Welcome to our UFC 90 play-by-play coverage here at iFight365.com.

As I write this, the prelims are under way and I’ll bring the results of that shortly. Here’s the main card incase you haven’t seen it:

Main Card Bouts:
Anderson Silva vs. Patrick Cote
Thiago Alves vs. Josh Koscheck
Fabricio Werdum vs. Junior dos Santos
Tyson Griffin vs. Sean Sherk
Gray Maynard vs. Rich Clementi

I don’t believe this was put up on the site, so I’ll include it here. For anyone interested, here is my predictions:

Anderson Silva vs. Patrick Cote

Like I said before, a complete mis-match. I’d expect Silva to win this by TKO. Cote has a strong chin but I think it could end by a nice knockout.

Thiago Alves vs. Josh Koscheck

Big fight for both. Koscheck frustrates the hell out of me sometimes with his lack of killer instict at big moments. I’m giving it Alves by TKO in round three.

Fabricio Werdum vs. Junior dos Santos

Werdum has slowly paddled under the UFC heavyweight radar for far too long now. This is a guy who many were saying should get a shot by the end of this year, especially when he defeated Brandon Vera. I guess the return of Couture and the impact of Lesnar has pushed Werdum down, but this should be a great fight. Certainly don’t underestimate dos Santos. He is one heavy hitter. I’ve gone for Werdum by unanimous decision.

Tyson Griffin vs. Sean Sherk

Both have fantastic ground game, so this could be interesting. I’d say this is certain to go to the judges. I’ve given it to Sherk but it’s very close to call.

Rich Clementi vs. Gray Maynard

I’ve gone with Clementi on this one by TKO in round one. Clementi is one a great win streak at the moment and I don’t think Maynard is anywhere good enough to end it.

Thales Leites vs. Drew McFedries

I’ve been waiting for Leites to fight since his controversial win over Nate Marquardt. Leites is apparently one of the best middleweight fighters around, so this could be interesting. I don’t even think he’s close to the top 10. That said, I think he will steam through McFedries without much effort. I’ve gone for Leites by submission in round two.

Spencer Fisher vs. Shannon Gugerty

I’ve gone for Fisher by TKO in round three. Not much to say about the fight. Unless one comes out and scores a big knockout or submission, both these fighters are going to be lost in the stacked lightweight division.

Matt Horwich vs. Dan Miller

Interesting fight. I actually wanted to see this on the main card rather than Clementi/Maynard. Both fighters have the opportunity to do very well in the Middleweight division and a win here is a great boost for both guys. I’ve gone for Horwich by unanimous decision but this is ridiculously hard to call. If Miller gets this to the ground, I think he can do it. This should be a fantastic fight though.

Marcus Aurelio vs. Hermes Franca

Both these men are desperate for a win. Hermes France is on two fight losing streak at the minute whereas Aurelio has won just two of his last six fights. I’ve gone for Franca by decision, but this is another close contest. Both men need to do something to get up there in the lightweight division, but unfortunately, I can see it being one of those situations where both men are too afraid to go for it because they know the consequences could result in more fights on the prelims.

Josh Burkman vs. Pete Sell

Talking of losing streaks, this is one hell of an interesting fight. Infact, whoever loses this may very well get a knock on the door from Dana White the next day with their notice. Pete Sell might have won his first six MMA fights, but since then, he has gone on an incredible losing streak and now sits 7-4. Burkman can relate to it – he is 3-4 in his last seven fights. In the UFC, that isn’t good enough. I’ve gone for Burkman by submission in round two, but this is going to be a quick fight out of the blocks, with both men believing this is a fine opportunity to end their bad form.

You will have hopefully have heard about the MMA Simulator challenge also. Way too much at stake with that one. But if you haven’t seen what it’s all about, then click here.

We have just a few minutes to go before the PPV, so here are the results of the prelims..

