UFC on FUEL TV 9 Main Card Results - Gegard Mousasi vs Ilir Latifi

Gegard Mousasi defeats Ilir Latifi by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

by Scott Cumming @tummidge

MMA's "Rocky" story didn't get a dream Hollywood ending at UFC on Fuel TV 9 with Gegard Mousasi taking the unanimous decision victory against Ilir Latifi. Latifi stepped into the main event at only 4 days notice to take on the former Strikeforce and Dream champion, but never proved a match for him. Mousasi employed the strategy of a man with everything to lose by keeping Latifi on the end of his punches for 14 and a half minutes and constantly pressuring with his jab.

He kept Latifi backed up for the majority of the fight, only having to defend a couple of takedowns before a rousing last 30 seconds for his opponent as he got him down, but couldn't make Mousasi pay. By the closing bell the only thing "Rocky"-esque was Latifi's face, which was a bloody and swollen mess. Mousasi was big enough to admit he skated along to victory analogising that this was somewhat akin to a stand-up version of lay and pray.

The bout was a hurdle that Mousasi had to get over and it keeps him nicely placed at #10 in the official UFC rankings and the promotion have cited that they still want to see him fight Alexander Gustafsson at some point in the near future. For Latifi, no matter what now becomes of his UFC career he will still always have his debut in the main event of a show in his home country and he is guaranteed at least one more fight with the promotion where we may get to glimpse his true potential in a weight class that is not stacked with talent at present.

UFC on FUEL TV 9 Main Card Results - Ross Pearson vs Ryan Couture

Ross Pearson defeats Ryan Couture by TKO - Round 2, 3:45

by Scott Cumming @tummidge

Pearson overcomes astute game-plan to KO Ryan Couture

Ryan Couture will have to wait a bit longer to prove to everyone he is in the UFC on merit and not just for his famous surname. He was knocked out by Ross "The Real Deal" Pearson in the second round of their co-Main Event bout after employing a game plan of constant movement and wrestling against the cage that nullified Pearson's striking game in the first round and for part of the second.

The first round was definitely Couture's as he pushed for a takedown early and kept Pearson pinned to the fence before trading with unorthodox striking and movement that limited Pearson's striking output. It was only towards the end of the round that Pearson got a couple of combinations together after landing a solid knee to body of Couture.

The second round saw a similar game plan from Couture, but Pearson steadily built his way into the fight managing to land more of his shots. He still wasn't getting off on his combinations though as Couture's movement continued to stifle him. That all changed when Pearson grabbed Couture's ankle when he went for a kick and finally got him to stop moving. Pearson landed several shots to a turtled up Couture and had him rocked as Couture got back to his feet. Pearson didn't let up after this and landed a series of left hands to knock Couture down and swarmed with several more to get the referee to step in and take the TKO win.

Pearson now has 2 consecutive wins under his belt since returning to lightweight from a brief flirtation with the featherweight division and puts himself in a position for a good fight next time out in what is still the UFC's most stacked division.

UFC on FUEL TV 9 Main Card Results - Matt Mitrione vs Phil De Fries

Matt Mitrione def. Phil De Fries by KO at :19, Round 1

by John Haigh @JohnBjayHaigh

After back to back loses Mitrione needed to make a statement in his next fight and he sure did at UFC on FUEL TV 9.

Round one: DeFries tries for a take down but its stuffed, he tries again but runs in to a brick wall. Mitrione dives on top landing bombs laying DeFries out cold after all of 19 seconds of the round. I don’t think DeFries landed a punch, one of the contenders for KO of the night.

This fight saw Mitrione get himself back on track and could very well have ended De Fries employment with the UFC. Mitrione now has a MMA record of 6-2 with all the fights coming in the UFC. De Fries record now slips to 9-3-1 MMA after being 8-0-1 in November '11. De Fries UFC record is now and could end 2-3.

UFC on FUEL TV 9 Main Card Results - Brad Pickett vs Mike Easton

Brad Pickett defeats Mike Easton by Split Decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)

by Scott Cumming - @tummidge

Pickett takes decision win in Fight of the Night vs. Easton

This fight had the most relevance in terms of rankings at Saturday's event and this was evident in how the fight went down. It was a brilliant spectacle of technical and competitive MMA that was there to be admired. It was also a fight that left you feeling sorry for judges - just a tiny bit.

Brad Pickett and Mike Easton are top 10 ranked bantamweights and the winner of this would surely keep themself in title contention as both looked to rebound from decision losses in their last fights. The first two rounds followed a similar pattern as both fighters traded punches, kicks and takedowns with neither fighter stepping off. In the final seconds of round two it descended into a brawl too as both fighters looked to land the significant strike that would sway the fight in their favour. At that point it was anyone's fight.

