UFC 139 results: Wanderlei Silva survives early, finishes strong against Cung Le
by Dann Stupp and John Morgan on Nov 19, 2011 at 10:45 pm ET



Wanderlei Silva had his hands full, but after figuring out the puzzle that is kickboxer Cung Le, he got a much-needed win.

Silva used a trademark and well-rounded attack late in the the second round to batter and bloody his middleweight opponent en route to a knockout victory – his first KO win in three-and-a-half years.

The fight co-headlined UFC 139's pay-per-view main card from HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., following prelims on Facebook and Spike TV.

During the initial exchanges, Le's unorthodox style proved a challenge for Silva, who ate a few heavy punches and kicks. Le remained at distance to land kicks and then wobbled Silva with a follow-up spinning back fist. A spinning wheel kick again wobbled Silva, who unloaded wild barrages to get himself out of trouble. Later in the round, Silva then landed some of his own kicks and cut Le over the eye with a straight right.

Le continued throwing a variety of kicks in the second, and Silva patiently awaited openings to wing power punches. But with Le losing a step as the round wore on, Silva landed more frequently with counter-punches. A big right hand dropped Le late in the round, and Silva pounced with follow-up blows and some vicious knees that left the former Strikeforce champ's nose and face a real mess. Le dove for a leg to try to stop the assault, and through he ate a few hammerfists, the ref inexplicably waved it off immediately after he shot.

The timing of the stoppage was peculiar, but Le clearly had taken a beating and didn't protest the stoppage, which came at the 4:49 mark of the round.

"He hit me hard," Silva admitted. "The game plan going in was definitely to try and stay away from his kicks. He got me a few times. They were really hard, and he connected, but I think I managed them well enough.

"I'm happy with the win. I wanted it. The fans were wonderful, and I was happy they cheered for me too even though he's from here."

Le has regrets after the fight.

"I feel bad, upset," he said. "I chased it too hard, wanting to make something happen. I probably should have been a little more patient."

Silva (34-11-1 MMA, 4-6 UFC) rebounds from a recent 1-3 skid and picks up his first KO win since a UFC 84 victory over Keith Jardine. Le (7-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who's been out of action for 17 months due to movie projects, falls to 1-2 in his past three fights.