Thales Leites def. Drew McFedries by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in RD1, 1:18

Spencer Fisher def. Shannon Gugerty by Submission (Triangle Choke) in RD3, 3:56

Dan Miller def. Matt Horwich by Unanimous Decision (29-28) on all judges cards

Hermes Franca def. Marcus Aurelio by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Pete Sell def. Josh Burkman by Unanimous Decision (29-28) on all judges cards

For anyone keeping count, that leaves the MMA Simulator challenge as follows:

ifight365 46 – 20 MMA Simulator

I recieved ten points for Leites, Fisher and Franca winning. I then got five points for Franca winning by unanimous decision and for Leites winning by submission. Throw Franca in for taking it to the judges and Fisher winning in round three and that gives me six points off those two guys.

The simulator correctly guessed that both Dan Miller and Spencer Fisher would win. They got ten points for both.

02:03 – We are live. This should be a great show. A semi-average main event with a quite special undercard. I couldn’t care for the Clementi fight, but the other three look great. Usual text voting has come up. I wonder who people think will win the main event.

02:07 – Sean Sherk versus Tyson Griffin is first up. A little surprised at that. I’m expecting this to be fight of the night.

02:10 – Tyson Griffin, while he hasn’t finished many opponents lately, is one guy with such great cardio. If this goes to the third, Griffin will certainly be good to go. Mind you, so will Sherk. This should be a cracker.

02:13 – Sherk is in the cage now. We’re ready for the fight. We have the usual introductions.

02:16 – David Smith is our referee and here we go.

Solid striking by both men. Sherk sends Griffin into the cage. On the ground already. I’d bet that this stays on the ground for a good time. Sherk locks in a mount and Griffin looks in danger. Griffin stands and walks to his shoulder, shrugging off Sherk. Good right hands by Sherk.

Both these guys are quick. Sherk gets Griffin onto the ground again. Big right by Griffin as they stand. Stand up punches by both. Griffin goes for takedown but Sherk defends well. Sherk mounts again on the back. Two great upper-cuts by both fighters. Great trade off punches by both men at the end. A number of them connect to each fighter.

Fantastic stuff. Close round. iFight365.com scores the round: 10-9 to Sean Sherk. That could’ve gone either way.

Great body kick by Griffin. Nice knee by Sherk. Both men are standing up. Slower round this one. First round took it out of them. Great combo by Sherk. Another great combo by Sherk. Body shot by Griffin. Good leg kick. Pace has picked up. Good punch by Sherk. Griffin is pumped. Good combo by both guys. Sherk goes for a takedown. Great hit by Griffin. Awesome fight. Sherk’s sprawl is incredible. Close round again. Amazing fight this. I said it would be didn’t I?

iFight365.com scores the round: 10-9 to Sean Sherk. This, in truth, could be completely opposite. It’s a really close fight.

Big right by Sherk and big left by Griffin. Toe-to-toe. Amazing. Few awesome punches land there. Sherk’s punches are awesome. Good left hand by Sherk followed by a great right by Griffin. Slower round after the explosive start. Combos by Sherk. Rogan said he thinks Griffin is winning. How close is this?! This has been an awesome fight. Great kick by Griffin and then a body shot. Good shot by Sherk now. This is all stand up, which has surprised me. Stand-off to end the fight. Very close fight. This could go either way. iFight365.com scores the round: 10-9 to Tyson Griffin

iFight365.com scores the fight: 29-28 to Sean Sherk

Result: Sean Sherk wins by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Crowd is booing. What a set of jackasses. That was the closest fight I’ve seen in years, so how the hell can people boo? You’d think you had a controversial decision on your hands. What a soar note to one of the best fights this year.

02:37 – 79% to Anderson Silva on the text voting. iFight365 leads the MMA Simulator 64-20.

02:40 – Junior dos Santos versus Fabricio Werdum is up next. Interesting point, Goldberg just said that after the big 4 (Mir, Noguiera, Couture and Lesnar) that Werdum is the next in line for a title shot. That’s funny. When Werdum beat Vera earlier this year, he said Werdum would have a title shot soon. Ah, what the return of Couture and market value of Lesnar does to your career.

02:43 – This heavyweight division could shine next year. If you think the big 4, these two, then throw in Cheick Kongo, Cain Velasquez, Shane Carwin, Mustapha Al-Turk, Heath Herring, Jake O’Brien and more, then this division could be fantastic next year.

