UFC 122 Results and Reactions: Krzysztof Soszynski Edges Goran Reljic

We had quite the start to UFC 122 tonight, boys and girls.

In the opening bout of this, the second UFC event to be hosted in Germany, Krzysztof Soszynski, better known as “The Polish Experiment”, went to war with fast-rising Croatian sensation Goran Reljic.

Both men went at it in this battle of strong-willed Light Heavyweights, but keep in mind: this was the first trip back to Light Heavyweight for Reljic since UFC 84 when Reljic beat Wilson Gouveia.

Would Soszynski spoil his return, or would Reljic return to form in his jump back up to 205?

For this edition of Results and Reactions, I covered this fight from start to finish and provided the play by play of each round.

For those who may have missed the fight, I sure hope you will enjoy this recap of what happened in this battle of exciting 205ers!

The Intro

I can’t tell what song Reljic is coming out to, but it sounds like AC/DC. Reljic is wearing red trunks. Not sure, but I think Scott Smith is in his corner. Goldberg is telling us how classy Soszynski is as a fighter. What’s my reaction to that? He’s like a Polish Wanderlei Silva by that logic….In other words, I concur, Goldie.

I can’t tell what Soszynski walked out to, either. Soszynski is in the white trunks if you’re watching. Reljic is taller and had a longer reach.

The Fight

Round 1

Marc Goddard is reffing this one.

They touch gloves and Soszynski is looking to strike. Both guys are looking to hit first as Soszynski lands an early leg kick.

 Reljic lands a kick to the right hand of Soszynski but the commentators call it a head kick. Soszynski seems to be rocked by a shot from Reljic.

Reljic gets cut open and Soszynski goes after him.  Reljic goes for a takedown with two minutes left in the fight but it’s stuffed. Goddard sees both men inactive against the cage and separates them.

Soszynski looks to connect with a shot, but I don’t know how good it is. Reljic finally gets a takedown, but Reljic is in a situation where Soszynski can hit a Kimura on him.

Crowd is booing due to what appears to be a lack of action and the submission defense comes by way of grabbing his own shorts to end the round.

De Souza scores it 10-9 Reljic.

Round 2

They touch gloves again, then trade a few short shots but no wild exchanges yet.

Reljic hits a combination and then takes TPE down. Soszynski has Reljic in his guard. Crow boos again as a few tidbits of ground and pound come from Reljic.

 Soszynski has the right wrist of Reljic but he’s not going for it. Goddard stands them up again.

So much for a “Polish Wanderlei Silva”. Hey I can dream, can’t I?

Reljic is cut open again and the two are trading positions against the cage. Tough to say who’s doing it better in the clinch. Reljic wants that left leg of Soszynski but TPW is defending an attempt. 

They’re exchanging knees and Goddard separates them again. They clinch against the cage again and trade knees to end the round.

Despite the takedown, De Souza has this one 10-9 Soszynski. Round 2 could have gone either way.

Round 3

They touch gloves once more.  They exchange jabs and Reljic hurts him. Reljic’s takedown attempt is stuffed as Soszynski sprawls and eventually spins to the back. Soszynski is pounding away but Reljic is committing to the leg of TPE after rolling into a slightly better position.

Soszynski is looking to tee off on Reljic, but he gets himself into half-guard.  Reljic goes for yet another takedown and can’t get it. Soszynski is going for... a STANDING Kimura? 

Wow.

Of course he doesn’t get it, and fatigue is setting in. Soszynski has Reljic down and is pounding away at his face. Nice shots on the ground by TPE. He needs to mount Reljic to finish the round  but he has to flatten him out yet .  A Wanderlei Silva-Michael Bisping finish ends the third round and the fight.

De Souza scores this fight 29-28 Soszynski, but it could easily go to Reljic.

Both guys get cleaned up as Bruce Buffer has the decision.

The Winner

Krzysztof Soszynski by Unanimous Decision (30-27)

Dale’s Reaction: It was a good fight and Soszynski can’t stress enough how strong Reljic was and how much he respects him. Tough to hate a guy that admits his opponent was tough to submit. Props to Reljic from me-–he came to fight and he brought it. Not the best LHW fight in the world, but it was a pretty good way to kick off the event.