By @jddiantis
Thiago Alves vs Jordan Mein: Jordan Mein looked very sharp in the first round putting together crisp combinations and moving very naturally out of harms way when Thiago attacked. With 60 seconds left in the first Alves was in trouble as he was eating hard combos with his back against the cage.
Round 2 begins and Mein is getting a little cocky and loses the discipline he had in round 1. 39 seconds in Thiago Alves lands a hard body kick which drops Mein. Thiago pounces on Mein and the ref stops the fight.
Tim Boetsch vs Thales Leites: Round 1 was filled with action as the two middle-weights trade punches. Boetsch lands a big uppercut late in the first followed by a flurry of punches and a takedown. The late push gives the round to Boetsch.
Round 2 starts much like round 1 with both fighters trading punches. Leites scores a takedown and transitions to mount. Leites attempts an arm triangle that isn't quite deep enough. His second attempt is very deep and the Brazilian jujitsu black belt chokes out Tim Boetsch for the win.
Joe Lauzon vs Al Aiquinta: In the only light-weight fight of the night Joe Lauzon and Al Aiquinta gave the fans a lot of action. Both fighters land good combinations. I gave a slight edge to Aiquinta for the round.
Round 2 gives us much of the same as both of these fighters continue to be aggressive and land punches. 3:34 into the second round Al Aiquinta hits Lauzon with a series of punches that hurts Lauzon. Aiquinta stays aggressive and Lauzon tries to defend but the ref stops the fight. Aiquinta wins by TKO.
Kelvin Gastelum* vs Tyron Woodley: Unlike many of the other fights tonight the co-main event did not provide much first round action. The crowd was booing as both fighters were trying to feel each other out. Woodley did look quick and sharp connecting on three hard right hands on separate occasions, although he was hesitant in his attacks and spent a lot of time on the outside as Gastelum controlled the center of the octagon. Round 2 was also slow while round 3 finally provided some action. Both fighters landed shots but no serious damage was done. The fight went to the score cards as Woodley won by split decision.
*Gastelum did not make weight for this fight. He weighed in at 180 which was a whopping 9 pounds off the 171 allowed weight for a welter-weight fight.
Anderson Silva vs Nick Diaz: In his first fight back since breaking his leg against Chris Weidman Anderson Silva went up against the often controversial Nick Diaz. The fight began with Diaz taunting Silva for half of the first round as Silva tried to get comfortable and shake the rust off. Diaz literally laid down in the cage at one point inviting Silva to attack. Diaz continued to yell at Silva and drop his hands, asking Silva to hit him. Silva stayed patient and disciplined but could not use his stellar counter-punching because Diaz was more interested in clowning him. As Silva got comfortable he started to be the aggressor and Diaz couldn't slip the long straight rights and left towards the end of the first round.
The second round provided more of the same. Diaz took a couple big shots but although many people question his intelligence and sanity, you can't question his chin.
Diaz finally decides he should focus more on fighting than taunting in the third round. Silva is mixing in leg kicks and is showing no adverse effects from his surgery. Diaz is cut over his left eye and the left of his ribs and side is starting to redden.
The fight starts to slow in the fourth. Silva continues to show patience and pin-point accuracy. Diaz continues to get punched in the face and kicked in the side. His body looks like a before and after split frame from his right to left side.
Round five and Diaz must have thought he was winning because he didn't display the kind of urgency a losing fighter needs to show in the last round. Silva continues to show the type of counter-punching and accuracy that made him on of the greatest fighters of all time. Diaz is holding up and never seemed to be in jeopardy of being knocked out but is just outclassed being in the cage with Anderson Silva. Straight punches and side kicks were his demise in this fight, along with an ego the size of Texas. The fight goes to the scorecards as Anderson Silva wins by unanimous decision. In a sad example of what happens when you get punched in the face too much, Nick Diaz actually tells Joe Rogan he thought he won every round.
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