02:47 – Usual introductions. Marc Fennel is referee.

02:48 – Werdum looks huge. He’s apparently packing 20lbs more weight than he used to.

02:49 – And we’re off. Great kick by Werdum. Amazing punch by dos Santos. He pounces on Werdum. This is over! It is over after 90 seconds. Fantastic punch by dos Santos. Unbelievable. I said in my preview that he had absolutely terrific punching power. My god, what an uppercut. Holy christ. It’s a copy cat in terms of velocity to Evans hit on Liddell, but this had probably twice the power. Brilliant.

Junior dos Santos defeats Fabricio Werdum by TKO in 1:20 of Round One.

02:54 – 74% on the text vote now. It is still swinging towards Anderson Silva.

02:57 – Rich Clementi against Gray Maynard now.

03:03 – Usual introductions. Gray Maynard is still undefeated. Apologies, missed the referee.

03:05 – Both fighters circle early but not much happening. Crowd beings to boo. Maynard sparks the fight into life with a takedown. Clementi manages to get a full guard and as the round ends, Gray throws some punches. Poor round. iFight365.com scores the round: 10-9 to Gray Maynard

Maynard lands some great punches early on while Clementi responds with a few kicks. Maynard picks up Clementi and slams him down with relative ease. Gray starts throwing punches on the ground. He throws in a guillotine but it’s blocked. Another poor round comes to an end with some punches thrown by Maynard. iFight365.com scores the round: 10-9 to Gray Maynard

Maynard gets an early slam. Dominant round by Maynard. Clementi shows some punching power towards the end of the round, but its very very poor. iFight365.com scores the round: 10-9 to Gray Maynard

iFight365.com scores the fight: 30-27 to Gray Maynard.

Result: Gray Maynard defeats Rich Clementi by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

03:26: Thiago Alves versus Josh Koscheck is up now.

Just a quick word on that last fight which, as I predicted in my preview, should never have been on the main card. Putting it on after a great heavyweight battle and a ‘fight of the year’ lightweight battle put huge pressure on these boys to get out there and fight. Instead, it was very poor. No wonder the crowd booed. While I don’t appreciate people booing, you could see why here.

A note on the referee aswell. I couldn’t remember his name but he was absolutely dire. When both Maynard and Clementi were on the ground grappling for position, he told them to advance several times. I was questioning it and then Rogan questioned it. It was poor.

Now on to what should be a great fight.

03:30: Of course, many of you will know that Diego Sanchez was replaced by Koscheck. Earlier in the night, Dana White actually admitted that it could be a better fight with Koscheck.

Just after the Maynard fight, they updated the text voting. Silva leads with 68%. In terms of predictions, iFight365 still leads the MMA Simulator by 64-20. With two fights left, I can honestly say it’s been a mauling.

03:33: Introductions being done as I type. Dr. David Smith is the referee. Anyone know where they’ve got these referees from?

And we’re off. Koscheck goes for a side-kick and slips. Thiago Alves lands some brilliant punches. This is nearly over. He rocks him. Great head kick. Koscheck somehow recovers and then lands a good shot. Backing off but another great shot by Alves. Koscheck then moves forward and lands a great shot. Koscheck lands some fantastic body shots. Great knee by Alves and they clench on the cage. Good defence by Alves. Coming to the end of the round, but it’s really close. Koscheck got rocked and that will go against him. iFight365.com scores the round: 10-9 to Thiago Alves

Koscheck looks for the uppercut. Great combo and kick by Koscheck. Jabs by Alves. Great knees to the body by Koscheck. They clench against the cage. Awesome leg kicks by Alves. He seems to be turning through the gears. He’s landing some great shots. Koscheck goes for the take down but great defence by Alves. Round ends in a tie-up. iFight365.com scores the round: 10-9 to Thiago Alves

This is a really close fight. Some unbelievable shots by Alves at the start of the round. Koscheck is rocked big time. This might not last the distance. Great upper-cut by Alves. Koscheck stops the fight saying he was poked in the eye. Very interesting. Alves was on top there. Ninty seconds later, Koscheck pokes Alves in the eye. Alves seems to be playing out the round. Great leg kick by Alves that rocks Koscheck. Great combo’s by Koscheck.

