St. Pierre Stops Penn After Fourth
Joe Hall Feb 1, 2009
The first fight may have left some doubt. The rematch did not.
Georges St. Pierre dominated B.J. Penn on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The UFC 94 main event ended when Penn’s corner called the bout after the fourth round.
Penn, the 30-year-old UFC lightweight champion, fought off
takedowns in the first. St. Pierre, the 27-year-old UFC
welterweight champion, grabbed a few single-legs but couldn’t
finish them, though he used his length on the feet to score
points.
St. Pierre finally finished a single-leg to start the second. He was able to posture up and land a solid left hand to his Hawaiian opponent’s jaw, which helped open a pass to side control. St. Pierre landed a right as well before Penn got his guard back. Penn showed his usual flexibility from the bottom, but he could not control St. Pierre, who punched and elbowed from the top, passed again and cut Penn below the eye.
The French Canadian fed Penn some jabs to open the third. Penn’s nose began to leak blood, and St. Pierre began to dominate. On the ground, St. Pierre passed to side control and punished Penn with short punches and elbows.
By the fourth, Penn looked in bad shape. St. Pierre jabbed his face, buried a kick into his leg and put him on his back again. The round was all St. Pierre, who tied up Penn on the mat and continued to batter him with strikes.
Between rounds, Penn’s corner signaled that he would not make it out for the final round.
“Last time I fought him, I won a decision,” St. Pierre said. “This time I really wanted to take him out and I'm glad that I did. He's very tough.”
Lyoto Machida demolished Thiago Silva in a meeting of undefeated light heavyweights from Brazil.
Lyoto Machida remains
undefeated with the win.
The first time Machida dropped Silva was after a knee to the body
and a left to the face. Later Machida floored his foe again with a
right hand that finished a combination. Then, with the round
closing, Machida tripped Silva to the mat and planted a punch on
his chin.
The horn sounded, but Silva didn’t get up. Referee Yves Lavigne called the bout, moving Machida’s record to 14-0.
“Thiago was a tough guy, but today I was better than him,” Machida said.
Jon Jones, a 21-year-old fighting out of Endicott, N.Y., was impressive en route to winning a unanimous decision over Stephan Bonnar (30-27, 29-28 twice).
Despite having fought just once in the UFC, Jones’ talent was superior to his opponent’s experience in the light heavyweight bout. He threw Bonnar to his back early in the first. After Bonnar stood, Jones tossed him again and later suplexed him.
The 31-year-old Bonnar had a tough time striking as well. Jones was unorthodox, throwing several spinning strikes like the elbow that dropped Bonnar on his cheek in the first.
Jones seemed to tire in the second and third, which allowed Bonnar to rally with his hands. Before “The American Psycho” could do much damage, though, Jones would throw him back to the mat, ensuring the decision in his favor.
In a battle of judo black belts, Karo Parisyan won a split decision over Korea’s Dong Hyun Kim (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).
Kim, 27, was a step ahead throughout the first period. He tripped Parisyan to the mat, took his back and threatened briefly with an armbar and a triangle choke. The attempts missed, but Kim clearly controlled the round.
Parisyan, 26, of North Hollywood, Calif., won the second. He threw Kim and worked on a kimura. Kim got back to his feet, but Parisyan sent him flying through the air with a throw.
The fighters traded takedowns in the third but spent most of the round struggling in the clinch. It was a tough round to score and not one that pleased the fans, who booed the fight’s conclusion and the decision.
Clay Guida outpointed Nathan Diaz in a lightweight bout for a split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).
Guida’s tenacity proved the deciding factor. Diaz, 23, of Stockton, Calif., had kept him on the end of his punches early in the first round. Despite his advantage on the feet, though, Diaz tried a takedown that failed and he ended up on his back. Guida, 27, began to push the pace, landing some elbows on the ground and later slamming Diaz.
In the second, Guida glued himself to his opponent’s back. Diaz threw him to the canvas, but even then Guida would not let go.
The third was Diaz’s best round. He peppered Guida’s face and worked his body with punches, but the offense wasn’t enough to avoid suffering his first defeat in the Octagon.
