Diego Sanchez attempts a flying knee against Joe Stevenson at UFC 95

Diego Sanchez was victorious in his lightweight debut at UFC 95, topping Joe Stevenson via unanimous decision on Saturday in London. Newcomer Paulo Thiago upset welterweight contender Josh Koscheck via first-round knockout on a card filled filled with stoppages.

Dan Hardy is likely to receive a step up in competition for his next bout after dispatching of Rory Markham with punches in just over one-minute in the evening’s co-main event.

Middleweight contenders Nate Marquardt and Demian Maia may be on a collision course after both picked up impressive victories over Wilson Gouveia and Chael Sonnen respectively at UFC 95.

$40,000 fight night bonuses were awarded to four UFC 95 fighters for their performances at the event. Sanchez and Steveson received “Fight of the Night” honors, Thiago earned “Knockout of the Night”, and Maia received the “Submission of the Night” award.

The event’s full results were:

• Diego Sanchez def. Joe Stevenson via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Dan Hardy def. Rory Markham via KO (punches) — Round 1, 1:09
• Nate Marquardt def. Wilson Gouveia via TKO (strikes) — Round 3, 3:10
• Demian Maia def. Chael Sonnen via submission (triangle choke) — Round 1, 2:37
• Paulo Thiago def. Josh Koscheck via KO (punches) — Round 1, 3:29
• Terry Etim def. Brian Cobb via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 0:10
• Junior dos Santos def. Stefan Struve via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 0:54
• Evan Dunham def. Per Eklund via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 2:14
• Mike Ciesnolevicz def. Neil Grove via submission (heel hook) — Round 1, 1:03
• Paul Kelly def. Troy Mandaloniz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-28)

Diego Sanchez and Joe Stevenson

Welcome to MMAFrenzy.com’s live coverage of UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson, which takes place today at the 02 Arena in London England.

Former welterweight contender Diego Sanchez makes his anticipated lightweight debut against former 155-pound challenger Joe Stevenson in the UFC 95 headliner. The event’s main card also features Dan Hardy vs. Rory Markham, Wilson Gouveia vs. Nate Marquardt, Demian Maia vs. Chael Sonnen, and Josh Koscheck vs. Paulo Thiago.

MMAFrenzy.com’s live coverage of UFC 95 begins at 1pm ET with preliminary card results followed by main card results beginning at 3pm ET. As a reminder, UFC 95 will air on Spike TV on a tape delay beginning at 9pm ET. If you wish to avoid spoilers do not read further.

Stick with MMAFrenzy.com after the fights for our UFC 95 recap and post-event news.

UFC 95 QUICK RESULTS

• Diego Sanchez def. Joe Stevenson via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Dan Hardy def. Rory Markham via KO (punches) — Round 1, 1:09
• Nate Marquardt def. Wilson Gouveia via TKO (strikes) — Round 3, 3:10
• Demian Maia def. Chael Sonnen via submission (triangle choke) — Round 1, 2:37
• Paulo Thiago def. Josh Koscheck via KO (punches) — Round 1, 3:29
• Terry Etim def. Brian Cobb via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 0:10
• Junior dos Santos def. Stefan Struve via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 0:54
• Evan Dunham def. Per Eklund via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 2:14
• Mike Ciesnolevicz def. Neil Grove via submission (heel hook) — Round 1, 1:03
• Paul Kelly def. Troy Mandaloniz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-28)

Diego Sanchez

Diego Sanchez successfully completed his cut to the lightweight division on Friday, weighing-in at at 156 pounds for his UFC 95 headlining bout against Joe Stevenson on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London, England. Stevenson weighed in at 155 pounds for the contest.

Sanchez, Stevenson, and the card’s 18 other fighters hit the scales earlier today in London to make their matchups official and all 20 fighters successfully made weight.

The event’s official weigh-in results were:

• 155: Diego Sanchez (156) vs. Joe Stevenson (155)
• 170: Dan Hardy (170) vs. Rory Markham (170)
• 185: Wilson Gouveia (185) vs. Nate Marquardt (185)
• 185: Demian Maia (184) vs. Chael Sonnen (185)
• 170: Josh Koscheck (170) vs. Paulo Thiago (169)
• 265: Junior dos Santos (239) vs. Stefan Struve (240)
• 155: Brian Cobb (155) vs. Terry Etim (156)
• 170: Paul Kelly (169) vs. Troy Mandaloniz (168)
• 265: Mike Ciesnolevicz (235) vs. Neil Grove (263)
• 155: Evan Dunham (154) vs. Per Eklund (155)

Join MMAFrenzy.com tomorrow afternoon for live UFC 95 coverage.