Alves lands a huge punch as the hooter ends and then takes Koscheck down and gets ready to unload. Koscheck looks at the ref as Alves continues the fight after the hooter. The eruption of the crowd when he landed the huge hit meant he didn’t hear the hooter. Another example of the shoddy refereeing tonight, who should’ve jumped in when the hooter sounded. iFight365.com scores the round: 10-9 to Thiago Alves.

iFight365.com scores the fight: 30-27 to Thiago Alves.

Result: Thiago Alves defeats Josh Koscheck by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

03:56: Just an update. iFight365.com 74-38 MMA Simulator.

04:00: Here we go. Our main event.

I would expect this to end before the start of round three at the most. If Silva has his way from the beginning, this could be over within the first three minutes. Some people have compared this to St-Pierre/Serra. I can’t see it. If Cote wins tonight, this will be one hell of an upset and probably the biggest ever.

Silva wins the text vote 64%.

Rain is coming down pretty heavy here, so my satellite feed is going. Brilliant timing.

04:05: Well, I’m back and all of a sudden, Patrick Cote is with ‘Stitch’. I missed the pre-package build-up, but we’re slowly getting this back. Another few stoppages, and now we’re running smoothly.

Before I forget, if you could get any feedback to me martin@ifight365.com, I’d really appreciate it. Just drop me a ‘hey’ or something, that’d be awesome.

04:07: Ladies and gentleman, the champ is on his way to the octagon.

Part of me is starting to believe this hype. Can we have another upset this year?

For the record, everytime I’ve covered an event for this website, there has been an upset. Evans beat Liddell, Fitch held St-Pierre to five rounds (the first guy to do so) and Griffin beat Jackson for the light-heavyweight title. If history repeats itself, then this could be a special night for Patrick Cote. Surely not?

Hopefully my feed stays for the next ten minutes. After all, this will be over in five.

04:11: We have our introductions. Herb Dean is our referee. Ah, that’s better. We actually have a referee now.

04:15: And we’re off. Five rounds don’t forget.

Early leg kicks by Cote. Silva is holding back, feeling out the fight. A minute in and Silva is running. We have boo’s. Leg kick by Silva. Pretty much a stand off here. I’m sure I can hear fans chanting ‘boring’. Silva moves forward and lands a punch but Cote responds with a kick. Silva lands a huge kick and then a knee that rocks Cote. Silva’s quickness is unreal. iFight365.com scores the round: 10-9 to Anderson Silva.

Silva looks like he is dancing. Vicious combos by Silva. Cote lands spinning back-fist and they lock-up. There’s something about Silva tonight. Cote goes for a takedown but Silva reverses it superbly. Anderson Silva stands up but Cote remains grounded. Silva offers Cote a hand up, mocking him and Cote rejects and stays lied down. Silva goes for a kick and Cote catches it. More crowd booing. Pathetic. iFight365.com scores the round: 10-9 to Anderson Silva.

Start of the third. Cote moves forward and lands a kick. Cote moves forward again and falls straight to the floor. An injury has stopped this fight. It looks like a blown ACL. An absolute shocker for Cote as he was doing really well. The crowd continues what it’s been doing all night and boo’s. Rogan describes the ACL and his experiences. Cote seems to be walking slowly now but the fight had to end right there. It was disappointing, but that is this sport. Cote will certainly be back.

Result: Anderson Silva defeats Patrick Cote by TKO in Round Three

The finish to the contest we had running: iFight365.com 89-53 MMA Simulator.

I’ll end our coverage there. Again, if you guys want to mail me – martin@ifight365.com. Cheers for reading folks and we’ll be back next month. For the wrestling fans, don’t forget we’ll have live coverage of WWE Cyber Sunday on Sunday night!

Stay on iFight365.com over the coming months as we deliver more fantastic MMA and wrestling news!

Martin Smith
martin@ifight365.com