UFC 81 in the books!

The only fight I was able to find online tonight was Lesnar v. Mir. Lesnar was beating up on Mir but, as has been shown time and time again, technique and experience usually beat out brute strength and this time it was no different: a few minutes into round one, Mir submits the gargantuan Lesnar with a slick knee bar.

Some of my favorite guys won tonight including Tyson Griffin and Nate Marquardt. I still believe Nate could beat Anderson Silva. Too bad Dan Henderson will get that honor before he'll get a rematch.

Results (from UFCMANIA):
UFC 81 QUICK RESULTS:

Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira defeats Tim Sylvia via submission (guillotine choke) in round three
Frank Mir defeats Brock Lesnar via submission (kneebar) in round one
Nate Marquardt defeats Jeremy Horn via submission (guillotine choke) in round two
Ricardo Almeida defeats Rob Yundt via submission (guillotine choke) in round one
Tyson Griffin defeats Gleison Tibau via unanimous decision
Chris Lytle defeats Kyle Bradley via technical knockout (strikes) in round one
Tim Boetsch defeats David Heath via technical knockout (strikes) in round one
Marvin Eastman defeats Terry Martin via unanimous decision
Rob Emerson defeats Keita Nakamura via split decision

Check out UFC.COM and then click on the multimedia tab to check out post fight interviews, etc. Lesnar will be back with a vengeance.

UFC 81

Although I won't be watching this card live, you can bet I'm going to catch it online on Sat. on pancrase.org I'm very interested in what's going to happen, especially in the main event with SYLVIA vs. NOG and I'm almost more interested in the MIR vs. LESNAR fight.
Check out the UFC 81 OFFICIAL PAGE HERE.

Syliva and Nog talk about the title fight (I hate Sylvia...he recently said he wants to have a "sexual experience" with the belt on like he did the first time he got it).





Mir and Lesnar

Hey everyone...

UFC 81 is coming up. I'm not planning on hosting the event, but let me know if you or anyone else is because I'd love to see the fight. If I don't catch it, I'll just watch it late that night on pancrase.org. The card is good, indeed which UFC card isn't these days with such deep rosters, BUT a lot of these fights have the potential to be boring since the fighters are very good AND not known to take major risks (I'm thinking specifically of the title fight AND the Marquardt/Horn bout). The fights with the most allure to me are the Mir/Lesnar fight and the Griffin/Tibau fight. It's going to be exciting to see how an prowrestler turned MMA fighter (he does have collegiate wrestling experience) does against an ex-HW champ/black belt jiu-jitsu fighter. Also, I can't believe they're not going to televise the Griffin fight for sure, Griffin is an awesome, exciting fighter.

Main event:

Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira (30-4- 1) vs. Tim Sylvia (24-3) for interim UFC Heavyweight Championship

Main card (televised):

Hvywt.: Frank Mir (10-3) vs. Brock Lesnar (1-0)
185 lbs.: Nate Marquardt (25-7-2) vs. Jeremy Horn (79-16-5)
185 lbs.: Alan Belcher (11-3) vs. Ricardo Almeida (8-2)

Undercard (May not be broadcast):

155 lbs.: Tyson Griffin (10-1) vs. Gleison Tibau (15-4)
170 lbs.: Chris Lytle (24-15-5) vs. Kyle Bradley (13-4)
185 lbs.: Terry Martin (16-3) vs. Marvin Eastman (14-7-1)
185 lbs.: David Heath (7-2) vs. Tim Boetsch (6-1)
155 lbs.: Keita Nakamura (14-2-2) vs. Rob Emerson (6-6)

Now from some posts from various mma blogs:

UFC Quick Quote: Joe Stevenson to take about five months off after loss to BJ Penn

By: MMAmania

“I think I did good. I just got cut. I think it was getting better and better for me and sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you…. I just opened up a new school here in my hometown of Victorville and I want to take about 5 months off before my next fight. I want to do everything right. I got another baby on the way with my beautiful wife. I want to keep everything in line and go out there with no distractions.”

– Joe Stevenson tells FightHype.com that he plans to take some time off after his submission loss to BJ Penn at UFC 80: “Rapid Fire” during the fight for the vacant lightweight championship. In the first round of the match “Daddy” was cut with a well-placed elbow and bled like a stuck pig. It more than likely had a significant impact on the relatively quick result of the fight.

(Thanks to FightLinker.com for the tasty blood squirt image.)

Matt Hughes: ‘If Matt [Serra] loses, I’ll be looking to fight him’

By: MMAmania

Props: UFC.com

Quoteworthy:

“I told (UFC President) Dana (White) that I might take a little time off to see my family and because I’m starting this new gym, the H.I.T. Squad, and I’m getting my clothing line out there. But I want to see Georges and Matt fight, and I told Dana that I’d probably like to fight Matt Serra after that fight. If Matt loses, I’ll be looking to fight him. The fans will definitely see me in the Octagon again. I will be there.”

– Former welterweight champion Matt Hughes sounds re-energized after a whirlwind book tour that took him across the United States. He checked in with Thomas Gerbasi at UFC.com to talk about the success of his biography, “Made in America,” (it’s #21 on the New York Times bestseller list), as well as assure fans that he will not retire after the second lopsided loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 79: “Nemesis” last month. In fact, he asked UFC President Dana White to match him up with his coaching counterpart on season six of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), Matt Serra, ifs he loses to St. Pierre at UFC 84 in April. Hughes and Serra were supposed to fight at UFC 79 but Serra had to withdraw because of a serious injury he sustained to his back while training.

SOMETIME LATE THIS YEAR OR NEXT YEAR WE'LL SEE THE FIGHT EVERYONE WANTS, FEDOR vs. COUTURE:

Nate Diaz wants to fight Tyson ‘Hollywood’ Griffin next … and everyone else (Video)

By: MMAmania

Props: Sherdog.com

Diaz also mentions Kenny Florian, Kurt Pellegrino and Din Thomas specifically. He’s also a bit confused about the decision to let Joe Lauzon fight Florian when Diaz is the one who won The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5.

Chuck Liddell vs. Keith Jardine II up next?

By: MMAmania

Props: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Quoteworthy:

“My next fight will probably be in the summer and I am thinking about Jardine since Jackson is already scheduled to fight (Forrest Griffin). I can’t wait around (for Jackson). I love the sport and I think I have a couple years left in me. I’m a very competitive person. I don’t even like to lose at things I’m not good at.”