In round three, Pickett definitively picked up the round by displaying a wrestling game that is not often associated with British fighters as he managed to reverse an Easton takedown and hold him down for a fair portion of the round getting into a decent half guard and landing some punishing ground and pound. Things got crazy in the last few seconds of this round too, but neither fighter did telling damage.

The internet scoring was all over the place with this one and I felt Easton might have done enough to pick up the victory, but Bruce Buffer announced a split decision win for Pickett, who keeps himself in the top half of the bantamweight rankings and will get another big fight next time out as he looks for a title shot in the division. Even in defeat this was the best we have seen from Mike Easton, but he stands on rocky ground after two consecutive defeats and will need to pick up a W next time out.

UFC on FUEL TV 9 Main Card Results - Diego Brandao vs Pablo Garza

Diego Brandao def. Pablo Garza by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 3:27, Round 1

by John Haigh - @JohnBjayHaigh

Round one: The opening exchange starts with Brandao moving in and throwing a leg kick with Garza responding with a double jab. Brandao lands a right hand with Garza trying to get the combinations going.

Mid way through the round Brandao slams Garza to the mat and passes his guard and in to side control. Brandao locks on to the arm in a triangle and changes position to tighten the submission attempt. Garza tries to defend but its in to tight and is forced to tap.

Brandao is now on back to back wins after a shaky start to his ufc career since wining season 14 of TUF and moves on to a record of 17-8 MMA with a UFC record of 3-1.

UFC on FUEL TV 9 Main Card Results - Akira Corrasani vs Robbie Peralta

Akira Corrasani def. Robbie Peralta by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

by John Haigh - @JohnBjayHaigh

Before this fight I wasn’t expecting it to be a long fight after Peralta’s last fight only lasted 23 seconds with a devastating KO victory over Jason Young.

Round one starts with Corrasani coming out circling on the outside, which is a wise plan given Peralta’s power. Through the round Corrasani used great foot work to keep Peralta guessing and unable to get his combinations going. Mid way through the round Corrasani lands a great over hand right to let Peralta know he’s in a fight.

Corrasani continues the good work through to the end of the round using his foot work to keep a good range and evading the power of Peralta.

Round two starts off with more of the same but Peralta’s no longer trying force the fight and looks to pick his shots. Mid way through the round Peralta catches Corrasani with a great left hook rocking Corrasani, then sensing this rushes in to capitalise. He misses with the first shot but lands a knee and drops Corrasani up against the cage trying to finish the fight. Corrasani recovers almost immediately and get back to his feet but in the clinch.

The fight continues in the clinch wise by Corrasani to fully recover from that big shot. With just under a minute to go its Corrasani’s turn to land a big shot right behind the right ear of Peralta, making his legs go wobbly. He just about stays on his feet but now Corrasani has sensed the end may be close. But Peralta does well to hold on and circles away clearly still dazed. As the bell sounds the fighters head back to there corners Peralta’s legs still not fully there the bell maybe came at the right time.

Great round hard to pick a winner in my opinion both landing the big shots and dazing their opponent.

The third and final round start with the fighters coming out touching gloves, Peralta looking fully recovered and back to his senses. Now there both stood in front of each other throwing big shots, this is a proper brawl now that’ll suit Peralta. Corrasani’s great foot work from the earlier rounds has now gone out the window both fighters throwing bombs.

After the first minute barrage Corrasani scores a takedown up against the cage. Smart by Corrasanito mix things up with Peralta swinging for the fences and maybe thinking one of those bombs was bound to land again soon.

Peralta works from his back on a kimura but been up against the cage make it more difficult and wisely lets it go. Peralta works his was back up but Corrasani still has his back. Corrasani scores two more take downs and makes the second one stick for a while and applies pressure up against the cage. Peralta makes his way back up against the cage trying to regain control in the clinch with around a minute to go. Corrasani now has a cut to his forehead from an elbow.

With 30 seconds to go Corrasani scores another take down in the centre of the octagon and continues to apply the pressure until the final bell.

Great opening fight to the main card, Corrasani changed things up in the third exactly when needed and deserves the victory ending Peralta’s ten fight win streak. Agree with the third judge (29-28) not quite as one sided in my opinion to be (30-27)

Video: UFC on Fuel 9 Weigh-ins - Full Replay

Video: UFC on Fuel 9 Weigh-ins - Full Replay

Did you miss today's UFC on FUEL TV 9 fighter weigh-ins? Check out a video replay below of all the action.

UFC on Fuel 9 weigh-ins took place at Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, the card features UK and Irish stars: Conor McGregor, Brad Pickett, Phil De Fies, and Ross Pearson.

UFC on Fuel 9 - UK Betting Odds

UFC on Fuel 9 - UK Betting Odds

UFC on Fuel 9 goes down this weekend from Sweden and features some rather tasty underdog for those who enjoy a little flutter. As always we team up with partners William Hill to bring those who fancy a little flutter the latest clear cut, betting odds - Good Luck, and don't miss out on your free £25 bet below!

