Welcome to the FanHouse UFC 74 live blog, where we'll be giving round-by-round results on all of the fights on the undercard of tonight's UFC 74 pay-per-view broadcast.
With the undercard now over, switch over to the UFC 74 Randy Couture-Gabriel Gonzaga live blog.
The fights have begun. As for the non-televised portion of the night, Clay Guida has defeated Marcus Aurelio by split decision, Frank Mir beat Antoni Hardonk by submission, Renato Sobral defeated David Heath by submission and Thales Leites defeated Ryan Jensen by submission.
Full coverage and live updates after the jump.
Reload this page often for up-to-the-minute updates.
Patrick Cote vs. Kendall Grove
Grove's entrance music is "Californication." Not sure if that's product placement for the new David Duchovny show, but I will say that I highly recommend that show. Grove has a seven-inch height advantage, about the biggest you'll ever see in any spot with weight classes.
Round 1: Cote came in quickly with a punch, and then they locked up against the cage. The ref separated them after a full minute being locked up without much action. Grove landed a high kick but Cote didn't look hurt. Cote tried to take Grove to the ground, but Grove did a nice job breaking free. They exchange punches with a minute and a half to go in the round, and this round is anyone's for the taking. Grove is down and Cote has him in trouble. A quick strike from Cote knocked Grove down, and now Cote has Grove in a choke. With repeated strikes on the ground, Cote wins by knockout.
I think the referee, Herb Dean, should have stopped it sooner than he did; Cote landed several punches with Grove on the ground and not doing much to defend himself.
Interesting: Kobe Bryant is in attendance, and the crowd booed him when he appeared on the TV screen. Keanu Reeves is also in attendance, and the crowd didn't react much at all to his presence.
Joe Stevenson vs. Kurt Pellegrino
Both fighters have entered the Octagon.
Round 1: It starts out as a boxing match, and Pellegrino has a nice combination. They go to the ground a minute in, with Pelegrino on top. They go to their feet just long enough for Stevenson to slam Pellegrino back down. Stevenson looks very comfortable on the ground. Joe Rogan just made a rather odd comment about "how hard Sean Sherk trains." Uh, Joe? You are aware that Sean Sherk tested positive for steroids, right? I take that brief detour because not much is happening in the Octagon. Both guys are jockeying for position on the ground. Pellegrino lands a very solid right hand on the ground at the end of the round, and in my mind, that shot earns Pellegrino the round, 10-9.
Round 2: The second round starts a lot like the first, with an exchange of punches and neither fighter doing much damage. Pellegrino went to the ground and appeared to be in trouble as Stevenson landed a few punches, but Pellegrino was able to get back up. Stevenson is on top as they go back to the ground, and Pellegrino has blood dripping above his eye. Stevenson is controlling the fight, but Pellegrino is doing a nice job of staying alive. Pellegrino lands a massive right hand to Stevenson's face, but Stevenson looks OK. There's not much action at the end of the round, which I'm giving to Stevenson, 10-9. The winner of round 3 will win the fight, at least on my scorecard.
By far the loudest ovation of the night comes when Chuck Liddell is shown on the TVs in the arena. He's still UFC's most popular fighter.
Round 3: Pellegrino starts the round with a solid uppercut. Pellegrino has a very good takedown just over a minute into the round. They were locked on the ground and inactive and the ref forced them back to their feet, and that seemed to give Stevenson renewed energy. Stevenson landed a solid right hand on the ground with a minute and a half to go. Stevenson is landing a series of punches, and Pellegrino can't do much about it. With less than a minute to go this looks like Stevenson's fight. Stevenson is having an outstanding final couple of minutes. I give him round 3, and I give him the fight. I'll be surprised -- but not shocked -- if the judges disagree with me. Joe Stevenson wins by unanimous decision.
Roger Huerta vs. Alberto Crane
Huerta is best known for being the only UFC fighter to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated. (The cover story wasn't about Huerta; SI just liked the photo.)
Round 1: Crane wanted to go to the ground early and dove for Huerta's leg. But it was Huerta who had the advantage as they went to the ground. Huerta is trying to land some strikes on the ground, but he has to be careful because Crane is much more skilled on the ground. There's a pretty big gash under Crane's eye. Huerta has done a very good job in this round of keeping Crane from gaining an advantage on the ground, and I'm giving the round to Huerta.
Round 2: Huerta picks up right where he left off, landing strikes on the ground. Nice right hand on the ground, going after the cut under Crane's left eye. Huerta is much better on the ground than I thought he'd be. A couple of great kicks from Huerta, and Crane is hurting. For a moment Crane looked like he was going to get a submission with an arm bar, but Huerta's defense is excellent. Huerta dominated this round, and he just needs to avoid being submitted in Round 3.
