On Thursday, November 20th, Legends MMA's Jorge "Van Damme" Oliveira successfully defended his Palace Fighting Championships Light Heavyweight title against Isaiah "Striking Viking" Larson at PFC 11 "All In" at the Tachi Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, CA. This event was streamed for free on Sherdog.com.

"It's been a crazy, upside-down year for me, with the Glover Teixeira match, then winning the title from Jeremy Freitag. Then the first match with Larson, where we fell out of the ring . . . So it feels real good to end the year like this," Jorge said after his win.

The match nearly ended in the first round, after the champ caught a brutal knee to the groin. It started to seem like the pairing of Oliveira and Larson was not to be, as this title fight was a rematch from their previous encounter in July, which ended in a no-contest when both combatants fell out of the ring in the third round. But Legends' resident Brazilian beast summoned the strength to continue through another two rounds of fighting to pull off a submission victory, once again bringing his title back home to Los Angeles.

"After the knee, I lost about 40% of my game plan. But then I saw my corner get mad and I had to suck it up."

The knee came midway in the first round, as Larson held Oliveira in a clinch against the ropes. Cameras clearly caught the dubious strike, which doubled Oliveira over in anguish. Action was halted for almost the entire five-minute recuperation period, nearly forcing referee Josh Rosenthal to call off the match. The champ had to pull himself up by the ropes several times before being able to stand on his own. Larson's corner was visibly frustrated, fearing that their second chance at the title would be, yet again, compromised.

Teammate Conor Heun commented "Larson's side should have been real worried that Jorge was going to get back up and give Larson the beating that he did. That kid was concussed and damaged after the fight. "

Oliveira, for his part, showed tremendous bravery and fortitude in continuing to fight. With such an immobilizing injury in the middle of the first round, the defending champion's long match ahead became even longer. Moreover, that same five minute period in which Oliveira needed just to be able to stand again was time in which Larson was able to rest up.

Besides the dubious low blow, the bulk of the match was a strategic stalemate from the clinch, as Larson, an NCAA Greco-Roman champion, repeatedly charged Oliveira against the ropes, at which point both jockeyed for position, throwing knees when possible. The two briefly went to the ground once in each round, with Jorge working elbows from bottom position and almost securing a gogoplata in the first, but Larson's apparent strategy of working from the clinch didn't do much for the crowd nor Oliveira, who was visibly frustrated with his challenger.

"That's what he did in the last match too, so I knew to expect that," Oliveira said.

In the third round, Oliveira transitioned from bottom to top position, working to free his right leg from half-guard. Finally getting full-mount, Oliveira took the match home, raining down elbows and a double-hammerfist that would have made Kazushi Sakuraba proud. He finally grabbed Larson's arm and spun around with a textbook armbar that secured the tapout at 2:18 of the third round.

Oliveira was proud in reflection, commenting "after the sweep, I was pounding away. That was my set-up. You know, I'm a Jiu-Jitsu guy, and when you get later in the match, you get tired. He started to punch up and I just took the arm, spun around, and sat back for the armbar. That was fun."

The victory was also a very personal triumph for Jorge, who was visibly moved by his supporters. Backstage, he took several minutes to say a prayer of thanks to his family back in Brazil, especially his Grandmother, who was a pivotal inspiration in the early part of his career.

"This match meant a lot to me, you know? Of course I miss my Grandmother, and she got me started in martial arts. She passed away last year, and I haven't been back to Brazil in six years. I couldn't go back when she died, so I wanted her to know I was okay, that I still got the belt. I want her to be proud of me."

"The best fighters fight from the heart. Sometimes you leave your heart open like that and it all comes out," explained Heun.

"Van Damme's" victory looks to be the final chapter in Legends MMA's 2008 fight season, as the team's next scheduled outing looks to be in early January, at the Tuff-N-Uff Amateur Fighting Championships in Las Vegas.

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CONOR:

They were lucky it was as small as it was because Jorge could only land three punches before he got clinched against the ring. That kid was outclassed and was lucky to leave with his life."

"In the third round, [Larson] got a big takedown. Jorge had an overhook, grabbed the far wrist, and was destroying him with elbows from the bottom. Jorge was hitting him so hard that his elbow was banged up afterwards, because he was just annihilating him. And in the third round, guy got another Greco takedown and was landing punches from the mount. Jorge swept him, double-hammerfisted. Kid got pissed off, reached up, and Jorge took the armbar."

"Jorge wasn't really defensive. The kid was just rushing him. It's real hard to work with someone who's just rushing you. I thought he was doing a real good job. He was using his footwork as best he could in the small ring. Jorge ws backing up and just getting caught against the ropes. He did a good job avoiding takedowns for the most part, landing knees. . ."

