UFC 95: Sanchez Beats Stevenson, Paulo Thiago Stuns Koscheck
UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson took place on February 21, 2009, at The O2 in London, England. Diego Sanchez won his lightweight debut against Joe Stevenson, but the ten-fight card offered much more than its main event. Dan Hardy delivered a quick knockout for the British crowd, Demian Maia continued his submission streak, and Paulo Thiago upset Josh Koscheck in his first UFC appearance.
Video: UFC’s career feature on Junior dos Santos’s breakthrough against Werdum at UFC 90, providing background to his follow-up win over Struve at UFC 95.
Sanchez begins his lightweight campaign with a win
The headline bout matched two winners of The Ultimate Fighter. Sanchez, who had spent his post-show UFC career at welterweight, moved to 155 pounds to face Stevenson. The change raised a practical question about whether the cut would affect his trademark pace, making this a meaningful test of his new direction.
Sanchez answered with active striking across three rounds. He mixed combinations and uppercuts, defended early takedown attempts, and continued finding offense as Stevenson pressed forward. Stevenson had competitive moments of his own, but Sanchez kept working through the exchanges instead of allowing the fight to settle into a single predictable pattern.
The second round included a takedown and a scramble after Stevenson threatened a guillotine. Both returned to their feet, and the final round brought more determined exchanges. Sanchez won unanimously, with two judges scoring it 30–27 and the third 29–28. His first UFC lightweight appearance ended with a decision earned over the full fifteen minutes.
Hardy gives London a rapid finish
Dan Hardy faced Rory Markham at welterweight and needed only 69 seconds to secure the win. A left hook dropped Markham, giving Hardy a first-round knockout and an emphatic moment in front of a home audience. The finish followed Hardy’s successful UFC debut against Akihiro Gono the previous year.
For a card built around Sanchez’s move in weight, Hardy’s performance supplied a different kind of statement. It needed no extended scorecard debate or late-round adjustment: one well-timed punch gave the British welterweight a second UFC victory and a memorable place in the evening’s highlights.
Middleweight contenders finish their opponents
Nate Marquardt defeated Wilson Gouveia by TKO at 3:10 of the third round. The ending came through a varied attack that combined knees and punches, adding another win to Marquardt’s pursuit of a return to the middleweight championship picture.
Demian Maia needed less time against Chael Sonnen. After taking the fight to the mat, Maia secured a triangle choke at 2:37 of the opening round. It was his fifth submission victory in five UFC appearances, reinforcing how consistently he could translate his grappling into finishes against different opponents.
Paulo Thiago upsets Koscheck in his debut
Josh Koscheck entered as an established welterweight contender, while Thiago was new to the UFC. Koscheck landed his right hand early, but Thiago responded with an uppercut and a left that sent him down. Referee Marc Goddard stopped the contest at 3:29 of Round 1.
Koscheck protested the stoppage, but the official victory belonged to Thiago. It was an immediate breakthrough for the Brazilian and one of the card’s central surprises, demonstrating how quickly a newcomer could disrupt the expectations surrounding an established name.
Dos Santos and Dunham stand out on the preliminaries
Junior dos Santos followed his debut win over Fabricio Werdum by stopping Stefan Struve in 54 seconds. Struve was making his first UFC appearance, and dos Santos’s punches left little time for the matchup to develop. The result confirmed that the Brazilian’s first explosive UFC finish had a sequel.
Evan Dunham also won on debut, stopping Per Eklund in the first round after accepting the bout as a replacement. Terry Etim finished Brian Cobb early in Round 2, Mike Ciesnolevicz submitted Neil Grove with a heel hook, and Paul Kelly beat Troy Mandaloniz by unanimous decision to complete the preliminary results.
Complete UFC 95 results
Main card
- Diego Sanchez def. Joe Stevenson — unanimous decision, Round 3, 5:00.
- Dan Hardy def. Rory Markham — KO, Round 1, 1:09.
- Nate Marquardt def. Wilson Gouveia — TKO, Round 3, 3:10.
- Demian Maia def. Chael Sonnen — submission (triangle choke), Round 1, 2:37.
- Paulo Thiago def. Josh Koscheck — TKO, Round 1, 3:29.
Preliminary card
- Terry Etim def. Brian Cobb — TKO, Round 2, 0:10.
- Junior dos Santos def. Stefan Struve — TKO, Round 1, 0:54.
- Evan Dunham def. Per Eklund — TKO, Round 1, 2:13.
- Mike Ciesnolevicz def. Neil Grove — submission (heel hook), Round 1, 1:03.
- Paul Kelly def. Troy Mandaloniz — unanimous decision, Round 3, 5:00.
An event with several beginnings
Sanchez opened a new divisional chapter, Thiago and Dunham made successful debuts, and dos Santos continued an impressive introduction to the heavyweight ranks. Alongside Hardy’s home-crowd knockout and the middleweight finishes, those developments gave UFC 95 a lasting identity beyond the main event.
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UFC 95, Diego Sanchez, Joe Stevenson, Paulo Thiago, Josh Koscheck, UFC Results
