and looked to be on the verge of escape before Sonnen regained control. Nearly a minute and a half in, Sonnen scored the takedown, landing in side control. In a scramble, Sonnen took Stann’s back and then moved into the mount position briefly, eventually settling into the top position, where he dominated with strikes until the bell sounded.

The deceptively fast Oregonian put Stann (11-4) on his back seconds into round two, again getting into the mount position as Stann tried to hold on and force a restart. Midway through the round, he got his wish, and even landed a hard right before getting slammed to the canvas by the swarming Sonnen, who quickly slapped on an arm triangle choke. Stann tried to resist, but Sonnen wasn’t going to be denied, and the tap out came at the 3:51 mark, prompting chants of “Silva, Silva” from the crowd, and a smile from the champion.

All that’s left is a rematch.

PHAN vs. GARCIA

It took two fights and six rounds, but Nam Phan got his win over Leonard Garcia, reversing the result of their controversial 2010 bout with a three round unanimous decision victory in a rousing 15 minute brawl that left Houston fans begging for more. Watch post-fight interview

Scores were 29-28 across the board for Phan, who improves to 17-10; Garcia, who decisioned Phan last December, falls to 19-8-1. The men earned Fight of the Night honors again for their war, these worth $75,000 each.

With three rounds already in the bank against each other, there was no need for a feeling out process, and Garcia and Phan immediately got to work, with Garcia working his jab and kicks well, and Phan scoring with hard combinations and a jab of his own that jarred his opponent. As the round progressed, there was a pattern similar to that first fight, as Garcia was busier, but Phan was landing with the more accurate and harder blows.

Phan’s power shots began to take their toll in round two, with Garcia beginning to get sloppy with his striking as he wildly moved around the Octagon off-balance. With under two minutes left, Garcia looked winded, with his fatigue undoubtedly helped along by Phan’s consistent body shots. Phan stayed cool though, calmly picking Garcia apart with his precision punching.

Showing an extreme sense of urgency, Garcia came out winging for round three, eventually hurting and dropping Phan in the second minute. Phan eventually cleared his head though, with a tie up against the fence buying him some precious time. And then it was Phan’s turn, as he started teeing off on the Texan before getting him down to the mat with under two minutes left.  With 1:20 remaining, referee Jacob Montalvo stood the fighters up, and Garcia even scored a brief takedown before the two stood and traded until the final bell, drawing another huge roar from the crowd in appreciation for one of the best fights of 2011.

“If we come back to Houston, I’ll do number three,” said Garcia.

LAUZON vs. GUILLARD

In the main card opener, Joe Lauzon bested Melvin Guillard in a battle of lightweight finishing artists, using his jiu-jitsu game to submit “The Young Assassin” in less than a minute, momentarily derailing Guillard’s title hopes. Watch post-fight interview

Guillard roared out of his corner to kick off the bout, but so did Lauzon, and after eating a couple of shots, “J-Lau” rocked Guillard with a straight left. Guillard backpedaled after taking the shot, but his legs still weren’t under him, and he stumbled to the mat. Lauzon pounced and furiously worked for the finish of his groggy opponent. Moments later, he sunk in a rear naked choke, and it was game over for Guillard, who tapped out at the 47 second mark.

The loss snapped Guillard’s five fight winning streak, dropping his record to 46-10-3 with 1 NC. Lauzon, who has finished all eight of his UFC wins, improves to 20-6, and earned a $75,000 Submission of the Night bonus to boot.