Per Eklund

UFC newcomer Evan Dunham will replace an injured David Baron and make his promotional debut against Per Eklund at UFC 95 on February 21st in London, England.

Dunham is undefeated in 7 professional bouts, most recently submitting Dustin Akbari at PFC 12 in January. Eklund, a winner of five of his last six fights, dropped his UFC debut to Sam Stout last January but rebounded with an October victory over Samy Schiavo at UFC 89.

UFC 95 is headlined by Joe Stevenson vs. Diego Sanchez and also features Demian Maia vs. Chael Sonnen and Josh Koscheck vs. Paulo Thiago.

For the latest UFC 95 fight card check out the MMAFrenzy.com UFC rumors section.

Despite entering the bout in his best physical and mental shape of his career, Leben pressed forward but was unable to connect with his knockout power, while Bisping employed a perfect strategy to top Leben on the judge’s scorecards, avoiding Leben’s power while countering with precision strikes.

Leben opened the bout aggressively with leg kicks but Bisping took control midway through the close opening round, countering with punches and bloodying the nose of his opponent. In the second it was all Bisping, who dodged Leben’s attacks while carefully countering with punches. In the close final round (which MMAFrenzy.com scored in favor of Leben), a desperate Leben was again aggressive, chasing Bisping down with wild strikes, but was unable to score a knockout.

The judges rendered a unanimous decision victory in favor of Bisping with scores of 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 in favor of the English fighter.

With the win Bisping improved to 17-1 on his career, including a perfect 3-0 record at 185-pounds, and moved closer to a middleweight title shot, though when questioned on a potential title fight after the victory, Bisping said he feels he needs several more wins over quality opponents before he’d be prepared for the middleweight title holder.

Up next for Bisping is a stint as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 9 with a key middleweight matchup against Dan Henderson or Rich Franklin looming in 2009.

The obviously-improved Leben dropped to 18-5 in the loss, but was gracious in defeat, thanking the UK fans and Bisping for a fight he called the most-enjoyable of his career, despite being a losing effort.

In the co-main event of the evening, Keith Jardine defeated Brandon Vera via split decision after three close rounds. After a exchanging early, Jardine captured the first round with a takedown and ground and pound, escaping a near-submission by the Jiu Jitsu brown belt to punctuate the round with a late-flurry of strikes. Vera countered by winning the second with a knee-buckling kick and better striking, but Jardine rebounded to win the final frame on two of the judge’s scorecards to take the split decision with scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 28-29.

Despite losses in two of his last five fights, the win moves Jardine, now 14-4-1 on his career, back into the light heavyweight title picture with wins over current light heavyweight title-holder Forrest Griffin, former champion Chuck Liddell, and now the former heavyweight contender Vera in three of his last five.

Vera, suffering his third loss in his last four bouts inside the octagon, saw his record drop to 9-3 in the loss, including a 1-1 mark at 205-pounds.

In other main card action, Luiz Cane stopped Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou for the “Knockout of the Night” with strikes late in the second round, Chris Lytle and Paul Taylor went toe-to-toe in the “Fight of the Night” with Lytle walking away with a controversial unanimous decision win (29-28, 30-27, 29-28), and Marcus Davis submitted Paul Kelly via guillotine choke midway through the second round in the first televised bout of the evening.

The wins likely line up Davis and Lytle for an early-2009 meeting at UFC 93 in Ireland.

Lytle, Taylor, Cane, and Davis each took home an extra $40,000 bonus for their efforts.

On the preliminary card, Dan Hardy topped Akihiro Gono via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), Shane Carwin pounded out Neil Wain early in the first round, David Bielkheden defeated Jess Liaudin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27), Terry Etim topped Sam Stout via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27), Jim Miller earned “Submission of the Night” honors by choking out David Baron with a rear naked choke midway through the third round, and Per Eklund forced Samy Schiavo to submit to a rear naked choke early in the third round of the opening bout of the evening.

