UFC 79: Nemesis
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Background
UFC 79: Nemesis was a 10-bout fight card that was held on December 29, 2007 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The card aired live on pay-per-view and was headlined by a UFC Interim Welterweight Championship bout between former UFC welterweight champions, Georges St. Pierre and Matt Hughes.
A highly anticipated light heavyweight showdown between former UFC light heavyweight champion, Chuck Liddell and former PRIDE middleweight champion, Wanderlei Silva served as a co-main event.
Fight Card
Preliminary Card
- Light Heavyweight Bout: James Irvin vs. Luis Cane
- Welterweight Bout: Roan Carneiro vs. Tony DeSouza
- Middleweight Bout: Dean Lister vs. Jordan Radev
- Lightweight Bout: Mark Bocek vs. Doug Evans
- Lightweight Bout: Manny Gamburyan vs. Nate Mohr
Main Card
- Lightweight Bout: Rich Clementi vs. Melvin Guillard
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Lyoto Machida vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
- Heavyweight Bout: Eddie Sanchez vs. Soa Palelei
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva
- UFC Interim Championship Bout: Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Hughes
Pre-Event Notes
UFC 79 was originally scheduled to be headlined by a UFC welterweight title clash between champion, Matt Serra and former UFC welterweight champion, Matt Hughes. Serra was ruled out of the bout however due to a back injury. Former UFC welterweight champion, Georges St. Pierre stepped up in Serra's place to face Hughes in the main event.
The Chuck Liddell/Wanderlei Silva match-up was a long time coming for MMA fans as the bout had been tantalized in the past. First with Chuck Liddell's entrance into the PRIDE 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix, where he was eliminated in the semi finals by Quinton Jackson before he could face Wanderlei in the final. Secondly, was a number of failed co-operations between PRIDE and the UFC to get the two in the Octagon together and thirdly was an attempt to have the bout at UFC 76 but Wanderlei was not ready for the bout.
A heavyweight bout between Cheick Kongo and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira had been reported for the event, but the fight was nixed when Nogueira was matched up against Tim Sylvia for the interim UFC heavyweight title at UFC 81.
Results
Preliminary Card
- Light Heavyweight Bout: James Irvin defs. Luis Cane via disqualification (knee to a downed opponent) at 1:51 of round 1.
- Welterweight Bout: Roan Carneiro defs. Tony DeSouza via TKO (strikes) at 3:30 of round 2.
- Middleweight Bout: Dean Lister defs. Jordan Radev via unanimous decision (30-27 x3).
- Lightweight Bout: Mark Bocek defs. Doug Evans via unanimous decision (29-28 x3).
- Lightweight Bout: Manny Gamburyan defs. Nate Mohr via submission (achilles lock) at 1:31 of round 1.
Main Card
- Lightweight Bout: Rich Clementi defs. Melvin Guillard via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:40 of round 1.
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Lyoto Machida defs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou via submission (arm triangle choke) at 4:20 of round 2.
- Heavyweight Bout: Eddie Sanchez defs. Soa Palelei via TKO (strikes) at 3:24 of round 3.
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Chuck Liddell defs. Wanderlei Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27).
The fight lived up to the hype, as Liddell and Silva had some epic exchanges with both fighters being hurt at various stages of the fight. Ultimately the judges decision came down to Liddell getting the better of most of the exchanges and some rare takedowns.
- UFC Interim Championship Bout: Georges St. Pierre defs. Matt Hughes via submission (armbar) at 4:52 of round 2.
Much the same as their fight at UFC 65, St. Pierre completely overwhelmed Hughes in all areas, eventually submitting the former champion with an armbar from mount just before the end of the second round.
Bonus Awards
Fight Of The Night: Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva
Submission Of The Night: Georges St. Pierre
Knockout Of The Night: Eddie Sanchez
- Each bonus was worth $50,000
UFC Event Chronology
Preceded by: The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale
Followed by: UFC 80: Rapid Fire
External Links
http://79.ufc.com - Official UFC 79 Website
--Wrldchmpnabrvtr 07:00, 13 March 2009 (UTC)