Chuck Liddell reiterates that he wants to rematch Keith Jardine next — “The Dean of Mean” upset the “Iceman” at UFC 76: “Knockout” in September 2007. Liddell rebounded to defeat Wanderlei Silva in a thrilling three-round war at UFC 79: “Nemesis” in December 2007. Meanwhile, we haven’t heard much at all about Jardine (even though it was perhaps the biggest win of his career). Something tells me that whatever Chuck “thinks,” Chuck gets.

Mirko Cro Cop training, but for who? (Pics)

By: MMAmania

New pictures of UFC heavyweight fighter Mirko Cro Cop training have recently surfaced all over the Internet boards and blogs.

That normally wouldn’t be too newsworthy if it wasn’t for the fact the UFC President Dana White just announced over the weekend that the Croatian is “currently thinking about his future and is undecided about what his next move is.”

It’s a statement that contradicts recent comments from Cro Cop that he has five or six more fights left in the tank and was even interested in competing on the UFC 80: “Rapid Fire” card.

Something is not right. And with the heavyweight division all of a sudden void of numerous top contenders (again) now might be the time to make it right.

Sooner rather than later.

UFC 82: Diego Sanchez vs. David Bielkheden (not Roan Carneiro)

By: MMAmania

Diego Sanchez (17-2) will not take on Roan Carneiro at UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” on March 1 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, as previously reported. Instead, the former winner of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 1 will fight Swedish import, David Bielkheden (12-5).

There was no mention of a reason behind the opponent switch in the MySpace bulletin sent around earlier this morning from the “Nightmare.”

Bielkheden is a veteran of the Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) scene, having competed under the Pride FC and Shooto banners, among others. The “Scandinavian Lion” is on a two-fight win streak and will be making his Octagon debut.

Sanchez, on the other hand, will look to rebound from back-to-back losses to American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) training partners, Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch. Those were the first two defeats of his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career and he was contemplating moving down to fight at lightweight.

However, Sanchez recently decided against that and will now look to get back on track against Bielkheden at 170 pounds.

Carneiro posed some serious size and strength problems for Sanchez. It doesn’t appear that Bielkheden poses the same challenge. Other than that it’s hard to give an assessment on the bout without much intel on Brazilian Top Team’s Bielkheden.

Because Sanchez is involved this match up will more than likely make the televised main card, which is quite an accomplishment considering how deep it is. Of course, the main event features the sick showdown between UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva, and the last man to hold the Pride FC welterweight title, Dan Henderson.

For the most recent UFC 82 fight card click here.

UFC 82: Jon Fitch vs. Chris Wilson likely to fight (Exclusive)

By: MMAmania

With Akihiro Gono out with a hand injury, MMAmania.com has learned that Chris Wilson (13-3) might step up to face top welterweight contender, Jon Fitch (15-2), at UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” on March 1 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

It would mark the Octagon debut for the red-hot Team Quest fighter if and when bout agreements are finalized.

Wilson is a veteran of the International Fight League (IFL) and Bodog Fight. He has strung together four straight wins against solid competitors such as Rory Markham, Jay Heiron and Derrick noble during that stretch.

He’s a tough guy who will be thrown in the deep end against an experienced UFC veteran like Fitch in his Octagon debut. It’s an incredible opportunity, however, to make an instant splash in the organization much like Houston Alexander did when he burst onto the scene to dash the title chances of Keith Jardine.

Fitch, however, is undefeated (7-0) in the Octagon since his debut in 2005. He has also not lost a professional fight since 2002 — more than five years. His rise to the top of the division has been long and hard and it didn’t get much easier with this fight … it’s dangerous.

In the recent past, we’ve called for Fitch to take on Karo Parisyan and Marcus Davis, who are top guys and well-known among fans. Those fights are not going to happen in the immediate future. Therefore, we’ll have to just sit tight and hang on for the ride.

This should actually be a tough fight for both guys if the Wilson who appeared in the footage that I’ve seen shows up in Ohio in top form.

For the latest UFC 82 fight card click here

UFC 80 Recap: B.J. Penn Claims Lightweight Title in Night of Knockouts

Last night was awesome! A card that didn't look that exciting on the surface delivered SIX (T)KOs and one submission. Penn looked good in his victory over Stevenson. We were happy to welcome two newcomers to our fight nights: Joel (Wes' friend) and Jarom. Thanks to everyone for pitching in. This Wednesday night Ultimate Fight Night 12 is airing on SpikeTV and although I'm not organizing anything official, I'll be watching it some time that night if anyone wants to stop by.

Here's a recap of UFC 80 from ufcjunkie.com:

UFC 80 Recap: B.J. Penn Claims Lightweight Title in Night of Knockouts

Posted by MMA Junkie on January 20, 2008 at 1:45 am ET

Joining Randy Couture as the only other UFC fighter to win championships in two different weight classes, B.J. Penn (12-4-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) staked claim to the UFC’s vacant lightweight title with a second-round submission of Joe Stevenson (28-8 MMA, 5-2 UFC) on Saturday.

The title fight capped off UFC 80, which took place at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England. The event aired live and via tape delay on pay-per-view.

While the undercard was full of stunning knockouts, Penn relied on a submission — the night’s only one — to defeat top contender Stevenson in front of a reported sold-out crowd.

The fact that the fight made it out of the first round was the only surprise in a fight predicted to go Penn’s way. After dropping “The Ultimate Fighter 2” winner with a right uppercut in the fight’s opening seconds, Penn glanced Stevenson with a right elbow that tore open a deep gash in the middle of his forehead.

Like a water balloon had hit pavement, both fighters were instantly soaked in blood. After a quick conference with the ringside doctor, Stevenson was allowed to continue and even connected on a few shots while holding Penn in his guard.

Stevenson finished the first round and opened the second frame with a sense of urgency. However, Penn’s onslaught and the constant stream of blood proved too much for the youngster. As the second round came to a close, Stevenson rolled out of the mount position, giving up his back. Penn sunk in the rear-naked choke. Blinded and choking on blood, Stevenson was forced to tap out.

The lightweight belt, which was recently stripped from former champ Sean Sherk after his UFC 73 drug suspension (due to steroids) was upheld, was then wrapped around Penn’s waist. It’s been nearly four years since the former welterweight champ has owned any of the UFC’s hardware.

