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UFC Fight Night 21 Fight Card & Results: UFN 21 Fight Card - March 31

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UFC Fight Night 21, aka UFN 21, took place on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. The UFC Fight Night 21 event was headlined by 155 pound contender Kenny Florian and former PRIDE great Takanori Gomi. Check out all of the UFC Fight Night predictions online here at ProFighting-fans.com and our live blog of the UFC Fight Night 21 results and check out all of the official UFC Fight Night 21 results for the March 31 event. Immediately following the UFN 21 event was the premiere of The Ultimate Fighter 11.

UFC Fight Night 21: Florian vs. Gomi took place Wednesday night at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, featuring five bouts, two Ultimate Fighter winners, and a former PRIDE champion. In the span of two hours, we saw Ross Pearson continue to flourish, Roy Nelson earn his second consecutive Knockout of the Night honors, and Takanori Gomi make his long awaited Octagon debut. The MMA universe was changed forever as 10 fighters entered the Octagon hoping to fulfill their dreams and propel themselves to the top of the UFC. Some succeeded, some failed. Here is where the 10 mixed martial artists stand now in their respective divisions, the UFC, and MMA following the event.

Caol Uno vs. Gleison Tibau

Loser: Caol Uno – A Japanese legend, and one of MMA’s greatest submission fighters ever, Uno was crushed by the much bigger and stronger Tibau. Uno, regretfully, tried to stand and trade with the much bigger fighter and paid for it with a devastating TKO loss. If Uno wants to stay relevant, he may need to drop down to 145, or even 135, and compete in the Zuffa owned WEC because he is just too small for some of the mammoth 155ers that cut down 10+ pounds for the weigh-ins.

Winner: Gleison Tibau –Tibau looked like a monster against the tiny Uno, and like a monster he gobbled up Uno’s punches and smashed him with his own. Gleison has been riding out decisions lately, relying on his ability takedown just about anyone at anytime and keep them there. Uno’s lack of striking, presented Tibau with an opportunity to showcase his striking skills, and showcase he did. This was a solid performance that earned Tibau a spot on Spike’s telecast thanks to the lights going out before the Roy Nelson/Stefan Struve fight. A win with such ferocity over a legend like Uno on cable television is sure to net Tibau a top 15 lightweight in his next fight. It’s in that fight where we’ll see just how good of a fighter Gleison Tibau is.

UFC Fight Night 21 - Main Card Fight Recaps

Ross Pearson vs. Dennis Siver

Loser: Dennis Siver – Siver is an exciting fighter, with flashy striking and technique to back it up, but halfway through the scheduled three rounds he is already working at half a gas tank. Once his cardio began to fade, he was overcome by a much more conditioned Pearson, and any chance he had of finishing the fight with one punch or kick went out the door. Siver’s main asset is his kickboxing, but he was kickboxed by Pearson for the whole 15 minutes. If Siver wants to compete at this high a level, he will need to improve his cardio, look up when he stirkes, and develop better control on the ground. There were at least two instances where Siver was in Pearson’s guard and had an opportunity to rain down some damage and win the round, but instead he allowed Pearson to scramble back to his feet and proceed to out strike him. Siver’s ability to put on an exciting fight means he doesn’t have to worry about getting cut anytime soon, but if he wants to be a good fighter as well, he’ll need to sure up his holes.

Winner: Ross Pearson – Pearson’s kickboxing looked great Wednesday night as he out struck the German kickboxing champion for three straight rounds and in the process earned the honor of Fight of the Night. Of all the recent Ultimate Fighter winners, Pearson seems to be the most complete and UFC ready. Since winning the Ultimate Fighter in June of 2009, Pearson has improved in each and every fight, going from one of England’s best, to one of the best in the world. Pearson did allow himself to be taken down a couple of times by Siver, something which he can’t allow to happen against the great wrestlers that make the top of UFC’s 155 pound division their home. A fight against another mid-level opponent will give Pearson more time to continue to improve and reach his potential, all the while establishing himself as a contender in the lightweight division.

Nate Quarry vs. Jorge Rivera

Loser: Nate Quarry – Quarry was upset in a one-sided slugfest that on paper was supposed to be all his. Nate’s lack of defense on his feet combined with Rivera’s power proved deadly for the original Ultimate Fighter participant. For the one round and 29 seconds that the fight lasted, Quarry was unable to get off, constantly being peppered by the bruising hands of “El Conquistador”. At 38, this fight may be a clear indicator of Nate’s age finally getting the best of him. Having celebrated his 38 th birthday just two weeks ago, Nate looked like he was stuck in mud; if his chin wasn’t made of rock, the fight would have been finished a lot earlier. But much to Nate’s credit, and his own detriment, he survived Rivera’s onslaught for a whole five minutes. Hopefully Nate saved the party hats and birthday cake for after the fight because there’s no better time for him to be making a birthday wish than now.