"You build something up for eight weeks, like it's the most important thing in the world, then it's over in like nine, ten minutes. Just the letdown, the emotional release. . . He lost his grandmother recently and he was focusing on that because she made him who he was and helped raise him. There was just a lot of emotion after the fight. The best fighters fight from the heart. Sometimes you leave your heart open like that and it all comes out."

Round One: Jorge has 6 inches on him. Good standoff. Jorge is ready. He charges, Jorge fends him off sith strikes. Larson hgets nothing. Larson charges again, but Jorge jumps guard. Larson in jorge's guard. Jorrge drops lelbows, goes for gogoplata. When lason escapes Jorge pushes back with leg kcisl .larson attacks as Jorge scrabmlesse ot his feet, but Jorge survives and takes a SERIOUS nuts shot.

AFTER ALMOST 5 MINUTES. THEY RESTART. LARSON CHARGES AGAIN. JORGE IS TREPDIDACIOUTS. JORIS IN THE OCRENER, KEEPS AN UNDERHOOK SINGLE ARM CLINCH. LARSON IS THROWING BODY SHOTS. ITS LIKE THE TALL BUYLLY AND THE SHORT RUNT. KNEES FROM BOTH SIDES IN THE CORNER. JORES IS COURAGEOUS IN THE FACE OF AN INJURY LIKE THIS. LARSON IS BULLING IN, GOING FOR KNEES. CAN'T GET POSITION. THEY BREAK UP. JORGE THROWS A SPIN KICK, WHICH MEETS A JAP TB TO THE CHIN WHICH DOES NOTHING. LARSON BULLS IN AGAIN IN THE OPPOSITE CORNER. LARSON NEEDS TO IMPLEMENT A DIFFERENT STRATEGY.

Round Two: Larson is hungry. Jorge on the drrenseive, understandably so. Larson going for clinch. Jorge is using his striking to keep him at bay. For an ncaa wrestler, wht he hell is is takedown defense. Larson has a shit strategy and jorges face shows it. josh Rosenthal starts them in the middle. Larson charges agin, bujt Jorge throwos stirkes. Larson charges and gest the takedown. Jorw throws some 12 to 6's. Jorge pushes Larson to his feet. Larson comes down with a hammerfist. Back into guard. Round ends with Larson in guard.

Round Three: Jorge is moving better, ut he's stil caughiouts. Jorge is pushing Larson back with combinations. Front kic Larson catches and goes for single leg. Jorge defends it in the mddle of eh ring before they got the ground. Lajorge transatiojss, is in half guard. Jorge works to side mouountjorge tries to free his leg in guard. Larson tries to transition but Jorge gets full mound. R reights down elbows, double hammerfists. Catches Larson with an armbar at 2:18 in the third round. Fucking phenomenal comeback from behind!!!

Stramed live on Sherdog.com

Larson is an NCAA Greco-roman national champion

5. 185 lbs. Phil Collins over Kenny Ento "tha Dragon" - Unan Dec. (30-27) (Josh Rosenthal?)

6. 125 lbs. - Flyweight Championship Tournament Semi-Final Luis "Speedy" Gonzales vs. Pat Runez (Herb Dean)

Round One: Pat Runex clinches Speedy. Gets him t o the ground with knees. Speedy goes to his back. They stand up again. Speedy shoots for takedown, Pat stuffs him. Keeping him down with guillotine. High knee when they come up. Pat cahtches a roundhouse kick and trips him. Speedy goes for ankle lock in this corner. Pat is standing above him, mvoes his legs for a spread eagle and pounds on his face. Stand up again. Looked voluntary. Speedy front kick, (soppy), pat catches him and takes him down. Back up aginst ropes. Speedy is tripping overhimself, falling all over the place.

Round Two: Pat & speedy goe down briefly. Speedy is slightly more aggressive, but Pat is in control when engaign. Picking his shots, in control in clinch and takedowns. Some problem – speedy throws a slow ribody kick, pat catches it, then takes him down. Pat works speedy into the corner. Speedy doesn't seem to show any ground game, but neither can Pat finish him.

Round Three: trading hard combinations. Good action. Pat keeps catching those front kicks. Pat with combinations that has Speedy on the dfesnes. Speedy ends up on the ground again (sloppy takedown). Pat lets them up again. Pat would rather strike, which I wouldn't do to win the fight. Yet another leg kick-catch., but speedy doesn't god down. Clinch in blue corner. Pat is trying to pass guard from above, speedy is defening with upkicks. Speedy get spats legs and path throws bodyshots to the end.

