Weekend Round-Up: F1 Season Opens Dramatically, Ireland Win Six Nations, Manchester United Humiliated At Old Trafford and more

Weekend Round-Up
15-16 March 2014

BY NISAR KHAN

As the flag waved to begin the new F1 season, Liverpool dominated Manchester United at Old Trafford along with Ireland’s Paris triumph as they clinched the Six Nations. Along with that, there was an epic UFC title fight and the start of the T20 World Cup – all in the space of one fantastic weekend of sporting action.

Football: Amazing Weekend Of Premier League Action, Messi Breaks Record

It was a terrific weekend in the Premier League that may have defined the title race. Manchester City saw off Hull City to get back to winning ways, while Aston Villa stunned the League leaders Chelsea at Villa Park. There was a domination at Old Trafford as Liverpool controlled Manchester United (FULL REPORT & ANALYSIS HERE) and Arsenal were the victors in the North London Derby.

With Chelsea falling to Aston Villa, the others in the title race seized the opportunity to bag three points, and they were done in emphatic fashion. Thomas Rosicky’s stunned in the second minute of the North London Derby would be the lone and decisive goal in the game, while Steven Gerrard knocked two penalties past Manchester United at Old Trafford on a ‘Super Sunday’ in the Premier League.

In Barcelona’s rout of Osasuna in the La Liga, Lionel Messi became Barcelona’s all-time leading goalscorer with a whopping 370 goals on his tally. 

Steven Gerrard bagged a double at Old Trafford. IMAGE COURTESY: PREMIERLEAGUE.COM

F1: Nico Rosberg Wins Grand Prix Down Under in Dramatic Season Opener

Nico Rosberg dominated in the first race of the 2014 season, as the fastest sport in the World headed down under to Melbourne. 

Red Bull had a very problematic outing to start the season, with Sebastian Vettel having to withdraw from the race in the fifth lap due to engine problems, before Daniel Ricciardo was stripped of his second place for breaching fuel consumption rules. 

While Nico Rosberg was on top in the race, Lewis Hamilton failed to finish, even though he qualified in pole position for the race. A loss of power after two laps for the Brit meant he was out of the race. 

As a result of Australian Daniel Ricciardo’s disqualification, McLaren secuered second and third place in the race with Kevin Magnussen doing better than Jenson Button. 

The race really exemplified what the changes mean to the F1 season and the impact that they will have going forward. The drama is already pouring from just the first race.

Read the full race review and report here »

Nico Rosberg dominated the race. IMAGE COURTESY: GETTY IMAGES

Rugby: Six Nations Triumph for Ireland

Brian O’Driscoll ended his storied career on a high as he became a two-time Six Nations Champion after Ireland beat France in a thrilling culmination to the tournament.

England agonisingly fell short of the Championship, despite thumping Italy in Rome. They had to fight till the very last minute to clinch the title, and Ireland’s legend Brian O’Driscoll ended his career on a high.

Yet again, rugby’s popularity was supplied with a new-found surge from a dramatic Six Nations tournament. 

Ireland embrace victory after winning the Six Nations 2014. IMAGE COURTESY: SPORTINGLIFE

Boxing: Kell Brook, Danny Garcia Victorious 

Kell Brook edged closer to a title shot as he saw off a tough Mexican by the name of Alvaro Robles in Liverpool, while Danny Garcia’s win was much less affirmative with a controversial majority decision win. 

In front of a watchful Liverpool crowd, Kell Brook finished Alvaro Robles in the eighth of a scheduled ten-round bout. Kell Brook’s win may move him towards bigger opponents now with a significant win. Kell Brook had Robles in trouble going into the eighth, and eventually with more punishment, the opposition’s corner threw in the towel to spare punishment aware of the inevitable loss. 

Danny Garcia retained his Junior Welterweight World Champion strap defeating Marcio Herrera. Garcia was far from his best while Herrera brought a big case to the table in a great performance.  The win was debatable to say the least.

