UFC 127 Fight Card Results, Bonuses and Reaction: Penn Vs. Fitch Ends in a Draw

Jordy McElroyFeb 27, 2011

Fans left the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia on Sunday with looks of befuddlement, and they weren't all from the travesty of a decision that occurred earlier in the prelims.

For 15 minutes, former two-division champion BJ Penn and top welterweight contender Jon Fitch battled it out in a fight with possible title implications.

It only took the judges a minute to deem it all meaningless. In a stunning decision, the bout was ruled a majority draw. While two judges scored the bout an even 28-28, a lone judge gave Fitch the 29-28 nod.

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"I think I did enough to win the decision," said Fitch, who has been involved in nine consecutive decisions. "I gave away some positions in the first two rounds, but I came back and did enough to at least win a split decision."

Penn surprised Fitch right out of the gates in pursuit of a takedown. If the Hawaiian's attempts at takedowns were surprising, imagine how the former NCAA Division I wrestler felt when Penn actually hoisted him above his shoulders and brought him to the ground.

"It just threw me off. I didn't train for BJ shooting takedowns," Fitch said. "I wasn't expecting that at all. I thought he would come out and counter-box and counter-wrestle."

Fitch found himself in deep trouble in the first round when Penn took his back and managed to secure both hooks. Penn on an opponent's back doesn't tend to end well, but Fitch fought free of the position and was able to turn into Penn's guard a minute before the bell.

The agreeing judges in the decision likely saw the second round as a draw. After struggling for takedowns, Penn reversed Fitch against the cage and secured another takedown of his own.

With top position, he transitioned to Fitch's back once again and continued working for the rear, naked choke.

Minus Fitch's bloody nose, the round seemed like a bad case of déjà vu as he fought out of another bad position and turned into Penn's guard again.

It was a strong finish to the round for Fitch, as he trapped Penn against the cage and teed off with ground-and-pound.

Round three was all Fitch. After getting taken down, Penn had no answer for Fitch's top control. It was five minutes of unanswered ground-and-pound. According to Fight Metric, Fitch outlanded Penn in the final round 149-2.

"No, [I didn't do enough to win]. I think I got some dominant positions in the first and second, but he kicked my butt in the third," said Penn. "I wasn't sure what I was going to do with my career if I lost this fight, but since the gods were nice to me and gave me a draw, if he wants to do it again, we'll do it again."

After the decision, it was obvious that Fitch was disappointed. This fight was a great chance for him to prove that he deserves a second shot at the welterweight title. Despite the draw, Fitch still believes that he's done more than enough to earn his shot.

"I want the title more than anything. I'm down with whatever. I'm here to fight the best. If my 13 wins aren't enough already to put me in for a title shot, then I'm willing to prove myself some more," Fitch said.

"The Tale of Count Bisping" ends well

All of the jokes and video parodies were great leading up to this fight, but Michael Bisping's drubbing of Jorge Rivera was no laughing matter. The official time was 1:54 of the second round as "The Count" picked up the TKO stoppage and his third straight win.

"I just want to apologize for losing control. I got a little worked up. I'm a sensitive guy," said Bisping. "I respect Jorge as an opponent. He talked so much [expletive]. I didn't understand why he was saying it. I never said anything bad about him. It upset me a little bit."

Rivera's comments looked like they upset Bisping more than a little bit. The Brit mixed up his offense with takedowns and striking. Rivera tried to bait Bisping into barlike exchanges, but the "TUF" Season 3 winner stuck to his strategy and fought a smart fight.

There was a minor scare in the first round when Bisping landed an illegal knee to Rivera's head while he was still on the ground. As the referee halted the action, Rivera looked like he may not be able to continue at first, but he managed to get back to his feet and soldier on.

A point was deducted from Bisping for the illegal blow, but the deduction never came into play. In the second round, Bisping turned up the heat in the exchanges, and a cardio-depleted Rivera wilted in defeat. After the fight, both middleweights continued their war of words before finally hugging it out.

"I can't understand why guys can't come in here and fight for three, five-minute rounds. I love my job. I'm trying to achieve my goals," said Bisping.

Siver upsets Sotiropoulos

Heading into this bout, fans were already talking about title shots and "bigger" fights at lightweight for George Sotiropoulos. If Dennis Siver was supposed to just roll over and play dead, he certainly missed that memo, as he walked into a lion's den of Sotiropoulos fans and came out with a convincing unanimous decision.