The UFC’s next event is just one week away as the promotion returns to the US and heads to Chicago, Illinois for UFC 90 “Silva vs. Cote”. The middleweight title will be on the line in the main event as UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva battles top contender Patrick Cote. Welterweights Josh Koscheck and Yoshiyuki Yoshida are set to clash in the evening’s co-main event.

As always, MMAFrenzy.com will have extensive live coverage of UFC 90 “Silva vs. Cote” on Saturday, October 25th.

UFC 89 “BISPING VS. LEBEN” OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Michael Bisping def. Chris Leben via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Keith Jardine def. Brandon Vera via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
• Luiz Cane def. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 4:15
• Chris Lytle def. Paul Taylor via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
• Marcus Davis def. Paul Kelly via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 2, 2:16
• Dan Hardy def. Akihiro Gono via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Shane Carwin def. Neil Wain via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 1:31
• David Bielkheden def. Jess Liaudin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Terry Etim def. Sam Stout via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Jim Miller def. David Baron via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 3, 3:19
• Per Eklund def. Sammy Schiavo via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 3, 1:47

England’s own Michael Bisping topped fellow middleweight contender Chris Leben via unanimous decision to headline the the eleven-bout UFC 89 card.

• Michael Bisping def. Chris Leben via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Keith Jardine def. Brandon Vera via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
• Luiz Cane def. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 4:15
• Chris Lytle def. Paul Taylor via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
• Marcus Davis def. Paul Kelly via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 2, 2:16
• Dan Hardy def. Akihiro Gono via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Shane Carwin def. Neil Wain via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 1:31
• David Bielkheden def. Jess Liaudin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Terry Etim def. Sam Stout via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Jim Miller def. David Baron via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 3, 3:19
• Per Eklund def. Sammy Schiavo via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 3, 1:47

Today’s event, which will air for free tonight on Spike TV, takes place at The NIA in Birmingham, England and features a middleweight main event clash between former “Ultimate Fighter” cast members Michael Bisping and Chris Leben. The UFC 89 main card also includes Brandon Vera vs. Keith Jardine, Luiz Cane vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Chris Lytle vs. Paul Taylor, and Marcus Davis vs. Paul Kelly.

QUICK RESULTS

• Michael Bisping def. Chris Leben via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Keith Jardine def. Brandon Vera via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
• Luiz Cane def. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 4:15
• Chris Lytle def. Paul Taylor via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
• Marcus Davis def. Paul Kelly via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 2, 2:16
• Dan Hardy def. Akihiro Gono via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Shane Carwin def. Neil Wain via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 1:31
• David Bielkheden def. Jess Liaudin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Terry Etim def. Sam Stout via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Jim Miller def. David Baron via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 3, 3:19
• Per Eklund def. Sammy Schiavo via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 3, 1:47

ROUND-BY-ROUND

MICHAEL BISPING VS. CHRIS LEBEN (In progress…)

Round 1 — Leben is agresive early working hard leg kicks. More kicks from “The Crippler” then Bisping fires back but Leben counters. Solid left by Bisping followed by a knee to the body. Leben fires back with more leg kicks. Bisping catches a kick and returns a kick to the body. Hard left by Leben but Bisping connects with a combo. Leben is bleeding from his nose but connects with a good combo against the fence. A pair of rights by Bisping connects. Leben connects late with a left. It’s a very close round, but MMAFrenzy.com scores it 10-9 Bisping.

Round 2 — Bisping is more aggressive to start the second, but Leben tags him with a left and knee. Bisping continues to avoid and counter. Accidental low kick by Leben temporarily halts the bout. They touch gloves and we’re back underway. Leben and Bisping trading punches. Solid leg kicks from Leben. Bisping catches a kick and counters with a punch. Bisping connects with some jabs but Leben finishes strong with punches and has Bisping on his toes. MMAFrenzy.com scores another close round 10-9 Bisping.

Round 3 — Big left by Leben connects in the opening seconds, but Bisping has to take a break after getting sweat in his eyes. It’s momentary and we quickly resume. Bisping and Leben trade kicks. Good left by Leben followed by a kick to the body. Leben catches a kick and throws another left. Surprisingly, Leben takes Bisping to the mat and connects with punches. They get back to their feet and Bisping fires back. Bisping continues to successfully evade and counter, avoiding Leben’s knockout power. Leben pours it on late and taunts Bisping to engage but its likely too little, too late. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Leben, but the fight goes to Bisping 29-28.

Michael Bisping def. Chris Leben via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Continue reading for full, round-by-round coverage of UFC 80: Rapid Fire.