Penn then called out Sherk, who was sitting ringside as a guest commentator for the fight.

“Sherk, you’re dead,” Penn warned.

Sherk has already been promised the first shot at Penn’s title.

On the undercard, Fabricio Werdum (10-3-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) was apparently determined to shake the “boring” tag that’s plagued him since an April 2007 loss to Andrei Arlovski. It just took him a round to find his stride.

Facing a fellow Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt in Gabriel Gonzaga (8-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC), Werdum initially looked tentative, and in the process, took a series of leg kicks that forced him to the canvas multiple times. Gonzaga, content to keep the fight standing, continually allowed Werdum to stand for more.

However, in the second round, Werdum went on the offensive just as Gonzaga began to look flat and tired. Werdum forced his way through Gonzaga’s clinch and continually tagged him with knees to the body and head. After popping him with an uppercut, Werdum then threw Gonzaga to the mat, forcing his head against the fence. Werdum then uncorked a series of punches, and with his opponent unable to defend himself after a dozen such blows, the bout was stopped.

Werdum earned the TKO victory at 4:34 of the second round to deliver Werdum the first back-to-back losses of his career.

In other action, we can make it 11 straight for Marcus Davis (14-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC).

The UFC welterweight contender kept his winning streak alive — which now includes six straight victories in the UFC — with a quick and decisive knockout of Frenchman Jess Liaudin (12-9 MMA, 2-1 UFC).

After getting tagged with a few leg kicks, Davis had enough and threw a left hook that hit Liaudin below his right ear. And bam — down went Liaudin.

Davis, a former professional boxer who’s transformed himself into a well-rounded mixed martial artist, continues his ascent in the UFC’s 170-lb. division. Although he’s complemented his striking with a solid ground game, he didn’t need it tonight.

Davis admittedly went into the fight with a chip on his shoulder, ticked that Liaudin questioned his legitimacy as a true Irishman.

“Literally, I said I was going to punch a hole in his face,” Davis said. “I was pissed. I gotta say I was really pissed.“

In a night of knockouts, none was more shocking than Wilson Gouveia‘s (10-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) one-punch KO of Jason Lambert (23-7 MMA, 4-2 UFC).

Lambert dominated the light-heavyweight bout from the first bell, stalking his opponent, forcing him to the mat, and delivering a brutal barrage of ground and pound. If Gouveia broke free, Lambert was there to pounce right back on him.

Early in the second round, though, Lambert forgot a key part of the plan: defending himself. Shoved into the fence for the final time, Gouveia waited for Lambert to drop his hands and then tagged him with left-hook haymaker. Lambert’s legs disappeared, and he folded into a heap.

The bout was halted, and Gouveia scored the come-from-behind KO victory at 0:37 of the second round.

First came the stunning defeat to Patrick Cote in August, and “The Ultimate Fighter 3” winner Kendall Grove (8-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) can now add another upset loss to his resume — this time to veteran Jorge Rivera (15-6 MMA, 4-4 UFC).

Grove, once considered one of the most improved fighters to come out of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, never stood a chance in Saturday’s televised opening fight. Rivera immediately went on the offensive, scoring the early takedown and pinning Grove against the fence. Rivera unleashed a barrage of punches. Grove created some distance and got back to his feet, but Rivera continued throwing shots until his opponent hit the canvas.

Rivera never let up on the assault — and for good reason.

“I thought I hurt him with the very first punch because I saw his knees buckle,” Rivera said.

In the end, it was an 80-second TKO victory for the “Conquistador.” As for Grove, it’s back to the drawing board as his stock in the UFC’s middleweight division hits an all-time low.

UNDERCARD

• In the finale of the night’s preliminary card, Antoni Hardonk (6-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) made short work of fellow heavyweight Colin Robinson (8-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC), tagging the local favorite with a series of knees, leg kicks and punches that sent “Big C” staggering across the canvas. With his opponent dazed and unable to stand, Hardonk earned the TKO victory just 17 seconds into the fight.

• British fighters Paul Kelly (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Paul Taylor (8-3-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC) were determined to dazzle the local crowd, and a frantic early exchange set the tone for the rest of the bout. In the end, though, Kelly dominated the ground war and cruised to a unanimous-decision victory (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

• After losing three of four fights in the UFC, Alessio Sakara (12-6 MMA, 3-3 UFC) has bounced back for two straight victories — his latest over James Lee (13-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who appeared to injure his back during a takedown attempt early in the fight. Sakara unloaded a flurry of punches that forced a TKO stoppage at 1:30 of the first round. It was the last fight at light heavyweight for Sakara, who will now compete as a middleweight in the UFC.

• The event got off to a slow start when Per Eklund (12-3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) failed in his many takedown attempts of Sam Stout (13-3-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC). The Canadian kickboxer repeatedly stuffed Eklund’s attempts and landed enough punches to earn a unanimous decision victory (30-27, 29-27, 30-27)

QUICK RESULTS

• B.J. Penn def. Joe Stevenson via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 2. 4:02
• Fabricio Werdum def. Gabriel Gonzaga via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 4:34
• Marcus Davis def. Jess Liaudin via KO (punch) — Round 1, 1:04
• Wilson Gouveia def. Jason Lambert via KO (punch) — Round 2, 0:37
• Jorge Rivera def. Kendall Grove via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 1:20
• Antoni Hardonk def. Colin Robinson via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 0:17
• Paul Kelly def. Paul Taylor via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Alessio Sakara def. James Lee via TKO (punches) — Round 1, 1:30
• Sam Stout def. Per Eklund via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-27, 30-27)

Sorry...

...I've been really bad about keeping the blog up, although I'm not sure how many people actually check in regularly. I know a few people outside of the group of friends I designed this for have stopped by to check things out. Anyhow, most of what I get I rip off from the major MMA blogs, as I've mentioned many times before. From now on, however, I'm going to try to infuse more of my own content and commentary.

Remember, not this Wed. but the next we have UFN 12 coming up which is free on SPIKE. I'll be recording it and having over a few people (all of you are invited) to watch it at around 8:30. They usually go 2 hours if I'm not mistaken. Check out UFC.COM for some video previews and fighter pre-fight interviews (the fights are always more exciting with a little context).

