Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - Former K-1 kickboxer Pat Barry struck hard and fast in his UFC 98 heavyweight bout against Tim Hague Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, but the debuting “Thrashing Machine” got the last word in, submitting Barry at 1:42 of the first round.
By Thomas Gerbasi
LAS VEGAS, May 23 – Former K-1 kickboxer Pat Barry struck hard and fast in his UFC 98 heavyweight bout against Tim Hague Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, but the debuting “Thrashing Machine” got the last word in, submitting Barry at 1:42 of the first round.
Hague came out fast with two big left-rights to the head. Barry responded with a shot of his own that immediately got Hague’s attention, and seconds later, he jarred the Canadian with a thudding kick to the head. After a follow-up by Barry, Hague immediately looked for a takedown and got it. Seconds later, he sunk in a guillotine choke and Barry was forced to tap out.
“One thing about me is that you’re never gonna see me quit,” said Edmonton’s Hague. “Pat’s a tough guy – he hit me with a straight left, busted my nose I think, but it’s all good.”
With the win, Hague improves to 10-1; Barry falls to 4-1.
Welterweight Brock Larson continued his UFC resurgence, making it two in a row this year by submitting late replacement Mike Pyle in the first round.
The early going was tentative by both men, but after Larson’s first takedown at the one minute mark, things heated up, with Pyle repeatedly looking for submissions while Larson tried to pound the Las Vegan out with ground strikes. But suddenly, Larson switched gears and locked in a tight arm triangle. Pyle had no choice but to tap out at 3:06 of the first round.
With the win, Larson improves to 27-2; Pyle, who filled in for Chris Wilson, falls to 17-6-1.
Kyle Bradley finally got his first UFC win in three tries, scoring an unpopular first round stoppage of The Ultimate Fighter season eight finalist Phillipe Nover in a lightweight bout.
The fight was shaping up to be a good one, and after an early clinch, Bradley threw Nover to the canvas and followed up with a big right hand on the downed Brooklynite. Nover instinctively rolled to avoid further damage. A right hand jarred Nover, who appeared to go limp, prompting referee Yves Lavigne to step in. Nover immediately recovered and began rolling out of trouble again. Lavigne and Bradley stepped back from the action, but the fight wasn’t going to continue, and Lavigne halted the fight for good at the 1:03 mark, drawing protests from Nover (6-2-1) and boos from the crowd.
“All I did was come in and throw hard punches,” said Bradley, now 14-6 with 1 NC. “He was in a bad spot, but he got his faculties back quickly.”
Krzysztof Soszynski made it three straight in the UFC since his stint on the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter, knocking out Andre Gusmao in the first round of their light heavyweight bout.
“The boy hits hard, but I hit harder, “ said Soszynski, who improves to 19-9 with 1 NC; Gusmao falls to 5-2 and 0-2 in the UFC. Soszynski was a late replacement for the injured Houston Alexander.
Soszynski looked to have the early edge in the standup, but as he rushed in, a kick to the leg dropped him briefly, and Gusmao capitalized with some quick strikes. Soszynski shook them off and the two circled each other, throwing sporadic strikes as rangefinders, but not truly committing to their attacks. That changed with a little over two minutes left, and the two began throwing shots with bad intentions. Ultimately, it was Soszynski with the heavier and more accurate hands as a right cross to the jaw dropped Gusmao and finished him off at 3:17 of the opening round.
Japanese weltererweight Yoshiyuki “Zenko” Yoshida made a successful return to the Octagon after his knockout loss to Josh Koscheck last December, submitting Brandon Wolff in the first round.
After some tentative early moments, Wolff (7-4) attacked with a kick, but was rushed by Yoshida (11-3), who pinned him to the fence and landed some knees before suddenly locking in a guillotine choke. Wolff tapped, but referee Steve Mazzagatti didn’t see it. Wolff tapped again, and this time the fight was called at the 2:24 mark.
Watch Yoshida vs. Wolff in the UFC Vault.
In the opener, The Ultimate Fighter season eight alumni George Roop and Dave Kaplan battled it out for three closely contested rounds, with Roop pulling out the split decision win.
Scores were 30-27 twice and 28-29 for Roop.
Roop’s standup was sharp from the start, opening a cut on the bridge of Kaplan’s nose. Kaplan didn’t shy away from engaging with his taller foe, and he got his licks in more frequently as the round progressed, eventually using his striking to set up a late takedown of his foe.
Watch Kaplan vs. Roop in the UFC Vault.
A missed flying knee early in round two earned Roop a trip to the canvas, and Kaplan immediately worked to capitalize, but was unsuccessful, leading the two to stand up. Midway through the frame, Kaplan looked for another takedown and got it, but Roop fought well off his back and got back up to continue with his stick and move strategy. Another visit to the mat saw Roop working effectively again from his back, with Kaplan unable to get in a consistent rhythm.
Kaplan got a takedown early in the third round, and this time he was able to do some damage as he immediately got into the mount position. Roop muscled his way free though and got back up and despite fatigue setting in for both men, they both had their moments before the final bell sounded.
With the win, Roop improves to 9-5; Kaplan falls to 3-3.