QUICK RESULTS

• BJ Penn def. Joe Stevenson via submission – Round 2, 4:02
• Fabricio Werdum def. Gabriel Gonzaga via TKO – Round 2, 4:34
• Marcus Davis def. Jess Liaudin via KO – Round 1, 1:04
• Wilson Gouveia def. Jason Lambert via KO – Round 2, 0:37
• Jorge Rivera def. Kendall Grove via TKO – Round 1, 1:20
• Antoni Hardonk def. Colin Robinson via TKO – Round 1, 0:17
• Paul Kelly def. Paul Taylor via unanimous decision
• Alessio Sakara def. James Lee via TKO – Round 1, 1:30
• Sam Stout def. Per Eklund via unanimous decision

ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS

BJ Penn def. Joe Stevenson via submission – Round 2

Round 1: Penn immediately connects and sends Stevenson to the ground. Penn takes side control but Stevenson is able to recapture his guard. Penn works strikes on the ground but Joe is eventually able to mount some offense from the bottom. Penn stands up and Stevenson gains some distance with some kicks before Penn returns to the ground. BJ momentarily takes his back and mounts Stevenson but Joe is able to sit up against the cage. BJ rocks him with a solid shot that puts Stevenson on his back again and Penn takes side control. Stevenson unleashes some solid punches from the bottom. Penn cuts Stevenson with an elbow and he’s pouring blood. The round ends but this cut is a major problem. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Penn.

Round 2: Stevenson looks re-energized landing a good elbow early in the round. The pair trade standup blows though both are unable to land anything solid. The blood continues to pour from Stevenson’s forehead but doesn’t appear to be affecting his vision much. The fight is temporarily halted to wipe off the blood but they quickly get back to work. BJ connects and quickly looks for a rear naked choke before getting the full mount. Penn starts the ground and pound including more solid elbow elbow strikes. He takes Stevenson’s back and after several seconds he applies a fight-ending rear naked choke that forces Stevenson to tap.

BJ Penn defeats Joe Stevenson via submission (rear naked choke – Round 2, 4:02) to become the UFC Lightweight Champion.

After the fight Penn said former-UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk was “dead” when they face one another later this year. Their lightweight championship bout is expected to take place in May.

Fabricio Werdum def. Gabriel Gonzaga via TKO – Round 2

Round 1: Gonzaga immediately secures a takedown and takes Werdum to the ground. Gonzaga works to half guard. Werdum does a good job controlling Gonzaga from posturing up while Gonzaga keeps Werdum planted on the mat. Gonzaga backs out and the referee allows Werdum to return to his feet as well. Gonzaga lands several leg kicks one of which takes Werdum to the ground. The Gonzaga kicks continue to inflict damage on Werdum. Werdum takes him down and momentarily takes his back but Gonzaga regains guard. Werdum passes to half guard and works some solid ground-and-pound. Werdum lands very good elbows. Gonzaga works on a kneebar Werdum defends and the round ends. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Gonzaga.

Round 2: Werdum quickly opens the frame with a series of punches before attempting a takedown that Gonzaga stuffs. Werdum connects again before both miss power strikes. More solid kicks by Gonzaga. Gonzaga catches another Werdum kick and flips him onto the ground. The referee again allows Werdum to stand back up and the pair continue to trade kicks. Good knee to the head by Werdum followed by another. Werdum continues to connect with more knees as the round continues. Gonzaga crouches down to make the knees illegal but Werdum pours on punches. Gonzaga covers his head and many Werdum punches later the referee steps in and stops the contest.

Fabricio Werdum defeats Gabriel Gonzaga via TKO – Round 2, 4:34

Marcus Davis def. Jess Liaudin via KO – Round 1

Round 1: Liaudin exclusively opens with kicks landing several solid inside leg kicks. Davis is finally able to counter with a body kick. Liaudin again comes in for a kick but Davis lands a massive left that immediately stiffens Liaudin and sends him to the ground. Davis jumps on his downed opponent and lands several unanswered rights before the fight is stopped.