“I know it wasn't pretty, but it's a win, and like I said, I'm here and I'm coming for the top of the lightweight division,” said Guida, a winner of three straight. “Be ready for me.”
Georges St. Pierre dominated B.J. Penn on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The UFC 94 main event ended when Penn’s corner called the bout after the fourth round.
Advertisement
St. Pierre finally finished a single-leg to start the second. He was able to posture up and land a solid left hand to his Hawaiian opponent’s jaw, which helped open a pass to side control. St. Pierre landed a right as well before Penn got his guard back. Penn showed his usual flexibility from the bottom, but he could not control St. Pierre, who punched and elbowed from the top, passed again and cut Penn below the eye.
It was a round that clearly belonged to St. Pierre and set the tone
for the rest of the fight.
The French Canadian fed Penn some jabs to open the third. Penn’s nose began to leak blood, and St. Pierre began to dominate. On the ground, St. Pierre passed to side control and punished Penn with short punches and elbows.
By the fourth, Penn looked in bad shape. St. Pierre jabbed his face, buried a kick into his leg and put him on his back again. The round was all St. Pierre, who tied up Penn on the mat and continued to batter him with strikes.
Between rounds, Penn’s corner signaled that he would not make it out for the final round.
“Last time I fought him, I won a decision,” St. Pierre said. “This time I really wanted to take him out and I'm glad that I did. He's very tough.”
Lyoto Machida demolished Thiago Silva in a meeting of undefeated light heavyweights from Brazil.
File Photo
undefeated with the win.
The horn sounded, but Silva didn’t get up. Referee Yves Lavigne called the bout, moving Machida’s record to 14-0.
“Thiago was a tough guy, but today I was better than him,” Machida said.
Jon Jones, a 21-year-old fighting out of Endicott, N.Y., was impressive en route to winning a unanimous decision over Stephan Bonnar (30-27, 29-28 twice).
Despite having fought just once in the UFC, Jones’ talent was superior to his opponent’s experience in the light heavyweight bout. He threw Bonnar to his back early in the first. After Bonnar stood, Jones tossed him again and later suplexed him.
The 31-year-old Bonnar had a tough time striking as well. Jones was unorthodox, throwing several spinning strikes like the elbow that dropped Bonnar on his cheek in the first.
Jones seemed to tire in the second and third, which allowed Bonnar to rally with his hands. Before “The American Psycho” could do much damage, though, Jones would throw him back to the mat, ensuring the decision in his favor.
In a battle of judo black belts, Karo Parisyan won a split decision over Korea’s Dong Hyun Kim (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).
Kim, 27, was a step ahead throughout the first period. He tripped Parisyan to the mat, took his back and threatened briefly with an armbar and a triangle choke. The attempts missed, but Kim clearly controlled the round.
Parisyan, 26, of North Hollywood, Calif., won the second. He threw Kim and worked on a kimura. Kim got back to his feet, but Parisyan sent him flying through the air with a throw.
The fighters traded takedowns in the third but spent most of the round struggling in the clinch. It was a tough round to score and not one that pleased the fans, who booed the fight’s conclusion and the decision.
Clay Guida outpointed Nathan Diaz in a lightweight bout for a split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).
Guida’s tenacity proved the deciding factor. Diaz, 23, of Stockton, Calif., had kept him on the end of his punches early in the first round. Despite his advantage on the feet, though, Diaz tried a takedown that failed and he ended up on his back. Guida, 27, began to push the pace, landing some elbows on the ground and later slamming Diaz.
In the second, Guida glued himself to his opponent’s back. Diaz threw him to the canvas, but even then Guida would not let go.
The third was Diaz’s best round. He peppered Guida’s face and worked his body with punches, but the offense wasn’t enough to avoid suffering his first defeat in the Octagon.
“I know it wasn't pretty, but it's a win, and like I said, I'm here and I'm coming for the top of the lightweight division,” said Guida, a winner of three straight. “Be ready for me.”
Related Articles