The CARD:
* Main Card Josh Burkman vs. Mike Swick
* Drew McFedries vs. Patrick Cote
* Nate Diaz vs. Alvin Robinson
* Thiago Tavares vs. Michihiro Omigawa

Undercard
* Kurt Pellegrino vs. Alberto Crane
* Gray Maynard vs. Dennis Siver
* Cole Miller vs. Jeremy Stephens
* Corey Hill vs. Joe Veres
* Matt Wiman vs. Justin Buchholz

I'm looking foeard to all of the fights on the main card. Look for some serious leather to be thrown in the McFedries/Cote fight. Also, I'm a fan of Swick and I want to see him propelled into contention so he can pick up the pieces after GSP and Fitch eventually go to war. It'd be interesting to see him fight a lot of the guys in the top ten of the WW division including fellow members of season 1 of TUF Diego Sanchez and Josh Koscheck.

Finally, it looks like Fedor will be coming to the states to meet with Couture in person. I've never doubted the two would fight. Looks like it'll happen in late '08.

Hope you're all well. Give me a call if you want to come by and see some fireworks next Wednesday.

-Dan

Coming up...

...although we may not all get together for UFC 80, Ultimate Fight Night 12 on Wed., Jan. 23rd (airs at 6PM but we usually watch it at about 8PM) is both free and looks to be a hot card.

UFC 80: “Rapid Fire”

Saturday, January 19, 2008
The Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England

Main Event:
BJ Penn (11-4-1) vs. Joe Stevenson (28-7) for the interim UFC Lightweight Championship

Undercard:

Hvywt.	Gabriel Gonzaga (8-2) vs. Fabricio Werdum (9-3-1)
205 lbs	Jason Lambert (23-6) vs. Wilson Gouveia (9-4)
170 lbs.	Marcus Davis (13-3) vs. Jess Liaudin (12-8)*
155 lbs.	Sam Stout (12-3-1) vs. Per Eklund (12-2-1)
185 lbs	Kendall Grove (8-4) vs. Jorge Rivera (14-6)*
170 lbs	Paul Taylor (8-2-1) vs. Paul Kelly (6-0)
205 lbs	Alessio Sakara (11-6) vs. James Lee (12-2)
205 lbs	Antoni Hardonk (5-4) vs. Colin Robinson (8-3)*

*Not yet officially confirmed by UFC.com.

UFC Fight Night 12

Wednesday, January 23, 2008, at 9 p.m. ET on SpikeTV
Venue TBA

Main Event:
Mike Swick (10-2) vs. Josh Burkman (9-4)

Undercard:

185 lbs.	Patrick Cote (11-4) vs. Drew McFedries (6-2)
155 lbs.	Nate Diaz (7-2) vs. Alvin Robinson (9-2)*
155 lbs.	Kurt Pellegrino (10-3) vs. Alberto Crane (8-1)*
155 lbs.	Corey Hill (1-0) vs. Joe Veres (4-2)*
155 lbs.	Thiago Tavares (13-1) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (4-5)
155 lbs.	Cole Miller (13-2) vs. Jeremy Stephens (12-2)*
155 lbs.	Gray Maynard (3-0) vs. Dennis Siver (11-4)*
155 lbs.	Matt Wiman (8-3) vs. Justin Buchholz (7-1)*

Who Says Taekwando is Not a "Tough Sport"?

UFC 79

UFC 79 is going down this Sat night! We'll be watching it over at Walter's house in Ontario. Bring a few bucks ($5-10) to pitch in for the fight and some grub. Call me for directions: 951_660_5499

• 
  
• Interim welterweight championship bout: Matt Hughes vs. Georges St. Pierre ^[6]

• Light heavyweight bout: Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva ^[2]
• Light heavyweight bout : Lyoto Machida vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou ^[4]

• Lightweight bout: Rich Clementi vs. Melvin Guillard ^[7]

• Heavyweight bout: Eddie Sanchez vs. Soa Palalei^[8]

Preliminary Card

• Light Heavyweight bout: James Irvin vs. Luis Cane ^[9]
• Welterweight bout: Tony DeSouza vs. Roan Carneiro ^[10]
• Lightweight bout: Nate Mohr vs. Manvel Gamburyan ^[11]
• Middleweight bout: Dean Lister vs. Jordan Radev ^[12]

• Lightweight bout: Doug Evans vs. Mark Bocek ^[13]

Fedor vs. Couture

Last night as I watched HDNet Fights I saw Couture talk about the inevitability of a fight with Fedor once his current contract with the UFC is up and was overjoyed. I always believed this would happen eventually, it was just a matter of ironing out the issues between Couture and the UFC. It looks like one of the gifts we're going to get next year is this highly anticipated fight.

Couture Awaits UFC Contract Expiration, Fight with Emelianenko

Posted by MMA Junkie on December 16, 2007 at 8:00 am ET

DALLAS, Texas — UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture, who resigned from the UFC in October over what he perceived to be a lack of respect from the organization, is counting down the days to his contract-expiration date, and he’s leaving open the possibility of fighting former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko.

Couture was in Dallas over the weekend for “HDNet Fights: Reckless Abandon.” The event included a few Xtreme Couture fighters, including victorious Frank Trigg and Jay White. However, the 44-year-old UFC hall-of-famer couldn’t avoid the inevitable questions about his future.

While a guest on the HDNet broadcast of Saturday’s event, Couture said he’d still like to fight Emelianenko. While still with the UFC, Couture expressed his desire to battle the legendary Russian fighter, but when UFC President Dana White couldn’t make it happen, Couture cited it as a reason he wanted to leave the organization.

During the broadcast, Couture said the soonest he could fight Emelianenko would be October 2008, when both his fight contract (July) and employment contract (October) expire.

It became a hot topic again in a post-fight press conference.

“I’m not sure what’s going to happen with me at this point,” Couture said. “I have a contract with the UFC that I have to honor. I can’t breach that or I’ll end up in litigation, so I don’t intend to do that.

“That contract expires in July, and we’ll see what happens after that.“

Emelianenko recently signed a non-exclusive, long-term deal with M-1 Global, an organization that was recently purchased from Emelianenko’s manager and restructured by its American investors.

The organization is allowing Emelianenko to compete New Year’s Eve at a show in Japan against the 7-foot-2 Hong Man Choi (1-0).

Couture weighed in on the match-up.

“Obviously, it’s a big guy, and it’s still a fight,” he said. “Anything can happen in a fight… The guy can hit you across the ring as soon as the bell rings, so who knows.“

The reference was to Couture’s victory over giant Tim Sylvia in March. Couture tagged the then-champ in the bout’s first few seconds to send him to the canvas. It set up the eventual unanimous-decision victory.

