Join us here on Friday, October 7 for live results and commentary of MFC 31, airing live on HDNet at 10 PM ET from the Mayfield Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The live blog and discussion will coincide with HDNet’s broadcast, so join the discussion with our respected community during the action. As always, follow me (@lelandroling) on Twitter for instant analysis.
The main card is headlined by a MFC light heavyweight title bout between current champion Ryan Jimmo and former UFC fighter Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. The bout has serious implications as it is rumored that Jimmo may be in line for a shot in the UFC with a victory. The rest of the card stacks up as follows:
MFC 31 – October 7, 2011
Mayfield Conference Center, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Light Heavyweight Title: Ryan Jimmo (15-1) vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (12-8):
Round 1: Zzzzzzzzz….. Zzzzzzzzz… *crickets* Both men are standing at range, doing nothing. A couple of kicks have been exchanged in three minutes time. That’s it. Jimmo with a head kick, blocked. Soko throws a right leg kick, lands. Back to the staring contest. Jimmo starts peppering the left leg of Soko, which is wrapped with tape from the thigh down to the shin. He has a mummy leg. Action begins to pick up with twenty ticks left, nobody really landing. 10-10.
Round 2: More of the same early, but a little more aggression in both fighters’ movements. Soko presses and gets the clinch along the ropes. He dumps Jimmo, and now it looks like Jimmo is cut badly. Jimmo ate a knee from Soko at he was regaining his feet. Referee stops the fight to check it out. Doctor allows it. Back to action. Now Soko is going for it. Heavy body shot and kicks now. Jimmo fires back, nearly blasting Soko with a heavy left. Soko gets tagged a couple of times coming in, and now he’s back to his cautious range fighting. Jimmo content with doing that as he’s bored us to death with this style for years. Sigh… point fighting from range, neither man landing clean. 10-9 Sokoudjou. 10-8.5 if you want to follow the half-point idiocy.
Round 3: Minute in… I’m heading to the bathroom. I’ll be back in a minute. Soko presses Jimmo into the turnbuckle, both men exchange shoulder butts. Really? They finally separate with a minute and a half left in the round. Jimmo throwing blows, not landing. Soko doing the same. Referee stops fight to soak up sweat. They restart with five ticks left, round ends. 10-10
Round 4: Jimmo comes out harder this round, leg kicking Soko in the opening minute. Soko finally presses to the ropes once again, similar to what he did in the second when he cut Jimmo. Soko running knees into the midsection of Jimmo, now busting up Jimmo’s legs. They separate, and more range point fighting. Soko presses once again, tagging Jimmo in the body and scoring. Jimmo counters with a nice shot of his own. Back to center… is this real life? Soko throws a spinning back kick, lands but blocked. Jimmo throws a spinning back kick. Nothing. 10-9 Sokoudjou.
Round 5: Jimmo comes out aggressive, gets countered by a three-punch combo from Sokoudjou. He presses to the clinch after the combo, gets underhooks, and attempts to dump Jimmo. Jimmo defends. Soko now battering Jimmo with knees to the legs. Referee finally breaks them apart. Back to center. Jimmo lunging, catching nothing but air. Soko throws a heavy body kick, and Jimmo blocks it. Soko runs at Jimmo, puts him into the ropes, and dumps him. Unfortunately, Jimmo falls onto Soko and gets top control. Soko gets back to his feet immediately. And both men are falling down.. the ring canvas is a ice rink. They restart with no time left. 10-10. BloodyElbow scores it 50-48 Sokoudjou.