Judges give the match to Pat Runez by unan. dec. (30-27)

7. Women's Lightweight (150 lbs) - Erin "Steel" Toughill vs. Jan "Cuddles" Finney (ref. Cecil Peoples)

Round One: Lots of feleing out, before Erin connected with a hard shot. Clinch against the ropes. Cuddles blocks several knees, throws Erin aginast corner. Cecil breaks for restart. Erin with charging jab-cross combination. Maybe erin leads with her right. Cuddles gets the trip takedown in a clinch. Erin is neutralizing cuddls arms with trapping them, underhooks, but cuddles is . . . .erin goes for an armbar from bottom. Probably toughhill 10-9 for the harder striking and submission f rom the ground.

Round Two: gotta love Cecil's kick. Cuddles jabs, but Erin catches her with an eye poke. Action stopped. Immediately. Cuddles looks freaked out a bit, waving hands.jan walked into erin's open hand / extended open hand. Cuddles takes Erin down again with a waistlock judo throw. Cecil rotates them araway from the ropes. Erin's doing a good job neutralizing cuddles top offense, but also has an open guard. They work themselves into the coerner. Erin's keeping her feet high and knees close. Stand up in center. Some bombinations. Clinch. Combinations. Standing whizzer that gets pushed to the ropes. Erin lands ttwo solid punches to the head, . erin gets the trip takedown just before the round ends. Erin 10-9, but pretty close.

Round Three: no engaging for first 20 seconds. Cuddles has erin against ropes in a clinch. She's trying for a trip takedown. Erin pushes her out, but cuddles lands on top. Erin quickly transitions to top. Cuddles is neutralizing Erin's top offesnse. Goes for armbar. Very close, but erin gest out of it. cuddles transitions to leglock. Erin gets stuck on the ground in half guard from behind,. Pulls out and gest to cross mount. Jan tries to uc, but erin's keeping her weight on her.questionable knees to cuddles head. Cesil stops the action, warns erin, and starts them standing seconds before the end of the round. Toughill may have this 10-9 for staying on top, but Cuddles had the submission attempts from bottom.

Judges give the match to Erin Toughill via unan. dec.

Interview with Erin. Hasn't fought in 2 years.pleaded the fifth on the knee to the head, but apologized for the eye p oke.

PFC Dancer Time: Nobody cares. Now I get why they didn't like EliteXC dancers.

8. 155 lbs. - Poppies "Tachi Kid" Martinez vs. Tony Llamas (Cecil Peoples)
Round One: Poppies looks significantly tallier. Poppies gets the spin doubl-leg takedown and pounds away, but Tony stops the assault. Goes for a kimura, but Poppies maintains control on him.Tony goes to a kimura again. Poppies gets Tony with an armbar in 1:51 of the first round. Poppies gets on the mic and thanks his sponsors. He's got no charisma, but he doesn't seem to need any in this venue. It's his neighborhood.
9. 145 lbs. - Eddie "the Filipino Phenom" Yagin vs. Shawn "Quiet Storm" Bias (Josh Rosenthal)

Shawn Bias has charisma. Also has a nice black eye under the left eye. Eddie has a following here.

Round One: josh is zhaoji, Eddie is composed. Crowd is Japanese for this match. I can her myself typing. Lots of feeling out for these two. Few combinations. Mostly air jabbing. Shawn throws a left low kick, eEddie trips him and gets him in a guillotine. Josh tolls him backwards and ends up on top. Eddie keeps the guillotine. Shawn eventually pops out and rains elbows on Eddie. Gustys escape. Shwn gest a guillotine of his own on Eddie and eddie pops out. Both standing. Crowd is getting t heir American citizenship back again. Shwn low kic as eddie right croses, eddie trips butt gets back up. Both are showing a lot of respect standing, waiting for the other to flinch. I give it to Eddie 10-9.

Round Two: right low kick that eddie catches and trips. Eddie gest top position, full mount. Shawn escapes. Jumps on Eddies bsak, but Eddie falls back. Shwn fighting to get hooks in. good ground scrap. Shwn has hooks in, but can't get eddies neck. Shawn busted eddie open on the head, and eddie is giving Shawnw a half-sleepve of blood.eddie transitions to top, but Shawn neutralizes him for the most part. eddie continues to work ground and pound to the end of the round. Eddie 10-9.

Round Three: shwan fakes a takdeownw th eddie falls for, literally. Eddies wings and shanw ducks, shawn gest caught in a guillotine. Eddie taps shawn in 0:37 of the third round.