Couture, though, is pulling for Emelianenko. After all, he wants to be the first to post a legitimate victory over the fighter.

“I hope it goes successfully for him because I want to be the first one to beat him,” he said.

Emelianenko’s only loss was in a 2000 RINGS event against Tsuyoshi Kohsaka. The bout was stopped just 17 seconds in because of a cut caused by a glancing elbow from Kohsaka. Because of the event’s tournament format that required one fighter to continue on, the fight was ruled a loss for Emelianenko rather than a no-contest or disqualification.

79 Comments | Posted in HDNet Fights, Fedor Emelianenko, Randy Couture |

Michael Bisping: Out of the frying pan and into the fire

Not since Louden Swain dropped to 168lbs to wrestle Brian Shute has anyone been crazier for changing weight classes.

Yet that’s exactly what Michael “The Count” Bisping plans to do: Drop to 185lbs and set his sights on middleweight deity Anderson “The Spider” Silva.

From UFC.com:

Dana thought it was a great idea, he said I’d be ‘a monster’ down at middleweight. In fact all sorts of people like Rampage (with whom Bisping is close) were telling me this was the best thing for my career. Really, I knew middleweight was the place to be. When I went to train with Rampage in America over the summer, when we’d go eat he’d have half a lettuce leaf; I’d have a pizza or a couple of foot-long Subways and a couple of sneaky cookies.

Sneaky cookies notwithstanding, dropping to middleweight could inject new life into the 14-1 Brit. After a split-decision loss to Rashad Evans at UFC 78: Validation (the first of his professional career) “The Count” was still unsure about whether or not to change weight classes.

His camp was not:

Even though I train as hard, if not harder, than anyone else for a fight, I wasn’t making sacrifices like other fighters do. I’ve had world class nutritionists like (boxer) Ricky Hatton’s strength coach Kerry Kayes tell me I could be so much stronger at middleweight, so I was getting this same advise from all sides.

Look for the new and improved Bisping to re-emerge sometime this spring. Hopefully he can find the improvement he’s looking for. I don’t want to use a chum reference here but there are plenty of gifted strikers in the middleweight division just waiting for new blood.

And it’s not like he has to fight Anderson Silva right out of the gate. I’m sure guys like Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson would be more than accommodating.

Godspeed Mike!

GSP Highlights

More GSP highlights:
http://www.searchforvideo.com/sports/ufc/georges-st-pierre/

News and Worlwide Rankings

Before we get down to the rankings here's the most pressing news from the sport:
1. The UFC has stripped the LW belt from Sherk so now the Penn v. Stevenson bout is for the REAL TITLE. The winner will face Sherk for sure and you can bet that little roided out freak is going to fight like a madman to take it back. In my opinion, he's not guilty for sure because there were some serious questions about the testing process and there is evidence that some of the (many) supplements who was taking might have actually caused the positive results. Either way, he won't be testing positive again.

UFC Quick Quote: Sean Sherk calls BJ Penn a ‘punk’

“I think BJ Penn is a punk. Who the hell is he? He’s won one fight in a couple of years now and it’s just whatever man. He wants to make all of these rules and regulations, but who the hell is he? I’m the champ in my eyes so I don’t care if he fights me or not, there’s a whole bunch of guys that could fight me right now. It’s his loss, not mine. He needs me more than I need him.”

– Sean Sherk — who was just stripped of his lightweight title — shares his feelings on BJ Penn via FightHype.com. Penn will now challenge Joe Stevenson for the vacant 155-pound belt at UFC 80: “Rapid Fire.” The winner of the championship match up is supposed to fight Sherk next. Penn has stated that he would only fight Sherk if he was “cleared of the steroid charge.”

UFC 80: Joe Stevenson on BJ Penn fight

Props: PunchDrunkGamer.com

Quoteworthy:

“I think that both of us are very strong and it would be hard to find weaknesses in either of our games. The fight is going to come down to who is better prepared on the day of the fight. There is nothing negative that I can say about BJ, he is one of the best fighters out there…. He trains very hard for his fights and he fights at 155 lbs. so I don’t think that cardio is going to be a factor for him. Obviously BJ will have to be in shape to make the weight.”

Lightweight Joe Stevenson talks about his upcoming fight with BJ Penn at UFC 80: “Rapid Fire” on January 19, 2008, in Newcastle, England, for the interim 155-pound championship. That tag could soon change to “vacant” now that credible reports indicate that Sean Sherk will be stripped of the strap because of a positive test for illegal steroids. Stay tuned.

2. The Ultimate Fighter Season 7 might be the most entertaining entry in the series yet due to the fact that the two craziest (in a good, fun way) guys in the UFC, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (LHW champ) and Forrest Griffin, have been announced as coaches. Despite the fact that both of these guys are lightheavy, the show will feature middleweight fighters.

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7: Quinton Jackson and Forrest Griffin officially announced as coaches during Spike VGA awards

There is a headline currently adorning the SpikeTV Web site that pretty much sums up the banality of the Spike Video Game Awards (VGA).

It reads: Steve-O drunk at the VGAs!

If anyone feels compelled to zoom on over for all the gory details then I say to you: Godspeed my friend. For those readers over the age of 14, let us continue with the surprise announcement that nobody saw coming.

It appears that the “Big Plans” UFC President Dana White had in store for Quinton “Rampage” Jackson do indeed include a stint as coach on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF).

White made the “major announcement” during tonight’s VGA broadcast on SpikeTV.

“Top contender” Forrest Griffin was first confirmed as coach following the Clay Guida/Roger Huerta war at last night’s The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 6 Finale. White refrained from announcing the addition of Rampage presumably to entice viewers to tune into the VGA’s.

I don’t think announcing Couture/Fedor could entice people to sit through that dreck.

White previously mentioned that the two coaches will fight one another sometime after the conclusion of the show. TUF 7, which begins to shoot in January and will debut on SpikeTV sometime in April 2008, will feature 16 up-and-coming middleweight (185 pounds) fighters.

Here’s a snip from UFC.com:

“Jackson, fresh from becoming the first fighter in history to unify the light heavyweight title when he defeated PRIDE champion Dan Henderson in September, will be making his first appearance on The Ultimate Fighter. On the other hand, Griffin - who stunned the MMA world with his decisive submission victory over the last man to beat ‘Rampage’, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, also in September – will be returning to the place that helped make him a superstar back in 2005, when he won the first season of the show by defeating Stephan Bonnar in one of the sport’s classic battles.”

