The second and third rounds were carbon-copies of the first. Thiago gets an emphatic takedown and looks to advance position. Mitchell keeps him at bay, Thiago stands, they trade some more, then back to the floor again. Thiago did close out the fight with a close rear naked choke attempt that had the crowd going bonkers, but he ran out of time. The judges all had it 30-27 for Thiago. The fight was the fifth and final bout on the Facebook portion of the UFC 134 broadcast.
What was the high spot of this fight?
The crowd. While Thaigo looked dominant with the takedowns and came close to finishing the fight at the very end, the crowd was so loud and supportive of Thiago that it brought a smile to my face. The image in this post should give you some indication of how into Thiago they were.
Where do these guys go from here?
Thiago has faced a murderers row of welterweights in his first six UFC fights, so it was nice to see him get a fight where he was a definitive favorite going in. He has slipped to 18 in the USA Today/BE consensus rankings, but I believe he's better than that. A matchup with Dong Hyun Kim or John Hathaway would be interesting.
Mitchell is now 0-2 in the UFC and while he has shown solid ground skills in his two fights, he hasn't won a single round in the six he's competed in so far. I believe he will be released by the promotion.
Watch it now, later, or never?
Now. Normally I wouldn't pick now for a decision unless it featured some amazing back-and-forth action, but the crowd respond to Thiago, and Thiago's domination, makes this a fun use of 15 minutes.
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/8/7/2350504/mma/fight-card/74507/ufc-133-evans-vs-ortiz
More BE coverage of UFC 134 in the full entry.
Shogun Rua Proves He Can Still Be a Champion - Fraser Coffeen
The Biggest Winners and Losers on the Night - Matthew Roth
Anderson Silva Unmatched at Middleweight, Options Slim - Leland Roling
FightMetric Recap for Anderson Silva, Edson Barboza vs. Ross Pearson - Mike Fagan
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's Greatest Hits - Brent Brookhouse
Post-Fight Recap and Analysis - Mike Fagan
Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami Fight Video Highlights - ESPN
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Brendan Schaub Fight Video Highlights - ESPN
Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - UFC 134
Anderson Silva Wins Over Rio with Stoppage of Yushin Okami - Matthew Roth
Anderson Silva's Brilliance and Other Post-Hangover Thoughts - Brent Brookhouse
Mauricio Rua Stops Forrest Griffin in Two Minutes - Matthew Roth
Edson Barboza Wins a Split Decision over Ross Pearson - Matthew Roth
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira With a Stunning Knockout of Brendan Schaub - Matthew Roth
UFC 134 Post-Fight Press Conference Updates - Tim Burke
Stanislav Nedkov Silences Brazilian Crowd with Knockout of Luis Cane - Matthew Roth
Thiago Tavares Ground and Pounds Spencer Fisher to a Second Round Stoppage - Matthew Roth
Rousimar Palhares Wins a Decision in a Strange But Great Fight With Dan Miller - Tim Burke
Paulo Thiago Takes a Dominant Decision Victory Over David Mitchell - Tim Burke
Raphael Assuncao Outworks Johnny Eduardo to Decision - Matthew Roth
Erick Silva Puts Luis Ramos to Sleep with a Massive Right - Matthew Roth
Yuri Alcantara Grapples Felipe Arantes to a Decision - Matthew Roth
Yves Jabouin Works Ian Loveland to a Split Decision - Matthew Roth