Winner: Jorge Rivera – A devastating victory for Rivera, pulling off the upset in Knockout of the Night fashion. When most experts counted him out, Rivera backed up his pre-fight talk, taking it to Quarry on the feet and showcasing his better technique and substantial power. With the win, Rivera joins elite company, in Quarry’s nine UFC fights he’s only lost to Rich Franklin, Demian Maia, and now Rivera himself. Look for “El Conquistador” to ride the momentum created from this fight and participate in one of the many UFCs taking place in the next couple of months. Hopefully for him, and the fans, it’s another fighter who likes to slug it out.

Roy Nelson vs. Stefan Struve

Loser: Stefan Struve – As bad of a loss it was for Struve, getting knocked out in only 39 seconds, the kid is still on 22 years old with a ton of potential. He was clearly outmatched on the feet against the much rounder, and experienced, Nelson. His only hope was to get the fight on the ground where he could use his length to try and submit the BJJ savvy Nelson. With a loss to Junior Dos Santos, and a win over Paul Buentello, Struve has already fought some of the best fighters in the heavyweight division just a year after legally being able to purchase alcohol. At 6’11, his potential is as high as his body, hopefully this fight helps propel “The Skyscraper” to new heights, and does not crumble the terrific foundation he is building.

Winner: Roy Nelson – A terrific Knockout of the Night win for Roy Nelson, surpassing Junior Dos Santos’ 54 second TKO victory over Struve by 15 seconds. Speaking of Dos Santos, rumor has it he will be Nelson’s next fight in the cage in the coming months. As much as Nelson doesn’t look the part, he’s a legitimate fighter and contender in the heavyweight division. Now, in his last two fights in the Octagon, he has two highlight reel first round knockouts, combining this devastating striking power with his top notch jiu-jitsu, Nelson can pose problems for all of the fighters in UFC’s stacked heavyweight division. Whether or not he can handle powerful wrestlers like Lenar, Carwin, and Velasquez is a question that has yet to be answered, and if his next fight is against Dos Santos, we may not know for some time. But what we will know following the Dos Santos fight is if Nelson belongs among the biggest of the big boys in what is fast becoming UFC’s most exciting division.

UFN 21 Main Event: Kenny Florian vs. Takanori Gomi

Loser: Takanori Gomi – A solid effort by “The Fireball Kid” in his UFC debut. After getting jabbed to death in the first round, Gomi began to take control of the stand up with his heavier punching, but all went downhill when Kenny Florian decided to take the fight to the ground in the beginning of the third round. Many years have passed since Gomi was on top of PRIDE’s lightweight division, if he wants to regain that dominance, the self proclaimed “lazy” fighter, will need to drastically improve his cardio, jiu-jitsu and his amateur-like boxing defense. He certainly has the power to be a threat to anyone in the 155 pound division, but so long as his takedown defense is unable to stuff the good wrestlers, he will be in trouble.

Winner: Kenny Florian – Florian put on an impressive performance, displaying his prowess on the feet and the ground. His jab looked quicker, sharper, and more accurate than ever, rivaling but not surpassing the jab of lightweight champion BJ Penn. Florian fought a smart fight, refusing to get into a slugging match with Gomi, instead allowing for his jabs to dictate the pace of the fight. At the first sign of danger, he shot for the takedown and got it. From there it was smooth sailing, as he passed Gomi’s guard, got backmount, and locked in a Submission of the Night rear naked choke. Florian still has some improving to do if he wants to beat Penn, his boxing, as far as its come, still needs some work. Against a more technical and faster Penn, Florian won’t be able to shoot his jab out there like he did. But the change of camp is paying off, as Florian looks better and better with each passing fight. He’d be wise not to rush into a rematch with Penn anytime soon, as the outcome will be the same. He would be best to wait another year, continue to make his weaknesses strengths, and hope that the driven BJ Penn begins to lose focus and set his sights on 170, overlooking the always dangerous Kenny Florian.

Rising Prelim Fighter: Gleison Tibau

Biggest Loser of the Night: Nate Quarry

Biggest Winner of the Night: Roy Nelson

By Jeffrey Concerto
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer

Main UFC Fight Night 21 Fights:

> View more UFC Fight Night results online listed by Pro Fighting Fans & check out the UFC schedule!

Results from Spike TV Televised UFC Fight Night 21 Fight Card:

Kenny Florian defeatss Takanori Gomi via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) - Round 3 @ 2:52 - UFC Fight Night 21 Main Event
Roy Nelson defeats Stefan Struve by TKO (Strikes) - Round 1 @ 0:39
Jorge Rivera defeats Nate Quarry by TKO (Strikes) - Round 2 @ 0:29
Ross Pearson defeats Dennis Siver by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Results from Preliminary UFC Fight Night 21 Fight Card:

Andre Winner defeats Rafaello Oliveira by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Jacob Volkmann defeats Ronys Torres by split Decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)
Nik Lentz defeats Rob Emerson by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Gleison Tibau defeats Caol Uno by TKO (Punches) - Round 1 @ 4:13
Yushin Okami defeats Lucio Linhares by TKO (Doctor's Stoppage) - Round 2 @ 2:47
Charlie Brenneman defeats Jason High by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)