10. 155 lbs. - Dominique "Fallen Angel" Robinson vs. Takumi Nakayama (Josh Rosenthal)
Nakayama has that earnest shadowboxing look that usually means he's going to lose. But he definitely doesn't know it.

Round One: nakaumi goes for a clinch. Working for position agins the topes in between knees. Nakayama has the leg. S spearte . right kick from robinson. Trade nakayama right kicks, robinson catches, and trips nakayama. Transition to roboinson in nakayama's guard. Nakayama gest high butterfly guard. Slow going in nakayama's corner. Robinson drops a hard left aht separates them a bit. Robinson standing now can't get past guard. Robinson gets pushed back, but goes . nakayam get up, goes for a single let. Prbinson throws a few strikes . . . nakayam gst the takedown with seconds left in the round. I give it to Robinson for GNP control.

Round Two: engaging right away. Robinson goes for high knee that nakayama insulates. Clinche against the ropes. Nakayam gets Robinsons back standing,. Knees from behind, but can't capitalize on it. robinson shucks him off, hits a low blow. Nakayama goes down hard. Takes about 3 minutes to recover. Nakayama spins Robinson around and gets his back again. Gets the standing body triangle and throws rights from behind. Robinson is just holding on in his corner leaning against the corner pad. To the end of the round.

Round Three: robinson stuns with a combination. Nakayama again with a clinch, goes against the ropes . robinson is throwing highere kness this time. Robinsons knees are pretty severe. Nakayama tries to jump guard, but robinson keeps his feet to the ground. Underhooks. Nakayam gest a takedown off a rebound against the ropes, but they end up back in the lcinch in the ceorner again. From one corner to the other. Robinson switches nakayam. With secons in the round, robinson swings for the fences,. Maykayama runs for the center, but robinson catches him.

Judges give the match to Dominique Robinson via unan dec. (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).

11.185 lbs. - Jaime "El Cucui" Jara vs. Leopoldo Serao (Herb Dean)

This is a "title eliminator" match. I think that means for the #1 Contendership.

Round One: leg kick from serao, then gets jara to the ground. Jara is holding serao down. Serao is seemingyu going forly for ground and pound. Her dean stands them up. Serao helps jara up. Jara charges in with combos and serao takes him down. Again. End of round.

Round Two: serao goes for takedown, but hara stuffs,. Serao goes for another, they end up standing. In the coerner, srao is going for single-leg, but jara's neutralizing. Nara is hodling on to the ropes to prevent the takedown, but serao gest it anyway.. serao has a lay and pray problem, in that he does it. stop midway for a eye poke, but her stands them up. Serao with another takedown into jamie's guard. Jara is trying to punch from the ground. End of round. Nobody is cheering.

Round Three: serao goes for takedown again, but jamei gest in his guard and works for ground and pound. Jara stands up. Serao goes fortakedown again. Jaras having one of it. jara gets in serao's guard again. Drops lefts. Serao goes for high guard, but doesn't havethe blance to catch makies shoulders. Jara is taking his time droppinglefts and rights. Fans are getting a bit more excited. Srao oesn't look like he belongs in a striking match. Serao gest a igh guard and almost has a triangle, b ut he doesn't go for it. shades of Paulo filho here. Jara continues to reight down rights as I'm typing. All the way to e end of the round.

Judges give the match to Leopoldo Serao unanimous decision (29-28).

12. 125 lbs. – Flyweight Championship Tournament Semi-Finals - Ulysses "Useless" Gomez vs. Rambaa "M16" Somdet (herb Dean)

Somdet knows how to put on a ring entrance, dancing out to an Asian techno song with a flamboyant Filipino-colored flag/cape. Somewhere between ADD Dave from "The Backyard," the Flipino Rocky, and Adrian Street. But he's got over 100 Muay Thai wins, so you tell him that. As Gomez makes his way to the ring, Somdet runs around the ring na slips at least twice. Gomez, on the other hand, comes out to the most somber song, theone that's on the war video game commercial. John Polakowski has started a trend now in MMA, with full-on hugging. Either that or Somdet really is gay.

Round One: somede its quick wit his lowkicks. But Yseless charges at him. Somde evades, looks like hes ooignt ot st riek from afar. Wow, did I mention lighting fast low kics. Useless throws a kick ghat gets caught and falls back. Someee is going to fight from afar and Useless knowshe's got to get im to the ground. Which he does, but Somde its halfway ouf othe ring. Shift over to ack I nsid ethe ring. Souesless in somedes butterfly guard. Something happens that forces to uselss to stand up and front. Maybe it was fingers to the nose./ fishhooking. They stand back up. Somde escapes, that is. Usomde tags useless, who falls ot his back, but uselss is up on his feet just as fast. Somede drops uselss with a left, and ueless follows up, but somedes continues pounding on him with lefts and rights. Useesless barely escapes. Falls ack, uselss turtles up until the round ends. Close end of round.