Marcus Davis defeats Jess Liaudin via knockout – Round 1, 1:04

Wilson Gouveia def. Jason Lambert via KO – Round 1

Round 1: Lambert looks to take his opponent down early and does, securing a takedown early in the round. Gouveia immediately looks to escape but Lambert keeps the fight on the ground. Lambert continues to try to posture up to land big punches. He lands several solid shots before Gouveia pushes Lambert away and returns to his feet. He’s unable to do much before Lambert takes Gouvei back to the ground. Gouveia locks in a triangle choke but Lambert is able to slip out but immediately falls into an omoplata. He again escapes and gets back into the guard of Gouveia where he works ground-and-pound to finish up the opening round. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Lambert.

Round 2: They briefly trade punches to open the second round before Gouveia nails Lambert with a left hook that knocks him out.

Wilson Gouveia defeats Jason Lambert via knockout – Round 2, 0:37

Jorge Rivera def. Kendall Grove via TKO – Round 1

Round 1:Rivera gets a quick takedown right after the opening bell. Rivera is able to pin Rivera near the fence and connect with some big right hands. Grove tries to escape but Jorge Rivera is relentless landing shot after shot. Grove barely returns to his feet before Rivera connects with a big left that collapses Grove and stops the fight.

Jorge Rivera defeats Kendall Grove via TKO – Round 1, 1:20

Antoni Hardonk def. Colin Robinson via TKO – Round 1

Round 1: Hardonk immediately lands two solid knees followed a pair of kicks and two punches, the second of which really rocks Robinson. Hardonk claims a stoppage victory in just 17-seconds after referee Mario Yamasaki calls for a stop to the fight.

Antoni Hardonk defeats Colin Robinson via TKO – Round 1, 0:17

Paul Kelly def. Paul Taylor via unanimous decision

Round 1: Taylor and Kelly quickly go to the ground with Taylor pulling guard. Taylor works a few guillotine attempts but Kelly escapes. Kelly works ground-and-pound for the remainder of the round. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Kelly.

Round 2: Taylor takes Kelly to the ground early in round 2 eventually taking Kelly’s back before unsuccessfully looking for a rear naked choke. The scramble and Kelly ends up in Taylor’s guard yet-again. Taylor stays on the offensive from his back using elbows and several attempted submission attempts on Kelly. Kelly, though, is able to steal the round with good punching and control from the top. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Kelly.

Round 3: The final frame is more of the same as Kelly secures the top position on the ground delivering solid punches and maintaining control to win the final frame and the fight. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Kelly.

Paul Kelly defeats Paul Taylor via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Alessio Sakara def. James Lee via TKO – Round 1

Round 1: Lee secures a quick takedown but Sakara is immediately able to get back to his feet. Lee against takes Sakara down and Sakara again stands back up. Lee shoots in for another takedown but is simply left clutching Sakara’s leg. Sakara starts to connect with big punches to Lee before the referee steps in and stops the fight.

It appears Lee sustained an injury to a muscle in his back on the third takedown attempt which prevented him from escaping the barrage of punches by Sakara.
Alessio Sakara defeats James Lee via TKO – Round 1, 1:30

Sam Stout def. Per Eklund via unanimous decision

Round 1: Eklund wants his UFC debut to go to the ground and tries takedown after takedown on the veteran Stout. The Canadian has none of it and defends every attempt. The round lacks much of anything though Stout did manage a trip takedown and landed a few elbows before the round concluded. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Stout.

Round 2: Eklund’s gameplan is quite obvious as Stout continues to block the takedown attempts from his European opponent. Stout eventually ends up in Eklund’s guard during a scramble. Stout is able to land very little from the dominant position and Eklund is unable to secure an attempted armbar. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Stout.

Round 3: Stout looked the better fighter in the final frame though both put on poor performances overall. Stout dominates the standup as expected though nothing solid landed. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Stout.

Sam Stout defeats Per Eklund via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-27)

Official UFC 80 weigh-in results [via UFC.com]

• BJ Penn (154) vs. Joe Stevenson (154)
• Fabricio Werdum (247) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (255)
• Jess Liaudin (170) vs. Marcus Davis (169)
• Wilson Gouveia (205) vs. Jason Lambert (204)
• Jorge Rivera (185) vs. Kendall Grove (186)
• Antoni Hardonk (244) vs. Colin Robinson (238)
• Paul Kelly (170) vs. Paul Taylor (170)
• James Lee (206) vs. Alessio Sakara (206)
• Per Eklund (155) vs. Sam Stout (155)

Don’t forget to stop back to MMAFrenzy.com tomorrow beginning at 1pm ET for live, round-by-round coverage of the event.