It was a great night of mixed martial arts action for everyone who tuned into UFC Ultimate Fight Night 13 this evening from the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colo., unless your name is Steve Mazzagatti.
"Mazz" was involved in two "controversial" stoppages on the main card, which were disputed heavily by the fighters on the losing end of those calls, Karo Parisyan and Houston Alexander.
Let's start first with the main event of the evening between lightweights Kenny Florian and Joe Lauzon. As expected, both fighters set a frenetic pace from the outset, going back and forth with switches and takedowns.
Florian unleashed some vicious elbows while on his back, which were deemed dangerous by the referee and warned that a point would be deducted if he did it again. From this point on it seemed Florian began to take over -- despite some nice submission attempts from Lauzon to twist Florian's ankle off.
When the second round began Florian mounted Lauzon numerous times and he could not escape. Lauzon seemed to block most of the strikes, but he could not buck Florian and eventually the referee had seen enough.
It was a great effort by both fighters and it could have possibly lasted a but longer if it wasn't for the thin Colorado air -- it seemed to take its toll on Lauzon.
Even in a losing effort Lauzon showed he can compete against the cream of the division. Meanwhile, Florian cemented his status as the man to beat to get the next title shot at 155 pounds.
Parisyan started off his bout with Thiago Alves strong, taking the Brazilian to the mat with a textbook takedown after securing the body lock. He worked from the top position for a bit until Alves eventually worked his way to the feet.
Alves looked sluggish throughout the first stanza and did not uncork one of his trademark kicks until the two minute mark. Perhaps he was just feeling out the Armenian, but until he drilled Parisyan with a knee to the jaw from the clinch in the opening minutes of round two, he didn't look comfortable at all.
But that's all it took ... Alves followed Parisyan to the canvas and threw a flurry of combinations that Mazzagatti determined were too much.
"The Heat" was irate from the moment of the stoppage and did not seem punch drunk at all. However, it was clear that he was hurt and apparently did not do enough to demonstrate that he was all good.
This is a massive blow to Parisyan's immediate title fight chances and a massive boon to Alves.' Barring an injury to either Georges St. Pierre or Matt Serra in two weeks, it looks like the top welterweight contender picture has been cleared up thanks to one Alves knee.
Get ready, Jon Fitch.
Matt Hamill weathered the Jeet Kun Do blitzkrieg of Tim Boetsch to finish "The Barbarian" in the second round of their 205-pound scrap. Boetsch looked winded just minutes into the fight and could not muster up the energy to intelligently defend the ground and pound of Hamill.
Hamill used his "gorilla strength" and a "rape choke" to overwhelm Boetsch in the end, showing a good chin and a more well rounded skill set in doing so.
It should be real interesting to see where both these guys end up next.
And what's there to say about Nate Diaz?
This kid (he's just 22-years-old) just oozes talent and guts. Kurt Pellegrino beat the hell out of him for the entire first round, opening up a bad gash over his eye and lumping his face up nice.
It looked to be like round two was going to be more of the same until Diaz wrapped his long limbs around the neck of "Batman" coming off a slam, cinched in the triangle, sat back, flipped off the overhead cameras and celebrated before getting the fight-ending tap.
His brother, Nick, has taught him ... well?
Diaz has cemented his status as a very dangerous player in the very crowded lightweight division.
To start off the evening, big surprise, James Irvin was involved in another quasi-controversial bout, stopping Alexander in record time en route to a first round technical knockout win.
"The Sandman" dropped the Nebraskan with a Superman punch just moments into the 205-pound tilt. He followed it up with about three unanswered strikes, which forced the referee to step in and call a hault to the action.
Alexander did look like he was out momentarily and defenseless, but he claimed during the post-fight interview that he was conscious throughout the exchange and the decision to stop the fight was "crap."
Regardless, it's over and Irvin has notched a nice win, ensuring that his immediate future with the organization is safe after a tumultuous fight season in 2007. As for Alexander, it's anyone's guess where he goes from here after back-to-back technical knockout losses.
He's a big fan favorite because of his raw ability and devastating punching power. However, one more loss could mean that fans will have to enjoy watching him knock dudes out — or get knocked out — elsewhere outside the Octagon.
In the swing bout of the evening, Gray Maynard outboxed and outwrestled Frank Edgar to keep his undefeated record intact and to become the first man to find an answer for "The Answer."
Maynard came in with a tight game and came away with a huge win over a very highly ranked fighter in the 155-pound class. This was a huge win for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5 alum and should mean that he meets up with some of the top competitors in the division.
A showdown with TUF 5 winner, Diaz, would be a fantastic match up — Diaz defeated "The Bully" while the two were on the show.
As for Edgar, he'll more than likely return after his honeymoon (in 10 days) and be in search of redemption. Tough loss for Edgar but he'll come ba ck strong without question.
That's it for an action-packed night of mixed martial arts. The fans in attendance -- like those of us at home -- should be pleased. Out of 12 fights only two went to decision.
Great stuff.
For UFC Fight Night 13 quick results and LIVE blow-by-blow commentary of the main card click here.
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