UFC 145 Undercard Live Blog: Browne vs. Griggs, Brown vs. Thompson, More

This is the UFC 145 undercard live blog for the UFC 145 prelims from Philips Arena in Atlanta, Ga.

There will be six fights on the undercard. Travis Browne vs. Chad Griggs, Matt Brown vs. Stephen Thompson, John Makdessi vs. Anthony Njokuani, Mac Danzig vs. Efrain Escudero, Keith Wisniewski vs. Chris Clements and Marcus Brimage vs. Maximo Blanco will be the fights featured on FX and Facebook.

Check out the live blog below.

Marcus Brimage vs. Maximo Blanco

Round 1: Brimage lunges forward with a flurry to kick the night off, but nothing lands. Blanco shoots a body kick from inside the pocket but it's caught and countered. Brimage leaps in with another combination and backs out unscathed. He does it again, but Blanco is ready for it this time and throws Brimage to the mat. Both fighters stand back up and square off in the center of the cage. Blanco tossing out leg kicks from the outside, though Brimage is the aggressor. Thirty seconds left in the round and Brimage is staying active. A few more tentative shots and the horn sounds. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Brimage.

Round 2: Brimage flashes a thumbs up and the round begins. Blanco eats a few leg kicks and answers with a front kick. Blanco hits another front kick, but Brimage powers through it and charges forward winging wild shots. Both fighters circling and staying patient, though Blanco seems to be find his range a bit better. Another trade of combinations but nothing is lands clean. Brimage slips from a leg kick but stands back up and presses forward. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Blanco.

Round 3: Brimage's corner says it's 1-1 right now and they're probably right. Neither fighter seems willing to commit from the outset. Brimage finally sweeps out Blanco's legs with a counter leg kick. Blanco stands and half-heartedly shoots for a takedown, but he can't get it. The crowd is growing restless at the inaction. A minute left in the round and it's completely up for grabs. Blanco lunges for a takedown but Brimage defends and answers with a flurry. That's it. This could go either way. And now they're trading cartwheels in the cage, perhaps vying for the judges' favor. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Brimage.

Marcus Brimage def. Maximo Blanco via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29).

Keith Wisniewski vs. Chris Clements

Round 1: Both fighters touch gloves and we're off. Clements tosses out a pair of overhand rights that can't find their mark. Wisniewski ties up and drags the fight to the ground, landing in side control. Wisniewski latches onto Clements back in a scramble then sweeps into half guard. Wisniewski is staying busy but the referee stands up the action. Joe Rogan promptly explodes, calling the stand-up "nonsense." Wisniewski, bleeding heavily from his forehead, lunges forward and eats a huge counter shot. Clements rushes in after flooring Wisniewski with a spinning back kick, but find himself in a triangle for his troubles. Regardless, it's not deep and they trade flurries one last time before the horn sounds. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Wisniewski.

Round 2: A furious pace opens the round. Both fighters wildly swing for the fences before Wisniewski drags it back to the mat and lands in side control. Clements manages to work his way back to the feet and just misses his mark with another spinning back kick. Clements is opening up now, uncorking right hand after right hand but nothing lands flush. Clements pushes Wisniewski up against the fence, but again gets tripped to the floor. Wisniewski lands in mount, then works his way to Clements' back looking for a rear-naked choke. Thitry seconds left and Clements unloads a salvo of powerful back elbows. That was totally unorthodox but those shots looked nasty. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Clements.

Round 3: Clements corner says he's up two rounds to none, though I don't know. It was close. Wisniewski slips a shot and works his opponent to the fence. Clements grasps for a single leg but Wisniewski defends and disengages. Clements is wild with his strikes, throwing out everything but the kitchen sink. Wisniewski fires back with a right hand straight down the pipe. Clements hands are at his waist but the right hands keep coming. Wisniewski needs to get something going. Clements charges forward with another flurry, punctuated by a knee to the head. Wisniewski drops and Clements starts unloading heavy ground and pound. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Clements.

Chris Clements def. Keith Wisniewski via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

Mac Danzig vs. Efrain Escudero

Round 1: Danzig lunges into the clinch, ending up with his back against the fence. Escudero scores with a loud short elbow, but Danzig recovers and drags the fight to the ground, landing on top. Escudero grasps for a heel hook and it's tight. Danzig staying calm, defends and scrambles out. Both men bouncing light on their feet right now. Danzig grabs double underhooks and takes Escudero's back, but he can't get him to the mat. Escudero circles out and shoots for his own takedown. Danzig keeps his balance and lands a stiff jab as the round comes to a close. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Danzig.

Round 2: Danzig circles, eats a right hand and answers with a heavy leg kick. The two tie up against the fence but neither man can put together any offense. Boos are starting to rain down from the restless Atlanta crowd. Danzig is staying patient, picking his shots on the outside, though neither fighter is being overly aggressive. Danzig paws forward with his jab and a grin creeps across his face. Escudero finds himself against the cage wall, tries to reverse into a takedown but fails. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Danzig.