It should not matter that Jackson and Griffin are in the 205-pound class — there’s not a pool of bankable stars at that weight to carry a program that has been struggling in the ratings.

Jackson and Griffin should provide the spark (and personality) necessary to get the mixed martial arts reality series back on track.

3. UFC 79 is coming like a 3,000 lb. freight train and will feature a title fight (Hughes/GSP), marking the third time these 170lb. champs have clashed, as well as a matchup that hardcore fans have been waiting to see for years, Liddell/Wanderlei. The official website is now up.

UFC 79 official Web site for ‘Nemesis’ PPV event

Props: 79.UFC.com

Note: The video trailer is up for “Nemesis” on December 29 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fighter interviews for the major match ups, however, are still unavailable. Check the site often to see when those go live. It has to be any day now


WORLD RANKINGS WITH MY (WORTHLESS) COMMENTARY:
Hey everyone. MMAWEEKLY puts out some of the most respected MMA rankings (there are no official rankings...even the UFC doesn't rank their fighters, at least not publicly). Anyway, I've added my commentary for what it's worth. It took me a few days to find the time to add a little tidbit about each fighter I know. Hopefully this will catch some of you up on the sport who aren't as vested in it as I am. -Danny




"The latest MMAWeekly World MMA Rankings were released on Wednesday, December 5. This system ranks the top ten MMA fighters from all across the world in each of the six largest weight classes, as voted on by MMAWeekly.

We take into consideration a fighter's performance in addition to his win-loss record, head-to-head and common opponents, difficulty of opponents, and numerous other factors in what is the most comprehensive rankings system in the sport.

As always, fighters who are currently serving drug-related suspensions are not eligible for top ten consideration.

Here are the current MMAWeekly World MMA Rankings, which are up-to-date as of December 5:"

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (over 205 pounds)

#1 Heavyweight Fighter in the World: Fedor Emelianenko
He is the best, he's never really been defeated (he lost because of a cut)...he's beat some of the best in world, but he simply hasn't been active. He next fight is against a freak of nature (really, it is...a Korean guy with a growth hormone problem who is like 7 feet tall and weight 365). He won't last long here as #1 unless he starts fighting some serious competition soon.

2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
UFC fighter- he may be fighting Tim Sylvia for the now vacant heavyweight title at UFC 81 (superbowl weekend)
3. Josh Barnett
Non-UFC fighter but I wouldn't be surprised to see him in the UFC sometime in 2008 (he's an ex-PRIDE fighter who has elected to stay over in Japan for the time being)
4. Randy Couture
Oh Randy, when and where and what are you going to fight? The big question with Randy is whether or not he is going to tangle with Fedor. I think it'll happen. Although Fedor is with the upstart M1 Russian MMA org, he signed a non-exclusive deal.
5. Tim Sylvia
Big Tim...goofy, cocky, just kinda weird, but he keeps the fight where he wants it, which is standing, and puts people on their asses. He's going to fight Big Nog and we'll see if he reestablishes himself as the king of the UFC's heavyweight division.
6. Gabriel Gonzaga
Personally "Napao" is my favorite heavyweight out there. Yes he got beaten by Couture, but he also had his nose broken badly early in the fight due to a headbutt (inadvertently). Gonzaga is coming back against another top ten fighter in Werdum, the only guy to have beaten him...a fight that happened early in his career and it was a decision loss. I believe in Gonzaga and I think he'll someday stand atop the HW division.

7. Andrei Arlovski
The "Pitbull" is the fastest heavyweight fighter that I know of. He once held the UFC's HW belt and he wants it again. He's technically good both on the feet and on the ground. He won a decision over Werdum that was BORING and this put him back in line.
8. Mirko Cro Cop
Mirko hasn't looked good in the UFC but don't count him out just yet. I think the UFC will give him somebody a bit softer so he can demonstrate his knockout power and rebuild some confidence. Mirko is by no means washed up...but only time will tell if he'll ever become a champ.

9. Fabricio Werdum
Relatively unknown on this side of the pond, Werdum is a good, well rounded fighter with slick submissions. He's not big though so I pick him to lose to Gonzaga.
10. Aleksander Emelianenko
The ghetto brother of Fedor. Prison tattoos...scary...check him out on YouTube. He looks like some scummy guy you'd see walking around the streets of Russia with a gold chain on.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (205-pound limit)

#1 Light Heavyweight Fighter in the World: Quinton Jackson
Quinton brings the pain...strong, good at striking, good in the clinch, good wrestling...I don't think he has great jiu-jitsu, but who cares? It'll be fun to see him defend his title. He's been resting up since he broke his hand on Dan Henderson's head.
2. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
Rua got beaten fair and square to an inferior fighter in Griffin. Don't get me wrong, I love Griffin and they guy lays it all out. Indeed, he's one of my favorite fighters, but I think Griffin is a bit wild and I think that's always going to keep him from shining. In the same token, Shogun is similar. Maybe that's why Shogun, who is consistently ranked near the top of the LHW division, lost. I'm very excited to see Shogun in his next fight with healthy knees (he underwent knee surgery not longer after the bout with Griffin).
3. Dan Henderson
"Hendo" is a straight up cowboy. He's not afraid of anyone and he showed that by putting Quinton through a war...and he never looked like he was going to lose that fight by getting knocked out or submitted. He was then asked to drop down to middleweight, a fighting weight he can easily get to since he's a smaller LHW, which he eventually agreed to (he'll be fighting the extremely dangerous Anderson Silva at MW). I like Henderson for his soft spoken, tough nature and the fact that he wrestles very well and throws bombs.
4. Chuck Liddell
The Iceman is a great striker and, perhaps, the most famous fighter in the UFC in terms of appealing to the uninformed throng. In my opinion he was, is, a paper tiger. I knew someone was going to go in there and not be afraid to stand with him or was going to aggressively go for the take down...and lo, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson did just that, knocking out the long reigning champ in a matter of minutes. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate Chuck, I just think he is one of the most overrated fighters out there. If he loses to Wanderlei Silva on the 29th it'll make his third loss in a row and if that happens I think he needs to drop out of the top 10.
5. Wanderlei Silva
The "Axe Murderer," from the famed Chute Boxe camp, ruled the PRIDE LHW division for a while and fought against some of the best competition in the world. He is putting it on the line this month against Liddell. He, like Liddell, is coming off of a two fight losing streak. Look for him to be aggressive yet careful not to get caught by one of Chuck's devastating rights.
6. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
The Jungle Fighter, straight outta Afrikka, is making his UFC debut early in 2008 against the undefeated Machida. Despite his lack of MMA experience (only 5 fights under his belt), he is a world class Judo artist and has knocked out two great fighters consecutively.
7. Keith Jardine
AKA Satan...not a bad guy, he just looks like the devil. An Ultimate Fighter contestant turned top 10 contender, Jardine knocked out Forrest Griffin, got knocked out by Houston Alexander, and then beat Chuck Liddell by sticking to a technical game plan. Look for Jardine to make a rush for the title, but first he'll have to meet one of the other guys on this list and win.
8. Forrest Griffin
The "Everyman" of the UFC...funny, goofy, and extremely aggressive. He goes balls to the wall in every fight and, in his last fight, beat SHOGUN, the fighter whom everybody is looking for to eventually take the title and stand atop the division. Much like Jardine, Griffin's next fight will put him at the very front of the line for the title if he wins.
9. Ricardo Arona
A PRIDE veteran who is strong on the ground and has been tested over and over again. In my opinion he probably won't be a champ, but he'll definitely make life miserable for a few of these guys. I bet they'll feed him someone not in the top 10 for his first fight to build some interest around him here in the states. He's got great takedowns, mean GnP, and slickety slick jiu-jitsu. I'll be looking forward to watching him in the octagon.
10. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
If his brother is "Big Nog" then he's "Little Nog." I don't know much about him other than that he is a PRIDE veteran who is in the top 10 and is undoubtedly worthy of being here.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION (185-pound limit)