Ryan Jimmo def. Rameau Sokoudjou via unanimous decision (49-48.5, 49-48.5, 49-48)
Lightweight: Kajan Johnson (18-10) vs. Richie Whitson (11-1):
Round 1: As expected, both men go to war instantly, blasting each other. Johnson gets the better of Whitson however, punishing him with a couple of combinations that knock back Whitson’s head. More from Johnson until Whitson shoots for the takedown. Johnson briefly stuffs the shot, but Whitson moves him into the ropes. Johnson sprawls out and counters, taking down Whitson. Whitson gives up his back, although he does regain his legs. Johnson knees Whitson in the back of the legs, then attempts a suplex. Whitson locks his legs behind Johnson’s legs, stopping the suplex from getting any air. Johnson falls into full guard now, and Whitson turns, giving up his back. Whitson quickly steps back to his feet. Johnson doesn’t let him escape, however, jumping on his back. He turns Whitson, now threatening with a rear naked choke. Whitson defends, then suddenly — Johnson flips over to full mount. Wow, impressive. Whitson scrambling and Johnson countering. Johnson finds his back, sinks in the choke again. It’s tight, and Whitson taps. Kajan Johnson def. Richie Whitson via submission (RNC) at 3:52 of Round 1
Lightweight: Adam Lynn (15-8) vs. Curtis Demarce (11-8):
Round 1: Demarce starts off aggressive, moving forward and throwing combinations. He misses, but his footwork and speed looks great here. Demarce now dancing around Lynn, finding angles and tagging Lynn a few times. Dancing. Dancing. BOOM!! Adam Lynn drops Demarce with a devastating short elbow right to the chin. Demarce is out cold. Adam Lynn def. Curtis Demarce via KO (standing elbow) at 1:38 of Round 1
Lightweight: Sabah Fadai (6-1) vs. Mukai Maromo (5-2):
Round 1: Both men are Muay Thai fighters, so this could get brutal quickly. Maromo lands two hard leg kicks to start before Fadai attempts to take down Maromo. Maromo strongarms Fadai over his hip and scrambles to escape. He succeeds, and both men settle back in at the center of the ring. Maromo with more kicks to Fadai’s thighs, and damage is beginning to add up. Maromo checks a front kick, then gets caught with a pawing hand from Fadai. The referee stops the fight due to the eye poke. Maromo quickly recovers, and we’re back to action. Both men are being cautious and attempting to land blows from range, neither man really stringing together combinations. Maromo turns his hips and nearly lands a head kick. He presses to the ropes, clips Fadai with a right, and almost takes Fadai’s head off with a head kick. He gets top control and pounds on Fadai as the bell rings. 10-9 Maromo
Round 2: Maromo continues his assault, brutalizing Fadai with leg kicks and now knees in the clinch. Not much action over the next two minutes until Maromo catches a leg and downs Fadai with a leg kick. Fadai back to his feet, but he’s being beaten badly here. Maramo kicks out Fadai down as he advances. Maromo doesn’t follow him down. Back to center. Huge left kick and Fadai nearly falls down again. Another leg catch and sweep by Maromo. Fadai has produced next to no offense here. 10-8 Maromo.
Round 3: Fadai needs a miracle to win. Maromo continues kicking Fadai’s leg to death. By some sort of divine intervention, Fadai capitalizes on a Maromo mistake, getting him to the ground. Unfortunately, Fadai can’t do a damn thing. Fadai gets kicked some more… bell rings. 10-9 Maromo.
Mukai Maromo def. Sabah Fadai via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Middleweight: Terry Martin (21-8) vs. Allen Hope (7-8):
Round 1: Martin walks Hope down into the corner, unleashes a three or four punch combination that lands on Hope’s midsection. Hope circles out and gets clipped, then Martin clinches and takes down Hope. Martin works from top control, mixing body and head punches with elbows. Hope attempting to sway his hips to move away, but Martin keeps him pinned down. Hope is just eating blows at will now. Martin is crushing him. Referee stops the fight. Terry Martin def. Allen Hope via TKO (strikes) at 2:13 of Round 1
Catchweight (175 lbs.): Ryan Chiappe (8-6) vs. Cody Krahn (10-4):
Round 1: Both men come out swinging, and Chiappe catches a leg and takes down Krahn, settling into his full guard. Chiappe separates from Krahn’s attempts to neutralize his posture to unleash some brutal ground and pound. Krahn is avoiding most of the shots, but he’s eaten a few heavy blows while scrambling toward the rope. Krahn separates by kicking Chiappe away, turns to get back up, but Chiappe takes his back. Chiappe scrambles to lock in a rear naked choke, then moves to mount. Krahn slips free and attempts to move to his feet. Chiappe latches onto Krahn’s arm as he wiggles to his feet, nearly trapping him in an armbar. Krahn escapes, then takes the back of Chiappe from a side mount position. Chiappe turns and falls to his back, then scrambles to his feet after a brief period of ground and pound. A slugfest ensues, but Chiappe attempts to take it to the ground, Krahn puts all his weight down and sprawls, locking his arms around Chiappe’s neck. He flips up his legs and sinks in the guillotine choke. Chiappe taps. Cody Krahn def. Ryan Chiappe via submission (guillotine choke) at 3:45 of Round 1
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