"It was a hard fight, but I could do my game plan, and that's how I won," said Siver, who picked up his third straight victory.

Sotiropoulos resembled a real-life bobblehead in the first round, as a couple of Siver left hooks planted him on the mat twice. Siver swarmed in an attempt to finish, but the Aussie proved resilient and managed to survive the onslaught.

The story of this fight was Siver's ability to keep the bout standing. When Sotiropoulos attempted a takedown, he was either sprawled on or tossed aside like a candy wrapper. It was an uphill battle for him as he was forced to stand and trade with Siver for all three rounds.

"He was very strong. He hit me with some heavy shots," Sotiropoulos said. "He defended the takedowns well. His defense was really good."

With the ground out of the equation, Siver used his superior boxing and unorthodox kicks to pick Sotiropoulos apart in the open. While Sotiropoulos started to gain some ground in the second-round exchanges, Siver's superior kickboxing took over in the third. Along with punches and leg kicks, Siver started landing his trademark spinning back kick.

It was an impressive victory for Siver, who may have just revealed himself as the dark horse of the lightweight division.

"We trained so hard [on grappling] because we knew Sotiropoulos would try to put me on the ground," said Siver. "That's why we trained every day, and it worked."

Ebersole impressive in debut

Coming in as a late replacement for Carlos Condit against Chris Lytle, MMA veteran Brian Ebersole was seen as a major underdog. Sure, we all knew he would attempt his famous cartwheel kick. After the kick missed, the overwhelming majority expected Lytle to smash up Ebersole's face "Mortal Kombat" style.

In a fight-of-the-night performance, Ebersole turned the tables on critics by outworking Lytle and picking up the unanimous decision.

Lytle's obsession with trying to catch Ebersole in a guillotine put him in a lot of bad positions. Ebersole's submission defense was solid as he continuously fought free of full-on chokes that would've put an end to most mortals.

On the feet, it was almost "lights out" for the Lytle when Ebersole floored him with a massive right knee in the second round. Ebersole tried to follow up with a brabo choke, but the Indiana native hung tough and found a way to escape.

"I thought I was going to be able to sink in that choke, but being up against the cage kind of made it hard," said Ebersole. "He's not some guy who loses awareness. He's a very tough guy, and he was there with me the whole time."

By the third round, Lytle's energy had run its course. He attempted another guillotine, which was unsuccessful and ended with Ebersole on top. Before the fight was over, Ebersole landed a nasty elbow that split Lytle's head wide open.

"I'm overwhelmed with emotion," Ebersole said. "I brought a lot of emotion in here from the people in my life –– America, South Africa."

Noke makes quick work of Camozzi

During an MMA bout, have you ever turned to say a few words to the person next to you, and when you turn back, the fight is over?

Well, this was one of those fights. After a few leg kicks and punching exchanges, Kyle Noke was able to nab a takedown and make a seamless transition to mount fellow "TUF" Season 11 alumni Chris Camozzi.

From the top, Noke began to rain down punches which forced Camozzi to give up his back. It didn't take Noke long after that to latch on the rear naked choke and pick up the first round submission at 1:35.

"I was expecting a stand-up war from Chris, but we went to the ground, and I was able to get the submission," said Noke, who trains at Jackson's MMA. "Greg Jackson helps me improve everyday. Mr. Jackson, thank you sir."

Main Card

BJ Penn and Jon Fitch Ends in Majority Draw

Michael Bisping Defeats Jorge Rivera by Round 2 TKO Stoppage (1:54)

Dennis Siver Defeats George Sotiropoulos by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-28, 30-27)

Brian Ebersole Defeats Chris Lytle by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Kyle Noke Submits Chris Camozzi by Round 1 Rear Naked Choke (1:35)

Prelims (ION Television)

Ross Pearson Defeats Spencer Fisher by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Alexander Gustafsson Submits James Te Huna by Round 1 Rear Naked Choke (4:27)

Nick Ring Defeats Riki Fukuda by Unanimous Decision (29-28 Across)

Prelims (Facebook)

Anthony Perosh Submits Tom Blackledge by Round 1 Rear Naked Choke (2:45)