· “UFC On Versus 3” Results And Recap: Sanchez And Kampmann Put On A Show

· Article author: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Posted on 03/04 at 09:17 AM

LOUISVILLE, Ky - The UFC made its way to the Bluegrass State for the first time, as “UFC on Versus” took place at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. The main card aired live on Versus, with two fights streamed on Facebook prior to the TV broadcast.

The main event is likely to grab many of today's headlines, as welterweights Martin Kampmann (17-5, 8-4) and Diego Sanchez (23-4, 12-4 UFC) put on an exciting battle for 15 minutes. Kampmanm jumped ahead early in the fight, picking apart the former lightweight title challenger with strikes while also stopping five takedown attempts from Sanchez.

It was obvious early in the fight that Kampmann was clearly the more polished striker, as Sanchez was only landing an occasional counter punch. But Sanchez came storming back in the second and third rounds, as he began to stalk Kampmann and appeared to be in control of the fight. Despite that, Sanchez still lost the striking edge in all three rounds, and only earned the edge in power strikes in the third round. He also landed just one takedown in the third round, though many admit that he probably took the final frame. The judges rendered their decision unanimously in favor of Sanchez, a result proving immediately controversial to many in attendance and watching from home.

UFC president Dana White announced that Kampmann and Sanchez were awarded the end-of-night bonus for “Fight of the Night,” and the bonus was first bumped from $40,000 to $60,000, and then to $160,000 due to the excitement of the fight. An early favorite for fight of the year despite the disputed outcome, rematch talk is likely to start between these two very soon.

In the co-main event, former NCAA champion wrestler Mark Munoz (10-2, 5-2 UFC) showed off his striking skills, as he ended C.B. Dollaway’s (11-3, 5-3 UFC) night early with a TKO victory. Dollaway started the bout with an early takedown and front choke attempt, but Munoz fended that off and ended up back on his feet. When Dollaway dropped his hands, Munoz landed a flush right hand that sent Dollaway reeling. He threw a couple of hammerfists before referee Mario Yamasaki stepped in to stop it, and although the fans booed at what they thought was an early stoppage, replays clearly showed that Dollaway was out during the hammerfists on the ground.

Highly touted prospect Chris Weidman (5-0, 1-0 UFC) earned his first UFC victory with a unanimous decision win over Alessio Sakara (15-8, 6-5 UFC) in a bout that he took on just two weeks’ notice. Weidman was able to consistently land takedowns in the bout, and it was easy to sense the growing confidence from the young fighter as the bout went on. He opened a couple of cuts on Sakara’s face, and the clear-cut decision was his.

Finally, former WEC bantamweight champion Brian Bowles (9-1, 1-0 UFC) returned to action for the first time in nearly a year, and he picked up a big win over Damacio Page (15-6, 0-1 UFC) to throw his name back into the 135-pound title mix. Bowles earned a second victory over Page, and the déjà vu must have been overwhelming, as he submitted Page with the exact same submission at the exact same time that he finished their first fight with. For his troubles, he earned submission of the night and a $40,000 bonus to go with it.

Lightweight Shane Roller (10-3, 1-0 UFC) earned the $40,000 knockout of the night bonus for his victory over Thiago Tavares (15-4-1, 5-4-1 UFC), a comeback knockout that stopped Tavares after Roller had clearly lost the first round.