Canada triumphs in UFC undercard
Posted in Beavers by: adminIt has been an explosive night of action already at UFC 129 in Toronto, with Canadians winning five of the first seven matches on a historic night for mixed martial arts in North America.
The 55,000 fans in attendance are doing their part, throwing their considerable vocal weight behind every Canadian fighter and roaring for every big punch and kick scored in the octagon.
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UFC 129 Greatest Hits
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Ready to rumble in Toronto
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All in for the Octagon
The UFC has certainly but its stamp on the Rogers Centre, hanging huge screens around the top of the building to give fans in the 500 section a better look at the action. A massive cube of screens floated above the infamous octagon, accentuated by rigging and lighting fit for a rock concert.
The stadium’s famous Jumbotron screen at the north end was matched by another massive screen on the south side.
In fights shown across Canada on Sportsnet, Rory (The Waterboy) MacDonald of Quesnel, B.C., ignored the constant jawing of brash California native Nate Diaz to win his welterweight bout by unanimous decision.
MacDonald, now 11-1, had the crowd chanting his name in the third round, twice lifting Diaz before slamming him to the mat.
“I’m on top of the world,” MacDonald told UFC announcer Joe Rogan after the decision was announced.
Sean Pierson of Pickering, Ont., wasn’t so fortunate, losing to Jake Ellenberger of Omaha, NE., after a left hook in the first round tagged him.
In preliminary bouts shown on the UFC’s Facebook page, lightweight John (The Bull) Makdessi of Halifax knocked out Illinois native Kyle Watson with a devastating spinning back-fist in the third round. The move impressed UFC president Dana White, who tweeted “That’s gonna be tough to beat for knockout of the night!”
Makdessi, 9-0, said the win will push his career to the next level.
“I knew I hit him well, but I didn’t know I knocked him out,” he said. “I guess when you train that much, it’s just a feeling to know when to use it.”
Middleweight Jason (The Athlete) MacDonald of Red Deer, Alta., made a successful return to the octagon from a severe leg injury by submitting Ryan Jensen of New Mexico with a triangle choke in the first round.
“Once the door closes to the Octagon, you just hear the familiar voices – but the crowd was amazing, the atmosphere out there is amazing,” MacDonald said. “To walk away with such a decisive win when I had all the cards stacked against me, I can’t even put it into words.”
Ivan Menjivar of Montreal beat Charlie Valencia of Los Angeles in a bantamweight bout, breaking his nose with an elbow before mounting Valencia and reigning blows on him until the referee stepped in to end the fight.
Toronto welterweight Claude Patrick wrapped the first batch of fights by beating Daniel Roberts of Rockford, Ill., by unanimous decision.
Yves Jabouin, who fights out of Montreal, was lone Canadian to come up short, losing to Pablo (The Scarecrow) Garza in a featherweight bout when he was forced to tap out to a triangle choke in the first round.
Article source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/more-sports/canada-triumphs-in-ufc-undercard/article2005489/