Main Card
1/10 Gegard Mousasi vs Ilir Latifi 6/1
1/4 Ross Pearson vs Ryan Couture 3/1
3/10 Matt Mitrione vs Phil De Fries 5/2
4/6 Brad Pickett vs Mike Easton 6/5
1/2 Diego Brandao vs Pablo Garza 8/5
5/2 Akira Corassani vs Robbie Peralta 3/10

Preliminary Card
7/4 Reza Madai vs Michael Johnson 4/9
4/6 Papy Abedi vs Besam Yousef 6/5
6/4 Michael Kuiper vs Tom Lawlor 8/15
11/8 Ben Alloway vs Ryan LaFlare 5/7
6/4 Marcus Brimage vs Conor McGregor 8/15
13/10 Chris Span vs Adlan Amagov 8/13
2/5 Tor Troeng vs Adam Cella 19/10
* Blue denotes The Favourite
 
 

Gustafsson officially out, replaced by training partner Ilir Latifi

Relative unknown fighter Ilir Latifi to make UFC debut and may headline UFC on FUEL TV 9

by Ben Heather @benheather

On Monday Wanderlei Silva got fans excited and said that he would be happy to step up and fight Mousasi if Gustafsson was ruled out before revealing that this was infact an April Fools joke.

Then earlier on Tuesday news broke that the Swedish MMA Federation had ruled that Alexander Gustafsson (15-1 MMA 7-1 UFC) had not been cleared to fight this weekend. The facial cut which Gustafsson suffered in training a couple of days ago had been ruled too severe to fight with this weekend and so his fight with Gegard Mousasi (33-3-2 MMA) was off.

This left the UFC in a tricky position with only four days left until the show how would they fill the space.

Would Mousasi still fight on the card?

What will the main event now be for the show?

and could anybody fill the giant hole left by Gustafsson?

 Dana White broke his silence and put an end to speculation of the past few days with the answer to the question that every MMA fan in the world has been asking for the past few days... What is going to happen to the main event of UFC on Fuel Tv 9. If you predicted the outcome you are either we now have you are either a) A genius, b) Dana White or c) Ilir Latifi as I dont know of anyone who could have predicted the news that Dana White broke late on Tuesday evening.

The new fight for Mousasi at UFC on FUEL TV 9 see's Gegard Mousasi face Ilir Latifi (7-2 MMA) who happens to be Alexander Gustafsson's training partner. For those who had not heard of Latifi before and there may be a few of you he is a 5ft 8" 29 year old fighter who will be making his UFC debut this weekend. He will make his way in to the octagon coming off the back of a 3 fight winning streak with his only two losses coming against current Bellator fighter Emanuel Newton and Tatsuya Mizuno.

The new match up may result in one of the most one sided odds matchups the UFC has ever seen but for now nothing has been announced.

As yet UFC have announced no news as to whether this fight will still be the main event of the night, keep checking KingdomMMA.co.uk for further news on this card.

Roundtable: UFC Sweden Main Event - With or Without Gustafsson

Roundtable: UFC Sweden Main Event
With - Ben Heather - @benheather, Chris Houten - @houts4thewin, & Tommy Stong - @strong_tea

With the recent reports that Alexander Gussafsson suffered a cut in training this weekends main event hangs in the balance, do you think the fight will go ahead as planned?

Ben Heather: I think the UFC will do everything they can to let Gus fight, however if its a cut over his eye as Mousasi said on MMA hour the fight could be stopped in seconds if it gets opened up. Which is also not what the UFC need so in my opinion I don't think it will happen.

Tommy Strong: I agree with you Ben, the UFC will do everything they can to put this fight on. Gustafsson will be desperate to fight in his home country, and The UFC will not want to find a replacement and with no obvious replacement it would be their worst nightmare. Somewhat inflicted by themselves due to a very weak co-main event!!

Chris Houten: I know Dana is saying the fight is still on, Gustafsson still wants to fight, Mousasi is still traveling and so on, but from what I have heard, Gustafsson is look at a heal time of 3 to 4 weeks. The Swedish MMA Federation president George Sallfeldt told Swedish MMA website MMAviking.com earlier today it would be a miracle if Gustafsson healed in time, I just can't see this fight going ahead.

If Gustafsson cant fight on Saturday is there a suitable replacment to fight Mousasi on short notice?

Chris Houten: I say the logical replacement is Jimi Manuwa. To start with he is available, he didn't take any damage in his last fight, and he is the most local light-heavyweight available, therefore would travel better and could cut weight easier than any American or Brazilian would.

