UFC 116: Lesnar Survives Carwin and Strikes Back

Brock Lesnar survived a punishing first round and returned with a submission to unify the heavyweight championship at UFC 116. The July 3, 2010, event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas also featured Chris Leben’s late finish of Yoshihiro Akiyama and Stephan Bonnar’s successful rematch with Krzysztof Soszynski. Eleven bouts made this a night of comebacks, with the most important one occurring in the title fight.

Video: UFC’s contemporary preview, released before Wanderlei Silva withdrew; Chris Leben ultimately replaced Silva against Akiyama.

Lesnar survives Carwin’s first-round assault

Lesnar was returning after illness had kept him out of action. Carwin had won the interim heavyweight belt by knocking out Frank Mir at UFC 111, setting up the meeting of two champions. The question was whether Lesnar could handle the punching power that had ended every previous Carwin fight in the opening round.

For much of round one, Carwin appeared close to supplying the answer. He hurt Lesnar and followed him to the mat with a sustained attack. The defending champion spent long stretches covering up and trying to survive, while the referee watched for a point at which the fight could no longer continue.

Lesnar reached the bell. That survival changed the contest: Carwin had never previously needed a second professional round, and the challenger’s earlier output now carried a cost. Lesnar returned with a takedown, advanced his position and applied an arm-triangle choke. Carwin tapped at 2:19 of round two.

The submission unified the titles and preserved Lesnar’s championship. It was a very different successful defense from his finish of Mir at UFC 100. Here, the decisive attribute was his ability to remain in the fight long enough for a new opportunity to appear. Carwin’s near-finish became part of the story, but Lesnar supplied its final result.

Leben wins twice in two weeks

Leben stepped into the co-main event after Wanderlei Silva withdrew, only two weeks after defeating Aaron Simpson. Facing Akiyama on such a quick turnaround gave the assignment an unusual physical and competitive context. It was not merely another scheduled appearance; it was a replacement fight against a skilled opponent with little recovery time.

The two middleweights fought through hard exchanges and grappling sequences before Leben found a late submission from underneath. His triangle choke ended the bout at 4:40 of round three. Akiyama’s ability to compete in different phases did not prevent Leben from locating the finishing opening after a demanding battle.

The win became one of the evening’s signature performances because it combined the short turnaround with a finish near the final bell. Like Lesnar, Leben had to remain dangerous through difficult moments. His result also illustrates why the final card should be separated from older promotional material that still lists Silva as Akiyama’s opponent.

Bonnar settles the rematch and Lytle finds another submission

Bonnar’s first fight with Soszynski at UFC 110 ended through a disputed cut stoppage caused by a clash of heads. The rematch produced a clearer finish: Bonnar hurt Soszynski and followed with punches for a second-round TKO at 3:08. He left with the win instead of another argument over the ending.

Chris Lytle submitted Matt Brown with a straight armbar in round two, adding another grappling finish after his kneebar win over Brian Foster in Sydney. George Sotiropoulos defeated Kurt Pellegrino by unanimous decision, following his victory over Joe Stevenson at UFC 110. These bouts gave the main card a submission, a striking stoppage and a full-distance lightweight test beneath the headliners.

Schaub, Romero and Harris supply preliminary finishes

Brendan Schaub stopped Chris Tuchscherer in 1:07, while Ricardo Romero submitted Seth Petruzelli with a second-round armbar. Gerald Harris produced the preliminary card’s distinctive highlight, knocking out David Branch with a slam in round three. Those finishes came through very different attacks, making the undercard more than a collection of conventional striking results.

Kendall Grove defeated Goran Reljic by split decision, Daniel Roberts edged Forrest Petz on split scorecards, and Jon Madsen beat Karlos Vemola unanimously. The six preliminary results complete a card whose reputation rests on resilience and late changes of direction, but whose full history also includes quieter wins earned over three rounds.

Complete UFC 116 results

Main card

• Brock Lesnar def. Shane Carwin — submission (arm-triangle choke), round 2, 2:19; unified the heavyweight championship.
• Chris Leben def. Yoshihiro Akiyama — submission (triangle choke), round 3, 4:40.
• Chris Lytle def. Matt Brown — submission (straight armbar), round 2, 2:02.
• Stephan Bonnar def. Krzysztof Soszynski — TKO (punches), round 2, 3:08.
• George Sotiropoulos def. Kurt Pellegrino — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.

Preliminary card

• Brendan Schaub def. Chris Tuchscherer — TKO (punches), round 1, 1:07.
• Ricardo Romero def. Seth Petruzelli — submission (straight armbar), round 2, 3:05.
• Kendall Grove def. Goran Reljic — split decision, round 3, 5:00.
• Gerald Harris def. David Branch — KO (slam), round 3, 2:35.
• Daniel Roberts def. Forrest Petz — split decision, round 3, 5:00.
• Jon Madsen def. Karlos Vemola — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.

Sources

• UFC: Lesnar–Carwin report.
• UFC: main-card report.
• UFC: preliminary-card report.
• UFC: event retrospective and Leben’s turnaround.
• UFC: final card and venue.
• Sherdog: complete results.

Article Tags

UFC 116, Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin, Chris Leben, UFC Results