Round 3: Huerta looks completely fresh; Crane looks like he's been through hell. The crowd is booing and I have no idea why. This has been a pretty entertaining fight, from my perspective. Wow. Huerta is using the Jumbotron inside the arena to see where Crane is behind him, and landing elbows at will. And it's over. The ref stops the fight. Huerta wins by knockout.
Georges St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck
I don't want to overstate things like how confident someone looks, but Koscheck looks very confident heading into the Octagon. The crowd is very, very strongly in St. Pierre's corner. I can't think of another example of an American crowd overwhelmingly cheering a foreigner (St. Pierre is Canadian) over an American.
Round 1: Koscheck comes out swinging. But St. Pierre takes him down. St. Pierre has had Koscheck on the ground for close to two minutes, but he hasn't done much damage. Koscheck is picking up St. Pierre's leg, and he landed a very good takedown. Koscheck has taken control of the fight, but you get the feeling that neither guy has really done what he wanted to do this round. I'll give the round to Koscheck, but it's close.
Round 2: St. Pierre started the second round much like he started the first, taking Koscheck down. St. Pierre is trying to get a submission two minutes into the round, but Koscheck's defense is solid. Koscheck rolled free briefly, but St. Pierre remained on top, and so far, St. Pierre has totally controlled the round. St. Pierre is landing a few left hands on the ground, in addition to controlling everything from a wrestling standpoint. For a skilled wrestler, Koscheck hasn't looked that good on the ground tonight. Round 2 is an easy win for St. Pierre, and Round 3 will probably be decisive.
Round 3: St. Pierre starts the round with a few kicks, and Koscheck is struggling, throwing a bunch of punches but not doing much damage with them. Koscheck is, clearly, nowhere near as complete a fighter as St. Pierre is, and Koscheck is going to have to do something miraculous to win this fight. Koscheck lands a nice right hand with just under three minutes to go, but he'll need a lot more of those. Koscheck thought he was going to take St. Pierre down by grabbing the leg, but it didn't work, and St. Pierre ended up having the advantageous position on the ground. St. Pierre lands some solid strikes on the ground. Koscheck tries a desperate flurry at the end, but I give the round to St. Pierre, and I'll be stunned if he doesn't win on all three judges' cards. Georges St. Pierre wins by unanimous decision.
Now that the undercard is over, join us for the UFC 74 Gabriel Gonzaga-Randy Couture main event live blog.
With the undercard now over, switch over to the UFC 74 Randy Couture-Gabriel Gonzaga live blog.
The fights have begun. As for the non-televised portion of the night, Clay Guida has defeated Marcus Aurelio by split decision, Frank Mir beat Antoni Hardonk by submission, Renato Sobral defeated David Heath by submission and Thales Leites defeated Ryan Jensen by submission.
Full coverage and live updates after the jump.
Reload this page often for up-to-the-minute updates.
Patrick Cote vs. Kendall Grove
Grove's entrance music is "Californication." Not sure if that's product placement for the new David Duchovny show, but I will say that I highly recommend that show. Grove has a seven-inch height advantage, about the biggest you'll ever see in any spot with weight classes.
Round 1: Cote came in quickly with a punch, and then they locked up against the cage. The ref separated them after a full minute being locked up without much action. Grove landed a high kick but Cote didn't look hurt. Cote tried to take Grove to the ground, but Grove did a nice job breaking free. They exchange punches with a minute and a half to go in the round, and this round is anyone's for the taking. Grove is down and Cote has him in trouble. A quick strike from Cote knocked Grove down, and now Cote has Grove in a choke. With repeated strikes on the ground, Cote wins by knockout.
I think the referee, Herb Dean, should have stopped it sooner than he did; Cote landed several punches with Grove on the ground and not doing much to defend himself.
Interesting: Kobe Bryant is in attendance, and the crowd booed him when he appeared on the TV screen. Keanu Reeves is also in attendance, and the crowd didn't react much at all to his presence.
Joe Stevenson vs. Kurt Pellegrino
Both fighters have entered the Octagon.
Round 1: It starts out as a boxing match, and Pellegrino has a nice combination. They go to the ground a minute in, with Pelegrino on top. They go to their feet just long enough for Stevenson to slam Pellegrino back down. Stevenson looks very comfortable on the ground. Joe Rogan just made a rather odd comment about "how hard Sean Sherk trains." Uh, Joe? You are aware that Sean Sherk tested positive for steroids, right? I take that brief detour because not much is happening in the Octagon. Both guys are jockeying for position on the ground. Pellegrino lands a very solid right hand on the ground at the end of the round, and in my mind, that shot earns Pellegrino the round, 10-9.