The thing you need to consider though with Manuwa is he has always been cautious with his career. If you look at the 2 times he has turned down the chance to sign with the UFC it makes you think he might turned down a tough last minute fight, all be it one which could really propel him into the upper echelon.

Personally I think Mousasi will be pulled from the card and the fight rescheduled.

Ben Heather: In my opinion if Gus can't make the fight this weekend then I would like to see Jimi fight too but the guy can't go from prelims to main card once then headlining but if needed I suppose it could happen.

I think they need to look at the schedule and bring someone in. The next legitimate light heavyweight fight is Phil Davis vs Vinny and that's a month away and I can't see one of them stepping in as they both want that fight with each other!!

So like Chris, I agree if the fight with Gus does not happen then the fight will be pulled and potentially fought again in the future.

Tommy Strong: If Gus isn't fit for Saturday , I really don't see an obvious replacement out there. Maybe Phil Davis who has a fight lined up later in the month with Vinny Magalhaes. If I would like to see the fight rescheduled if it doesn't go ahead. Jimi Manuwa is on paper a great tear up, but as Chris said Jimi is very cautious and taking on such a tough opponent on short notice isn't wise for his career!

Ben Heather: Especially when he still has his undefeated record it could make or break his career.

What will become of UFC on Fuel 9 if a replacement isn't found, and Mousasi is pulled from the card?

Tommy Strong: Really struggling to think of who could headline if the main event is pulled. We have a co-main that quite frankly shouldn't be! Two heavy weights in Matt Mitrione v Phil De Fries in a battle that will see who gets cut, then an actual real ding dong fight in Brad Pickett v Mike Easton!

The UFC have once again shot themselves in the foot not having a back up co main event in case the main card doesn't happen.This is why i see the fight going ahead!

 Chris Houten: Its safe to say Ross Pearson vs Ryan Couture is a pretty disappointing co-main event let alone main event. I guess there is the possibility of adding another fight to this card - The Ultimate fighter final is the week after, and a fight that springs to mind is Browne vs Gonzaga as both guys won't have a weight cutting schedule to keep to, but I don't see it happening.

I say Pearson vs Couture main events the card, and there will be fight which goes down as 'the fight before the main event'. I think the only bonus is the possibility McGregor could be bumped to the main card.

Ben Heather: If the headline fight gets pulled your going to have an arena of Swedish fans who will not be happy with anything other than the original fight which puts everyone in a bad situation.

I think logically on a stacked card the co main would fill the position easily however in this instance that's not the case. Like Tommy said the Pickett vs Easton is the fight I would move up but still its not a main event fight after Picketts loss in his last fight.

For me I think the only thing the UFC can do is put together a one week notice fight or move a fight forward a week or so but in doing so I don't think you will get top guys accept that deal.

So in my opinion its gonna take that big fight to keep the fans happy and I can't see it happening.

Chris Houten: I don' think the Swedish will take it too badly. From what I have seen on twitter they seem pretty happy to just be getting a card. Its a different territory then the UK where even without the UFC sees some pretty big fights put on, and has see some the UFCs top stars. I say they take it on the chin, and end up going home happy, because if we are honest there is some pretty damn good fights on this card with or without Gus.

UFC on Fuel 9: Gustafsson vs Mousasi (Fight Card)

UFC on Fuel 9
Date: April 6, 2013 
Ericsson Globe Arena, Stockholm, Sweden

Main Card
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Gegard Mousasi
Ryan Couture vs. Ross Pearson
Philip De Fries vs. Matt Mitrione
Mike Easton vs. Brad Pickett
Diego Brandao vs. Pablo Garza
Akira Corassani vs. Robert Peralta

Preliminary Card
Michael Kuiper vs. Tom Lawlor
Marcus Brimage vs. Conor McGregor
Michael Johnson vs. Reza Madadi
Papy Abedi vs. Besam Yousef
Adlan Amagov vs. Chris Spang
Ben Alloway vs. Ryan LaFlare

Video: The Rise of Conor McGregor (Trailer)

The Rise Of Conor McGregor (Trailer)

MTV Documentary ‘The Rise of Conor McGregor’, charting the success of the Cage Warriors featherweight and lightweight champion, launches on Tuesday, March 5, 2013.

McGregor (12-2) made history in his hometown of Dublin on New Year’s Eve by defeating Ivan Buchinger at Cage Warriors 51 with a stunning first-round KO, which saw him become the first fighter to simultaneously hold CWFC titles in two unified weight classes.

The 24-year-old Irishman was subsequently signed by the UFC and will make his debut in Stockholm, Sweden, on April 6 where he will take on Marcus Brimage (6-1, 3-0 UFC).

Produced by Demetrio Marquez for MTV UK and Cage Warriors Fighting Championship, watch ‘The Rise of Conor McGregor’ exclusively on MTV.co.uk from this coming Tuesday, March 5, 2013.