UFC 115 results from the preliminary 'Liddell vs Franklin' card on June 12

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) tonight (June 12) made its debut in Western Canada, with a quartet of preliminary fights that had the crowd at GM Place in Vancouver buzzing.

No doubt the MMA faithful had gathered primarily to witness the likes of Chuck Liddell, Rich Franklin, and Mirko Cro-cop, but the fight hungry audience of Canucks was alive from the opening minutes of UFC 115.

With the rain letting up in one of North America’s wettest city, the sun had finally come out literally and figuratively. After much red tape and hoop-jumping to get this event off the ground, big time MMA had arrived in Vancouver along with the sunshine outdoors.

The Vancouver crowd was ready, and so were the fighters.

The welterweight showdown between Jesse Lennox and Mike Pyle kicked off the night.

The fight started with Lennox and Pyle feeling each other out on their feet. Each fighter landed a few shots, with Lennox pressing the pace while Pyle was elusive. Near the four-minute mark, Lennox landed a huge right hand that stunned Pyle, but when he went in for the finish, Pyle landed a punch of his own that put Lennox on one knee.

Pyle dove on Lennox on the ground, but didn’t land much offense as the final seconds of round one dwindled.

To start round two, Pyle had found his range on his feet, landing punches and slipping Lennox’s strikes. Pyle got the edge on the ground as well, and looked to be gaining momentum.

In the third round, the two traded leg kicks, but after a while, Pyle start to land the better shots. Pyle used his reach and picked away at Lennox by getting in, landing a punch, and getting out of striking range. Pyle was cruising to a decision victory when Lennox landed a big shot in the final minute.

Once again, he went in for the kill and his aggression cost him.

Pyle went to his back and tried to pull guard. Lennox stacked him and was throwing punches when Pyle caught him in a triangle choke. Pyle wrapped him up tight and threw a few elbows from that position before turning to the ref to tell him that Lennox was out.

The referee checked, and then quickly stopped match. Lennox was in dreamland. Pyle went on to earn a big victory via triangle choke (referee stoppage).

Canadian Claude Patrick came out to a loud ovation from the Vancouver crowd. It apparently got him amped for his Octagon debut -- he launched his attack immediately, pinning his opponent, Ricardo Funch, to the cage.

Funch reversed the position, but Patrick landed a trip that took Funch to the canvas. Patrick landed one big shot from in Funch’s guard, but mostly just dominated position for the duration of the first round.

In the second round, it was Funch’s turn to try to get the grappling edge. But Patrick defended Funch’s shot, and the two ended up in a stalemate against the cage. Then with 3:20 left in the second round Patrick grabbed a deep guillotine and fell to his guard.

Within seconds, Funch was tapping and the Canadian crowd was cheering its countryman as Patrick had his hand raised. Claude Patrick wins via submission (guillotine choke).

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season nine winner James Wilks took on Germany’s Peter Sobotta in the third fight of the night. Wilkes looked bigger and better conditioned, but the fight started off closely contested. Most of this fight took place against the cage and on the ground, with only a small portion featuring striking exchanges.

Midway through the first round, with the fight on the mat, Wilks grabbed an armbar from guard and swept Sobotta. Sobotta looked to be in some trouble, but was able to stack Wilks up and slip out, sending the fighters back to their feet. They ended up against the cage again, when Wilks jumped guard and tried to hit a gogoplata from rubber guard, but once again Sobotta slipped out, sending the fight to round two with a slight edge going to Wilks.

Sobotta opened round two by unleashing an aggressive combination that put Wilks against the fence. As they disengaged, this time it was Wilks’ turn to press forward. He landed a big right hand, and pressed Sobotta against the mesh. After some grappling on their feet, they hit the ground with Wilks ending up in the mount, but Sobotta managed to pass to his guard.

The two fighters remained active on the canvas, and exchanged superior ground positions leading up to the third round.

Sobotta looked tired to start the third, and Wilks came out very aggressive. He threw a big combo right away that backed Sobotta against the cage. When the fight hit the ground again, the scramble continued. Wilks went for a leg lock but gave up his back.

Sobotta worked to slip in a rear naked choke. Wilkes survived and turned Sobotta over, ending up in his guard. Wilkes finished the fight in a dominant position, landing blows, and looking like he had done enough to edge out each round.

Wilks earned the unanimous decision with judges scoring the fight 30-27, 30-27, 30-28.

David "The Crow" Loiseau walked out to a huge ovation in front of the Canadian crowd. But the roar of the partisan audience had no impact on Mario Miranda’s performance.

Miranda landed a quick slam and was all over The Crow early. Late in the round Loiseau managed to work to his feet, but Miranda took him down again and worked him over there. Loiseau scrambled back to his feet near the end of the round. He pushed Miranda against the cage, but couldn’t do anything with the position.

When the referee separated them and reset them on their feet, Miranda’s quickness advantage was even more apparent. Loiseau’s age was showing.

However, Loiseau began the second round with a couple of good strikes from his feet, showing signs of life after being dominated in the first. But Miranda quickly closed the distance and put Loiseau on the mat again. There, he unleashed strikes and opened up a cut on Loiseau’s head over his left ear.

Miranda continued to drop bombs while Loiseau lay on his belly covering up. Eventually, the referee jumped in and called an end to the fight. Miranda was faster and by far the superior grappler. Loiseau was overmatched from the outset. Miranda wins via technical knockout.

To check out the rest of the UFC 115: "Liddell vs. Franklin" results, as well as complete play-by-play coverage of the Spike TV and pay-per-view (PPV) broadcasts click here.