#1 Middleweight Fighter in the World: Anderson Silva
Knees, elbows, shins, fists...you'll see them all land, and usually in combination, when this guy fights. The Spider has made everyone who's fought him look bad. He has finished every fight with a KO, TKO, or submission. He seems unstoppable right now, but the answer to his style just might be Dan Henderson's wrestling ability and raw strength and that's why they've matched the two of them up. Henderson's last fight was his decision LOSS to Rampage and now they're giving him a title fight against Silva, if that doesn't speak to Henderson's abilities, then nothing does.
2. Paulo Filho
This guy fights for World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), a Zuffa company and, therefore, the sister organization of the UFC. I've never seen Filho fight, but he's the number 2 MW in the world so obviously he's one of the best. It seems to make the most sense to bring him over to the UFC and have him challenge Silva, but Zuffa has no intentions of doing so as I believe they think it would muddle things up and they want to build up the WEC in order to make sure the only competition the UFC has is also Zuffa. Stupid. Things like this demonstrate that it's not about the best fighting the best all the time but about $$$$.
3. Matt Lindland
Crazy Matt Lindland...an ex-UFC fighter, trainer, and tough-as-nails guy with a good all around game. He's especially well versed in wrestling and jiu-jitsu. His last fight was against Fedor who outweighs him by A LOT. He cut Fedor and almost had him mounted, but then Fedor almost broke his arm with a kimura to armbar. Lindland COULD fight in the UFC again, but he clashes way to much with Dana.
4. Rich Franklin
Rich might be #1 in the world if it weren't for the Spider. Ex-high school math teacher turned cage fighter. Good at everything, not really great at any one thing. He wears down his opponents since he is big at MW. Likeable, professional, tough, and definitely someone I'd like to see winning again.
5. Denis Kang
I don't know much about Kang, other than he's obviously a great fighter. From wikipedia: "Kang is best known for his explosiveness and well-rounded style of fighting, utilizing both submissions and striking equally."
6. Robbie Lawler
Soft spoken ex-UFC fighter. This guy likes to bang it out on his feet. He recently beat Frank Trigg. I'd like to see him back in the UFC. He works with Hughes now and was a co-trainer on The Ultimate Fighter Season 6.
7. Nathan Marquardt
Nathan is one of my favorite fighters although I've only seen him a handful of times. His last showing against Anderson Silva was not his best (he was TKO'd with strikes in round 2). He is very well rounded. He recently signed a contract extension with the UFC and we'll see him at least once this year. He is a technical fighter and someone who, in my opinion, will be ranked higher by year's end.
8. Kazuo Misaki
?? Japanese
9. Yushin Okami
UFC fighter...just lost to Franklin this year, barely, and then posted a win over McDonald. This guys is very strong for a middle weight and likes to wear guys down and then go for GnP. I look forward to seeing more of him.
10. Yoshihiro Akiyama
?? Japanese
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION (170-pound limit)
What a division...and the UFC has most of these guys.
#1 Welterweight Fighter in the World: Matt Serra
A paper champ? Maybe. Did he knock out St. Pierre? Yes. Was it a looping, lucky hook that landed on the back of the neck/head of St. Pierre. Yes. Ok, ok, although Serra is a bit annoying at times, he's generally a very nice person. He drops too many curse words for my liking, but he's good at jiu-jitsu. As happy as I am that Hughes and St. Pierre are going to fight again, I did want to see Serra/Hughes simply because I think Hughes would have squashed him. The one good thing is that the winner of St. Pierre/Hughes WILL fight Serra for sure come spring time.
2. Georges St. Pierre
My favorite fighter, period. The most well rounded fighter out there. Crisp striking, amazing wrestling (take down defense is astounding!) and he's got jiu-jitsu too. If he loses to Hughes it won't be the worst thing that could happen to him since he beat him decisively the last time the two met.
3. Matt Hughes
Matt Hughes is a hall-of-famer. No one has dominated a division like he has in his career. His wrestling is top-notch and he's strong. Perhaps his best asset is his heart and determination.
4. Jon Fitch
Jon Fitch is a force to be reckoned with. Hailed for quite some time as the next big thing at 170 by hardcore MMA fans, he burst into the spotlight in 2007 notching victories over some very tough competition including Diego Sanchez. He didn't totally dominate Sanchez, but he won the decision without getting into any real trouble at all. With his strong wrestling many would like to see him against Hughes. I just want to see him in a title fight before 08 is up.
5. Josh Koscheck
Fellow American Kick Boxing Academy member along with Fitch, Koscheck is a powerful wrestler with the best takedowns of anyone in the WW division. He looked nearly unstoppable until St. Pierre humbled him at UFC 74 by stuffing his takedowns and punishing him for three round, earning a unanimous decision of the fuzzy, blond haired cocky #&$@*. Ok, I was trying to be objective...yes Kos is a great fighter but he rubs me the wrong way. I'd like to see him in a title shot just to watch him lose.
6. Karo Parisyan
Karo, Karo, Karo...we wanted so much more from your last fight...but you tried. Karo is a great judo artist who doesn't usually finish fights, but he wins them and they're usually interesting. Indeed, in 2006 he had fight of the year when he threw down with Diego Sanchez. He's now fighting like a guy with something to lose...namely his shot at the title. He had one back in the day and had to back out because of injury. He has been on a tear, winning something like eight of his last nine fights. I think they'll give him one more fight, but he may just hold out most of the year to wait for a title shot to open up. People want to put him up against Fitch to determine a number one contender.
7. Jake Shields
Young, tough, and, well, that's about all I know (non-UFC...I think Strikeforce).
8. Diego Sanchez
The Nightmare was/is the great Latin hope. Slick jiu-jitsu hasn't been enough to keep him undefeated and he's now lost two in a row (Koscheck and then Fitch). Look for a comeback...this kid will be MOTIVATED to put the hurt on whomever he faces next.
9. Carlos Condit
Another fighter I hear a lot about but don't know much about. He's in the WEC so he's another guy the UFC could bring over at any time but probably won't.
10. Marcus Davis
Man, one of the most exciting fights this year came from Davis, aka The Irish Hand Grenade. He was getting the screws put to him by Paul Taylor and the fight was almost stopped after Taylor dropped Davis with a shin and was hammer fisting him. Davis recovered, however, and ended up catching Taylor in a nasty arm bar, ending the fight and giving the fans a wild ride.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION (160-pound limit)
Lightweight is quickly becoming one of my favorite divisions to watch. The UFC has a very deep lightweight division but despite this fact, the majority of the fighters in the top 10 come from other organizations mainly because so many fighters in Japan are smaller and MMA is huge over there.
#1 Lightweight Fighter in the World: Takanori Gomi
Gomi is widely recognized as the best at 155. I have only seen a few of his fights.
2. Hayato Sakurai
?
3. Gilbert Melendez
WEC- undefeated.
4. Tatsuya Kawajiri
?
5. Shinya Aoki
?
6. Gesias "JZ" Calvancante
?
7. Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro
?
8. Joe Stevenson
UFC- aka Joe Daddy. He'll be taking on BJ Penn for the interim LW belt in January. This is a very anticipated match up. The winner will take on Sherk when he's done with his suspension.
9. Mitsuhiro Ishida
?
10. Kenny Florian
Kenny is th soft spoken, nerdy lookin' dude who nearly beat Sherk late in 2006 when the LW division was resurrected and they needed to crown a champ.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION (145 pounds and under)