Round 2: The second round starts a lot like the first, with an exchange of punches and neither fighter doing much damage. Pellegrino went to the ground and appeared to be in trouble as Stevenson landed a few punches, but Pellegrino was able to get back up. Stevenson is on top as they go back to the ground, and Pellegrino has blood dripping above his eye. Stevenson is controlling the fight, but Pellegrino is doing a nice job of staying alive. Pellegrino lands a massive right hand to Stevenson's face, but Stevenson looks OK. There's not much action at the end of the round, which I'm giving to Stevenson, 10-9. The winner of round 3 will win the fight, at least on my scorecard.
By far the loudest ovation of the night comes when Chuck Liddell is shown on the TVs in the arena. He's still UFC's most popular fighter.
Round 3: Pellegrino starts the round with a solid uppercut. Pellegrino has a very good takedown just over a minute into the round. They were locked on the ground and inactive and the ref forced them back to their feet, and that seemed to give Stevenson renewed energy. Stevenson landed a solid right hand on the ground with a minute and a half to go. Stevenson is landing a series of punches, and Pellegrino can't do much about it. With less than a minute to go this looks like Stevenson's fight. Stevenson is having an outstanding final couple of minutes. I give him round 3, and I give him the fight. I'll be surprised -- but not shocked -- if the judges disagree with me. Joe Stevenson wins by unanimous decision.
Roger Huerta vs. Alberto Crane
Huerta is best known for being the only UFC fighter to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated. (The cover story wasn't about Huerta; SI just liked the photo.)
Round 1: Crane wanted to go to the ground early and dove for Huerta's leg. But it was Huerta who had the advantage as they went to the ground. Huerta is trying to land some strikes on the ground, but he has to be careful because Crane is much more skilled on the ground. There's a pretty big gash under Crane's eye. Huerta has done a very good job in this round of keeping Crane from gaining an advantage on the ground, and I'm giving the round to Huerta.
Round 2: Huerta picks up right where he left off, landing strikes on the ground. Nice right hand on the ground, going after the cut under Crane's left eye. Huerta is much better on the ground than I thought he'd be. A couple of great kicks from Huerta, and Crane is hurting. For a moment Crane looked like he was going to get a submission with an arm bar, but Huerta's defense is excellent. Huerta dominated this round, and he just needs to avoid being submitted in Round 3.
Round 3: Huerta looks completely fresh; Crane looks like he's been through hell. The crowd is booing and I have no idea why. This has been a pretty entertaining fight, from my perspective. Wow. Huerta is using the Jumbotron inside the arena to see where Crane is behind him, and landing elbows at will. And it's over. The ref stops the fight. Huerta wins by knockout.
Georges St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck
I don't want to overstate things like how confident someone looks, but Koscheck looks very confident heading into the Octagon. The crowd is very, very strongly in St. Pierre's corner. I can't think of another example of an American crowd overwhelmingly cheering a foreigner (St. Pierre is Canadian) over an American.
Round 1: Koscheck comes out swinging. But St. Pierre takes him down. St. Pierre has had Koscheck on the ground for close to two minutes, but he hasn't done much damage. Koscheck is picking up St. Pierre's leg, and he landed a very good takedown. Koscheck has taken control of the fight, but you get the feeling that neither guy has really done what he wanted to do this round. I'll give the round to Koscheck, but it's close.
Round 2: St. Pierre started the second round much like he started the first, taking Koscheck down. St. Pierre is trying to get a submission two minutes into the round, but Koscheck's defense is solid. Koscheck rolled free briefly, but St. Pierre remained on top, and so far, St. Pierre has totally controlled the round. St. Pierre is landing a few left hands on the ground, in addition to controlling everything from a wrestling standpoint. For a skilled wrestler, Koscheck hasn't looked that good on the ground tonight. Round 2 is an easy win for St. Pierre, and Round 3 will probably be decisive.
Round 3: St. Pierre starts the round with a few kicks, and Koscheck is struggling, throwing a bunch of punches but not doing much damage with them. Koscheck is, clearly, nowhere near as complete a fighter as St. Pierre is, and Koscheck is going to have to do something miraculous to win this fight. Koscheck lands a nice right hand with just under three minutes to go, but he'll need a lot more of those. Koscheck thought he was going to take St. Pierre down by grabbing the leg, but it didn't work, and St. Pierre ended up having the advantageous position on the ground. St. Pierre lands some solid strikes on the ground. Koscheck tries a desperate flurry at the end, but I give the round to St. Pierre, and I'll be stunned if he doesn't win on all three judges' cards. Georges St. Pierre wins by unanimous decision.
Now that the undercard is over, join us for the UFC 74 Gabriel Gonzaga-Randy Couture main event live blog.