Round 3: Danzig's right ankle is noticeably swollen, though he's still pushing the pace as the final round begins. Danzig works into the clinch and Escudero holds his ground, successfully defending the takedown. Danzig pushes the fight back against the fence, landing short shots to the body before taking Escudero's back. Escudero circles out and the referee separates the fighters. Danzig slips and counters with a straight right, followed by a sharp shot to the body. Danzig is completely controlling the pace of this fight, and strangely, doesn't seem to mind throwing kick after kick with his mangled ankle. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Danzig.

Mac Danzig def. Efrain Escudero via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

John Makdessi vs. Anthony Njokuani

Round 1: Njokuani fires out a leg kick and Makdessi answers with a wild shot. Both fighters trades kicks, looking to gauge their range, but Makdessi is the one pressing forward. Njokuani is working hard to chop down the lead leg of Makdessi. Njokuani almost eats a side kick, then turns up the pace and charges forward with a volley of shots. Nothing lands clean and Makdessi gathers his bearings. Njokuani finds his mark with another pair of sharp kicks, finishing off with a clean shot to the body before circling away. Makdessi is stalking his opponent but can't put together any offense. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Njokuani.

Round 2: Makdessi continues to walk forward, tossing out side kicks and trying to get inside the pocket of his larger opponent. Njokuani slips and counters, barely avoiding a spinning back kick. Njokuani catches a leg and hunts for a trip but can't get it. Makdessi's left thigh is starting to turn a dark shade of red after eating another pair of kicks. Makdessi swings wildly with a head kick but it's nowhere close. So far neither fighter is committing to combinations, instead throwing out one shot at a time. Makdessi misses high with an ax kick. Njokuani catches another kick but Makdessi scrambles back to safety. The round comes to a close as the crowd continues to voice their disapproval. MMA Fighting scores it 10-10.

Round 3: Makdessi's corner tells their fighter to turn up the pace and it's probably good advice. Each fighter trades shots, but nothing lands clean and the Atlanta crowd voices their disapproval. Makdessi eats another body kick, charges forward and just misses with a wild spinning back fist. Njokuani is pummeling his opponent's leg and body with kicks, though Makdessi continues to stalk forward. 90 seconds left in the fight and neither man is showing any sense of urgency. Njokuani blocks a body shot and answers with another sharp kick to the ribs. Makdessi spins and misses a heel kick. Again the boos rain down and the horn sounds. Makdessi's left leg is going to look horrible tomorrow. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Njokuani.

Anthony Njokuani def. John Makdessi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Matt Brown vs. Stephen Thompson

Round 1: Wonderboy opens immediately with a front kick. Brown leaps in for a single leg but Thompson scrambles out. Thompson's hands are down at his waist as Brown grasps for another single leg and gets it this time. Brown postures up and rockets a hard shot down the pipe, before working to half guard. Brown postures up again looking for some more ground and pound, but Wonderboy successfully keeps him at bay and stands. Brown pushes inside the clinch and takes Thompson's back, eventually working the fight to the mat. Brown sweeps looking for a calf crank and he nearly gets it, but Wonderbody manges to scramble back to top position. It's short lived though, and Brown closes out the round unloading body shots from the top. MMA Fighting scores is 10-9 Brown.

Round 2: Thompson looking to strike earlier, uncorking combinations on his tentative opponent. Brown slips and dives in for a takedown, nearly securing it before Thompson scrambles back to the feet. Brown promptly drags it back down but again Thompson recovers. Brown eats a big shot and seems to be dazed. Thompson is unloading now, picking his shots from the outside. Brown is running out of gas and still seems to be hurt. Thompson smells the blood, charging forward with a flurry. Thompson is starting to land punches at will. Out of nowhere Brown counters with a massive elbow that drops Wonderboy. The short elbows start to drop from Brown, and Thompson is becoming a bloody mess. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Brown.

Round 3: Brown is turning this into a brawl. An exhausted Thompson slips after throwing a kick and Brown charges forward. Both men continue to trade wild combinations. Brown lands a kick flush and Thompson hits the mat. Brown jumps down in side control, pummels Wonderboy's thigh with short elbows, and looks for the mounted crucifix. He gets it. Thompson is getting completely outclassed here. Brown slithers into a mounted triangle and starts teeing off on the bloodied face of his opponent. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Brown.

Matt Brown def. Stephen Thompson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27).

Travis Browne vs. Chad Griggs

Round 1: From the outset Browne's size advantage is startling. Griggs charges forward with a flurry but nothing lands. A huge flying knee finds its mark for Browne, followed by a series of thai knees and a powerful trip. Browne advances into mount and locks in an arm triangle. It's deep and things don't look good for Griggs. The Strikeforce vet tries valiantly to survive but eventually succumbs to the tap. It's over, and just like that we have our first finish of the night.

Travis Browne def. Chad Griggs via submission (arm triangle) at 2:29 of round 1.