#1 Featherweight Fighter in the World: Akitoshi Tamura

2. "Lion" Takeshi Inoue

3. Urijah Faber
Man, this kid is on fire...very exciting. He's WEC and I'd love it if he went up to 55 and came to the UFC.
4. Antonio Carvalho

5. Masakazu Imanari

6. Hatsu Hioki

7. Jeff Curran

8. Yoshiro Maeda

9. Tenkei Fujimiya

10. Rafael Assuncao

Wanderlei wants to "box" Liddell

Besides the anticipation of St. Pierre vs. Hughes III, other good fights are coming up. Here are some related videos:

What's Jungle Kung-fu? Ask Sokoudjou:


Liddell vs. Wanderlei

Dan's Quick Hits

The most exciting news and gossip:

1. UFC 81 (Sat., Feb. 2nd) will be known as the "Super Bowl Card" because it's the same weekend as the Super Bowl and "my sources" (Sherdog's podcast) claim that it may be on CBS for free (of course it'd be free if it's broadcast on national TV). This would be the biggest thing ever to happen to MMA in that it'll be free and on national TV. We don't who'll be the main event, but some of the card has already materialized:

Hvywt.
Frank Mir (10-3) vs. Brock Lesnar (1-0)
Brock Lesnar is the first guy to fight in the UFC from pro-wrestling. Before you dismiss him note this: he as a division I wreslter and defeated his first opponent in about one minute via arm bar. Frank Mir on the other hand was one the golden boy of the UFC heavyweight division but a terrible motorcycle accident put him out of the game for a few years and he has found mixed success coming back.

155 lbs.
Tyson Griffin (10-1) vs. Gleison Tibau (15-4)*
Tyson is one of the most exciting fighters in the sport. I absolutely love to watch him fight because he never gives up and has the ability to get out of submissions regardless of how hopeless things seem.

185 lbs.
Nate Marquardt (25-7-2) vs. Thales Leites (12-1)*
Both of these guys bring it but Nate is a true contender. His last fight was a title shot against The Spider which he lost via TKO. He just didn't have an answer for the most dominating striker in the game in Anderson Silva. Leites is no joke either and this will be a true battle of these middleweights!

2. The next fight card is FREE and will go down on Dec. 8th (Sat.) at 6PM on SPIKETV. It's the Ultimate Fighter Finale. Although we don't know who the finalists are, we do know that the main event is Roger Huerta vs. Clay Guida, two of the most exciting lightweight fighters in the game. Huerta is the guy we watched fight the first time we watched fights over at Matt's house (the night Gonzaga lost to Couture)...he was the guy who used the big screen display to land reverse elbows on his opponent. These guys are both game and it will be a war. If you want to watch this we me, you're welcome too! I'll probably watch it at my place or my pop's up in Chino Hills.

Ok, it's Thanksgiving and I shouldn't be on the net, so here's the rest of the schedule for the upcoming UFC events:


Ultimate Fighter® Team Serra vs Team Hughes Finale - 12/08/2007
R. Huerta
C. Guida
Date
12/08/2007
Time
9pm ET/PT
Event Type
Spike TV - The Ultimate Fighter Finale



UFC® 79 NEMESIS - 12/29/2007
M. Serra
M. Hughes
Date
12/29/2007
Time
7pm PT / 10pm ET
Event Type
PPV Live



UFC® 80: RAPID FIRE - 01/19/2008
B. Penn
J. Stevenson
Date
01/19/2008
Time
noon PT / 3pm ET / 20:00 GMT
Event Type
PPV Live