Round Two: uselsess charges in and gst the takedown striaghrforward. They'r right in somde's corner. Useless is trying to keep him to the ground, but somdet . . herb stands them up deducts somede 1 point for something. Maybe fishhooking on the face. Restart on ground in middle of the ring. Somde its emplying butterfly guard, and useless is having a tough time with it. herb stands them up. He's getting frustrated with somdet. Useless is strating to engage more on the feet. Trde in the middle of the ring for the rest of the reound.

Round Three: trading shot sint he middle of the ring. Usless wants to stand and trade with somdat. Nice high kicks from somdet. They're taunting each othere, which the fans, ironically enough, boo. Useless shoots for atakedown. Clinch into ropes. Useless dries him to the ground in somdets corner. Again with somdet and the butterfly guard. Useless is exacty that in passing the guard.

Somedet and Useeless pose for the crowd together, ala a tag team, which has to be the weirdest thing I've seen. Somdet has his Pinoys and Pinays in attendance, for sure. Somdet is still dancing around.

Judgets awared the match to Rhomba Somdet 29-27, 29-28, and 28-27. Somdet will continue in th tournament. Somdet gives Useless a hug, two kisses, and and even gives Jimmie Lenno, Jr. a hug.

13. PFC Light Heavyweight Title Fight - Jorge Oliveira vs. Isaiah "Striking Viking" Larson (Josh Rosenthal)

Jorge forgot his gym name in his pre-fight interview. Great.

Round One: Jorge has 6 inches on him. Good standoff. Jorge is ready. He charges, Jorge fends him off sith strikes. Larson hgets nothing. Larson charges again, but Jorge jumps guard. Larson in jorge's guard. Jorrge drops lelbows, goes for gogoplata. When lason escapes Jorge pushes back with leg kcisl .larson attacks as Jorge scrabmlesse ot his feet, but Jorge survives and takes a SERIOUS nuts shot.

AFTER ALMOST 5 MINUTES. THEY RESTART. LARSON CHARGES AGAIN. JORGE IS TREPDIDACIOUTS. JORIS IN THE OCRENER, KEEPS AN UNDERHOOK SINGLE ARM CLINCH. LARSON IS THROWING BODY SHOTS. ITS LIKE THE TALL BUYLLY AND THE SHORT RUNT. KNEES FROM BOTH SIDES IN THE CORNER. JORES IS COURAGEOUS IN THE FACE OF AN INJURY LIKE THIS. LARSON IS BULLING IN, GOING FOR KNEES. CAN'T GET POSITION. THEY BREAK UP. JORGE THROWS A SPIN KICK, WHICH MEETS A JAP TB TO THE CHIN WHICH DOES NOTHING. LARSON BULLS IN AGAIN IN THE OPPOSITE CORNER. LARSON NEEDS TO IMPLEMENT A DIFFERENT STRATEGY.

Round Two: Larson is hungry. Jorge on the drrenseive, understandably so. Larson going for clinch. Jorge is using his striking to keep him at bay. For an ncaa wrestler, wht he hell is is takedown defense. Larson has a shit strategy and jorges face shows it. josh Rosenthal starts them in the middle. Larson charges agin, bujt Jorge throwos stirkes. Larson charges and gest the takedown. Jorw throws some 12 to 6's. Jorge pushes Larson to his feet. Larson comes down with a hammerfist. Back into guard. Round ends with Larson in guard.

Round Three: Jorge is moving better, ut he's stil caughiouts. Jorge is pushing Larson back with combinations. Front kic Larson catches and goes for single leg. Jorge defends it in the mddle of eh ring before they got the ground. Lajorge transatiojss, is in half guard. Jorge works to side mouountjorge tries to free his leg in guard. Larson tries to transition but Jorge gets full mound. R reights down elbows, double hammerfists. Catches Larson with an armbar at 2:18 in the third round. Fucking phenomenal comeback from behind!!!

14. 185 lbs. - Doug "The Rhino" Marshall vs. Rafael "Real Deal" Del Real (Herb Dean)

Round One: hard low kics by del real. Circling around ring. Combos in the corener. Rhino drops Rafael. Raf is racing around, rhino chasing him. Clinch in del reals corner. Rhino drops del real with hard knee to the gut (close toet he groin) and hard rights in the cornere at 1:09 of the first round.