Kell Brook defeated Alvaro Robles in the eighth round. IMAGE COURTESY: GETTY IMAGES

UFC: Johny Hendricks Captures Vacant Welterweight Championship

Johny Hendricks prevailed in an epic main-event at the American Airlines Center in Dallas by defeating Robbie Lawler by way of unanimous decision.

Both Hendricks and Lawler threw hard shots at one another in compelling exchanges throughout the fight, and both would be in some sort of trouble then and again.

In the other fights, Tyron Woodley defeated Carlos Condit via injury, Saint-Preux impressed with a rare submission and Myles Jury was able to shut down Diego Sanchez.

Read the complete UFC 171 report with analysis and more here »

Cricket: Twenty20 World Cup Begins

The ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup kicked off in Bangladesh with two games from the group stages, and they were quite the landslide in manner of victories with Bangladesh winning by nine wickets while Nepal defeated Hong Kong with 80 runs to spare.

In the first game, World Cup hosts Bangladesh restricted Afghanistan to a mere total of 72 runs, bowling them out with around two overs remaining. It was a comfortable chase for Bangladesh as they took their time and only lost one wicket in their 12-over stint getting the 73 runs to win the match. Bangladesh fans were loud throughout as they piled in stadiums to watch their nation in action. 

Nepal scored 149 runs and conceded 8 wickets in the opening innings of their encounter with cricketing newbies Hong Kong. The Chinese regional team were bowled out for 69 in 17 overs, as Nepal cruised to an 80-run victory.

Bangladesh won by 9 wickets. IMAGE COURTESY: DECCAN CHRONICLE

What did you enjoy most from the weekend’s action? Send us a Tweet, comment on our Facebook page or post your thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of this article. We value your opinions as the fans, so showcase them.

Another fantastic showcase of sports enjoyed over the weekend, the ones sports fans love to embrace.

TheSportMatrix.com

 – Sports for the Fans, by the Fans.

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Johny Hendricks Emerges As New UFC Welterweight Champion In Thrilling Dallas Main Event

UFC

BY NISAR KHAN

UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler

Saturday 15 March 2014

American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas (USA)

DALLAS – Johny Hendricks was victorious in his hometown as he edged out Robbie Lawler in a 48 – 47 unanimous decision victory at the American Airlines Center.

Overwhelmed: Johny Hendricks sports the Gold round his waist. UFC

Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler engaged in a thrilling main-event in Dallas and it would ultimately be decided in the fifth and final round. “Big Rig” controlled the first two rounds with his leg-kicks proving the difference, and making a clear mark on Robbie Lawler – whose right leg swelled in the second round. However, fighting out of the blue corner, Robbie Lawler controlled the third round and put Johny Hendricks in deep trouble, with huge shots. In spite of landing cleanly, Johny Hendricks did not drop throughout the fight, and nor did Robbie Lawler, throughout the fight. Going into the fifth round, it was clear that both men were even on the judges’ scorecards. An opportunistic and smart Johny Hendricks seized the opportunity by grinding out the early minutes, before landing a takedown with around half-a-minute to go, ultimately scoring the round in his favor and more importantly getting a grasp of the illusive UFC gold that many thought he should have earned in November last year. 

“I know I’ll fight him again, and maybe I’ll give a better performance” said an overwhelmed Johny Hendricks following his victory. Fighting out of Dallas, Texas, Johny Hendricks fell to his knees and released an uproar of celebration after it was announced that he was the new Champion. Soon after, Robbie Lawler praised his performance and acknowledged how close he came. It was a valiant effort from Lawler, who fell short on the day, and his lengthy reign in the UFC will continue should he want to pursue the gold. 

Tyron Woodley defeated Carlos Condit in the co-main event, as the former Interim Welterweight Champion blew his knee out during the fight. An exciting first round saw both come out and trade a few big shots, but in the second, a takedown would seem to tweak the knee of Condit, before a leg-kick to the opposite leg would force Carlos Condit to collapse in pain as his knee buckled. Replays showed that Carlos Condit was in tremendous pain after the takedown, supporting Tyron Woodley’s statement after the fight where he claimed it was all his doing. Despite the big win, the nature of his victory may still keep him a fight or two from a title shot. 

Myles Jury applied the ultimate game plan in order to defy Diego Sanchez. The Mexican Sanchez, coming off an epic fight at UFC 166, attempted to apply his aggression with exchanges similar to that he had with Gilbert Melendez. Jury played his cards right and backed off slightly, and tactically got the win on points. 

Hector Lombard dominated Jake Shields in a unanimous decision victory. It was an impressive opening round for the Judo-Olympian, of who also used some Judo with significant takedowns in the fight. Round 1 would see Jake Shields put into some deep trouble with an outburst of huge shots from Lombard, however he slowed down noticeably in the remaining two rounds. That alone took it far from an impressive win, as he cruised past Jake Shields at ease yet didn’t display the credentials needed for a title challenge. It seems like his cardio wasn’t good enough to keep up the pressure, and after his win he said “I could have given more in the third round”, acknowledging his decreased effort in the fight.

Ovince St. Preux impressively opened the main card with a rare “Von Flue” Choke almost subtlety dispatch Nikita Krylov. The 22-year old was out cold after being submitted in the first round as St. Preux got his tenth career finish.

There was plenty of great preliminary action too in a really stacked card, that included TUF 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum edging out Rick Story with a split decision win, while earlier in the night Jessica Andrade defeated Raquel Pennington. 



Analysis, Comment & Breakdown

Rare submission a credit to Saint Preux’s ability

Many people watching the action at home were unaware of what exactly happened for a few moments when the fight was stopped and Ovince Saint Preux went to celebrate. Having worked the submission on the ground, it was locked in tightly and even Nikita Krylov couldn’t tap before he passed out. A submission like that is an incredible rarity inside the Octagon, further adding to his credentials and ever-growing MMA ability. 

Hector Lombard gasses out, needs to show more for title talk

Defeating an esteemed fighter such as Jake Shields is always a big accomplishment. However Hector Lombard may have inadvertently contributed to his own criticism, after he slowed down in the latter two rounds and didn’t push for the finish. One could argue that the Olympian showed maturity not to empty the gas tank and go for the first round knockout, but then it could just be a lack of opportunity. Many enjoyed his Judo throws which were a great part of the bout, when they were used, but Lombard simply didn’t give it his all, and he even knew it, and said it.

Myles Jury applies perfect game plan to defy Diego Sanchez

Diego Sanchez was completely shut down by Myles Jury in Dallas. In some cases, the Mexican may have beat himself in regards to his mindset and ongoing aggression rather than the more tactical approach. Despite how tempting, Myles Jury did not really engage in any prolonged wild swings, but backed away and created space just to score. It was far from the ideal zone for Diego Sanchez to fight in.

Woodley’s win overshadowed by injury, what would have happened if the fight went on?

Its always unfortunate to see a fight end in injury. This has somewhat taken some of the sting out of Tyron Woodley’s win. Both exchanged really well in the action we saw, and with all due respect, Woodley cannot exactly take all credit for his takedown injuring Condit, it was an accident. If the fight went on it may have been really close, and Condit was setting up for a finish.

Hendricks finally gets the belt, Lawler humble in defeat, Welterweight showcase

It was a showcase of fine Welterweight action at UFC 171. What a great fight we had between Robbie Lawler and Johny Hendricks. Both stood in front of one another and traded, and it really is a Fight of the Year candidate. Robbie Lawler will have to wait longer for the taste of Gold if it happens, but what a great showing by him too. Joe Rogan pitted Rory McDonald as Hendricks’ potential next opponent, do you agree?

Superb fights in a stacked card as Johny Hendricks leads the way for a new era inside the Octagon. 

TheSportMatrix.com

 – Sports for the Fans, by the Fans.

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